DoubleShot: Tulsa - Baghdad
My best friend, Brad, sent me this picture of his crappy coffeemaker. He's in the United States Army, and is currently stationed in Baghdad. Brad is a medic. He worked as a paramedic here in Tulsa with EMSA for a few years before he heard duty calling. This guy is a hero, and he's my friend.
When people talk about what's going on in Iraq, I try not to listen. I listen to Brad. When people criticize the war effort, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad. When DoubleShot is full of politicians, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad:
"This tour sucks, I have seen much horrible trauma....you dont want to know my view on politicians right now."
Oh, but he's wrong. I do want to know his view on politicians.
Brad is fighting in a war that no one gives a shit about. There is such hypocrisy. I sit here day after day listening to rich hippies talk about peace and stopping the violence and their ecological concerns. And I hear them criticize the war and the President's environmental policies and Tulsa's need for community.
But the things I hear them proposing are "community" programs that put money in their pockets. Forget about ecology or environment, they want what Jenks has. They want economic development on the Arkansas River. And they don't really want us to go stop dicatators from mass murder, they want us to TALK to the mass murderers.
Let's talk about the River for a minute. Economic development? That's what downtown is for. What? We've finally decided that buiding, constructing, changing, re-changing, re-zoning, re-positioning, re... we can't make downtown a viable economic center? So now we'll go try it on the River. I live on Riverside Drive. Down on the quiet part, where people slow down. I sit on my front porch and relax. I watch people jog by or ride their bikes or take a stroll. There are big, old trees and foxes at night. And sometimes I think about the "economic development" they want to start on the River. Is that improvement? Advancement? I hardly think so. Preservation! People go to the river to get away. They want to jog and relax. To be by the river and see the geese and ducks waddling around. It's even more serene on the west side of the river trail, where there are no cars driving by.
But I imagine... they wouldn't cut down ALL the trees, just the ones that were in the way. We'd make parking lots and build an island (an island? I'm sorry, but that's retarded) so rich people could have their condos paid for by my tax dollars and we can move Utica Square out there in the middle of the Arkansas River. Maybe they'll make it a gated community. Or maybe because one group of jackasses can get taxpayer dollars to build their money-making project, someone else will decide they want an island too. And then we can just dam up the River altogether and make it into a waterpark. They'll build tall buildings where there used to be trees outside my window. And what we really need on the River is a Starbucks. This town won't even be put on the map until there's a Starbucks in the middle of the Arkansas River. Isn't that what they're talking about when they say "economic development?"
I have an idea. Let's let Jenks ruin the river. Tulsa can use downtown for businesses (what a novel idea) and keep the River for its natural resources.
Anyway, back to Brad.
I don't think we necessarily need to be unified as One World- that's why there are different countries. If you don't like the one you're in, there are other options. But we can at least be unified as The United States of America. All this public dissent only goes to encourage our enemies and discourage our soldiers. Politicians be damned. I know what their shtick is- do whatever it takes to get re-elected so they can live off taxpayer dollars and fund all of their friends' projects. It's bullshit, and I'm sick of it. Vote NO for all new taxes. Vote NO to fund rich guys' private commercial projects. They have enough of our money- they should use what they have more wisely.
But seriously, back to Brad.
I'm about to start selling the g.i. joe blend again. G.I. Joe II, the Baghdad Blend. Some of the proceeds from the sale of it are used to send coffee and other stuff to Brad, who gets popular with they guys by distributing it around the base. Cool. Thanks to Brad and all the soldiers serving around the world. You are fighting for me.
I want to put up pictures in the store of my customers and friends who are in the armed forces. So if you have pics (especially ones with DoubleShot Coffee), send them to me!
This reminds me of a song...
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
When people talk about what's going on in Iraq, I try not to listen. I listen to Brad. When people criticize the war effort, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad. When DoubleShot is full of politicians, I try to tune them out and listen to Brad:
"This tour sucks, I have seen much horrible trauma....you dont want to know my view on politicians right now."
Oh, but he's wrong. I do want to know his view on politicians.
Brad is fighting in a war that no one gives a shit about. There is such hypocrisy. I sit here day after day listening to rich hippies talk about peace and stopping the violence and their ecological concerns. And I hear them criticize the war and the President's environmental policies and Tulsa's need for community.
But the things I hear them proposing are "community" programs that put money in their pockets. Forget about ecology or environment, they want what Jenks has. They want economic development on the Arkansas River. And they don't really want us to go stop dicatators from mass murder, they want us to TALK to the mass murderers.
Let's talk about the River for a minute. Economic development? That's what downtown is for. What? We've finally decided that buiding, constructing, changing, re-changing, re-zoning, re-positioning, re... we can't make downtown a viable economic center? So now we'll go try it on the River. I live on Riverside Drive. Down on the quiet part, where people slow down. I sit on my front porch and relax. I watch people jog by or ride their bikes or take a stroll. There are big, old trees and foxes at night. And sometimes I think about the "economic development" they want to start on the River. Is that improvement? Advancement? I hardly think so. Preservation! People go to the river to get away. They want to jog and relax. To be by the river and see the geese and ducks waddling around. It's even more serene on the west side of the river trail, where there are no cars driving by.
But I imagine... they wouldn't cut down ALL the trees, just the ones that were in the way. We'd make parking lots and build an island (an island? I'm sorry, but that's retarded) so rich people could have their condos paid for by my tax dollars and we can move Utica Square out there in the middle of the Arkansas River. Maybe they'll make it a gated community. Or maybe because one group of jackasses can get taxpayer dollars to build their money-making project, someone else will decide they want an island too. And then we can just dam up the River altogether and make it into a waterpark. They'll build tall buildings where there used to be trees outside my window. And what we really need on the River is a Starbucks. This town won't even be put on the map until there's a Starbucks in the middle of the Arkansas River. Isn't that what they're talking about when they say "economic development?"
I have an idea. Let's let Jenks ruin the river. Tulsa can use downtown for businesses (what a novel idea) and keep the River for its natural resources.
Anyway, back to Brad.
I don't think we necessarily need to be unified as One World- that's why there are different countries. If you don't like the one you're in, there are other options. But we can at least be unified as The United States of America. All this public dissent only goes to encourage our enemies and discourage our soldiers. Politicians be damned. I know what their shtick is- do whatever it takes to get re-elected so they can live off taxpayer dollars and fund all of their friends' projects. It's bullshit, and I'm sick of it. Vote NO for all new taxes. Vote NO to fund rich guys' private commercial projects. They have enough of our money- they should use what they have more wisely.
But seriously, back to Brad.
I'm about to start selling the g.i. joe blend again. G.I. Joe II, the Baghdad Blend. Some of the proceeds from the sale of it are used to send coffee and other stuff to Brad, who gets popular with they guys by distributing it around the base. Cool. Thanks to Brad and all the soldiers serving around the world. You are fighting for me.
I want to put up pictures in the store of my customers and friends who are in the armed forces. So if you have pics (especially ones with DoubleShot Coffee), send them to me!
This reminds me of a song...
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum.
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
posted by Brian at 11:40 AM
11 Comments:
I am glad that you thought of such an appropriate song as "Big Yellow Taxi" that illustrates the craziness that seems to be so commonplace in society today.
It is insane that a plan to build an island in the middle of our "river" if you can really even call it that, is even being considered. it is such an outlandish and highly impractical use of taxpayers money.
And Please continue to do your GI Blend, anything that will encourage and support our Troops is great.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
"If you don't like the one you're in, there are other options."
Or you can just invade the ones you don't like... because that makes a whole lot of since.
United States of America : World Police
Oh wait... there is already such a thing - the UN.
As far the islands go, it is the best idea anyone has had to date. Even if it gets turned down at least people are bringing a vision to Tulsa. The rest are just sitting on thier asses wishing Tulse would magically get better.
Having a state of the art island that is the worlds first self sustainable (electricity from the dam, water treament plant, etc, etc), with a night life, and city market would keep the grads in Tulsa, and attract more high paying jobs - which in turn, would increase the taxes.
Think about it.
Ryan, have you ever been to the river? It's not even big enough for an island. And this island is going to keep grads in Tulsa? Because there will be another bar somewhere for them to go drink in the evenings? And somehow that's going to make me increase the wages of my employees? Or maybe some other company will see that we have an island in our river and they'll want to pay people a lot to live here? Why? Because the cost of living is higher then?
I have thought about it. If someone wants to build something, they need to borrow money or use their own money to do so. They need to take chances on their own dime, not mine. I'm not willing to invest.
i think ryan merket is a douchebag. i wish i could be more articulate but a bag of douche is all i got. i even had to look up douche to spell it!! if taxpayer money has to be spent like that how about something with a little more practicality, or at least bang for the buck.
Brian,
They will be daming the river, and making an 8 mile lake.
The Tulsa Stakeholders have already done the hard work of hiring engineers and world renown city planners and architects to look at the lake and the surrounding areas and come up with plans.
It is VERY feasible.
I actually sat down with the Tulsa Stakeholders in a private meeting before this ever went public, and had a chance to "hear it from the horses mouth".
They used this as an example, a medical company in Tulsa needed an anesthesiologist, they put ads in the paper in Tulsa and online (nationally) offering VERY competitive rates. They could not get ONE person to apply. No one wanted to move to Tulsa.
If by building a mid to high scale residential complex for young professionals, college graduates, and older professionals you will have a place that will attract people to Tulsa as a place to live and work.
Look at Austin for example and the downtown / 6th street area. This is a very small area, but it has vitality, young professionals, night life... we can have that, we just need to increase the amount of tax base, and to do that we need people with the high end jobs to STAY in Tulsa.
Borrow money? Yes, the majority of it will be tax payer money, but a core group will also be adding their own $150 million dollars. All they are asking for is a little help.
A little help? How many millions of dollars?
I hardly think your anecdotal instance of not being able to get applicants for a medical position is EVIDENCE of anything.
I know an anesthesiologist who moved here from Portland. Guess we're even.
This argument is dumb. There isn't a doubt in my mind that this is a terrible idea. And you are convinced this is a great idea.
If they build it, I will move.
I think what we are talking about is culture.. You can not buy culture. Culture just is. So who can point out culture in Tulsa?? 18th and Boston. 21st street (all of it) Brookside, Blue Dome district, Downtown, Riverside.
Culture is history, people, art, music, independence, diversity and community. Culture happens it is not artificially inserted (Especially in a Rivier). And Brian is right.. putting Starbucks in the middle of an manmade island-mall is cliche, the people with culture who seek culture, the people we crave to move to Tulsa will drawn to Brookside, 18th Boston, 21st Steet and Downtown not an mall-island. They will gravitate to what is truly cool, authentic and unique.
When I travel I always like to find out what the locals in that area consider
unique, what makes it special. I don't goto Starbucks, McDoanalds, AppleBees or JCPenny. I goto the Black Rose in Boston, I goto Beale Street in Memphis, I goto South Beach in Miami, I goto Seattle for Capital Hill.. Those are the things I am interested in.
Take that $150 million dollars of "private investment" fix the streets, restore the beutiful Art Deco buildings stop making parking lots and make it easier to get around town without a car, make living in downtown affordable. Really it is not that hard.
We have what people want.. We just need to embrace it and be proud of it. I am.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
On Saturday I was reminded again of why I am against "economic development" on the river. I was running at Turkey Mountain and saw a huge bald eagle on the trail, and later a large owl flying overhead. And when I got home that night, I saw a fox scamper out of the trees along the river across from my apartment.
I'm all for THAT kind of development.
Check this out: http://www.changethechannels.com
Just recieved my gallon of GI BLEND and cant wait to give it a try tommorrow. Im sure it'll taste good but it'll be that much sweeter knowing that some of my money went to helping the Troops.
Thank you for supporting those keeping us free and safe.
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