From a Harvard Classmate

THE 23rd QUALM

Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war, I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all the days of thy term.
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.

Mark Twain's War Prayer

O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle--be Thou near them! With them--in spirit--we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it--for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

[Outraged by American military intervention in the Philippines, Mark Twain wrote this and sent it to Harper's Bazaar. This women's magazine rejected it for being too radical, and it wasn't published until after Mark Twain's death, when World War I made it even more timely. It appeared in Harper's Monthly, November 1916.]

Have Ballot Box: Will Steal Elections

By Robert F. Kennedy:

The debacle of the 2000 presidential election made it all too apparent to most Americans that our electoral system is broken. And private-sector entrepreneurs were quick to offer a fix: Touch-screen voting machines, promised the industry and its lobbyists, would make voting as easy and reliable as withdrawing cash from an ATM. Congress, always ready with funds for needy industries, swiftly authorized $3.9 billion to upgrade the nation's election systems - with much of the money devoted to installing electronic voting machines in each of America's 180,000 precincts.

But as midterm elections approach this November, electronic voting machines are making things worse instead of better. Studies have demonstrated that hackers can easily rig the technology to fix an election - and across the country this year, faulty equipment and lax security have repeatedly undermined election primaries.

Read the rest of Will The Next Election Be Hacked? in the Current issue of Rolling Stone!

How Stuff Used to Be Settled

True Story

Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal. He would have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy, if the Pope won, they would have to leave.

The Jewish people met and picked an aged, but wise Rabbi Moishe to represent them in the debate. However, as Moishe spoke no Italian, and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, they all agreed that it would be a "silent" debate.

On the chosen day, the Pope and Rabbi Moishe sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers.

Rabbi Moishe looked back and raised one finger.

Next, the Pope waved his finger around his head.

Rabbi Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat.

The Pope then brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine.

Rabbi Moishe pulled out an apple.

With that, the Pope stood up and declared that he was beaten, that Rabbi Moishe was too clever, and that the Jews could stay.

Later, the Cardinals met with the Pope, asking what had happened. The Pope said, "First, I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there is still only one God common to both our beliefs. Then, I waved my finger to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. He had me beaten and I could not continue."

Meanwhile the Jewish community was gathered around Rabbi Moishe "How did you win the debate?" they asked.

"I haven't a clue," said Moishe. "First he said to me that we had three days to get out of Italy, so I gave him the finger. Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I said to him, we're staying right here."

"And then what?" asked a woman.

"Who knows?" said Moishe, "He took out his lunch, so I took out mine."

No Balls, No Glory

As you will probably recall, GW Bush has said he makes his decisions based on thoughts that come from his gut. And Dick Cheney likes to contrast the courage of Republicans with the defeatism of Democrats. Both predict that if we withdrew it would only encourage "the terrorists", so we continue to terrorize the Middle East. It has only recently occurred to them that diplomacy and listening to "the other" might be a good idea, but as a tactic rather than as an intellectual theory. It is really odd that they continue to emphasize that it is "the terrorists" who like to kill innocent people, especially children. We are far ahead of them on that score, especially when you consider the millions of lives (on both sides) which will never come to be because of our aggression. And how do they know that our withdrawal would never work? We've never tried it. That would involve confessing to one of the most egregious crimes against humanity in history, especially because of its total futility. As we used to say in the old days on the ranch, neither one of them has the balls to give it a try.

United Nations Debate?

Oh, the horror! the horror!


Admittedly, I didn't hear all of the speeches, but I heard enough to get the drift.

How was the tone of what Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez said at the UN any different from the tone of what Bush said, except that it was in foreign languages?

Comment?

Suggestions to the Ford Motor Company

Free of charge!

Now that you are down in the dumps, this is a good time to completely rethink your whole philosophy about making cars. It was your forbear who started us down this long and bumpy road. I wonder what he would say if he were here to see the worldwide results.

Let’s start with the easy part. What is your very first objective? If it’s just to make money, there’s not much I can do for you, so we could end it right here.

Second chance: It is the automobile which has done the most harm to the earth, so why not start thinking about how you can ameliorate that situation. Do you go to church? Do you have values? Do you worry about the future for everybody and everything on the planet?

OK!! I have some suggestions which might help the earth and its inhabitants, and pay off for you in the bargain. Let’s start thinking about the kind of people you want as customers in the future and what kind of cars you should make for them.

Let’s get daring. Let’s decide that you want to care more for the environment than you do for selling cars to people who are obsessed with themselves. How about some requirements?

• Well-made and sturdy. I’ll go for that.
• Comfortable. That’s important.
• Energy efficient, especially hybrids or even better. Now we’re cooking.
• Large, super-sized cars. Let somebody else go down that road.
• Luxurious, as was mentioned by one of your spokesmen just last week. Not my kind of people. Let’s get serious.
• How about taking requirements 1 through 3 and building from there? Let the world know you are thinking in a different direction with a new-world last-chance philosophy?
• And finally, appearance and names. Smallish, but adequate, that speak to people about the world we need to live in. As for names, you should look for those which reflect your new outlook, which people look at and say cute, kinky, far-out, interesting, different, adorable, etc, etc., etc. – choose your own.
• Afforable. Do the best you can with that. Let the public know you’re thinking more of their needs than of your own.

Let the people who want luxury and/or huge cars know you’re not interested anymore. If you concentrate on new values and customers you’ve never seen before, you might find a whole new market that you didn’t know was out there.

No charge. Good luck. It’s sure worth a try.

Iraq Statistics

On Monday, 9-11, Vigilante posted his views On the Fifth Anniversary of 9/ll. He included comparative statistics of the dead and injured of 9/ll caused by Osama Bin Laden, as compared with those of American forces caused by George W. Bush's war in Iraq. An excellent view of the war and its consequences.

This brings to mind several things that have bothered me for some time. For one thing, one of the boasts of which GWBush is proudest, and oddly enough, brings feelings of peace and security to some Americans, is that "we are fighting the terrorists over there so that we won't have to fight them here." Doesn't it bother anyone else that we have gone into a country which has not attacked us and caused the deaths of tens of thousands of its people so that we can be secure here? Isn't it a strange sort of immoral thinking on GW's part, and doesn't it make craven cowards out of those of us who agree and are just as happy to hide behind the bodies of dead Iraqis, as well as behind those of our own soldiers?

A second thing that really bothers me is that we seldom see any statistics of innocent Iraqis killed or wounded. It is over for those who are dead, but what kind of care do you suppose the wounded are receiving, and under what circumstances When you see or read of the grievous wounds that so many of our forces have received and you realize that they will never be whole human beings again, whether physically or mentally, even with the best of care, what kind of shape do you think the Iraqis in similar circumstances are in?

And you can even wonder about the "terrorists", the "insurgents", or any other name you want to give to the "enemy". It is also over for those who are dead, but not for those who are grievously wounded. Does anyone care?

We are constantly being told by GW and his group what motivates the "terrorists" and why they hate us so, but I now hate the country I live in and the people who made it the way it is, and it has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden.

And I'd like to leave you with this question, how many mass graves do you suppose we will leave in Iraq? I know that was of great import in GW's decision to save the people there for freedom and democracy.

T for Two

In case you think that the only "T" word in the Republican vocabulary is "Terrorists", I have another for you, and that is "Taxes", and it is already being trotted out to replace Terrorists, especially next month as the new attack upon this great country of democracy, religious piety, and generosity.

Americans are really chumps for making and/or saving money, even at someone else's expense. Morality and common purpose do not really figure into the financial equation. As I recall, it was Ronald Reagan who really started the ball rolling on feeling put-upon at being required to pay taxes, especially for those services which you do not need (such as good schools if you are old or childless) or the accoutrements of modern life (such as highway upkeep, if you don't drive very often). And George W. Bush is out-mastering the master with his tax breaks for the very rich.

As for the poor, if they cannot afford to pay taxes, they don't deserve any of the services. It's their fault if they are uneducated and too lazy to work. "I made my money, so why should I have to help you?" ( Many of those in the middle class, as well as most of those in the upper class, have never made a cent themselves, and they live off the income from inheritance, as do I.)

Gambling is one of the most morally pernicious of all sins, yet somehow you feel that you are doing a civic good deed if your way of paying taxes is to buy what you hope is a winning lottery ticket.

If these approaches don't work, blame your reluctance to pay taxes on the crooks in government or their minions.

Somehow, we have got to start being, not only willing, but glad to pay taxes as our way of contributing to the common good, to accomplish those things together which we cannot do alone.

Just Compensation

Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head..........

Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.

Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.

I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

When do we finally do something about this?

If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.

How many people CAN YOU send this to?

Bush Gives Pombo "The Squeeze"

A Message from Jerry McNerney

In my inbox this afternoon was one of the best political messages I've ever received. If you are not aware of the importance of the McNerney vs. Pombo race in CA Congressional District # 11, please read it carefully. Even if you are aware of what's at stake in this race, please read it carefully.

Jerry McNerney is a decent, honorable human being who is not a professional politician (thank god) but who holds solid, progressive positions on the important issues. Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee and the rest of the Progressive Caucus are strongly behind him, Republican challenger Pete McCloskey is campaigning for him, he's has tremendous grassroots support, and I believe he will trounce Pombo whatever the Democratic Party establishment--in its infinite wisdom--decides to do or not do. Go to his web site (www.jerrymcnerney.org) and volunteer your time (the district isn't far) or contribute. Because the Democratic honchos are slow to get it and time's a-wasting, Jerry needs the support of every one of us.


Here's Jerry:

If you watch the Sopranos, you've probably seen an underworld boss kiss the cheek of the next victim of the family hit squad. Recently, voters in Connecticut let the world know that a kiss from the Don of the regime in Washington, D.C., can be politically just as lethal.

As the recipient of another commander-in-chief cuddle (what I like to call "The Squeeze"), no incumbent is a more worthy target of voter ire than Richard Pombo.

While promoting Bush's foreign policy disaster in Iraq, Pombo voted to cut $1.8 billion in benefits to veterans. He also cast the deciding vote in the House against funding for prosthetics for wounded veterans -- including soldiers coming home from Iraq who have lost limbs caused by roadside bombs.

Pombo has made it his 13-year mission to gut the Endangered Species Act. From his powerful perch as Chair of the House Resources, Pombo pushes legislation to line our coasts with oil rigs and lease our nation's parks to the highest bidder. As gas prices and oil company profits simultaneously skyrocket, Pombo abuses his power over the purse to provide massive subsidies to his Big Oil buddies. The Palm Beach Post calls Pombo an "eco-thug" and Mother Jones has named him the #1 enemy of the world's oceans.

While Pombo's disregard for our veterans and his record on the environment are deplorable, Pombo is also under fire for corruption. Pombo's ethical transgressions include ties to Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay, paying his wife and brother more than $350,000 in campaign "consulting fees," and taking a family vacation in an RV on the taxpayers' dime. As a result, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan watchdog group, recently filed a multiple-count ethics complaint against Pombo to a House committee and gave Pombo the ignominious honor of being named one of the 13 most corrupt members of Congress

I'm Jerry McNerney and I'm running for Congress because the people of California's 11th Congressional District deserve a better choice and a chance to put an end to Pombo's politics. I believe we can restore integrity, honesty, and ethics to the people's house. This is why I've gained the endorsement of former Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey, who garnered an impressive 32 percent of the vote against Pombo in this year's June primary (as well as support from Republican Tom Benigno, who received 6 percent of the vote). Like many patriotic Republicans in my district, Pete McCloskey is prioritizing the needs of his country over his own party.

I'm not a politician. I've spent my career developing wind energy technology. Like many Americans, my concern for the direction of our country has deepened over the last six years, with the tipping point coming in 2004 when I received a life-changing call from my son Michael. He called from his Air Force post to tell me his primary absentee ballot did not list a Democrat running against Pombo. He told me that he was going to write in my name and then asked me to run. Michael said he was doing his duty and it was time for me to do mine. I decided, that if no one else was willing to stand up against Pombo to fight for the future of America, then I would take up the challenge.

To the surprise of many pundits and power-brokers, I captured more votes in the general election than any other opponent Richard Pombo had ever faced. I did that, and won a competitive contested primary in June, by telling people the truth: that we can't drill our way to energy independence, that those who have served our country deserve our steadfast support, and that we owe our citizens more than the culture of corruption and greed that has gripped our nation's capital.

By speaking out on these vital issues and holding Richard Pombo accountable, I can win this election and help the Democrats take back Congress. In fact, an independent poll conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in May showed me leading Pombo 46 to 42 percent.

I am in a strong position to defeat Pombo because the people of my district and the country are sick and tired of the status quo and want real change. We want a rational foreign policy that recognizes that blindly "staying the course" will not strengthen our national security. We want real action to reverse the climate crisis that is already engulfing us. We want fiscal responsibility instead of an economic policy that allows foreign countries to hold our nation's financial future hostage.

We simply can't afford two more years of one-party rule by extreme right-wing ideologues, and Americans know it. Starting with this seat, and with the support of Republicans like Pete McCloskey and Tom Benigno, we will take back the House of Representatives and change the course of our country to a more hopeful future.

Bush's Legacy . . .

... does not include cleaning up his own mess.

Have you noticed that G.W.Bush, our beloved president, the one whose most important job is to keep us safe, the one who will accept nothing from the evildoers short of complete and total victory, is beginning to go slightly offcourse in his recent speeches?

Starting just a few weeks ago, he subtly mentioned in one of his speeches that the War on Terror could go on for several years. This has been followed in recent speeches with references to the fact that it could go on beyond his term in office. This theme is now picking up steam, with references to future presidents (plural).

I also heard some supporting member of Congress say something about not changing horses in midstream.

So now the Great Man can relax. Either he can choose to go on to greater glory in another term, or he can turn the whole thing over to some other man or men to cope with. If he chooses the latter, he will get credit for having had the insight and courage to start this crusade for freedom and democracy, and those who follow will be stuck with the responsibility of cleaning it up.

Israel Disappoints! Again!!

If Israel had chosen to be noble, it would have announced that it was stopping any war activity immediately following the UN agreement, rather than continuing to fight up until the deadline. Israel also would have announced that it was ready to return the many combat prisoners from both Lebanon and Palestine that it holds, contemporaneously with the return of all Israeli prisoners held by them.

Following closely upon the exchange, Israel should call for peace talks, during which Israel should seek better relations with its neighbors by giving back the territories which it has seized over past years and still holds, as well as deconstruction of the walls between them. In return, Hamas and Hezbollah should be expected to reciprocate by withholding any further belligerent action against Israel. Nations, like individuals, respond to respect and goodwill with respect and goodwill. If Hezbollah should continue to send missiles into Israel under such circumstances, its credibility and world support would sink to zero.

What heroes the Israelis would have been! But unfortunately, the Israelis have chosen to follow the Bush Plan, complete victory and the humiliation of the enemy. There hasn't been much nobility in the world since Shakespeare.

Homeland Insecurity

Jon Carroll (17 July):

Ever since I have been paying taxes, some of my money has gone to programs of which I have disapproved. I figure that's part of democracy; you have to pay the bills of whoever gets elected. I don't get to earmark my tax dollars; my money and everybody else's money just gets hurled into one great big pot, and then the government takes out a lot more money than was put into the pot, proving the old American adage, "There is such a thing as a free lunch if we say there is."

So if the administration is spending insane amounts of money on weapons systems, or on unwisely invading other countries, I should work to elect an administration that will reorder the spending priorities. Right? That's the deal we signed up for.

What really causes the steam to come out of my ears is the money that gets wasted on corrupt practices. I understand that government is by nature corrupt; I had always thought it was splendid that, in a transparent democracy, corruption came with some risk. Harry Truman became famous by heading the Truman Commission, which vigorously investigated instances of fraud, waste and war profiteering during World War II. It wasn't just a public relations gesture; it made a difference.

OK, can you envision this Congress setting up a new version of the Truman Commission? Can you imagine this administration cooperating with such a commission? Ha! I laugh bitterly. You laugh bitterly too.

I do get the uneasy sense that, within five hours of the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, more than a few people said, "I know it may be too soon to be talking about this, but I can see a real opportunity here." So while some people were digging out, other people were creating scenarios, generating cash-flow charts and identifying opportunities for cost overruns. Organizations like Halliburton obviously had the inside track, but if you acted swiftly and spread money around, you too could be part of America's latest profit center, unwinnable wars in not one but two desert nations.

Young men are dying while old men are getting rich. 'Twas always thus, but was it always this much thus?

It wasn't just the White House; Congress saw Sept. 11 as an opportunity too. The Department of Homeland Security was a blinking neon sign -- Use Me! Use Me! -- money for your home district, all in the name of keeping our country strong and free. Everyone was thinking all terrorists all the time, which apparently meant a lot of large machines in airport waiting rooms, but then along came nature's own terrorist, Hurricane Katrina, and it turned out that the Department of Homeland Security was a shell corporation designed essentially to launder money.

Ah, but surely the failures during Katrina brought shame to relevant organizations and caused them to mend their ways. Well, no. Last week, the inspector general released a report saying that according to the National Asset Database -- which was a list you definitely wanted to be on -- there were more potential terrorist targets in Indiana than in California.

And oh, those targets, and not only in Indiana, either. The Apple and Pork Festival in Clinton, Ill. -- that made the list. The Sweetwater Flea Market in Knoxville, Tenn. -- also a location of concern. There was a petting zoo, an ice cream parlor, a tackle shop, a check-cashing store and the exquisitely mysterious "Beach at End of a Street."

Understand: This is an official government list, used to determine where resources should be allotted, and no one noticed that "beach at end of a street" was perhaps a little vague for a national emergency. "Sergeant, I want you to get your men down to the beach at the end of a street." "Is that A Street, sir?" "No, Sergeant, not A Street -- a street."

Why write comedy anymore? The amateurs have taken over.

All of these "assets" remind me of the earmarks that congresshumans stick into spending bills at the last minute. It's an ancient tradition, but it does seem that it might be suspended in time of war. (Either that, or we could suspend the war -- I'd go for that.) If we need more soldiers in Iraq to protect the ones we've got there already and the civilians who actually believed what our government told them, then I could sure do without my on-ramp or bridge repair or Twine Museum. I think most citizens could, if they were asked.

But they're not asked, except for money, and the machine rolls on, and even the leaders are now having trouble remembering what its ostensible purpose is.

Sept. 11 Panel Considered Pentagon Probe

Authors, panel’s chairmen, offer behind-the-scenes look at terror response.

Finally, all sorts of stuff is starting to erupt from this pustule of an administration. Please send this to any of your friends or relatives that still believe that 9-11 and Iraq were connected and start thinking about WHY our fighters never made it to Ground Zero when they can fly at warp speed, why no one noticed 4 jets going off course, etc. These guys are not commie conspiracy nuts. I hope I live to see bush, cheney, rove, rumsfeld and the other murderers in jail in my lifetime. I hope I never see a bush/cheney bumper sticker on anyone's car. God, god, god. OH, and the media. Where were they in all of this? Good job all around. Thank God for the real patriots in all of this, the ones who dared to question their country. That is what democracy is all about and maybe we will survive this after all.

New Thoughts on Illegal Immigration

Why are we getting so hysterical about people crossing our border from Mexico, at risk of death by starvation and/or fatal dehydration? To my knowledge, none have been found so far to be carrying nuclear weapons.

Some may be carrying drugs, but they are paying an awful physical price for the journey. Besides, the market for drugs in this country evidently makes the price worth it. Whose fault is that?

A great deal of crime is said to come with the illegal immigrants. Hey, we have plenty of that in this country already, physical, social, and corporate.

The physical act of crossing the border may be illegal, but it is hardly criminal or an act of war.

Rumination on a Different Direction

It has suddenly crossed my mind that each nation in this fractious world should withdraw within its own boundaries and learn to live on what’s left of its own resources with whatever time is left before the complete collapse of civilization.

For the poorer countries it should be relatively easy because their lives are more engrossed with survival than with frills. They are accustomed to expecting less and dying sooner. But the resources of their own country would then at least belong to them.

It will be more difficult for the wealthy countries, because so many of the resources of other countries, including cheap labor, are what supply our creature comforts. This will be especially hard for the people of the United States who have been encouraged by our capitalist society to believe in the ethic of personal frolic and consumption, and to fear the personal shame of not supporting our country if we do not make the mall and world travel the cornerstone of our days.

Free trade does not appear to benefit anyone to any particular extent except the corporations and the very rich. The rest of us may benefit to some extent, but at the expense of the people who are employed by our corporations in foreign lands for meager pay, similar jobs that are lost to American workers, and the immigrants here, both legal and illegal, who can’t make a living wage in this country either.

Tribalism exists throughout the world. There is a great deal of tribalism within the United States: ­economic, political, financial, “social”, racial, and especially religious. When it becomes time for history (if there is anyone here to record it), the Great Divider will be remembered best for his faith-based fragmentation of his country and this world.

But it is not entirely his fault. Unfortunately, the Great American Dream of a country that said, after we got rid of the Indians, “Come one, come all, and we will live forever in peace and harmony” has become the world’s nightmare, aggravated by the increasing closeness in which we live.

God and Nature

The awareness of global warming is beginning to grow all over the planet. Whether you are a believer in God or a believer in Nature, what is happening is being felt by all of us. Many who believe in God believe the End Days are upon us. Many who do not believe in God agree that that might be possible, but from a different point of view.

God and Nature are essentially one and the same. For those who believe fervently in God, mankind is being punished for its sins of ignorance, greed, and venality. For those who believe in Nature, mankind is being given a warning. Those who believe in God react by feeling helpless and praying for his help. Those who believe in Nature realize we are thinking creatures and we had better start trying to get ourselves out of the hole we have dug.

For one thing, there are just way too many of us on this earth for the room and resources it has provided. Many of those who believe in God will have to come to realize that we just cannot continue to breed ourselves into oblivion. Saying that every life is precious is a fine idea, but a life that is born into poverty, disease, and starvation can hardly be God's choice. Mankind is responsible for that and had better start taking responsibility.

Many natural disasters, like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, are not really caused by mankind, but mankind can often ameliorate them by living differently. Hurricanes and other storms originating in the atmosphere are telling those who believe in Nature that how we live individually is beginning to affect mankind globally. The fumes that America in particular sends into the atmosphere are beginning to affect not only us, but the entire planet.

Many of those who believe in Nature are working hard to climb back out of the hole we have dug. On the other had, many of those who believe in Nature are also into greed and venality. For example, if producing pesticides and other chemicals which do more harm than good are faster and pay well and people want them, go for it.

Unlimited prosperity and the pursuit of fun and creature comforts beyond those which are necessary are warnings to us of increasing personal greed, made even worse in a capitalist society, which can only exist if it is made up of those who have more and those who have less.

If we, especially in this country, do not accept God's punishment and /or Nature's warning and begin individually to lower our standard of living, it will indeed be due to our individual ignorance, greed, and venality, and can only eventually lead to the End Days. It is our fault, and we can do something about it. What a shame if we don't!

Self-Evident Truths

I hold these truths to be self-evident:

• We can hardly claim that the United Nations as an entity is a failure,if we cannot also accept that our disastrous War Against the World is not also an even more disastrous failure. At least the United Nations has not incited spreading violence and chaos throughout the world.
• It defies reason that countries who are heavily armed with weapons which include large supplies of nuclear bombs should claim the right to tell other countries that they cannot arm in similar fashion.
• It also defies reason that the United States, which is supplying Israel with the bombs which are decimating Lebanon should be involved in any way as an honest broker in calling for a ceasefire. Beyond that, the only solution that the U.S. has to offer is the one-sided demilitarization of the Hezbollah and the return to Israel of two soldiers who may or may not have been in Lebanese territory, with no concessions by Israel on Israeli arms, or the call for the return of 400 prisoners held by Israel who may or may not have been fairly tried and/or convicted.
• Our president would be laughable if he were not so pathetic, and at the same time frightening with his faith-based morals and sensibilities. He has lost the support of the world. Now he is losing the support of most of his own countrymen. Many of us are seeking a way in which to free this country of him as president and his dangerous vice- president as well. Bush is surrounded by a coterie of advisers and sympathizers who apparently support his theory that he was appointed by God to lead the world to a greater glory.
• The American people have not paid enough attention to two of his most dangerous pronouncements:
• If you are not with us, you are with the terrorists. ( This leaves the citizens of a supposedly great democracy without the most important freedom of all­the freedom to disagree.)
• I will not accept anything except total victory. (And this man is looked to by the rest of the world to be the honest broker for settling the Iraqi-Lebanese War?! For God’s sake, why?!) (Note: Condoleeza Rice, after all the killing that has happened today, announced that she had decided this was not a good time to go to Lebanon. She was TOLD not to come!!)
• There are two very good reasons why Bush has not called for a draft. For one, a draft would only lead to loss of support of those who support him now, because it would mean conscription of the sons and daughters of the rich and righteous who support him now. Second, although there are a number of educated officers and some educated servicemen who felt called to service solely on the basis of loyalty to their country, the bulk of the enlistees are young men and women without education or hope for a better life, and therefore easier to control and lead by propaganda. Life after serivice, if they make it that far, is the only hope most of them have. Unfortunately, many of those who come home will be severely physically and/or emotionally destroyed, with many others continuing to be killers as they were trained to be in the service, which will be their only skill.
• The word “terrorist” was coined by the Bush administration in order to brand any and all enemies as evil and criminal. “ Terrorists believe in taking innocent human life for their own purposes and just for the pleasure of killing.” Hell, Bush is the terrorist to beat all terrorists, and he does it in the name of God!
• As a veteran of World War II (which my values called upon me to be just because I didn’t have to), I will no longer stand or salute for the flag or the national anthem. I hate what this country has become. I hate the men who have made it this way, and I hate myself for the fact that this is the only way I can hope to add to the call for their removal.

Bush and Blair

Watched Bush and Blair at their joint news conference on C-Span this morning. Bush did his usual very informative briefing, pressing his fingers to his breast and explaining that, see, the terrorists hate democracy and freedom, and also--especially-- they are willing to destroy innocent human life in order to achieve their ends. That is why we must destroy them. It's too bad you missed it, because that about sums it up for you.

What really impressed me, though, was that Tony Blair said almost exactly the same things. He has been quick and amusing in his appearances for Prime Minister's Questions, but he was a rather quizzical student looking at the master for approval of what he had to say in Washington.

Don't worry about the world, though, because Condi, the compromiser of all compromisers, is going back to the war area again tomorrow with her original offer still intact. All Hezbollah has to do is give up all their arms and return the captured soldiers, and THEN we'll talk.

Makes you proud to be an American.

Questioning Bush's Philosophy of Middle East Diplomacy

It has been my impression that every time Ariel Sharon (and perhaps others) have agreed to a cease fire with the Palestinians, they have immediately undertaken to enlarge and increase the size and number of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. At the same time, they have continued construction of the monster defensive wall between the two peoples.

Am I wrong about this? If not, that certainly explains for me the hatred of Israel's neighbors toward Israel.

Further, hearing Condaleeza Rice demand that there can be no talk of truce unless and until Hezbollah surrenders its arms does not even begin to define for me the meaning and philosophy of diplomacy, especially with the United States encouraging the current hostilities in order to degrade the entire country of Lebanon and the spirit of its people.

If anyone has a different (or even better) conception of the situation, let me know.