A Grey Pilgrim's Reflections

What America Has Become

2008-06-18T08:48:00.003-04:00

Under the Bush Administration, torture has become an acceptable means of doing business. This saddens me beyond words. Not only has this nation lost its way, ceasing to be a nation that can inspire as it did the young people at Tiananmen in 1989, but it leaves me to wonder how quickly we will be able to restore our collective soul. How long will it take to put the toothpaste back in the tube on this one? We will likely pay a price- for a long time- for the immorality of this Administration.

Two articles relevant to this issue today. They answer the key questions: Did it happen? Did the US government sanction it? Both questions answered in the affirmative. A devastating day- with more to come as the Bush Administration prepares to leave office (as more revelations will inevitably leak out) and we reach the "End of an Error."

Report: Exams prove torture in Iraq, Gitmo

Medical examinations of former terrorism suspects held by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, found evidence of torture and other abuse that resulted in serious injuries and mental disorders, according to a human rights group.

One Iraqi prisoner, identified only as Yasser, reported being subjected to electric shocks three times and being sodomized with a stick. His thumbs bore round scars consistent with shocking, according to the report obtained by The Associated Press.

[D]octors and mental health professionals stated they could link the prisoners' claims of abuse while in U.S. detention to injuries documented by X-rays, medical exams and psychological tests.

"The level of the time, thoroughness and rigor of the exams left me personally without question about the credibility of the individuals," said Dr. Allen Keller, one of the doctors who conducted the exams, in an interview with the AP. "The findings on the physical and psychological exams were consistent with what they reported."

CIA defended waterboarding, harsh techniques

Torture 'is basically subject to perception,' CIA lawyer advised Pentagon

Torture "is basically subject to perception," CIA counterterrorism lawyer Jonathan Fredman told a group of military and intelligence officials gathered at the U.S.-run detention camp in Cuba on Oct. 2, 2002, according to minutes of the meeting. "If the detainee dies, you're doing it wrong."

[I]n the summer of 2002, Pentagon officials compiled lists of aggressive techniques, soliciting opinions from the CIA and others, and ultimately implementing the practices over opposition from military lawyers who argued that the proposed tactics were probably illegal and could harm U.S. troops.

Anger

2008-06-11T19:12:00.001-04:00

Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back—in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.

- Frederick Buechner
Wishful Thinking

Real Peace

2008-05-30T11:26:00.001-04:00

Real peace will arise spontaneously
When your mind becomes free
Of attachments,
When you know that the objects of the world
Can never give you what you really want.

-Theragatha

Bush Legacy

2008-05-15T11:25:00.001-04:00

From an article by Thomas Friedman in today's NY Times.

The Bush team, by contrast, in eight years has managed to put America in the unique position in the Middle East where it is "not liked, not feared and not respected," writes Aaron David Miller, a former Mideast negotiator under both Republican and Democratic administrations, in his provocative new book on the peace process, titled "The Much Too Promised Land."

Fits within the Pilgrim's thesis that the US position is less secure now than before the Iraq Invasion. We face real security threats from the Middle East. Now we are less equipped to deal with them than ever.

The work to be done is greater than any single president can do- of either party. Regardless of who will be the next president, the work will continue- if it is actually undertaken- past his/her term.

And it will not be undertaken if the next president holds firmly to the same foolishness as our current president. In a speech to the Isreali parliament, Bush likened Obama's belief in talking to Iran to the appeasment of Hitler by Chamberlain in the 1930s.

Our current president's policy is to talk to our friends only, and then either ignore or bomb our enemies.

Americans need to learn, and elect a president who understands, that peace is only achieved through a willingness to talk to enemies.

Anger

2008-05-08T09:01:00.001-04:00

Whenever someone feels anger, there is a potential for powerful dignity, a sense of responsibility, and the expression of some deep personal value that has a universal rightness. This value needs acknowledgement.

-David E. Doiron

Act in Love

2008-05-06T12:07:00.001-04:00

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

- 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Moon on the Water

2008-05-01T13:14:00.001-04:00

A person getting enlightened is like the moon reflecting in the water. The moon does not get wet, the water is not disturbed. Though it is a great expanse of light, it reflects in a little bit of water; the whole moon and the whole sky reflect even in the dew on the grass; they reflect even in a single drop of water. Enlightenment not disturbing the person is like the moon not piercing the water. A person not obstructing enlightenment is like the dewdrop not obstructing the heavens.

-Dogen

Benefits of confusion

2008-05-01T08:50:00.001-04:00

It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.

~ Wendell Berry

Into the Light

2008-04-25T13:22:00.001-04:00

Let go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it. It is your own true nature, it is home.

2008-04-22T12:31:00.001-04:00

From whom can we learn most?

2008-04-22T11:19:00.001-04:00

In my own experience, the period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life. ...Through a difficult period, you can learn, you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problem. Who gives you this chance? Your enemy.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

A wise old one...

2008-04-15T19:45:00.001-04:00

The wise ones of old had subtle wisdom

And depth of understanding,

So profound that they could not be understood.

And because they could not be understood,

Perforce must they be so described:

Who can find repose in a muddy world?

By lying still, it becomes clear.

Who can maintain his calm for long?

By activity, it comes back to life.

One who embraces this Tao

Guards against being over-full.

Because he guards against being over-full,

He is beyond wearing out and renewal.

Happiness

2008-04-15T19:43:00.001-04:00

The happiness we seek, a genuine lasting peace and happiness, can be attained only through the purification of our minds. This is possible if we cut the root cause of all suffering and misery—our fundamental ignorance.

HH the Dalai Lama

Forgiveness

2008-04-15T19:40:00.001-04:00

Forgiveness is giving up the right to retaliate. Forgiveness is the willingness to have something happen the way it happened. It's not true that you can't forgive something; it's a matter of the will, and you always have the choice. Forgiveness is never dependent on what the other person does or does not do; it is always under our control. Forgiveness is giving up the insistence on being understood.... Jesus forgave those who crucified him. This is a radically new way of thinking. For those who accept and practice this discipline, there is a release of energy and a sense of freedom.

- Pixie Koestline Hammond

The Surge

2008-04-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

It's not what you think.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Deaths among Iraqi civilians, security forces and insurgents jumped in March because of the recent spasm of violence in the country's Shiite regions, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

In March, 923 Iraqi civilians were killed in violence across the country and 1,358 were wounded, according to the Interior, Defense and Health ministries. The figure is sharply higher than February, when 633 civilians died and 701 were wounded.

Deaths among security forces spiked as well, with 54 soldiers killed and 100 wounded and 102 police killed and 173 wounded. In February, 20 soldiers were killed and 22 wounded, and 65 police were killed and 122 wounded.

Anger

2008-04-02T10:55:00.001-04:00

"Anger is the fire in one's mind that burns away all of one's virtuous deeds."

How many more?

2008-03-28T15:44:00.002-04:00

Olympic Rings

2008-03-28T15:42:00.001-04:00

The kingdome of God is within you

2008-03-26T13:57:00.001-04:00

The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is; and accordingly its fruits will be God-nature. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seeds into God.

- Meister Eckhart

In the words of one who died

2008-03-26T11:07:00.001-04:00

Is it worth it? What have we gained? What is below makes clear what is lost.

A Last Goodbye

Hey beautiful well we were on blackout again, we lost yet some more soldiers. I cant wait to get out of this place and return to you where i belong. I dont know how much more of this place i can take. i try to be hard and brave for my guys but i dont know how long i can keep that up you know. its like everytime we go out, any little bump or sounds freaks me out. maybe im jus stressin is all. hopefully ill get over it....

you know, you never think that anything is or can happen to you, at first you feel invincible, but then little by little things start to wear on you...

well im sure well be able to save a couple of bucks if you stay with your mom....and at the same time you can help her with some of the bills for the time being. it doesnt bother me. as long as you guys are content is all that matters. I love and miss you guys like crazy. I know i miss both of you too. at times id like to even just spend 1 minute out of this nightmare just to hold and kiss you guys to make it seem a little bit easier. im sure he will like whatever you get him for xmas, and i know that as he gets older he'll understand how things work. well things here always seem to be......uhm whats the word.....interesting i guess you can say. you never know whats gonna happen and thats the worst part. do me a favor though, when you go to my sisters or moms or wherever you see my family let them know that i love them very much..ok? well i better get going, i have a lot of stuff to do. but hopefully ill get to hear from you pretty soon.*muah* and hugs. tell mijo im proud of him too!

love always,
your other half
Juan Campos, e-mail message to his wife, Dec. 12, 2006.

When Staff Sgt. Juan Campos, 27, flew from Baghdad to Texas for two weeks last year, there was more on his mind than rest and relaxation. He visited his father's grave, which he had never seen. He spent time with his grandparents and touched base with the rest of his rambling, extended family.

The day he was scheduled to return to war, Sergeant Campos and his wife went out dancing and drinking all evening with friends. Calm and reserved by nature, Sergeant Campos could out-salsa and out-hip-hop most anyone on the dance floor. At the airport, his wife, Jamie Campos, who had grown used to the upheaval of deployment, surprised herself.

"I cried and I have never ever cried before," said Mrs. Campos, 26, who has a 9-year-old son, Andre. "It was just really, really weird. He knew, and I kind of knew. It felt different."

"We both felt that it was the last goodbye," she said.

...

Sergeant Campos was riding in a Humvee on May 14, 2007, two weeks after returning from Texas, when it hit an I.E.D. The bomb lifted the Humvee five feet off the ground and engulfed it in flames. "That's when we just left hope at the door," Sergeant. Johnson said. Severely burned over 80 percent of his body, Sergeant Campos lived two weeks. He died June 1. Another soldier, Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge, 20, of Indiana, died in the same attack.

4000 Dead

2008-03-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

4000 Killed in Iraq: A Harsh Reminder

[T]he 4000th death (and all the rest) does serve as a reminder to the cost of ineptitude and when compared to the early statements and rhetoric leading up to the war, and serves as a harsh reminder of the truth. No WMD. No link to 9/11 or al Qaeda. No threat of "mushroom clouds" over American cities if we did not invade Iraq, while a certain increased risk now because we've allowed al Qaeda to rebuild from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Five years later, what does the 4000-death mark mean to me? It means that today, like yesterday and tomorrow, we will lose some of the finest Americans we have. That is a harsh reminder that disastrous policy decisions have tragic consequences.

Chinese Olympics

2008-03-20T12:19:00.001-04:00

2008-03-20T08:47:00.001-04:00

We must continually work hard so that each of our actions is a way of carrying on little conversations with God, not in any carefully prepared way but as it comes from the purity and simplicity of the heart. - Brother Lawrence

Morning Prayer of Lament, based on Psalm 130

2008-03-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

Morning Prayer of Lament, based on Psalm 130 and
the Pastoral Letter on the War in Iraq

¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
² Lord, hear my voice!

Today is the fifth anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq.
Thousands of precious American lives have been lost;
thousands more have been altered forever by injuries;
Tens of thousands more innocent Iraqi lives are daily being lost
to war and sectarian violence.
We grieve, we weep.

Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!

We struggle in our hearts and in our churches
to know the truth of what is happening to the Iraqi people and to America:

³If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?

In our name human rights have been violated;
Iraqi infrastructure and lives destroyed.
Precious resources have been diverted
from education, health care, and the needs of the poor.
Efforts to restrain the real sources of global terrorism
have been ignored or subverted.
Trust and respect for the United States
has been traded for self-serving political gain.

⁴But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

We confess that too often the church has been little more
than a silent witness to evil deeds:
We have prayed without protest, and without action for peace.
As citizens of this land we have been made complicit
in the bloodshed and the cries.

⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;

Yet in the midst of our lament we may give thanks -
for pastors and laity who have raised courageous voices;
for military personnel who serve with honor and integrity,
for chaplains who care for soldiers and their families;
for veterans whose experience has led them to say, "no more;"
for humanitarian groups, who care for the victims of violence;
for the fragile Christian community in Iraq
that continues to bear witness to the Gospel
under intense pressure and fear,
for public officials who have challenged this war
risking reputation and career.
The Gospel witness has not been completely silenced, and we are grateful.

⁶my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

Today we call for an end
to war, to reliance on violence;
Today we call for humility and courage
to accept the futility of our current path.
Today we cry out for creativity
to seek new paths of peacemaking.
Today we call for repentance in our nation
and for recognition in our churches that security is found
in submitting to Christ, not by dominating others.

⁷O [People], hope in the Lord!

May we join protest to prayer, support ministries of compassion,
and cast off the fear
that has made us accept the way of violence.
May we return again to the way of Jesus.
Thus may bloodshed end and cries be transformed
to the harmonies of justice and the melodies of peace.

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.

For this we yearn, for this we pray,
and toward this end we rededicate ourselves
as children of a loving God
who gives "light to those who sit in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace."

⁸It is he who will redeem [our People]
from all its iniquities.

5 years later...

2008-03-19T09:47:00.001-04:00

The most costly war in US History?? Not yet, but perhaps before all is said and done.

Only World War II was costlier than Iraq war

It was supposed to be a quick war and a cheap one. Five years later, 160,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq. And the costs keep piling up - $12 billion every month - putting a strain on an already faltering economy.

The United States has poured more than $500 billion into Iraq, mostly for military operations. But that figure is just a small piece of the much larger bill that taxpayers will pay in the future.

Because the money for the war is being borrowed, interest payments could add another $615 billion. A heavily depleted military will have to be rebuilt at a cost of $280 billion. Disability benefits and health care for Iraq war veterans, many of them severely injured, could add another half-trillion dollars over their lifetime.

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University public finance Professor Laura Bilmes, both of whom served in the Clinton administration, have included those calculations in a new study of the war's long-term costs. Their estimate of the war's price tag: $3 trillion.

And Cheney still can't help himself from continuing to lie...

Cheney again links Iraq invasion to 9/11 attacks as bombing victims are buried

But Vice President Dick Cheney gave an upbeat view of conditions in Iraq as he concluded his unannounced trip to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. Cheney also defended the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as part of the struggle against terrorism following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"This long-term struggle became urgent on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 . That day we clearly saw that dangers can gather far from our own shores and find us right there at home," said Cheney, who was accompanied by his wife, Lynne, and their daughter, Elizabeth.

"So the United States made a decision: to hunt down the evil of terrorism and kill it where it grows, to hold the supporters of terror to account and to confront regimes that harbor terrorists and threaten the peace," Cheney said. "Understanding all the dangers of this new era, we have no intention of abandoning our friends or allowing this country of 170,000 square miles to become a staging area for further attacks against Americans."

A happy war anniversary to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and all their co-conspirators.

Obama calls Clinton out on her bamboozal attempt

2008-03-17T20:01:00.001-04:00

2008-02-20T15:32:00.001-05:00

The responsibility for war rests not only with those who directly cause war, but also with those who do not do everything in their power to prevent it.- Pope John Paul II

2008-01-29T09:42:00.001-05:00

Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership—either of entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or a local church.... Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.

- Dallas Willard
The Spirit of the Disciplines

2008-01-25T19:40:00.001-05:00

The ultimate challenge of Jesus' ministry was to go to the city, the city of Jerusalem. This city, which was the center of education, religion, and politics, was also the place where corruption and crimes abounded. Yet, Jesus went there anyway. Following Jesus to the city was a risky business. Many would-be followers dropped out when they saw this ultimate danger. What will it require of us to move to the city? I ask this question whenever I find myself wanting to settle down in the comfort of material well-being. God may not ask us to physically move to the city, but God does require that we reach out to hurting people with the gospel, wherever they might be.

- Kyungsig Samuel Lee
Korean Family Devotions

2008-01-23T13:05:00.001-05:00

Greed, I say, is a great flood; it is a whirlpool sucking one down, a constant yearning, seeking a hold, continually in movement; difficult to cross is the morass of sensual desire. A sage does not deviate from truth, a brahmana stands on firm ground; renouncing all, he is truly called 'calmed.'

-Sutta Nipata

2008-01-15T07:48:00.001-05:00

Strange, this love announced by our Lord turns all of life right. To love others is to fill our own empty spaces.

- Thomas A. Becket

2008-01-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

It is only by the constant cultivation of wisdom and compassion that we can really become the guardians and inheritors of happiness.

~ Matthieu Ricard

Obama's victory speech

2008-01-06T19:28:00.000-05:00

Last one out of Iowa...

2008-01-04T15:03:00.001-05:00

please turn out the lights.

Experience v. Judgment

2008-01-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

This is the dichotomy presented on the Democratic side between the front-runners Clinton and Obama. Clinton presents herself as "experience" and Obama as judgment.

Well, the Pilgrim chooses judgment.

Two thoughts on this matter.

First, what good is experience if it is not a guide to good decision making? Clinton voted for the war in Iraq, demonstrating that her experience, whatever it is, did not help keep her from throwing her support behind a self-destructive foreign policy. Rumsfeld and Cheney are supremely experienced, and yet they are the architechts of the Iraq invasion, and Clinton fell right in line. Even now she won't admit to her failure- meaning she hasn't even learned from this most recent experience.

Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. He made that clear. His judgment was superior to Clinton's.

Secondly, just what is her experience? Yes, she's served a full Senate term, and he only a part of a term, but that doesn't seem to be what she refers to in her use of the word "experienced." She seems to be referring to her time in the White House with her discussions of foreign heads of state she's met and her being "battle tested" by previous campaigns. Let's remember, when in the White House she was First Lady- not a decision maker. She's obviously an intelligent woman and capable politician, and she clearly advised her husband (not to great success when it came to her healtcare proposal, however). But she was not a policy maker. Her 8 years in the White House were largely ceremonial. She met many people, but did not have an accountable policy making role- she simply delivered messages she was supposed to deliver for the President. Just how important is this experience? Not very when it comes to policy issues, but perhaps very important when it comes to political calculations. Is that what we want- another political calculator as President?

In the end, for all her experience, she gave this nation no better than what Cheney and Rumsfeld fed her.

Clinton's vote for the war in Iraq and her unwillingness to admit her error should be a fatal flaw in the eyes of voters. It may not be, but it should be.

It is for the Pilgrim.

Will Obama win Iowa?

2008-01-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

Maybe, Mrs. Clinton, a black man can win.

New Iowa Poll: Obama widens lead over Clinton

Obama was the choice of 32 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, up from 28 percent in the Register's last poll in late November, while Clinton, a New York senator, held steady at 25 percent and Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.

Far from a lock. But, the trend towards the end is key. Voters have to decide and stick w/ a decision. They begin to do that in the final days. So, the 32% may not change much.

That said: (1) margin of error is going to be around 5%; (2) 6% are undecided; (3) voters' second choice is very important because voters can shift to their second choice if their first choice gets insufficient support in their caucus (I believe the number is 15%).

Remember the Howard Dean collapse 4 years ago? The collapse of expectations can be hard to recover from. If Clinton were to follow up an Iowa loss with a New Hampshire loss (not unlikely given that Obama is w/in 4% in New Hampshire), her campaign could be over. She would then have to adopt a 'southern strategy' that would play, however gently, the race card and hope she could build up delegates there. Not a strategy that endears one to the Democratic electorate.

Remember a couple of months back when Guiliani and Clinton seemed inevitable?

Clinton Campaing nastiness

2008-01-01T19:35:00.000-05:00

First, a campaign official has to resign for offering the proposition that Obama sold cocain as a youth. Now, another raises the spector of race in a sly, sinister way:

In Cherokee, one Clinton precinct captain who asked that her name not be used questioned his prospects: “We’ve got to keep an eye on electability,” she said. “Is America ready for a black president?” (source: Politico)

Who did it?

2008-01-01T19:27:00.000-05:00

Did US ally Musharraf put the hit out on Bhutto? Did his buddies in the Pakistan military act independently on his behalf in what they thought was his interest?

India's counterintelligence points the finger at the Pakistan military.

Hard to evaluate this report. The Indian intelligence community is not particularly objective when it comes to the Pakistani military. That said, who has better sources and intelligence capabilities than the Indians?

Just seems to me that the rush to pin this on the radical Islamists is not very helpful. And the Pakistani government seems just a little to happy to encourage that rush- not the least example of which would be the police using hoses to wash down the scene of the crime w/in relative minutes of the assassination, washing away any evidence that may have remained.

Imagine a major assassination in the US where days pass and there are no suspects. No hard evidence disclosed- only vague, although logical, speculations. Further, the cause of death can't even be agreed upon.

It seems to me that, at the very least, the government of Pakistan doesn't want to know who did it out of fear that it may in fact have been one of their own.

It's been relatively quiet of late, but...

2008-01-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

2007 was deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq

The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed.

One lazy blogger...

2007-12-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

Just have not been able to get here of late to make entries. Time has passed amazingly quickly over the last few months- and my ability to get things done both at home at work have not kept pace.

I thought as my hand healed more time would come free. Not so. I had to make up for lost time, and I had to prepare to teach a new class. Sigh. Maybe the situation will relax soon.

I hope to get back to work here at the site after the holidays.

Items on my 'watch list' (much less sinister than a government watch list):

Pakistan- with the assassination of Bhutto that nation looks to be in a very precarious position. There is no democracy when opposition candidates are killed.
Our own election- Iowa votes this week. Will Edwards stay alive with a win? Does Guliani even matter any more? If Romney and Clinton are willing to be this mean this early in the election process, just how mean will they be willing to be when it comes down to the wire? Those are two nasty politicians.
Relative calm in Iraq- does that matter, or are the terrorists simply keeping their powder dry waiting for our withdrawl?
The media- is our excessive focus on Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, the (departed) Anna Nicole Smith, etc., a passing fancy or a depressing trend that is gaining strength? How can any self-respecting journalism organization devote 1 minute of news coverage to the topics above while American troops are at war? (Maybe that's the issue- are there any self-respecting journalism organizations???)
Faith and politics in the upcoming election- will anyone truly exercise their faith through their politics, or will we get more of the same- exploiting faith (and the faithful) through politics? Does any candidate- all of whom profess to being a Christian of some sort- have the courage and moral compass to clearly state that they will not accept torture as a method of interrogation?
The environment- how long will Americans continue to whine about the price of oil but do NOTHING about it? Supply is dwindling. Demand is growing. Prices will continue to rise.

Those are some issues for me.

For now, I'm enjoying the holidays, and hope you are doing the same.

Peace!

2007-11-15T12:15:00.001-05:00

First the Shah, now...

2007-11-13T12:39:00.001-05:00

The cartoonist could have added the US one-time support for Saddam, right Mr. Rumsfeld?

2007-11-13T12:26:00.001-05:00

Continued dis-service

2007-11-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

In an earlier post I made note of how some Presidential candidates who are also Senators abstained from a key Iraq war funding vote.

They're at it again. This time, they fail to vote of the nomination of Attorney General Mukasey.

Clinton, Dodd, Biden, Obama, McCain all did not cast a vote.

Do they no longer need to represent the interests of their states and nation while they campaign for President. I understand that they will miss votes, but on fundamental matters? Especially fundamental matters on which they express strong opinions on the campaign trail?? Where are they when needed to keep another person who does not know if waterboarding is torture and illegal from assuming the position of chief law enforcement officer?

If they can be so cavelier about representing their states interests, how can we trust them to represent ours once they assume the office of President?

These individuals should be ashamed of their failure.

2007-11-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

2007-11-08T07:50:00.001-05:00

"All must be friends
All must be loved,
All must be held dear,
All must be helped."

- Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection

God is Great, God is GREEN

2007-11-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

I've always seen care and concern for the planet- stewardship of God's gift to us- as a matter for people of faith.

Now an increasing number of typically Republican voters of an evangelical persuasion are coming to a similar conclusion. To these individuals I say, "Welcome!"

[A] movement called "creation care," which asserts that Christians are the stewards of God's creation, has rapidly been been gathering momentum, said the Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, or NAE.

"What is really happening is that American evangelicals are becoming, well, green, if you will," Cizik said...

"This is going to be an issue which evangelicals are going to look at when they cast their ballots," Cizik said.

"I think it should be on par with all the other issues," like abortion and same-sex marriage, he said. "When you think about it ... hundreds of millions of people around the globe are already being impacted by climate change."

In a poll last month by Ellison Research, 70 percent of self-described evangelicals said they believed global warming would have an impact on future generations, and 64 percent said action should begin immediately.

More than half — 54 percent — said they would be more likely to support candidates who worked to curb global warming.

AG vote coming up

2007-11-07T10:22:00.001-05:00

Headling from "Truthdig"

A Vote for Mukasey Is a Vote for Torture

I agree.

If we cannot have someone who understands that waterboarding is torture, and is willing to say that torture is wrong and illegal, then we should let the Attorney General's office remain vacant.

Anyone in the Senate who votes for his confirmation is voting to continue the torture policies of the US, is voting for slipping moral standards on the world stage, is voting to put American service men and women at risk if captured by would-be enemies, and is demonstrating a profound lack of moral integrity.

Keep an eye out for which of the presidential contenders who are in the Senate vote for this nominee.

Waterboarding History

2007-11-07T09:13:00.001-05:00

Interesting article about how waterboarding has been used across time, and helping to clarify that it is in fact torture.

2007-11-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

Discouraging story

2007-11-06T12:01:00.001-05:00

Experts: West can't stop Web radicalization

Internet plays growing role in spreading extremist propaganda, recruiting

Whether the hate is domestic- white supremecy groups, for example- or international islamist in origin, it is spread rapidly through the internet.

Talk about a computer virus.

What Bush leaves behind for the GOP

2007-11-05T21:12:00.001-05:00

It used to be that the Republicans had two crucial strengths in how they were perceived in the public eye as they headed into national elections. 1) They were better on national defense. 2) They were better for economic growth.

I'm sure that there will be many, many Republicans lining up in January '09 as President prepares to leave the White House to say thank you for the state in which he leaves the party.

War Politics

2007-11-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell is finding himself in some trouble due to his support of the Iraq invasion. His numbers are not strong as he seeks re-election.

What's interesting is some of the polling data from the state.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Kentucky voters want the U.S. troops out of Iraq within a year. That figure is close to the national average and includes 22% who want the troops withdrawn immediately. Thirty-seven percent (37%) want the troops to remain until the mission in Iraq has been accomplished.
...
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 57% of Americans would like to see U.S. troops brought home from Iraq within a year.

Also interesting is the fact that the "out of Iraq" numbers are actually down in the last couple of months- from about 64% to the present numbers.

Perhaps that's because the major media coverage of the war has slipped to virtually none while the news has been dominated by other stories- some important (California wildfires), but others ridiculous (Britney Spears and her latest bad behavior).

It seems that the more Americans think about the war, the less they like it.

If only they had thought a little bit more before the invasion.

A Historical Reminder

2007-11-04T20:06:00.001-05:00

Pakistani police detain 500 activists

Police and soldiers emboldened by state of emergency powers swept up hundreds of activists and opposition members on Sunday, dragged away protesters shouting "Shame on you!", and turned government buildings into barbed-wire compounds.

This nation is, according to President Bush, one of our "key allies in the global war on terror," and yet here they are acting like the military dictatorship that they are. Bush administration officials relentlessly use the word democracy- at every turn- when discussing Pakistan, but there is nothing democratic about that nation. Musharaff took power in a coup, appointed himself President, conducted elections that were decidedly less than free, and has now given up all pretense of democracy by suspending the Constitution and seeking out hundreds of political opponents.

This is reminiscent of one of the key areas of moral confusion in the US during the Cold War- many of the nations we supported then because they were 'anti-communist' were horribly undemocratic, corrupt, and every bit as evil in their treatment of their people as communist nations.

Will we repeat this mistake (or perhaps I should say, continue to repeat this mistake) in our struggle against terrorism? We certainly appear to be poised to do this.

In doing so, the people of the US should realize that they fan the flames of extremism and make our terrorism problem worse, not better. A key complaint of Al Qaeda and other jihadis is that the US supports corrupt regimes in the Middle East. While this complaint is more than a little disingenuous (remember that the Taliban was selling opium as its major export), it is none the less hard to defend ourselves against when we DO in fact support corrupt regimes like Musharraf's. Bush and Rice repeating the word 'democracy' repeatedly when discussing Musharraf or Pakistan is not only simply an example of the 'big lie' technique (just repeat the lie over and over until it becomes perceived as truth), it is a laughable one, as no one, despite the repetitions, believes it.

This is just another example of how a moral compass must guide our foreign policy. Lies, support for repressive dictators, and, of course, torture, will undercut any US efforts in the struggle with terrorism, and, in the end, leave us more vulnerable and in a weakend position in the world.

The sooner we recognize that moral thinking is also pragmatic thinking, the better off we will be.

Getting Out of Iraq

2007-11-04T17:07:00.001-05:00

Interesting article over at History News Network on the subject of comparing Vietnam and Iraq. Drawing comparisons is problematic, the article correctly points out. That said, in terms of comparison...

...
In diplomatic terms, leaving Vietnam was a prerequisite to reestablishing U.S. moral standing abroad. By the early 1970s, at the height of the war, many U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere had become concerned that a country willing to spend 20 years and 50,000 lives opposing an anti-colonial liberation struggle was seriously lacking in competent leadership. Withdrawing from Vietnam thus removed a persistent irritant in U.S. relations with its closest allies and deprived American enemies of an invaluable propaganda point.
...
As did the Vietnam War, U.S. involvement in Iraq has produced a profound strategic myopia on the part of American policymakers. The Iraq war has drained U.S. military and economic resources and distracted the Bush administration from longer-term challenges to American power. It has deeply damaged the foreign policy consensus that emerged after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and left the future course of U.S. diplomacy in doubt. And, like the Vietnam War, the conflict in Iraq has led much of the world to conclude that the United States lacks the wisdom and maturity required of a superpower.

Read the whole article for yourself. Nicely done.

Last to Die

2007-11-04T16:47:00.001-05:00

Bruce Springsteen asks on his new album that famous question asked of Vietnam: "Who will be the last to die for a mistake?"

I don't think he's talking about Vietnam.

2007-11-03T10:34:00.000-04:00

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

- Proverbs 29:2-2

Especially those tortured by the wicked will groan.

2007-11-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

Sounds like Isaiah is referring to the Mukasey hearings...

Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance; for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. The Lord saw it, and it displeased [God] that there was no justice.

- Isaiah 59:14-15

Mukasey should listen

2007-11-02T15:40:00.001-04:00

What Mukasey could say:

"Anybody who does not know if waterboarding is torture or not has no experience in the conduct warfare and national security."

"People who have worn the uniform and had the experience know that this is a terrible and odious practice and should never be condoned in the U.S. We are a better nation than that... It is a horrible torture technique used by Pol Pot and being used on Buddhist monks as we speak."

Source of these quotes: John McCain. I disagree with McCain on the Iraq Invasion, but he's no softy on foreign policy, and knows what it's like to be tortured.

No Attorney General is better

2007-11-02T14:27:00.001-04:00

President Bush says that, "[i]n a time of war, it's vital for the president to have a full national security team in place... A vital part of that is the attorney general."

This statement came in response to the fact that Democrats are holding up the nomitation of retired federal Judge Michael Mukasey for Attorney General. And they are absolutely right to do so. We've had too much toleration of torture by this adminstration. We've taken the body blows done to American prestige by former AG Alberto Gonzales, with his 'torture memo' and tortured logic when it comes to the treatment of those detained by the US in the 'war on terror.'

When testifying before Congress in his confirmation hearings, Mukasey was unwilling to address the question of whether waterboarding is torture and thus illegal in a forthright manner. Someone as evasive as he was should not become the chief law enforcement officer of our nation.

Remember the outrage by Republicans over the "that depends on what the meaning of 'is' is," by President Clinton. That outrage was fair. Clinton parsed his words in ways that at times during the whole Lewinsky affair strained any credible use of the English language and did, in fact, amount to purjury. It was wrong.

Isn't evasiveness on the issue of torture equally wrong- perhaps even more so than evasiveness about private, consensual sexual matters?

It is time for American to begin moving forward towards a more moral foreign policy, one more consistent with what Americans would prefer to believe about themselves, rather than to continue to have a foreign policy that represents what has been America at its worst- about vengence rather than justice.

Mukasey should either answer the important questions clearly, honestly, and concretely, or America should do without an Attorney General until we have a President willing to appoint a person of integrity and dignity.

And, as we move towards the election of 2008, Americans should take care to make certain they put into office someone who is willing to appoint such a person, as our current President is not.

2007-10-26T13:16:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to bring the good experiences of meditation into your daily activities. Instead of acting and reacting impulsively and following your thoughts and feelings here and there, watch your mind carefully, be aware, and try to deal skillfully with problems as they arise. If you can do this each day, your meditation will have been successful.

-Kathleen McDonald

No matter what our faith, isn't this the goal? Shouldn't we take our religious practice into our daily lives?

2007-10-26T13:14:00.001-04:00

Desires achieved increase thirst like salt water.

-Milarepa

Lack of progress

2007-10-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

Anyone who thought that perhaps we'd move in a positive direction in terms of a return to American values on torture with the departure of Gonzales... well... you'll be disappointed, apparently.

Our government authorized torture in 2005, and apparently has found a new Attorney General whose new way of authorizing the tactic is to evade the topic.

2007-10-23T12:23:00.001-04:00

It is critical to serve others, to contribute actively to others' well-being. I often tell practitioners that they should adopt the following principle: regarding one's own personal needs, there should be as little involvement or obligation as possible. But regarding service to others, there should be as many possible involvements and obligations as possible. This should be the ideal of a spiritual person.

HH Dalai Lama

A Third Party??

2007-10-23T11:30:00.000-04:00

Interesting article about the threat to form a 3rd party by evangelicals if they nominate pro-life, pro-gay marriage Guliani. It's an interview with Richard Land, a leading evangelical who serves as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

A serious threat? I don't know. I doubt it. I think when push comes to shove the evangelical leaders would rather win than be right, so they will vote against Clinton by voting for Guliani.

If a third party materialized, however, it would torpedo Republican chances in '08- more than Nader hurt the Dems in 2000. It would be more like what Theordore Roosevelt did to the Republicans back in 1912. Bull Moose Party II

But I still marvel at the inconsistency on one issue when it comes to the Religious Right: Where's the outrage over an unjust war to equate with the outrage over abortion?

From the interview, Land says he cannot vote for Clinton. He compares that vote to voting for a Klansman. He says: "I cannot vote for someone who believes that it's all right to stop a beating heart."

Wanna bet he voted for G.W. Bush in 2004?

3,834 American hearts stopped through his unjustified invasion of Iraq (not to mention as many as 80,000 Iraqi civilian hearts).

Do those hearts count in the Religious Right's moral equation? Or is it really just winning the elections that truly matters?

2 Stories, Irony Apparently Missed in DC

2007-10-23T07:51:00.001-04:00

Audit: 'Disarray' on $1.2 billion Iraq contract

U.S. can't account for DynCorp performance in training police, report says... auditors said the environment was "ripe for waste and fraud." DynCorp's invoices had numerous problems, such as duplicate payments. [W]ith invoices paid without being checked, and with no one tracking what they were for, auditors say it's impossible to determine what money was spent on.

So of course...

Bush lobbies for more Iraq, Afghan funds

President Bush asked Congress on Monday for another $46 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and finance other national security needs.

$500 Billion is not enough to get the job right, apparently.

You know, a billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Digit Data

2007-10-20T12:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I've not been a very active 'blogger' for some time now. You may recall, my most loyal visitors, that this has been due to an injury I incurred during the summer- an injury that required surgery on my left hand.

The update is a good one. The surgery has been successful. My left hand now works properly again. It is not yet as strong as it was, and there is still some pain from time to time, but I am happy with the improvement. I've had many doctor visits, physical therapy appointments, and a lot of down time for my hand. Now I've been given the 'green light' by my doctor to do what I wish and feel my hand is strong enough for. I have only one more- presuming all continues to go well- doctor appointment, and while I continue to do physical therapy on my own, I have no more appointments with the physical therapist to attend. My time is becoming more my own.

I still find that if I attempt to type too much- too long, that is- that I experience discomfort. However, I am improving and am finding that I can type much more rapidly and accurately, and the length of time I can type is gradually increasing. I suspect my hand will never quite be 'normal' again, but it is returning to at least 'very good' if not perfect, and is much, much better than before the surgery.

Thus, I hope to return to a more active mode here in the weeks ahead. I hope to get back to my thinking, analyzing, and writing about important topics of our collective lives.

One of the important issues that I live with daily is that of education. I find that now, my teaching, may also keep me somewhat limited as a blogger. Why? The standardized test fixation of politicians today is changing the nature of my work as a teacher in ways that are not good- taking up enormous amounts of time as I try to work at a breakneck pace and virtually sucking the life out of me as I become a mere implementer of what the very wise (italics indicates sarcasm in this case) people in Lansing and Washington, DC believe I should teach.

If those people are such experts on the teaching of history, why do they prove to be such poor students of it? Why do they think that they are more qualified than I to decide how to teach the history that they clearly do not know?

Oh, sure, they know some facts. But there is a major difference, and substantial gulf, between mere knowledge and understanding. This the politicians clearly do not grasp. They clearly think that if our students are capable 'Trivial Pursuit' (remember that game) or 'Jeopardy' contestants, then they are ready to be citizens.

An education should not merely be about the ability to recite facts. Educated people should understand the context of those facts, be able to discern the meaning of those facts, and be able to apply those facts in new, flexible, and powerful ways. The current drive towards testing our students by having them fill in bubble sheets takes us no where in terms of these goals. Even the writing that is required by many states- including Michigan- as a part of their testing does nothing for true education because it is so locked-down in terms of format and constricted in terms of content.

Oh, and did I mention that these very wise politicians expect us to do all of this in an environment where our resources are being cut back? Do more and deal with greater problems among our students with less money- is this educated thinking?

So, as a teacher I am left tremendously busy, physically tired, mentally drained, and endlessly frustrated by the environment in which I work. Thus I may not have the time and energy to post as often as I like.

That said, I do hope, however, to become a more frequent contributor to this blog in the future than I have in recent months.

Thank you to all who have continued to visit, only to find limited posts and a lot of 'cut-and-paste' quotations. I hope the future will be more satisfying to us all.

Grey Pilgrim

The "War" on Terror Continues to Hurt Us

2007-10-16T20:27:00.001-04:00

Hatred of U.S. drives al-Qaida recruiting

As Americans become desensitized, violence radicalizes ordinary Arabs

"The U.S. says this war is part of the global war on terrorism," Saedi Farhan, an Iraqi engineer who took part in an attack on U.S . forces, said in a weekend interview with NBC News. "But people here say that the war has increased fanaticism and brought terrorism to Iraq."

"An aggressor occupied my country, destroyed it and made millions [of] refugees. It is an honor to fight this," said Hamid Ali, the owner of a construction company who also admitted attacking U.S. troops.

The daily stream of images from wartorn Iraq — of screaming men, women and particularly children; burned-out cars; twisted metal — has dramatically increased the organization's pool of recruits, said al-Qaida sympathizers in cell after cell.

Can we change policies before it is too late?

Is it already too late?

Thin skinned China

2007-10-16T10:10:00.001-04:00

Even Americans seem to be more willing to handle criticism than China, and Americans are, in my view, very thinned skin when it comes to criticism of their culture and policies.

In this case, given what China has done to Tibet, the criticism, even if only implied, is well deserved.

Bush to meet with Dalai Lama today

Congressional award and presidential visit angers China

China warns that a planned White House meeting Tuesday between Bush and the Dalai Lama and a public ceremony Wednesday to award the spiritual leader the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal are bad for U.S.-Chinese ties.

"We are certainly very much displeasured and regret the fact that the U.S. side would totally ignore the repeated positions of the Chinese side and go ahead with its erroneous decision," Wang said in an interview. "Such moves on the U.S. side are not a good thing for the bilateral relationship."

In Beijing, a government official on Tuesday also criticized the U.S. plans.

"The move will seriously damage China-U.S. relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. Liu did not specify how relations would be damaged if the award does take place.

He told a regular news conference that China hoped the U.S. would "correct its mistakes and cancel relevant arrangements and stop interfering in the internal affairs of China."

Honoring the Dalai Lama is no mistake, and the internal affairs of China are abysmal. If China would end its repression, the critisim will end. Perhaps they should stop worrying about US internal affairs and correct their own mistakes.

2007-10-12T15:05:00.001-04:00

2007-10-11T08:35:00.001-04:00

The mouth is not a door through which any evil enters. The ears are such doors as are the eyes. The mouth is a door only for exit.

- James O. Hannay
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers

2007-10-11T08:34:00.001-04:00

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

- Psalm 34:14

2007-10-09T10:46:00.001-04:00

Forming a new world religion is difficult and not particularly desirable. However, in that love is essential to all religions, one could speak of the universal religion of love.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

2007-10-06T10:32:00.001-04:00

Humility is attentive patience.

- Simone Weil

As a mother watches over her child, willing to risk her own life to protect her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings, suffusing the whole world with unobstructed loving kindness.

-Buddha

2007-10-05T08:58:00.001-04:00

Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil, but those who counsel peace have joy.

- Proverbs 12:20-20

When the war on terrorism BECOMES terrorism

2007-10-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

The long suffering of Mohammed al-Amin, a Mauritanian teenager sent home from Guantánamo

Mohammed al-Amin has just been released from Guantánamo, and his story, though brutal, is typical of the suffering that men have been forced to endure for five and a half years.

It is one thing to tout the 778 men who have been held in Guantánamo as "the worst of the worst," as the administration did when the prison was set up in January 2002, but it is quite another to realize that 431 of these men have now been released, and that a large number of them, like Mohammed al-Amin, were completely innocent of any wrong-doing.

Mohammed al-Amin's accidental odyssey to torture, and to his long years of illegal imprisonment without charge or trial, began when, at the age of 17, he left his parents and his five sisters, and traveled to Saudi Arabia to study the Koran, with the intention of becoming a teacher. He then traveled to Pakistan to continue his studies, but was arrested in Peshawar in April 2002, and held for two months in a Pakistani jail, where he was "subjected to beatings, held for prolonged periods in solitary confinement and denied adequate food," in an attempt to force him to confess that he was a Saudi Arabian national, because, presumably, Saudis were valued more highly than Mauritanians.

He was then transferred to Bagram, where, like many other prisoners, he was suspended by his wrists for long periods of time. He explained to his lawyers in Guantánamo that he was tied by his hands to the ceiling "for days on end," and that "whenever he lost consciousness a guard would forcefully pull him up to wake him." He also said that he was sexually abused and subjected to sleep deprivation, and was threatened with being sent to Egypt to face further torture.

Transferred to Guantánamo in August 2002, he said that his first year in Guantánamo was "terrible" and "worse than Bagram," and explained that, in addition to the sleep deprivation and sexual humiliation that he had experienced in Afghanistan, he was also exposed to loud music, as part of a program to "break" the detainees, which was masterminded by the Pentagon and introduced by Guantánamo's commander, Major General Geoffrey Miller. As in Bagram, he was eventually forced to make false confessions, telling his interrogators whatever they wanted to hear.

In protest at his indefinite detention without charge or trial, al-Amin joined a widespread hunger strike in August 2005, when his weight, which had been a meager 121 pounds on arrival (8 stone 9 pounds), plunged, at one point, to just 103 pounds (7 stone 5 pounds). By January 2006, when he was one of 84 detainees who were still maintaining their hunger strike, the authorities responded by drafting in a new team of doctors, armed with restraint chairs and feeding tubes. Al-Amin said that he was removed from the camp hospital and placed in solitary confinement in a windowless black cell, which he called the "freezer," because the air conditioning was turned up to the maximum. He also explained that the guards would "throw water on him to exacerbate the freezing conditions, and would wake him up if he fell asleep."

Describing his force-feeding, he – like others who have spoken about the experience – said he was fastened so tightly in the restraint chair that he was unable to move at all, and that a large feeding tube was then forced into his stomach, which was, of course, extremely painful. He added that, whether by accident or design, the doctors regularly "stated that they could not find the correct position and forcefully pulled the feeding tube from him," repeating the process two or three times, which caused his nose to bleed. He also stated that he was "deliberately overfed until he vomited, and when he vomited the force feeding would start again," that he was "strapped in the restraint chair for periods of two to three hours at a time, which, coupled with being overfed, led him to urinate and defecate on himself," and that he was then "dumped, covered in his own vomit, blood and faeces, back in his isolation cell." Although he attempted to maintain his hunger strike, he admitted that he gave up after 21 days. With some accuracy, he told his lawyers that the authorities "used physicians to commit crimes," and explained that doctors supervised the force-feeding, watching him while he was forced to vomit, and that on one occasion a doctor asked him, "Are you going to quit the hunger strike or stay in this situation?"

Despite all this violence, he was cleared for release sometime in 2006, after an Administrative Review Board concluded that he was no longer a threat to the United States and no longer had any intelligence value...

2007-10-03T11:57:00.001-04:00

Bush Redux

2007-10-02T11:34:00.001-04:00

Thompson: Iraq had WMDs before U.S. invaded

"We can't forget the fact that although at a particular point in time we never found any WMD down there, he clearly had had WMD. He clearly had had the beginnings of a nuclear program," Thompson told an audience of about 60 at a Newton cafe.

What's worse... deceiving people by obscuring the facts, or deceiving people once the facts have become known?

Follow Thompson's illogic: 'the absence of evidence is [somehow] evidence.'

Is it that impossible to admit a mistake?

Cowardly

2007-10-02T11:26:00.001-04:00

The Senate passed a resolution to support the President's request for $150B in war funding .

Wait. Aren't there 100 members of the Senate? Who didn't vote?

The five absentions were Biden (D-DE), Clinton (D-NY), Dodd (D-CT), McCain (R-AZ), Obama (D-IL).

Now that's leadership.

I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs

2007-10-01T13:25:00.001-04:00

I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs

Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America's stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush's senior women officials: "I hate all Iranians."

And she also accused Britain of "dismantling" the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon.

The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, made the comments this month.

Given the occassional irrational comments that come from the Administration regarding Iran and it's president (he's a bad man, but he's no Hitler, as some have implied), does war w/ Iran seem so removed from reality as it should be? Will American's take a new war so willingly as they accepted the war with Iraq?

2007-09-29T10:39:00.001-04:00

Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, like the idle, curved tunnels of leaf miners on the face of a leaf. We must somehow take a wider view, look at the whole landscape, really see it, and describe what's going on here.

- Annie Dillard

2007-09-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Abandon wrongdoing. It can be done. If there were no likelihood, I would not ask you to do it. But since it is possible and since it brings blessing and happiness, I do ask of you: abandon wrongdoing.Cultivate doing good. It can be done. If it brought deprivation and sorrow, I would not ask you to do it. But since it brings blessing and happiness, I do ask of you: cultivate doing good.

-Anguttara Nikaya

2007-09-28T09:01:00.001-04:00

So much for 'compassionate conservatism'. Pres. Bush threatens a veto of a children's health insurance bill. That wild liberal Orrin Hatch has vowed to vote to override the veto.

This threatened veto shows just how partisan this administration is. He NEVER vetoed bills when it was a Republican Congress wasting money. Now that the Democrats are in charge he pulls out the pen.

He will have plenty of opportunity to veto wasteful spending by the Democratic Congress. A bill to provide healthe care to children is not the place to start. A rich nation has a moral obligation to care for its children- who, after all, cannot possibly be held responsible for their poverty. This is especially wrong after the President sent Sec. of Defense Gates to Congress to ask for more money (which would bring the total spending to over $700 billion by some estimates) for an immoral war.

2007-09-28T08:53:00.001-04:00

Finally

2007-09-28T08:47:00.001-04:00

U.S. to allow key detainees to request lawyers

14 terrorism suspects given legal forms at Guantanamo Bay

These are 14 "high value" detainees who were transferred from the (illegal?) secret CIA prisons to GITMO.

Finally a step towards living up to basic American principles.

2007-09-26T13:22:00.001-04:00

Even in the case of individuals, there is no possibility to feel happiness through anger. If in a difficult situation one becomes disturbed internally, overwhelmed by mental discomfort, then external things will not help at all. However, if despite external difficulties or problems, internally one's attitude is of love, warmth, and kindheartedness, then problems can be faced and accepted.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

2007-09-26T11:11:00.001-04:00

If you speak or act
with a calm, bright heart,
then happiness follows you,
like a shadow
that never leaves.

-Dhammapada, 1

2007-09-25T11:38:00.001-04:00

The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

- Isaiah 32:17

Hate not hard to find

2007-09-25T10:57:00.001-04:00

2007-09-24T14:54:00.000-04:00

How do we learn to love our enemy? By seeing him as a brother who is tempted as we are, and attacked by the same real enemy which is the spirit of hatred and of "Antichrist." This same enemy seeks to destroy us both by pitting us against one another.
- Thomas Merton
from Passion For Peace

Cost of War

2007-09-21T11:23:00.001-04:00

The $3,850 per second war and its victims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Assuming you read at average speed, by the time you get to the bottom of this column, the war in Iraq will have cost the United States another $760,000. More than $4 million of U.S. taxpayers' money ebbed away in the 18 minutes it took George W. Bush to explain to his country and the world last week why the war he ordered would last well beyond his presidency.

During an eight-hour working day, U.S. tax dollars spent in the battle zones of Iraq total $112 million. These figures are extrapolated from a report by the Congressional Research Service (CSR), a bipartisan agency which provides research and analysis for the U.S. Congress. It put the war's average cost in 2007 at around $10 billion a month.

That translates into $333 million a day, $14 million an hour, $231,000 a minute and $3,850 a second. Even for the world's richest country, this is serious money.

Read whole article here.

2007-09-20T20:04:00.001-04:00

For God is a God not of disorder but of peace.

- 1 Corinthians 14:33-33

2007-09-19T21:41:00.000-04:00

Let them direct to God the works that they do, because human work that is directed to God will shine in the heavens. For God created human beings and placed other creatures under them so that they might act on other creatures in such a way that God’s good works would not be destroyed.

-Hildegard of Bingen

[Emphasis added. GP]

Sacrifices of the few

2007-09-19T10:19:00.001-04:00

This is a point I've been making repeatedly in my classroom. What are Americans in general sacrificing for the "war on terror" that they believe to be so important? My students immediately answer, "Nothing." Americans are not rationing and recycling as they did during WWII (in fact instead of rationing fuel as Americans did during WWII, Americans are whining about gas prices being too high). They are not willing to pay taxes to make sure that soldiers have the armor they deserve to protect themselves. People are not signing up for the armed forces (this especially says something about how important they thing the war in Iraq really is) in large numbers.

The people in the military are starting to clue in. They suffer, and the general public does nothing.

All those "Support our Troops" magnets you see on the back of cars- empty verbiage.

War's impact at home falls hard on relative few

Repeat deployments, extended tours add uncertainty to hardship of service

Their stories put a human face on stark statistics showing that the U.S. military — a small force by historical standards — is stretched thin after more than four years in Iraq and six in Afghanistan. Repeated deployments of active military members and reservists and diminishing "dwell times" between postings to the war zone have taxed soldiers and taken a growing toll on the home front.

"Families are truly exhausted," says Patricia Barron, who runs youth programs for the National Military Families Association. "They are starting to feel the stresses of separation more acutely."

Indeed, the whole approach to providing manpower for this conflict differs from that of the Vietnam War, from 1964-1975. Then, a much larger active military — 8.7 million troops — was bolstered by a draft that added 1.7 million more soldiers to the ranks, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. More than 640,000 of the draftees served in Vietnam, constituting about one-quarter of the total U.S. force there, the VFW said.

But the draft ended in 1973, and the active military now numbers about 1.4 million, according to the Department of Defense.

In order to sustain troop levels in what has become a much more prolonged conflict than originally anticipated, the military has relied on repeated deployments, and a far heavier use of "weekend warriors." More than 434,000 National Guard and Reserve members have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, about one-quarter of them more than once, according to the Pentagon. In comparison, about 340,000 Guard and Reserve troops were deployed during the Vietnam conflict.

The suicide rate among soldiers hit a 26-year high in 2006, according to a Pentagon report released in August

The report said the numbers suggest a correlation between suicide and the number of days served in Iraq or Afghanistan, though failed personal relationships and legal and financial problems also were identified as factors.

2007-09-18T19:49:00.001-04:00

Wars arise from a failure to understand one another's humanness. Instead of summit meetings, why not have families meet for a picnic and get to know each other while the children play together?

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

2007-09-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

Very often people object that nonviolence seems to imply passive acceptance of injustice and evil and therefore that it is a kind of cooperation with evil. Not at all. The genuine concept of nonviolence implies not only active and effective resistance to evil but in fact a more effective resistance... But the resistance which is taught in the Gospel is aimed not at the evil-doer but at evil in its source.

- Thomas Merton
from Passion For Peace

Upcoming date for your calendar

2007-09-16T17:31:00.001-04:00

Disconnected from reality

2007-09-14T11:23:00.001-04:00

White House Press Sec. Tony Snow leaves office. He's been quoted as saying "When the money runs out..." he'd leave his post. According to one press report:

Snow, 52, announced his retirement from the position two weeks ago and finishes his tenure today. Though he continues to battle a recurrence of colon cancer, Snow has maintained that his resignation was not health-related. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family and hinted that the press secretary's $168,000 salary was too low...

Doesn't it break your heart? Snow can't get by on $168,000. Of couse the average salary in the US is less than $50,000.

Mr. President, if you're reading, I can get by on $168,000. But, of course I'd stand at the mic and tell the truth. I suppose you may consider that a liability.

Suppose Fox News is willing to throw a million plus at some ordinary Joes to save them from the money "running out"?

Doubt it. More likely they'll oppose any government policy that may help the common man, and save their charity for the six figure folks like Snow.

I'm sure Snow will be back at the "fair and balanced" network in no time. Replenishing his coffers with what passes for journalism at Faux News.

Sad Story

2007-09-13T11:19:00.001-04:00

Soldiers who signed anti-war op-ed piece die in Iraq

Two U.S. soldiers whose signatures appeared on an op-ed piece in The New York Times critical of the war in Iraq were among seven Americans killed in a truck accident outside of Baghdad, family members said Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Yance Gray and Sgt. Omar Mora were members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Gray, Mora and five other soldiers died Monday when their truck overturned near the Iraqi capital, U.S. officials said.

Gray and Mora were among seven soldiers, mostly sergeants, who wrote the op-ed piece that appeared in the Times on August 19. It called the prospects of U.S. success "far-fetched" and said the progress being reported was being "offset by failures elsewhere."

"Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of Islamist, militia and criminal violence," they wrote. "When the primary preoccupation of average Iraqis is when and how they are likely to be killed, we can hardly feel smug as we hand out care packages."

Global Warming Report

2007-09-12T15:36:00.001-04:00

Global warming impact like "nuclear war"

Climate change could have global security implications on a par with nuclear war unless urgent action is taken, a report said on Wednesday.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) security think-tank said global warming would hit crop yields and water availability everywhere, causing great human suffering and leading to regional strife.

Scientists say global average temperatures will rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 degrees Celsius this century due to burning fossil fuels for power and transport.

The IISS report said the effects would cause a host of problems including rising sea levels, forced migration, freak storms, droughts, floods, extinctions, wildfires, disease epidemics, crop failures and famines.