Freddogg Off The Chain

Five years ago Cape Henlopen high school where I worked was hard wired for the avoidance of reality. This was never more clearly focused among the integrated centrally controlled classroom network of televisions then when the Columbine story was breaking.
The Vice Principal, a five star alarmist in a three alarm world, ordered all televisions switched to Nickelodeon which was featuring some skinny drug addict talking to a dog named Magenta on a program called Blues Clues which qualified as ironic in a sub-reference Columbine sort of way.

When 911 happened sometime around 9:11 I had just finished my “World According To Fredman” current events lesson. My theme for each class was always “Some day you will wake up and the world will be a different place.”

I told my students to kick back and commence to lust after and grope one another as we passively watched Channel One where mixed raced homosexual correspondents traveled the world protected by automatic weapons off camera.

CNN came on as I waited for channel One to kick in. I saw a smoking World Trade Tower and thought of King Kong. I also always thought that any plane traversing the New York sky line would be shot from the sky and then questions would be asked.

I told the kids to be quiet that this was a big story depending on the size of the plane. I was thinking plane never contemplating the life inside that building in which I rode the elevator to the top several times once with a class of Cape students many grossly out of shape and not stair steppers for two floors or 80.

The television then switched to Channel One “Aids in Africa” and there was Ted Kopple and everyone said “We don’t want this story!” In fact , they never wanted that story and ironically the Channel One correspondent looked like the lead singer from the Fine Young Cannibals.

Students hit the parking lot to get to car radios. The story started to unravel. World Trade Two the Pentagon and several missing planes. Kids with brains grew smart enough to be scared.

A young, athletic, deer hunting, red necked, I own my own shotgun and hunt with my daddy, girl named Katie, started to cry and said, ”Fredman I want this to be over. This is my senior year. I don’t need this. Are we safe? Can you tell me it’s safe?” Katie said, going Marathon Man on me. Welcome to the team! You are an American just like the rest of us" I told her.

School was dismissed and we got to go home and watch the second plane crash into the Tower over and over from different angles. Then there were the home videos of collapsing buildings and foreign shots of Palestinians dancing in the streets. College and pros games were cancelled. A wave of patriotism and I hate to say stupid country songs swept the nation.

Then came the Taliban and Afghanistan then Iraq and Sunnis and Shites and Kurds but the good news is Americans have no idea about these players so just signed off to Bush, ”Go stomp whoever needs stomping” which is where we are five years later.

A four year old girl was on one of those airplanes. A guy flying back to California to get his lab puppy was on another. You have to wonder if you were in World Trade Two on a school trip how fast you would get out after the first plane hit.

A guy just hired at $700 grand a year was in charge of security and evacuation. But there was no plan for planes. How about this one?

“If a plane hits either building everyone gets out as quickly as possible. Sound the high pitched alarms and keep them screaming! And everyone just keep on running until you see Jersey License plates.”

I give the Saudi Terrorists absolutely no credit for a well orchestrated plan. The people paid to protect us were not prepared. We are still a free country with “soft targets” all over the place. My entire day is moving from one soft target to another.

And now Conspiracy Theorists are running amuck among us. ‘We attacked ourselves!” And some smart people be believing that shit.

I believe we lost 3000 good and innocent Americans five years ago. I believe I grieve for those team members. Beyond that I live in a state of foreign policy confusion and bewilderment but at least I admit it!

Freddogg