at least no one important died

All I wanted in life was a cup of coffee, but as it turned out I didn’t seem to need one. I’m very good at tuning out distractions and focusing, but when I’m just wandering around, I tend to absorb all surrounding conversations on one level or another. The one happening right next to me was a doozy, and I found myself unable to tune it out.

Young Congressional Intern is telling her pal all about how great her Congressman has been throughout the crisis. She gets to the rousing pep talk he gave them. The one about how they should be thankful that the White House and Hill were spared, that the plane only hit the Pentagon, so no one important was killed.

The plane only hit the Pentagon, so no one important was killed. I cannot tell you how offensive I find this holier-than-thou attitude.

I turned around and politely asked the young lady if she would repeat what she’d just said. She explained for me that the plane missed the Hill, so no one important was killed.

I then politely asked the young lady who her Congressman is.

Okay. That’s an innaccurate statement. I shrieked like a banshee at the young lady. I tried to ask politely, but instead I posed my question with a ferocity I, myself, did not believe I possessed.

She left in a hurry. That’s the understatement of the year.

I never did find out who this arrogant SOB was, which is a shame because I was already formulating a phonecall in my head. I really, sincerely hope that she misunderstood him. That this was her own twisted interpretation and not the interpretation of someone who is supposed to be helping to lead this country.

What the fuck? Are the people in New York and Pennsylvania, the people on all those planes, the people at the Pentagon, are they not as important as the people downtown? Yes, I understand that it would be much worse politically for us to lose Elected Officials. I get that. But prioritizing people after the fact is unconscionable to me.

I’m a great defender of free speech. I’m not suggesting we police language or speech or thoughts. However, I’m outraged that someone would think something like that, and share it with a group of people in this town. I’d like to think she misunderstood her Great Leader, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was standing there running her mouth like an idiot.

If you want to be a moron in the sanctity of your own home, have at it. Be my guest. But muzzle it in public, okay?

I suppose I could try to find a bright side to this episode. People are returning to their normal, unpleasant, selfish selves. Business as usual can really start to happen now. No, that’s not good enough. It’s probably accurate, though.

on a related note
The following words are hereby banished from this blog:
normal
normalcy
normality