News Item

Oct 7, 11:01 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his police chief insisted Friday they did the right thing by going public with a terrorist threat to bomb the New York subway, brushing aside suggestions from Washington that they overreacted to information of dubious credibility.

Associated Press


I may be wrong … it can happen … but I’m not so sure our mayor has our best interests at heart here. Since last week the local airwaves have been bombarded with a political campaign ad for Bloomberg ensuring us that New York is the safest city in the world in the face of international terrorism, complete with multiple shots of police officers walking our streets and manning our subways, looking alert, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. It is a scare tactic right out of the Dick Chaney/Karl Rove playbook that had the hair on the back of my neck standing up, not from fright, but from rage. Despicable, I thought; a real low for a city known for its sophistication and savvy.

Now comes this news item printed above. Could it be a coincidence? Coincidence is for suckers, ask any con man. I will propose a scenario to cover the facts here. The mayor had these ads already in the can and on the air when the story hit. Someone in his administration said, “Hey, this is an opportunity we can’t pass up. We have the ads, here’s the story … let’s pump up the action and make a big deal of it.” So the mayor instructs the police to close half of Penn Station and check people, packages, and strollers to combat this eminent threat while city dwellers are quaking over their morning Cheerios.

Yes, my dear readers, I am suggesting that this disgraceful strategy is what our city leadership considers good political exploitation. They endeavored to trump up the truth to the level of their hyperbole to underscore and justify a panic crusade meant to motivate our faith that Big Daddy Bloomberg is there to protect us from the boogeyman.

Am I being paranoid? Am I jaded by the system and too damn suspicious concerning our politicians and the lengths they go to secure and retain their power? Could be. I still believe that coincidence is for the suckers and a little paranoia in the face of ambition is a healthy attribute in preserving our individual integrity.

Of course my theory assumes that Washington was correct in their assessment of the situation. Hmmmm … a real conundrum.

JC


News Item

Oct 9, 12:22 AM (ET)

Quake Kills More Than 18,000 in South Asia

The earth is belching. If we pour more junk into it, maybe we can get it to throw up.

JC