Publisher's Note
Commentary by Scot Giambalvo
A Day Without SPAM
September 11th, 2001 will be a day of unimaginable sorrow for
every American.
On that day, MODE Weekly posted a reader poll. The three major questions
and their responses are as follows:
1. Do you think the United States is at war?
So far, 64% say YES • 36% say NO.
2. What position do you feel the U.S. takes towards terrorism?
Very Weak: 7% • Weak: 31% • Adequate: 18% • Strong: 22% • Very Strong: 22%
3. If the U.S. identifies the terrorist(s), how severe should the
punishment be?
8% Judgement by trial, life in prison, no capital punishment
33% Judgement by trial, capital punishment as an option
1% No trial, life in prison
34% No trial, immediate execution
24% Other, followed by a personal comment
Interesting statistics, wouldn’t you agree?
Apparently the voice of the Capital Region believes we’re at war. Almost a
third of us feel our government has a weak policy towards terrorism, and
over a third of us would just kill the terrorists if we caught them
ourselves. Typical American knee-jerk bully response.
To be fair, the “Other” category produced comments like: “Drown them in
poop.” “Kill them all.” “Bomb the terrorist training camps and the
countries that harbor them.” “Covert assassination.” “Total and complete
military action.” “We need to make peace, not war.”
So, on this saga will go. Peaking with news of American actions against
the terrorists, dramatized by nightly news anchors and analyzed by
“experts” all day long. It is true that our country will never be the
same. But has this event rocked us so harshly that we may throw ourselves
right into the biggest recession in our history? Only time will tell.
On a more personal note, I was amazed by an anomaly that occurred on
September 12, 2001. As you may have guessed, this was the first day in the
history of my connection to the Internet that I did not receive one piece
of unsolicited e-mail (SPAM). It wasn’t exactly a bright spot in the
terror of the moment, but it was profound enough to capture my attention.
If you consider that I normally receive 20 or so pieces of crap a day, it
was a noticeable and, more so appreciated, absence.
Having spoken with many retailers, business owners, and professionals
about the state of their businesses, my advice to you, our readers, is to
go shopping. Really. The machine that is capitalism, and ultimately our
American economy, is grinding to a halt. It’s time to get back into the
groove. Go to a movie, or eat out tomorrow, or buy a new pair of shoes.
Heck if you like ’80s music (shameless plug), check out Way-Back
Wednesdays at Wanda’s!
Take care, be well, let me know your thoughts, and enjoy this issue.
Scot Giambalvo
P.S. For those of you that know about the messy legal battle this MODE had
with the other MODE Weekly (Formerly MODE Magazine) based in New York City, the New York Post
reports that they are out of business. Suits them right for calling us a pennysaver. HA!
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