Never Forget, Always Remember, Be Kind

I have written a few things about people profiting from 9/11 and my anger at such practice.  Goofy coloring books and random books meant to cash in on this world tragedy are just the tip of the iceberg when it  comes to the avalanche of crap that you will see sold for "Patriot Day."  That name alone is a great marketing tool and the moment I heard it I honestly thought, "Hell, I might get a day off because of this."  I felt bad about thinking it, but there you go.

All that garbage is not what I want to talk about today.  I had plans to say a lot.  I was going to write about my own experiences of that morning 10 years ago, but that seems almost masturbatory.  I was going to maybe do a funny story about how the Banned Library celebrates Patriot Day in its own unique and silly way, but thought it might be a bit crass.  I was going to review how libraries have changed with introductions to technology and the Patriot Act, etc., but that seemed almost wrong.  I might still all those things on other anniversaries if I last long enough, but not today.  I realized something.

I am a little blogger on the internet, a voice in a dark room filled with others, all mumbling for attention.  So I just want to put out a simple message.

No matter who you pray to, who you think should marry who, or what side you are on George Lucas messing with the Star Wars films, you are still a member of the human race and we all have to live on this ball of dirt together, even if some of us think we are in the Matrix.  Take away all the ideals and theories about what happened 10 years ago and you have one simple truth: people killed people and destroyed something big and cool and that is bad.  Sound childish?  Destruction always is.

Go out and do one nice thing today, help someone out.  Does not have to be big. You will make this world better by doing so, I swear.

Now I'm gonna go eat some BBQ.

Who the Hell thought a 9/11 Coloring Book Was a Good Idea?

Hey, remember when I looked into the future and foretold how money-hungry losers were gonna try to make a buck off 9/11?  Enter Really Big Coloring Books Inc. with We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom.
Here's what Stars and Stripes says is inside this pile of piled stuff:

The coloring book includes pages showing the smoking World Trade Center and mourning survivors. Page 19 depicts a Navy SEAL taking aim at Osama bin Laden, who is seen cowering behind a veiled woman as a bullet leaves the barrel of the SEAL’s rifle. Above the drawing is this message: “Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE.”

This sounds like something I would make up to scare my grandma into buying extra tickets for the school raffle.  I feel like a part of me just died.  The only comparison to my childhood would be Rocky IV ending communism with Rocky punching Drago's head off and peeing in the hole.

A coloring book should have Barney and colorful stuff in it, not hate-filled sadness.  This does not make me want to scream "America, Fuck Yeah!"  This makes me wanna cry a little for the sad bastards that made this.

HarperCollins and Fox News Band Together to Create Ground Zero Book

You read that headline right, kids.  Fox News and HarperCollins have forged an unholy alliance to tug at your heartstrings by creating an "enhanced" ebook about the rebuilding of Ground Zero just in time for the 10 year anniversary of 9/11.  Titled "Rise of Freedom: The New World Trade Center," the ebook will contain text, photographs and video from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith.  [insert joke about how it will honor Bush and only be allowed to be checked out 26 times here]

I have a couple of problems with this gross exploitation that is being called an "enhanced ebook."  First, fuck anyone who tries to make money off a national tragedy this close to the anniversary.  All that information, epecially public broadcasts, should already be released for free or at least proceeds should go to a charity.  Second, the title is retarded.  "New World Trade Center" says that they are creating a new building to serve as a world trade center.  That just ain't true and taints the memory of the buildings.  Finally, this rebuilding is on-going.  To put the book up now, before completed just smacks of an incomplete venture that they will use to make more cash as they update later.

Does it matter that Fox News and HarperCollins are the figures in this story?  Outside of easy jokes, no.  This is a gross example of the exploitation we will see in the coming weeks.

huffingtonpost