4th Quarter 2001
Episodes 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267.

Episode #259: I Don't Know You And I Miss You Already
First Broadcast: 9/24/01 MNN still cut off our "Free New York" title!
Repeated: 10/29/01; 11/26/01 (Opening animation and "Free New York" title cut off); 9/12/05 (Program started at about 2:00:40 AM, after several seconds of showing a program about reincarnation instead of us.)
Repeated: 9/11/06 Opening animation and most of the "Free New York" title cut off. Program cut off at 2:27:40 AM.

Note: Below is the text that appeared on the web site when this episode first appeared in 2001. Though the need for immediate charity has obviously lifted, donating to the Red Cross is never a bad idea.

Words might fail us to adequately describe the horror and sorrow that the people of New York City and the rest of the world have felt about the events of September 11, 2001, which is one of the reasons there is no narration or commentary for tonight's episode. Instead, the pictures of the entirely homemade and completely temporary memorial which has been constructed in Union Square Park to commemorate the victims of that day say far more than I or anyone else ever could. If the mood strikes you, and you haven't done so already, you might want to donate some cash to those who need it most right now, through the Red Cross, The New York Firefighters Fund, The September 11th Fund, or any number of other organizations which are helping out. Let's all hope I never have to do an episode like this one again.

Episode #260: Ironic Title
First Broadcast: 10/1/01 Opening animation cut off.
Kind of hard to be ironic at a time like this, but hey--what other options do I have that'll still let me be myself? Part of this episode is dedicated to questioning the idea that our mayor's newfound compassion for the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy is more than enough reason to extend his term by an extra three months (let alone an extra four years). My response to that is: Why can't we have a mayor who's compassionate year round, instead of one who only sheds tears after cancer, a divorce, and six thousand people die? All those other problems of the past eight years didn't go away after the terrorists attacked. Ignoring those problems in the name of continuity (or whatever reason is being given this week) is no solution, and actually subverts the democratic process. But you probably already knew that. (P.S.: Here's where I found the corporate flag I displayed, if you're interested. Here's some ordinary American flags, if you're not. The Earth Flag might be more to your liking, though. Or, "Looking Back to Earth" at space.com, which makes a perfect background for your desktop while simultaneously giving you much perspective of planet Earth.)

Episode #261: Don't Go Around Killing People
First Broadcast: 10/8/01 Opening animation cut off.
The more time goes by, the more questions I have as to how the U.S. ended up being attacked by terrorists in the first place. Questions like: How did the Taliban get in power in Afghanistan? Isn't the opposition in Afghanistan no better than the Taliban? Why was the CIA giving money and weapons to extreme fundamentalists like Osama bin Laden twenty years ago? Wouldn't bombing Afghanistan in retaliation for the attacks in the U.S. make us no better than the terrorists who attacked us in the first place? Doesn't it make more sense to arrest the people who gave the terrorists their orders, so that they can be tried and sentenced in a court of law, which is what this country is supposed to be all about? If this show was an hour long, I'd have even more questions to throw at you.

Episode #262: Why Kill People To Show That Killing People Is Wrong?
First Attempted Broadcast: 10/15/01 Program not shown! Some program named "Street Beat" shown instead! Same shit, different day.
Special Broadcast: 10/20/01, 10:30 PM (I didn't watch this airing, so I don't know how it went.)
First Regular Broadcast: 10/22/01 Opening animation and "Free New York" title cut off.
Free New York peruses the people who turned out for an anti-war or peace rally of sorts in Union Square on October 7, 2001. The title brings up an interesting point: If the U.S. justifies the killing of innocent civilians with bombs by saying it's inevitable that some innocents will be killed during a military operation, is that saying that Afghan lives are worth less than the lives of innocent Americans (and others) who were killed by the attacks on September 11? Wouldn't it make more sense for the military action in Afghanistan to be led by the United Nations instead of the United States? Are bombs really an answer? Isn't the Northern Alliance just as bad as the Taliban when it comes to human rights? More questions will follow, I'm sure.

Episode #263: Bad Layout
First Broadcast: 11/5/01 Opening animation cut off.
This year's election in New York City dominates the discussion. (Oh yeah, and anthrax.) Free New York isn't making any endorsements this year (though that guy from the rock band who's running for Public Advocate on the Marijuana Reform ticket sure sounds interesting), but we do encourage you to vote anyway. Hey, if you're not voting, then you've got no right to complain, right?

Episode #264: Is This Government Actually Based On Something?
First Broadcast: 11/12/01
Repeated: 12/10/01
A reminder that the current occupant of the White House did not win the 2000 election legitimately; that New Yorkers are apparently unwilling to vote for real change, considering the results of the 2001 election; and that the events of September 11th are being used by some politicians as an excuse to grab more dough on behalf of corporations. You know, the usual.

Episode #265: Things Change Rapidly
First Broadcast: 11/19/01 Opening animation and Free New York title cut off.
In Afghanistan, of course, where the Northern Alliance seems to have overtaken the Taliban for the time being. Will a multi-ethnic government emerge from all this rubble that is Afghanistan? Will the U.S. continue to sink under its own new wave of active censorship, internalized repression, and disregard for civil rights? "You may rely on it."

Episode #266: Set Aside For Recycling
First Broadcast: 12/3/01 Opening animation cut off.
In this episode, I express my frustration at A) the continued lack of attention being paid to the fact that GEORGE W. BUSH DID NOT WIN THE 2000 ELECTION, and B) the neglected notion that the United States needs to take responsibility for helping to create the international situations which have led to its fighting the Taliban et. al. in Afghanistan today. What a world!

Episode #267: Killing The Spiders In My Kitchen
First Broadcast: 12/17/01 Opening animation cut off. Audio played back hotter than normal.
World problems (and specifically those of the Israelis and the Palestinians) weigh heavily on the program tonight. So much that I barely have time to talk about Chuck Schumer's nonsense, or the U.S.'s ridiculous decision to pull out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. You can thank you-know-who for that one.

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