Tuesday, September 18, 2001
So many thoughtful words out there. Thanks, everyone. Like I said before, I know that some of you gain comfort in other ways, but for me this sort of discussion is what helps me to deal. First, let me say that I am really excited for Sonya and Sean's move! Ned is right; I can't wait to see what they do with that house. Also, Sonya is a masterful baby handler, and perhaps you'll consider joining our little Tai Chi group. Sean, I'd really like to learn more about recording music in the digital realm. Would you like to have an intern? Amos, that is simply an amazing response. Thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate -- inspiring. I really need to be more accepting of human incompetence, including my own. At times, I do tend to attribute false motives when mistakes are made. Thanks so much for being willing to talk about all of this. It really helps. I'll go get some batteries today. By the way, it wasn't you that equated the topics I'm interested in with the Nostradamus and alien stuff; it was the Salon piece. I won't confuse your opinions for those that you inform us of through your site. Everyone, I don't have time right now to respond individually, but please know that I am reading and treasuring every word, even -- no, especially -- when I disagree. You all are amazing. Peace.
posted by Jim Ansaldo 8:24 AM
Monday, September 17, 2001
I'd much rather be posting new baby pictures. The camera batteries are dead, though, and I haven't gotten new ones yet. Soon. Politics (don't read it if ya don't like it) Well, Carvahlo has retracted his accusations regarding the CNN recycled footage. It seems that the professor who claimed to have the 1991 footage suddenly denied any knowledge of it. Hmmm ... hard to draw conclusions about this one, especially since I don't have the CNN footage to scrutinize. Anyone? Amos, points well taken, although I'm sure we'd both agree that there is -- or should be -- a difference between news and propaganda. That Salon article is somewhat offensive to me, though. Okay, so the folks who think that Bush is Clinton and both are alien agents might be "kooks," but there are several credible news sources that reported the FBI's lack of conclusions regarding the possibility that the Pennsylvania jet was shot down. They're not ruling it out, so lumping that theory together with alien invasion plans under the heading of kooky conspiracy theories is a bit unfair. Same with the advance warning thread. No one is arguing as to whether warnings calls were made or not. Clearly, there were warnings of several sorts that terrorist activity was likely. Now, one may conclude that ignoring such warnings represents a conspiracy, or one may conclude that the intelligence community tragically mishandled these events, or one may conclude that warnings of this sort happen all of the time, and it's impossible to verify them all. Or one may conclude something else that I haven't thought of yet. My main point is that the Salon piece uses that tone of ridicule that I see as a product of today's overwhelmingly conservative public sphere. And it chaps my ass. Not trying to pick on you, Amos; I find your personal point of view much more fair and informative than that of the author of the Salon piece. Now, as to the CNN footage, you make a good point that conspiracy theories may be just as inflammatory. You also make a good point that the CNN footage feeds the kind of mentality that leads to attacks on people of Arabic descent in America. So, I agree that the coverage should have been more diverse and balanced. That being said, below are some ideas that I've been pondering and trying to read up on and that just aren't being addressed much in public right now. Call me kooky, but I'd like to learn more about these ideas because they seem to be relevant to the days ahead. 1. Osama bin Laden and his followers were trained and armed by the CIA. (link) 2. In April of 2001, the Bush administration gave the the Taliban 43 million dollars of taxpayers’ money. (Originally published in the L.A. Times. Available here.) 3. Most of the people of Afghanistan are no more fond of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban than "we" are. (link) 4. Perhaps the U.S. government should have known about the 9-11 attacks in advance. ( link 1) 5. The U.S. government has a long history of terrorist involvement. A book published this past April argues that in 1962, the U.S. government secretly planned to stage terrorist attacks against our own people and blame them on Castro. Discuss.
( link 2)
( link 3)
( link 4)
posted by Jim Ansaldo 5:58 PM
Saturday, September 15, 2001
Disclaimer: I know that at times like these many of you feel the need not to ask questions, to have faith, to trust authority, to express unity and/or patriotism. I think that's fine. However, this sort of coping strategy has never worked for me. For example, think about the way that Dani and I approached childbirth. We felt much more at ease when we were able to seek out information, to question that which is taken for granted, and to form our own opinions. In other words, I respond to stressful situations by seeking out different points of view, by evaluating them, and by deciding for myself what to believe and what not to believe. That's what helps me to cope with fear and the unknown. Maybe that's why I'm a teacher -- because I have faith in my own ability to find the truth, and I enjoy its pursuit. It is no better or worse a coping strategy than the displaying of a flag or the singing of a song or the whispering of a prayer. It's just different. It's who I am, and it's the way I stay sane. So, if you don't want to read about this kind of stuff, I understand, but don't criticize me for writing about it. It's part of what makes me the person that you know and love. Okay. So. An executive from CNN has denied the charge that the video footage of celebrating Palestinians is "recycled" footage from 1991. So, it's one word against another at this point. If anyone has had the opportunity to examine the CNN footage closely, can you tell if there are any clues as to when it was filmed? Truth to tell, even if the footage is current, I'd still like an explanation from CNN as to why they felt it necessary to air that footage. It seems unnecessarily inflammatory.
posted by Jim Ansaldo 12:39 PM
