Monday, March 23, 2020

Tourism Terrorism or Punk Ass Weenie-ism

Back in the 80s somewhere I owned a large hotel in San Diego and was building my first few indoor soccer facilities. The local pro team, San Diego Sockers, ask me to pick a guy up at the L.A. Airport who was coming in to play for the team from Libya. It was right about the time of the Lockerbie bombing and airports were nervous. I went to LAX and went to the gate. When he got off the plane they ask him why he was coming to the United States and after opening his Arabic to English translation book he said "I am a terrorist and I'm here for terrorism." He meant to say tourist and tourism but the accent and the recent bombing changed the meaning. That was a challenge of major proportions getting him out of customs.

Well it turns out there is actually such a thing as Tourism Terrorism and a few of the fine citizens of Moab are leading the charge. When the movie people's hotel got the death threat the film crew moved out and I told them I would take all of them. I didn't have enough room for all of them but I'd figure it out. The way they were being treated was not right. They called and said take as many of us as you can and I did. They got approval from the health department, from SITLA, from BLM, and they damn sure got it from me. So that's approval from everyone who's property they will be on.

So you'd think that would be the end of it for the Moab Film Mafia since they got them out of their town. But it wasn't. Apparently when they were getting all the approvals they missed the box for approval called Punk Ass Weenies. The side by side company sent them an email saying they wanted all their side by sides returned leaving them gasping for transportation at the last minute. Then after they all got out here the BLM got a threat that locals were going to block the road and not let them pass through town on their way back after the shoot was over.  It wasn't all of Moab just some punk ass weenies jealous or needing to show how important they are.
Other business owners were emailing me and coming to visit saying what a travesty this was and what kind of person would stir stuff up like this with threats of violence, or getting others to make them. Apparently this is all happening on Facebook somewhere. I've never been on Facebook nor do I intend to, so I'm getting it all second hand from cast and crew that are reading it to me. Heather posts all the stuff that shows up on Facebook regarding the lodge. So if my description of events is not 100% accurate it doesn't mean they aren't still punk ass weenies. They are. Then a friend called to say if the road block shows up to let him know and he'll get his heaviest vehicle and blow through the road block. Things are spiraling out of control.

Vehicles are ready, we've got the locations all sorted out, camera equipment and batteries are in the small garage, chefs have food all set up next door, all the cast and crew members have showed up and we're ready to begin shooting locations in the morning. Then a meeting is called. I don't go. Kobae finally came out and we're hanging on the porch. Cast and crew start coming back from the meeting and the locations manager calls me on the walkie and wants to talk. She shows up and we sit down where it's quiet.

The cast and crew are all voluntarily working the production and many thousands of dollars have gone into it. Moab businesses, that aren't bowing down to punk ass weenies are making some money finally. I'm taking the biggest risk health wise and reputation wise of anybody and I'm good with it. I know it's pissing some people in Moab off but me against the world is something I'm use to and comfortable with.

She says "It's off. Somebody is going to get hurt." We're caving into evil. Into punk ass weenie-ism. I hate to see bad people win. A lot of cast and crew packed and left tonight. The rest tomorrow. It's a shame. I'd have sworn I was in the United States of America. My mistake.All hail punk ass weenie-ism.














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