Yes, It really has been 5 years and there is a Boogey man under the bed.

I'm sitting here looking at a picture of the Air Force Thunderbirds. Two F-16s flying in wingtip formation. They really are magnificent creatures, don't you think? Had you never thought of a fighter plane as a creature before? I do, once that pilot has strapped one on it just comes to life.

Yes, it has been five years since the Twin Towers came tumbling down as we have been reminded so many times. While we should remember the loss of innocent lives, I think it is more important to remember that day as the American way of life was snuffed out of existence.

Here is my take on what happened on that fateful day and a little on what led up to it. Middle-eastern terrorists did seize control of four civilian airliners that day. There is compelling evidence that one and probably two more on the west coast were to also be hijacked. As we know, two were crashed into the Twin Towers and a third into the Pentagon. The forth, I believe was shot down. Missing from the 9/11 Commission Report was the report of a man calling from the flight saying there was an explosion and there was smoke in the cabin. Also missing was an air traffic controller who stated he tracked an F-16 flying circles around that flight. This would go along with the violent maneuvers that flight was reported to have made according to the 9/11 Commission Report. This would also go along with civilian reports of an explosion prior to the crash and of a military plane leaving the area immediately after the crash.

My question is, why has the government not released the cockpit recordings? Why were the families only allowed to listen to them after signing nondisclosure agreements? Why does the government not come out and say "yes, we shot down the hijacked plane"? The answer to the first question is that those tapes would confirm the plane was shot down. Same for question two, the families found out their loved ones never had a chance and our government pulled the trigger. Question three's answer is because of the public outcry. Now, don't get me wrong. I think they did the right thing shooting that plane down. Luckily, because of the phone calls to families by those on the plane, the government had an out. Let the fallen be heroes and martyrs. I'm sure the families were also paid quite handsomely to keep this secret, and I have no problem with that (the money, not the secret). But, I also believe both stories could live side by side without diminishing the heroism and selfless courage of those who took action on that flight. But, stop with the secrets and let us know the truth.

Now here's one for the conspiracy buffs, I think we also shot and hit the plane that ultimately hit the Pentagon. I really believe that the airliner hit the Pentagon and not some drone, or missile, or unmanned plane. It was American flight 77 with all passengers. I feel this plane was initially meant to hit the White House or Congress. The Pentagon is just a stupid target, and these are not a stupid bunch we are at war with. Because there are so many sources of radar data on these flights, it would be too hard to manipulate it all. There are also too many eye witnesses though I know as with any event there are conflicting data. As this plane was heading to DC, the Secret Service was notified. I believe either they shot at it and hit it with a stinger or had it done by the military. Because of the altitude it was flying I don't think anything larger would have had a chance to hit it. And maybe at that time we didn't have anything else around the capital manned thinking we were invulnerable. We had no fighter protection in the air, why would we have SAM sites manned?

If this plane had been hit by a stinger missile this would conveniently explain a few points. First, except for the guard shack security camera and the short, fuzzy, grainy sequence of images that were released earlier this year, there have been no other images released that were from businesses and areas known to have captured the events. This is because those images that are withheld show the aircraft had been damaged. Second, the smoke trail that is seen in the released images would coincide with perhaps an engine on fire. Third, the radar data show that the plane was heading toward the White House when it suddenly turned and headed for the Pentagon while descending rapidly. If the plane had been hit by a stinger it is possible it was damaged to such a degree that with the inexperience of the pilot, the situation made him think he needed to find a closer target before the plane crashed. And maybe the Pentagon was a secondary target or just a building he recognized in the fleeting time he felt he had left. Now I do not recall any witness of that event saying they saw the plane damaged or on fire prior to the crash, but they may have just not realized what they were seeing in that brief instance before it hit the Pentagon.

So to sum up, on that fateful day terrorist successfully commandeered four civilian airliners in a well orchestrated attack. Two hit their targets, the Twin Towers in Manhattan, one was shot down and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, and the last was also possible shot and then crashed into the Pentagon. I do not believe the government was intimately involved in the attacks and some of the conspiracies out there are just plain funny. I do think our government knew these attacks were going to take place within a certain time period and allowed them to happen. This was what they wanted in order to set up the dictatorship we now have. These events allowed the government to do so much with the blessings of Ma and Pa Citizen.

It was almost immediate that the government had the pictures of the terrorists and their connection to an relatively unknown man (at that time) named Usama Bin Ladin and the Taliban in Afghanistan. What is interesting is I had noticed an increase in news reports concerning Afghanistan, the Taliban, and the coalition against the Taliban in the few months immediately preceding this event. Why was this? Was this an attempt to stick in the nation's subconscious the idea that Taliban = Bad?

These attacks allowed an excuse for the government (those in real power, not the ones on capital hill) to send forces into Afghanistan and topple the pitiful government that was there under the Taliban. This was to be used as a stepping stone to go into Iraq. Having these two countries under U.S. control would do two things. First it would keep Russia back from the Middle East and the oil and warm water ports. Second, it would isolate Iran by putting us between them and the Middle East and Israel. OK, it would also guarantee us access to the Iraqi oil holdings. Yeah, they already knew the $2-3/gallon gas days were coming because of the vast expansion in China, India, and the rest of Asia.

Now comes the boogey man. The ultimate death of the American way of life was the passage of the Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. These two things have done more to strip our rights (that we took for granted and many have yet to realize they are gone) away from us. Did you know that it is a federal law to show ID before getting on a flight or have yourself completely raped....er....searched and then run the risk of still not getting on the flight. Now ask to see the law. Guess what? You can't because it's a secret. That's right, a secret law. Bet you didn't know we had those did you. Of course you have heard and read of all the nefarious things the NSA is doing with telephone calls. And then there are the police confiscations of private property and arrests but you can't talk about it because of the gag order placed on you by a secret court. Bet you didn't know we had those either. And as crazy as all this seems, it is only the tip of the iceberg. Just do a search on the internet and see what is reported by the mainstream news sites let alone the conspiracy mongers. Read about the group of librarians that stood up to the government lackeys despite their gag order. Oh, and didn't the government say it was just a misunderstanding and they wouldn't really be looking for general information about what people checked out from the library even though that was in the Patriot Act?

I'm tired and I think I will stop there. Maybe the MIBs won't disappear me before I get a chance to finish this one day. Don't take your rights lightly or for granted. They are slowly being eroded. Soon we will have to wear the mark of the beast just to do anything in this country. Are you ready for that? I'm not and it scares the shit out of me. More for my family than me because I would be willing to fight it, but I love my family and would not want them put in any type of jepardy. If the time came, I might have to disappear myself.

If you truly value the American way of life and the freedoms our ancestors fought and died to found, preserve and protect, please take action at the polls and vote Libertarian. Call the bigsnots on the carpet for the way they have been running our country down. Hell, I don't care, vote Communist. Just don't resign yourself for voting for the usual candidates.

The Boogey Man is coming...........

Some days....

I think I may be bipolar and am starting on the down side. The last few days I have been feeling rather low at times. If this goes the way it usually does, this will get worse over the next few weeks before I start feeling better. Lately I have really been missing my dad. He is the only person I have had die that I still really miss. His death really affected me in ways I'm still figuring out. I know it made me think a lot more about my own mortality. But, that is not all. I always really loved him and felt he was the only one that really understood me. Unfortunately, it has only been since his death that I am beginning to really understand what a noble and humble man he was. He really sacrificed for his family, much more than anyone else I have known. And this was something he did from a young age. Life really handed him a raw deal, but he never gave up the struggle to make things better for his family. I'm sorry I am not more like him and feel like I could have done more to make him proud of me. After all, I really have just coasted through life. A little struggle here and there, but for the most part, just coasted along. I'm not proud of my life, but it is really hard for a leopard to change his spots.

Anyway, I catch myself thinking of him at odd times and really wishing I could have gotten to know the man better and opened up to him more. You see, I really keep my inner thoughts bottled up inside me. Even my spouse does not know the real me. I think it would scare her if she did. But, then, she has changed a lot in the past few years and I don't really know her anymore. She is a completely different person from the one I married.

Do you think we have a soul? I used to. Now I just hope we do, but feel like we don't. I can see why the idea of a god and heaven is so appealing to people to believe. Otherwise, what is the point of our existence. And when we are dead, that is it, we are dead forever. I'm not even sure about the existence of spirits, though I have experienced events in my life that I can't explain otherwise. Leaves me in quite a quandary.

Well, enough of this. I'm off to bed. I have a headache. Good night dad, where ever your soul may be. I really miss you.

A View from Space

So I have been watching the astronauts working on the ISS and really marvel at what we have accomplished as a people. We can go into space (admittedly low earth orbit), live there for extended periods, work in the vacuum of space, and come back to earth. Yet, almost 40 years after first landing and walking on the moon, our progress in establishing human outposts in space is very lacking. Daily we waste so many precious resources that could and should go to the betterment of the human race. Too many people are more concerned about who the next "American Idol" will be than what is currently going on over their heads. Others are more worried how to insure their particular brand of religion has the ultimate say in politics. Too many people are being murdered each day all in the name of some god. If only one tenth of this negative energy could be funneled into the betterment of humankind, just think of the accomplishments that could be made. Unfortunately, unless people pull their heads out of their collective rectal orifices, we are headed into another dark age. America has been a world leader in taking technology forward. And what we have done the best has been to take discoveries, technologies, techniques, and different practices and meld those into something new and great that we could all benefit from. Now we are becoming adrift through apathy and ignorance. Laws, regulations and educational doctrine are being based on beliefs and not hard scientific data. And this is not only aimed at the "right-wing religious conservatives", but also the "left-wing extremists" who actual try to rewrite history to make their views seem mainstream. If we could just put this petty bickering (and it really is petty in the overall scheme of things), just think how much we could accomplish in the next 40 years.

In the meantime, take a few minutes and enjoy watching the astronauts float in the great cosmos above. Then turn off that stupid TV and go do something REALLY worthwhile.

Who is God?

Wow! What a way to start a blog. But, this is something that has really been pressing on my mind lately. I have actually allowed myself to really question the existence of God. I was brought up in a religious home and was quite active in the church for awhile. However, the question of the existence of God has been in the back of my mind for much of my life. So, to make a long story short, I question the existence of God. I don't know if a deity exists or not, but tend to disbelieve.