9/11 “Explained” in <5 mins

 

9/11: A Conspiracy Theory [4:56]:

 


 

“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”

~ Mark Twain

 


 

Ya gotta admit, staging a new Pearl Harbor is one heckuva way to kick off a new war, ain’t it, Dick?  Regardless of who dunnit, we definitely got ours in the aftermath anyway.  (Or Cheney and them guy$ did.  Especially if you can disregard the thousands and thousands of lives -and trillions of dollars- wasted.)


 

Controversial viral post by retired Navy veteran Jim Wright about 9/11:

The broken link to the post is here.

And you can read the original text in its entirety here:

You’re expecting some kind of obligatory 9-11 post, aren’t you?

Here it is, but you’re not gonna like it.

15 years ago today 19 shitheads attacked America.

They killed 3000 of us.

And then … America got its revenge for 9-11.

Yes we did. Many times over. We killed them. We killed them all. We killed their families. We killed their wives and their kids and all their neighbors. We killed whole nations that weren’t even involved just to make goddamned sure. We bombed their cities into rubble. We burned down their countries.

They killed 3000 of us, we killed 300,000 of them or more.

8000 of us came home in body bags, but we got our revenge. Yes we did.

We’re still here. They aren’t.

We win. USA! USA! USA!

Right?

You goddamned right. We. Win.

Except…

Every year on this day we bath in the blood of that day yet again. We watch the towers fall over and over. It’s been 15 goddamned years, but we just can’t get enough. We’ve just got to watch it again and again.

It’s funny how we never show those videos of the bombs falling on Baghdad today. Or the dead in the streets of Afghanistan. We got our revenge, but we never talk about that today. No, we just sit and watch the towers fall yet again.

Somewhere out there on the bottom of the sea are the rotting remains of the evil son of bitch who masterminded the attack. It took a decade, but we hunted him down and put a bullet in his brain. Sure. We got him. Right? That’s what we wanted. that’s what our leaders promised us, 15 years ago today.

And today those howling the loudest for revenge shrug and say, well, yeah, that. That doesn’t matter, because, um, yeah, the guy in the White House, um, see, well, he’s not an American, he’s the enemy see? He’s not doing enough. So, whatever. What about that over there? And that? And…

Yeah.

15 years ago our leaders, left and right, stood on the steps of the Capitol and gave us their solemn promise to work together, to stand as one, for all Americans.

How’d that promise work out?

How much are their words worth? Today, 15 years later?

It’s 15 years later and we’re STILL afraid. We’re still terrorized. Still wallowing in conspiracy theories and peering suspiciously out of our bunkers at our neighbors. Sure we won. Sure we did. We became a nation that tortures our enemies — and our own citizens for that matter. We’re a nation of warrantless wiretaps and rendition and we’ve gotten used to being strip searched in our own airports. And how is the world a better place for it all?

And now we’re talking about more war, more blood.

But, yeah, we won. Sure. You bet.

Frankly, I have had enough of 9-11. Fuck 9-11. I’m not going to watch the shows. I’m not going to any of the memorials. I’m not going to the 9-11 sales at Wal-Mart. I don’t want to hear about 9-11. I for damned sure am not interested in watching politicians of either party try to out 9-11 each other. I’m tired of this national 9-11 PTSD. I did my bit for revenge, I went to war, I’ll remember the dead in my own time in my own way.

I’m not going to shed a damned tear today.

We got our revenge. Many times over, for whatever good it did us.

I’m going to go to a picnic and enjoy my day. Enjoy this victory we’ve won.

I suggest you do the same.

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Cambridge Italian Festival 2016

Sunday, September 11th 2016

The nonstop experiences  since mid-summer amount to an embarrassment of riches.

Such as this little festival around the corner from our house that occurs every year the first weekend AFTER school starts.  Wholly holy cannoli.

Cambridge Italian Festival 2016 [5:47]:

 

 

 

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Back to School 2016

September 6th-8th 2016

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Kindergarden and Third Grade!

 

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Cousin Miles (also 3rd Grade)!

 

ClaraJane does not start for two days but all the same she DRAGGED me down the hall (from trying to say hi to other parents etc.) to go see her classroom, where she was naturally greeted like a movie star.

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Ms. Sandra, ClaraJane and Ms. Mayya

 

Ms. Mayya graciously expedited our parent-teacher meeting so I could perform the paperwork, and ClaraJane could get started on the classroom “WELCOME” poster:

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“WELCOME.  OBERHAUSER.”

 

A quick stop the kitchen to visit Chef Daddy of course!

♥ Any time is a good time to Hop on Pop. ♥

Then off to the coffee shop with Mom:

                                                       ♥ Cafe Monkey ♥

With our extra day before starting kindergarden, we undertake to start the school year with an unforgettable snack for the classroom:

Butterfly goldfish crackers and grapes

Now THAT was fun.  Also exhausting apparently, as I didn’t have the steam to take the kids to the annual Ice Cream Social kick off at school; the poor deprived darlings.  (I was face planted into a pillow.)

Then this morning my attempt to capture the moment ClaraJane is ABOUT TO ENTER the classroom as a kindergartner for the first time… was met with more ennui from Herself, who is actually 100% ready to rock this thing.

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Can you go now?  

I know my ceaseless predilection for photos is annoying; I annoy myself!

What is NOT annoying though, is the time and space to finally sit down and play with the ensuing images.    Here by myself with coffee and wifi.

ALSO; we are healthy and well.  How fricking blessedly amazing is that??

grateful-snoopy

(My heart hurts for some who are not so lucky.)

Alrighty then… time to go pick those rascals back up from the bus.

Round we go!

 

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Seagull Saga

Saturday, September 3rd 2016

A tiny snippet from our Labor Day Weekend camping trip to Southern Rhode Island.*

2016-09-03 Seagull Saga [1:22]:

 

*With apologies to DaddyLove for practicing upon his defenselessness by sacrificing him at the altar of comedy per usual even while napping, and later insinuating he actually farted by adding the sound effect into the video.

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Beach Circus Government

Saturday, September 2nd 2016

Inspired by School House Rock, ClaraJane asked me to help her build a “three ring circus” in the sand, and we conspire to represent the three branches of U.S. Government.

For the Judiciary Branch, and visualizing the World-as-We-Want-It-To-Be, you can clearly see we included representations of all NINE Supreme Court Justices (a-HEM).

Further visualizing the World-as-We-Want-It-To-Be, the Executive Branch tower is adorned with a LION representing our only choice for  President, our main man BERNIE SANDERS.

Finally the Legislative Branch.  Accepting the world as it is (sigh), the current Republican-dominated do-nothing obstructionist Congress is depicted here as one big ineffective pile (of 535 Senators and Representatives), incapacitated by the stranglehold of moneyed interests and corporate lobbyists, represented here by a giant broken boomerang impaling the whole operation.

There you have it folks. Today’s civics lesson with my five year old, coming to you strait from Blue Shutters Beach by Block Island Sound, on the southern coast of Rhode Island.  With thanks to our Bernie Sanders for inspiring us to become engaged in the first place.

PS:  When brother came along he got in the spirit by hurling little scoops of what we hope will be newly elected Berniecrat Congressmen and women.   Here’s to the end of obstructionist broken boomerangs, and if not a President Sanders,  a SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Sanders.
#StillSanders  #SandersForever

FWIW:

three-branches-of-government

 

 

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Happy (45th) Birthday Manmeat

August 31st, 2016

For my hubsand’s birthday this year, he got to start wrapping up the summer by… going back to work.

Afterwards he came home to a (somewhat) clean home which we immediately started littering again with the home made confetti the children made specially for the occasion.  In celebration they also set about littering his body with their own bodies (see above).

Then after some rare ALONE time,  we cart him off to our reluctant son’s summer league baseball game with the many friends and family such games assemble.  

Gavin gets a base hit (or two or three).

Thankfully we’re able to get the food Paul wants; Blue Ribbon BBQ from Arlington.   Being Food Guy, he is much relieved to atrain his idea of being “food secure” on his birthday.

What better than the addition of some favorite family friends and an impromptu “cake” of Rhubarb Pie encircled by Whoopie ones? 

Pingitore, Oberhauser,  Oberhauser, Pingitore; what does it spell?  P.O.O.P.

I’ll tell ya.  After another hellish day of him at work and my hustling to prep & pack while yelling at the kids to either help or stop interrupting (neither possible), we heave off to go camping Rhode Island way. 

Once ensconced there, we continue birthday celebrations.  

Step 1) Extract Daddy from the hammock. 

2) Ply with gifts. 


3) Entice with dreams of sailing. 


I think he’s going to be alright.

Happy BDay ManMeat DLove Wove.

And welcome to 45.

♡,

Your Temporarily-Not-a-Cougar Wife (○:

  • “Food is Everything & Life!!!!”
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Schoolhouse Rocking the Government with my Dad

Friday August 26th 2016

Doing some research about how the U.S. Government works with my Dad.

Schoolhouse Rock to the rescue!

 

No More Kings [3:10]:

 

 

Shot Heard Round the World [3:00]:

The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Siege of Boston  July 29, 1775. The first shots were fired just after dawn in Lexington, Massachusetts the morning of the 19th, the “Shot Heard Round the World.”

 

 

Declaration of Independence – Fireworks [3:00]:

July 4th 1776

 

 

 

The Preamble to the Constitution [3:22]:

September 17, 1787

 

 

Three Ring Government – It’s Our Political Circus!

 

 

I’m Just a Bill [3:00]:

 

 

Mother Necessity [2:59]:

 

Electoral College [3:14]:

 

 

 

 

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Grandpa’s First Livestream

August 25th 2016

Wherein Jennifer and Bruce broadcast unadulterated drivel in Grandpa’s first livestream on Facebook.

Rated “F” for “Fogetaboutit.”  Viewing not really recommended for anyone.

But he’s my dad and I don’t get to see him much and he’s hilarious and I love him.

2016-08-25 Dad’s first Livestream [3:57]:

 

♥ Love you Dad! ♥

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Voices of Syria

 

Voices of Syria [5:17]:

 

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The Water Bill

Also August 18th 2016

And when I went to pay our WATER BILL, this pittance of a fee for the unfathomable privilege of having clean potable life giving water ON TAP, ANY temperature, ANY time, as MUCH as we want… I wept.

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Never thought I’d weep over a truly modest utility bill.  Fine I’m a total weirdo.  But as I understand it, human blood is comprised of about 83% WATER.  It’s literally our LIFE BLOOD.  ON TAP.  In our town there are numerous places it is spewed into the air all summer long for pleasure.

I still get teased by my east coast mother and my midwestern husband for my California drought-inspired water conserving ways.  (And have been ridiculed severely by others in the past.)  And yet now -this gives me no pleasure to say- water scarcity is HERE.  In NEW ENGLAND.  They are rationing water on Cape Cod like we rationed gas in the 70’s.  And just this week 30 miles west of Boston I found myself in a town with a water BAN.  All the counselors and children dutifully managing everyone’s personal water bottle, like we should (instead of the nonstop dumping of plastic bottles).

Colorado is in a drought crisis, California is so dry that much of it is literally on FIRE, and meanwhile Baton Rouge Louisiana has been completely flooded away.  Climate Change is TOTALLY happening all around us and we have an entire Republican Party what refuses to acknowledge it lest environmental restrictions cut into PROFITS.  And neither of our main two presidential candidates show any prospect whatsoever of conducting themselves as stewards of the planet.

 

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#StillSanders  #BernieForever  #SenateMajorityLeader  #OurRevolution

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