| Time
to move on from 9-11
In its recent issue, Cityview went large with
the 9/11 playback memories of several Des Moines'
citizens ("Remembering 9-11," Sept.
8). Their collective "I grok" contemplations
came from a day burned into their life timelines.
We all get the picture. Now, enough already.
Let's draw a line under The Twin Tower episode
and leave it as a sticky note on a faded calendar.
We need to break off the communal handholding.
An exploitable and necessarily true perspective
is employable and even familiar from popular
culture. It gives us a perspective that may
be rough but clear.
Consider this: the world is mobbed up with warring
families, tribes and gangs. It's an eternal
"us versus them" conflict. And, "they"
freely cosign this binding rivalry with "us."
The shared goal is to win at all costs. Second
place is no place.
With that, 9/11 was as prosaic as it is understandable
— it was a mob hit, and we got whacked. We went
to the mattresses, licked our wounds and sought
big time payback. We sent our button men in
to settle the score. Mid East drive-bys, rub
outs and St. Valentine's Day Massacres felt
justifiably good. But there has been neither
end nor solution, and there never will be.
Will beer summits, handshakes and candy grams
bring everyone into the tent? Forget about it.
Gang conflict is about territory, hegemony and
profit. Tribal dons want definable boundaries
to guarantee the skim. Who has the power now
and who gets it next drives action and reaction.
Morality and mourning are group centric. Those
who condemn a scimitar against their neck can
accept a hard rain of cluster bombs directed
elsewhere. Like it or not, everything you own,
or materially want, derives from this system.
You are its beneficiary, and you're in — big
time. Protestations and denial are for personal
days or wintry get-away vacations. Dress warm
when in denial.
Gary Wilson
Des Moines
Great to see Keeler in print again
I recently picked up a copy of your paper and
was surprised to see Sean Keeler's preview of
the upcoming football season on the cover ("College
Football Preview," Sept. 1). It's good
news that you had the sense to bring on Sean
after the dumb move by the Gannett publication.
Although I live outside of Des Moines, I plan
to check your website when I am not able to
pick up an actual copy. Also, kudos for giving
space to Brian Duffy for his op-ed cartoons,
which was another really dumb move by you know
who.
Gayle V. Strickler Jr.
Marshalltown
B-movies will never end
You probably didn't see the Republican presidential
candidates debate last week. There was a much
better entertaining agenda, including football
and baseball, of course. The debate was held
at the Ronald Reagan Library, a nice gesture
for old times sake. Undoubtedly, the Reagan
library is the only library in the world that
includes an airplane hanger and an airplane.
Not just any airplane, minds you, but the huge
four-engine Air Force One which once took the
president hither and yon.
The debate was much less interesting than the
plane. If you watched, you may have noticed
that TV cameramen kept focusing their equipment
on the plane rather than the candidates. Can't
blame them. I thought I was watching another
Reagan B-movie. But can you believe those Republicans?
No other group in the world would spend that
much money to put a huge airplane in a library.
John Hicks
Des Moines
Lay off the president
I'm sick and tired of the people in Washington,
the Republicans, news media outlets and the
American people blaming every thing that is
happening on President Obama. He can't do everything
in four years, and he needs another four years
to fix everything that was wrong when he came
into office. What are the Republican candidates
going to do to fix the problems? They don't
care about black people, poor people, the middle
class or people on Medicare or social security.
They only care about the millionaires and billionaires
donating to their unjust cause.
Annie Patton
Des Moines
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Facebook Comments
(left unedited)
Cityview magazine question No.
1
"In France, a woman was in court to divorce
her husband. She blamed him for the dissolution
because he wouldn't give it up. The judge agreed,
sex is an important part of marriage, and hubby
didn't keep up his end of the deal, despite
his defense that he had health issues preventing
him from being able to boink (Yes, we said boink).
She was awarded $14K in her divorce. Do you
agree with the judge? What if it was a man divorcing
a woman on the same grounds?"
Michelle Ford
Wow that's BS. Marriage is supposed to be for
better or worse. If u loved someone enought
to marry them when the sex was good you stand
by them through anything.
Adam Swihart
Billy Joel divorced Cristie Brinkley for the
same thing. It's called Physical Abandonment
I believe.
Becki Raffay
It all depends on if he was seeking treatment
for those "physical issues".
Cityview magazine question No.
2
"If you had the power, what's the first
thing you'd fix in this world??"
Missy Malmberg
The ability for stupid people to make important
decisions.
April Odom
Peace
Amalia Garcia Morales
Cutoff all mullets
Gusto Pizza Co.
Hipsters would have to live on their own island.
Oh, and carnies would have to be nice.
Aaron Pruitt
Ignorant people
Sue Collins
Main Health Ins. system!
Olde Main Brewing Co.
Beer would rain from the sky and all monkeys
would where top hats and monocles. Why? Because
who would want to fight wars in a world that
beautiful. *tear*
Rick McAtee
People who try to force their values upon others.
Calvin Hultman II
Religion.
Kelly Salyers Cummings
Starvation
Dan Umthun
Overpopulation. I'd use starvation and religion
to do it.
Sue Ellen Herrick
The first thing I would change would peoples
ability to get away with crimes so easily. | 
