Nick's Soapbox

Soapbox

Ok. let's get something straight: this is a record of opinion and general crankiness. It is not a "blog" (a word I despise). My life simply is not that interesting that I should subject the readership of the World Wide Web to it. While it might be fine for others, it's not for me.

NB: Yeah, I know, it's old, but I was trying to get this published by Sept.1. I promise something new soon.

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One Year Later

(written Sept. 10, 2002)

For a long afterwards last year, Janna would look up at the sky and say "I
don't think we'll ever look at planes the same way again"

Not me. Planes have been falling out of the sky (often for no good reason)
since the early days of aviation. Half the time I can't see how they stay
up there. And if a bunch of hate-filled fanatical lunatics used a bunch of
them to knock over buildings and kill thousands of people, well, frankly, it
really shouldn't come as a complete surprise. In a depressing, horrifying
way, it's simply the "logical" progression of what started when people began
taking airliners hostage with bombs. This was in part simply making good on
that threat, as well as using the airliners as weapons.

And I honestly don't that's going to happen again any time soon. I think
what happened over Pennsylvania was that some people were willing to give
their lives for the greater good, once they knew what purpose they were
going to be put to. I think any hijacker in the near future is much more
likely to be killed by the passengers than in any commission of a "terrorist
act", since few would want to be indirectly responsible for another 9/11
through an act omission.

And it's a sweet irony to fling at those who tut-tut about how the
terrorists used our high technology and freedom against us; yeah, maybe so,
but in the end these same things turned around and bit them in the ass.
Clearly they hadn't anticipated what instant coverage and free cellphones
(as well as a free, if occasionally irresponsible, press) really mean. The
knowledge of what they were going to do was relayed to their potential
victims, and they foiled it.

No, for me the problem isn't looking up at planes. It's looking down into my
tool drawer.

See, that's where my box cutter lives. Now, I really like my box cutter.
It's one of those thick, solid orange-painted steel models. It just screams
"I can take on any packaging!" And so it can. I used it just over a week
ago to cut new speaker wire. I've yet to encounter something it couldn't cut
through.

And therein lies the problem. I can't help but remember what this thing was
used for. It is able to cut through a lot of things - including people.
Partly I feel my hand should fly from it like a hot stone and say "evil"! I
almost have trouble looking at it. And the awful thing, of course, is that
no amount of airport screening of items at the time would have stopped this
- there were no regs against box cutters - who would ever suspect them of
ill use? (I'm convinced the rise - or at least the ubiquity - of the box
cutter is one of the consequences of the "new economy", with everything
shipped rather than store bought*)

It is in the perversion of the everyday world where true evil lies. People
in New York talk about how ordinary and everyday life around the Twin Towers
had seemed, and how the change that happened would have been inconceivable.
And that change of view can extend even into my own tool drawer.

(* and for the truly paranoid, taped not stapled, for easy DEA inspection)



		Soapbox Ok. let's get something straight: this is a record of opinion and general crankiness. It is not a "blog" (a word I despise). My life simply is not that interesting that I should subject the readership of the World Wide Web to it. While it might be fine for others, it's not for me.
		NB: Yeah, I know, it's old, but I was trying to get this published by Sept.1. I promise something new soon.
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	One Year Later (written Sept. 10, 2002) For a long afterwards last year, Janna would look up at the sky and say "I don't think we'll ever look at planes the same way again" Not me. Planes have been falling out of the sky (often for no good reason) since the early days of aviation. Half the time I can't see how they stay up there. And if a bunch of hate-filled fanatical lunatics used a bunch of them to knock over buildings and kill thousands of people, well, frankly, it really shouldn't come as a complete surprise. In a depressing, horrifying way, it's simply the "logical" progression of what started when people began taking airliners hostage with bombs. This was in part simply making good on that threat, as well as using the airliners as weapons. And I honestly don't that's going to happen again any time soon. I think what happened over Pennsylvania was that some people were willing to give their lives for the greater good, once they knew what purpose they were going to be put to. I think any hijacker in the near future is much more likely to be killed by the passengers than in any commission of a "terrorist act", since few would want to be indirectly responsible for another 9/11 through an act omission. And it's a sweet irony to fling at those who tut-tut about how the terrorists used our high technology and freedom against us; yeah, maybe so, but in the end these same things turned around and bit them in the ass. Clearly they hadn't anticipated what instant coverage and free cellphones (as well as a free, if occasionally irresponsible, press) really mean. The knowledge of what they were going to do was relayed to their potential victims, and they foiled it. No, for me the problem isn't looking up at planes. It's looking down into my tool drawer. See, that's where my box cutter lives. Now, I really like my box cutter. It's one of those thick, solid orange-painted steel models. It just screams "I can take on any packaging!" And so it can. I used it just over a week ago to cut new speaker wire. I've yet to encounter something it couldn't cut through. And therein lies the problem. I can't help but remember what this thing was used for. It is able to cut through a lot of things - including people. Partly I feel my hand should fly from it like a hot stone and say "evil"! I almost have trouble looking at it. And the awful thing, of course, is that no amount of airport screening of items at the time would have stopped this - there were no regs against box cutters - who would ever suspect them of ill use? (I'm convinced the rise - or at least the ubiquity - of the box cutter is one of the consequences of the "new economy", with everything shipped rather than store bought) It is in the perversion of the everyday world where true evil lies. People in New York talk about how ordinary and everyday life around the Twin Towers had seemed, and how the change that happened would have been inconceivable. And that change of view can extend even into my own tool drawer. ( and for the truly paranoid, taped not stapled, for easy DEA inspection)