LLEYTON HEWITT, NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND 9/11 -- A "VERY SPECIAL" KELSO'S NUTS
This is a compendium of sorts of various thoughts Kelso's expressed about all things 9/11 here and elsewhere. We'll leave it to the interested student to see how or if everything connects.
For a person living in Lower Manhattan on 9/11, Kelso had about the least "special" experience of anyone he knows. He knows only one person who died -- a publisher of an obscure European financial journal who printed a couple of Kelso's articles a few years earlier. He was a good guy and Kelso's sorry he died before his time. But Kelso didn't know him all that well. It's not like Kelso's running to London every year to put a pebble on his headstone. He's remembered fondly as someone supportive who liked to get drunk and have a good laugh. He was open to contemporary financial scholarship and saw no conflict between that and his own Socialist tendencies. Whenever the economist Paul Craig Roberts writes something eloquent in opposition to Bush's repulsive wars we're reminded a little of the publisher. No ABC After-School-Special in that. Kelso doesn't do bathos. Nobody gave a rat's ass when "the tragic events" led to Kelso's own decampment. So, it's really kind of hard to summon up emotions one doesn't feel just to seem like a great guy. The NYPD and FDNY have plenty of camp-followers. They can live without one more.
If anyone wants to read a really good piece of contemplation and reflection on 9/11, please see FranIam's blog. She does it right. A very evocative recollection without any bathos, bullshit or self-congratulation. http://festinalente-franiam.blogspot.com/
Kelso's strongest memory. It seems appropriate on the eve of the U.S. Open Tennis Men's Singles Fihal between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. That year Kelso ran the statistical analysis and made Lleyton Hewitt a -$2.00 favorite over Pete Sampras. In the actual market, however, Sampras was a huge favorite. This was a market mis-priicng of an order of magnitude. These are the situations that pay our staff of writers, rearchers, fact-checkers, graphic designers, comptrollers and human resource managers. We bet a lot on Hewitt. He won pretty easily. It was going to be a good story to tell in the gambling world how we crushed the Open Final. That final was held on 9/9/01 and by 10:00 AM or so on the 11th there wasn't a person in the world who cared. Kelso got robbed of a chance to brag. Damn that Osama bin Laden or whoever.
As the shit unfolded Kelso was as dumbstruck as anyone else. And scared. But what stood out was this thought: damn, it would be great to be a Right-Winger about now. This must be like fucking Jenna-Jameson-With-A-Kasha-Knish-On-The-Side for a Wingnut. Orgasmic. The best high you've ever had but it's going to last and you're not going to have to call the dopeman for a re-up for a long, long while. New Yorkers dying and all of your prejudices confirmed and nobody's ever going to be able to say a peep. How great must have it felt? You could be bigoted and bloodthirsty, yet have "right" on your side and nobody could say a fucking thing about it. Damn, Kelso thought, these fuckers are lucky. Nothing this politically perfect ever happens to him! Like what Bill Clinton won the 1992 election? Whoop-de-doo. It was a good result, but not like this for the crazies.
Kelso don't know when the shock wore off and something REALLY felt wrong. As memory serves, it was seeing the photo of "the 20th hijacker," Zacarias Massoui. He looked just like Kirby Puckett. Just like him. Kirby Puckett, the most undeserving member of the baseball Hall Of Fame there is. At the apex of Puckett's career he was only a slightly-plus player. Then, there was this headline "LET'S ROLL." If a screenwriter had come up with that the studio exec would tell the writer that it's just too cliched, get rid of it. It fit the whole narrative too perfectly. Only a short leap to "wait a second, 19 dildoes with plastic spoons defeated the finest military machine the world has ever known?" Then, the PATRIOT ACT. Ok, school's out at this point.
Kelso has made the analogy on D-CUP's site that the U.S. Civil War has been re-fought and won by the Confederacy on 9/11/01. Lieberman's the Judah Benjamin, of course. Bush is Lee, natch. Giuliani's the guy who busted up John Brown at Harper's Ferry. Is there a doubt? And there are too many McClellans to count in the Democratic Party. Kelso is aware that American History is not a real, real popular subject, well shit no scholarship at all in faith-based America, but we expect Nuts readers to remember McClelland. The Union general to whom Lincoln said "if you have no need of your Army general, I should like to use it." Clinton. Edwards. Kerry. U.S. Grant? That would be Russ Feingold.
And then there's this business of "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at baseball games. They told us it would last through the end of the 2001 Series and carry over into each team's first homestand of the 2002. Except that was bullshit. Here we are deep into 2007 and "God Bless America" is still a 7th Inning Stretch staple. It's there for good. Given how much American men hate baseball, wouldn't it be a good idea to cancel baseball and just sing patriot songs in the stadium. And have a ritual sacrifice of a Muslim child out at short one hour into when these "games" usually start? Meanwhile, the fall of 2004 brought two different vibes. In the private pokerroms, the NYPD weren't so popular anymore because of all of the raids. The future of NYC club poker was being discussed and it the discussion came around to the cops and a comedian who's a regular said "I'm so fucking OVER 9/11." Brief pause and then everybody chimed in, agreeing. Yeah, fuck the police. I'm sick of this. It's so great that they're not pulling broads anymore because of 9/11. Yeah, fuck this shit, I'm voting for Kerry.
Well, here we are at another anniversary. This time Kelso went down with the ship with Djokovic at +$4.20 over Federer. No possible bragging. Let's hope that next Tuesday brings some maturity and perspective and DOES NOT serve as a preamble for a war with Iran.
Kelso's Nuts love you
13 comments:
I think most people, if they're honest, are not as upset about 9/11 as they feign. It sounds nice to express remorse and pretend to be torn up, but people are subjective.
If you didn't know anyone who was killed or if you don't live in New York, your own problems and troubles are far more important. But most people, at least in public, won't acknowledge this and they'll tell you you're "heartless" or "anti-American" or whatever else bullshit births itself in their tiny heads.
I didn't even know we were attacked until the day was almost over. I went into work and people had televisions in the office. I had no fucking idea because I don't watch television.
The first thing I said was, "I'm surprised it took them this long."
America was founded in blood, and one day, unless things change dramatically, it will drown.
You are indeed my brother, FAIRLANE. As a native-NYer who was "there," I grant you absolution to say or feel or express ANYTHING you damned well please.
It's either another day or a really, really bad day for me. I don't expect anything beyond a yawn at this point from anyone else.
I'm no hero. I'm a bastard. But I think I'm just slightly more heroic than Rudy Giuliani is.
Kelso - thanks for the props re my posting. You know I loathe the whole thing and I resent the way this event has been used and abused by this political regime.
Your insights, are as ever, razor sharp.
And yes- you are more heroic than Rudy. My frickin' cat is more heroic than that no-goodnik.
This whole time of year leaves me ill at ease. The drums of war are beating, which is what I posted about today. That and a push to Pygalgia's blog...wow. Go read that.
FranIam:
I read Pygalgia on this subject and remain very much a skeptic. To me, that was a bunch of fairy tales.
Mainstream Media full of alarmists. I'd like to read something rational -- for once.
No one seems to want to write anything rational, so I'll write it myself when I feel like it.
I'm rational Kelso, but people think I'm crazy.
There's a price to pay for being a genius in a world owned and operated by fools.
I was just listening to Dead Boys, and thought about you.
"Ain't it Fun?"
We both must be crazy because you sound pretty damned rational to me. Puts one in the mind of "Institutionalized" by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, si o no?
thinking about rudy walking around after 9/11 and then thinking about the douchebag-in-charge standing on the rubble with a bullhorn
excuse me while i go throw up.......
WABC was going to the be the ONE station that finally got off the names reading merry go round, and would air Regis & Kelly and The View and relegate the reading of the names to the WABC digital channel
-- guess what -- there phones lit up and voila - WABC is now showing the reading of the names. as is WCBS, WNBC, WNYW, New York 1, News 12, WNET etc....
i like you lived through this, and i lost friends and acquaintenances, and saw the destruction up close and personal --- but there comes a time when moving on is the best -- and this country does not want to move on, grow or reconcile
just an angry jewish boy today - that is me
angry and watching petraeus be bush's lap dog
And then there's this business of "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at baseball games.
You mean they've toppled Harry Carey's legacy at Wrigley Field? Well that's just shitty, and could explain why I've felt no compunction to attend any major league game since the strike (and FTR I lurve the basa-ball).
9-13-01: I write a letter to some editor somewhere (maybe VF, I fergit) and pretty much say what Fairlane says about the timing, adding that I sure hope this doesn't lead us into some white-hot "War on Terror" or some such thing.
Your take on the emotional high of the Paytreeutz was compelling.
I'm not crazy, Institutionalized
You're the one who's crazy, Institutionalized
You're driving me crazy, Institutionalized
i got a mailing the other day from whatever organization is attempting to push through the construction of "The Memorial." it was an "urgent" fund-raising request because $40M is desparately needed to build the sunken tub / waterfall / inscribed concrete box "at the footprint."
included in the letter were heartfelt entreaties as to why why the memorial "must" be built.
the whole thing disgusts me. digusts me. because memory and memorializing is NOT about putting $$ into the greedy hands of architects, developers and contractors. i think about the simple and sweet oklahoma city memorial, even the viet nam memorial and ask, why must we new yorkers be so very grandiose in our grief?
i am no ann coulter fan, but she got it right on the greed and superficiality of so many (but certainly not all) of the 9/11 widows: from the rich women of scarsdale and other weathy westchester enclaves, with their perfect hair and nails, who testified at congressional hearings about how they hadn't worked a day in their lives so OF COURSE they needed a multi-million dollar payout to maintain their lifestyles and their kids' private school. then on the other end of the spectrum the number of fireman's wives who took the money and shacked up with the surviving fireman(men) they were fooling around behind their husband's back with BEFORE 9/11.
sorry to be so very cynical. i absolutely know that is not the case with all the "survivors" ... but it's out there. like you noted kelso, enough bathos. enough.
what i grieve for is the people such as the numerous undocumented workers, busboys at windows on the world, the men and women who cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed the elevator lobbies ... those people were not counted in the death toll. their families got recompense because they had no political clout.
and i grieve for the people who, with their amazing courage, humanity and wonderful good intentions labored at the pit, taking in the toxic fumes, many of whom will die early and painful deaths stemming from the air they breathed down there, from the benzene, dioxin, asbestos, etc. thank you mr. giuliani and thank you mrs. todd whitman, thank you very much for the excellent snow job.
i'm ignoring the tv today. once again i can't understand the morbidity of people who much WATCH IT again, and then AGAIN. once was enough. once caused major scar tissue.
AXN: why you leave the blogosphere? That comment was the pure Nuts with no chaser. And like you, I never take the reflexive position on Ann Coulter. She's vicious but she's smart. Only one we got who's close is Mike Malloy and he just doesn't get the airtime.
Panama City, by the way, does it's memorial to "OPERATION JUST CAUSE" (urgh, fuck you, George Sr, fuck you Colin Powell) right. Every burned out, shot up building left standing as living memorial.
I'm celebrating the national holiday in honor of my expulsion by doing my work, getting some rest, and making one vitupertative post.
Relevant to the post, but pretty much out of left field, I'm sick of the American flag on everything.
At The Baby's school, the flag is everywhere. There's even a holographic flag on the agenda books that 3rd graders are given because they have such busy, important schedules that they require something resembling a fucking day planner.
A holographic, flag waving day planner for 3rd graders.
Indoctrination from the earliest of ages.......ooooh look at that pretty waving flag.....
9 months into decampment all I can say is that it's very weird living in a CIVILIZED country.
At the Japan-Panama baseball game at Rod Carew Stadium, they DO play the national anthem but people either stand or they don't. I STOOD because I like living in a country that likes having me live there and besides it's a nice anthem with lines about children playing and forward with our wonderful nation -- no God, no Violence. And it was the first time I've stood for an anthem at a sporting event in I don't know how long and for sure the first time my son saw me stand for one.
Another novelty here. Big city. But jeez even over here in Paitilla in the upper-crust Jewish part of town, children PLAY OUTSIDE. And I'm going to take a wild guess here based upon there being a public school, a Catholic school and a Jewish school all in walking distance, they probably all learn geography and civics. Yet to see a Holographic Flag Day Planner.
But the topper was the front page of LA PRENSA on ooooh wooooh 9/11. An article about trade. An article about a study of depression and suicide from the Ministry Of Health. A report of a seizure of some big-time narco-traficante, but I just didn't see anything at all about ooooh wooooh 9/11 other than el once de septiembre 2007 where the day is normally printed.
Not a country big on flags but I didn't notice any at half-mast. People seemed to go about their business normally. Can you believe that there can even exist a country which is agnostic as to the "war on tirrah"?
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