Volume XIX, Issue VIg: Remembering September 11, 2001
Remembering September 11,2001
Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) Alan Jackson
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?
Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?
Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to G-d
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?
Lower Manhattan, New York, New York. Photo by Detective Greg Smedinger Arlington, Virginia. Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Imagine logging onto social media and discovering that your picture was being used to scare young children. Not by cruel teenagers, mind you…by adults. That happened recently to Lizzie Velasquez. Velasquez was born with a rare genetic disorder that leaves her unable to gain weight. Now 30, she has never weighed more than 62 pounds. The disorder has left her with deformed facial and skull bones. In 2006, a cruel YouTube video dubbed her the “World’s Ugliest Woman.” In stead of crushing her spirit, Velasquez has used the bullying and mockery to become a champion for the disabled and for others on the receiving end of internet-enabled cruelty. After graduating from college, she has become an author, writing several books to bring hope to those who have been abused because of their looks or disabilities. Velasquez is not shy about what is behind her remarkable response to all of this adversity. Her Christian faith, she says, has been her “rock through everything, just having the time to be alone and pray and talk to God and know that He’s there for me.” Tragically, as our culture’s disregard for human dignity worsens, so has the ridicule and abuse. (read more)
Rediscovering Imago Dei
Ten years ago, my young assistant and I were engaged in a project painting a mural of children around the world in the New Heaven and the New Earth. We found pictures of children living in dire circumstances in war-torn lands and garbage dumps and we painted them as Princesses and Princes in God’s restored world as described in ISAIAH 60. We delighted in celebrating the fact that each one of us is made in the Divine Image.
Sadly, so much of our culture teaches a blatant disregard for those “not like us,” played out in role-playing sites like TicTok or in the assaulting of diners in cafes for simply being “the wrong color.” This is not the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King nor is it a mindset likely to create a safe society. Our national motto is E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one). Surely we can learn to value each member of our wild and dysfunctional human family – and in doing so we might just see a glimpse of the Divine!
Not surprisingly, the hand-picked crew was Israeli. The first mate was Major Sarah Cohen, who had been in service with Ben Gurion before. Ben Gurion made it clear that the Major was his first choice for the position and that without her selection, he was not interested in the command. In simulator flight practice you could see the crisp performance of the two veteran flyers as they worked together. In fact, no one would suspect the great secret they had in common… they were husband and wife! They had stood under a chuppah by the Sea of Galilee with a few friends who were sworn to secrecy. When Abiyah’s crew was finalized, you must know that the bulk of his crew were secret couples as well. Since the crew’s quarters were in a sealed off area near the lift to the bridge, this would not present a problem… unless Apollonius insisted on occupying the crew’s quarters as well. Fortunately he could not resist the offer of the more luxurious VIP quarters in another sector and so as far as he knew he simply had the best flying team in Israel handling his starship.
In fact, the crew were pretty much unopposed by any serious competition for their assignment. A few reckless adventurers and such vied for the positions but Ben Gurion’s little group outperformed them all. They occupied the Great Northern as simulated flight situations were run through her cockpit… practicing over and over for the journey to Mars. Most of them had enjoyed remarkable careers in the IAF and this two-year mission would be a wonderful transition into civilian retirement. Sarah Cohen was young and ambitious, but she wanted a legacy most of all. Retirement might be difficult for Abiyah, if not downright impossible, but they both dreamed of children. That would have to wait until they were safely back on Earth.
Apollonius makes me nervous.” Sarah confided to her husband. “He seems to have more than colonization on his mind. Trust me, I can sense it.”
We’ll have him on our backs for less than a year, then we’ll coast home. We’ve been in tighter places before. The Divine is our Hope and Protector.”
You read PSALMS a lot, husband. I am glad they give you hope and comfort, but this Apollonius… I think we all underestimate him, ESPECIALLY Rupert Zimmerman. That may just prove to be our undoing.”
In Wales, AK, at the headquarters of the Zimmerman organization, a similar conversation was ongoing between Elizabeth Zimmerman O’Malley and Rupert’s assistant Hannah.
The numbers all add up, Hannah, but I just don’t see something here and I can feel that I don’t see something!”
I know.” Hannah replied. “Its like Rupert forgets to ask the really tough questions. Usually he’s the one to ferret it out when there is something not quite right. But, as you say, the numbers make sense and the use of SS/AC006 virtually eliminates the unknowns as far as risk. So far as the mission itself, It’s textbook except that we weren’t going to do a MANNED mission and no one saw any benefit to colonization. We sell space on linear induction launches all the time. The people going out to the colony are volunteers and we’ve kept the process rigorous so they have plenty of time to rethink. The crew flying Great Northern is the best we have… and loyal to a fault. Apollonius himself, well, he’s one smooth operator and he seems to deftly answer any questions. But there its like he’s TOO scripted… TOO ready with the explanation. Do you know what I mean?”
I know. Really, it’s his connection to the One World Government Movement that troubles me the most. AAR and Israel will get the credit for the mission all right, but is he pushing something else that we can’t see here that will further his statist designs?”
He’s out of the picture until he returns for the launch.” said Elizabeth. “In the meantime, I will work with Mr. Zimmerman to assure we have the proper oversight in place for the mission.” (to be continued)
Volume XIX, Issue Vb:The “Flight of the Phoenix Election,”
The Flight of the Phoenix Election ByBob Kirchman
In the last election, an article appeared comparing the urgency of the election to the situation facing the passengers on flight 93 on September 11, 2001. [1.] It’s then anonymous author, ‘Publicus,’ made a great point. Too often Conservatives approached the dangers facing the republic with not enough of a sense of urgency. The 2016 election was indeed of grave importance. But now it is 2020 and the urgency of the situation has only become more pronounced. After the country seemed to be taking a better course the pandemic and civil unrest threw sand in the engine of recovery. Here we are, much like the cast of Flight of the Phoenix, stuck in a bad place.
In the 1965 film, Jimmy Stewart plays pilot Frank Towns, a good aviator who nonetheless, through a series of events never quite fully elaborated, finds himself flying a Fairchild C-82 for a “fifth rate airline” with a drunken navigator flying passengers and freight from Jaghbub to Benghazi in Lybia. When a sandstorm kills the engines he is forced to crash into the desert and the plane’s occupants are all stranded. Towns is a man haunted by his past failures and shuts down when he needs to lead. The passengers discover that walking out is impossible. They have gone so off course that rescue is unlikely. They have ten days supply of water. They will likely die in the desert.
But one of the passengers is Heinrich Dorfmann, a German engineer, who suggests an audacious plan to build a smaller aircraft from usable parts of the crashed plane and fly out of there. The story is based on an actual incident in which a twin engine plane crashed in the desert during World War II. In that case the flight mechanic was able to construct a one-engine plane from the wreckage that was flown with six men strapped to the wing to an allied base.[2.] Dorfmann and Towns engage in a clash of egos – the whole film can be seen as a lesson in leadership styles – but in the end, Dorfmann’s wild plan gives the men hope to continue. That is what Americans need right now. A congress that mired itself in an attempt to impeach a duly elected President has now moved to an attempt to mismanage a global pandemic that has shut down the engines of commerce worldwide. We need Dorfmann, the outsider with the plan, more than ever right now. We need hope.
America cannot be allowed to die in the desert. There are those who want her to so they can replace her with the failed philosophies of Socialism. This will lead to certain death. Consider the fate of every Socialist experiment. We need hope. We have our Dorfmann. This November we need to work hard to ensure that we will indeed build a way out of the difficult situation we find ourselves in now. This election is about the survival of our way of life!
William Henson and John Stringfellow: Pioneer Aviation Strategists are mentioned by Heinrich Dorfmann in the film Flight of the Phoenix. Here is their story:
Steward, is this the boarding area for the flight across the Channel?’
Yes ma’am. Check your luggage at the gate and proceed up the boarding ramp.’
My daughter and I are so excited! It is safe to fly, isn’t it?’
Absolutely, ma’am. These airplanes incorporate all the latest safety features: high-pressure steam engines, double-walled boilers and the finest canvas propellers. After all, this is 1848.’
International air travel–in the 1840s? No, it’s not a scene from The Twilight Zone. What you’ve just glimpsed, through imaginary dialogue, are the prophetic dreams of Britons William Henson and John Stringfellow, forward-thinking inventors who designed a series of remarkably modern aircraft. They also founded the Aerial Transport Company–the world’s first airline–and began making plans to provide regular air service connecting cities around the world. And to prove their designs could really fly, these 19th-century inventors used the slide valves and steam engines of their day to construct some of the first power-driven flying machines in the world. (read more)
During the course of a presidential campaign, it is common to hear evangelicals, especially younger ones, quip, “I’m just not that interested in politics,” or, “Politics just aren’t my thing.” These dismissive remarks are often delivered with a veneer of piousness implying that political engagement is inherently defiled, occupying an arena unfit for those serious about the gospel. For those inundated with television ads, robo-calls, campaign mail and the overall negative tone of politics, this might be a tempting position to adopt. However, it is not a position Bible-believing, gospel-loving Christians can or should accept as congruent with Scripture. (read more)
The gospel is a holistic message with implications for all areas of life, including how Christians engage the political process." -- David Closson
Public Service as a Holy Calling William Wiberforce and the Abolition of Slavery
William Wilberforce (1759-1833).
A Milestone Monday Feature
Born to priveledge and prone to enjoy the pleasures his status afforded, William Wilberforce would have seemed an unlikely candidate for world changing reformer but G-d in his wisdom had bigger plans for the young dandy. He prepared himself for a life of politics while studying at St John's College, Cambridge.
Then, as now, religion was something considered good 'but not in excess.' Still Wilberforce found himself spiritually hungry and found faith. He sought out the council of John Newton, former slaver turned clergyman. Wilberforce was ready to forsake his place in Parliament to serve G-d but Newton convinced him that his service in Parliament could indeed be a great service to his Creator!
Wilberforce became convinced of two great missions: "the abolition of slavery and the reformation of manners." That is to say reform of society's priorities and treatment of people.
Wilberforce labored for almost half a century to end slavery in the British possessions. He pressed himself to exhaustion and stressed himself to the detriment of his health, but eventually he prevailed. The movie "Amazing Grace" tells of his life and gives a broader picture of the man. He was concerned about mistreatment of animals, healthcare, prison reform and a host of issues that press mankind still.
His work is far from finished. Human Trafficking [click to read] is an issue that modern day persons desiring to follow the lead of Wilberforce must step up to address. A Bridge Builder's Tale
[click to read]
James B. Eads and His Amazing Bridge at St. Louis
When looking down on the Mississippi River
from the top of the Gateway Arch, many visitors
remark upon the graceful-looking bridge to the
north. It is hard to imagine that this bridge is the
product of immediate post-Civil War engineering,
that it was the first bridge built with structural
steel, or that 15 men died of a mysterious illness
while constructing it. Even more amazing is the
fact that it was designed by a self-taught genius
who had never built a bridge before.
The designer was James Buchanan Eads, born
in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 1820. (read more)
2016 is the Flight 93 election: charge the cockpit or you die. You may die anyway. You—or the leader of your party—may make it into the cockpit and not know how to fly or land the plane. There are no guarantees. Except one: if you don’t try, death is certain. (read more)
Ray Bradbury writes: "Two weeks ago my mountain of mail delivered forth a pipsqueak mouse of a letter from a well-known publishing house that wanted to reprint my story “The Fog Horn” in a high school reader.
In my story, I had described a lighthouse as having, late at night, an illumination coming from it that was a “God-Light.” Looking up at it from the view-point of any sea-creature one would have felt that one was in “the Presence.”
The editors had deleted “God-Light” and “in the Presence.”
How did I react to all of the above?
By “firing” the whole lot.
By sending rejection slips to each and every one.
By ticketing the assembly of idiots to the far reaches of hell."(read more)
The America I Love
Tunnel through Mary's Rock on Skyline Drive in Virginia.
Volume XIX, Issue V: The World of Unbuilt Imagination
Artists’ Statement: “Aspiration”
ByBob Kirchman
Our proposal, “Aspiration,” is a celebration of the history of flight – a history that began on a winter day on the coast of North Carolina. The sculpted aircraft tell the story of humankind’s journey into the air and beyond. It is a story that continues as our North Carolina industries now contribute to the exploration of space.
Looking up, you will see the Wright Flyer, the first flying machine, The Spirit of St. Louis, which blazed the path for transcontinental service, The Ford Tri-motor, The DC-3, The 707, A Mercury Capsule, The Apollo CSM, The SpaceX Crew Dragon, and The Artemis Spacecraft which will one day take us to new worlds.
Above the aircraft, the Milky Way Galaxy gives us a perspective point – inspiring humankind’s exploration of even the reaches of the universe. On the base ring, we envision a timeline of interpretive texts, telling the stories of the various aircraft.
Adults and children passing through the terminal will be reminded, or begin to learn, of the history of aeronautical achievement. Executives will remember that North Carolina businesses still play a vital part in the exploration of space and the continuing development of new technologies. It is our sincere desire that “Aspiration”, with its crisp clean metal lifting up each exciting image of flight, will serve to refresh the spirit of those embarking or returning from their journeys.
The Unbuilt World of Imagination
Many years ago, I approached Willy Ferguson, Staunton’s great metal sculpture artist, with an idea I had for a three dimensional clock to be installed on the parapet of a client’s building in Charlottesville. Sadly, we never got to go forward with the project. It would have been a great experience – working with Mr. Ferguson – and I regret that the project never happened. When you are an artist reinventing yourself, you read a lot of RFPs (Requests for Proposal) in the hope of finding some opportunity. I came upon an RFP for airport terminal art that made me wish Willy was still in his Middlebrook Avenue studio, ready for some adventure. Turns out the cost of metal has increased quite a bit and when I requested estimates on the curved supports for the aircraft models, I was advised to sit down. There was no way to build it within the budget specified in the RFP. Still, I thought the concept was a lot of fun. It is called ‘Apsiration,’ for it traces the aspiration of humankind to leave the ground and soar.
Someday my granddaughters will hopefully leaf through my collection of ‘unbuilt’ project ideas and be inspired. Until then, it is always fun to dream.
***
I wrote the above after several local metal fabrication shops told me “there was no way I could afford to build that.” Well, I thought I had given up – but then I made the acquaintance of Wilmington, NC Metalworker Logan Jankowski of L.J. Metalworks [click to visit]. He had posted photographs of a giant wave sculpture he was doing in progress and his website reviews included someone who had received a metal sculpture that was damaged in shipment and how Logan had lovingly restored the piece. We put together a proposal for “Aspiration” and submitted it. Once again, finding that person with special vision is key. Although in the end our design was not selected, the concepts developed have honed our skills for future projects.
Terrazzo Floor Designs
ByBob Kirchmanof the Kirchman Studio
“Pine” evokes the region’s coastal forests.
“Shell” celebrates the region’s ties to the sea.
As a child, I was fascinated by terrazzo. In those days artists would often create floor graphics at the entry to stores with the business logo rendered in different colored terrazzo fills, carefully polished. They conveyed a sense of permanence. At the 1964/1965 World’s Fair, I saw terrazzo’s magnum opus – the map of New York in the ‘Tent of Tomorrow.’
In ‘Pine’ (area one) and ‘Shell,’ I look to Wilmington’s connection to the coastal forests and the sea. I believe with the new computer technologies facilitating terrazzo layout and metal cutting it will be possible to introduce a very natural set of elements into the terminal in a way that will bring comfort and delight into the travel experience. Hopefully a traveler will get a taste of the wonder to be found in exploring the region and natives coming and going will feel a connection to their region.
A New Look for an Ancient Art
Terrazzo's Renaissance
Terrazzo floors at Sky Harbor Sky Train Terminals in Phoenix, Arizona blend new technology with a timeless trade.
Terrazzo is a variation of mosaic floors with a long history.
The Prophet Jeremiah's Message for Our Time In a World Full of Destruction, Be a Builder!
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” – Jeremiah 29:4-7
The Starship Great Northern rode in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit at Space Station/Assembly Center 005 of the Alaska Autonimous Republic. Indeed the crafty Apollonius had spun a tale of potential benefits to mankind. Also, he had invoked an odd chapter in England’s history where convicts and other undesirables were sent to colonize the remote island sub-continent of Australia and there they established a great nation. From 1788 to 1868, about 160,000 convicts were sent to penal colonies there. It was the unforeseen second chance that gave many Australians a hope and a future. Zimmerman, for his part was always willing to listen to any alternative to incarceration. His own incarceration in a U.S. Federal Prison weighed heavy upon him… that and the notion that Theodor Herzl had put forth that there could indeed be a society without prisons! Apollonius had opened his checkbook and the project had been accomplished in record time to build an interplanetary star ship. Cape Lisbon International Spaceport, for its part, provided new and unheard of economy and reliability putting men and materials in orbit. And so the ship, capable of carrying fifty souls on the nine month journey to mars orbited ‘at anchor’ at SSAC005. The ship was being stocked with 3D printers and plans for much of the space colony’s needed machinery, which would be created on the planet’s surface. The unmanned probe had already been sent and would confirm the resources were there to construct what the colonists required. The plan was to expand from the initial living pods out into a full-scale biosphere, much resembling the one on Big Diomede, to protect the colonists from the effects of Mars’s thin atmosphere which was mainly CO2. In the Zimmerman Organization offices in Wales, greenhouse designs originally created for the tundra were being reconfigured for use on Mars. The parts were also being redesigned for ‘printing’ in factories on the planet itself. Botanists were collecting and cultivating plants that would refresh the atmosphere even as they provided food for the settlers. “Eventually we’ll need to establish a colony of 40,000 people in order to allow for a healthy and diverse stock.” Apollonius had said. Still, the initial mission was defined by the limitations of budget and practicality.
The Great Northern had a forward section with a rotating centrifugal ring to create the sensation of gravity for the passengers and crew. It was compact but comfortable. Portholes in the compartments offset the claustrophobic compactness. The ship had been assembled from components destined for platform SS/AC006, the next orbital station to be built, and fitted with a fusion engine to become a large space-going vessel. The fusion engine was at the end of a long tube to the rear of the configuration and the bridge sat directly in front of the gravity ring section. At the helm was Captain Abiyah Ben Gurion, a veteran of the Israeli Air Force. A thoughtful man who spoke little, he had been at the top of his class in astronaut training and was given the opportunity to pilot the first mission to Mars. There was to be no forced assignment to this mission by Zimmerman’s decree. Even the ’settlers’ were to be volunteers. On this point he had won over Apollonius’s insistence that the crew be chosen by George himself and ordered on the mission. The result was a tight group of hard-core military personnel as crew and an odd mix of adventure seekers and condemned men and women who did not fit into society in the potential pool of settlers. Zimmerman and Apollonius would oversee the final selection. Captain Ben Gurion was typical of the crewmen, a silent loner who kept to himself but was known for his devotion to his fellow airmen. He was not unlike those seamen of old who captained oceangoing vessels under sail. His passion was music and he earned the nickname ’Nemo’ from the fact that he had a little midi keyboard in his cabin and the strains of his music often spilled out into the passageways. The crew loved it and almost never addressed him as anything but.
Nemo would be a man without a country for the duration of the two-year voyage. It would take about nine months to get there and then require about six months of orbiting the planet in a support capacity to the colony. After that, there would be the long return trip. The plan was to rotate crews each trip but Nemo secretly wished he could stay on for longer. “Not to worry,” he thought to himself. “Distinguish yourself in command and there won’t be many who seek to take it from you.” (to be continued)
