Midwest Monday News 12.05.05
Posted by Steven Bellah on 12.05.2005
Hello everyone!
What a SHOCK!
From Yahoo:
The U.S. is at great risk for more terrorist attacks because Congress and the White House have failed to enact several strong security measures, members of the former Sept. 11 commission said Sunday.
"It's not a priority for the government right now," said the former chairman, Thomas Kean, ahead of the group's release of a report Monday assessing how well its recommendations have been followed.
"More than four years after 9/11 ... people are not paying attention," the former Republican governor of New Jersey said. "God help us if we have another attack."
Added Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic vice chairman of the commission: "We believe that another attack will occur. It's not a question of if. We are not as well-prepared as we should be."
The five Republicans and five Democrats on the commission, whose recommendations are now promoted through a privately funded group known as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, conclude that the government deserves "more Fs than As" in responding to their 41 suggested changes.
Since the commission's final report in July 2004, the government has enacted the centerpiece proposal to create a national intelligence director. But the government has stalled on other ideas, including improving communication among emergency responders and shifting federal terrorism-fighting money so it goes to states based on risk level.
"There is a lack of a sense of urgency," Hamilton said. "There are so many competing priorities. We've got three wars going on: one in Afghanistan, one in Iraq and the war against terror. And it's awfully hard to keep people focused on something like this."
National security adviser Stephen Hadley said Sunday that President Bush is committed to putting in place most of the commission's recommendations.
"Obviously, as we've said all along, we are safer, but not yet safe. There is more to do," Hadley said on "Fox News Sunday."
Ex-commissioners contended the government has been remiss by failing to act more quickly.
Kean said the Transportation Security Administration was wrong to announce changes last week that will allow airline passengers to carry small scissors and some sharp tools. He also said the agency, by now, should have consolidated databases of passenger information into a single "terror watch list" to aid screening.
"I don't think we have to go backward here," said Kean, who appeared with Hamilton on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"They're talking about using more money for random checks. Terrorists coming through the airport may still not be spotted," Kean said.
Kean and Hamilton urged Congress to pass spending bills that would allow police and fire to communicate across radio spectrums and to reallocate money so that Washington and New York, which have more people and symbolic landmarks, could receive more for terrorism defense.
Both bills have stalled in Congress, in part over the level of spending and turf fights over which states should get the most dollars.
"This is a no-brainer," said Hamilton, a former Indiana congressman.
"From the standpoint of responding to a disaster, the key responders must be able to talk with one another. They could not do it on 9/11, and as a result of that, lives were lost. They could not do it at (Hurricane) Katrina. They still cannot do it."
As for the dollar dispute, Hamilton said, "We know what terrorists want to do: they want to kill as many Americans as possible. That means you protect the Washington monument and United States Capitol, and not other places."
Congress established the commission in 2002 to investigate government missteps that led to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Its 567-page final report, which became a national best seller, does not blame Bush or former President Clinton for missteps contributing to the attacks but did say they failed to make anti-terrorism a higher priority.
The commission also concluded that the Sept. 11 attack would not be the nation's last, noting that al-Qaida had tried for at least 10 years to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
Calling the country "less safe than we were 18 months ago," former Democratic commissioner Jamie Gorelick said Sunday the government's failure to move forward on the recommendations makes the U.S. more vulnerable.
She cited the failure to ensure that foreign nations are upgrading security measures to stop proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical materials, as well as the FBI's resistance to overhauling its anti-terror programs.
"You remember the sense of urgency that we all felt in the summer of 2004. The interest has faded," the Washington lawyer said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "You could see that in the aftermath of Katrina. We assumed that our government would be able to do what it needed to do and it didn't do it."
------Wow, just wow.
First of all, a REPUBLICAN is saying we are not safe? Notice how he is a FORMER governor--but still surprising.
And apparently now it is ok to bring scissors and "sharp tools" onto airplanes? Why don't they just put up a huge sign at every airport that says "READY FOR ANOTHER ATTACK"? Honestly, would anyone here be pissed if you couldn't have your pair of pocket scissors or nail clippers for a TWO-HOUR flight? I wouldn't. However, the airlines think otherwise--so when you hear about another hijacking--this time using say, a pair of left handed scissors--don't be surprised.
I don't think the next attack will be via an airplane, however. I mean, it's kind of like going back to the scene of the crime. It worked once, but despite all the screw-ups within the government, there ARE more security checks than on September 10th, 2001. It would be too risky.
I expect some sort of suicide bombing, like hijacking a bus and blowing up something Timothy McVeigh style. Morbid? Yes. Possible? Also, yes.
Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place?.......
This isn't exactly political, but I think it is an interesting look into how our youth in America is acting:
For those of you unfamiliar with MySpace, here's a quick lesson via Wikipedia. Basically, it's an extreme version of Match.com. It's advertised as a cool place to create a profile the way YOU want to, but I think it's just a way to get laid easier--because it's a hell of a lot easier to be cool on the Internet than in real life. It's amazing how extravagant some of these pages are, with layers of graphics and music, and artistic, sexy photos. Even the biggest loser can be a winner on MySpace. It's also sad, because if the youth of America would put this much effort into school, college, or their jobs, the world would be a better place. MySpace is extremely popular amongst teens, and it showed in the days after this kid killed himself (by using a gun, by the way).
Immediately afterward, this apparent Emo kid who you would think had no friends suddenly had HUNDREDS of messages posted on his page, all of them extremely distraught over the whole thing. Wow, you'd think that someone with that many friends would be happy, but apparently not. I find it interesting that he dressed and acted (based on his web page) like he was the most pathetic loser ever, but he seemed to have DOZENS of hot girls as friends, lived in one of the richest neighborhoods in the country, and seemingly had the freedom to go out and have fun all of the time. There were lots of pictures from parties, other cities, and remember--he was only 17 years old.
And you know what? I'm not 100% sure on this, but apparently he killed himself over a fight he had with a girl. Yup. 17 years (and probably 60 more) down the toilet over a throwaway high school relationship.
My best friend has had numerous times where he should have killed himself. He's been cheated on, betrayed and had his heart broken by so many women in his life it's almost a running gag with us. He always sat in the back in every class we had together, and dropped out of high school after his freshman year. He couldn't keep a job because of it, and has never gotten a driver's license or a car to drive.
He sounds pretty pathetic, doesn't he? Well, his grandfather taught him a lesson when he was young about suicide: "It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Things are NEVER that bad. It will always get better."
He took that advice, and despite all his setbacks, he is still here, despite the fact that he would probably be #1 on your suicide list if you knew him. But because of his grandfather, he has never seemed that way. And you know what? Two months ago, he married his girlfriend, and they are expecting a child in February. Now, who says life isn't worth living?
The kid in California obviously didn't think that way, and it's sad. Many people are showing him sympathy, talking about how brave he was, or that he was mentally ill when he pulled the trigger. I disagree--he's a pathetic loser who took the easy way out. Instead of realizing that there is always tomorrow, he decided that it should all end today.
I've been reading comments from people about this whole deal somewhat defending him, talking about some friend THEY had that lived a shitty life and killed themselves, and how they understand why he did it. Well, I don't, and I have lived through suicide before.
When I was a senior in high school, a good friend of mine got into a fight with his girlfriend, took a pistol, and shot himself in the mouth. Was I upset? Of course. But I was also mad. He was a pathetic loser who took the easy way out. He was once homeless, never knew his father, and had dropped out of high school a few months prior. But instead of making his life better--instead of MAKING an effort--it was easier just to end it all. It was so bad that we could hardly pay for his funeral, since his family didn't care.
Two years ago, another friend of mine hung herself in her bedroom because she got into a fight with her brother and she couldn't take it anymore. Was I upset? Of course. But again, she was a pathetic excuse for a person. OOH, I can't handle arguing anymore! Well, you know what? Leave. Get out. Go somewhere. Confide in someone.
The kid in the O.C. apparently had many friends, yet he dressed and acted like he was the sorriest excuse for a human ever. On one of his friends' MySpace pages, he took a quiz and one of the questions was "What did you think of me when we first met?" His answer, "I thought you hated me."
Sad, just sad. This guy (who's name was apparently Josh) had so much to live for, and had so much available to him, and it STILL wasn't enough. And the way he decided to end it pissed me off as well. It was almost like he was taunting everyone, begging for attention. Sending out text messages, posting a cryptic goodbye on the Internet. "LOOK AT ME!!" And it's sad because all those people he thought didn't care really DID care.
And now, all of his Emo friends are posting on THEIR MySpace pages about how THEY can't go on anymore and how their lives aren't worth living after his death. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Yes, it's normal and all right to be sad, but haven't you learned anything from his suicide? Get together and mourn his loss, but then--enjoy your damn lives. People are dying in Iraq. Hunger is killing thousands in Africa. You have 200% more than they do. I'm sorry your friend died, but if you learn anything, it's that things are NEVER as bad as you think. Yes, your friend is dead--but honor his life by living a better one for yourself.
What's the moral of this whole story? No matter how bad things may seem, it can, and will always get better. And, if you have friends, family, or other loved ones, always take time to let them know how much you care about them. If Joshua Ballard of Mission Viejo, California had known that, he might still be here.
Yet another Political film
From Drudge:
‘There has never been an adequate tribute paid to the Israeli athletes who were murdered in ’72,’ Spielberg says.
“I don’t think any movie or any book or any work of art can solve the stalemate in the Middle East today,” director Steven Spielberg tells TIME in an exclusive cover-story interview. “But it’s certainly worth a try,” Spielberg says.
Since filming began in June, the movie (reported to cost around $70 million) “has been surrounded by rumors, criticism, and suggestions that Spielberg was too pro-Israel to make a fair movie,” according to TIME.
"I'm always in favor of Israel responding strongly when it's threatened. At the same time, a response to a response doesn't really solve anything. It just creates a perpetual-motion machine," Spielberg says. "There's been a quagmire of blood for blood for many decades in that region. Where does it end? How can it end?"
------The answer is: It will not end. Not for many, many years.
I love Spielberg and think he is a genius. "Munich" has been talked about for years now, and you might as well engrave his name on about 10 Oscar statues right now. But, am I the only one who thinks this film will have a NEGATIVE effect on achieving peace in the Middle East. Hey, let's remind everyone how the Israeli athletes were killed!
This movie has a definite "Passion of the Christ" vibe to it, complete with Spielberg refusing to advertise the film or promote it. Well, except for Time Magazine, and the eventual sit down with Barbara Walters, but you get the idea.
But just like the "Passion" created a backlash against Jews (the South Park episode, anyone?) I feel like "Munich" will have a negative effect on the whole peace process.
But I'll still go see it, of course.
Plugs
Scott Keith used to write for 411, but doesn't anymore. I always liked his work, but he has moved away from pro wrestling and won't review the Bret Hart DVD. However, J.D. Dunn has:
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