New TV Season In High Gear
Did anyone watch anything?
Any opinions?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
New shows debuting tonight include:
'Lost' on CBS;
and
'Enterprise' on UPN.
New episodes of new series on:
'The Amazing Race' & 'Wolf Lake' on CBS;
and
'Lust Cruise' on that bastion of family values, Faux.
Returning series, with new episodes include:
'My Wife and Kids' & 'Drew Carey' on ABC;
and
'Law and Order' and 'The West Wing' on NBC.
The episode on 'The West Wing' is titled "In Excelsis Deo".
It's one of the best episodes in the series (so far).
Anybody got any opinions on any of them?
(Hint, Hint!)
E-Mail Marty
(* see notes below)
Reader Review
'Evolution' On PBS
Nancy Maynard
The two hour program from PBS which had its debut last night was an
interesting mix of current documentary and Victorian biography.
Darwin's life was detailed from his young life of experience sailing on the
Beagle and at the Gallipolis Islands to his writing of the Origin of
Species. The biography also shows this doubter of the faith for what he
was: a scientist, a thinker and a loving father and husband.
He examinesthe beaks of birds to help theorize what changes evolution causes
to migrant finch populations. All around him the faithful rebuke him. When one
of his daughters died from an illness, Charles is seen standing outside while his
devout wife enters the church with the remaining children.
Then we change pace and look at the current documentary side. One of the
most compelling ways to study evolution is to study the changes in the AIDS
virus. The AIDS virus, being that viruses are primitive organisms, evolves
constantly and treatments are now being altered to discourage the evolution
of drug resistance in the virus.
Check out Evolution on PBS before Ashcroft says you can't!
~~ Nancy
Weekly Review
from Harper's Magazine
President George W. Bush declared that all the nations of the earth
must choose sides in the coming crusade against terrorism, and he
promised to attack Afghanistan if its leaders refused to hand over
Osama bin Laden, the famous terrorist, whom the President has
described as "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld told reporters that the preliminary brand-name of the
American military campaign, Operation Infinite Justice, would probably
be changed, because it was offensive to Muslims, for whom infinite
justice is a divine attribute. Some Christians also found the name
offensive. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a 14.3 percent
loss, its worst week since the Great Depression. The United States
continued its routine bombing of Iraq. Bush Administration officials
announced that they would lift sanctions against Pakistan, which were
imposed after it tested nuclear weapons in 1998. Congress approved a
$15 billion bailout for the airline industry, which has already
eliminated over 100,000 jobs. The Bush Administration decided that
farm subsidies should be eliminated."
--Roger D. Hodge
Weekly Review
TV Networks
War Of Patriotism (?)
Forget the Nielsen race: the networks are now squaring off in a war of patriotic
proportions.
The major networks have all introduced variations on the U.S. flag to their
promo repertoire in recent days, in many cases altering their logos to include
the red, white and blue.
CBS was first out, airing a classy three-second shot of a flag lightly rustling
in the wind and a small, transparent eye logo discreetly at the corner of the
screen. The spot now runs in lieu of a network ID between shows and during
commercial breaks.
NBC, meanwhile, at the behest of network chairman-CEO Bob Wright, started
bathing its peacock logo with the flag over the weekend. The network's bug at
the bottom of the screen formerly featured a transparent peacock over the
Olympic rings. In its place, NBC's feathers are now filled in with the stars
and stripes. Execs felt the look made the peacock less recognizable, so the
letters ``NBC'' were added as well.
ABC added red, white and blue stripes to its Alphabet sphere logo starting with
the Sept. 24 ``Monday Night Football'' game. The WB has put three lightly shaded
red, white and blue stripes behind its logo. Fox's bug, meanwhile, includes an
animated flag that turns into the usual, transparent Fox logo.
net logos
Another Fund Raiser
Seinfeld
Native New Yorker Jerry Seinfeld announced Tuesday he's teaming up with fellow
funnymen Bill Cosby, Colin Quinn, Will Ferrell and George Wallace for a
one-night stand at Carnegie Hall October 8 to aid victims of the World Trade
Center disaster.
The Stand Up for New York benefit, which won't be broadcast on television, seeks
to aid the families of those uniformed men and women killed in the terror
attacks on the Twin Towers.
Tickets for the event will range from $100 for nosebleeds to $2,500 for
front-row seats, with all proceeds going to the Twin Towers Fund and the New
York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. Tickets for Seinfeld
and friends go on sale Thursday at the Carnegie Hall box office or can be
charged by phone at 212-247-7800.
Seinfeld, who has kept a fairly low profile over the past year and a half, says
he'll debut new material he has developed during his hiatus, including bits
about married life and fatherhood.
When asked if his fans are ready yet for stand-up comedy, Seinfeld said, "Of the
couple of places I've been, I've found some people enjoying the momentary break.
We're not laughing at what happened. We're just laughing, which is how people
survive."
Seinfeld
'Hindsight'
By Michael Dare
Michael Dare
Hindsight is a horrible thing. In hindsight, everything looks so
obvious. Hindsight tells us we should have made a right instead of a
left, we should have accepted that offer or turned down that
salesman. Hindsight makes us want to jump in a time machine and warn
those brave firemen not to go into the building, that it's going to
collapse. From the safety of hindsight, it looks so apparent.
Hindsight tells us that doors to cockpits shouldn't be easy to open.
Hindsight warns us that retaliation always means escalation, and
escalation equals more civilian casualties. Hindsight is almost
always futile.
Yet we can't help it. We've been attacked and it's personal. It could
have been us. No amount of hindsight could have specifically warned
the occupants of the World Trade Center not to go to work that tragic
day.
Yet hindsight also shows us that the warnings were there and we
ignored them. What were we thinking? Just weeks ago, we were worried
about shark attacks. Just years ago, we were worried about the
president's penis. All pitifully inconsequential problems considering
the wake of current events. Why weren't we worried about our real
enemies? Did we forget we had enemies? What lulled us into this false
sense of security? We saw Clinton attack Afghanistan and conveniently
ignored the fact he didn't get bin Laden. We saw Bush attack Iraq and
conveniently ignored the fact he didn't get Hussein. We went to sleep
thinking Oh well, they're the presidents, they must know what's best.
They didn't.
But a lot of people did. Start scrolling through the news of the past
few years and you uncover article after article of rational people
screaming "the sky is falling" while those in charge ignored them.
There is little doubt this particular terrorist act might have been
averted had our priorities been straight.
First and foremost, there's the Hart-Rudman Commission, AKA The U.S.
Commission on National Security in the 21st Century. It's full of so
many rational recommendations concerning prevention of terrorism that
I can only recommend going to http://www.nssg.gov/ and reading the
whole thing yourself. Try to imagine you're the President of the
United States and you received this report nine months ago. Then try
to explain why you would do, as Bush did, absolutely nothing to
implement the findings. One proposal concerned establishing a new,
cabinet-level National Homeland Security Agency that would combine
the Federal Emergency Management Agency with several other agencies.
In the utmost example of closing the barn door after the horses have
escaped, this is precisely the plan Bush implemented in his recent
speech to the world, seemingly taking credit for the idea himself.
The Los Angeles Times has certainly been on the ball. According to
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-092001probe. story,
the official Federal watch list of potential terrorists didn't ever
get to the airlines. On the watch list, two men with links to Osama
bin Laden who helped hijack a flight from Dulles International
Airport last week.
At http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-
092001fail., we learn that the engineers who designed the World
Trade Center built it to withstand a direct hit from a Boeing 707 but
did not take into account the danger of a fire from the jet fuel.
This led to a false sense of security of the building managers which
led to numerous other miscalculations.
One of the best cautionary tales about the failures of other
countries in the region is "Blundering Into Afghanistan" by David
Greenberg at http://slate.msn.com/HistoryLesson/01-09-
19/HistoryLesson.asp. "Situated between great nations and lucrative
trade routes," says Greenberg, "Afghanistan (which used to include
some of present-day Pakistan) has long suffered the depredations of
conquest. Since the sixth century B.C., when it was first recorded as
part of the Persian Empire, it has been overrun by conquerors ranging
from Alexander the Great (circa 330 B.C.) to Genghis Khan (circa
1220) to Tamerlane (late 14th century). Indians from the south and
Turkic peoples from the north, Mongols from the east, and Arabs from
the west—who in the 10th century brought Islam to the region—all made
the land their own. But always temporarily."
A good place to check on rumors concerning the terrorist attacks is
http://www.snopes.com/info/rumors.htm. Did Walmart ban employees from
wearing American flag stickers? Yes. Did thousands of Jews working in
the World Trade Center stay home from work on September 11 because
they were warned in advance of the impending attack?
No.
In an editorial, Le Monde, France's most important daily, wrote that
America is inconstant in its choice of allies. According to
slate.com, they castigate us for refusing to help Ahmed Shah Massoud,
the leader of anti-Taliban forces who was assassinated last week, and
they're puzzled that we consider Saudi Arabia an ally since that "is
where the financial support of the Islamic radicals comes from."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1550000/15503
66.stm contains the startling news that the U.S. was planning this
invasion of Afghanistan months ago. According to the BBC, "Niaz Naik,
a former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, was told by senior American
officials in mid-July that military action against Afghanistan would
go ahead by the middle of October. Mr Naik said US officials told him
of the plan at a UN-sponsored international contact group on
Afghanistan which took place in Berlin. The objective, according to
Mr Naik, would be to topple the Taleban regime and install a
transitional government of moderate Afghans in its place - possibly
under the leadership of the former Afghan King Zahir Shah. Mr Naik
was told that Washington would launch its operation from bases in
Tajikistan, where American advisers were already in place. He was
told that Uzbekistan would also participate in the operation and that
17,000 Russian troops were on standby.
At http://www.indiareacts.com/Story33.htm; in an article published
last summer, the Indian Government announced that it would support
America's planned military incursion into Afghanistan. What a
coincidence that just when we're planning to invade another country,
for the express purpose of removing that government, a terrorist
attack occurs to anger Americans into support for an invasion
At http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=24582,
there's an article detailing the strange financial linkages between
the Bush family and the Bin Ladens. According to a report in the
Houston Chronicle dated June 4, 1992, federal officials were
investigating the activities of James R. Bath, a Houston businessman
accused of illegally representing Saudi interests in the U.S. In
sworn depositions, Bath said he represented four prominent Saudis as
a trustee, including Saudi Sheik Salem M. bin Laden. Tax documents
and personal financial records show that Bath personally had a 5
percent interest in Arbusto '79 Ltd., and Arbusto '80 Ltd., limited
partnerships controlled by George W. Bush. Arbusto actually
means "bush" in Spanish.
From http://ecclesia.org/lawgiver/911.asp, there's "The obscure goat
story of 9-11," which examines the first reactions President Bush had
concerning the events of September 11.
From the Associated Press, September 12, 2001. "In Sarasota, Florida,
Bush was reading to children in a classroom at 9:05 a.m. when his
chief of staff, Andrew Card, whispered into his ear. The president
briefly turned somber before he resumed reading. He addressed the
tragedy about a half-hour later."
From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, September 12, 2001. "President Bush
listened to 18 Booker Elementary School second-graders read a story
about a girl's pet goat Tuesday before he spoke briefly and somberly
about the terrorist attacks."
"President Bush became briefly somber and continued reading a story
about a goat for nearly another half hour. He didn't politely excuse
himself to the children, but rather, temporarily stopped reading only
to continue on as if nothing had happened. Is this how you - or
anyone around you at the time - reacted when you first heard the news
of the WTC tragedy? At the very least, one would think that Bush
would have spent a minute or two being properly briefed by his
trusted Chief of Staff before finishing his reading of a goat story.
If this was new news to him, one would surely think that he would
immediately want to know more details. Does anyone else see that
this 'Presidential' reaction was out of place and doesn't fit the
circumstances? His reaction seems to imply that this was not fresh
news to him, but more of a confirmation of what he might have already
known about."
Former president Clinton, of course, does not emerge unscathed. At
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/23/ret.clinton.bin.laden/index.html,
there's the story of Bill Clinton's unsuccessful attempts to take out
bin Laden, in which he says "We also trained commandos for a possible
ground action, but we did not have the necessary intelligence to do it."
The Boston Globe reported in a recent front page story that "Some
wonder whether (Clinton) wasn't distracted by the legal and political
quagmire of the Monica S. Lewinsky case. And even former Clinton
aides now regret that the battle with bin Laden and his Al Qaeda
organization was never fully joined." Former deputy AG Jamie
Gorelick said, "Clearly, not enough was done. … We should have
caught this. Why this happened, I don't know. Responsibilities were
given out. Resources were given. Authorities existed. We should
have prevented this." Nancy Soderberg, a former senior aide in
Clinton's National Security Council said, `In hindsight, it wasn't
enough, and anyone involved in policy would have to admit that."
Not that all alternative takes on the situation have been delegated
to the net. The Los Angeles Times printed one of the best cautionary
articles about the war, ARTHUR SCHLESINGER JR.'s "Sand Trap:
Indiscriminate Bombing of Afghanistan Would Play Directly Into Bin
Laden's Hands," available at http://www.latimes.com/la-
092301schless.story.
It was good news/bad news over at Rutgers University Press,
publishers of Angus Kress Gillespie's ''Twin Towers: The Life of New
York City's World Trade Center.'' According to
http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,175787~5~6~howattacksaffectedbook,0
0.html, it was gathering dust in bookstores throughout the land, but
now they've gone to press for 20,000 copies and have already received
orders for 43,000 more. ''We've never experienced anything like this,
and we never want to again,'' said Marlie Wasserman, the director of
the publishing house. ''Every publisher dreams of a sleeper book
suddenly taking off, but not because of a crisis like this.''
According to the Independent Media Center at
http://www.indymedia.org:8081, Federal officials say they have not
persuaded foreign banks to open their books to investigators and that
in this country, a law that would have allowed the United States to
penalize foreign banks that did not cooperate was blocked last year
by a single United States senator, Phil Gramm, the Texas Republican
who was then chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
The New York Times wonders why there isn't a Radio Free Afghanistan
now like there was a Radio Free Europe during WWII. Good story at
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/20/opinion/20SAFI.html?todaysheadlines.
For the past decade, why has the U.S. had a Drug Czar but not a
Terrorism Czar? Good question answered in no uncertain terms in a
piece from the L.A. Times archives, "Bush's Faustian Deal With the
Taliban," by Robert Scheer. The Times charges for any articles over a
week old, but Scheer has published it himself at
http://www.robertscheer.com/1_natcolumn/01_columns/052201.htm. It
opens with the lovely paragraph, "Enslave your girls and women,
harbor anti-U.S. terrorists, destroy every vestige of civilization in
your homeland, and the Bush administration will embrace you. All that
matters is that you line up as an ally in the drug war, the only
international cause that this nation still takes seriously."
E-MAIL OF THE WEEK
If you bought $1,000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would
be worth $72.00 today.
If you bought $1,000.00 worth of Coors Light cans in New York one
year ago, drank all the beer, and traded in the cans for the nickel
deposit, you would have $79.00.
SIDEBAR
When Winston Churchill said, "The first casualty of war is always
truth," the Internet didn't exist. In 1953, John Swinton, the former
Chief of Staff at the New York Times, addressed the New York Press
Club, saying "There is no such thing, at this date of the world's
history, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is
not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you
did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print.
Try to find any American journalism post-Pearl Harbor that criticizes
the upcoming war and you'll come up empty. Not today. Here's a guide
to the best (or worst) of alternate views from all over the world.
http://www.americanpolitics.com
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
http://www.bartcop.com
http://www.buzzflash.com
http://www.harryshearer.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com
http://www.fark.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com
http://www.bushnews.com
http://www.indymedia.org
http://www.homelandsecurity.org
http://www.judicialwatch.org
http://www.thesmokinggun.com
http://www.indiareacts.com
http://www.conspiracyplanet.com
http://www.gregpalast.com
http://www.unknowncountry.com
http://www.earthfiles.com
http://www.slate.com
Hunter Thompson isn't up to speed yet, but when he is, his column
will be posted here: Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
~~Michael Dare
Darenet
Guest Star
On 'Titus'
Elizabeth Berkley, best known for her role as a stripper in box office dud
``Showgirls,'' is joining the Fox comedy ``Titus'' for a multiepisode arc.
Berkley, currently in theaters with Woody Allen's ``The Curse of the Jade
Scorpion,'' will play Shannon Titus, the globetrotting, do-gooder sister of
series star Chris Titus. She'll appear in three to five episodes, with
additional appearances a possibility.
``She's always been daddy's little girl, the perfect little sister, and that
just kills (Chris),'' Berkley said, praising ``Titus'' as ``such an intelligent
and innovative show.''
Elizabeth Berkley
In The News
Network Changes
Another piece of New York street-life that has been lost since the Sept. 11
attacks - the network morning TV shows are no longer venturing out of their
street-level studios to talk to the crowds.
The chance to talk to Al Roker on the air or stand behind Charlie Gibson has
been a hugely popular feature of "Today" and "Good Morning America."
But for the past two weeks, the TV hosts have been staying inside for their own
safety, producers say.
So when will things go back to normal?
"We've been asking the same question every day," "Today" honcho Jonathan Wald,
told USA Today. "We're going to take it day by day."
TV Changes
BartCop TV Is Here!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot', keeps updating!
There is more to check on nearly a daily basis!
The Vidiot.
Read all the latest.
TV Movie News
Brady Bunch Back Again
It's another sunshine day for Gary Cole and Shelley Long, who will reprise their
roles as Mike and Carol Brady in the Fox TV movie ``The Brady Bunch in the White
House.''
The tentatively titled movie imagines a world in which Mike and Carol's good
deeds land them in the White House as president and vice president,
respectively. While not a continuation of the Paramount feature franchise, the
film is expected to have a similar tone to its big screen predecessors. There's
no word yet on whether other thesps from the ``Brady'' features will reprise
their roles.
Another Brady Sequel
New! Updated!
BartCop Astrology
Check it out at BC Astrology.
"Guitar Greats" has been set aside for now, and replaced with an astrological look at the
WTC Tragedy using various, relevant horoscopes, including charts for Manhattan and the US.
Very interesting reading!
In The News
More TV Changes
On a typical day, KTVK's helicopter is in the sky for most of the station's
four-hour morning news show, checking traffic and spotting news from above in
the sprawling Phoenix region.
But the chopper hasn't left the hangar in two weeks, ever since the Federal
Aviation Administration ordered news helicopters nationwide grounded after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Gliders, skydiving flights, hot air balloons, even some other helicopters have
since been allowed back in the air following the initial halting of all flights.
Television news directors are wondering why their helicopters can't get off the
ground, too.
"It's moved from an area where the concern is about national security," said
Phil Alvidrez, KTVK's executive news director. "I can only conclude that their
concern is about journalism and news coverage. For the FAA to ban news coverage
is a dangerous precedent."
The Radio and Television News Directors Association has asked the federal
government to lift the restriction, calling it "constitutionally suspect." RTNDA
President Barbara Cochran said the federal government has yet to respond to her
association's appeal.
FAA spokesman Hank Price said the helicopter flights are restricted "because of
national security." He would not comment further.
News Helicopters Still Grounded
http://www.rtnda.org
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Don't worry about the HTML, just send text, or rich text, or a Word document, photos, video, whatever you have, and Michele will take care of the rest. Don't hesitate to write with any questions you may have and bring on the recipes!
To check out 'Train Station Chicken', and more (like 'Dump Cake' & Peach Cobbler),
In The Kitchen With BartCop
Gossip
Wee Georgie
It will be interesting to see whether former President Bill Clinton attends the
Nov. 20 wedding in Manhattan of his former top aide, the small but perfectly
formed George Stephanopolous. Wee Georgie has gotten rich and famous with his
confidence-breaking book and an ABC-TV gig, but Bill is not among his admirers.
The L.A. Times reports that his fiancée, actress Alexandra Wentworth, has just
put her Sunset Strip home on the market for $1.75 million because she and George
are going to be living in their new Gramercy Park apartment from now on.
george
TV News
Emmys Will Be Somber
The red carpet will be missing and stars will trade tuxedoes for business suits
in a muted Emmy Awards intended to reflect the nation's somber mood, Don Mischer,
the ceremony's executive producer said Tuesday.
Walter Cronkite, not host Ellen DeGeneres, will make the opening remarks at the
Oct. 7 ceremony, delayed three weeks because of the Sept. 11 terrorist
hijackings and attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
On-camera celebrity arrivals will be abandoned, and fans won't be able to scream
for their favorites from bleachers, Mischer said. Stars are being advised to
dress down.
The plans are reminiscent of the carefully understated Academy Awards ceremonies
held during World War II. Mischer has been consulting with the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences and host network CBS.
Included in the evening will be filmed acknowledgments of the tragedy that
struck America, including a piece with Dennis Franz, star of ``NYPD BlueY,''
paying tribute to New York police officers.
``There are people we need to be honoring more than people who win Emmy
awards,'' Mischer said. The awards show, seen in 95 countries, will thank people
worldwide for their support of America.
Somber Emmys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* What I Watched Tuesday Night
Caught 'Emeril'. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason's name is attached, and I'm reminded of
her stellar work on 'Designing Women'. She wrote nearly all the episodes, and that's
pretty impressive in itself.
Sadly, 'Emeril' is not a masterpiece. It's not even 'journeyman-level'. It's somewhere
between a 'paint-by-numbers clown face' and 'Can You Draw This' on the cover of a book
of matches...
Watched the 2nd half-hour of 'Dharma & Greg'.
Yuck.
It has jumped the shark.
(http://www.jumptheshark.com).
Also saw 'Frasier'.
While poignantly dedicated to Lynn & David Angell, it was a mediocre half-hour stretched to
44 minutes. (A half-hour show is a little less than 22 minutes with no commercials - an hour
show is just under 44 minutes).
Tried to watch 'Philly', but after 10 minutes I was having flashbacks to more memorable
root canals. Wanted to like it, but don't think I'll be back.
Had the 2nd TV tuned to PBS to catch 'Evolution', which seemed to be the best program of
the night.
But, that's just me.
~~ Marty
CNN In The News
Lou Waters Is Leaving
Lou Waters, who has anchored news for CNN since its launch in 1980, is leaving
the network.
Waters will become managing editor for NewsProNet, a company that produces
prepackaged news features for local television stations, CNN spokesman Matt
Furman said Tuesday.
Waters anchored seven hours of continuous coverage for CNN after the explosion
of space shuttle Challenger in 1986. He reported live from Macedonia during
NATO's air campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.
His duties for NewsProNet, which is based in the northern Atlanta suburb of
Alpharetta, will include appearing on-air.
Lou Waters
More Disney News
'Pearl Harbor' Still Stinks
Despite a brief re-expansion into wide release over Labor Day weekend and the
next weekend, ``Pearl Harbor'' still has not hit $200 million at the domestic
box office.
The Jerry Bruckheimer-Michael Bay drama first set sail domestically on Memorial
Day, amid domestic-gross predictions of up to $250 million that soon proved
far too optimistic.
Largely as a result of foreign successes, Disney reps claim the picture will see
an eventual profit of $50 million-$100 million, including revenue from homevideo
and other ancillary markets.
Disney's 'Pearl Harbor'
First Person Diary
Ray Berry
Ray has temporarily (I hope), suspended 'Bush-Toons'. In its place, he has put
his daily diary of life in Manhattan since Tuesday.
Ray has great observational abilities, a way with words, and has still been able
to keep his sense of humor.
To visit & read, www.bush-toons.com
In Memory
Mark Bingham
Eulogy in Honor of Mark Bingham
Delivered by Senator John McCain
San Francisco, CA
September 22, 2001
"I didn't know Mark Bingham. We met once briefly during my presidential campaign,
yet I cannot say that I knew him well. But I wish I had. I wish I had. You meet
a lot of people when you run for President. I was fortunate to have had the
support of many Americans who were, until then, strangers to me. And I regret to
say, that like most candidates I was pre-occupied with winning or losing. I had
not thought as much as I should have about what an honor, what an extraordinary
honor it was to have so many citizens of the greatest nation on earth place
their trust in me, and use our campaign as an expression of their own patriotism.
They were the best thing about our campaign, not me. Had I been successful, my
greatest challenge would have been to prove myself worthy of the faith of so
many good people.
"I love my country, and I take pride in serving her. But I cannot say that I
love her more or as well as Mark Bingham did, or the other heroes on United
Flight 93 who gave their lives to prevent our enemies from inflicting an even
greater injury on our country. It has been my fate to witness great courage and
sacrifice for America's sake, but none greater than the selfless sacrifice of
Mark Bingham and those good men who grasped the gravity of the moment, understood
the threat, and decided to fight back at the cost of their lives.
"In the Gospel of John it is written "Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends." Such was the love that Mark and his
comrades possessed, as they laid down their lives for others. A love so sublime
that only God's love surpasses it.
"It is now believed that the terrorists on Flight 93 intended to crash the
airplane into the United States Capitol where I work, the great house of
democracy where I was that day. It is very possible that I would have been in
the building, with a great many other people, when that fateful, terrible moment
occurred, and a beautiful symbol of our freedom was destroyed along with
hundreds if not thousands of lives. I may very well owe my life to Mark and the
others who summoned the enormous courage and love necessary to deny those
depraved, hateful men their terrible triumph. Such a debt you incur for life.
"I will try very hard, very hard, to discharge my public duties in a manner that
honors their memory. All public servants are now solemnly obliged to do all we
can to help this great nation remain worthy of the sacrifice of New York City
firefighters, police officers, emergency medical people, and worthy of the
sacrifice of the brave passengers on Flight 93.
"No American living today will ever forget what happened on September 11, 2001.
That day was the moment when the hinge of history swung toward a new era not
only in the affairs of this nation, but in the affairs of all humanity. The
opening chapter of this new history is tinged with great sadness and
uncertainty. But as we begin please take strength from the example of the
American we honor today, and those who perished to save others in New York,
Washington and Pennsylvania. The days ahead will be difficult, and we will know
more loss and sorrow. But we will prevail. We will prevail.
"Pay no heed to the voices of the poor, misguided souls, in this country and
overseas, who claim that America brought these atrocities on herself. They are
deluded, and their hearts are cramped by hatred and fear. Our respect for Man's
God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness assures us of
victory even as it made us a target for the enemies of freedom who mistake hate
and depravity for power. The losses we have suffered are grave, and must not be
forgotten. But we should all take pride and unyielding resolve from the
knowledge that we were attacked because we were good, and good we will remain as
we vanquish the evil that preys upon us.
"I never knew Mark Bingham. But I wish I had. I know he was a good son and
friend, a good rugby player, a good American, and an extraordinary human being.
He supported me, and his support now ranks among the greatest honors of my life.
I wish I had known before September 11 just how great an honor his trust in me
was. I wish I could have thanked him for it more profusely than time and
circumstances allowed. But I know it now. And I thank him with the only means I
possess, by being as good an American as he was.
"America will overcome these atrocities. We will prevail over our enemies. We
will right this terrible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute
to our liberty, and to Mark Bingham and all those who died to defend it.
"To all of you who loved Mark, and were loved by him, he will never be so far
from you that you cannot feel his love. As our faith informs us, you will see
him again, when our loving God reunites us all with the loved ones who preceded
us. Take care of each other until then, as he would want you to. May God bless
Mark. And may God bless us all.
"Thank you."
http://mccain.senate.gov/bingham.htm
Mark Bingham was the 4th, and least acknowledged, hero on United flight #93
that went down southeast of Pittsburgh, PA (9/11/01).
He was the rugby player identified by his gender-preference, and then seemingly
'set aside' by the mainstream press.
Mark Bingham showed that 'character counts', and sought no glory for his actions.
The same may be said about Senator McCain.
'Honor Among Men', not 'good-spin' among boys.
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
