David Konig

Because You Are Entitled To My Opinion

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You are here: Home / Archives for September 11

13 Years Later And… The Terrorists Have Won

December 18, 2014 By Dave Konig 1 Comment

The Interview Movie PosterI’m sure that by now you have heard that the satiric comedy The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, has been completely pulled from release by Sony Motion Pictures. This happened on the heels of a group that had breached Sony’s cyber sovereignty and released a trove of inside information and private e-mails now threatening 9/11 style attacks against movie theaters and their patrons who would go and see the movie that had been scheduled to open December 25th, 2014.

Its been 13 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks… and with Sony pulling ALL release plans for The Interview… the terrorists have officially won.

Some might argue that they won years ago, when the Patriot Act went into effect allowing the government unprecedented access to our lives and information. Others will argue that they won when flying became an enormous hassle trying to get through the security check points. There are those who will argue that they won when the NSA booted up PRISM. All of these were turning points in our lives, shaping the country we live in today and altering the civil liberties we have enjoyed for so long. I will argue that this is the moment… this is the moment when they have been victorious in their battle.

I have always been a proponent of free speech, freedom of the press, and enjoyed our freedom of expression. I hold these three freedoms the most important and valuable of all. Ironically, freedom of speech and freedom of the press through the Bill of Rights are protections not from foreign agents, but against our very own government. The fact that the freedom of expression is being squashed by threats of radical violence from foreign extremists is proof evident of more than an ideological loss, but more of a complete and utter abandonment of one of the founding tenets of living in the United States.

The truth is we no longer live in the land of the free or the home of the brave.

The pussification of America is finally complete.

Lost The Battle… Win The War

There’s still time though. This is still something that can be turned around, but either Sony has to act quickly… or the internet has to act quicker.

Obviously the reason the “terrorists” (I use the term loosely because they’re more like cyber bullies) are doing this is so The Interview is never seen. So here’s three ways to turn this into a win:

  1. Release The Interview via iTunes/Amazon/Roku so that anyone who wants to see it, can. Heck, you can even charge for it and will probably make back the $44 million already spent
  2. Send a copy of the movie to The Pirate Bay… who better to spread the word of suppressed artists but they?
  3. Someone needs to start a KickStarter to buy the film from Sony… it worked for Veronica Mars so there’s no reason James Franco and Seth Rogen couldn’t go the same route. I would totally do this myself, but KickStarter isn’t something I’m versatile enough in

It’s simple really… but then there’s the tough part… making it happen. Needless to say, considering I fell asleep during the climactic battle of Amazing Spider-Man 2, I don’t have a lot of faith in Sony at this point….

Filed Under: Movies, News Tagged With: September 11, The Interview, The Pussification of America

6,837,120 minutes

September 11, 2014 By Dave Konig Leave a Comment

It has been 6,837,120 minutes minutes since 9:59am on September 11, 2001. It was on that clear, crisp, perfectly blue skied Tuesday September morning where blood from all nations was spilled on American soil for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. My city, our nation, and everyone’s world was irrevocably changed.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

–Thomas Jefferson

It has been 13 years.

The blood of patriots has spilled for 13 years.

The blood of tyrants has spilled for 13 years.

13 years that blood has refreshed the tree of liberty.

Today is about remembering the conscious sacrifice made by one for another in their greatest time of need without regard for race, creed, or political beliefs. Today is about remembering those who sacrificed 13 years ago and those who have sacrificed since then to keep the tree of liberty alive and well. Today is about remembering that while all sacrificed some… there are those who have sacrificed all. I ask that you remember this today and leave everything else for another time.

It has been 6,837,120 minutes since the South Tower of the World Trade Center at Liberty Street and West Street collapsed. I ask that you specifically remember the following nine Emergency Medical Service Responders who perished in that collapse:

Carlos Lillo
Ricardo Quinn
Keith Fairben
Mark Schwartz
David Sullins
volunteer Zhe Zang
my friend Mario Santoro
my friend and vollie dispatcher Richard Pearlman
and my friend and partner Yamel Merino

#AlwaysRememberEMS

Filed Under: First Responder Tagged With: September 11

Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY

January 14, 2013 By Dave Konig Leave a Comment

This past weekend I had the chance to go see the Oscar Best Picture Nominee ZERO DARK THIRTY. The movie recounts the CIA manhunt for Usama Bin-Laden and is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who won the Best Director Academy Award for The Hurt Locker.

zero-dark-thirty-509d8746cb264The movie starts off with a black screen and audio recordings from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. I found this to be both powerful, but more importantly respectful of the events and those who lost their lives.

The film jumps two years later when the CIA ran their detainee program. CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain) arrives in Islamabad, Pakistan and witnesses her first CIA style interrogation led by senior operative Dan (Jason Clarke). The interrogation techniques used include sleep deprivation, water boarding, boxing, and using dog collars on the detainees. The visuals are quite jarring and graphic, but undoubtedly are really still nothing compared to what actually occurred.

What the film also highlights is the change in tactics on foreign soil due to the political climate back in the United States. One of the most intriguing points the film subtly makes is that the original information on the courier, confirmed by interviews with over 20 detainees, would not have been possible without that program. You understand the frustration when the hierarchy wants confirmation of the person in the compound and, due to no longer having the detainee program, the CIA has no one to talk to.

The film covers the movements of CIA operatives during other terrorist attacks, such as the London bus bombing, the Islamabad Marriott bombing, and the attempted bombing of Times Square. The climax of the film, the actual raid on the compound, does feature some night vision footage but thankfully uses it more to set the atmosphere as opposed to becoming the atmosphere for the sequence. The action is quick paced and reminiscent of a first person shooter video game.

Overall, subject matter aside, I think it was a very well done movie. I would not be surprised if it takes Best Picture or if Jessica Chastain wins out over the other leading ladies at the Academy Awards this year. Then again, since The Avengers got snubbed, does it really matter?

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews Tagged With: Military, New York City, September 11

5,785,920 Minutes

September 11, 2012 By Dave Konig Leave a Comment

It has been 5,785,920 minutes since 9:59am on September 11, 2001. It was on that clear, crisp, perfectly blue skied Tuesday September morning where blood from all nations was spilled on American soil for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. My city, our nation, and everyone’s world was irrevocably changed.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

–Thomas Jefferson

It has been 11 years.

The blood of patriots has spilled for 11 years.

The blood of tyrants has spilled for 11 years.

11 years that blood has refreshed the tree of liberty.

Today is about remembering the conscious sacrifice made by one for another in their greatest time of need without regard for race, creed, or political beliefs. Today is about remembering those who sacrificed 11 years ago and those who have sacrificed since then to keep the tree of liberty alive and well. Today is about remembering that while all sacrificed some… there are those who have sacrificed all. I ask that you remember this today and leave everything else for another time.

It has been 5,785,920 minutes since the South Tower of the World Trade Center at Liberty Street and West Street collapsed. I ask that you specifically remember the following nine Emergency Medical Service Responders who perished in that collapse:

Carlos Lillo
Ricardo Quinn
Keith Fairben
Mark Schwartz
David Sullins
volunteer Zhe Zang
my friend Mario Santoro
my friend and vollie dispatcher Richard Pearlman
and my friend and partner Yamel Merino

#AlwaysRememberEMS

Filed Under: First Responder Tagged With: September 11

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I'm a New York City based EMS provider and this is a weblog, most commonly referred to as a "blog". The opinions and thoughts expressed here represent my own and are NOT those of my employer, any associations, or any volunteer organizations I am a member of. Read More…

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Everybody comes to a point in their life when they want to quit, but it’s what you do at that moment that determines who you are.

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From TheSocialMedic.net: The Social Medic

8,940,960 minutes

8,940,960 minutes

It has been 8,940,960 minutes since 9:59am on September 11, 2001 when the South Tower of the Word Trade Center collapsed. It was on that clear, crisp, perfectly blue skied Tuesday September morning where blood from all nations was spilled on soil below where the Stars and Stripes flew for the first time since the […]

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