Zwol.org

I went to a comic shop during lunch today and saw a line of people running down the block and around the corner. Not for the comic shop, but for the shop next door-- a shop that sells flags.

Even more Photos:
A satellite photo of the New York City area.
http://killer.gaschamber.net/~tsk/wtc/xactly/ (unfortunate URL, sorry)

Jeff Kandt: "President Bush now promises "victory" over terrorism. This strikes me as incredibly naive, or cynical, or both."

Dave Winer: "We've got to find a better use for it than use it as an excuse to unleash our anger through military force."

So many stories this morning. Almost everything Doc Searls says and links to today and yesterday is worth reading. An important thing that's been running through my head all this time, and makes no appearance at all in the President's scripted rhetoric, is summed up by Doc in this quote: "For the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center, America was the Other, the villian. What was their story? Who else is following that story, and believes in it, for whatever reason? Why? What can we do to change that story?"

When he's off-script, George W seems to babble incoherently (scroll down to Q&A session), and I wouldn't be the first to make stream-of-consiousness links to the Tower of Babel and the Tarot Tower card.

Allowing Jennifer to speak for her comic, she says, "Presenting, C'est la Vie, a comic strip starring the existentialist beauty Mona Montrois. She is published in the UCLA newspaper, The Daily Bruin."

The Dalai Lama's letter to the President written Sept. 12th.

Kottke.org points to an older Suck.com column addressing the concept of terrorist activity as cowardice.

Gotta love that Blackholebrain: "There is no tolerance for *Dubyonics* in any discourse dealing with that which could become a world war."

And also: "And what's this with Dubya promising to 'Rid the World of Evil'? [T]hat's an extremely tall order."

Jack Masters: "As an atheist, I feel a little alienated by everyone on the news praying and talking about praying, but I certainty empathize with the families and friends of the victims."

In other news: My comic comes directly from me and deals with things that I'm thinking about at the time I make it. Expect last Tuesday's events to be a running theme for as long as I can't get them out of my mind. There is nothing inherent to comics that they have to entertain, distract and take you away from reality (though I often prefer to read comics that do just that). If you're a regular reader of Zwol, you'll be used to reading my therapy, so nothing has changed-- It's just that usually what's bothering me isn't the same as what's bothering the rest of America. I apologize in advance if I'm bringing you down.

Out here on the west coast, we think you're all right, but nobody I know has heard from you directly. If you're reading this, please go to the forum and post something, okay? Thanks.

More stuff:

DiveIntoMark: "A lot of effort went into making this effortless."

Red Rock Eater Digest: "It's absurd that an attacker can simply turn the tracking devices off."

In a different world, George W. Bush would have given this speech.

"Phantom Towers" of light. Proposed as a temporary monument.

For when you need a break from the seriousness of it all.

Grant Morrison: "Despite the rhetoric of 'good' vs. 'evil' employed by President Bush, Mr. Blair and their allies, our leaders can claim NO moral high ground in this sad mess and should not be allowed to."

Slate: A need for new language for the "new kind of war."

Utter Lunacy: I can always count on BlackHoleBrain to root out the the news of the weird. Let's make that case in three links: WTC UFO; Faces in the smoke; the Bill Gates connection.

Good news: My friend, Kerry, whom I was asking to contact me in yesterday's news post has done so. He reports that he was in WTC2 on the 10th, but not (thankfully) on the 11th.