Dragon Laffs

As you arrive and begin heading for the conference room where Lethal prefers to launch his issues from you are confronted by signs and CyberLethals directing you to buses which take you to the campground Impish uses. The trail from the parking lot to the picnic area is lined with large 4 x 8 foot stone tablets engraved with names, affiliations and locations.

Remembrance candles burn in front of each one. While you are reminded of the traveling Viet Nam Veteran’s Memorial its plain this Memorial is for the September 11th Tragedy todays issue is expected to commemorate.

Lethal stands patiently at the podium holding a low conversation with Paul K9 as you file in.  It is the first time you’ve really had the opportunity to see him since his return. While he’s picked up some color, his red rimmed eyes,  the haunted look behind those eyes and red sore looking runny nose make you think he might be unwell. Paul’s eyes and nose seem to be twins Lethal’s as well so perhaps it’s not them but the subject matter of their discussion that troubles them so on this day.

The flaps to the tents where coffee and goodies are usually served are firmly closed and signs proclaim that there will be no service until after the issue as this is a solemn occasion.

Once you are all seated he clears his throat and begins:

Ladies and Gentleman of the  readership thank you for coming for this unhumorous most serious of issues for the year. Allow me to start off with a historical quotation that has much bearing on this day and the situation we discuss here.

“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked…..” – FDR 12/08/1941

59 years, 9 months, 4 days and 51 minutes from the attack on Pearl Harbor history repeated itself. At 8:46 am on September 1tth 2001 Mohammed Atta and the other hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 crash the plane into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building and beginning a nightmare the likes of which the US had not seen or experiences since December 7th 1941.

As a result September 11th 2001 is another date which will live in infamy.

A day when not only some 2977 people lost their lives (yes my number is different from the official tally by exactly 19- the number of terrorists involved whom I refuse to dishonor the victims by counting among them) and still more continue to lose their lives from the aftermath effects (2620 as of Sept 9th 2015 according the the Victims Compensation Fund, mostly cancer patients from Police, Fire, EMS and other First responders) but a day when all of America had something precious stolen from them in a cowardly and dastardly manner. I’m speaking of their right to feel reasonably safe and secure in their lives. Something many of our ancestors fought and died for not only in the American Revolution but every wars since.

The events of September 11, 2001 are forever etched into the hearts and souls of the family members and loved ones of those who died, our nation, and the world. The United States experienced the worst incident of terrorism in its history; the coordinated hijacking of four commercial planes, the planned attack on symbolic targets, and the murder of innocent people were all tragic and shocking events. The extraordinary responses of individuals to the challenges they faced are inspiring and worthy of remembrance.

    “That we we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” -Abraham Lincoln

So too is my resolve. So too should it be the resolve of every American. Not just once a year, but everyday. Every time you see or hear of a Muslim protest against the US , hear the words ‘Allahu akbar’, see or hear of a Muslim in the US demanding that we cater to his religion and/or Sharia Law. Every time see a woman forced to wear the Hijab, despite not being Muslim or read of the oppression of women in general by the hypocritical ‘Religion of Peace’.

Sadly as time passes, fewer and fewer who are non directly linked can be bothered remember or even care. Lessons learned are forgotten, history repeats itself and we are lessened as a Nation for and by it.

Every year this issue is probably the most serious and intense posting I author. In truth I dread it each time it comes around. It is surely the most depressing and painful issue I research and assemble each year, as well as the nearest and most dear to my closely warded and guarded heart.

In truth this issue took me almost 14 days of working on on and off because I just not stand to deal with the subject for any great length of time even now 15 years later without a wellspring of deeply buried emotions surging up and over taking me. These opening remarks, their skeleton largely taken from previous  Sept 11th issues, by themselves took me 3 days to assemble and flesh out. The Banner changed 3 times in the course of putting the Issue together and every time I thought I was finished, something else came or was brought to my attention that demanded inclusion in this issue.

Despite all this, as long as Impish and I have this blog, I will continue to to observe this day and author this issue because if I stop I fear some might forget or think that Sept 11th no longer mattered. I assure you it mattered on September 11th 2001, it continues matter now on September 11th 2016 and will still matter still just as much on September 11th 2101 the 100th Anniversary of the attacks.

A few of you long time readers that have been with us since the Yahoogroups days might remember why September 11th is so personal to me. For the rest of you undoubtedly this will be a new insight into the Leprechaun and his murky pasts. I shared this revelation once before on the 10th Anniversary. I think it proper and just that it be recounted again here on the 15th.

The reason this is so personal to me is not only because I am numbered among the twenty percent of Americans who knew a victim of the Sept 11th attacks (in fact I knew victims in two locations), but because additionally except for the grace of God and an act of kindness to those taking me to the airport on my part in the form of taking a later flight than the one I preferred, I might well have been one of the victims myself.

On the morning September 11, 2001, I was scheduled to fly out of Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut at 10:30. My flight path would have taken me through the NYC air corridor along the exact same flight path in route to my final destination of Houston.

I did in fact fly 4 days later through that same air corridor, accompanied by a fully laden F-15 attack fighter escorting us from the ‘kill position’ above and behind us in formation so close that his shadow covered most of the right side of the cabin from tail to right wing and half that wing too.

The smoke plum from the still smoldering ruins of the World Trade center could be clearly seen roughly five miles off our right wing and towered even higher than we were flying at that time. Soot, ash, fine particulate debris was so heavy and thick in the air that even at our roughly twenty thousand foot altitude. we could clearly see it passing the windows as we flew like some grey fog made of black pepper.

Our passage thru NYC was accomplished in silence as the Captain requested we observe such out of respect for the dead until the plum was gone from view. In truth I think we were all speechless at the first person viewing of something we had been removed from to a semi comfortable distance by television.

This issue however is not about me or my recollections of either day. It is about seeing that this day, This tragedy, its victims and their families are never forgotten. That this terrorist act is never forgotten or forgiven until the terrorist group(s) responsible are eradicated, radical fundamentalist Islam is ground out of existence and the last full measure of justice, revenge and retribution has been had. It’s about calling BULLSHIT! On those who would allow a Ground Zero Mosque and/or make concessions to Islamic traditions and religious customs in the US.

“Lethal! That sounds a bit bitter, angry and bloodthirsty!’ you say? YOU’RE TOO BLOODY DAMNED RIGHT! 15 years later and my thirst of vengeance and justice remains unslaked. What is being done to America both in the attempted Islamicization of it and to down play September 11th and its memory, as well as Islam’s role in it is enough to piss off the Buddha himself and make him reach for a weapon while cussing a blue streak profane and long enough to make a Marine Drill Sergeant shed a tear of pride. It leaves me sick and ashamed, feeling like I should offer apologies to the 5600 direct and indirect dead of that day.

I will never be satisfied until all of Islam either quakes at the sight of an American citizen. Trembling in fear that he might sub a toe on their cobblestones thus possibly provoking our retaliation for harming one of our citizens. or until all Muslims rise up against Fundamentalist Extremist, eliminate them and drag Islam as well as the entire Middle East kicking and screaming out of the 6th Century and into the modern era. THEN and ONLY THEN might I find myself satisfied.

When I first started this blog I used to end my opening remarks with some variation on theme “Let’s Laugh” just like Impish. Since the 10th Anniversary Issue I have used a different closing to my comments.

Please join me in honoring one of the heroes of Sept 11th, Todd Beamer of United Airlines Flight 93 as I open this issue with his final words before he and several others attempted to take control of the plane away from the terrorist or at least prevent them from achieving their mission by crashing it…

This Is How The World Is Remembering 9/11

Events include minutes of silence, services and music

Sunday marks the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, and places in the United Sates and around the world are planning tributes to the victims of the terror attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

Here’s a sampling of some of the memorial events planned for the next week.

Joe Biden at an NFL game

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will participate in a first responders tribute before the Philadelphia Eagles game on opening weekend of the NFL season, the LA Times reports. Biden will participate in a ceremony before the game and stand with 120 police officers, firefighters and emergency responders during the national anthem. (The Baltimore Ravens are also planning a tribute before their game, which includes a live bald eagle landing on the field.)

Staten Island Twin Towers art piece

A Staten Island artist recreated the Twin Towers out of thousands of lights strung together. The installation, called “3,000 raindrops” in reference to the lives lost in the attacks, debuted on Thursday and will be kept up until September 25, SILive.com reports.

UK firefighters moment of silence

Firefighters in the United Kingdom will observe a moment of silence at the time the first plane hit one of the Twin Towers, the Daily Mail reports. Other offices and some radio and television networks are also expected to fall silent.

British government leaders and about 2,000 people will also attend a memorial service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday.

New York Stock Exchange moment of silence

The New York Stock exchange also held a moment of silence Friday morning to remember the victims of the attack.

Bagpipe memorial song

Bagpipers from the New York City fire department and The Red Hot Chili Pipers, a Scottish bagpipe band, have come together to record a 9/11 tribute song called “The Fallen,” the New York Daily News reports. All proceeds from the song will go to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Family Support Trust and The FDNY Pipes and Drums.

9/11 Memorial Museum ‘Tribute in Light’

The 9/11 memorial will once again run its “Tribute in Light,” 88 searchlights that shine as a representation of the Twin Towers, NY1 reports. The tribute has gone up every year since 2002.

National anthem at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 11

9/11/14: The Yankees and Rays rise for a special military national anthem as a tribute to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001

 

Smithsonian hosts special exhibit for 15th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks

WASHINGTON — This coming Sunday will be the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, one of the darkest days in U.S. history.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History will host a special one-day exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11,  to commemorate the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The National Museum of American History is known for showcasing national treasures, but it also showcases artifacts from somber events like Sept. 11. The Smithsonian’s Melina Machado said the museum will display more than 35 artifacts from the three terrorist attack sites: the World Trade Center; the Pentagon; and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines flight 93 crashed.

“The National Museum of American History was designated by congress as the official repository for the objects of September 11,” Machado said.

She said the artifacts will be displayed on tables and not behind glass so visitors can get an up-close look. Visitors will not be able to touch the items.

Machado said curators and museum staff will be on-hand to tell the stories of the artifacts, which include a clock from the Pentagon that stopped the moment the plane slammed into the Pentagon.

Other artifacts include airplane fragments, objects recovered from Pentagon offices, lights from a crushed New York City fire truck and a flight attendant’s handbook from United Airlines Flight 93.

Machado said the country has a new generation of Americans who were either too young to remember the Sept. 11 attacks or who weren’t even born yet.

“We think it’s very important that these objects survive to bear witness to the stories of [Sept. 11],” she said.

The Smithsonian Channel’s documentary, “9/11: Stories in Fragments,” will be shown hourly on Sunday in the Warner Bros. Theater. The film is based on the museum’s Sept. 11 collection. Also, the last existing search and rescue robot that was used in the Sept. 11 attacks is being donated to the museum by its inventor Dr. Robin Murphy from Texas A&M University on Sunday.

See some examples of items in the exhibit here:

http://wtop.com/dc/2016/09/smithsonians-special-exhibit-15th-anniversary-sept-11-attacks/slide/1/

Chef Who Began Cooking for Firefighters After 9/11 Cries Over Surprise Cookbook

When Rob Scandia lost a dear in the horrific attacks on September 11th, he set out with one goal in mind: to serve every firefighter in the state of Florida. To honor his friend, he has been serving up meals in firehouses, all the while, jotting down his recipes. He hoped to one day publish them in a cookbook but never found the time. After his firefighter friends got word of his mission, they did it on their own and surprised him with a new copy of the book.

 

Alan Jackson – Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning

 

Rescuers who responded to Pentagon on 9/11 return 15 years later

ARLINGTON, Va. — The nation will soon mark the 15th anniversary of one of the darkest days in its history — Sept. 11, 2001. But on Saturday, a group of firefighters returned to the Pentagon, where they responded after a plane slammed into the building and killed 184 people 15 years ago.

Inside the building, 125 people died, and 59 others onboard American Airlines Flight 77 died. Those numbers do not include the terrorists.

“What these [firefighters] did here is beyond heroic,” Alexandria Fire Chief Robert Dubé said Saturday.

Even 15 years later, what happened here is seared into the memories of these men and women.

“It’s hard looking at [the Pentagon] now,” Dubé said. “All I see is what I saw that week.”

It took 10 years for Dubé to return to the Pentagon, and that was for the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“I just couldn’t come back. I don’t know why … . I just didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to do it — bring that up in my head again,” he said. “It’s hard. It’s hard to know what was there and to think about that now.”

His firefighters and volunteers — those who were part of the Pentagon response — gathered for a 15-year anniversary photo Saturday morning. They took the photo because it is important to “never forget” and to honor those who died, Dubé said. He wants the younger members and future members to know the big part the department played that day.

This year is the fire department’s 150th anniversary. Dubé said 9/11 is ingrained in its history, and time was running to document those in the department who were part of the Pentagon response. Over the years, people have retired and moved on.

During the 9/11 Pentagon response, Dubé was not with the Alexandria Fire Department — he was a captain with the Fairfax County Fire Department and part of the Virginia Task Force 1, an international urban search and rescue team.

“We were deployed [to the Pentagon] immediately, and we worked here eight to nine days,” he said.

As more and more time passes, Dubé said, people do not remember what happened here.

“It’s tough to wrap your head around what we did here if you weren’t here,” he said.

Battalion Chief David Bogozi with the Alexandria Fire Department said it was important for the group to get together to remember what they did.

“Not that any of us forgot,” he said. “I’ll never forget.”

As firefighters, Bogozi said, they had seen death and destruction before, but “the things we saw [in the Pentagon attack] were things we never ever expected to see.”

Bogozi said he prays that nothing like this ever happens again.

“I hate to say it, but at some point in all the new people’s careers … they’re probably going to face something like this again,” he said. “I pray to God it doesn’t happen.”

http://wtop.com/arlington/2016/08/firefighters-responded-pentagon-911-return-15-years-later/slide/4/

Explore web-based interactive timelines chronicling the events of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, September 11, 2001 and the nine-month recovery effort at ground zero. The timelines use images, audio and video as well as first-person accounts that are part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s permanent collection.

Please note: The timelines contain some graphic images and sensitive content due to the nature of the events related to the WTC bombing, 9/11 attacks and the aftermath.

9/11 Interactive Timelines

September 11 Attack Timeline 

On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists who were members of al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist network, hijacked four commercial airplanes. In a coordinated attack, the hijackers intentionally flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and a third into the Pentagon. Learning about the other hijackings, passengers and crew members on the fourth plane launched a counterattack, spurring the hijacker pilot to crash the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on that day, the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil.

Recovery at Ground Zero Timeline

Within hours of the September 11, 2001 attacks, millions of people across the world felt compelled to respond to the crisis. Volunteers and trained professionals from near and far rushed to help in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93 sites.

1993 WTC Bombing Timeline

On February 26, 1993, terrorists placed a bomb in the garage beneath the World Trade Center. The explosion killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others. This timeline tells the story of the bombing plot, its effects on the World Trade Center, and the campaign to bring the perpetrators to justice.

These interactive timelines feature objects, images, video, and first-hand accounts from people who witnessed the events unfold.

http://timeline.911memorial.org/#FrontPage

On Board Air Force One September 11, 2001, as events unfold

On Board, The Worlds Most Powerful Aircraft, Air Force One, as events unfold on September 11th, 2001, a shocking test of the security services’ ultimate nightmare scenario. On that day Air Force One became a fortress in the sky as America was forced into the War on Terror.

[Pertinent portion begins at 2:57 and continues till 13:25]

Tribute in Light is an art installation that is produced annually in New York on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Tribute in Light illuminates the New York City sky just south of the Memorial site.

 

9/11 Memorial and Museum

Interactive Museum Experience

Explore the 9/11 Memorial Museum through this interactive video experience selecting different paths through the Museum’s vast spaces and exhibitions. Press the stop button to skip through sections of the Museum.

https://www.911memorial.org/interactive-museum-experience

9/11 15th Anniversary TV Programming

As incredible as it may seem, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that forever changed America and the world. The 9/11 15th anniversary will undoubtedly be marked in a number of ways, including with TV specials and documentaries that range from a look at the attacks on the Pentagon, to a chronicle of the triumphant rise of Freedom Tower on the site of the New York attack.

Each year there are always notable TV programs that remember that tragic day, but given that this is the 9/11 15th anniversary, there is a particular increase in documentaries and other programming. Here are some of the highlights airing in the days and weeks leading up to Sept. 11, 2016 (the list will be updated as we hear more).

9/11 15th Anniversary TV Programming (All Times Eastern) (Updated 9/2/16 10:15am CT)

Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear — Sept. 1 at 10pm on CNBC. CNBC anchor Jim Cramer reports in this one-hour documentary that tells the story of the revitalization of the 16-acre site of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, which has emerged as a place reborn. Taking more than six years and nearly $4 billion to complete, One World Trade Center is the most expensive skyscraper in the world, and stands as proof of American tenacity and resilience.

15 Septembers Later — Sept. 5 at 9pm on History. This new special leads History’s week of 9/11 commemorative programming, which also includes two other original primetime documentaries and a series of digital shorts. This program examines 9/11 through the lens of stories and information uncovered over the last 15 years, offering a new perspective on the historic events of that day. The program features recently declassified materials and new interviews with a number of individuals who played key roles in the events of that day, some telling their stories for the first time. John Lehman, a former member of the 9/11 Commission, speaks to the 28 pages from the 9/11 report which were only declassified this summer that allege that some of the “hijackers were in contact with and received support or assistance from individuals connected with the Saudi government.” Major Heather Penney, the F-16 pilot who was assigned the impossible task of intercepting United Airlines Flight 93, recounts her story for the first time. We hear from Ben Sliney, who on his first day as the new FAA National Operations Manager made the decision to clear American airspace and led the effort to land every non-military plane over the U.S.  Also interviewed is White House photographer Eric Draper whose recently declassified photos capturing the White House response to the attack are featured. 15 Septembers Later also includes a new, rare interview with President George W. Bush, as well as new interviews with former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, Andrew Card, Leon Panetta, Senator Chuck Schumer, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, and other government officials, journalists and eyewitnesses.

9/11 Inside the Pentagon — Sept. 6 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings). This hour long documentary reveals new, firsthand accounts of the attack that took place at the heart of the United States’ military headquarters, during which nearly 200 people from inside the building and onboard American Airlines Flight 77 perished.

9/11: As We Watched — Sept. 6 at 10pm on American Heroes Channel. Produced with ABC News, this special recounts Sept. 11, 2001, through the eyes of that news organization, as the late, legendary Peter Jennings, along with Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos and dozens of journalists rushed to the scene of the chaos and embarked upon what would be 83 hours of live coverage.

Capturing Bin Laden — Sept. 7 at 10pm on American Heroes Channel. This documentary tracks the rise and fall of the man who spent the decade following the 9/11 attacks at the top of America’s Most Wanted list. Drawing on extensive archives from ABC News’ in-depth and award-winning reporting on the emergence of Osama bin Laden, this all-new special chronicles his rise—from a shadowy figure financing international terrorist attacks, to the intelligence that identified him as the 9/11 mastermind—and fall, culminating with SEAL Team Six’s heroic and harrowing confrontation with at a safe-house in Pakistan that ended the 10 year cat-and mouse game to capture the world’s most deadly terrorist.

FOX News Channel 9/11 15th Anniversary coverage — Sept. 11 beginning at 6am on FOX News Channel. FNC will present special live programming to commemorate the 15-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, beginning with FOX and Friends Sunday and continuing through primetime. Hosted by weekday co-hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, FOX and Friends Sunday (6-10am) will present the yearly “Flashback 9/11: As It Happened” package, as well as take the moment of silence at 8:46am, marking the time when the first plane hit. At 10am, anchor Jon Scott will present a two-hour special entitled 9/11: 15 Years Later to reflect on the changes and challenges Americans have faced since that tragic day over a decade ago. FNC’s Maria Bartiromo will anchor a live hour of Sunday Morning Futures at 12pm, followed by America’s Election Headquarters at 1pm, anchored by Shannon Bream & Leland Vittert. At 2pm, Chris Wallace will anchor FOX News Sunday, followed by another edition of America’s Election Headquarters anchored by Eric Shawn and Arthel Neville from 3-5pm and 6pm. At 5pm, FNC will present a special hour of MediaBuzz, hosted by Howard Kurtz, followed by FOX Report Sunday, anchored by Harris Faulkner, at 7pm. Additionally, chief political anchor Bret Baier will debut a special edition of Special Report at 8pm, which will run each Sunday in primetime through the election.

Giuliani’s 9/11 — Sept. 11 at 12pm on NGC. Encore airing.

CIA Confidential: Hunt for Bin Laden — Sept. 11 at 1pm on NGC. Encore airing.

CIA Confidential: 9/11 Mastermind — Sept. 11 at 2pm on NGC. Encore airing.

9/11: Day That Changed the World — Sept. 11 at 2pm and 8pm on Smithsonian Channel. Encore airing.

Witness: D.C. 9/11 — Sept. 11 at 3pm on NGC. Encore airing.

9/11: The Firemen’s Story — Sept. 11 at 4pm on NGC. Encore airing.

Crowning New York — Sept. 11 at 4pm on Smithsonian Channel. A one-hour look at the engineering and construction behind One World Trade Center.

Inside 9/11: The War Continues — Sept. 11 at 5pm on NGC. Encore airing.

The Missing Evidence: 9/11 Secret Explosions in the Towers — Sept. 11 at 5pm on Smithsonian Channel. Scientists tackle conspiracy theories about how and why the Twin Towers collapsed on 9/11.

Inside 9/11: War on America — Sept. 11 at 6pm on NGC. Encore airing.

9/11: Stories in Fragments — Sept. 11 at 6pm on Smithsonian Channel. Encore airing.

9/11: The Heartland Tapes — Sept. 11 at 7pm on Smithsonian Channel. Encore airing.

CNN Films Presents 9/11 Fifteen Years Later — Sept. 11 at 8pm and 11pm on CNN; Sept. 11 at 6am, 3pm and 8pm on CNN International. CNN has acquired and is co-producing this updated version of the Peabody and Emmy award-winning documentary 9/11. The film is directed, filmed, and executive produced by Gédéon and Jules Naudet, French-born filmmakers and brothers, and by retired Manhattan firefighter James Hanlon. CNN Films is working with the team to update the film for this 2016 edition. Denis Leary will introduce the new anniversary edition of the film, reflecting upon the heroism of the firefighters who responded that day. From the site of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City that commemorates the fallen, including 343 members of the New York City Fire Department, Leary will recall the bravery and emotions of the events in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, and beyond. CNN will air the two-hour film with limited commercial interruption in back-to-back broadcasts.

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview — Sept. 11 at 8pm on NGC. Encore airing.

102 Minutes That Changed America: 15th Anniversary — Sept. 11 at 8pm on History. This is an updated edition of the Emmy-winning documentary 102 Minutes That Changed America. The program chronicles the terror of 9/11 in real-time, providing a minute by minute account of the catastrophe as it unfolded.  The anniversary edition includes added interviews from those featured in the original film. 

9/11: The Longest War — Sept. 11 at 9pm on NGC. This new two-hour special provides a comprehensive look at the past 15 years — from the buildup to the attacks as the devastating events unfolded, to the military response in the years that followed — leading up to the present day. 9/11: The Longest War draws from a wide range of sources, including over 40 original National Geographic interviews with survivors, first responders, experts, journalists, politicians and military leaders; news footage and eyewitness videos culled from a rarely seen 400-hour archive; and chilling audio recordings from on board the doomed planes and inside air traffic control. 

America’s 9/11 Flag: Rise From the Ashes — Sept. 11 at 10:30pm on History. Featuring best-selling author and HISTORY host Brad Meltzer, this program looks at the mystery surrounding the iconic American flag that was raised by three New York City firefighters shortly after the 9/11 attack only to then disappear. 

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial – Clydesdales 9/11 Tribute (2011)

One of the favorite Super Bowl Commercials of all time. Budweiser’s 9/11 tribute featuring their iconic Clydesdales passing the Statue of Liberty, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, and finally pausing and bowing in a park overlooking the New York City skyline, without the twin World Trade Center Towers – which were destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This big game ad was broadcast in 2011 in honor of the 10th year anniversary remembrance of the September 11 attacks.

 

Now adults, children of 9/11 draw inspiration from tragedy

By Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press Posted: 09/08/16, 12:25 PM EDT

NEW YORK >> They were kids, or not even born yet, when America’s heart broke for them.

More than 3,000 children and young adults lost a parent in the deadliest terror attack on American soil, instantly becoming known as the children of 9/11.

As the 15th anniversary of the attacks approaches, these children are now adults or nearly so, and their Sept. 11 legacy is now theirs to shape.

Many have been guided by a determination to honor the parent they lost or the awareness they so painfully gained. And they have done it in ways as varied as working with refugees, studying the forces that led to the attacks and pursuing a parent’s unrealized pro-sports dream.

Here are some of their stories.

It’s Lindsay Weinberg’s job to find and notify families whose loved ones have died, sometimes under violent circumstances. It’s a job she’s particularly prepared to do.

“I’m giving them among the worst news they can receive, and I’ve received it,” she says.

Weinberg was 12 when the New York City medical examiner’s office, where she now works, told her family in 2002 that it had identified her father’s remains among the victims of 9/11.

“It adds to the amount of empathy that I can have,” says the 26-year-old, whose father, Steven Weinberg, was an accounting manager killed at the World Trade Center.

After recognizing how forensic science helped provide answers for her family, Lindsay got a master’s degree in it, and is now an outreach investigator. She hasn’t worked on the continuing analysis of the more than 21,000 bits of bone found at ground zero.

She says her connection to 9/11 is “not something that I lead with, personally or professionally.” But working at the medical examiner’s office, she says, shows “how things kind of come full circle.”

Thea Trinidad’s pulse thumped as she walked out on the floor of Madison Square Garden as part of pro wrestler Adam Rose’s entourage in 2014. It was the first time she’d been there in her own wrestling career. And the first time since she’d been there with her dad.

Looking up at the seats where they always sat “was like a punch to the heart,” she says.

She was 10 when she overheard her father calling her mother to say goodbye from the trade center’s north tower, where he worked as a telecommunications analyst. Growing up, she pondered how to honor him.

“I thought: ‘What was it we shared the most?’ And it was wrestling,” she recalls.

Michael Trinidad was a former high school wrestler who didn’t flinch when his tomboy daughter did leaping moves off the furniture. In fact, “he’d say, ‘No, you’re doing it wrong — let me show you,’” says Thea, 25, who lives in Tampa, Florida.

At first, the 5-foot-tall wrestler didn’t let on about her dad as she backflipped and body-slammed under the monikers Divina Fly and Rosita. (She now uses her own name). She didn’t want anyone thinking she was making a play for sympathy.

After her story emerged, Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine named her Inspirational Wrestler of the Year in 2011.

She says she feels her father’s spirit every time she goes into the ring.

“This one’s for you, Dad,” she tells herself. “Protect me out there.”

Several years after 9/11, Michael Massaroli came across a plastic bin filled with condolence messages.

They had come from people around the country and world, many of them strangers, after the attacks killed his father and namesake, an investment executive. Michael was 6. His widowed mother had just given birth to a baby girl two months earlier.

“Hearing how people were so selfless and so caring to us really made me want to try to do something, career-wise, that I thought would help other people,” he says.

He decided that would be public service, since he was already interested in politics. By high school, he was interning for a state assemblyman.

Now 21 and newly graduated from George Washington University, he got his first job working at a Washington firm that helps political campaigns handle their finances properly. He sees himself eventually working in government as an adviser or aide.

“I really try and at least get positive personal growth out of something that was so horrific,” he says, “rather than let it break me down.”

Anjunelly Jean-Pierre once had her future all figured out. She planned on joining the military and eventually becoming the doctor or lawyer her mother envisioned.

Then her mother, Maxima Jean-Pierre, was killed at the World Trade Center, where the immigrant from the Dominican Republic managed an executive cafe.

Over the next few years, Anjunelly grieved, regrouped and decided she wanted to do what her mother did. Recalling the Sunday dinners that filled the house with friends and family, “I saw how food brings people together,” says Anjunelly, 34.

After culinary school and a stint as a sous-chef for an Emeril Lagasse TV show, Anjunelly now works in a setting where bringing people together is perhaps especially important: She is a manager in the Members’ Dining Room in Congress.

Last September, a letter she wrote about Maxima was entered into the Congressional Record. One of the most popular dishes she’s made over the years was Maxima’s rice and peas, she wrote: “I guess the love and the heritage comes through.”

Alexandra Wald wanted to understand. She soaked up books about the forces and failures that led to Sept. 11. She took four years of Arabic in college, got a master’s degree in international relations and aspired to work in intelligence.

“Being as affected as I was by the geopolitical landscape and my dad being killed on 9/11,” she says, “I wanted to make sure it never happened again.”

It was her first day of high school when her father, stockbroker Victor Wald, was killed at the World Trade Center.

His daughter, who goes by Alex, was already interested in world events. But 9/11 made her want “to be that person to decipher that information, to protect the homeland.”

Now 28, she works on a cybersecurity project for a contractor for the federal General Services Administration in Washington.

Studying for her career — with help from the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, set up for the children of 9/11 victims — also meant dealing with the frustration of contemplating missed opportunities to disrupt the terror plot.

When the anger stirred, she’d think of some advice her father gave her a few weeks before the attacks.

“You can’t look back with regret,” he told her. And “never say, ‘What if?’”

It’s all right to ask Ryan McGowan about the “IX.XI” tattooed on the back of her neck. It’s 9/11 in Roman numerals.

“Once it’s on my skin,” she says, “I have to talk about it.”

Ryan was 5, sister Casey 4, when their mother, investment executive Stacey Sennas McGowan, was killed at the trade center.

As a preteen, Ryan partly played the role of parent, helping her sister pick outfits for school and making dinner when their father, Tom, had to work. She came to think of her mother as “an amazing guardian angel.”

Now 20, Ryan is a junior majoring in marketing at Boston College, where 19-year-old Casey is a sophomore in communications.

Often, Ryan makes her way through the campus to a labyrinth inscribed with her mom’s name and those of 21 fellow BC graduates killed in 9/11. It’s a place she feels close to her mother, whose remains were never identified and buried.

“I can just sit there and reflect,” she says. “I don’t have that anywhere else.”

Ronald Milam Jr. doesn’t always tell his football and basketball teammates that there’s a reason he wears the number 33. It’s for his father, Army Maj. Ronald Milam, who was 33 when he was killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

Ronald Jr. never met his father. His mother, then-Air Force Capt. Jacqueline Milam, was pregnant with him on 9/11. She safely escaped from the Pentagon.

Ronald Jr., now a 14-year-old high school freshman in San Antonio, is one of the more than 100 Sept. 11 victims’ children who were born after the attacks.

He has his dad’s features and unflappable personality. And his jersey number was a connection he could make with his father, a college player himself.

“I wanted to play in honor of my dad,” he says. “So I picked that.”

Sometimes, after refugees told her their stories of conflict and loss, Sonia Shah would let them know that she had one, too.

Explaining that her father died in 9/11 opened “a bonding moment,” says the Baylor University social work student, who spent the summer volunteering with refugee aid organizations in Greece.

Her father, Jayesh “Jay” Shah, was killed at ground zero, where he was a financial trading technology executive. Sonia was 7.

His death fueled Sonia’s impulse to try to help where others turn away.

“Because I had faced loss at such a young age and in such a different way than many other people, I recognized hardship in other people’s life a lot more easily,” says the 22-year-old senior, who took a year off from college for religious study. She says that without her faith, she “wouldn’t be as whole and as healed.”

9/11 victims could be allowed to sue Saudi Arabia over alleged ties to attack

• Ruth Sherlock, Washington 9 September 2016 • 5:01pm

The United States house of representatives voted Friday to pass a bill that would allow the families of victims of the 11 September terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia’s government for damages.

The legislation was passed by a voice vote in the chamber four months after it was approved by the senate and is symptomatic of a growing desire in Washing to re-examine it’s alliance with the oil-rich kingdom which has, for decades,  been treated as America’s untouchable ally. 

Ted Poe, a Republican congressmen from Texas who voted on the bill said the American government needs to be more concerned about the families of the Twin Towers victims than “diplomatic niceties”.

But Barack Obama on Friday threatened to exercise his presidential veto to stop the bill becoming law, warning that the legislation, which strips foreign nations of immunity from American law suits, could backfire.

The White House is concerned that it would allow foreign countries to, in turn, bring legal action against the United States government to address grievances. 

The House vote came two months after Congress released 28 declassified pages from a congressional report into the 11 September attacks that reignited speculation that some of  the attackers had ties to Saudi government officials.  Fifteen of the 19 hijackers from 9/11 were Saudi nationals.

Several subsequent US investigations failed to substantiate the allegations, and the Saudi government has consistently and fiercely denied the claims. 

Brian McGlinchey, the director of the advocacy website 28pages.org, said making the documents public has “strengthened the resolve of 9/11 families and other advocates of justice to bring about the enactment” of the bill.

A decision by Obama to veto legislation “that would give 9/11 families their well-deserved day in court would truly stain his legacy,” Mr McGlinchey said.

Toby Keith – Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)

 

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is centered in the 400 block of E Street, NW, Washington, DC and is the nation’s monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the Memorial honors federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our nation and its people.

The Memorial features two curving, 304-foot-long blue-gray marble walls. Carved on these walls are the names of more than 20,000 officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the first known death in 1791. Unlike many other memorials in Washington, DC, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is ever-changing: new names of fallen officers are added to the monument each spring, in conjunction with National Police Week.

Upon the panels of its hallowed walls are engraved the names of those NYPD fallen during the aftermath of the attacks on the WTC.

http://www.nleomf.org/officers/remembering-9-11/

All 343 NYFD Killed at the World Trade Center September 11, 2001

http://nyfd.com/9_11_wtc.html

Taps Played Before Cowboys vs. Jets Game – 9/11 Tribute (9-11-2011)

Tribute to 9-11 as Taps is played and so is Amazing Grace before Lady Antebellum sang the Star Spangled Banner at the NY Jets and Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday Night Football.

 

Have You Forgotten?

 

Impish stumbles out of the teleportation rift laughing insanely only to spontaneously erupt into his ‘happy dance’.

“I did it?
I DID IT!
I BEAT LETHAL LEPRECHAUN AT HIS OWN GAME!
WHAA WHO!
But exactly where did I end up?”

Spinning around quickly to access his surroundings and determine a direction of travel to get as far away from the rift before Lethal can charge through after him, he fails to notice the tree trunk which he shakes with a solid impact from his tail WHAP!

“Ow! OW!” CRAP!

Impish clutches tail in one hand and head in the other and peers up to see what hit him.

“Palm trees? No! Well ok yes, but these aren’t just palm trees, those are coconut palms.

White sand?
Check.

Blue water.
Check.

Tropical breezes…SNIFF…
Huh. Cant smell anything but coconut oil. Might have over done that a bit.

Island music?
Nope, but there is that strange clicking and scratching sound that’s pretty rhythmic.
Might have to check that out if I get a second, going to be pretty busy teaching
the women here how to party Dragon style though.” (He attempts to ‘bust a move’ only to trip and almost bust his butt instead.)

“Hey a path! Lets follow that for starters before the little green buzz kill shows up with
Hellboy or someone worse to rain on my tropical vacation.

What is that darn clicking sound? Seems like its all around and getting louder.

Nice a solar powered information kiosk! Maybe its a map and I can figure out where the beach and babes are.”

(Humming the tune ‘I Want to go Swimmin’ with Bowlegged Wimmen’)
”Huh! Nice- It’s electronic and interactive.” (presses button- screen lights up

(The sign reads)

Welcome to Giant Crab Key Aqua Farming Facility

A Sustainable Coconut and Tasmanian Crab Farming Experiment.

THIS HABITAT IS CLOSED TO ALL VISITORS AND MAY REPRESENT A PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE!

“Damn! I hope I don’t have to deal with… EEP! “

(Impish screams like a 5 year old girl as he lifts and swings tail frantically before turning to look at it. A sort of crashing noise can be heard in the underbrush.)

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
I umm…humm…must be all the excitement getting to me. For a minute there felt like there was a spider climbing my tail!
Should have worn a hard hat, by the sounds of things those coconuts are big and seem to fall a lot.”

[He returns his attention to the sign]

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest land-living arthropod in the world, and is probably at the upper size limit for terrestrial animals with exoskeletons in recent times, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9.0 lb). It can grow to up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length from leg to leg. It is found on islands across the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean as far east as the Gambier Islands mirroring the distribution of the coconut palm; it has been extirpated from most areas with a significant human population, including mainland Australia and Madagascar.

The coconut crab’s claws are powerful enough to crack open coconuts, and can be used to lift weights of up to 28 kg. If coconuts are not readily available on the ground, the coconut crab can climb trees and cut them down.

 

[Clicking can now be heard louder and in two different distinct rhythms]

“OH MAN! I hope I can avoid those things! They’re creeping me out!
I don’t even like seeing the King Crabs on that Discovery reality show Deadliest Catch.
I should get a move on but I still haven’t seen a map yet. Maybe the next screen.”

[Taps screen]

The Tasmanian giant crab is one of the largest crabs in the world, reaching a mass of 13 kilograms (29 lb) and a carapace width of up to 46 centimetres (18 in). It is the only species in the genus Pseudocarcinus. Males reach more than twice the size of females. It has a white shell with claws that are splashed in red. The females’ shells change colour when they are producing eggs”

 

[Clicking is now heard all around Impish as is a scratching sound on the trees. He glances about nerviously.]

“Come on Come On! I need a map! A map damn it! I can’t take a chance on flying around to get the layout. Lethal is sure to have spotters watching for Dragons and those damned rail guns and dancing shellighis fricken hurt!  Gimme a map please?” [Taps screen again]

BOTH CRAB SPECIES ARE CONSIDER OMNIVAURS. DO NOT ENTER HABITAT EATING OR SMELLING OF RECENTLY CONSUMED FOOD.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN TANNING WITH COCONUT OIL WE STRONGLY URGE
A SILKWOOD SHOWER PRIOR TO ENTERING THE HABITAT TO PREVENT YOU FROM BEING SEEN AS A POTENTIAL FOOD SOURCE!

“OH MAN! They literally put that stuff on me with a paint roller too, almost an entire 5 gallon buckets worth. I gotta…Oof!

AGHHH!! SOMETHING IS ON MY BACK- GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!

OOOWWW! MY TAIL!”

Impish looks and sees several crabs on his tail and at least one more between his wings and well as another 6 approaching.

“Aggh!” He shakes himself like a dog trying to get them off to no avail. His attempt to unfurl his wings is thwarted by the fact the one on his back seems to have a death grip on them. Attempting the stop drop and roll maneuver gains him another across his snout.

“Mmmmph! Oooomm! Mmmmthal melp mwe!”

Seeing little choice as the one on his snout seems to be intent on giving him a pierced nose, Impish dashes head long willy-nilly back to the rift area which to his surprise is still open, the end of what he takes for Lethal’s Shellighi protruding from it and dives in head first.

As he emerges once again back at DL/LL HQ he gets a quick glimpse of Lethal removing his shellighi from the mirror with a stop watch in his other showing the result to Hell Boy who appears unhappy and in the process of reaching for his wallet before belly surfing across the stage only to become engulfed in a dense fog of CO2.

The rapid chilling to the giant crustaceans causes them to become stuporous, loose their grip and fall off Impish. The CO2 fire extinguisher wielding kitchen staff immediately treat the crabs to another burst of CO2 before seizing and stuffing them  into a several very large coolers on a cart before firmly securing the lids.

“Welcome back Impish! Have a nice trip? Enjoy your 4 minute 20 second vacation? What did you think of Leprechonia, beautiful paradise isn’t it?

Oh, I think Hell Boy there is going to want to have a chat with you over his gambling losses once you’re off the floor He was sure you’d top the five minute mark and we’d have to come find you.

Also those crabs are $50 per pound and while I’ll get an official weight from the kitchen it appears you owe me roughly $400 per crab and you brought back 6.

We’ll discuss the fine for exporting them from Leprechonia without a license or permission later.”

[Leaning down he pats Impish on his still too stunned to speak head and lowers his voice so only Impish can hear him while producing his ever present hip flask.]

“Here now drink this.” Impish from his prone position regards Lethal suspiciously.

“Oh don’t be such a bleeding baby” Lethal takes a pull, then smiles  so Impish tips his head for Lethal to pour some down his throat. “ ‘Tis nae but Brown Gold Espresso with Baileys and a wee nip o’ what passes in Leprechonia for poitin.” (Irish Moonshine for you non Sons & Daughters o’ Erin) “They call it okolehao and the mix should have you be right as rain in two shakes.”

Impish’s eyes snap wide open then buldge, his tail suddenly snaps out straight behind him and vibrates against the stage as he shakes his head like a dog several times. Impish seems more with it after this subsidies.

“Better now? Good told you you would be.

Be thankful it was just the crabs. I was going to rift in from the Artic Circle where the rift is located in a den used by Polar Bears to hibernate to make me point but they had 4 cubs and I didn’t want anything to happen to them.

My point was and still is when I say no I mean no. I’m not being mean or doing it to taunt you. This place and these people are not ready for the likes of you and your antics, particularly after 7 weeks of not being able to fly.

As soon as Leprechonia is ready for some one/thing like you you’ll get a comped weekend stay but not before.

NOW buck up, get up, go see the Vet and get those cuts scraps and claw marks tended to. Then get your checkbook, write the Government of Leprchonia a check for the crabs and I’ll see there’s a nice Pastrami sandwich and a big cuppa Brown Gold with Bailey’s hold the
okolehao waiting for you in your office when you get there.

I’ll be takin’ me mirror back to me office now if ya don’t mind. I’ve got to go catch up on 7 weeks of paperwork and finish the September 11th 15th Anniversary Tribute Issue.

I’ll see you for dinner in the Executive Dining Room later- courtesy of you we’re having crab 4 ways tonight.”

It feels odd to be coming to the campground on a Wednesday, rather than a Saturday this week.  The place has a different feel to it today.  You’re not sure if that’s because of the change of day or because of the blank stage that’s in front of you.  There is nothing on the stage except a very ornate mirror on the left side of the stage.

You don’t have long to wait to find out what the mirror is for.

While coffee and pastries are being served to the MUCH smaller patron area, Impish comes out from behind stage right and he is a sight to behold.  Dressed in dragon sized Hawaiian styled Bermuda shorts, dark sunglasses perched on his forehead, a spot of white sunscreen on the bridge of his massive nose (enough sunscreen for the entire body of at least three bathing beauties) and a puka shell necklace with a little charm dangling from it that says “Gnarly, Dude”, he looks like a caricature of a 1970’s surfer bum.

“Oh good!  I’m glad you’re all here.  I need witnesses.” He begins to rub coconut oil all over his body.  “Today you will witness a historical first…or is it an historical first?  A historical…An historical…” He turns and bellows off stage, “Terrance, find out if it’s a or an.”

“A or An what?”  The voice gets closer to the curtain.

“Anwar Sadat, what?” Impish starts back towards the same curtain.

“You have to fart?” Terrance is right on the other side of the curtain.

Impish pushes into the curtain as both of them at the same time say, “What the fuc—” and they slam into each other with the thin curtain between them.  Now, it’s not very well known, but trolls have the thickest and hardest bones of almost any mythical creature, so although Impish, even in his current smaller form, may have out massed Terrance, he didn’t out density him and as they smacked into each other there was a mutual moving away from each other because, as Einstein postulated, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  And this action was pretty severe, therefore, so was the reaction as a double “THUD” was not only heard, but felt.

Several miles away, two seismologists jumped as the needle on the seismograph they were studying suddenly jumped.

“That was a 3.1!” said seismologist #1.

“And that could have only been a precursor!” said seismologist #2  “Where was the epicenter?”

“Oh, never mind.  I recognize those coordinates.  That was probably that stupid dragon crash landing again.  A little stronger than most other times, but not out of the area of statistical probability.”

The “stupid dragon” was shaking his head and coming back around, thanks mostly to the bucket of ice water dumped on his head and the Boston-Crème Donut waved under his snout.  “Okay, so where was I?” he asked while swallowing said Boston-Cream Doughnut and making his way back to the center of the stage where his pot of coconut oil lay on the floor.

As he absentmindedly begins to smear even more oil on his already sopping scales, “Right, um… historical day and all that.  Right.” 

He begins to enthusiastically point to the front of the stage and almost shouts in his excitement, “There!  Right there!  We’ll put up another monument. ‘Here on this day, Impish Dragon pulled a fast one on Lethal Leprechaun.’ We’ll have to fancy up the wording some but…”

Impish stops and looks out at the audience as if seeing them for the first time, “And I’m so glad you are all here to witness my huge success!” Impish looks down at his oil soaked watch, “In just a couple of minutes now, Lethal Leprechaun will be stepping through that mirror returning from his extended vacation in Leprechaunia.  He never DID allow me to come and visit so I’m going to slip through the portal while it is open and he is … I did tell you that the mirror is a portal, right?  No?  Well, okay, the mirror is a portal and it’s connected to Leprechaunia.  Now, I can’t open it, believe me I tried.  But it HAS to open when he returns and if I time it right, I’m going to slip in as he steps through.  I’ve even oiled myself down so I can slide right in as he steps out.  And I WILL get my vacation!  Surf, Sun, and bathing beauties!  I can hardly wait!”

As he finishes his explanation, the edges of the mirror begin to glow and a strange swirling transforms the glass into a foggy mist.  Impish sets himself in a stance like he’s ready to run the 100 meter dash, or, in his case, the 100 meter waddle. “Wait for it…”

“Wait for it…”

Finally you see a green clad leg begin to step through the mirror and Impish takes off at a run across the stage and towards the mirror.  You have to give him credit, he is almost moving at a good clip.  Just as Lethal steps through the mirror, he has just enough time to step out of the way as Impish launches himself in the air while screaming, “KOWABUNGA!”  Sadly, he doesn’t sail very far at all in the air, but instead belly flops a foot or two in front of the mirror, but with the oil slathered all over the place and with a maniacal laugh he screams, “I DID IT!  I BEAT YOUUUUUUUUU…..” as he slides through the mirror and disappears.

There is a long silence in the campground as Lethal looks at the mirror until the swirling mist turns back into glass mirror, then he turns to you all and says, “Well, that certainly was exciting. I did think the Kowabunga was a nice touch, though.” and begins to walk off the stage, when he stops and looks back at you all.  “I’m sure you all know that things aren’t going to go quite the way my buddy Impish thinks they will, right?  Well, allow me to check back into the business office and I’ll come back and give you…,” in his best Paul Harvey voice, “…The REST of the Story.”

He waves his hand dismissively at Terrance as he comes from behind the curtains rubbing his head, “You folks go ahead and go through Dragon Laffs.  I know he finished the issue because I didn’t let him know of my return until I was sure he finished up.  We’ll catch up later.”

And with that he walks off the stage.  And all that’s left for you to do is….

 

I felt sorry for the hypnotist I saw last night…
He hypnotized seven guys…
Then he dropped the mic on his foot and yelled…
FUCK ME…
What happened next will haunt me for the rest of my life.

It was a hell of a good Olympics!

Well, here it is…my final plead for donations.  I have to pay the bill for the ezine very soon now and we really didn’t do well this year.  Other than the vets, the disabled and the current service members, be they Law, Fire, EMT or Military (all of those who run TOWARDS the danger while the rest run AWAY) who have automatic Patron status, here are the New Patrons:

Steven H.     Leah H.     Henry S.     Karl K. (K2)     Virginia K. (Ginny)
Diamantina (Diaman)     Henry C.     Dan T.     Jonathon J.     Donald G.     and James C.

Please, won’t you please consider one more time, a donation for our efforts for you each week? 

Okay, that’s the pleas for this year.  I will mention anyone else who donates, of course, but I’m done asking for money. 

Here’s a GREAT essay on the redistribution of wealth!  (aka taxes).  It’s from:

Read the rest of the essay here: http://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/american-principles/item/23907-what-s-wrong-with-the-redistribution-of-wealth  and don’t forget to read the comments.  They got into some really good discussions on the topic.

Okay, so here is your warning:

It was horrible, right?  It’s going to be going through your mind for the rest of the day, “untweetable”. Right?  So why the heck do you think I gave you the WARNING!?  So don’t blame me if you can’t get rid of “untweetable”.

“Good luck with that offering, pal.  It sure doesn’t look virginal to me.  What? Gold?  Okay, we can discuss this.”

 

This one is from 2014, but it is so very true still today.  You really gotta love this senator from South Carolina.

And I guess that video is a perfect lead in to:

Yeah, like CNN is anything other than the Controlling News Network.

 

That is the way of Obama

As I was getting in bed, she said, “You’re drunk.”

I said, “How do you know?”

She said, “You live next door.”

A bunch of people are out there looking for Pokemon, but won’t look for a job.
Go ahead, let that sink in.

Just a random shot of one of our team members’ kid.

I did learn something very interesting last weekend.  Apparently RSVPing back to a wedding invitation, “Maybe Next Time” isn’t the correct answer.
Who knew?

Heck, I thought that was a good answer.

And that is the honest truth!

Well, apparently, you should have been more precise.

Okay, okay, I can feel the hate mail coming over this one right now.  Let me just tell all you complainers one thing…IT’S A JOKE!  Lighten up for crying out loud.

Yes, and the others of you who are outraged over this one…see the previous instruction.

This is just an example of Ninja Kitty School hazing gone horribly wrong.

And that, my friends, it what any other fellow officer would do.

Our old grouch friend Paul K9 writes in to us to tell us a story.
My brother took going to jail really badly.  He refused all offers of food and drink, he spat and swore at anyone who came near him, and he smeared the walls with his own feces.
After that, we never played Monopoly again!

 Okay, truth in advertising here…that’s all just bullshit!  I LOVE MY KINDLE!  I have almost 16,000 books in my electronic library (thanks in huge part to my best buddy Lethal Leprechaun) (****The following is a mandatory statement based on a legal mutual agreement between Mr. Leprechaun and Mr. Dragon****) (Yes Lethal, I am your book bitch) … ahem, as I was saying, I have almost 16k books in my electronic library, can anyone imagine how much paper that would take and how much room it would take if they were all real, live books.
If we assume that the average width of a book, paperback and hardback is half an inch, which I think is a little on the low side, 16,000 books X .5 inch = 8,000 inches or 667 running feet of shelf space.  Now, assuming a normal book shelf (at least normal for me) is 6 feet tall, has five shelves that are 28 inches across.  That means that each book shelf can hold about 11 running feet of books.  So, my electronic library would need at least 61 book shelves.
Looking around my house, if I moved every single piece of furniture out, and used every single inch of wall space, and in the rooms that are large enough putting some of the shelves in the middle of the room and not even on the wall, I’d still be putting a handful of them in the backyard due to a lack of room.  But, that would be okay, since that’s where all the furniture is, anyway.
It would be a really cool set up…until the first time it rained…or got cold…
Well, that little snippet got a little out of hand.  I think it’s time to get back to …. um …. what ever it was we were doing before I started talking about books.

I think motivational posters are in order.

But, it’s Dairy Queen! 

Yeah!  Buddy!

Yeah, that’s pretty much been my experience as well.

Cow udder excretion.

Okay, another video.  This one is just too good to pass by.

I want to take the opportunity to talk about something that pissed me off for the last week or so since I heard about it.  And in some ways I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, but I have to get rid of this anger.

Colin Kaepernick sitting during the National Anthem in protest to the inequalities being perpetrated on different, selected minorities in our country. 

Yes, there are some terrible things going on in our country right now.  I would submit that they are happening to all classes and types of peoples, but be that as it may, we agree that there are horrible things going on.

And yes, the exact country he is protesting against, allows him the right and the freedom to express himself as he sees fit.

Having said all that, he has picked a truly horrible and insulting way to express his feelings.

Our National Anthem, our Flag, our Country has paid the price in the blood of the patriots who not only fought for our freedom, but continue to fight and protect the rest of us here at home.

Standing for the Anthem and the Flag is an acknowledgement of the sacrifices of greater people than ourselves who have given their all for us.  Failing to stand politely is saying that what those others gave up means nothing to you. 

And I submit to you, Mr. Kaepernick, if your parents haven’t taught you to be thankful for the freedoms that were given to you, if you can’t acknowledge a great sacrifice that was done FOR you, then sir, I suggest you find another country to call home and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!

I AM The Impish Dragon and I’ll hold the door for you as you leave!

Morning Folks! Another fantastic sunset, one of the last few I’ll get to enjoy for a while, brought to you courtesy of Leprechonia’s Board of Tourism who’s slogan is:

 “Come for the Beaches, Babes, Cigars, Gambling, Food, Rum, Whiskey and Wine. Stay for our Beauty, Politics Taxes and Weather.” (This offer does not extend to Liberals, Muslims, Black Live Matter Supporters, Occupiers or the Entitlement Minded. Special preference given to Veterans, Police, Fire & EMS Personnel, Redheads, Fitness and Bikini Contest Winners and any Ex Girls Gone Wild Starlets).

 

A US Marine enters the Catholic Church confessional booth.

He tells the priest, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. Last night, I beat the ever-living cr – p out of a flag burning, cop hating, Obama loving black lives matter protester.”

The priest says,

“My son, I am here to forgive your sins, not to discuss your community service.”

 

Impish will be back next Wednesday Sept 7th  for me while I prepare our Patriot’s / September 11th Remembrance Issue for Saturday September 10th.

Did You Know?

Airbags deploy between 100 & 220 MPH. If you ride with your feet on the dash, you may send your knees through your eye sockets if the airbag is deployed. (LaGrange Police, August 14)

Impish’s new T-shirt. Maybe he can use part of the upcoming 3 day weekend to catch up with the rest of us some.

Tried this with Ninja Kitty Clan Mistress SC and  her right paw Chai. We got the ‘death stare’ for interrupting their naps right before they went back to synchronized napping practice.

SO I have gotten three Texas weather related questions in the last week.  The first wanting to know if all the clouds from the daily rain we’ve been receive from he last two weeks has cooled us off any and if so how hot it is now.

Yes its cooled us off some, we’re running a high of about 87 now but the humidity is still making it feel in the triple digits. In graphic terms this is hot hot its been recently:

Unfortunately as you can see it seems that one of the last things to melt on those ice cream trucks is that damned PA playing that annoying music incessantly!.

The next question was two fold, the writer had heard the term we used down here to describe heavy rain “frog strangler” and wanted to know if it really rained that hard or if that was just another tall Texas tale. They also asked with the frequent hard rain storms  how we dealt with them when we had something going on outside. Well here is a picture that answers both questions:

If you look carefully you can see just how hard it’s raining in that photo. That’s probably “small frog strangling” rainfall.  Obviously you can also see how we deal with the problem. Oh and as to his foot wear, I know Crocs have become something of a joke, but believe me there is a time of the year down here where they are entirely appropriate foot wear well suited to the weather.

Two nuns were in the back of the convent smoking a cigarette, when one said, “It’s bad enough that we have to sneak out here to smoke, but it really is a problem getting rid of the butts so that Mother Superior doesn’t find them.”

The second nun said, “I’ve found a marvelous invention called a condom which works really well for this problem. You just open the packet up, take out the condom, and put the cigarette butt in, roll it up, and dispose of it all later.” 

The first nun was quite impressed and asked where she could find them. “You get them at a drug store, sister. Just go and ask the pharmacist for them.”

The next day the good sister went to the drug store and walked up to the counter. “Good morning, sister,” the pharmacist said, “what can I do for you today?” “I’d like some condoms please,” said the nun. 

The pharmacist was a little taken aback, but recovered soon enough and asked, “How many boxes would you like? There are 12 to a box.” “I’ll take six boxes. That should last about a week,” said the nun. 

The pharmacist was truly flabbergasted by this time and was almost afraid to ask any more questions. But his professionalism prevailed and he asked in a clear voice. “Sister, what size condoms would you like? We have large, extra large, and the ‘big liar’ size.” 

The sister thought for a minute and finally said: “I’m not certain, I’m looking for something to put on a camel.”

CATCH THAT DOLPHIN!

He stole the launch codes!

Yup still trying out candidates for the Chef position in my Manor on Leprechonia.
Here are a couple end of summer/fall harvest season recipes for you.
Sorry Ginster, no knee bucklers this week.
OH DO SUCK IT UP ALREADY IMPISH!– and no I DO NOT mean my Chef!

Refrigerator Pickles: Cauliflower, Carrots, Cukes, You Name It

 

Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 35 min
Cook: 5 min
Yield: 2 quarts
Level: Easy

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

For the brine:

10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups white vinegar
6 teaspoons kosher salt
Several sprigs of fresh dill
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns (if you have ’em)

For the vegetables:

6 Kirby cucumbers, quartered lengthwise (small pickle sized ones)
6 young spring carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 handful large scallion pieces or green beans
A few pieces of cauliflower to tuck wherever they’ll fit
4 small hot red chilies or 2 jalapenos

I also like to use Celery stalks and red/yellow orange pepper strips.

Can’t find pickling sized cucumbers? Do what I do- take the big ones, cut them in 1/2 the cut in spear sized pieces (usually 4 or 6 per half). I remove the seed part because some times the seeds are quite large and this way it allows me to pack the jars with more veggies. The English or hot house varieties work well and with those seed removal is unnecessary.

I don’t normally have Coriander Seed on hand so I use the stems for a bunch of Cilantro. Plant Coriander seeds you get Cilantro.

Want it really spicy? Use 2 or 3 of those small dried Thai Chilies per jar but don’t say I didn’t warn you! Can’t find/don’t have Red Chilies (which are just ripe jalapenos in reality) or jalapenos? Use a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes per jar.

Try this with jars stuffed dead full of Cole Slaw mix ( I used the stuff in the bag) tossed with a thinly sliced red onion. Great topping for hotdogs. You need to really pack the jars tightly with the slaw mix because its going to shrink down considerably over time as it pickles in the brine.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil, reduce the heat so the water simmers and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt, raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt dissolves. Remove from the heat.

In 2 clear 1-quart jars, place a few sprigs of dill. Divide the seeds and peppercorns between the jars. Using tongs, remove the garlic from the brine and place 5 cloves in each jar. Then pack the jars full of cucumbers, carrots, scallions or green beans, cauliflower and chilies. You want them to be tightly stuffed.

Bring the brine back to a boil, pour it over the vegetables to cover completely, let cool, then cover and refrigerate. The pickles will taste good in just a few hours, better after a couple of days. And they’ll keep for about 3 months.

Old glass mayo jars or spaghetti sauce jars with the canning jar seal type tops (gold caps and square bottles) make great jars for this. I can get 4 across the back of my crisper drawer without significant storage loss To the drawer or fridge. This also has the added benefit of keeping them out of sight for a couple weeks so they can get really good.

Don’t over look the garlic when eating this. Pickled garlic is great and not strong at all.

Ratatouille Soup

 

Total Time: 40 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

 

 

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 to 3 teaspoons herbes de Provence (aka ‘Fine Herbs’)
Kosher salt
1 small eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 28 -ounce can peeled crushed tomatoes,
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Medium handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
8 thick slices baguette
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere, Provolone or Swiss cheese
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the broth and half of the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Brush the bread with olive oil; sprinkle with the remaining  teaspoon herbes de Provence and salt to taste. Broil until lightly toasted. Top with the cheese, then broil until melted.

Puree about half of the soup in a blender, then return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the cheese toasts and the remaining basil.

Per serving: Calories 442; Fat 21 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 42 mg; Sodium 1,073 mg; Carbohydrate 44 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 18 g

First a word about herbes de Provence:

Herbes de Provence (French pronunciation: ​[ɛʁb.də.pʁɔ.vɑ̃s]) is a mixture of dried herbs typical of the Provence region of southeast France. Formerly simply a descriptive term, commercial blends started to be sold under this name in the 1970s. These mixtures typically contain savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and other herbs. In the North American market, lavender leaves are also typically included.

You need not pay $20 for a small bottle, I get 4 ounces in a hanging bag for about $4 at a place called World Market.

The herbs themselves tend to be quite coarse when you receive them, so use a spice grinder or run them in a blender on the highest setting for about 1 to 2 minutes to make them much finer. This will prevent any unpleasantness when eating and also reduce the amount per recipe you require by roughly half (finer herbs = more surface area) thereby making the amount you get go farther.

The mix has many uses and goes well with chicken, pork in omelets in particular in addition to vegetables (works exceptionally well with summer squash). A crowd favorite is my Rotisserie Boneless Pork Loin which gets painted with a mixture or 3 type of mustard mixed with onion and garlic powder then rolled in herbes de Provence before going in the rotisserie.

This recipe is extremely versatile in addition. It makes a get late summer soup as is and can be change in augmented easily. Unexpected guests as you’re sitting down to dinner? Toss a package of Gnocchi into the soup for about 4 to 5 minutes and serve the cheesed bread on the side.

Swap the herbes de Provence for Italian seasoning, add a can of drained rinsed Chickpeas, Cannellini or Red Kidney beans with a couple handfuls of Ditali or Elbow Pasta and you have a fresh minestrone soup.

Turn this into something entire different by leaving out the beans and pasta from above adding in the Italian seasoning, some fresh mini ravioli pasta or tortellini from the refrigerated case and some Italian sausage which you removed the casing from and friend breaking it up well. Serve the cheesy bread on the side using Mozzarella, Fontana or Provolone cheese and again using the Italian Seasoning in place of the herbs on the bread.

Grilled Chicken, Pork or Sausage work well in or along side either version as well.

Why We Don’t Let Impish Do ANY Hiring Here At DL/LL Digital Media Enterprises

Here is an “Resume/CV/ Application” Impish got his hands on while I was gone:

Deer Sur,

Iwaunt to apply for the secritary job I seen in the Paper. I can type realkwik wit one finggar and do Sum Acounting 2. 

Ithink I am good on the fone and I am a pepole
Person. Pepolereally seam to respond goodly to me. 

I’mlookin for a jobb as a secritary but it Kant be 2 Complikaited 

Myspelling is not 2 good but find that I awfin get a Job Bcuz of mypersinalety … 

Mysalerery is open so we can discus wat you want To pay me and wat you think thatI am wurth, I can start imeditely.  

Thankyou in advanse 4 yore Anser. 

HopifulyI M Yore best aplicant so phar. 

Sinseerly, 

PeggyMay McBiggins 

PS :I half includeded a pickture of me B low.

And Impish’s (predictable) response:

Dear Peggy May:

Start on Monday, we have spell check.

Lasciviously,

I. Dragon

Seenager (Senior Teenager)

(Special thanks to Impish Dragon and Mrs. Dragon a.k.a. the Banshee for posing in their human forms for this photo. No Mrs. Dragon, your birthday suit doesn’t make your butt look big at all, but why does Impish appear to be wearing a (your?) G-string?)

Not to set poor Impish off again but I forgot two key employees last week and 2 views of infrastructure. Hopefully he’ll fare better this time.

Desiree is in charge of Livery and Public Transportation . She’ll take you places and show you things you never thought you could get to or ever live to see.

This is Branwin, in addition to being the Leprechonia’s resident Tennis and Beach Volleyball Pro, she’s also our Sports and Physical Recreation Director.

It’s kind of hard to devote the space required to a golf course on an island much less find that much flat topography for it. However since our studies have shown it will be a large draw we’ve done our best to blend one into the topography and take full advantage of incorporating the natural setting. This water hazard being a prime example.

You saw last week where I meet with my council regularly here is a view of inside looking out with all the glass doors retracted back. We use this in case of the occasional rain storm.

OK I’d better lay off. I don’t want to provoke Impish into any rash actions when I return next Wednesday. As it is I already expect him to be attempting to rush the rift like the Patriot’s Offensive team in an attempt to make it here before I can stop him.

Comedian Colin Quinn Nails It On PC Culture

And that 1/2 the country saying “Now you’re starting to understand.” Are led by Hillary and Obama. They’re the Laughable Lemming Liberals of Lunacy.

 

—–A filthy rich Lethal Leprechaun decided that he wanted to throw a party and invited
all of his buddies and neighbors to Leprechonia. He also invited Impish Dragon, his whiney Blue Dragon pal.  He held the party around the pool in the backyard
of his mansion. Impish was having a good time drinking, dancing, eating shrimp, oysters
and BBQ and flirting with all the women.

At the height of the party, Lethal said, ‘I have a 20 foot man-eating saltwater crocodile in my pool , one of the largest ever measures and I’ll give a million dollars to anyone who has the nerve to jump in.’ The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud splash.

Everyone turned around and saw Impish in the pool!  Impish was fighting the croc and
kicking its ass!  Impish was jabbing it in the eyes with his thumbs, throwing
punches, head butts and choke holds, biting the croc on the tail and flipping
it through the air like some kind of Judo Instructor. The water was
churning and splashing everywhere. Both Impish and the croc were roaring
and raising hell.  At last, Impish strangled the croc and let it float to the top
like a dime store goldfish. Impish then slowly climbed out of the pool.

Everybody was just staring at him in disbelief. Finally Lethal says, ‘Well, Impish,
I  reckon I owe you a million dollars.’

‘No, that’s okay. I don’t want it,’  said Impish.  The rich man said, ‘Man, I have to give you something.  You won the bet.  How about half a million bucks then?’

No thanks, I don’t want it,’ answered Impish.

Lethal said, ‘Come on, I insist on giving you something. That was amazing. How about
a new Porsche and a Rolex and some stock options?’ Again Impish said no.

Confused, the Leprechaun asked,  ‘Well, Impish, then what do you want?’

Impish said, ‘I want the name of the Sumbitch who pushed me in the pool!

I starting posting about this last week and so far the story has continued to evolve on almost a daily basis as the pharmaceutical industries naked avarice and greed gets dragged into the sunlight. I’m just going to thumb nail the highlights of each development here and you can follow the links if you want to read more of any particular article.

Highlighting bold or colored font and underlining are strictly mine.

Mylan offers discounts on EpiPen amid wave of criticism

Mylan NV said on Thursday it would reduce the out-of-pocket costs of its emergency EpiPen allergy injection for some patients amid a wave of criticism from lawmakers and the public over the product’s rapidly escalating price.

The list price of the drug will remain the same, but the company said it would increase the maximum copay assistance program to $300 from $100 for patients who pay for the 2-pak in cash or who are covered by a commercial health insurer.

The price of EpiPen has skyrocketed to $600 from $100 since it was acquired by Mylan in 2007.

Mylan also said it is doubling the eligibility for its patient assistance program, which will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for uninsured and under-insured patients and families.

Government paid programs are not eligible for the copay assistance program.

Ronny Gal, an analyst with Bernstein, said when all is said and done he estimates a total price reduction for EpiPen of 32 percent. The price rose 27 percent in the second quarter of 2016 versus the same quarter a year ago.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mylan-nl-pricing-idUSKCN11017J?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29

Mylan boosts EpiPen patient programs; no budge on price

Mylan is bulking up programs that help patients pay for its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment after weathering heated criticism about an average cost that has climbed more than 600 percent over the past decade.

But the drugmaker didn’t budge on its price hikes Thursday, which have drawn ire both in Congress and from families that have had to shell out increasingly large sums for the potentially life-saving treatment.

That means the insurers and employers that pay the bulk of the EpiPen cost for many patients will continue to do so, contributing to higher health insurance costs.

“That’s just going to come out in the premiums,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. “Everybody suffers, except the Mylan investors.”

Mylan joins a growing list of drugmakers, Turing Pharmaceuticals and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. among them, that have been called out after mammoth price hikes for the drugs they sell, with little or no innovation.

Turing’s former CEO Martin Shkreli became the poster child of pharmaceutical-industry greed last fall for hiking the price of a life-saving drug, Daraprim, by more than 5,000 percent.

He has applauded Mylan’s actions.

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/20160825/mylan-boosts-epipen-patient-programs-no-budge-on-price

Mylan launching cheaper, generic version of EpiPen

Mylan will start selling a cheaper version of its EpiPen after absorbing waves of criticism over a list price for the emergency allergy treatment that has grown to $608 for a two-pack, making it unaffordable for many patients.

The drugmaker says it will launch in several weeks a generic EpiPen version that is identical to the branded option but will have a list price of $300 for a two-pack.

It will be available in both 0.15-milligram and 0.30-milligram strengths, like the current version on the market.

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch defended the price hikes last week, saying the company only received $274 of the total price for a twin-package while insurers, pharmacies and other parties divvy up the rest. [An updated version of the old gas station price defense ‘I still make the same amount of money per gallon I did back in 1968. I don’t see any of the price hike the refineries and the middle men get it all.’? – L.L. ]

Mylan specializes in selling generic drugs, which are lower-priced equivalents to branded medications. Launching a generic version of the EpiPen can help the drugmaker protect its market share from competition. [ Which is all they really care about, well that and how much its going to cost them via their Pharmaceutical Lobbyists to make the hearings go away- L.L ]

Mylan’s announcement Monday comes a few days after the compounding pharmacy Imprimis Pharmaceuticals said it might be able to sell a version of the allergy treatment in a few months and would likely charge around $100 for two injectors.

There is currently little competition for EpiPen, with the only rival product being Adrenaclick, which carries a list price of $461. But that could change.

At least two companies are trying to get U.S. approval to sell a rival brand or generic version of EpiPen. None is likely to hit the U.S. market until well into next year.

Numerous members of Congress and other politicians have called for congressional hearings on Mylan’s pricing, an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and action by the Food and Drug Administration to increase competition by speeding up approvals of any rival products.

http://www.registercitizen.com/business/20160829/mylan-launching-cheaper-generic-version-of-epipen

 

Now if all y’all will excuse me, my newly appointed Director of Casino Management needs a few minutes of my time to properly introduce herself and show me her ideas for a good time (in the casinos!).

Sigh! Some vacation! Seems like my work is never done. Well back to the couch ah um salt mines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a week it’s been!  On the afternoon / evening of Wednesday, we had a total of 8 verified tornadoes come through central Indiana.

Kokomo, the town just to the south of us, had horrible damage from at least 3, possibly 4 tornadoes that came through.  One of which was an EF3 with wind speeds up to 165 mph.

We had one that came through our area, about 1/4 mile north of my house and I “think” I got a picture of it.

Maybe.  Possibly, not really sure.  But I do know that this picture does not qualify as the picture of a tornado that I need to take for the satisfaction of my bucket list.

Anyway, between the tornadoes and the work on the cleanup and what not, we need to get right to laughing.

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter. 
She says, confused, ‘Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife? 
He answers, ‘You see, it’s like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause “it’s sooo-ooo–oo-ooo much cheaper. So, I figure if I have to roll my own ……… so does she. 

You can now visit this man in the intensive care unit.

Impish Dragon said to his wife one day, ‘I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.’

Mrs. Dragon responded, ‘Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you.’

I liked this one.  I’m the one who added the words…well…actually, someone sent me the words as a Minion, I think.  Yes Ginny, that would probably be you.  Anyway, I liked the saying so much, I went in search of a picture to put them with…with the thought of perhaps putting a more PG rating on it and putting it up at work.  I haven’t done that yet, but I thought I’d share it with you guys today anyway.

Well, a government job in either Washington, D.C. or at the elected level.  The rest of us who have “Government Jobs” really do have to work for a living.

Yes…I know it was bad….

Okay, so here’s a couple of funny videos just for fun.  Yes, I know that was a faux pax using funny and fun in the same sentence.  So sue me.

So that one was funny.  I laughed really hard at Chelsea.  This next one will make you laugh as well, but for a completely different reason.

Let’s see if we can’t get some more videos in later.

 Rio cops moved to indict Ryan Lochte and a fellow U.S. men’s swimmer for filing a false police report. It’ll pass. Critics say they embarrassed the United States, but if embarrassing the United States were a federal crime, Joe Biden would be serving life in prison under the Three Strikes Law. 

You may have noticed that we have featured many of our security personnel in this section.  Well, it’s true.  And we’ve done that in an effort to let anyone out there who might have thoughts of attacking or otherwise disturbing our peace that they will have to deal with our overwhelming security forces.

And besides…some of them are quite easy on the eyes.

ObamaCare was hit by the exodus of three major insurance companies last week. Patients are clever. The AMA Journal reports the number of body donations to medical schools has been rising, meaning that Medicare patients have finally figured out a way to get a doctor to look at them. 

Lethal?  Was Friday at that speech?

Just a quick aside.  I found this political cartoon this morning (Wednesday) and it reminded me of the hypocrisy of Obama and Hillary.  Donald Trump showed up first thing to the flooding down south.  Yeah, maybe it was a photo-op for him, but he was there and he said he wanted to help.

Where was Obama?  Where do you think?  On vacation in Martha’s Vineyard playing gulf!  He did make a brief statement saying how concerned he was, but he had to cut it short to make his tee time.

He doesn’t even pretend to care anymore.

Well, we started it, so we might as well jump right in.

Russian troops massed on the border of Ukraine Monday, threatening to invade the country on Ukraine’s Independence Day and annex it to Russia as they did Crimea. It drew a fast response. The minute President Obama heard the news, he asked the next three groups if he could play through. 

 

Yeah, and that’s the part that scares me to death!!

 

Another good one that I just got this morning (same morning as last time, lol)

President Obama returned to work Sunday after a two-week vacation on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. He visited the flooded area north of New Orleans. You know the president’s been playing a little too much golf when he referred to Louisiana as the world’s largest two-stroke penalty.

 

Do you want to know how screwed up this country is right now?  Here’s a list of headlines that I received in an email from “Minuteman News”.  The headlines alone should make you quake in fear. (Clicking on the “(click here)” will send you to the article.  Well…it should, anyway.

Bahrain’s Prince Got Audience With Sec. of State Clinton After Giving $32M to Clinton Foundation (click here)
Now is anyone surprised over that one?

Texas Judge Temporarily Blocks Obama’s Bathroom Edict (click here)
We’ve started a pool to bet on the amount of time it will take the administration to reverse that decision.  Five bucks a guess, as many guesses as you want, see your personal host or hostess to play.

Farrakhan Unhinged! Slams Hillary, Demands Land and Billions for New “Black Nation” (click here) This one is just plain asinine.

What? TSA Actually INVITED Muslim Leaders to See the Screening Processes at Airports (VIDEO) (click here) This one is actually pretty good.  Good looking young lady doing a really good job at her essay.

Hillary’s Pic Posted on Purported Army OPSEC Brief as “Security Threat” (click here) This one is great!  And, although the article said that they didn’t know if it was true or not, as of this printing, I can tell you that, yes indeed, it’s true!  Hee, Hee, Hee!  Yup, this picture was used going back almost a year.  You gotta love the United States Military!

Refugees Sue School District – Evidently, Their Free Public School is Unsatisfactory (click here) So you can see why my day has been a bit….pissy!  I’m done talking about these stupid news articles.  Each of them is just more evidence of the absolute stupidity going on in our country right now.  If it wasn’t so serious, it would be funny. 

But it is serious…

So no, it’s not really that funny.

School Sends Home Permission Slip for Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance! (click here)

Ebony’s Editor: No Such Thing As a Hate Crime Perpetrated Against Police Officers or White People (click here)

Justice Dept. Declares it “Unconstitutional” to Hold People in Jail, if They Can’t Afford Bail (click here)

You guys have all the links to all the headlines.  Happy reading.

Yeah….funny…see me laughing…

This is exciting news!!!!!  The Washington Redskins Finally Drop Offense Name!

Okay, I’m sorry, I know I did movie time already, but I found this hilarious video and just had to share it!

I know, right!

I know….math humor.

I have to be careful with this section, it got me into a bit of trouble last week.

“Oh Look!  Daddy’s home! Let’s do our happy dance!”

And these guys are putting the happy dance to music!

There’s a farmer and his wife about to make love.

They’re naked facing each other.

The farmer grabs his wife’s breast’s and say’s,

“You know honey, if these could give milk, we could get rid of the cows.”

The wife says. “That’s Right.”

The farmer then grabs his wife’s butt and say’s,

“You know, if these could give eggs, we could get rid of the chickens.”

The wife says, “You’re Right.”

The wife then grabs her husband’s dick and say’s,

“You know, if this could stay hard, we could get rid of your brother!”

For information on joining the MMFCP, please write to this ezine for details.

I wonder what my parents did to fight boredom before the internet… I asked my 17 brothers and sisters, and they didn’t know either.

And reveals dragons in the kitchen.

Still not as tough as ninja kitties.

I had the exact same thing happen.  Got stopped by a county sherriff, he told me I was speeding and I told him I was late for work.
He asked me where I worked and I told him I was a dispatcher for the state police.
He let me go.
I was quite surprised.

Let’s finish off today’s issue with special thanks to our next years patrons.

Steven H.     Leah H.     Henry S.     K2     Ginny     Henry C.     and     Dan T.

Thank you very much, from the bottom of our hearts.  Your generosity and love mean so very much to us.

If you also wish to be among the ranks of the patrons, any donation at all, even a dollar, will be happily accepted and help us to continue this ezine.  At the top of the issue, in the right column you will see where to donate.  If you wish to not use PayPal, then write to me at impishdragon@gmail.com and I will give you a snail mail address you can write to.

Thanks.