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Memo From Rockwell
by
Burton S. Blumert
by Burton S. Blumert
Memo
From:
Editor Lew Rockwell
To: Burt
Blumert
Subject:
Your next assignment.
I regret to
advise you, Blumert, that your article on Katrina and the tragic
flooding in New Orleans is unsuitable for LRC.
Interviewing
the waiters at the Mardi Gras Bar and Grille in San Francisco hardly
qualifies as adequate research.
Your revisionist
theory that a clique of renegade CIA agents created Katrina so that
damning JFK assassination evidence would be destroyed by the rampaging
floodwaters is fascinating. But naming Waldo, the bartender at the
Mardi Gras as your primary source for the story also falls short
as proper investigative reporting.
Incidentally,
the $125 charge on your expense account for "2 rounds of drinks
for Katrina’s victims at the Mardi Gras Bar" is also rejected.
This next assignment
gives you a chance to regain your status as LRC’s #7
investigative reporter.
It’s predictable
that people will react violently to foreign invaders on their soil,
but to see them blowing themselves up as "suicide bombers"
is beyond the ability of most Americans to fathom.
Who are these
people that blow themselves up?
How are
they chosen?
We need
answers, Blumert.
Infiltrate their organizations;
sign on if you must;
do whatever it takes to get us the facts.
Following is
a transcription of Blumert’s interview at the Your Last Job Agency,
located in the hills of Marin County.
Simon Rasputin
is the Agency interviewer; Simon earned international notoriety
as the Kool-Aid dispenser at the People’s Temple in Guyana.
RASPUTIN: Hello,
Blumert. And thanks for using Your Last Job Agency. We are an equal
opportunity, non-sectarian agency seeking qualified suicide bombers
(SBs) from all walks of life, regardless of their political or religious
biases.
I don’t wish
to sound like an ageist but aren’t you a little old to be applying
for this kind of work?
BLUMERT: Well,
being old may be part of it. The current costs of dying have
skyrocketed and a suicide bombing might save my estate thousands
of dollars. In fact, don’t some SBs earn up to $25,000 for their
family survivors?
RASPUTIN: Yes,
that’s true, less, of course, our 18% agency fee.
At the risk
of being rude, Blumert, may I ask why are you wearing that ridiculous,
pink Lawrence of Arabia costume? Are you making some political statement,
or is it left over from Halloween? (See Sheik
for a Week.)
BLUMERT: No
political statement intended, but there are so few occasions when
I can wear it and my wife says that the flowing lines are flattering
and make me look thinner.
As to the color,
don’t jump to any conclusions, Buster. The tailor ran out of white
and all he had left was pink. Do you have trouble with that?
RASPUTIN: Well,
Excuuuuuse me! Let’s move on.
Your application
is impressive, Blumert. It’s hard to imagine anyone so consistently
identified with losing causes. This is a very positive indicator
for us. You just may be one of those "naturals" we encounter
every now and then.
Are you ready
to start talking about an assignment?
BLUMERT: Not
so fast. There are several things that trouble me. First, I read
that the strap-on bombs are getting bigger and more powerful. Please,
make a note that my bomb can’t be too heavy as I have a chronic
bad back.
Can you imagine
if my back went out just when I was pushing the button, or pulling
the ripcord, or whatever it takes to set the thing off?
RASPUTIN: OK,
OK. So noted. Now, are you ready to talk assignment?
BLUMERT: Well,
let’s see. I have a dental appointment on Tuesday and on Thursday
I’m scheduled for a Karate lesson. How about after Christmas?
RASPUTIN: Some
of the clients we represent might be hiring extra people for the
Christmas season, but I’m confident we could place you after the
holidays.
BLUMERT: Now,
the first reports I heard on the hotel suicide bombings in Jordan
indicated that a husband and wife team were involved. I know that
some employers don’t approve of hiring married couples, but it seems
like a romantic idea to me.
RASPUTIN: I
suppose it would be all right if we teamed the two of you up, but
your wife will have to go through the same training course and don’t
try to get another $25,000 out of us. It’s $25,000 per family.
BLUMERT: You
just made that up. We should get at least $35,000 for the two of
us.
Rasputin: All
right, already. $35,000 it is. Call your wife and have her come
down to sign up.
BLUMERT: Well,
it’s not quite that simple. She hasn’t the foggiest notion I’m here
or what we’re discussing. She might very well be against this whole
thing. You know how difficult women can be sometimes.
RASPUTIN: This
interview is not going well. Tell me, Blumert, what other problems
would you have as a suicide bomber?
BLUMERT: For
one thing, I’m crazy about animals. I’d need total assurance that
not a hair on any kitty or doggy would be hurt.
Also,
the world does not have enough music. It certainly wouldn’t be a
big deal to have any musicians discreetly removed from the scene
before I set the thing off.
RASPUTIN: I’m
certain that somewhere, someone would be happy to see you become
a suicide bomber, Blumert, even if you are the only casualty. I’ll
give some thought to locating such a client. In the meanwhile, as
they say, "Don’t call us. We’ll call you.
November
15, 2005
Burt
Blumert [send him mail]
is publisher of LewRockwell.com,
president of the Center
for Libertarian Studies,
and proprietor of Camino
Coin. See Burt's
Gold Page.
Copyright
© 2005 LewRockwell.com
Burton
S. Blumert Archives
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