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BBHQ Boomer Essays: |
| Our Boomer-In-Charge here at BBHQ, Hershel Chicowitz, writes frequently about current events... from a boomer perspective. He is sometimes funny, sometimes provocative, sometimes a little of each. We hope you get a kick out of our Boomer Essays. |
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September, 2004: Well, here we are.... three years after the most deadly act of war ever inflicted on Americans. Do you remember?
 Do you remember how you felt after the attack? Shock, sadness, astonishment, fear.... and absolute resolve not to let it happen again. About six weeks later, we featured an Insta-Poll question here at BBHQ, asking visitors if they thought the worst was over, or if the worst was yet to come. You responded, by a large majority, that the worst was yet to come. So.... here we are, three years later. How are we doing? Are we safer now than we were on September 11, 2001? Being particular about word usage, I do not like the term "safer"; it is predicated on the notion that the starting point is "safe." You have to be safe at one point in order to measure if you are "safer" at another. And "safe" itself is a relative term. I would prefer the phrase "in less danger." But I understand that that is too many words for some people to comprehend, so I'll accept "safer." Anyway, are we safer now than we were on September 11, 2001? Well, John Kerry would have us believe we are not. Nonsense; sheer nonsense. It defies all evidence and all common sense. But then, so do most of his pronouncements. Since September 11, 2001, we have spent tens of billions of dollars on security. Every airline passenger is more thoroughly screened; airplane cockpits are more secure; every piece of luggage is screened. And you can be sure that the passengers of any U.S. airline flight will never let a bunch of thugs with box cutters take over the plane. THAT's never gonna' happen again. You can take that to the bank! Malls, stadiums, convention centers, office complexes..... they are all more closely watched than they were before. Our ports, while far from completely safe, are much more carefully guarded than they were before. Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. and its allies have crushed the Taliban, which had provided a haven for al Qaeda. We have eliminated Saddam Hussein and his country as a source for money and materials for terrorists. Pakistan, once a haven for terrorists, is now helping us fight terrorism. Libya's Muammar Qaddafi has waved the white flag. Iranian leaders are hiding below the radar. We have killed or captured over two-thirds of the known al Qaeda leadership. Osamma bin Laden, if he is still alive, is powerless to do what he most wants to do. (Imagine what his life must be like these days.) On September 11, 2001, Tom Ridge was sitting comfortably in his office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as the governor of a nice, little state. Today he heads one of the most powerful departments of the most powerful government on Earth. The department did not exist on September 11, 2001. The government has hired tens of thousands of people whose sole job is to help prevent another terrorist attack. And for every safety measure you can see, there are bunches more you do not see. Is it perfect? To quote from a seventies thriller movie, "Is it safe yet?" Of course not. Come on; this is the federal government we're talking about here. If you want perfection, you'll have to look to the '72 Dolphins. You're not gonna' find perfection in the federal government. They can never make it "safe." But.... just how many terrorist attacks have there been on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001? How many? Come on... give me a number. Remember; most of you said, back in late 2001, that you thought the worst was yet to come. If we had asked, in our Insta-Poll back in 2001, how much confidence you would have in our government's ability to fight terror if there were no more terrorist attacks on the U.S. in three years.... imagine what you would have answered. And... here we are. Does al Qaeda want to strike us again? Of course it does. Would it, if it could? Of course it would. Will it, if it can? Of course it will. Why do you suppose it has not? Will it try to disrupt the election if it can? One word: Spain. Is it safe yet? Heck, no. But we're a whole lot better off now than we were three years ago. As Tom Ridge points out, we have to get it right every time; they have to get it right just once. But, we are doing the right stuff. You can argue on the edges, but you cannot deny what has happened and what has not; you cannot deny the track record. So far... so good. Have nice, safe day.
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Exploring My Roots: A Chicowitz History
Membership details here.
Terrific boomer memorabilia!!
Remember this?
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If you like what we're doing here at BBHQ, please help us by buying stuff through our link to Amazon.com:
| The BBHQ Album of the Month is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you? |
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The BBHQ Book of the Month is
"Vinyl Highway," by
Dee Dee Phelps. You remember her as Dee Dee, of Dick and Dee Dee.
Together, they took a decade long ride on the rock and roll roller
coaster. It was a heck of a ride! Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach
Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee
rubbed shoulders with all of them. This is her "behind the scenes" story.
It's pretty cool.
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