Anthrax, impeachment, and the broken Democratic spine: the fear stops here.

[nashville_brook]

(i posted this at Op-Ed News -- go give it a Digg, if you likee...brook)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_brook_hi_071115_anthrax_2c_impeachment.htm




"Your people will support what they help to create."
-- Laminated sign in airport security conference room

I wrote this in my journal on September 10, 2001 -- at 8:30 am according to my scrawl. I was obtaining my security credentials for my new job in Nashville International Airport -- which I could already tell was going to suck. The background check sucked. The drug test at the creepy outpatient clinic sucked. And now, this motivational poster sucked on general principles. Motivational office art already terrifies me, and this one was journal-worthy as the subtext clearly reads: "people will support the reality they create"


I considered my own graphic treatment:




The next day was September 11 and we've been been co-creating a reality not of our choosing ever since.

On television the night of the attacks, we saw a ritual of reality-creation that echoed my feelings about the poster. On the Capital steps, Congressional Republicans and Democrats linked arms and sang "God Bless America." They could have sang any patriotic anthem (the Star Spangled Banner might have have been more appropriate with it's reference to battle); they could have stood in silent reflection; but they chose to sing "GOD BLESS AMERICA." It seemed vulgar. We're a nation of laws, and this attack was already identified as originating from an Islamic country. The last thing we needed to do was call upon Christian idols in fear and anger.

Predictably, the attacks sent us headlong into an identity crisis. As we re-thought who we are, the Republicans staged the first battles in a new culture war. The creepy motivational poster extols the "usefulness" of co-created reality. On the Capital steps our leaders participated in a reality-producing ritual that in hindsight seems like a shotgun wedding between Republicans and Democrats to give a name to their illegitimate child -- the Iraq War.

(much more at link)

[juno jones]

1. k&r

The 'motivational posters' are well done. Great article too!

[nashville_brook]

2. thanky --

i posted this in a different version a week ago or so. made some fairly significant edits and posted at Op-ed news. It's my first foray out into non-DU posting, so i was psyched that they accepted it.

[Quantess]

3. The irony is that the airport security doesn't even work that well

at preventing terrorist acts.
It only works well at humiliating and instilling fear in the general populace.

[nashville_brook]

4. how true -- i can tell you that pre-911, airport security at BNA was Mayberry-like

it wasn't taken seriously at all. there's SO many ways to get on the tarmac, that no one really made the effort to enforce the rules. the BEST solution they had was the old "if you see something, say something" meme -- which was a total joke.

after 911 the local news did a lot of gotcha journalism on the security at BNA and even caught security guards SLEEPING on post. this is on sept 12 or 13 2001.

[Quantess]

6. Not long before 9-11-01, at the security gate,

A guard looked in my bag because she wanted to see if I "had a cat in there".
No joke!

[nashville_brook]

7. i have to ask -- was there any reason to believe there was a cat in your bag?

:evilgrin:

[Quantess]

8. I can't think of any.

Maybe someone else had tried to smuggle in a cat earlier that day, who knows?
Possibly she was trying to be funny (this was pre 9-11). We all know there is zero tolerance for lightheartedness at the airport nowadays.

[wildbilln864]

5. kick! n/t

[wildbilln864]

9. kick! n/t