NYC and USA to terrorists: You win, we surrender!
A while ago - about five years, actually - my one of my sister's pigs was hit by a truck. It bled, it howled, it struggled, and the next day got it's strength back and was as spry as you can imagine. It was dead two days later, and I wonder if the same thing hasn't happened to New York.
I never liked a single design any architect ever proposed for the new World Trade Centre. Almost all of them were about half the height, which every moron in the world justified by saying, "Well, people will be scared to be in them."
Whatever happened to "Nothing to fear but fear itself"? Or, "if you don't rent cloud-view office space, then the terrorists will have won?" Let me tell you, if I had the money, I'd be first in line to rent the top floor - no question about it.
The worst designs were the bullshit 60 storey towers topped with lots of antenna or "rigging", as they liked to euphemistically call their faint-hearted efforts, to make it seem taller than the actual occupied building.
I always said, starting five minutes after the second tower collapsed: "We need to build those goddamn towers back, but this time, ten stories more - just to say, 'Fuck you'". Imagine my surprise when two New Yorkers took up my clarion call - Donald Trump unveiled a model of his idea, the identical towers built exactly the same but with one further, black floor on top, and Jerry Seinfeld called for the same WTC to be built over again, but this time with two giant signs on each that said, "Fuck" and "You".
Sadly, not only does New York not share the opinion of these two strategists, but it can't even get its act together to begin building a new World Trade Centre. Some enterprising T-shirt vendor should give up on "I Heart NY" and go for "I flew all the way to NY and all I saw was this lousy hole in the ground" - with all the chickenshit supporters who insist that nothing should be built there, I'm sure it'd be a big hit. For some reason, a lot of people prefer the hole in the ground.
There is no excuse in the world for this paucity of will and effort. Do we want to beat these motherfuckers, or do we not? Because right now, they are winning. They can turn on their tv on any given day and rest comfortably, knowing that victory is theirs, still - the skyline of the greatest city in the world still bears the trademark of their crafty wiles, not ours.
The fifth anniversary of September 11th ought to have been commemorated by George W. Bush cutting the ribbons to the new WTC, whichever design lily-livered NYC finally decided on. I recently found out that the Empire State Building was built - during the Depression, for god's sake - in 401 goddamn days, excavation to Hoover turning on the lights. We could do that again - Jesus, we could do it every 401 days using 80 year old technology.
Why has the WTC not been re-built? Why, for god's sake? In the name of all that is important to the West, why the fuck not? Why is New York not up in arms ready to crucify Bloomberg, Pataki, and Bush for their failure? Is there anything more important in wartime than symbolism? Is there any more powerful symbol in the world that anyone can think of, save Bin Ladin himself being eaten by American Staffordshire Terriers on live news, that could show the world America isn't going to take this treatment lying down? That America survived, and fights still? In this battle, there is no other symbol more potent than the WTC - and instead of a new tower, we've chosen a hole in the ground to be our emblem. Nice one, guys. The only problem is, it's their symbol, too.
It will be re-built eventually - they might even start laying the Freedom Tower foundation next year. Yee-haw, too late. By the time it's done, September 11th will have receded farther into the past, and the shock and horror will be even more diminished, and it just won't mean as much when it finally does open. It's already too late. Small children who see it won't have a clue what it really means, and anyone older will have struggled for most of an entire decade to put it behind them and move on with their lives. No, the chance to yell out in support of the construction team when you pass by has already faded. We've lost this part of the fight back against Bin Laden and against extremist radical Islam - the window of opportunity to shout out, "Fuck you" has now closed.
The guy who wins the fight is the one who keeps getting up, no matter what, no matter how bloodied - and right now, New York is down for the count.
I never liked a single design any architect ever proposed for the new World Trade Centre. Almost all of them were about half the height, which every moron in the world justified by saying, "Well, people will be scared to be in them."
Whatever happened to "Nothing to fear but fear itself"? Or, "if you don't rent cloud-view office space, then the terrorists will have won?" Let me tell you, if I had the money, I'd be first in line to rent the top floor - no question about it.
The worst designs were the bullshit 60 storey towers topped with lots of antenna or "rigging", as they liked to euphemistically call their faint-hearted efforts, to make it seem taller than the actual occupied building.
I always said, starting five minutes after the second tower collapsed: "We need to build those goddamn towers back, but this time, ten stories more - just to say, 'Fuck you'". Imagine my surprise when two New Yorkers took up my clarion call - Donald Trump unveiled a model of his idea, the identical towers built exactly the same but with one further, black floor on top, and Jerry Seinfeld called for the same WTC to be built over again, but this time with two giant signs on each that said, "Fuck" and "You".
Sadly, not only does New York not share the opinion of these two strategists, but it can't even get its act together to begin building a new World Trade Centre. Some enterprising T-shirt vendor should give up on "I Heart NY" and go for "I flew all the way to NY and all I saw was this lousy hole in the ground" - with all the chickenshit supporters who insist that nothing should be built there, I'm sure it'd be a big hit. For some reason, a lot of people prefer the hole in the ground.
There is no excuse in the world for this paucity of will and effort. Do we want to beat these motherfuckers, or do we not? Because right now, they are winning. They can turn on their tv on any given day and rest comfortably, knowing that victory is theirs, still - the skyline of the greatest city in the world still bears the trademark of their crafty wiles, not ours.
The fifth anniversary of September 11th ought to have been commemorated by George W. Bush cutting the ribbons to the new WTC, whichever design lily-livered NYC finally decided on. I recently found out that the Empire State Building was built - during the Depression, for god's sake - in 401 goddamn days, excavation to Hoover turning on the lights. We could do that again - Jesus, we could do it every 401 days using 80 year old technology.
Why has the WTC not been re-built? Why, for god's sake? In the name of all that is important to the West, why the fuck not? Why is New York not up in arms ready to crucify Bloomberg, Pataki, and Bush for their failure? Is there anything more important in wartime than symbolism? Is there any more powerful symbol in the world that anyone can think of, save Bin Ladin himself being eaten by American Staffordshire Terriers on live news, that could show the world America isn't going to take this treatment lying down? That America survived, and fights still? In this battle, there is no other symbol more potent than the WTC - and instead of a new tower, we've chosen a hole in the ground to be our emblem. Nice one, guys. The only problem is, it's their symbol, too.
It will be re-built eventually - they might even start laying the Freedom Tower foundation next year. Yee-haw, too late. By the time it's done, September 11th will have receded farther into the past, and the shock and horror will be even more diminished, and it just won't mean as much when it finally does open. It's already too late. Small children who see it won't have a clue what it really means, and anyone older will have struggled for most of an entire decade to put it behind them and move on with their lives. No, the chance to yell out in support of the construction team when you pass by has already faded. We've lost this part of the fight back against Bin Laden and against extremist radical Islam - the window of opportunity to shout out, "Fuck you" has now closed.
The guy who wins the fight is the one who keeps getting up, no matter what, no matter how bloodied - and right now, New York is down for the count.
posted by Jacques Beau Vert at 5:20 PM
11 Comments:
Firstly, there is a lack of consenus that there is a 'war', mister Green. Legions of the politically active, especially in the media, government funded activist groups, and the educational ivory towers of Barad-dur, all shout that the enemy is us, particularly heteronormative christian white males with jobs who do not want to pay more taxes for programs to help the poor, downtrodden, and rainbow colored victims, and also employ activists, educators, and media. Before we can move on to 'winning the war', one needs to determine if there is one. Some say yes; the media, judges, and educators say no.
Strangely enough, the 'no war' people are strongly associated with the lefty Liberals and the NDP; conversely, the 'war' faction is not. Of course, anyone not under the loving lefty blanket does not get its voice heard, there is no respect for its diversity, and the 'war' faction is not embraced.
I can appreciate your ardour. However, our entrenched elites, with their sinecures in education, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy, are determined to stay the course. Perhaps you should talk to them. After you get shouted down, have pies thrown at you, get your office urinated in, and other manifestations of lefty love, perhaps you will have better appreciation for the new left logic where one plus one is three.
"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'You want a piece of me?'" — Robin Williams.
the enemy is us, particularly heteronormative christian white males with jobs who do not want to pay more taxes for programs to help the poor, downtrodden, and rainbow colored victims, and also employ activists, educators, and media.
I had no idea that it was heteronormative white males (as opposed the the heteronormative off-white males) who were the real enemy. Remind me to schedule an attack on my grandfather, who is unabashedly heteronormative, and unabahsedly white.
It's a good plan, because he won't even see it coming! Oh Papa, little did you know how much you were my enemy, and as such, your trust was misplaced! Eat lead, papa!
(ps. Fenris, I recognize that you are satarizing rather than supporting the left position (mostly because of your association with DMB... in any case, I thought I'd join)
"If 9/11 had really changed us, there'd be a 150-story building on the site of the World Trade Center today." ~ James Lileks
Right on nice post, check out the Onion on the 'memorial hole' in the ground
its tragicomic b/c its true
That's a great link, anon - I read that the week it was published, it's excellent.
Good quotes, rock in the usa. Especially the baseball bat one.
I had no idea Olaf's grandfather was behind all this. Who knew?
Everyone, Fenris writes the BEST posts anyone could imagine at DMB - I think he's on acid or something, and somehow works.
I spend a few days in Manhattan every few months and I can tell you that a few people are scared shitless of the day when they start demolishing some of the still-standing heavily damaged neighbouring buildings. Toxic wastelands that they really don't want to see released into the city air.
Sheena, an old friend of mine died last year from inhalation in the street when the towers collapsed - I know what you mean.
How bout building the Two Towers instead?
Esquire magazine has been running a series of really amazing articles on the rebuilding, or lack there of.
I shall find Esquire online and look those up promptly.
Cat Mutant: Well, it's such an unpopular idea that can be condemned as racist that I hate to get into it, but I'm a believer in the Eurabia theory - that Europe will be a Muslim entity in a few short decades.
Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily - obviously, there are tonnes and tonnes of fine upstanding religious folks in the world, and a good share of religious folks are Muslims.
However, there's a strong radical streak of Islam in Europe, and that's the scary part to me.
And, I guess, I like the world as it is - somewhat predictable. I like the devil I know more than the one I don't.
I read all the time that European birthrates are falling, and are below "Lowest Low Rate", which is 1.3 per woman, and that no civilization in history has fallen below that rate and swung back. Most European nations are below that rate. So while European populations decline, quite quickly, Euro-Muslim populations are climbing, and also, immigration makes up the gap.
It's easy for a pundit to project that Europe will be mostly Muslim within our lifetime. (Mark Steyn is a popular one who writes this theory frequently)
Is that "bad"? Again, not necessarily, no. But would it be "Europe"? No. Would Iran be "Iran" if the US started building thousands of condos and moving in? No - same thing.
So, I think that Europe will probably no longer exist in the familiar form in the near future -- anyone who wants to see it should do so now.
(Especially if extremist radical Islam seizes control of the populace... remember those 6 000 year old statues of Buddha in Afghanistan? A Euro-Taliban would have a field day with the Sistine Chapel and Notre Dame, I'm guessing)
Furthermore, if global warming turns out to be true and it does happen, scientists predict that Europe will freeze over like Siberia/Alaska, when the Gulf Stream stops importing Europe's warm air.
Queen Elizabeth II is worried about the future of England post-warming - if she's worried, I'm worried, too. Especially about the future of watercress sandwiches!
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