September 11th in America, Circa 1984

"He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither". 

Much has changed in the last ten years, and it certainly isn't 2001 anymore.  Have you noticed the changes?  No, silly, not just in the airport screening lines.  I'm talking bigger, even more insidious changes.


You let that fear all up in your head and now it's living there rent free.  Never let anyone or anything live in your head rent free. 


Let's talk about your civil rights. These are the laws that this country based itself on.  You know, the home of the free and what not.


First, you have to understand the Patriot Act.  The Patriot Act was an act of Congress signed into law by George Bush after the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.  It was recently extended  by President Obama for another four years.


The act totally and dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records.  Yes, that's right, it's all about our privacy. Apparently, we are our own worst enemies.


The Patriot Act also expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions.  The experts say this is mostly those threats involving foreign individuals and entities. Puh-lease. I think it's probably more for economic control in general.

The act also expanded the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism, thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Act’s expanded law enforcement powers can be applied.

It also broadened the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. That cracks me up, I thought we were trying to keep "them" all out, not detain them.  Are you still following this?

Seriously, look at the components.  You're giving up access to your medical records just so you can feel safe.  Hello?  You're allowing people to listen to your private conversations because the enemy may be amongst us.  Trust me on this, anytime you react out of fear, no good follows.

You know, now that I'm thinking about it, the Patriot Act is very much like the Marriage Agreement.  Did I mention I once got married on September 11th?

Anybitter-is-me, the Patriot Act is bad for all of us.  No matter how terrified you are of the unknown entity, taking back your civil rights will be a million times worse. Why?  Because that is the stuff that revolutions are made of, and that's how we got here in the first place.  Do we really need to do that again?  Revolutions are a lot of work and that shit is the scariest.

New York City remains the greatest city on the face of the earth.  You can bomb our buildings, but you can't bomb our spirit.  Unless it's our own governing body, then all bets are off.  So there you have it.  

rk.

Voyage of the Damned

Somewhere along the digital way, I stumbled on this picture of the members of the U.S. Figure Skating Team.  For some reason, it stopped me in my tracks, and it has haunted me ever since, mostly because, just like them, I didn't see what was coming next.
The date was February 14, 1961.  They were on their way to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. Look at their faces, every one of them full of hope.


Everyone is wearing their best clothes, except for the guy on the bottom step.  He's standing front and center, collar proudly open.  He is a maverick, both in sport and spirit. With that kind of confidence, he's at least three decades ahead of his time.


Look closer.  Notice the tall beauty holding the sign, and the man standing next to her.  He must be the coach, his face full of concern and angst.  The fairy dust long wore off that one.  


Further up the steps, we have the group comic who keeps the mood light.  That's him hiding behind the black rimmed glasses, with his hand extended in a Shakespearian gesture.  He is the original Drew Carey.  That hand seems as displaced as he secretly feels.


Over on the right, at the bottom of the steps, are what I originally thought of as the "love birds", but lately wonder if they weren't brother and sister.  She leans into him to remind herself that she is not alone.  He smiles, wondering if she can feel him shaking with fear and uncertainty.


Then there's the boy who tried to hide.  See there, on the left, between the beauty queen holding the sign and the girl on her right?  Just a half of a face, peaking over, as if he were an  uninvited guest.  His lost expression leads me directly to the girl with the corsage and curly hair standing directly above him.  Their aura's seem connected and I wonder if they sat together during the flight.  


So much emotion.  So very haunting.  Did they know what destiny beckoned?


The picture was taken at Idlewild International Airport in New York, before boarding a Sabena jet to Brussels.  The plane crashed on February 15,  near the airport at Brussels, killing all onboard.  So there you have it.

A Ride on the Metro with My Green Eyed Poet

Bus Route 29
by O'Connor Quaino


I
Yackers at the back - of the bus
A.M. people on the bean of choice
Cutting is the voice most imposed 
A colloquy, soliloquy, the hush
To rush and close
As each rank and file is deposed.
A clique a klatch of speech
This is a movable feast
And Who rides past their stop
To remain the weasel and not the pop?

II
Nook lookers quiet
As a mouse,
Their hobbies are secreted and mundane
Not so pedestrian their choise
To eschew the noise
Their overriding poise ever maintained.

III
Some are cheerful; some are glum
But no dead-beats on this run
Coifs are set 
and hair is wet
Boots and laces
Done up for the day
Social graces
All but zipped away.

IV
In his turn, the driver—
Never more than stern--
Takes a jam or hops a curb in stride--
Our roles are set as distance met
And, oh, no transfers honored on this ride.