I am Joe the Plumber

I am a middle-class American, who supports a family of 5.


I work hard every day to make ends meet. I don't make over 250k, but I hope to one day make much, much more.


I believe in the American Dream, the dream that anyone who wants to succeed has the opportunity to succeed. It's the dream that made my grandmother bring my father from Italy on a boat half a century ago, and the dream that my maternal grandmother believed in when she worked at the Brooklyn Naval Yard during WWII.


I believe that penalizing people for their success while reaching for the American Dream is un-American.


I believe that I have a right to ask a question about a presidential candidates' policies without being subjected to a full fledged attempt to discredit me and destroy my life by people who fear my question.


I believe that it's not the governments job to "Spread the Wealth", unless that government is extremely Socialist or Communist.


I know Communism doesn't work, we all do. Ask most of the people that live around me in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, who fled from the greatest failed Communist government. They came to live the American Dream.

I believe in the American Dream.


I am Joe the Plumber

Today

My son was sick this morning and had been all of yesterday, so we decided to take him to see the doctor to make sure everything was OK. The doctor was mainly concerned about keeping him hydrated, so we picked up some ice pops and by the time I left for work he was looking like his usual self and my wife reports that he is happily dancing around watching for Baloo from The Jungle Book.

The result of this is that I didn't make it into the office until well past 1PM today, which triggered a realization: I have not missed work on September 11th for 7 years and, in fact, the thought of not getting to work today felt... wrong. It's almost like my brain, mindful of the day, replays the most emotional part of of that day 7 years ago for me, the urgency to get to work.

I knew that a plane had hit one of the towers, but I had no idea the scale. One friend, Dave, called and said it was a small plane, so I was thinking a prop. Another friend and co-worker Matt, said that they were told to stay in their offices, but he sent our newest hire home as she was rattled by the incident with the other tower. I sat on the N train wishing it would hurry up so that I could make sure my co-workers were ok. The N started slowing down as it got closer to Manhattan, and knowing that they would likely stop the N from running under the WTC even for a prop plane hitting it, I got off at Pacific St. and ran to the 4/5 train.

When I boarded that train was when I first realized the scope of what happened. I remember being in the 5 and next to a loud lady shouting "It was 2 planes, they hit the towers, it's a terrorist attack." I remember wishing she would shut up, thinking that there was no way for her to know that, but instantly knowing that what she said was true. My anxiety to get to the office reached a fever pitch, and I exited the train at the first stop in Manhattan. Running up Broadway I realized as soon as I saw the towers I wasn't going to be able to get close to them, but I pushed forward to find some sort of evacuation area where I could find my officemates and make sure they were OK.

I got a call from my boss, accounting for him and a couple of others from 68, and my friend Matt let me know via our AOL pagers (I could not call out from my Cell at all) that he and the others from out offices on 46 had gotten out safely. My anxiety, the urgency to get to the office, subsided, as I turned down Maiden Lane to start to walk to the Bridge, messaging Matt who was already halfway across it.

That's when I heard a rumble, turned around, looked up and saw my old workplace collapsing.

No more emotion.

Turn, and run.

Criminal

ICE actually did its job yesterday in Laurel, Mississippi, arresting 595 suspected illegal immigrants. More amazing then that though, is this quote from the AP article:

"We have kids without dads and pregnant mothers who got their husbands taken away," said Velez's son, Robert, youth pastor at the church. "It was like a horror story. They got handled like they were criminals."

Let's connect the dots here.

From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: criminal
Function: noun
Date: circa 1626

1 : one who has committed a crime
2 : a person who has been convicted of a crime

From there, let's go to the USCIS, where the Immigration and Nationality Act states:

Sec. 275. [8 U.S.C. 1325]

(a) Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

and for good measure, from the same document:

The term "alien" means any person not a citizen or national of the United States.

Hence, any alien that falls into that section above is committing a crime, which makes them criminals.
How sad is it that this has to be posted?

High School Diplomacy?

Russia has reportedly cut ties with NATO today - a day after NATO cut ties with them:

Norway's Defense Ministry...says the country's embassy received a telephone call from Russia's Defense Ministry on Wednesday, saying Moscow plans "to freeze all military cooperation with NATO and allied countries."

NATO foreign ministers Tuesday suspended formal contacts with Russia as punishment for sending troops into Georgia.

This is the Diplomatic equivalent of "Well, you tell Jane that I'm not talking to her EITHER!" Much like in that case, all of Janes' friends are rolling their eyes on the other side of that phone.

A Good Day

We haven't gotten many of them lately, but today is one of them. The Supreme Court has upheld our second amendment rights (albeit on a very thin margin) and overturned an attempt by Washington D.C. to ban all law-abiding citizens from owning guns that were functional. Justice Scalia, whom I am honored to be able to call a fellow Alumnus of St. Francis Xavier H.S., delivered the majority opinion (pdf), preserving our rights - at least for the time being.

... the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table. These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home. Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.

F-22 Raptor

I took the family to go see the Jones Beach Airshow this morning, where the F-22 made it's New York debut. The waiting in traffic, swarming gnats and flying umbrellas were all insignificant compared to moments like this:

The F-22 was truly majestic, I wish that I had used an actual video camera to take that rather then the video mode of my Olympus, and much like a Korn concert, recordings do not do the engine of the F-22 justice! For anyone who wants to see more at a better quality, Steve's Airshow World has a YouTube video up of the same routine presented a week ago by the Raptor at the Joint Services Open House at Andrews AFB in Maryland.

Of course the headliners of the show were the Blue Angels, who performed amazingly. It almost makes me laugh that no matter how many times I've seen them do similar acrobatics, I still feel a moment of fear when they wait until the last possible moments to maneuver around each other. A great show, by amazing pilots!

In The United States

An American of Lebanese descent has written a book called "Guilty -- Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11" about the portrayal of Arabs in film and television. How much this disgusts me, much like when "Italian American" groups whined about the Sopranos, is besides the point. What made me shake my head was this quote:

"In the United States, you can say anything you want about Islam and Arabs and get away with it. In other words, as someone said, 'You can hit an Arab free'," said Shaheen -- also author of "Reel Bad Arabs -- How Hollywood Vilifies a People".

Some people just don't get it. This is the United States of America, you are supposed to be able to say anything you want, period, and get away with it. Anything other then that is an infringement of your rights. You want people to police your speech? There are plenty of countries in the Middle East that will oblige.

Too often

Stories like these happen too often here in NYC. Actually, that it happens at all is too often for me. I guess that it is inevitable in such a big place - and some people would say that we should be grateful that it doesn't happen more often - but it should not happen, ever. And imagine how many stories like this go unreported. Really, how do you not realize that depriving a child of water is deadly? Here is her lawyers' statement:

"I just think she's got a sad history and it's just a whole tragic incident,'' [public defender Christine] Janis said.

What a load of bull. A sad history does not give you the excuse to torture a toddler to death. This is nothing less then the murder of an innocent child, and brings tears to my eyes.

Baby Photos

My Belle Bramble loves baby photos, and besides using them in posts on her blog, our home is adorned with Anne Geddes photos in our girl's bedroom and the hallway outside their door. Well, here is one in a different taste. Adorable, no? Yes, I mean the baby!

Goodnight to the Wobbly Goblin

After 27 years, 7 of those years as a Black Project, The Nighthawk is being retired to free up funds for Air Force's modernization plans. Our first "Stealth" Fighter, the research that made it possible paved the way for the B-2 Spirit and other aircraft that came (and will come) after it. When I was younger, as they unclassified the project, I remember reading encyclopedia articles (yes this was before Google) about the F-117a and marveling at the engineering that went into creating this cutting edge machine.


As should be present at all goodbyes, those that knew it well are sharing their stories. Some more information can be found at www.f-117a.com (Including an explanation as to where the name Wobbly Goblin might have come from).


Goodbye Nighthawk! I hope to see one of you ("clean" of course) on the Intrepid soon, so I can say thank you personally!

USS New York Christened

As a follow up to the post that started this blog the USS New York was christened Saturday, March 1st, 2008. Present at the christening were some friends and family of those who died when the towers fell on 9/11/2001.

The hulking gray USS New York, trimmed in red, white and blue banners, bore a seal on its bow, which included two gray bars to symbolize the Twin Towers and a banner over that declaring "Never Forget." The bow stem contains 7.5 tons of steel from the site.

As is tradition in the Navy, boats are named after inspiring events, people or places. The sailors on the USS New York inherit the legacy of the New Yorks that came before her, as well as the extraordinary event that led to this name being bestowed upon an LPD rather then a submarine, which states names are usually reserved for.

One last interesting fact, via wikipedia:

Oddly enough, a previous holder of the name, USS New York (BB-34), had its keel laid on September 11, 1911, exactly 90 years to the day before the WTC was attacked.

God bless the sailors and marines that serve on the USS New York and keep them safe. May they also deliver swift justice to our enemies.

Congratulations

To my better half, Bramble, in finally becoming a full fledged US Resident. It's a lengthy, complex and usually frustrating road for those who take the legal path to immigrate to the US, so here's to toughing it out and seeing it to the end.

Personal Responsibility

The FDA has issued a new warning today:

The FDA strongly recommends to parents and caregivers that OTC cough and cold medicines not be used for children younger than 2...

The real issue, as an article from 1010WINS states, and as you can probably guess if you are already as used to this cow dung as I am:

Health groups acknowledge that while low doses of cold medicine don't usually endanger an individual child, the bigger risk is unintentional overdose. For example, the same ingredients are in multiple products, so using more than one for different symptoms can quickly add up. Also, children's medicines are supposed to be measured with the dropper or measuring cap that comes with each product, not an inaccurate kitchen teaspoon.

At least this is just a warning rather then a full recall, although lack of sales and CYA decisions by both the drug stores and the drug companies will probably see these items disappearing off the shelves soon.


So what of those of us that read the labels and fully understand the ingredients and dosage before we give our infants medicine? We are out of luck, because it has become unthinkable to hold those that aren't responsible accountable for their actions.

Disgraceful

How does such a obvious and extreme partisan display, get a place in a prominent public library? Can I have my tax dollars back that were spent on making this possible, Mr. Bloomberg?

This will not happen

I will be there at 9:30am wearing one of my many "USA" T-Shirts. We need to organize. I am not waiting on a permit, I will be there, and I ask anyone who reads this and is in NYC to join me. If I have to hold him back myself I will, or get arrested trying.

Sept 11th

It's pouring outside right now, as I look out the window of my space on the 29th Floor of 48 Wall. This is the highest floor I've worked on since this date 6 years ago, when my office on the 46th floor of 2WTC ceased to exist, and though some would ask in amazement "Aren't you afraid of being trapped in a tower after 9/11?", I am not. Looking out over my city is a beautiful sight. When I used to bring visiting family to Windows on the World I would spend most of my time plastered against the glass windows, staring out towards the east, able to see New York in a way now only possible by flight. My bosses, Arthur and Steve, and I used to love watching the snow fall from the windows on 68 (where my first cube was in the Trade Center), knowing that by the time the snow reached the people on the ground it would be rain.

My wife had a film crew from Dumfries over on the weekend to interview her about her move from Scotland to NYC, and before they left they asked if she had any memories about 9/11 for a segment they were doing. She explained that she wasn't here yet, but that I had actually worked in the Trade Center, so they asked me to tell my story and filmed it. I don't reflect on that day much, I can count on my fingers the number of times I told my story of that day. It did occur to me that September 11th fell on a Tuesday this year as it did in 2001. The memories are clear in my head, but any attempt at putting my memories to words never seem to do them justice, maybe just from a lack of proper writing skill. I tried for them though, I started my story and made it about halfway before starting to swell up. The act of telling the story seemed to pull me back six years, bringing out emotions that I needed to suppress during that day so that I could think straight. I didn't tell my whole story, and I'm sure at the end it was much gibberish as I was trying to keep from openly crying. The last thing that they asked me was "Do you feel that because of that day you appreciate your family more?" I don't even recall my answer, but I can answer it properly now.

The slightest change in circumstances would have meant the death of myself and between 50,000 and 100,000 others in lower Manhattan that morning. Every day that those of us who were down there live, from my brother Matt who was on 46 when the planes hit, to my friend Ed who worked mere blocks away, is a gift. That my family exists is the greatest gift of all, and in colorful terms, that makes it Christmas every day for me.

A New Addition

We welcomed a new addition to our family on Tuesday night. Luna, a 4 month old Alaskan Malamute pup. She has integrated very quickly despite my daughter doing her best Elmira Fudd impression. Here is a shot of her after a much needed bath the day following her arrival.

Tribe America

Michael Yon, in his latest dispatch, describes a change in the air in Baqubah as operation Arrowhead Ripper reaches day 16:

The big news on the streets today is that the people of Baqubah are generally ecstatic, although many hold in reserve a serious concern that we will abandon them again. For many Iraqis, we have morphed from being invaders to occupiers to members of a tribe. I call it the "al Ameriki tribe," or "tribe America."

...In the context of sectarian and tribal strife, we are the tribe that people can—more or less and with giant caveats—rely on.

This is great news and it shows that we have made progress on the ground in a real, tangible way. Interestingly, as I read this I couldn't help but think back to one of Bill Whittles' essays, Tribes:

...the people I associate with – my Tribe – consists not of blacks and whites and gays and Hispanics and Asians, but of individuals who do not rape, murder, or steal. My Tribe consists of people who know that sometimes bad things happen, and that these instances are opportunities to show ourselves what we are made of. My people go into burning buildings. My Tribe consists of organizers and self-starters, proud and self-reliant people who do not need to be told what to do in a crisis. My Tribe is not fearless; they are something better. They are courageous. My Tribe is honorable, and decent, and kind, and inventive. My Tribe knows how to give orders, and how to follow them. My Tribe knows enough about how the world works to figure out ways to boil water, ration food, repair structures, build and maintain makeshift latrines, and care for the wounded and the dead with respect and compassion.

Notice a link? Those that hate America won't, but luckily the Iraqis do and they are starting to understand our tribe, of which our brave soldiers are an excellent representation. Of course, it is easy to see the truth when you have lived under that other "tribe":

(Note: Skip this quote if you are faint of heart)

The official reported that on a couple of occasions in Baqubah, al Qaeda invited to lunch families they wanted to convert to their way of thinking. In each instance, the family had a boy, he said, who was about 11-years-old. As LT David Wallach interpreted the man’s words, I saw Wallach go blank and silent. He stopped interpreting for a moment. I asked Wallach, "What did he say?" Wallach said that at these luncheons, the families were sat down to eat. And then their boy was brought in with his mouth stuffed. The boy had been baked. Al Qaeda served the boy to his family.

How does one read that without their blood boiling?
This is pure barbarity and unquestionable evil, and these monsters deserve every drop of our wrath. We must not tolerate it, wherever it exists, and we must be relentless in our pursuit of it. To stand idly by in face of such atrocity is, to me, un-American.

Keep up the great work Michael, and keep safe.

God Bless America

Home of the Free, Land of the Brave.

Those of us who were lucky enough to be born in this Great Country don't get to hear much about what makes America so special through our own media, where Patriotism seems to be a dirty word. Luckily we have someone behind enemy lines who can fill that gap. Thanks for the carrying the Stars and Stripes, Frogman, and for your faith in America.

Happy Independence Day!

A perspective from the inside

The headlines today declare a new age in France, but luckily The Dissident Frogman has awoken from his hibernation just in time to put it all into perspective for us.
So even if this election isn't likely to change much, it at least spurred on a new post from a great blogger, and that is good news!