The afternoon news had a shot of a rally taking place at the World Trade Center (I still refuse to call it “Ground Zero”) being held to support our troops. Soon after the news I could hear the roar from home so I decided to walk south along the Hudson to take a look. It was a serious pro war rally. It’s been cold and today was in the low 40’s with a brisk wind but the sun was out. A few joggers were out but the further south I got the cops out numbered the passerby’s. Another good OT day for the men and women in blue. As I got to Battery Park I entered a large group gathered around LED screens and loud speakers showing the dais and the speakers. There were more hardhats, Carhart jackets, steel toed boots and satin union jackets in one place than I had ever seen. The union jackets were from the teamsters, carpenters and of course the steel workers. If they didn’t have an American flag sticker on their hardhats they had “these colors don’t bleed” T-shirts on or they were carrying small flags. Quite a few had full sized flags. There were plenty of the black POW flags in view as well. Then I saw where all the colors were coming from. Venders of the tees, flags and bumper stickers were doing a brisk business. I felt like the mouse at a cat convention.
I got to the first set of speakers and LED screens in time to hear Gov. Pataki in his shrill falsetto proclaim that the war had started here at “Ground Zero” on 9/11 and had ended in Baghdad. A claim that will come back to haunt us. By combining the 9/11 attack with the Iraqi war we carve out a path for Osama (remember him?) to take the defeat of Iraq and make it the basis for more terrorism. He then went on to say the statue of Saddam that had been torn down (see yesterdays blog) should be melted down and turned into one the beams that will become the new World Trade Center, a building to surpass all others in design and height. Yes it’s supposed to be the worlds tallest building. Just like the American troops taking over the tearing down of the statue yesterday Pataki doesn’t get it. It wasn’t torn down to be part of the rebuilding in New York! It was torn by and for the Iraqi people. As he was saying the words I was ahead of him filling the space with “melted into plowshares” or some such rot but I never thought he would advocate melting it down to put into the new World Trade Center. The members of the AFL/CIO thought it was a great sentiment. Actually I don’t think they give a shit. Some one knocked down our building and we are kicking some one’s ass that’s all they need and want to know. And as far as melting down that statue that will be fine as long as the building of the worlds tallest building starts soon. Over time is all that matters. They got a fortune digging out the rubble and they will make another building its replacement. The bigger the better.
The next speaker was Bob Dole and he carried on the theme of the war starting on 9/11 and he had the guts to invoke the names and families of the recently killed soldiers in Iraq. A timeless and shameless practice of politicians past and present. I was embarrassed for him.
Yes it was a rally to support our troops. It was also a rally to slam home the pain of 9/11 and connect it to a despot that had NO hand in that terrible day.
We will never forget 9/11 and those that conceived it should be brought to justice.
The war in Iraq did nothing to bring justice home. It is an insult to everyone who suffered on that day to say that the war in Iraq is the payback.

They say "Paybacks are M.....F....ers" but Iraq ain't it.