Turkey threatens action unless US troops tackle Kurdish rebels in Iraq

Turkey threatens action "against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq unless US-led forces intervene to stop them from crossing the border." While on the surface Turkey is offering to aid the fight against terrorism and the PKK (who we call terrorists), this could lead to problems in Iraq that will spill over into Turkey. The good news is that the Kurds wouldn't be involved in the Iraqi civil war anymore - they'd be fighting the Turks and breaking away to form their own country and annexing parts of Turkey.

What would W do then? Two of our friends (?) at each other's throat. Who would W back?

A mess getting messier every day.

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The Real War of the Worlds...

The aliens are among us...

From The Village Voice 

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ACLU - Pizza

ACLU - Pizza is a great page. What will ordering a pizza be like in a short time thanks to the Patriot Act, FEAR, a non-caring populace and W? Are we there already?

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Iraqi leader presses issue of U.S. withdrawal

MSNBC.com had this as a headline and reading the text - well I got excited.

Iraq’s prime minister said Wednesday he wants U.S. troops “on their way out” as soon as his government can protect its new democracy. The top American general in the country said he hopes to begin significant withdrawal by next spring.
At the same time, in an unannounced visit, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Iraqi security forces should take on more tasks now performed by U.S. troops. And U.S. Gen. George Casey, the senior commander of coalition forces in Iraq, told reporters that a “fairly substantial” withdrawal of U.S. troops could go ahead in the spring and summer of 2006...

Wow great news right-UNTIL the caveat....

if the Iraqi political process is not derailed and the insurgency does not grow.

So the tease was on and then the big letdown. With that little fine print we can expect the troop withdrawal schedule to begin around 2015. Oh our leaders have such a way with words.

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Union heroes...

Receibved this press release today.

AFL-CIO CONVENTION CALLS FOR TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ
By David Bacon
submitted to portside by the author

CHICAGO, IL (7/26/05) - On the second day of its convention in Chicago, the AFL-CIO took an historic step, calling for the rapid withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, and an end to the country's occupation. Public attention has focused largely on the split in US labor, and the decision by two of the federation's largest unions to leave. Yet the impact of this call will reverberate for years, with as profound effect on the future of US workers and their unions.
Brooks Sunkett, vice-president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), started a train of passionate speeches on the convention floor, saying that the government had lied to him when it sent him to war in Vietnam three decades ago. "We have to stop it from lying to a new generation now," he implored. Henry Nicholas, a hospital union leader in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, told delegates that his son, who has served four tours of duty in Iraq, is now threatened with yet another.
Speaker after speaker rose to condemn the war and occupation, and to demand the return of the troops. No one dared defend a policy that has caused revulsion throughout US unions.

While we were all so focused on the factions and splits at the convention, worthy news came forward. The tide is turning. The masses are being to call for an end to the insanity. Watch out W!

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West's Policies Must Change

Eric Margolis writes a wonderful piece after the London bombings. Our leaders:

Terrorism is caused by evil Muslims who hate the west because of its values, religion, freedoms and selfless efforts to bring the light of democracy and civilization to the benighted Islamic world.
They insist attacks by Muslims have nothing whatsoever to do with the west's military actions in the Muslim world, its efforts to control or plunder oil, or the corrupt, despotic regimes installed there by the U.S., Britain and France.

Easy to just shine light on the effect and not the cause. Too easy and stupid - putting a bandaid just doesn't help an artery that is severed.

Eric said it best when he writes:

Murdering civilians in London, New York or Tel Aviv is a heinous crime. But to many people around the globe, so was the trumped-up invasion of Iraq that violated every norm of international law, the ongoing U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, and the agony of Palestine. Deporting or jailing loudmouth radical Muslim clerics and closing madrassas won't stop the dangerous jihadist movement. Neither will blaming Islam or Pakistan. Terrorist violence is the effect, not the cause.
The west must crack down on home-grown extremists, but it also needs to change its inflammatory, counter-productive policies in the Muslim world.

We must look for long term solutions, solutions that deal with the underlying issues, solutions which treat everyone humanely, solutions based on reality.

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U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War

U.S. Officials Retool Slogan for Terror War..."pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, senior administration and military officials said Monday."

In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the nation's senior military officer have spoken of "a global struggle against violent extremism" rather than "the global war on terror," which had been the catchphrase of choice. Administration officials say that phrase may have outlived its usefulness, because it focused attention solely, and incorrectly, on the military campaign.
Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the National Press Club on Monday that he had "objected to the use of the term 'war on terrorism' before, because if you call it a war, then you think of people in uniform as being the solution." He said the threat instead should be defined as violent extremists, with the recognition that "terror is the method they use."

Reassuring isn't it? No longer a war on terror - Yeah!. But wait - will it be a different name but the same old crap?

Never fear - To do my duty as an American, I join W in his search for a new term to use. To help I looked up some synonyms for war - struggle, police action, strife, conflict, contention. So how about "The galaxian struggle to repudiate the conduct of heinous malcontents." A nice scholarly ring to it. Or we can go to the opposite end and call it "W and Dick's stupid adventure".

Any ideas? Post a name today and enter to win an all-expense-paid trip to Syria. Troop carriers should be leaving in a few months.

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We Must Not Take The Bait

We Must Not Take The Bait is an excellent assessment of the "war" on terror and the recent bombings in Egypt. The writer notes the decade-long battle in Egypt between the government and militants.

So now the ruling Egyptian elite is challenged by two home-grown forces at once. It is challenged peacefully by its own civil society and political opposition that have launched a growing campaign to retire Mubarak after his 24 years of rule. It is also challenged violently by a brazen, self-assertive new generation of Egyptian terrorists allied to Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, who now attack the symbols of the Egyptian state head-on. This is in-your-face terrorism, by small groups of men who are not afraid of one of the mightiest Arab states that has been unable to respond to the challenge through any means other than police force—which only generates more angry, humiliated young men who become terrorists.

So what lesson should we learn from the Egyptian and London bombings:

The combination of the London and Sharm el-Sheik bombings in such close proximity to one another also highlights the dangerous new trend of terror groups and movements decentralizing and localizing all over the world, while simultaneously using more lethal techniques and materials. Harder to track down and eliminate, these neighborhood killers also are not afraid to directly challenge the great and powerful states that are their nemeses, such as the United States, England and Egypt, among others.

Gravely, we have probably now passed the tipping point in the business of producing or deterring terrorists: the policies of the United States, Britain and most Arab governments now are promoting and fostering more terrorists than they are killing, capturing or deterring. The American- and British-led global war on terror, with its purported fulcrum in Iraq, may have started to produce a new generation of skilled, wily and localized killers operating throughout the world. Including Saturday in Sharm el-Sheik.

A scary assessment - W has opened Pandora's box and now aall must suffer.

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Learning from the Master

Love Iraq's defense minister's statement and threat aimed at Syria. Upset that insurgents are crossing over from Syria, he warned ""When the lava of the exploding volcano of Iraq overflows, it will first hit Damascus."

Problem is - what the hell does that mean? I know it's a threat, and not as bad as Senator Tancredo's "bomb Mecca" blunder. But come on. If you are going to learn anything from your occupiers, learn to use real threats like "bomb", "bullets", "Missiles"...forget "lava".

But we have to give him an "A" for effort and an "A" for helping pound the drums of war. Good job.

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Fonda back in battle over US in Iraq

Jane Fonda is planning on hitting the road to protest the war. Two thumbs up for:

1. Her plan to "travel on a bus powered by vegetable oil" and
2. her plan to "break her silence on Iraq."

I can't wait to hear, once again, the calls of "Hanoi Jane", the calls of "traitor" - all this ridicule for standing up for sanity. I guess Hannity and Rush will have to call the veterans and their families supporting her the same names.

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FBI files are chilling

ContraCostaTimes.com reports on the FBI and the anti-war (reality-based) citizenry.

The goal (in the 60's and 70's) was to crush public opposition to the Vietnam War and destroy an emerging civil rights movement that J. Edgar Hoover feared might produce a "Black Messiah."
For those old enough to remember those dark times, there is a chilling sense of déjà vu.
Once again, the FBI is spying on anti-war protesters. Only this time, agency officials say it is part of the war on terrorism.

The prime target - the ACLU. Now I know why so many nut blogs are railing against the ACLU - they all want to be junior G-men.

Reading this post will guarantee a visit from the FBI.

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Poll: Americans Say World War III Likely

Poll: Americans Say World War III Likely. What is interesting is how our opinions compare to others - the Japanese.

Americans are far more likely than the Japanese to expect another world war in their lifetime...Six in 10 Americans said they think such a war is likely, while only one-third of the Japanese said so, according to polling done in both countries for The Associated Press and Kyodo, the Japanese news service.

So why the difference?

The Japanese were less likely than Americans to expect a world war, less worried about the threat from North Korea and less inclined to say a first strike with nuclear weapons could be justified.
"The Japanese people take peace for granted," said Hiroya Sato, 20, of Tokyo. "The Japanese people are not interested in things like war."

Ahh! The concept of a culture of peace. How about we as Americans follow our Japanese friends example and become more interested and focused on peace.

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The Prayer of Cesar Chavez

This prayer by Chavez echoes the Prayer of St. Francis. This prayer is also named the United Farm Workers prayer. Great words from a man called the Californian Ghandi.

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my people's plight.
Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person.
Help me take responsiblity for my own life;
So that I can feel free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others;
For in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience;
So that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit fourish and grow;
So that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.

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Lennon The Musical on Broadway

Click on the link to view the Today Show performance by some of the cast. Especially moving is the final song and the "Stop the War" call at the end.

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Iraqi Women May Lose Basic Rights Under New Constitution

Iraqi Women May Lose Basic Rights Under New Constitution. Freedom is...

The irony is not lost either amongst women's groups in Baghdad or activists in the United States: Iraqi women who enjoyed basic human rights under one of the world's most repressive regimes headed by former President Saddam Hussein are now on the verge of losing their hard-won freedoms under a U.S.-blessed administration in the insurgent-ravaged country.

Now I understand why we invaded Iraq. Can't let those Iraqi women get too uppity.

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Kucinich's message...

Kucinich had a great message to the Epic Walk for Global Nuclear Disarmament participants.

I send this message in support of all your efforts to rally together to make this world a more peaceful place. War is not inevitable unless we refuse to work patiently and tirelessly for peace.
It is urgent that we use our voices to promote nonviolence as an organizing principle in our society. Only through a fundamental change in consciousness can we truly achieve a culture of peace. At a time when violence is more often used to accomplish policy objectives, we should all be focusing on achieving change through peaceful means.
Today we join together to turn the hope of a more peaceful world into reality.

A culture of peace - something to strive for.

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The Iraq war is over, and the winner is... Iran

The Iraq war is over, and the winner is... Iran. Juan Cole has a very good analsis of Ira(Q-N). "...the Bush administration cannot have been filled with joy when Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.quote.gif insert blockquotend eight high-powered cabinet ministers paid an extremely friendly visit to Tehran this week." The nerve-W risks U.S. lives to bring freedom to Iraq and they then become friends with a member of the "Axis of Evil." Doesn't it sound like a movie or comic book plot?

So whose policy/planning went wrong?

Iraq has a Shiite Muslim majority of some 62 percent. Iran's Shiite majority is thought to be closer to 90 percent. The Shiites of the two countries have had a special relationship for over a millennium. Saddam had sealed the border for more than two decades, but throughout centuries, tens of thousands of Iranians have come on pilgrimage to the holy Shiite shrines of Najaf and Karbala every year. Iraqis likewise go to Iran for pilgrimage, study and trade. Although neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz maintained before the Iraq war that Iraqis are more secular and less interested in an Islamic state than Iranians, in fact the ideas of Khomeini had had a deep impact among Iraqi Shiites. When they could vote in January earlier this year, they put the Khomeini-influenced Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq in control of seven of the nine southern provinces, along with Baghdad itself.

That's what we get when we do not understand all dynamics of a culture, a land, a people, a religion... Too late now - but maybe just maybe we can learn for the future.

More than two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, it is difficult to see what real benefits have accrued to the United States from the Iraq war, though a handful of corporations have benefited marginally. In contrast, Iran is the big winner. The Shiites of Iraq increasingly realize they need Iranian backing to defeat the Sunni guerrillas and put the Iraqi economy right, a task the Americans have proved unable to accomplish. And Iran will still be Iraq's neighbor long after the fickle American political class has switched its focus to some other global hot spot.

And that last sentence is the scariest - the next hot spot. But could it be Iran itself. I wondered a few days ago if we do go after Iran, will the troops we train in Iraq sit idly by?.

Maybe that is why the attention is now on Syria. We now have reports of border clashes and the Treasury Department identifying "...four nephews of Saddam Hussein who it said had played significant roles from bases in Syria in providing money, weapons, explosives and other support to the anti-American insurgency in Iraq." That's just what we need - a solid excuse to invade Syria.

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Chinese Buildup Seen as Threat to Region

Chinese Buildup Seen as Threat to Region is about our next (?) candidate for the axis of evil? Of course not. Our economy is tied in to China a little too much. But the war of words are interesting:

"Without a doubt, the direction Chinese military modernization has taken in recent years absolutely represents a growing threat to the U.S.," said Evan Medeiros, an expert on China's military at the Rand Corp. Still, several analysts agreed that U.S. military dominance in the region is secure for at least another decade.
The Pentagon's 45-page report is factual in tone, avoiding inflammatory rhetoric that would paint China as an inevitable foe. But it stresses that Beijing's future course is highly uncertain, and contains detailed charts documenting significant increases in weaponry and military investment.

You know each country has their war mongers. Some of ours talk of crusades and "fighting Satan". China's nutcase Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu states:

...that China would respond with nuclear weapons to a U.S. attack on Chinese territory. U.S. analysts who know Zhu say they believe that his views, which he stressed were just his personal opinions, were expressed with at least tacit approval from China's leaders.
"They think it's good to have a mad dog in your closet who might scare your potential adversaries," said retired Adm. Dennis Blair, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, who heard Zhu make similar comments earlier this year. "It always helps your leverage if your adversaries think you might do something stupid."

Taking lessons from some of our leaders.

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Bomb in waist pack triggered Turkey blast, suspicions focus on Kurd rebels

Kurd rebels are being looked at as the prime suspects in the recent bombing in Turkey. While we label the "Maoist" PKK as a terrorist organization, this will surely lead to some interesting talks with Turkey. Why? Well in Iraq one of our closest allies are the Kurds.

Another tightrope for W to walk - and fall off as usual.

So who should we tick off - Turkey or the Kurds? My guess is that the Kurds will not be too happy with W in the coming months if the PKK becomes very active. It is what we get when we have our foreign policy ruled by "friend of the month."

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Hodge urges job help for Muslims

BBC NEWS reports that UK Employment Minister Hodge will recommend "...Muslim graduates should get more help to get them into jobs... She will also say that it is important to find ways of encouraging young Muslims to feel integrated into British society, in the light of the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July."

At last, a politician on either side of the pond who makes some sense and understands the many reasons for terrorism.

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The Epic Return to Trinity...

Global Nuclear Disarmament Fund "Full Circle" is a 25 day walk (July 16 to August 9).

Almost 60 years ago a flame was kindled from the embers of the City of Hiroshima after the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on a civilian population in hopes of ending World War II. Three days later, a second Atomic Bomb was dropped on the civilian population of the only Christian City in Japan, Nagasaki. The flame still burns today and has become a symbol of hope for peace and a reminder that nuclear weapons must never again be used on civilian populations.
For decades Zen Monks have walked endlessly between Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the belief that their selfless sacrifice and prayers for peace will make Nagasaki the last city in the world ever to know the horrors of Nuclear War. Now, they will be joined by Native Americans, Veterans, and peace groups of all faiths for their final 1600 mile journey across deserts, over mountain ranges and through more then 250 communities as they walk from San Francisco to the Trinity Test Site in Alamogordo New Mexico, location of the first Atomic Bomb detonation. Once returned to its origin, the flame that has been kept for 60 years will be extinguished during a global television broadcast calling for an end to the threat and fear that we have lived with for four generations…

My thoughts are with the walkers. But Steven Seagal? I respect him as a seeeker of truth, I just hope that the press treat him and his words with respect not ridicule (as usually is the case with the action star(?).

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Iraq and Iran: Still the Axis of Evil?

Aaron Glantz wonders what W thinks about the bedfellows Iran and Iraq. Sure they fought a war years ago - but that was with Saddam and our backing. So Aaron...

wonder if he's surprised that the two countries have recently inked a deal to have the Iranian government train the new Iraqi Army and to send grain to Iraq, whose children have been starving under thirteen years of tough U.N. sanctions followed by two years of American occupation. I wonder if Bush is surprised that Jaafari will be talking to Iran's new fundamentalist president about linking the two country's electric grids and constructing a new oil pipeline to the Iranian port of Abadan.
Surely Bush can't be surprised. He must know that Jaafari, along with much of Iraq's current, elected political leadership took refuge in Iran for much of the 1980s – during a time that the United States, under President Ronald Reagan, supported Saddam. He must also know that at the same time Iran's new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was helping to organize his country's Islamic Revolution in 1979, Ibrahim al-Jaafari was trying to overthrow Saddam Hussein and put a Shi'ite Islamic state in its place.
I think George Bush (or at least his advisers) are aware of these historical facts. This is why his Administration resisted calls to hold elections for almost two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

So when we wreak some destruction on Iran, should we expect Iraq to applaud our actions? Should we expect their support? Today's friends are tomorrow's enemies, are next weeks friends...

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Oneness - No Borders

The Chopra Center's July message is about being One. A message of no borders....

Imagine if everything in the universe was simply a part of something larger...
Imagine if the sky, the oceans, animals, people, stars, trees, clouds, the moon, even insects were all one. Upon closer examination, we would realize that so many of the boundaries that we create around those things are artificial and contrived.
The borders between countries; the boundaries we create between nationalities, skin color, language, eye color, even gender...all turn our natural one-ness into many-ness. Perhaps that makes the magnificent concept of oneness easier to understand and accept. In his letter, David asks us to ponder, "Is a wave separate from the ocean in which it dances?" Everything is one. We are all one.

This was part of the message of "Lennon". This is part of the message of so many seeking peace, justice, environmental sanity...

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How to Oppose a War

How to Oppose a War is about the late Senator Gaylord Nelson. Anti-war, pro-environment, founder of Earth Day. He stood up for his beliefs.

As the senator's biographer, Bill Christofferson, noted, "Nelson knew almost from the start that the Vietnam War was a mistake."
Even more significantly, Nelson had the courage to express that opinion when few others were willing to do so.
To be sure, Nelson, who died last week at age 89, will be most remembered as the originator of Earth Day. And his role in launching the contemporary environmental movement certainly merits recognition and praise. But it is important to recall that Nelson's green activism was only a part of his broader progressive vision and commitment. Nelson would continue for the better part a decade to be one of the Senate's most passionate foes of the war. When the fighting was finished in 1973, he said, "Let us hope that our political leaders in both political parties have learned a lesson from this mistaken enterprise and will not involve the country again in a civil war where the vital interests of this country are not at stake."
With U.S. troops stuck in the quagmire that is Iraq, it is obvious that the lesson was not learned. And the only way they will get out alive is if more senators learn the lesson that Nelson taught: Start talking about withdrawal early and don't be afraid to vote your conscience.

We just need a few to be strong and stand for truth and justice. Not Supermen, just men and women working for peace, equality, Mother Earth, all people...

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What is it good for?

Peace Takes Courage has a great flash movie set to Edwin Starr's "War-What is it good for?" We all know the answer - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Great site full of flash movies - all by a 15 year old? Impressed.

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A.D.D.?

 I found this at The Project for the Old American Century. This is such a perfect picture of our attention to events - more interested in Hollywood than Iraq, more interested in "People Magazine" than hard news.

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Imagine...

Went to see "Lennon" yesterday on Broadway. Absolutely outstanding. It was really great too when the words "All we are saying is give PEACE a chance" were sung. Written by Lennon during the Vietnam War, it is so appropriate during our Iraq War - same war, different country. The program book had a great quote from the director Don Scardino:

John believed in the possibility of peace all around the globe. His defining belief was that we are all One. When we hurt or hate or harm each other, we harm ourselves, beacuse we are the same thing. He believed that eventually all people will wake up to this truth, lay down their enmities and conflicts and embrace one another. "All we are saying is give peace a chance."

A great play, great music, a great man.

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Saturday Words of Wisdom

I received an e-mail and I think these are the most rationale words I read in the past few days. Here is the message from Deepak Chopra:

The Answer Is Still Peace
The terrorist attack in London today has once again created deep anguish in our collective soul...
Around the world people yearn to find peace and give solace to the suffering and bereaved. Once again the clash of polarized enemies clamors for attention. Al-Qaeda takes pride in this heinous and sordid crime, while Western nations seek to bring the terrorists to justice. Yet it would be naive to take the simple way out and call this an example of pure evil and depravity.
In a very real way we are all part of the London tragedy. Everyone is caught in the tangled web of social injustice, economic disparities, ecological disaster, war, and terrorism. Unless we accept this fact, we will continue with our madness of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Mahatma Gandhi declared that if we continue on this path the whole world would go blind. Will we ever see through our blindness and create a global community of connected humanity? To promote peace today means promoting a critical mass of consciousness where violence is never an option.
London, like the attacks in Madrid, Bali, and Indonesia before it, should make us want to live for peace above all. I understand how it's possible to respond to terrorism with deep anger; I cannot understand responding to it with anger that goes on and on forever. There are causes behind every terrorist act and therefore hope that these causes can be changed, even as we continue to pursue justice. We still ignore the source of global instability: religious fundamentalism which has its roots in extreme poverty, where 50% of the world lives on $2 per day, 20% of it on less than $1 per day, a world where 8 million people die each year because they are too poor to survive.
Terrorism also festers because of a lack of education, toxic nationalism, ignorance about the outside the world, and deep economic disparities. Twenty thousand children died yesterday of hunger-related causes around the world, twenty thousand will die today, and twenty thousand tomorrow. That is not part of the evening news. Why not?
Nature abhors a deep imbalance. The human species has become the most dangerous predator on our planet. Nature might be saying to herself, "Human beings were an interesting experiment that didn't work, so let's move on." Or, perhaps, our self-awareness has reached a turning point, as Inside ourselves we've always carried the seeds of creativity. The next creative leap isn't a mystery. Millions of people are ready to join in harmonious interaction with Nature--and with our own complex inner nature--to create a world of peace, harmony, laughter and love. Let us strengthen our intention to create that critical mass of peace consciousness. Every tear can be a drop of nourishment for the new world that wants to be born and is making itself known little by little, every day. Each one of us can help create this critical mass by becoming the embodiment of peace conciousness their peace practices:
Being Peace
Thinking Peace
Feeling Peace
Speaking Peace
Acting Peace
Creating Peace
Sharing Peace
Celebrating Peace.

Some great words, great insights, great ideas.

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Warned About Possible Attacks

Israel Warned United Kingdom About Possible Attacks talks about today's blasts and the "warnings" given. So who knew ahead of time?

Contrary to original claims that Israel was warned “minutes before” the first attack, unconfirmed rumors in intelligence circles indicate that the Israeli government actually warned London of the attacks “a couple of days” previous. Israel has apparently given other warnings about possible attacks that turned out to be aborted operations. The British government did not want to disrupt the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, or call off visits by foreign dignitaries to London, hoping this would be another false alarm.
The British government sat on this information for days and failed to respond.

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War on Terror

My thoughts are centered on the lives lost in London. But my thoughts also go to the lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan - on all sides.

I abhor all violence so I in no way condone any action that causes pain and suffering. I condemn these bombings, but I hope that England seeks "justice" and not "revenge." In seeking justice and resolution I firmly believe that we must look at the causes of this act. Who really performed this act? We may never know. Can we destroy the network of "terrorists" who may have planned this act? I think it is clear that we cannot - the evidence is in the history of Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan...

The war on terror is a war against a movement. It is not against a nation bound by borders, an army wearing a certain color of uniform, or a column of troops carrying a particular flag. It is against a movement where the believers are recruited by our occupation of Iraq, our support of the Saudi regime, our establishment of bases in the Mideast....

It is time to re-evaluate our actions in the World. We cannot spread our idea of freedom on people unwilling. We must instead treat all the world with respect, understanding, a helping hand...

It is time to be a "Superpower" as evidenced by our diplomacy rather than our weapons and control.

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Lennon - "Everyman"

 On a personal note, going to see the play on Sunday. And yes I will take the subway!

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Mom, Who Lost Son In Iraq...

Talks About "Disgusting" White House Private Meeting With Bush.

Founder of peace group to stop senseless murder of our children, Cindy Sheehan wants parents to ’wake up’ to the illegal nature of the war and Bush’s corrupt motives meriting impeachment.

After her son died she was invited to the White House to meet with W. You would think she would be on the receiving end of some warmth and compassion.

But what she encountered was an arrogant man with eyes lacking the slightest bit of compassion, a President totally "detached from humanity" and a man who didn’t even bother to remember her son’s name when they were first introduced.
Instead of a kind gesture or a warm handshake, Sheehan said she immediately got a taste of Bush arrogance when he entered the room and "in a condescending tone and with a disgusting loud Texas accent," said: "Who we’all honorin’ here today?"
"His mouth kept moving, but there was nothing in his eyes or anything else about him that showed me he really cared or had any real compassion at all. This is a human being totally disconnected from humanity and reality. His eyes were empty, hollow shells and he was acting like I should be proud to just be in his presence when it was my son who died for his illegal war! It was one of the most disgusting experiences I ever had and it took me almost a year to even talk about it," said Sheehan in a telephone conversation from Washington D.C. where she was attending a July 4th anti-war rally.
Sheehan said the June 2004 private meeting with the President went from bad to worse to a nightmare when Bush acted like he didn’t even want to know her name. She said Bush kept referring to her as ‘Ma’ or ‘Mom’ while he "put on a phony act," saying things like ‘Mom, I can’t even imagine losing a loved one, a mother or a father or a sister or a brother.’
"The whole meeting was simply bizarre and disgusting, designed to intimidate instead of providing compassion. He didn’t even know our names," said Sheehan. "Finally I got so upset I just looked him in the eye, saying ‘I think you can imagine losing someone. You have two daughters. Imagine losing them?’ After I said that he just looked at me, looked at me with no feeling or caring in his eyes at all."
Sheehan said what really upset her about the meeting is that Bush appeared to become annoyed and even angry at her daughter Carley, 25, who also attended the White House get-together.
"My daughter said to him directly ‘I wish I could bring my loved one back’ and he said something like ‘so do we.’ Later she told me that after he made his remark he gave her one of the filthiest looks she had ever had gotten in her life.

Our President! Clinton had the expression "I feel your pain" that was the material for many jokes. But it sounded real. W's meeting just sounded disgusting.

W: our Oz charcters rolled into one - he needs a brain like the scarecrow and a heart like the tin man. If we could only send him home, like Dorothy, before his term is up.

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OLD not New American Century

 From Project for the OLD American Century. Definitely worth a visit.

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Different Religions Week

Different Religions Week was brought to my attention and I love the idea. Nathan Black founded the idea in 2003 while at Rice University. Different Religions Week 2005 is Friday, July 15 – Friday, July 22. During that week, we are encouraged to attend a religious service of a faith different from our own. Sounds simple, right? It is. But I think it is a great way to learn more about other faiths, cultures... Fear is rooted in ignorance. We must open our senses to all cultures, faiths and (even) news sources.

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The beginning...

As we approach the 4th and face our own monsters in government it is important to read the "Declaration of Independence."

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it

But the writers saw that this change should not be considered lightly. " But when a long train of abuses and usurpations..." I think fits for our war in Iraq, the lies, the deals...

A new revolution needed?

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Our Un-George Washington

Bushlies is a great movie and song about our leader, W. While Washington's legend is "I never tell a lie", W's may be a little different.

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SCOTUS changes

Sandra Day is leaving and who do the pundits rate as the top dog nominee to take her spot? None other than Alberto "Torture is great" Gonzales. If I didn't want him as AG why would I want him in the Supreme Court for life? It is going to be a fun couple of months if the A.G. A. G. (I never realized that those were the initials - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales) is put up as the nominee. Wouldn't it be great if Rehnquist steps down and W takes a cue from "West Wing" and nominates a justice from "each side"?

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