President is wrong in trashing our troops
Let me start by saying I do not condone or defend cruelty to any prisoner of war while in the hands of captors, but to hear Bush saying he's disgusted with the troops (when he doesn't have the full story) made me think: He put our men and women in a land where savagery and hatred against them reigns. He's also employed private contractors who are under no constraint such as the Geneva Convention rules. Creating a prison-camp at Guantanamo, Cuba set a new standard for more freedom to "interrogate" out of the watchful eyes of the world. War is not pretty. There is never a guarantee of justice in war. These American men and women are facing hell..pure hell..every damned waking moment of their year (plus-extension) in Iraq. They are emotionally disturbed by what they see. They've killed for their mission...with regret. They've seen their friends bruised, bloodied, and killed in front of their eyes. They are not their civil selves while at war. Why do we treat them as if they're some kind of superhuman? Put yourselves in their hellish place. A careless liar put them there..in hell. A frolicking stooge who never faced gunfire in his life (unless he was shootin' at some food). I wonder if you can tell I'm disgusted myself? I give our soldiers every benefit of the doubt. So should the President. God knows what monsters any of us would become if we were living in hell every waking moment.
Instead of displaying public disgust, find out what brought our military to such low tactics..investigate from how high-up the gross violation of human rights was approved...and mostly, bring the troops home where they belong. We all know the most-heard statement from Iraqi citizen to American troop: "Thank you for liberating us, now go home." It's time.
America may well be the world's only hope for a bright future, but we'll never convince anyone at the butt of the gun. Our troops did their job...their mission was accomplished (and accomplished well) after Saddam Hussein was caught. Everything that's happened since has been a disaster because it was never their job to do alone.
I'm here to say I'M disgusted with a commander who lost the trust of the world (after a golden opportunity post 9-11) He could not (and did not try to) convince leaders to to do the right thing and step in alongside us to win the Iraqi trust, hearts and minds. He was too afraid..too proud to make the U.N. appear "relevant". Not one more American man or woman should die, but instead should be on a ship or airplane bound for the re-uniting with their loved ones and their countrymen who have the utmost respect for their commitment, bravery, and loyalty.
___________________________
*Did anyone express digust about what happened to Maher Arar?
Internet muse.
Daring, bold, never sold.
My daily weblog of politics, humor, philosophy...and a constant and nagging reminder of the existence of universal love....
Friday, April 30, 2004
"The Exorcist" in 30 seconds
Re-enacted by bunnies
*With a mysteriously power-of-Christ-compelling rendition of the theme song at the end.
This is a must-see, people.
Re-enacted by bunnies
*With a mysteriously power-of-Christ-compelling rendition of the theme song at the end.
This is a must-see, people.
Flowers and Curses
Mordechai Vanunu, flanked by his two loyal and devoted brothers, Meir and Asher, emerged through the prison gate into the spring sunshine. He raised his hands in the air with the 'V' sign, and told the world he was the same man who had been captured and imprisoned in 1986, and that he was proud and happy with what he had done.
Mordechai Vanunu has been freed.
From NPR's Julie McCarthy: "Since Vanunu's been in jail, India and Pakistan joined the nuclear club. The US went to war to destroy what it said was Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. His release comes as Libya and Iran have been put under intense scrutiny to dismantle their nuclear capabilities. It's against that backdrop that Israel continues to maintain its decades-long policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying the existence of nuclear weapons. And successive US administrations haven't demanded anything more. Meanwhile, Vanunu, we're told by associates, says he's going to campaign to the extent he can against the spread of nuclear weapons."
Mordechai Vanunu, flanked by his two loyal and devoted brothers, Meir and Asher, emerged through the prison gate into the spring sunshine. He raised his hands in the air with the 'V' sign, and told the world he was the same man who had been captured and imprisoned in 1986, and that he was proud and happy with what he had done.
Mordechai Vanunu has been freed.
From NPR's Julie McCarthy: "Since Vanunu's been in jail, India and Pakistan joined the nuclear club. The US went to war to destroy what it said was Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. His release comes as Libya and Iran have been put under intense scrutiny to dismantle their nuclear capabilities. It's against that backdrop that Israel continues to maintain its decades-long policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying the existence of nuclear weapons. And successive US administrations haven't demanded anything more. Meanwhile, Vanunu, we're told by associates, says he's going to campaign to the extent he can against the spread of nuclear weapons."
On Being a Desert
Being a Desert
There is an ancient teaching that is at the core of true spiritual development: in order to connect constantly to the Light of the Creator we must develop and become like the desert.
The desert is un-owned, open space within which anybody can do anything they want. This is the level to which we are supposed to develop. Being like the desert means that you do not care what people do to you, what people say to you, or what they do not do for you or say to you. It means being free in the deepest sense.
Our nature is usually the opposite of the desert. We are extremely and constantly concerned about what people do, say or even think about us. We are captive to almost everybody, for their actions, words and even thoughts can influence our feelings and life. In order to develop spiritually we need to constantly work on becoming like the desert, feeling open and free like the desert. It is not an easy process but one that not only greatly enables our spiritual development, but also brings to a level of equanimity and peace that cannot be reached any other way.
It is a process that takes constant focus and effort but one whose spiritual and practical effect is immense.
Rabbi Michael Berg
Being a Desert
There is an ancient teaching that is at the core of true spiritual development: in order to connect constantly to the Light of the Creator we must develop and become like the desert.
The desert is un-owned, open space within which anybody can do anything they want. This is the level to which we are supposed to develop. Being like the desert means that you do not care what people do to you, what people say to you, or what they do not do for you or say to you. It means being free in the deepest sense.
Our nature is usually the opposite of the desert. We are extremely and constantly concerned about what people do, say or even think about us. We are captive to almost everybody, for their actions, words and even thoughts can influence our feelings and life. In order to develop spiritually we need to constantly work on becoming like the desert, feeling open and free like the desert. It is not an easy process but one that not only greatly enables our spiritual development, but also brings to a level of equanimity and peace that cannot be reached any other way.
It is a process that takes constant focus and effort but one whose spiritual and practical effect is immense.
Rabbi Michael Berg
The honoring of our fallen should not be censored
"Just look at these people. Look at their names. And look at their ages.
Consider what they've done for you. Honor them.
I truly believe that people will take away from this program the reflection of what they bring to it.''
--Ted Koppel
Many of you may not be aware of my Honor Roll website/blog. I went there today to add what I consider to be a shameful headline: Sinclair Broadcasting refuses to air Nightline reading of the list of our fallen.
I applaud any network that would devote its time and effort to honor the men and women who gave their lives for the cause and commitment they made for this nation, regardless of politics.
Whatever brought Sinclair Broadcasting to this decision..I don't understand it, but silencing mention of our dead is f*cking shameful! Those men and women fought for American values and freedoms that are being stepped on by the likes of Sinclair.
Jane Bright of Military Families Speak Out is the mother of Sgt. Evan Ashcraft, who died July 24, 2003, near Mosul, Iraq. She said: "The Sinclair Broadcast Group is trying to undermine the lives of our soldiers killed in Iraq. By censoring Nightline they want to hide the toll the war on Iraq is having on thousands of soldiers and their families, like mine."
Sinclair's soft money political contributions will probably tell you exactly what they're afraid of. The hard money tells the same sordid tale.
I'm right on this. I know it clearly. Our soldiers know it. Their families know it.
If we cannot distinguish public mourning from making statements against a war, then we have failed as a free and civil people. We are no longer beholding of the American ideals on which our nation was founded.
See: Sen. John McCain's protest to Sinclair
See: "Koppel defends the fallen" by Al Tompkins
Consider what they've done for you. Honor them.
I truly believe that people will take away from this program the reflection of what they bring to it.''
--Ted Koppel
Many of you may not be aware of my Honor Roll website/blog. I went there today to add what I consider to be a shameful headline: Sinclair Broadcasting refuses to air Nightline reading of the list of our fallen.
I applaud any network that would devote its time and effort to honor the men and women who gave their lives for the cause and commitment they made for this nation, regardless of politics.
Whatever brought Sinclair Broadcasting to this decision..I don't understand it, but silencing mention of our dead is f*cking shameful! Those men and women fought for American values and freedoms that are being stepped on by the likes of Sinclair.
Jane Bright of Military Families Speak Out is the mother of Sgt. Evan Ashcraft, who died July 24, 2003, near Mosul, Iraq. She said: "The Sinclair Broadcast Group is trying to undermine the lives of our soldiers killed in Iraq. By censoring Nightline they want to hide the toll the war on Iraq is having on thousands of soldiers and their families, like mine."
Sinclair's soft money political contributions will probably tell you exactly what they're afraid of. The hard money tells the same sordid tale.
I'm right on this. I know it clearly. Our soldiers know it. Their families know it.
If we cannot distinguish public mourning from making statements against a war, then we have failed as a free and civil people. We are no longer beholding of the American ideals on which our nation was founded.
See: Sen. John McCain's protest to Sinclair
See: "Koppel defends the fallen" by Al Tompkins
Daniel Pipes: U.S. military is not an instrument for social work
Daniel Pipes has written an interesting article about Americans and their vision of our nation in relation to the world-at-large. He means to show that the ensured success of bringing democracy to Iraq by miltary force is clearly not a foregone conclusion. He states that the U.S. goal 'cannot be a free Iraq, but an Iraq that does not endanger Americans'.
He offers a triad of perceptions/ideas formulated by Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard professor, from his new book, Who Are We: The Challenges to America's National Identity (forthcoming in May).
*Cosmopolitan: America ''welcomes the world, its ideas, its goods, and, most important, its people.'' In this vision, the country strives to become multiethnic, multiracial and multicultural. The United Nations and other international organizations increasingly influence American life. Diversity is an end in itself; national identity declines in importance. In brief, the world reshapes America.
*Imperial: America reshapes the world. This impulse is fueled by a belief in ''the supremacy of American power and the universality of American values.'' America's unique military, economic and cultural might bestows on it the responsibility to confront evil and to order the world. Other peoples are assumed basically to share the same values as Americans; Americans should help them attain those values. America is less a nation than ''the dominant component of a supranational empire.''
*National: ''America is different'' and its people recognize and accept what distinguishes them from others. That difference results in large part from the country's religious commitment and its Anglo-Protestant culture. The nationalist outlook preserves and enhances those qualities that have defined America from its inception. As for people who are not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, they ''become Americans by adopting its Anglo-Protestant culture and political values.''
Mr. Pipes admits to wavering between the bottom two choices. I'd have to say I waver between the top choice and bottom choice. The more of the world we take within and incorporate into our national psyche, the more we erase the differences that once acted as a barrier to ultimate understanding and peace. I find the choice to be quite simple. I don't understand why the second choice would ever be paramount... it seems smug, ego-based and greed-driven. In Sunday school I learned about the Golden Rule and, gosh-darn it, it's made every subsequent choice in my own life amazingly clear and simple. In these days of terror, the world really does need to work as a team. Each team member needs to respect all the differences brought to the table and ego and imperialistic attitude simply must be left at the door, regardless of who's carrying the biggest stick at the table.
How about you? Where do you fall within these choices?
Daniel Pipes has written an interesting article about Americans and their vision of our nation in relation to the world-at-large. He means to show that the ensured success of bringing democracy to Iraq by miltary force is clearly not a foregone conclusion. He states that the U.S. goal 'cannot be a free Iraq, but an Iraq that does not endanger Americans'.
He offers a triad of perceptions/ideas formulated by Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard professor, from his new book, Who Are We: The Challenges to America's National Identity (forthcoming in May).
*Cosmopolitan: America ''welcomes the world, its ideas, its goods, and, most important, its people.'' In this vision, the country strives to become multiethnic, multiracial and multicultural. The United Nations and other international organizations increasingly influence American life. Diversity is an end in itself; national identity declines in importance. In brief, the world reshapes America.
*Imperial: America reshapes the world. This impulse is fueled by a belief in ''the supremacy of American power and the universality of American values.'' America's unique military, economic and cultural might bestows on it the responsibility to confront evil and to order the world. Other peoples are assumed basically to share the same values as Americans; Americans should help them attain those values. America is less a nation than ''the dominant component of a supranational empire.''
*National: ''America is different'' and its people recognize and accept what distinguishes them from others. That difference results in large part from the country's religious commitment and its Anglo-Protestant culture. The nationalist outlook preserves and enhances those qualities that have defined America from its inception. As for people who are not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, they ''become Americans by adopting its Anglo-Protestant culture and political values.''
Mr. Pipes admits to wavering between the bottom two choices. I'd have to say I waver between the top choice and bottom choice. The more of the world we take within and incorporate into our national psyche, the more we erase the differences that once acted as a barrier to ultimate understanding and peace. I find the choice to be quite simple. I don't understand why the second choice would ever be paramount... it seems smug, ego-based and greed-driven. In Sunday school I learned about the Golden Rule and, gosh-darn it, it's made every subsequent choice in my own life amazingly clear and simple. In these days of terror, the world really does need to work as a team. Each team member needs to respect all the differences brought to the table and ego and imperialistic attitude simply must be left at the door, regardless of who's carrying the biggest stick at the table.
How about you? Where do you fall within these choices?
Three questions
ABC's political web daily, The Note asks:
--Which candidate would you say the national political press like more?
--Who do you imagine the national political press think will win in November?
--Who do you suppose the national political press think is running the more competent campaign?
_________________________
The Note previews Kerry's speech, which is to be given today at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.
The Note offers a preview excerpt:
"We need to put pride aside to build a stable Iraq. We must reclaim our country's standing in the world by doing what has kept America safe and made it more secure before-leading in a way that brings others to us so that we are respected, not simply feared, around the globe."
"Will all this be difficult to achieve? Yes. Is there a guarantee of success? No. In light of all the mistakes that have been made, no one can guarantee success. No one can say that success is certain, but I can say that if we do not try this, failure is all too likely."
ABC's political web daily, The Note asks:
--Which candidate would you say the national political press like more?
--Who do you imagine the national political press think will win in November?
--Who do you suppose the national political press think is running the more competent campaign?
The Note previews Kerry's speech, which is to be given today at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.
The Note offers a preview excerpt:
"We need to put pride aside to build a stable Iraq. We must reclaim our country's standing in the world by doing what has kept America safe and made it more secure before-leading in a way that brings others to us so that we are respected, not simply feared, around the globe."
"Will all this be difficult to achieve? Yes. Is there a guarantee of success? No. In light of all the mistakes that have been made, no one can guarantee success. No one can say that success is certain, but I can say that if we do not try this, failure is all too likely."
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Why I will be supporting John Kerry
"There is no violent reason for this; I'm doing this for peace and justice and to try to help this country wake up once and for all."
--John Kerry, anguished as he committed his war decorations to the wind in his hope for America to learn the truth about a war which made no sense. [LINK]
He lived and breathed the terror of battle. He saw with his own eyes. He stood up strongly and non-violently at a confused time for his cause (for truth) which we now see, through the clear lens of history, was a righteous cause.
I believe Iraq is as wrong as Viet Nam. I'll never understand why John Kerry voted "Yes" for the Iraq resolution on a fatefully sad day in October 2002. Because he did, John Kerry was not my first choice for the Democratic presidential nominee. I still find it intellectually difficult to personally forgive him for what I perceived as a gross lack of intuition and a violation of decent political ethics.
I ask myself: "Where was Kerry lacking in intuition?"
My answer: "For having trusted George W. Bush".
Now Kerry is running up against the man he trusted..the man who betrayed his trust. A man who betrayed all our trust. A man who fed us lies and material misinformation in order to obtain the political keys to his warped and inadequate war plans.
I'm heartsick to the point of nausea about the American men and women we've already lost in Iraq. (Not to mention the raw pity I am feeling for the innocent civilian life already lost or living in hell alongside our soldiers).
The only success George W. Bush has had in uniting Iraq is unting Iraq against America. He did a bang-up job of doing that.
By the betrayal of my trust and John Kerry's trust, he has also succeeded in uniting the betrayed against him in the next election.
I will warn John Kerry, though...if he gets my vote, he can expect me to remind him as loudly as possible that I want our troops back home where they are respected, valued....loved. They're our precious treasure. I believe, in the depths of my heart, that John Kerry agrees with me.
John Kerry, I hand you my hope.
"There is no violent reason for this; I'm doing this for peace and justice and to try to help this country wake up once and for all."
--John Kerry, anguished as he committed his war decorations to the wind in his hope for America to learn the truth about a war which made no sense. [LINK]
He lived and breathed the terror of battle. He saw with his own eyes. He stood up strongly and non-violently at a confused time for his cause (for truth) which we now see, through the clear lens of history, was a righteous cause.
I believe Iraq is as wrong as Viet Nam. I'll never understand why John Kerry voted "Yes" for the Iraq resolution on a fatefully sad day in October 2002. Because he did, John Kerry was not my first choice for the Democratic presidential nominee. I still find it intellectually difficult to personally forgive him for what I perceived as a gross lack of intuition and a violation of decent political ethics.
I ask myself: "Where was Kerry lacking in intuition?"
My answer: "For having trusted George W. Bush".
Now Kerry is running up against the man he trusted..the man who betrayed his trust. A man who betrayed all our trust. A man who fed us lies and material misinformation in order to obtain the political keys to his warped and inadequate war plans.
I'm heartsick to the point of nausea about the American men and women we've already lost in Iraq. (Not to mention the raw pity I am feeling for the innocent civilian life already lost or living in hell alongside our soldiers).
The only success George W. Bush has had in uniting Iraq is unting Iraq against America. He did a bang-up job of doing that.
By the betrayal of my trust and John Kerry's trust, he has also succeeded in uniting the betrayed against him in the next election.
I will warn John Kerry, though...if he gets my vote, he can expect me to remind him as loudly as possible that I want our troops back home where they are respected, valued....loved. They're our precious treasure. I believe, in the depths of my heart, that John Kerry agrees with me.
John Kerry, I hand you my hope.
I read the news today, oh boy
Blogger Soj isn't trying to bum you out. Really. She underscores her current blog entry titled "World Unrest Report", which is a round-up of news from around the world, with:
Note: The links are provided to raise awareness. Please click on one (or all!) of them and find out what's going on. They are not provided to depress you, or to focus solely on the negative, but to raise consciousness about what's going on around this big planet of ours.
Blogger Soj isn't trying to bum you out. Really. She underscores her current blog entry titled "World Unrest Report", which is a round-up of news from around the world, with:
Note: The links are provided to raise awareness. Please click on one (or all!) of them and find out what's going on. They are not provided to depress you, or to focus solely on the negative, but to raise consciousness about what's going on around this big planet of ours.
Grover Norquist mocks followers of Jesus Christ
Heretics call Norquist a "prophet"
Excerpts from an adoring and glowing review of Norquist:
Excerpt One:
America is not for yourselves alone. If you want to be left alone, relinquish your citizenship and move to Mars.
Excerpt Two:
Cheap and easy. Grover is nothing but a whore. Wait until Grandma starts eating from garbage cans because she has no money and nursing her never-healing wounds with her own spittle because she has no medical coverage.
Excerpt Three:
As if Jesus Christ and St. Paul didn't advocate helping the poor amongst us. It is the Judeo-Christian's moral responsibility and conscience-based drive to be compassionate, even when it comes to formulating decent public policy. Grover's irreverent mockery of the Christian sensibilities in most Americans will lose him more than he'd ever hope to gain. He should know America better. He's a clown..and a hypocritical clown to boot.
We also know he's in big trouble for courting dubious Islamic-fundamentalist groups for Republican campaign funds. Ask Frank Gaffney.
I suggest that the pledges our representatives are signing- with the promise not to raise taxes- are decidedly not only undemocratic, but anti-American. It is a form of political enslavement. There are many forms of enslavement. Condemning certain citizens to poverty can be far more oppressively enslaving than the requirement for the government (of the people) to require some to pay a share that will not materially harm them and will benefit the necessary welfare of the nation.
We need to speak out on this issue. Look at how these pledges are being used and beware!
______________________
Read:
March of the Banana Republicans
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
At ABC News' Political Note, it says: "Grover Norquist is tearing out his hair …" LINK
Heretics call Norquist a "prophet"
Excerpts from an adoring and glowing review of Norquist:
Excerpt One:
---Grover views those of us on the right as being "the good guys" who "just want to be left alone." Conservatives ask the government for nothing.
America is not for yourselves alone. If you want to be left alone, relinquish your citizenship and move to Mars.
Excerpt Two:
---Norquist then shared the secret for Republican transcendence and that is to constantly seize upon the populace's hatred for taxation.
Cheap and easy. Grover is nothing but a whore. Wait until Grandma starts eating from garbage cans because she has no money and nursing her never-healing wounds with her own spittle because she has no medical coverage.
Excerpt Three:
---He told of the Governor of Alabama who "outwardly had no signs of mad cow disease" and even cited Jesus in his attempt to create a bigger and lazier leviathan [although Norquist comically noted here that he was previously unaware of Paul advocating for a progressive income tax in the New Testament].
As if Jesus Christ and St. Paul didn't advocate helping the poor amongst us. It is the Judeo-Christian's moral responsibility and conscience-based drive to be compassionate, even when it comes to formulating decent public policy. Grover's irreverent mockery of the Christian sensibilities in most Americans will lose him more than he'd ever hope to gain. He should know America better. He's a clown..and a hypocritical clown to boot.
We also know he's in big trouble for courting dubious Islamic-fundamentalist groups for Republican campaign funds. Ask Frank Gaffney.
I suggest that the pledges our representatives are signing- with the promise not to raise taxes- are decidedly not only undemocratic, but anti-American. It is a form of political enslavement. There are many forms of enslavement. Condemning certain citizens to poverty can be far more oppressively enslaving than the requirement for the government (of the people) to require some to pay a share that will not materially harm them and will benefit the necessary welfare of the nation.
We need to speak out on this issue. Look at how these pledges are being used and beware!
I think every American who cares about democracy should pledge NOT TO VOTE for any politician who would enslave themselves by signing away their integrity and political freedom like this. Why? Because they represent us..and they're signing away OUR political freedoms.
______________________
Read:
March of the Banana Republicans
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
At ABC News' Political Note, it says: "Grover Norquist is tearing out his hair …" LINK
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Looking For Your Own Face
Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.
So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.
It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.
Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.
What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.
--Attar
Persian Sufi poet, 12th Century
as translated by Coleman Barks
Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.
So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.
It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.
Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.
What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.
--Attar
Persian Sufi poet, 12th Century
as translated by Coleman Barks
Pat Tillman was a man who believed in a cause, died for his country
Pat Tillman was a man who believed in a cause, died for his country
The cause in which his country was engaged mattered more to Pat than the dull emptiness of greed. It mattered more to Pat than life.
Buffalo Bill's
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
--ee cummings
from a wonderful Sports Illustrated article
I saw this line in an article today:
How do we reconcile Bush's applause regarding one decent and honorable man's walking away from millions for a cause in which he felt so strongly that he gave all for country --- while nearly every policy of the Bush administration is filled with the motives of the greediest among us? It makes me so sad. I honor Pat's service. I honor the life he gave for this country. I honor every man and woman who died, was wounded, or is going through a non-stop hell because of the greed that brings people to the point of war. They all walked away from shelter, safety, beloved family, for their country. Those are the things our president should be applauding. During his State of the Union speech last January, he never gave tribute to the dead at all. I respect the office of the president, but I have to say, from what I've seen of his political face (which is the only way I could possibly be able to judge), that I don't think I like Mr. Bush very much as far as human beings are concerned. His values are so very different from my own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I saw a headline at World Net Daily: "Firm will give Tillman's jersey to family--Could have made up to $4 million selling pieces with trading cards"
A businessman is meant to look like a hero for not being a sleaze who'd cash in on the back of a dead American hero. I'm sorry, I think I'll refrain giving him any special pat on the back. Why do we glorify the greediest-worst of businesspeople when they finally do something ethical? What does that say about our society?
The cause in which his country was engaged mattered more to Pat than the dull emptiness of greed. It mattered more to Pat than life.
Buffalo Bill's
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
--ee cummings
from a wonderful Sports Illustrated article
I saw this line in an article today:
[Pat] Tillman has been lauded by many Americans, including President Bush, as a hero for walking away from a $3.6 million contract in the prime of his football career to join units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How do we reconcile Bush's applause regarding one decent and honorable man's walking away from millions for a cause in which he felt so strongly that he gave all for country --- while nearly every policy of the Bush administration is filled with the motives of the greediest among us? It makes me so sad. I honor Pat's service. I honor the life he gave for this country. I honor every man and woman who died, was wounded, or is going through a non-stop hell because of the greed that brings people to the point of war. They all walked away from shelter, safety, beloved family, for their country. Those are the things our president should be applauding. During his State of the Union speech last January, he never gave tribute to the dead at all. I respect the office of the president, but I have to say, from what I've seen of his political face (which is the only way I could possibly be able to judge), that I don't think I like Mr. Bush very much as far as human beings are concerned. His values are so very different from my own.
I saw a headline at World Net Daily: "Firm will give Tillman's jersey to family--Could have made up to $4 million selling pieces with trading cards"
A businessman is meant to look like a hero for not being a sleaze who'd cash in on the back of a dead American hero. I'm sorry, I think I'll refrain giving him any special pat on the back. Why do we glorify the greediest-worst of businesspeople when they finally do something ethical? What does that say about our society?
Sgt. Pat Tillman wore two uniforms that Americans will always remember: the Army fatigues in which he died, and the NFL jersey he sacrificed first..... Before his death, Pat Tillman's NFL jersey might have been lost in the 55,000-square-foot building near the Ballpark in Arlington, where Donruss Trading Cards assimilates iconic souvenirs, putting small pieces of history on collectors' cards. The pieces of a typical game-worn jersey will yield about 2,000 trading cards. In the case of Pat Tillman, the company estimates it could have made up to $4 million. "What Pat Tillman is going to mean to the United States of America is better left to his family and who they want to write that chapter ... not us," said Dully.
Coming Tomorrow to a 9-11 Commission Near You...
Coming Tomorrow to a 9-11 Commission Near You
No..it's not Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy...it's..
THE DICK CHENEY AND DUBYA MCBUSHY SHOW!
No..it's not Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy...it's..
THE DICK CHENEY AND DUBYA MCBUSHY SHOW!
Frank Lautenberg sticks it to VP Cheney
Frank Lautenberg sticks it to VP Cheney
At ABC's Political Note, it says:
Sen. Lautenberg on "chicken hawks":
"The lead chicken hawk is the Vice President. He's been attacking Kerry. What nerve. Where was Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War?... Cheney said he had other priorities, he should tell that to others who served and died in Vietnam."
Lautenberg on Bush:
"Last July, he said bring 'em on, he wasn't brought on the field of Vietnam when there was a chance for him to do something."
McCain responds to Lautenberg "chicken hawk" charge, calls for peace, reasonableness, bipartisanship, ratcheting down of the rhetoric while sticking up for both Bush and Kerry, ABC News' Linda Douglass reports.
By the way, VP Cheney took in a cool $178,437 from Halliburton in 2003.
In another news story about Frank Lautenberg: He accused American companies this week of collecting "blood money" by doing business with terror sponsors and said he would push for legislation to stop it.
At ABC's Political Note, it says:
Sen. Lautenberg on "chicken hawks":
"The lead chicken hawk is the Vice President. He's been attacking Kerry. What nerve. Where was Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War?... Cheney said he had other priorities, he should tell that to others who served and died in Vietnam."
Lautenberg on Bush:
"Last July, he said bring 'em on, he wasn't brought on the field of Vietnam when there was a chance for him to do something."
McCain responds to Lautenberg "chicken hawk" charge, calls for peace, reasonableness, bipartisanship, ratcheting down of the rhetoric while sticking up for both Bush and Kerry, ABC News' Linda Douglass reports.
By the way, VP Cheney took in a cool $178,437 from Halliburton in 2003.
In another news story about Frank Lautenberg: He accused American companies this week of collecting "blood money" by doing business with terror sponsors and said he would push for legislation to stop it.
Jim McDermott is a godless Marxist and other assorted fables
Jim McDermott is a godless Marxist and other assorted fables
OH MYGOD!!
He didn't sayGOD!
*I can't wait to see World Net Daily's headline on this one*
If Jim McDermott had left out the words "..one nation, indivisible.." out of his recital of the Pledge, we'd have a bona fide problem. Only the truest patriot understands that, in order to maintain the bonds of a strong nation, our common faith lies not in believing that God exists, but that we have an undying drive to survive as a united force in the cause of freedom for all.
Trivia: Yesterday, April 27 was the 50th anniversary of when the phrase "underGod" was added to the original pledge (which never before contained it).
OH MY
He didn't say
*I can't wait to see World Net Daily's headline on this one*
If Jim McDermott had left out the words "..one nation, indivisible.." out of his recital of the Pledge, we'd have a bona fide problem. Only the truest patriot understands that, in order to maintain the bonds of a strong nation, our common faith lies not in believing that God exists, but that we have an undying drive to survive as a united force in the cause of freedom for all.
Trivia: Yesterday, April 27 was the 50th anniversary of when the phrase "under
Congratulations go out to Arlen Specter
Congratulations go out to Arlen Specter
One thing the president has done as (begrudging) political necessity is to have backed Arlen Specter in this attempted coup by the extreme right wing Norquistian crowd. Toomey fooled some of the people in Pennsylvania with his faux-drumbeat about strict social and economic conservatism, but he couldn't fool all of them. Toomey will fully support Specter after this defeat. The Club for Growth claims it was Specter's "grit" and "money" that snared the win.
Just what we look for in our greatest leaders... grit...money....... (*whatever happened to character, accountability, respect for true freedom, respect for the rule of law and ethics, intelligence, trustworthiness and honesty, anyway?)
On the Drudge report, the headline reads: Specter ekes out win in Pennsylvania primary.
When you look at the results..Specter had 526,120 votes, or 51 percent, to Toomey's 509,507 votes, or 49 percent...you'll see there's a division in the Republican party mirroring today's national overall polarizing political numbers. Trouble in Republican paradise? It's no wonder the president felt he had to back Specter.
I honestly like Arlen Specter and I'm very happy for his victory.
Now it's on to face the Democratic candidate Joe Hoeffel this November.
One thing the president has done as (begrudging) political necessity is to have backed Arlen Specter in this attempted coup by the extreme right wing Norquistian crowd. Toomey fooled some of the people in Pennsylvania with his faux-drumbeat about strict social and economic conservatism, but he couldn't fool all of them. Toomey will fully support Specter after this defeat. The Club for Growth claims it was Specter's "grit" and "money" that snared the win.
Just what we look for in our greatest leaders... grit...money....... (*whatever happened to character, accountability, respect for true freedom, respect for the rule of law and ethics, intelligence, trustworthiness and honesty, anyway?)
On the Drudge report, the headline reads: Specter ekes out win in Pennsylvania primary.
When you look at the results..Specter had 526,120 votes, or 51 percent, to Toomey's 509,507 votes, or 49 percent...you'll see there's a division in the Republican party mirroring today's national overall polarizing political numbers. Trouble in Republican paradise? It's no wonder the president felt he had to back Specter.
I honestly like Arlen Specter and I'm very happy for his victory.
Now it's on to face the Democratic candidate Joe Hoeffel this November.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Bush's gift to Osama..
Bush's gift to Osama..
George W. Bush has given Osama bin Laden everything he could ever have wished for.
Bush invaded a Muslim country without just cause and in defiance of practically the entire world, and delivered to bin Laden a terrorist recruitment poster for the ages. The Middle East is coming together in unprecedented ways to fight the United States, a crucial step along the path towards bin Laden's desire to create a pure Islamic Caliphate. The bloodshed spurred by the Shi'ite uprising, aided by the unlikely alliance with the Sunnis, have left Iraq in utterly unsolvable turmoil. American soldiers, and Iraqi civilians, continue to die. There is absolutely, positively no good side to this situation.
Osama bin Laden need only sit back and watch everything go his way. He is almost certainly aware of the old military rule which states, "Never interfere with an enemy who is in the process of destroying himself."
--William Rivers Pitt [LINK]
Bush invaded a Muslim country without just cause and in defiance of practically the entire world, and delivered to bin Laden a terrorist recruitment poster for the ages. The Middle East is coming together in unprecedented ways to fight the United States, a crucial step along the path towards bin Laden's desire to create a pure Islamic Caliphate. The bloodshed spurred by the Shi'ite uprising, aided by the unlikely alliance with the Sunnis, have left Iraq in utterly unsolvable turmoil. American soldiers, and Iraqi civilians, continue to die. There is absolutely, positively no good side to this situation.
Osama bin Laden need only sit back and watch everything go his way. He is almost certainly aware of the old military rule which states, "Never interfere with an enemy who is in the process of destroying himself."
--William Rivers Pitt [LINK]
Dems sorry they "screwed" Howard Dean?
Dems sorry they "screwed" Howard Dean?
James Ridgeway poses the possibility in the Village Voice, stating: "..the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean."
Mr. Ridgeway seems very doubtful about Kerry's ability to beat Bush this November. He first cites Kerry's wealth as a roadblock to the Oval Office...and then the fiasco about the medals (To which I say: ..at least he earned medals, unlike the other rich boys who deliberately avoided the overseas gig in Viet Nam). I feel that his "wishy-washiness" (especially on the Iraq resolution) has always been a point of weakness-in-truth, even though Senator Kerry may have seen giving Bush authority on Iraq as "political insurance" at the time. Read Ridgeway and decide for yourselves.
Personally, I still think The "Real Souls" of the Democratic Party-Bruce Reed and Al From are among the worst of the Democratic party's leading figures. Ridgeway doesn't mention them, but since he did mention what was done to Howard Dean, I make reference to two of the biggest culprits. It's nice to pretend "we're" all one happy unified party, but take just one look at Reed and From's "Real Soul" and you'll realize "we--the happily unified" never were, in actuality.
The only thing we have in common is the need to find someone to replace Bush in November. The world really needs for that to happen. America really needs for that to happen. Ivy league or not, Bush has been too easily convinced by a God-voice (imagine him relying on something like this). He's been led by human voices around him who have proven to be unworthy of American trust. He admits to ignoring newspapers. His arrogant and ignorant stubbornness has caused the world to back off from dealing with him. (I believe they all hope for Kerry or another Democrat to win in November..and if that doesn't happen, God help us). Our soldiers are being abandoned by "coalition partners". The Wizard of Oz wouldn't have given Bush a small token of recognition of any qualities that make for someone with a semblance of a brain.
Do you remember the Charles Krauthammers, the Robert Novaks and the David Brooks of the right-side of the media aisle begging for Howard Dean to be the Democratic nominee? Do you now see the reverse psychology in that? I'd imagine they would have wanted Senator Kerry all along because he lacked the clarity of some other candidates. I hope he can learn to convince others about the importance of this election. If he's our only hope...and if he fails, so fails America.
I wish the Dems hadn't sabotaged Howard Dean. I know they did. Alas, what's done is done. Kerry won the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania tonight. The Democrats have somehow become sure he's the one they want. I wonder how things will be different in Iraq when he's in power...it really isn't clear just yet.
Today at Linfield College in northwestern Oregon, Dennis Kucinich said:
"Americans should have a better choice than a decision whether to have a Republican or Democratic version of the war. We are being told we have to stay the course, that we can't cut and run. We are dedicated to this war despite the fact that it is wrong..."
Bottom line, there's few major differences between the two major parties when it comes to the Iraq war. On top of that, the entire country seems to be missing the Ben Franklins and the James Madisons of yesteryear. As Gore Vidal said: "Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates." At the same time, I don't believe Gore would consider Senator Kerry to be "deranged, a despot, part of an alien army who's managed to openly take everything over..." (as he does, indeed think of Bush).
Is John Edwards doing anything this November?
Disclaimer: This is not to tick off Kerry supporters. I'd certainly consider voting for him if it came to Kerry v. Bush.
James Ridgeway poses the possibility in the Village Voice, stating: "..the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean."
Mr. Ridgeway seems very doubtful about Kerry's ability to beat Bush this November. He first cites Kerry's wealth as a roadblock to the Oval Office...and then the fiasco about the medals (To which I say: ..at least he earned medals, unlike the other rich boys who deliberately avoided the overseas gig in Viet Nam). I feel that his "wishy-washiness" (especially on the Iraq resolution) has always been a point of weakness-in-truth, even though Senator Kerry may have seen giving Bush authority on Iraq as "political insurance" at the time. Read Ridgeway and decide for yourselves.
Personally, I still think The "Real Souls" of the Democratic Party-Bruce Reed and Al From are among the worst of the Democratic party's leading figures. Ridgeway doesn't mention them, but since he did mention what was done to Howard Dean, I make reference to two of the biggest culprits. It's nice to pretend "we're" all one happy unified party, but take just one look at Reed and From's "Real Soul" and you'll realize "we--the happily unified" never were, in actuality.
The only thing we have in common is the need to find someone to replace Bush in November. The world really needs for that to happen. America really needs for that to happen. Ivy league or not, Bush has been too easily convinced by a God-voice (imagine him relying on something like this). He's been led by human voices around him who have proven to be unworthy of American trust. He admits to ignoring newspapers. His arrogant and ignorant stubbornness has caused the world to back off from dealing with him. (I believe they all hope for Kerry or another Democrat to win in November..and if that doesn't happen, God help us). Our soldiers are being abandoned by "coalition partners". The Wizard of Oz wouldn't have given Bush a small token of recognition of any qualities that make for someone with a semblance of a brain.
Do you remember the Charles Krauthammers, the Robert Novaks and the David Brooks of the right-side of the media aisle begging for Howard Dean to be the Democratic nominee? Do you now see the reverse psychology in that? I'd imagine they would have wanted Senator Kerry all along because he lacked the clarity of some other candidates. I hope he can learn to convince others about the importance of this election. If he's our only hope...and if he fails, so fails America.
I wish the Dems hadn't sabotaged Howard Dean. I know they did. Alas, what's done is done. Kerry won the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania tonight. The Democrats have somehow become sure he's the one they want. I wonder how things will be different in Iraq when he's in power...it really isn't clear just yet.
Today at Linfield College in northwestern Oregon, Dennis Kucinich said:
"Americans should have a better choice than a decision whether to have a Republican or Democratic version of the war. We are being told we have to stay the course, that we can't cut and run. We are dedicated to this war despite the fact that it is wrong..."
Bottom line, there's few major differences between the two major parties when it comes to the Iraq war. On top of that, the entire country seems to be missing the Ben Franklins and the James Madisons of yesteryear. As Gore Vidal said: "Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates." At the same time, I don't believe Gore would consider Senator Kerry to be "deranged, a despot, part of an alien army who's managed to openly take everything over..." (as he does, indeed think of Bush).
Is John Edwards doing anything this November?
Disclaimer: This is not to tick off Kerry supporters. I'd certainly consider voting for him if it came to Kerry v. Bush.
After Najaf..........
U.S. troops have moved into a base in Najaf that Spanish troops are currently abandoning. What a shame.
This is where Spain's pull-out is really showing how our leader's George W. Bush's failure to get this whole thing right is going to sink our cause. (Unless he goes to the U.N. now and makes an apologetic plea for a renewed global constituency, which we know he is simply incapable of doing).
Najaf is "Revolution Central" to the Shi'ites in Iraq. There is strong anti-American sentiment..the resisting Sh'ites there see America as nothing more than Saddam's replaced occupier. Najaf is their holiest city, blood-rich with their cultural history.
Spain's abandonmemt of the base near Najaf will more than likely prove to be a grievous turning point in the battle for the Shi'ite heart and mind. There's no question that we'll be the political loser. Wars are not only won with brute force, although, after Najaf, it appears that sheer brute force may have to be arranged since America is never going to strike a familiar political chord with the average Iraqi.
In Fallujah on Monday, a mosque's minaret was destroyed during a fight between Iraqi Sunni insurgents and U.S troops.Today it is reported that the U.S. forces promise to stay away from the sensitive Shiite shrines at the heart of the Najaf.
I hope they can keep that promise, but I wonder if it truly matters anymore? A mother sees her child, who is seeking shelter from the crossfire under an Army tank, run over like a sack of rice. What cares she about the shelled minaret?
U.S. troops have moved into a base in Najaf that Spanish troops are currently abandoning. What a shame.
This is where Spain's pull-out is really showing how our leader's George W. Bush's failure to get this whole thing right is going to sink our cause. (Unless he goes to the U.N. now and makes an apologetic plea for a renewed global constituency, which we know he is simply incapable of doing).
Najaf is "Revolution Central" to the Shi'ites in Iraq. There is strong anti-American sentiment..the resisting Sh'ites there see America as nothing more than Saddam's replaced occupier. Najaf is their holiest city, blood-rich with their cultural history.
Spain's abandonmemt of the base near Najaf will more than likely prove to be a grievous turning point in the battle for the Shi'ite heart and mind. There's no question that we'll be the political loser. Wars are not only won with brute force, although, after Najaf, it appears that sheer brute force may have to be arranged since America is never going to strike a familiar political chord with the average Iraqi.
In Fallujah on Monday, a mosque's minaret was destroyed during a fight between Iraqi Sunni insurgents and U.S troops.Today it is reported that the U.S. forces promise to stay away from the sensitive Shiite shrines at the heart of the Najaf.
I hope they can keep that promise, but I wonder if it truly matters anymore? A mother sees her child, who is seeking shelter from the crossfire under an Army tank, run over like a sack of rice. What cares she about the shelled minaret?
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