President George Bush speech "Islam is Love," September 17, 2001

“Thank you all very much for your hospitality. We’ve just had a ― wide-ranging discussions on the matter at hand. Like the good folks standing with me, the American people were appalled and outraged at last Tuesday’s attacks. And so were Muslims all across the world. Both Americans and Muslim friends and citizens, tax-paying citizens, and Muslims in nations were just appalled and could not believe what we saw on our TV screens.

These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. And it’s important for my fellow Americans to understand that.

The English translation is not as eloquent as the original Arabic, but let me quote from the Koran, itself: In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule.

The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war.

When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace. And that’s made brothers and sisters out of every race ― out of every race.

America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.

Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must be not intimidated in America. That’s not the America I know. That’s not the America I value.

I’ve been told that some fear to leave; some don’t want to go shopping for their families; some don’t want to go about their ordinary daily routines because, by wearing cover, they’re afraid they’ll be intimidated. That should not and that will not stand in America.

Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.

This is a great country. It’s a great country because we share the same values of respect and dignity and human worth. And it is my honor to be meeting with leaders who feel just the same way I do. They’re outraged, they’re sad. They love America just as much as I do.

I want to thank you all for giving me a chance to come by. And may God bless us all.”

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The 9/11 Surfer urban legend? It actually happened. Meet Pasquale Buzzelli.

by Jack Brummet, NYC Editor

Eleven years ago today, Pasquale Buzzelli survived the attacks of Sept. 11 when he rode a wave of debris as he fell 20 stories inside the tumbling World Trade Center North Tower.

I remember hearing this story in the days after 9/11.  Everyone talked about it for a while, and then the news reports quits calling it hearsay and started reporting it as fiction.  And then it fell out of the news; everyone assumed it was an urban legend, or a hoax.

There is a documentary out now, featuring Buzzelli, his family, first responders and others.  And apparently, it actually did happen.  He has come forward to tell his story in a Discovery channel special, “The 9/11 Surfer."

He and his wife, Louise, have written an e-book, “The True Story of the 9/11 Surfer: We All Fall Down.’’

“It was very  difficult telling the story then,’’ Buzzelli told Savannah Guthrie on The Today Show. “I couldn’t. I was going through post-traumatic stress and survivor guilt from that. It took a long time to heal from that. I forced myself to do that, to try to give something back. Eventually I came to accept what had happened to me. I was able to go on and mourn. I feel now that it’s an important story to share with others.’’

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The New New Patdown & The TSA uproar

By Jack Brummet
All This Is That Social Mores Editor

I've written quite a few times over the last three years about TSA and their various security procedures. Mostly I've probably been dismissed (perhaps rightfully) as a crank. 

I've flown about 170 times in the last four years, and every single time (except two--both at John Wayne Airport in Orange County), I've set off the metal alarm in the scanners because of the stainless steel femur that was installed in my leg 15 years ago. [Note: this doesn't apply to my travel in Europe and Asia, where I have never been singled out]. Setting off that metal-detection alarm means you are subjected to a close personal inspection.   I've been patted down a couple hundred times times now.  First, they would go over your whole body with a wand.  And then they would give you a close pat-down, focusing on theareas that set off the alarm on the wand (like your hip, and the zipper on your jeans). 

No one really thought a lot about it when it was just those of us with joint replacements getting pulled out of the security line and frisked.  But now...the uproar has begun because it's everyone.  You either need to pass through the machine that sends an image of your naked body to a friendly TSA guy or gal, or if you would prefer not to be seen naked you get to have a close personal pat-down.

I just had the opportunity to undergo the "new New NEW pat-down" the day after the revised and aggressive security regulations took effect.  Look, it's not not actually invasive, but it is extremely close, and they've have very definitely Cranked Up Their Act.  They've seriously ratcheted up the pat-down we've had to endure these last ten years.  On the other hand, they now forgo the wanding...which always seemed a particularly inept follow up measure.   And as a side-note, they've also become extremely friendly and apologetic about the procedure.  To be fair, I've always just grinned it and beared (Bore?) it, and avoided getting visibly cranky about it.  The TSA guys didn't make the rules, and in all my dealings with them, they've been pretty OK.  Normally I smile and say no problem and try to get through it as quickly as possible, since I almost never arrive at the airport more than 45-60 minutes before my plane leaves! 

With all of the time I've spent with TSA folk (including two times when I got the total invasion, about which, see below), I have been able to ask questions...and I usually try to get them talking about dry runs or how they profile people, which is of course about the last thing they will talk about.  I've always had the best luck with them asking for their cranky customer stories.  And they all have millions.  I've seen dozens of tantrums and shocking disrespect towards the TSA guys--and you know, in my experience, there is roughly a 90-10 ratio of good guys to assholes in the TSA--which may well surpass the ratio among the citizenry at large.

The total invasion consists of a mortifyingly close evaluation of all your gear (and your whole act..the people I've talked to those two times definitely seemed like profilers), which happens all at random according to the TSA stooges.  I had three books.  They thumbed through each and every page, and shined a flashlight down the spine of the hardcover.  They took out my iPad and brought it back to a special area, along with my BlackBerry, a Nintendo DS, and two USB flash drives.  They turned every piece of clothing inside out, squirted fluids from liquids I had (contact lens solutions, witch hazel, SFP 15 sun blocker, India Ink --for drawing)  for what?  testing?  They invite you to repack, once they've inspected every item, inside and out.

This article has links to about a dozen earlier stories of life and times with the TSA.

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The Mayor of 9/11, Rudy Giuliani, admits he exaggerated how much time he spent at ground zero

Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor, new multimillionaire, and Presidential wannabe, admitted yesterday that he is fundamentally a worthless sack of s***. This was not news to the hard-working firefighters or police officers of New York City who have watched him milk glory from his photo ops for the last seven years.

The Mayor of 9/11's hopes of support from the firemen and cops of NYC were on the rocks as the ex-Mayor inserted his foot into his mouth once again.

Giuliani admitted Friday on Mike Gallagher's syndicated radio show that he misspoke when he said he spent more time at ground zero— exposed to the same health risks—than the clean-up workers after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"I think I could have said it better," he told the radio host . "You know, what I was saying was, 'I'm there with you.'"

The former New York mayor struck a very raw nerve with firefighters and police officers when he told reporters at a baseball game in Cincinnati this week "I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them." Fire and police officials responded angrily, saying Giuliani did not do the same work as those involved in the rescue and cleanup from the 2001 terrorist attacks, which left ever-rising numbers of those workers sick and injured.

Unless I misjudge what I saw at ground zero last month, it appears those workers actually did more than put on hard hats and stern faces, pose for photographers, and issue pithy sound bytes.

This latest Giuliani imbroglio makes you wonder about the Republican Presidential field's prospects. The first tier of Thompson, McCain, Giuliani, and Romney all appear to be faltering, in either fund-raising, support, or both. How long can it be before Newton Gingrich holds his nose and wades into the fray?
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