Friday, March 7, 2008
GOD'S SPEED MARINE
We lost one of our own this week. Without going into to much detail, we lost a good man this week. A man with faults just like the rest of us, a man who did what he could to provide for his family. He did not discover any great cure, or a new planet or invent a new machine to make him millions, he was just a man. A man who cared for his son, a man who was a provider for his wife for more than fifty years, he was just a man. A man who raised kids, who put some of those kids through college, who are now, doctors, who might discover the cure, he was just a man. A man who served his country, his community, his family, he was just a man. Tread lightly Marine and thank you for just being a man.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
CYNYX EVERYWHERE REMAIN IN MOURNING
(March 6, NYC) Everyone probably feels the same level of emotion when they think of their Dad. We can all recall images from our past, summon up glimpses of our youth, and recollect the countless gestures of kindness, patience and plain old love. Dad died the other day.
He was sent off yesterday with a Mass in the church were so much of his life, and ours, was the site of milestones. Baptisms, Communions, Confirmations; all the rituals of Roman Catholicism that were ours by birth. The pews in that fine old house of worship had provided refuge and respite for our family, friends and neighbors for almost a century.
It is a bit odd to consider that this proud, quiet man lived his 76 years within a radius of under 10 miles. Aside from his years in the Marine Corps, the streets he played on as a child were the very same as those he walked just weeks before his death.
Death often comes like a thief in the night; it did not for him. His was a death that was a bit protracted, not measured in agonizing months but rather as days that elongated and warped, trudged into weeks that felt like years. It would be easy to read too much into his last weeks; such a hospital scenario lends itself far too readily to hyperbole. There was a dramatic component to it all that went beyond the clinical realities that kept his trapped in a body that was failing. Could he hear? Did he experience pain? Was he aware that we were there?
Each of us began the trip home from a far flung location. We had all scattered when we came of age for reasons and circumstances partially chosen, and somewhat seemingly pre-ordained. Miles and years evolve into distance, distance that is measurable and infinite at the same time. He began his final journey very near where it had all begun. That was not a bad thing. There is something to be said for that kind of consistency, that level of comfortability and acceptance of self and life.
There were times in the past when we thought they should move, Mom and Dad could not still be there? Yet, they remained while that neighborhood rode the varied waves of change, good and bad, up and down. They were witness to generations born, grown and moved; where they, and they alone, had outlived lived all our original neighbors. It was from this place our lives were shaped and we are as much a part of it as was he.
That place remains and will for a longer time than we can imagine now. It will change for good and bad and see the comings and goings of more generations. But, for the first time in nearly 80 years it will forever be altered, not noticeably, not dramatically. His absence will change the place and all those who live there now and those who will come to live there never knowing who he was.
At least we, all of us, knew him and for that, we have been blessed beyond measure.
Be well, Dad.
Walk gently home to see those you have missed for so long. They have been waiting.
He was sent off yesterday with a Mass in the church were so much of his life, and ours, was the site of milestones. Baptisms, Communions, Confirmations; all the rituals of Roman Catholicism that were ours by birth. The pews in that fine old house of worship had provided refuge and respite for our family, friends and neighbors for almost a century.
It is a bit odd to consider that this proud, quiet man lived his 76 years within a radius of under 10 miles. Aside from his years in the Marine Corps, the streets he played on as a child were the very same as those he walked just weeks before his death.
Death often comes like a thief in the night; it did not for him. His was a death that was a bit protracted, not measured in agonizing months but rather as days that elongated and warped, trudged into weeks that felt like years. It would be easy to read too much into his last weeks; such a hospital scenario lends itself far too readily to hyperbole. There was a dramatic component to it all that went beyond the clinical realities that kept his trapped in a body that was failing. Could he hear? Did he experience pain? Was he aware that we were there?
Each of us began the trip home from a far flung location. We had all scattered when we came of age for reasons and circumstances partially chosen, and somewhat seemingly pre-ordained. Miles and years evolve into distance, distance that is measurable and infinite at the same time. He began his final journey very near where it had all begun. That was not a bad thing. There is something to be said for that kind of consistency, that level of comfortability and acceptance of self and life.
There were times in the past when we thought they should move, Mom and Dad could not still be there? Yet, they remained while that neighborhood rode the varied waves of change, good and bad, up and down. They were witness to generations born, grown and moved; where they, and they alone, had outlived lived all our original neighbors. It was from this place our lives were shaped and we are as much a part of it as was he.
That place remains and will for a longer time than we can imagine now. It will change for good and bad and see the comings and goings of more generations. But, for the first time in nearly 80 years it will forever be altered, not noticeably, not dramatically. His absence will change the place and all those who live there now and those who will come to live there never knowing who he was.
At least we, all of us, knew him and for that, we have been blessed beyond measure.
Be well, Dad.
Walk gently home to see those you have missed for so long. They have been waiting.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
NAVY READIES TO SHOOT AT FALLING SATELLITE
BUSH WANTED LUNAR ECLIPSE SHOT AT ALSO
(Feb. 20, Washington, DC) Tonight in the Pacific Ocean, west of the Hawaiian Island, the USS Lake Erie will launch a specially modified missile in an effort to blow up a satellite that is falling to earth. The United States spy satellite has been dysfunctional since December 2006 and is expected to crash to the earth sometime in March. The decision to blow it up with a missile was made by President George W. Bush who has never, during his tenure as Commander in Chief, passed up an opportunity to blow something up.
Initial projections from NASA, the NSA, CIA and CNN predicted the errant satellite would not pose a threat to earth as its orbital altitude decreases. However, additional computer models indicated the 5000 pound object was falling at a rate of speed upwards of 21, 500 miles per hour. The real threat aboard the satellite is its full tank of frozen, toxic hydrazine propellant. Rear Admiral Gus “Harry” Nevus speaking to reporters at the Pentagon earlier said “Heck, if we were certain it was going to land in New Jersey or Iowa, someplace like that, we’d just let the old girl drop. But, it might hit someplace that matters and then we could have troubles”.
Commander of the guided missile destroyer USS Lake Erie (whose name is classified), charged with executing this challenging task, was interviewed via phone from the bridge of his ship. “I assure you the Staff and Crew of this fine vessel are well prepared and honored to be trusted with this mission. We have no doubt we will succeed. Besides that, even if we do miss, there won’t be any collateral damage”, commented the Annapolis grad. He added, “This mission is about doing good. We are so accustomed to doing bad that the notion of doing good is good. We enjoy launching missiles where ever we are told to. Shooting one into space to prevent a catastrophe on earth, well, that is a noble chore. Frankly, I and my crew are bored with launching missiles at Middle Eastern countries. This will be a nice break. Besides, the President says we get some R & R in Honolulu if we hit the bitch on the first shot. Believe you me; we need some R & R”.
After meeting with tribal leaders and journeymen warriors in the African nation, Ghana, President Bush visited with the traveling press. He answered a wide variety of questions with incoherent, rambling, fragmented utterings better understood by the tribal leaders then the press. “We can’t have it. That’s as simple as I can say it. My generals and admirals, the folks on the ground around there told me we had to blow this satellite up. I agreed. We can’t have some satellite just smashing into our country…our, er…ah,…planet. I won’t have it. I’m the decider and I decided, let’s blow the fucker up”. The President then departed for a rhino ride, safari and green monkey hunt. Once atop the rhino, over his shoulder, a smiling Bush yelled to the press, “Hey y’all, they tell me we might be able to see the explosion from here.”
Earlier in the week, Mr. Bush caused some controversy when he announced that he ordered the Navy to shoot missiles at the lunar eclipse which will occur tonight. He made comments while on board Air Force One saying, “That eclipse doesn’t know who it’s dealin’ with. No force or influence can or will interfere with military actions. We are prepared to blast that eclipse out of the sky if we have to but, of course, that is a last resort. We can negotiate but…” Presidential aides cut Mr. Bush off mid sentence and escorted him to a private cabin.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
(Feb. 20, Washington, DC) Tonight in the Pacific Ocean, west of the Hawaiian Island, the USS Lake Erie will launch a specially modified missile in an effort to blow up a satellite that is falling to earth. The United States spy satellite has been dysfunctional since December 2006 and is expected to crash to the earth sometime in March. The decision to blow it up with a missile was made by President George W. Bush who has never, during his tenure as Commander in Chief, passed up an opportunity to blow something up.
Initial projections from NASA, the NSA, CIA and CNN predicted the errant satellite would not pose a threat to earth as its orbital altitude decreases. However, additional computer models indicated the 5000 pound object was falling at a rate of speed upwards of 21, 500 miles per hour. The real threat aboard the satellite is its full tank of frozen, toxic hydrazine propellant. Rear Admiral Gus “Harry” Nevus speaking to reporters at the Pentagon earlier said “Heck, if we were certain it was going to land in New Jersey or Iowa, someplace like that, we’d just let the old girl drop. But, it might hit someplace that matters and then we could have troubles”.
Commander of the guided missile destroyer USS Lake Erie (whose name is classified), charged with executing this challenging task, was interviewed via phone from the bridge of his ship. “I assure you the Staff and Crew of this fine vessel are well prepared and honored to be trusted with this mission. We have no doubt we will succeed. Besides that, even if we do miss, there won’t be any collateral damage”, commented the Annapolis grad. He added, “This mission is about doing good. We are so accustomed to doing bad that the notion of doing good is good. We enjoy launching missiles where ever we are told to. Shooting one into space to prevent a catastrophe on earth, well, that is a noble chore. Frankly, I and my crew are bored with launching missiles at Middle Eastern countries. This will be a nice break. Besides, the President says we get some R & R in Honolulu if we hit the bitch on the first shot. Believe you me; we need some R & R”.
After meeting with tribal leaders and journeymen warriors in the African nation, Ghana, President Bush visited with the traveling press. He answered a wide variety of questions with incoherent, rambling, fragmented utterings better understood by the tribal leaders then the press. “We can’t have it. That’s as simple as I can say it. My generals and admirals, the folks on the ground around there told me we had to blow this satellite up. I agreed. We can’t have some satellite just smashing into our country…our, er…ah,…planet. I won’t have it. I’m the decider and I decided, let’s blow the fucker up”. The President then departed for a rhino ride, safari and green monkey hunt. Once atop the rhino, over his shoulder, a smiling Bush yelled to the press, “Hey y’all, they tell me we might be able to see the explosion from here.”
Earlier in the week, Mr. Bush caused some controversy when he announced that he ordered the Navy to shoot missiles at the lunar eclipse which will occur tonight. He made comments while on board Air Force One saying, “That eclipse doesn’t know who it’s dealin’ with. No force or influence can or will interfere with military actions. We are prepared to blast that eclipse out of the sky if we have to but, of course, that is a last resort. We can negotiate but…” Presidential aides cut Mr. Bush off mid sentence and escorted him to a private cabin.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
NO MORE SYMPATHY
IT’S THE STORY, NOT THE DEATH
Voyeuristic Element of Infotainment
(Feb. 18, New York, NY) It’s never about a person; it is always about an event. This is an old complaint, a tired observation and commentary on who we are, as a people, when it comes to life. Not the phony arguments about “Life” as posited by the right wing conservatives. (Their hypocrisy is another matter.) Life, as in, that time each human being spends on earth as a sentient, cognizant being fully imbued with all the capabilities, emotions, desires, etc… as we all are. There is a baseline of commonality beyond those that define a species.
The theories and arguments are really not important. Even cancer has an unknown etiology. It’s not about movie and TV violence, violent music lyrics, video games or sports. It is not about somehow being culturally immune to and callous about the loss of human life. Notions like these seem to say that we were somehow victims of some force or forces that somehow mysteriously altered us. We don’t know how, when or where this mystery alteration occurred nor what precisely created it. This entire line of thinking is such a flimsy, cheap, overused, excuse that most people seem to accept it as fact. May there exist some modicum of truth within these arguments? Perhaps. Are there external cultural influences that affect some of us more profoundly than others? Sure. Has our threshold for mayhem, murder and catastrophe been heightened by what we are exposed to in the various media? Most certainly.. But all of these elements have the feel to them that we were victimized. Victimization, such as this would imply, supposes mass susceptibility, negation of logic, reason and emotion on a vast scale that seems inherently implausible.
A female psychiatrist is hacked to death in the “Silk Stocking District”, Manhattan’s Upper East Side, in the 19th Precinct. Five college students are murdered, shot to death, sitting in a geology lecture at Northern Illinois University. The body of a female student is discovered in the desert outside Las Vegas: she had been raped, murdered and her corpse had lain in the badlands for approximately one week prior to discovery. Some distraught teenager shoots up a shopping mall in Omaha. The list goes on and a new list is being generated as this is being written.
During a recent week of events involving the unnatural loss of life, the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger reported that the City of Newark had actually gone 33 days WITHOUT a homicide. Points of reference? The absence of unnatural death was NEWS; news worthy of being reported. What does that indicate, if anything? Everything is relative, right? Certainly it is. Cable news outlets cover a single isolated abduction, murder or other crime with a zest and zeal unabashedly sordid and exploitive. Microphones are thrust into the facing of miners weeping wives as the fate of their husbands trapped underground is uncertain. Witnesses and survivors relate their experiences over and over again as if they are recounting a verified alien abduction. We eat it up. We suck it all in and quickly thirst for more.
There is a “chicken or the egg” component to this phenomenon. Do we drink it all in because it is put in front of us in all its sensationalistic, Technicolor, hi-def, pod-casted digital wizardry or is the media writ large merely satisfying our appetites? Yes, this debate has been on-going since the 1970’s. Perhaps most of the questions that define the issue are rhetorical, they merely serve as prompters for us to take a look at ourselves.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2008 BronxWest Consulting
Voyeuristic Element of Infotainment
(Feb. 18, New York, NY) It’s never about a person; it is always about an event. This is an old complaint, a tired observation and commentary on who we are, as a people, when it comes to life. Not the phony arguments about “Life” as posited by the right wing conservatives. (Their hypocrisy is another matter.) Life, as in, that time each human being spends on earth as a sentient, cognizant being fully imbued with all the capabilities, emotions, desires, etc… as we all are. There is a baseline of commonality beyond those that define a species.
The theories and arguments are really not important. Even cancer has an unknown etiology. It’s not about movie and TV violence, violent music lyrics, video games or sports. It is not about somehow being culturally immune to and callous about the loss of human life. Notions like these seem to say that we were somehow victims of some force or forces that somehow mysteriously altered us. We don’t know how, when or where this mystery alteration occurred nor what precisely created it. This entire line of thinking is such a flimsy, cheap, overused, excuse that most people seem to accept it as fact. May there exist some modicum of truth within these arguments? Perhaps. Are there external cultural influences that affect some of us more profoundly than others? Sure. Has our threshold for mayhem, murder and catastrophe been heightened by what we are exposed to in the various media? Most certainly.. But all of these elements have the feel to them that we were victimized. Victimization, such as this would imply, supposes mass susceptibility, negation of logic, reason and emotion on a vast scale that seems inherently implausible.
A female psychiatrist is hacked to death in the “Silk Stocking District”, Manhattan’s Upper East Side, in the 19th Precinct. Five college students are murdered, shot to death, sitting in a geology lecture at Northern Illinois University. The body of a female student is discovered in the desert outside Las Vegas: she had been raped, murdered and her corpse had lain in the badlands for approximately one week prior to discovery. Some distraught teenager shoots up a shopping mall in Omaha. The list goes on and a new list is being generated as this is being written.
During a recent week of events involving the unnatural loss of life, the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger reported that the City of Newark had actually gone 33 days WITHOUT a homicide. Points of reference? The absence of unnatural death was NEWS; news worthy of being reported. What does that indicate, if anything? Everything is relative, right? Certainly it is. Cable news outlets cover a single isolated abduction, murder or other crime with a zest and zeal unabashedly sordid and exploitive. Microphones are thrust into the facing of miners weeping wives as the fate of their husbands trapped underground is uncertain. Witnesses and survivors relate their experiences over and over again as if they are recounting a verified alien abduction. We eat it up. We suck it all in and quickly thirst for more.
There is a “chicken or the egg” component to this phenomenon. Do we drink it all in because it is put in front of us in all its sensationalistic, Technicolor, hi-def, pod-casted digital wizardry or is the media writ large merely satisfying our appetites? Yes, this debate has been on-going since the 1970’s. Perhaps most of the questions that define the issue are rhetorical, they merely serve as prompters for us to take a look at ourselves.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2008 BronxWest Consulting
Thursday, February 14, 2008
A SEA CHANGE?
IS IT REAL OR JUST THE WIND?
(Feb. 12, Madison, WI) After chalking up eight primary and / or caucus victories in the past seven days, now front running democratic presidential hopeful, Barak Obama spoke here tonight in front of an enthusiastic crowd upwards of 17,000 in number. He has now won contests in states in all regions of the country. The demographic specifics compiled in exit and other polling suggests the Illinois Senator is experiencing an ever increasing wide range of support throughout the voting populace. Be they men, women, young, old, black, white, well educated or minimally schooled, Americans of every stripe have caste votes for Mr. Obama.
Perhaps most surprised by Obama’s current ‘surge’ and growing popularity, are the people running Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The last month has seen her fall from virtual inevitable democratic candidate to playing catch up with Mr. Obama. Insiders, outsiders, reporters and pundits have begun to seriously consider questions about Hillary’s future that would have seemed unimaginable at the beginning of the year.
It was not supposed to be this way. The high-powered, finely tuned Clinton “Machine” with the former President, Bill Clinton leading this vast political armada, was expected to sail smoothly through the primary season, arrive at a safe harbor in Denver where the DNC Convention will take place in August; rearm, re-supply and cruise into the general election in November where victory would be certain.
Alas, now, the “Perfect Storm”. A renegade fleet commanded by an upstart freshman senator, a young man without the experience, savvy or tactical acumen of the Clinton Armada, has outflanked, out maneuvered and simply out sailed them. Not only was this flanking maneuver unanticipated, it was considered blatant piracy by the Clinton’s. Their first impulse was to launch an assault, a bombardment, hoping to scare off the Obama Fleet. That didn’t work and actually had serious negative consequences as they engaged in the waters off the coast of South Carolina.
Since that pivotal engagement the Clinton’s have been adrift, confused, suddenly in unfamiliar waters. What they may have failed to realize despite their years of political navigational experience was the shifting tides, the unusual winds of change that favored the smaller, swifter Obama Fleet.
This clash will go down in the annals of political combat as historic for a host of reasons. Perhaps most notable are the admirals themselves, a woman and a black man. Never before in our history have we witnessed such a confrontation. Hopefully, the tides and currents that are moving Fleet Obama forward are not merely transient forces. Hopefully they are fueled by the restive public, tired and weary of living with a federal government that threatens to drown most of those without the money to remain afloat on increasingly troubled waters. Maybe, just maybe, Fleet Obama will prevail and, in so doing, will mark the end of one chapter in our national and political history and usher in the next. Surely, the people, the vast majority of people are sick and tired of being hapless victims of a belligerent, unresponsive, arrogant, corrupt, inept, reckless, delusional ship of state that needs to be moth-balled immediately, if not sooner. The damage they have inflicted across the globe by their hubris and self-righteousness will take years to reverse. The storms they have generated have left vast swaths of our country and the globe soaked and gasping.
We can only hope Fleet Obama finds safe harbor and restores some sense and calm to the roiling seas of discontent, economic hardship and reverse the sense that we have been heading in the wrong direction for seven years.
Surely many battles await over the horizon but suddenly, as if we were asleep as it happened, it looks as if some rescue and relief is in sight.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
(Feb. 12, Madison, WI) After chalking up eight primary and / or caucus victories in the past seven days, now front running democratic presidential hopeful, Barak Obama spoke here tonight in front of an enthusiastic crowd upwards of 17,000 in number. He has now won contests in states in all regions of the country. The demographic specifics compiled in exit and other polling suggests the Illinois Senator is experiencing an ever increasing wide range of support throughout the voting populace. Be they men, women, young, old, black, white, well educated or minimally schooled, Americans of every stripe have caste votes for Mr. Obama.
Perhaps most surprised by Obama’s current ‘surge’ and growing popularity, are the people running Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The last month has seen her fall from virtual inevitable democratic candidate to playing catch up with Mr. Obama. Insiders, outsiders, reporters and pundits have begun to seriously consider questions about Hillary’s future that would have seemed unimaginable at the beginning of the year.
It was not supposed to be this way. The high-powered, finely tuned Clinton “Machine” with the former President, Bill Clinton leading this vast political armada, was expected to sail smoothly through the primary season, arrive at a safe harbor in Denver where the DNC Convention will take place in August; rearm, re-supply and cruise into the general election in November where victory would be certain.
Alas, now, the “Perfect Storm”. A renegade fleet commanded by an upstart freshman senator, a young man without the experience, savvy or tactical acumen of the Clinton Armada, has outflanked, out maneuvered and simply out sailed them. Not only was this flanking maneuver unanticipated, it was considered blatant piracy by the Clinton’s. Their first impulse was to launch an assault, a bombardment, hoping to scare off the Obama Fleet. That didn’t work and actually had serious negative consequences as they engaged in the waters off the coast of South Carolina.
Since that pivotal engagement the Clinton’s have been adrift, confused, suddenly in unfamiliar waters. What they may have failed to realize despite their years of political navigational experience was the shifting tides, the unusual winds of change that favored the smaller, swifter Obama Fleet.
This clash will go down in the annals of political combat as historic for a host of reasons. Perhaps most notable are the admirals themselves, a woman and a black man. Never before in our history have we witnessed such a confrontation. Hopefully, the tides and currents that are moving Fleet Obama forward are not merely transient forces. Hopefully they are fueled by the restive public, tired and weary of living with a federal government that threatens to drown most of those without the money to remain afloat on increasingly troubled waters. Maybe, just maybe, Fleet Obama will prevail and, in so doing, will mark the end of one chapter in our national and political history and usher in the next. Surely, the people, the vast majority of people are sick and tired of being hapless victims of a belligerent, unresponsive, arrogant, corrupt, inept, reckless, delusional ship of state that needs to be moth-balled immediately, if not sooner. The damage they have inflicted across the globe by their hubris and self-righteousness will take years to reverse. The storms they have generated have left vast swaths of our country and the globe soaked and gasping.
We can only hope Fleet Obama finds safe harbor and restores some sense and calm to the roiling seas of discontent, economic hardship and reverse the sense that we have been heading in the wrong direction for seven years.
Surely many battles await over the horizon but suddenly, as if we were asleep as it happened, it looks as if some rescue and relief is in sight.
Copyright © 2008 TBC All Rights Reserved
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