The News
This is all you get today suckers. You had your dessert yesterday with all the celebrity fluff. Today you’ll have to put your dentures in and get ready to digest something. Today 3N is a bit pissed.

Truth Takes A Holiday
Many of you may have missed the picture of dozens of coffins draped in American flags and being loaded into the bay of a cargo jet bound for the States. Maybe you just weren’t paying attention and maybe not. The photo was banned by newspapers and magazines across the country, deemed either “insensitive” or “too upsetting” to publish. Rubbish.

The Seattle Times had the balls to put it on the front page of the Sunday edition—big, bold and above the fold, right where it should be, right in front of your eyes to feast upon over your morning (mourning?) coffee and Danish. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out right now and get back to me. Find it here.

This is what war looks like, folks, and 3N was stunned by that photo. When is the last time we had to look at stacks of American bodies? It’s been a while, right? Maybe since Gulf War Vol. 1? And for what? The death toll now stands at 700-plus and is still going strong. And for what? Well, here’s what pissing 3N off today.

That photo has touched off a firestorm of controversy. Already banned by many if not most media outlets across the country, now the Bush administration has formally condemned it as well, saying it’s “insensitive to mourners and the victims’ families.” Rather cheeky coming from a president who has yet to attend the funeral services of even one slain soldier. Furthermore, the administration has reiterated its ban on journalists photographing the coffins of dead soldiers. That ban was originally instituted in 1991 during the first Gulf War.

Worse still, the woman who snapped the photo has since been dismissed by her employer. Tami Silicio, who worked for Maytag Aircraft, was given her walking papers yesterday for violating the ban and going against company regulations. So much for the truth, folks. To add insult to injury, Maytag went ahead and fired another staffer, David Landry, who recently married Silicio. The couple plans to leave Iraq immediately and return to the States. Landry told the Times in an e-mail that he was proud of what his wife did.

“It wasn’t my intent to lose my job or anything,” Silicio told the Times. “I have to admit I liked my job, I liked what I did.”

3N liked what she did, too. That photo captures in grim detail what’s really going on in Iraq. All those bodies, all those lives that won’t be lived. Families that will miss them and grieve for them. Memories lost with no opportunity to make more. Sons and daughters deprived of their mothers and fathers. Spouses left behind. Bright minds, funny minds. You all see where this is going and we’ll get off the soapbox now. But if this picture doesn’t hammer home the utter senselessness of it all then nothing will. Too bad many of you won’t get to see it. That would be bad. And insensitive. Let’s move on.

Losing Your Honor, Dignity and Integrity: Priceless
Let’s just get pissed some more.

Many of you probably weren’t aware of the rampant and vile looting that went on during the clearing of the debris we used to call the World Trade Center. Yes, many of New York’s finest, be they police or fireman, helped themselves to anything they could get their hands on from the pile. Remember, these weren’t just offices that were destroyed—there were stores and restaurants in the base of the towers and at its periphery.

Journalist William Langwiesche, in American Ground, has written the finest book to date on what he referred to as the “unbuilding” of the towers. In it he describes the types of things stolen from the site: seized cigarettes from U.S. Customs offices, watches from the Tourneau store, appliances, jeans from the Gap, computers, wine from the ruined Marriott hotel—the list goes on. This isn’t talked about much and maybe it shouldn’t be in light of all the good that went on at the site. Read the book. Anyway, today we have something new to add to the list: cars, and lots of them.

It appears that several of the cars owned by the Secret Service that were listed as “crushed” under the debris were actually simply stolen by the head of the agency’s motor poll, according to the New York Times.

William Bennette, 52, on Tuesday was arrested and charged with theft of government property. He faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine of $250,000. Among the vehicles recovered were a 2001 Chevy Impala Bennette gave his daughter, a 2001 Ford Taurus and 1998 Mercury Sable given to his mother, and a 1994 Plymouth Acclaim and 1994 Ford Taurus Bennette had sold to a local auto body shop. His net profit? A little over 10 grand. They ought to string the fucker up.

Predictably, Bennette had no comment and is currently hiding behind and speaking through his lawyer.

War is hell and life’s pretty damn ugly sometimes. And on that note, 3N is headed to the beach. You all ought to, too. We’ll be funny again tomorrow, promise.