Please tell me what this bus stop advertisement from the Department of Homeland Security means. Then I'll tell you what I THINK it means and then we'll decide where the two sentences intersect so I can figure out what the appropriate left wing nutcase outraged response should be.
Help? Sky? Not going to fall? Something about the sky falling? All I took out of college Spanish is never call a middle aged latina woman a "bruja".
The mere fact that the Department of Homeland Security is enlisting help from the public transit riding population does not inspire much confidence in the higher-ups. I ride the bus every day and those are the LAST people I would call on to assist in keeping this country free of terrorism. Sometimes I believe the people on the bus ARE terrorists. Terrorizing the very notion of civility and mutual respect. Besides, when the zombie apocalypse comes, the 15 year old GW high school freshman next to me on the bus talking about anal sex is not the person I want to have my back. Come on men in suits, at least pretend like you are keeping us safe!
Also, this sign is in the upper haight/panhandle neighborhood where I wouldn't imagine there are a ton of native Spanish speakers. You can see one hippie in particular is confused also:
Shame on you, Homeland Security! If you can't even research the demographics of the neighborhood in which you are advertising then how can we trust that you are accurately researching those responsible for threatening this country? How can us out of work Haight-ers help protect the country if we can't even understand what is being asked of us! Pressing issues of national security is no time to have to aprima numero dos or stay on the line.
On an unrelated note, last night I went to a friend's new apartment right by Coit Tower. Being up there gives you a completely different view of the city. Here's my post-Oscar night drizzly iphone pictures:
post "Coit"-al
The bridge to Murder town
I think it literally translates to, "Terrorism? Help is not going to fall from the sky." Cielo also means heaven, which connects to the weird angel reference.
Mantente en guardia translates to "be alert."
What's also interesting is the Web site translates to www.readiness.gov.
Your guess is as good as mine as to how this is helpful to anyone. Preparing for a terrorist attack seems on par with ducking under a desk in nuclear bomb drills. Utterly useless.
Posted by: B | February 23, 2009 at 01:20 PM
"Terrorism?
Help is not going to fall into your lap..."
I agree this doesn't make sense......
Posted by: Sol | February 23, 2009 at 01:31 PM
I think that the image refers to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's The Very Old Man With Enormous Wings short story. That's what I thought when I first saw it. Maybe that's too much of a stretch.
Posted by: F | February 23, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Maybe it's not the guys in suits that will come save you. Maybe it's furry guy from a few posts ago? We are so far from help...
But, you are a rock star. I think you should keep your blog name. It's just so...right. Well, maybe not for you any more but, buy the domain name! Someone else might steal it and it's just so good.
Posted by: betsy | February 23, 2009 at 11:08 PM
The bridge to Murder Town? Oh no you di-int!!!
Don't be hatin' on Oakland, Leslie. I'm guessing you've never even been here.
Posted by: Leah | February 24, 2009 at 08:56 AM
I have been to Oakland many times, in fact. I've had nothing but pleasant experiences. Unfortunately I'm young and susceptible to peer pressure and EVERYONE on this side of the bay hates on O-town. It's what I need to do to fit in, don't you see?!
Posted by: leslie | February 24, 2009 at 09:06 AM
it's intention is to encourage preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack. that being said it seems to me the gov't cheeseballs are saying that god & the angels won't protect us and its every man for himself b/c the gov't is broke & can't afford to fix the problems it heaps upon us and god doesn't care anymore. it's in spanish because the gov't thinks most spanish speaking people are illiterate anyways.
Posted by: CarolineB | February 24, 2009 at 09:32 AM
Y'all just wish you weren't such a bunch of pansy-assed yuppies in training, so white and bourgeois and ska-wed of black people and working artists ...
I'm SO over San Franciscans and their freakin' inflated sense of superiority (and yes, I used to be one of them back in my young, insufferable days).
Don't be a sheep, Leslie.
Love you,
Leah ;-)
Posted by: Leah | February 24, 2009 at 09:39 AM
I like Oakland. But then again I've lived in downtown LA.
Love your blog by the way.
Posted by: A-skued | April 26, 2009 at 01:54 AM