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What's Up with Weiner?

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

Polls tell us that the run-off tomorrow for Anthony Weiner’s congressional seat will go to the Republican, Bob Turner, famous for creating the Jerry Springer Show!  For such a person to go to Congress from the 9th District, NY, he would need a kind of unique springboard. As they say.
 
This week's Village Voice nails on the head what is the third level of 9/11.  First was the event, second was the Bush response which killed many more people pointlessly , completely emptying the treasury, causing economic and political upheaval in the US as well as much more untold suffering now and to come.  The third is the despicable abuse of 9/11. Sorry to rain on the party today, but to the extent this moves from solemnity to celebration I am not only off the bus but okay about saying that 9/11 has to a great degree become a circus.
9/11, The Winners by Graham Rayman lays it out clearly. From the Port Authority, Rudy Giuliani, museums, merchandisers, phoney charities and private hucksters collect handsomely on the accumulated grief of good people in this city and elsewhere.
Lower manhattan real estate is booming on 9/11 subsidies. Giuliani now has a net worth of $52.2 million. The Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum pays its top employees in the neighborhood of $2-300,000.00 each.  The NY Police Commissioner Kelly makes $200,000. Books make millions and there is even one by Jesee "The Body" Ventura. The Lieb Family bottles a 9/11 wine that sells for $9.11.
On this day I want to think and reflect on the lives here and in DC and PA that were lost. To remember where I was on that day and how awful it was.  I don't need Matt Lauer or Piers Morgan or Jimmy Kimmel to help me through this.  I don't need to look at photos, film or any bad art. For me it is a huge hole in the world, where humanity were blown up with part of the city. And then came every possible bad, greedy and stupid decision possible by the sleaziest group of pols in US history; our luck. And then. as the final insult, came an army of very, very rich entertainers.
For me tonight is a good night to be with people I love. Really connect with why I am grateful to be alive and in their company. And maybe, turn to something that does not partake of  horrifying bullshit. Maybe John Coltrane.
This spread is opposite the Voice piece.  Perhaps the irony is intentional by the editor. Still kind of perfect in any case.
The media couldn’t soften what happened last night: in the debate the GOP was put in a hot spot.  It was clearly looking at the stark choice it faces: the soul-less Romneybot 5000, or Perry-the-Hun. Perry brought the Climate Change Wildfires now consuming Texas to the Reagan Library, spouting severe nut-job positions about global warming (oh, Irony, once again, you are the loneliest guy in town), social security etc. All Romney had to do was watch him burn. But if the GOP electorate is similarly afflicted (the audience at the Reagan event couldn’t stop applauding Perry’s 234 executions! “Can you sleep at night?” was the question!!!  Clearly these people really get their Z’s, in the Reagan tradition) they may actually give this to Perry, as we saw, an instant self-killing candidate. So if that looks likely, what will the pros do?   I suspect they are getting on others to run. The Kochs are lately loving up the Jersey Zip Code, perhaps whispering in his chubby ear.  And the Divine Sarah is looming. Maybe Rudy and Ryan. America’s near-death thrill ride is on.
© 2024 Steve Brodner