Big John

["Howard Bramhall" <hwb67@msn.com>]

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Annie George

Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 12:12 PM

To: Merryben@aol.com

Cc: RideCamp

Subject: RC: Re: Fwd: RC: Where is Moderator?

 

Ditto! Annie

 Anne George Saddlery   www.vtc.net/~ageorge  

----- Original Message -----

From: Merryben@aol.com

To: ridecamp@endurance.net

Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 10:12 PM

Subject: RC: Fwd: RC: Where is Moderator?

Steph, I agree that in normal circumstances this is endurance only.  However, I have been for want of a better word, comforted by the posts from people from other countries who sympathize with us.  Also, people need to vent.  Don't make them stop.  The delete key is always there.....Thanks.  mb

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I'll tell ya'll why I post my thoughts on here, the ones about this tragedy which are not endurance related.  I do it because there isn't another group of people on the planet, including my ole Air Force buddies, that I would rather share my thoughts with.  Endurance riders and others associated with our sport have become a big part of my life lately, and it's why I reach out to them.  I really need you guys.  Especially now.

I did find some humor the other night.  I've been looking for it, thought it was gone, and then my local news came on.  I've told a couple of you about it privately, but I thought, maybe, some of you might get a much needed laugh.  So, here goes.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the flying University near where I live, in Daytona Beach, FL.  It's called Embry Riddle University and it is the largest flying related University in the country, if not the world.  The school is ten miles from my house.  Embry Riddle has quite a few foreign exchange students, and a large portion of those come from Arab countries.  There are rumors flying around, pun intended, that some of the hijackers attended Embry Riddle.

Anyway, I was watching the news the other night and they said they had breaking news from Daytona.  I thought, "Oh great, here we go again.  Florida on the front page."  But, instead of talking to us to Embry Riddle, the coverage takes us to "The Pink Pony", a totally nude strip club in Daytona Beach.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit I do know a little bit about this establishment; let's just leave that alone for now.

The newscaster is inside "The Pink Pony", interviewing the Club owner named Big John (and he is really BIG).  Big John starts talking and tells about a group of Arab men who were in the club on Monday night, the night before the tragedy.  As I'm watching Big John speak, I can't get over his resemblance to Tony Soprano from the HBO show.  Scary guy, and yes, I have met him.  I have yet to make Big John laugh, and I no longer try cause I don't want to tell a really bad joke that makes him angry.

Big John says the Arab men are going on about how "something big is going to happen tomorrow.  Something really, really big."  Big John didn't think anything of it at the time, he just thought the guys were trying to impress the strippers/dancers who were sitting next to them taking all their money.  Keep in mind this was the night before the tragedy.  The Arab men just went on and on, and when they left, they said, "Watch the news tomorrow."

Well, the day of the tragedy, Big John, sees it all on TV and realizes these guys knew something.  They were connected.  Big John calls the FBI and they send an agent over to   "The Pink Pony".  Big John tells the agent everything and gives him copies of the Arab credit card receipts.  As Big John finishes his story on TV, they close with a camera shot of the sign outside the club which reads, "Totally nude dancers; You'll love it here at the Pink Pony."

I know I've probably offended a few of you, and I do apologize if I have.  But I swear, it's totally true.  I'm not making up one word of it.  And, for the first time in two days, Big John and my local news station had me laughing.  It just shows you how much Americans, any American, even ones like Big John want to help out, to do what they can for our country. I know Tony Soprano would help out too. And I just pictured, in my mind, Peter Jennings or Dan Rather, inside the Pink Pony, interviewing Big John, with the dancers in the background.  God bless the USA.

 

cya,

Howard