Lachrymosa

“Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book?” Psalm 56:8

Glass, wherein a Greek girl’s tears
 Once were gathered as they fell,
After these two thousand years
 Is there still no tale to tell?
(Frank Dempster Sherman - 1896)

Jimmy Breslin continues his waking of the dead: What we've really lost in this indefensible war.

Excerpt: "And so you sat yesterday with all these Department of Defense death notices for the last weeks covering the desk and you glanced at them, with the ages of the dead reaching up from the paper to grab your throat."

My lamentations are of the crying and raging variety, and I'm seeking a tear bottle for my weeping moments.

Image above left is an ancient Roman lachrymatory. Tear Bottle history

Saturday Searches

Someone is fishing...from the ASZ site traffic log...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie;=UTF-8&q;=Karl+Rove+closet+Homo&spell;=1

If It's Friday, It Must Be Scandal Day

Buried late in the afternoon...

At the risk of pissing off any of our Jewish friends, Washington's kowtowing to Israel has to stop. This isn't a right or left issue. Democrat as well as Republican administrations are equally guilty. More than anything, it's truly a U.S. national security issue. Unless and until the U.S. patronage of Israel stops, the nonsense is going to continue. It's long past time for rational discourse on the issue, without those on "rational" side being branded as anti-semetic.

Either that, or admit Israel into the union.

FBI Probing Israeli Spy in Pentagon

And perhaps this story is surfacing now, because...

Former Texas Former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes spills the beans on the Fortunate Son.

It's been a hot Friday...and Atrios has been on fire all day. (Special props to rorschach at No Capital for keeping the discussion alive while blogger's been hosed this evening.)

Update, 11:45PM EDT: War and Piece has more...

A few Links for Friday Night

I start with Patriotboy, who has a copy of a letter he recently sent concerning stem-cell research. As usual, Patriotboy is informative, if a wee bit too religious for my taste.

My second recommendation is the Ohio Republican Rogues Gallery, brought to you by www.clevescene.com. Who says there aren't smart folks in Ohio?

I would like to also tout good reader and a new guy to Blogistan, InsultComicDog, whose latest addition points us to how one picks up girls at the Republican National Convention. Richard, read at your peril!

From the "What Goes Around, Comes Around" File

Prosecutor who attacked Kerry admits lying to boss

Clackamas County prosecutor Alfred French, who called Sen. John Kerry a liar in a political commercial, acknowledged Thursday that he lied to his boss when confronted about an extramarital affair with a colleague.

Hours later, the Clackamas County district attorney's office said French had been placed on a 30-day paid leave while it conducts an investigation into his conduct.

French's former boss, James O'Leary, said he asked French about the rumored affair with a secretary about 10 years ago, but French denied it. O'Leary said he would have fired French if he'd admitted the relationship because it violated office policy.

French, who said he served in the same military unit with Kerry for two months in 1969, has come under intense scrutiny in the past week as the anti-Kerry ad has become a central issue in the presidential campaign. Suddenly, the well-respected Oregon prosecutor found himself the target of questions about his own credibility and the truthfulness of his statements against Kerry.

French's affidavit supporting the ad accused Kerry of exaggerating his war record, yet French conceded that he was relying on the account of war buddies, not what he witnessed. Since then, he's faced pickets outside his office and complaints of unethical conduct to the state bar.

This is the last time I'm going to blog about the not-so-swift boat bullshitters, unless one of them happens to get hit by an MTA bus outside of Madison Square Garden. Every single one of these dipshits involved with the liars flotilla has now been exposed for what they are.

I feel very sure that Al French is feeling very stupid for being duped into the smear campaign. Regret is a funny thing. When you have skeletons of your own to hide, you don't try to go rattling someone else's bones. And every one of the liars had their own skeletons.

But in the final analysis, it doesn't matter. Whatever damage that's been done has been done, and the meme has been established.

Maybe what this whole episode has done is simply reset the clock, and Bush gets a "do-over" after his incredibly sloppy spring and summer. We're back to even.

The good new is, TeamBush has shown the propensity over the last six months to screw up even a wet dream. They got lucky once, but I see no reason for the overall trend not to continue.

Start Spreading the News...

(Apologies to Sinatra...)

I'll be reporting on my day in New York sometime Sunday evening, providing I'm not in jail or at the bottom of the Hudson River. If I can hook up with any other Captains of Left Blogistan while in the city, I'll try to post "live" by filching computer time from someone, but I'm not dragging my laptop along. I'm traveling light.

If anyone other ASZers intend to be in the city on Sunday, let's coordinate a meeting place in the comments below.

The Art of Deflection

PO'd Patricia preaches it:

...Also kids, if you go to war and save a fellow soldier's life don't think that action will garner you respect, because thirty some years after you perform your heroic deed there may be some who will deny what you did and go so far as to call you a liar. It won't matter that your records prove you were a good soldier and did indeed save a life. See, the public is eager to question something that happened years ago because it's easier than questioning what is happening today.

Is Your Boss Better Off Than 4 Years Ago?

Poverty rate hits 10-year high

Unemployment Filings Exceed Forecasts

Brown-Forman profit soars 66 percent

WKRN News 2 - Aug 27 4:26 AM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Brown-Forman Corporation reports profit for its latest quarter surged 67 percent, helped by strong results from its drinks. The company makes Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort whiskey.

A Bush / Cheney campaign spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, snarkily observed: "Well, I guess we now know why those people are poor and unemployed, huh?"

Senator John Iselin could not be reached for comment.

Cheney On the Hot Seat

I'm not late to the party with this Dick and Mary Cheney post -- I just wanted to think about it for a day or so, because there's more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye. But it sure looks like ol' Dick Cheney has really created a shitstorm in the fundie wing of the Republican Party, eh?

"Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue our family is very familiar with," Cheney told an audience that included his daughter. "With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone. ... People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.

"The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that's been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage," he said.

This is not only a public movement to the left of his boss's position, it's as far removed from the rabid base of the GOP (and truthfully, a chunk of the Democratic Party, too) as can be done without totally eliminating his chances of sharing the ticket with George Bush next week. But like I said, I think there's something deeper, nay, more nefarious involved. It's a signal to the rest of the party that maybe there's a bit of a power struggle going on in the administration.

For Cheney to outwardly challenge the administration's official position on gay marriage is nothing short of flabbergasting. George Bush has his supporters in congress; I'm willing to bet that Cheney has just as many (or possibly even more). What Cheney has said is: "I'm the gatekeeper of the gay marriage amendment issue. As long as I'm Vice President, the issue is going nowhere in congress. So, let's move along to something more important."

Don't get me wrong. I'm the last person in the world who'd toss rose petals in Dick Cheney's direction. But at least on this issue, perhaps reason has prevailed - or Lynne and Mary got to him. Wives / mothers / daughters can do that. And that's the only reason his public position is now clear (albeit, that might have been his private position all along).

How's this playing with the fundie wing? You know the answer to that question. Predictably. In Cincinnati, for example:

Kenton County Commissioner Adam Koenig said a federal amendment was needed to prevent judges from declaring state laws banning gay marriage unconstitutional.

"In a perfect world it could be a state issue, if you don't have activist judges making laws from the bench. That's why the president is doing it, and that's the best way of going about it," he said.

There's those damn activist judges again. Yeah, the 'constitutionalists'. Damn them. Damn the forefathers who had the divine inspiration to create a document that would protect the rights and liberties of everyone (even if we've had to be dragged kicking and screaming toward the concept, through emancipation, suffrage, and voters rights).

And in GOP platform caucuses around the country...

NEW YORK — A Republican convention means a Republican platform — and a Republican platform means arguments about abortion, same-sex marriage and other social issues.
Sure enough, supporters of abortion rights and gay rights protested yesterday after a platform committee made up largely of conservative delegates approved language that calls for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and opposes legal recognition of any sort for gay civil unions.

The panel also supported the call for a constitutional ban on abortion. Another group of delegates endorsed President Bush's restrictions on stem-cell research.

"It's certainly not going to help bring moderates into the party," said Jennifer Blei Stockman, national co-chairwoman of Republican Majority for Choice.

Republicans said their party is committed to protecting marriage and the unborn, but they added that all views are welcome.

Listen, I can't even come up with a good snarky response to that last sentence.

At the risk of getting severely redundant with previous posts of Doc and myself, the issue of gay marriage isn't about two people of the same sex hooking up in a committed relationship. It's clearly an issue of exclusion: do we modify a core document in the governance of the United States to exclude people we don't like or people who simply aren't like us? Perhaps that's the long and short of Dick Cheney's view. But again, I'm sure familial pressure has something to do with his empathetic statement.

In any case, Cheney certainly rattled some cages in the fascist wing of the GOP, because I think they thought he was truly one of their own on this issue, and would forsake his daughter for the good of the party. I'm really glad to see the wingers take a good thump on the nose from Cheney. It doesn't make me feel any better about Dick Cheney, the man / CEO / bizzaro-Robin Hood, but it does make me pleased to see that he's human.

So, what's the catch? What darkness is at work here? There's been a lot of speculation over the past month or two that, because Cheney is such a drag on George Bush in the polls, there was a backhouse movement within the GOP to move him off of the ticket at the convention. Cheney's pronouncement the other day could work two ways - ensures keeping him on the ticket to mollify the more progressive elements of the GOP (perhaps the word "progressive" is an oxymoron when used in this context), or ensures he has an escape pod ready to launch from the Bush mothership if he's so inclined (rather than be shoved out of the airlock). The timing of his pronouncement in Pennsylvania, less than a week before the RNC Convention opens, is more than just a curiosity.

Let me finish by putting in a plug for a wonderful little movie that anyone who is conflicted by the gay / lesbian marriage issue needs to see. Latter Days is an art film that played to great reviews in limited release around the country, and it's getting ready to come out (no pun intended) on DVD. I promise you, if you're hetero like me, Latter Days will initially make you uncomfortable, but by the end of the movie, you'll be going, "yeah, that's what this whole issue is all about". When you're finished with it, lend it to the homophobe or Republican friend of your choice.

Hell, order an additional copy for Dick and Lynne Cheney as a "thank you" for bringing a little uncommon humanity to this volatile topic.

Wise Women

Once upon a future time Arundhati Roy will sit around the fire ring of the council of wise women midwifing a new way for humankind, nurturing the many "somethings better" that await us. I know this as I know the sound of my childrens' voices, as I know the hum of blood moving in my head, as I know what the wind feels as it blows through my hair and on my skin. Read her words, not ten days old, spoken in San Francisco on August 16th, and rebroadcast by "Democracy Now" radio: TIDE? OR IVORY SNOW? Public Power in the Age of Empire.

Excerpt: "In the United States, on the other hand, the blurring of the distinction between sarkar [government] and public has penetrated far deeper into society. This could be a sign of a robust democracy, but unfortunately, it's a little more complicated and less pretty than that. Among other things, it has to do with the elaborate web of paranoia generated by the U.S. sarkar and spun out by the corporate media and Hollywood. Ordinary Americans have been manipulated into imagining they are a people under siege whose sole refuge and protector is their government. If it isn't the Communists, it's al-Qaeda. If it isn't Cuba. it's Nicaragua. As a result, this, the most powerful nation in the world - with its unmatchable arsenal of weapons, its history of having waged and sponsored endless wars, and the only nation in history to have actually used nuclear bombs - is peopled by a terrified citizenry, jumping at shadows. A people bonded to the state not by social services, or public health care, or employment guarantees, but by fear."

I read her book The God of Small Things shortly after it was published (1997), just before it received the UK's Booker McConnell prize. To call Roy a writer of note is high praise, but it doesn't begin to encompass the life works of this amazing being, born in 1961. You can find more bio here.

Controversy follows her around like a hungry puppy in her native India. She is an outspoken activist and critic of how all governments work (most of them poorly), and has been regularly skewering the US rulers since the invasion of Afghanistan. Her message of August 16th is not a positive one. So don't read it for happy talk. Happiness is the pervue of the Maiden. The Mother and Crone often are the keepers of the bad news.

"The mandarins of the corporate world, the CEOs, the bankers, the politicians, the judges and generals look down on us from on high and shake their heads sternly. "There's no Alternative," they say. And let slip the dogs of war ... Terrorism is vicious, ugly, and dehumanizing for its perpetrators, as well as its victims. But so is war. You could say that terrorism is the privatization of war. Terrorists are the free marketers of war. They are people who don't believe that the state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence ... Human society is journeying to a terrible place ... Of course, there is an alternative to terrorism. It's called justice."

Articulate, smart, creative and wise. Strong. The Cassandra in me (who sits between me and Hulkette) has seen a viable and creative future, and it has many women like Arundhati giving it life.

George Bush is a Coward

And he isn't the only coward in this whole icky mess.

Boost in "Jobs" During GOP Convention?

Blowjobs? Will the Republican Convention be a boon for jobs in New York, at least in the sex industry? It appears there are a couple schools of thought on the issue.

The New York Daily News reports that sex workers are expecting a boon from these conservative guys hitting the big city.

Charging from $300 to upwards of $1,000 for an hour of companionship and a whole lot more, escorts said they can always count on conventioneers for big business.

"It doesn't matter what party you come from," said Robyn Few, a $500-an-hour California call girl who now runs Sex Workers Outreach Project, an advocacy group. "When you want to buy sex, you will."

Newsday, on the other hand, is predicting a slower time for the sex workers in Manhattan, though not because Republican men don't want some illicit nookie.

Juhu Thukral of the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan, agreed.

"I'm not saying high-priced call girls, who are more discreet, may not want to risk getting arrested, but the risks are going to be quite elevated," Thukral said. "I've actually heard from people working in hotels that they are afraid of getting arrested, while those who are most marginalized, who are on the streets, expect to be arrested more."

A woman who gave her name only as Julie, of Prostitutes of New York, a Manhattan group that fights for better conditions for sex workers, said, "The few studies that have been done on clients of sex workers show that most tend to be middle-aged, white, relatively conservative men and anecdotally, from what I've heard, frequently Republicans, I'm sure."

But sex and the convention?

"It's a myth," Thukral said. "If anything, I think most sex workers are going to be laying low if not leaving town altogether."

Perhaps it would be better if the GOP big Daddies just go down for a class at Miss Vera's Finishing School For Boys Who Want to be Girls. It is my understanding she will be giving special classes in Chelsea during the RNC.

George Bush is a One Termer

Distraught Dad Torches Marine Van

(AP) A distraught father who had just been told his Marine son was killed in combat in Iraq set fire to a Marine Corps van and suffered severe burns Wednesday, police said.

Three Marines went to a house in Hollywood to tell the father and stepmother of Pfc. Alexander Arredondo that their 20-year-old son had died Tuesday in Najaf, family members said.

The father, Carlos Arredondo, 44, then walked into the garage, picked up a can of gasoline, a propane tank and a lighting device, police Capt. Tony Rode said. He smashed the van's window, doused the van with gasoline and set it ablaze, despite attempts by the Marines to stop him, Rode said.

..."We have not seen this type of reaction. Every reaction is negative, it's the loss of a loved one," U.S. Marines spokesman Major Scott Mack said.

Come In, Mr. Nader

Pull up a chair, Ralph. We need to talk.

Again.

You see, Ralph, watching this whole kettle of fish that was stirred by the not-so-swift boat liars boil over during the past few days, something occured to me.

Dubya's henchboys are doing the smear thing because he's managed to stay within spitting distance of Kerry in the polls. The goppers are coming up on their convention, so both the Democratic Party and GOP have kicked up the decibel level on the megaphones. No one wants to yield the stage. And because Dub's within spitting distance, he can play to his base with bullshit like the Kerry's record of service, simply because he doesn't have to defend his own spotty record. It may be bullshit, but it keeps TeamKerry on defense.

Now, if Dub was behind an additional 3 to 5 points (interestingly enough, just what you're polling in most states that will let you in), I'm of the opinion that the Bush campaign couldn't pull this crap. The reason? He'd actually have to find an issue that he's strong on, and really highlight that attribute. I know, I know, the pickings are slim, but that's the way he'd have to campaign.

So let's get down to brass tacks. The whole swifty thing is your fault. If you weren't hanging around in the margins, George Bush might actually have to campaign on the issues. Notice I said, "might". But the thing is, as long as you're still sucking up campaign oxygen, you give Bush life. And you give the Rovian attack machine the breathing room it needs to run out some other trumpped up stuff (did you hear the latest? Edwards didn't serve in 'nam. Doesn't matter that he wasn't old enough...).

You, more than anyone, should recgonize the value of actually discussing issues in a presidential campaign. But as long as you remain in the race, you give voice to the slander machines, and real policy issues that define the difference between the two candidates go undebated.

So please, Ralph. I'm asking; I'm begging; I'm pleading; I'm putting this nicely one more time:

It's time to go.

For Kate (and others, too...)

NPR : Lessons on War from the Ancient Greeks

Turn on your speakers for five minutes worth of outstanding commentary. You won't be disappointed.

Preconceived Notions

I sat down this evening, intending to bang out a quick post about the latest Abu Ghraib report whitewash. Though still somewhat Abu Ghraib-ish, this isn't the article that regular ASZ readers think it's going to be - in fact, it's nothing like a typical Abu Ghraib rant that you'd expect from me. Because I ran into Matt Chandler.

Matt Chandler is a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He recently returned from the Baghdad area after an extended stint in the country. Almost by chance, I came across an interview with Matt at the Barclay Press website. And silly me - I started reading this interview with a totally preconceived notion (which was almost validated in the first part of the interview; more about that in a second), but refreshingly, I came out of the other end with a totally different perception of Matt and his important work.

It turns out that the story hasn't been completely written just yet, either. While Matt came back from Iraq this summer, he's returning shortly for another "tour of duty" in Baghdad, even though there's no question that Matt saw some nasty things during his first trip to Iraq:

"I was in the hotel directly across the street from the shrine when three bombs went off in the shrine plaza. We ran up to the roof immediately. I started taking digital pictures and one of my teammates had a video camera. It was a huge mess with blood, bodies, and body parts. There was an immediate response from the local security force and from local people. They quickly began taking out injured people and driving them in their own cars to the hospital. The Iraqi police and the Red Crescent got involved and they were handling the situation pretty well.

"But the scariest part was when a coalition military convoy of 6-10 vehicles drove right up to the shrine and immediately people started shouting at them to go away. It wasn’t long before people started throwing things. At first it was just little things and then shoes—which is a big insult in the Arab culture. At that point the soldiers got back into their vehicles and now the crowd was throwing rocks and bricks. The soldiers began to fire warning shots over the crowd in the direction of the shrine. This enraged the crowd even more. The soldiers could only exit the way they had come in and it took time for them to get turned around. People were pounding the vehicles with all kinds of stuff as they were trying to turn around."

---

When I told you in the first paragraph that Matt was a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), what was your immediate reaction? [pause...insert Jeopardy! theme music and Jerry Falwell's picture in your mental image here...]

You would probably be wrong.

CPT is a Mennonite-based organization that has been in Iraq since late 2002 providing humanitarian aid to Iraqis. The goal wasn't to convert Iraqis or prostylize "the good word" - CPT's mission is to provide help, promote peaceful resolutions to conflicts, and act as intermediaries between the locals and their occupiers. In that regard, they've more than met their mission, living in and among the people of Iraq. Their teams rode out the initial phases of the war, and began investigating (at the behest of their local hosts) charges of detainee abuse in August of 2003. When the International Committee of Red Cross closed up shop in Iraq due to security concerns in December of 2003, it was CPT that took up the mantle of human rights initiatives in Iraq, and in particular, investigation of detainee abuse in various camps and prisons around the country. It was CPT's report in January, 2004 that formed the basis of the February report and complaint by the ICRC.

With this background, I present you the alternate update to the Abu Ghraib report, CPT's Situation Report on Iraqi Detainees, compiled in July and released in August. Couched in very politically correct words, here's a closing excerpt from the (relatively) short CPT update:

Breeding Resentment

Many released detainees and their families express particular bitterness that the United States, a country that speaks of bringing democracy to Iraq, did not follow democratic principles of justice by allowing them due legal process including a chance to defend themselves. It is not clear whether such resentment fosters armed resistance in Iraq. It is clear that hearts and minds are lost, and that some Iraqis who previously supported U.S. presence and actions in Iraq no longer do and may be more willing to support those who are involved in active resistance.

Conclusions

It is not evident to CPT that a transparent and efficient process for handling detainee issues, including full legal rights and representation for detainees, is fully in place at this time. Parts of the system have improved and CPT is encouraged by the improvements. We continue to urge the U.S.-led MNF-I that remains in charge of much of the Iraqi prison system to work towards full human rights for detainees and their families through a just and humane process in apprehension of suspects and their subsequent detention.

Translation: we've rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic.

There's so much in both Matt's recent interview and the CPT website that are worth further exploration. I almost feel like Mike Moore in this regard - I'm giving you the basics, enough to get you started, but it's absolutely worth the time to read Matt's interview, and then spend some time poking around the CPT website. God knows that progressive blogs (including this one) regularly bash the jeso-facist fundamental Christian right for its supremely negative impact on the U.S. political and cultural climate, so it's well worth noting a peace-oriented Christian organization that truly practices what it preaches.

I heard a report the other day (I believe it was on NPR, but I can't find it right now) that those of the Islamic faith in Iraq (and in truth, all of the Muslim world) very strongly believe that the current situation in Iraq has devolved into a holy war: Christianity against Islam. With the ongoing assault on the shrine in Najaf, the perception grows even stronger in the Shia' community.

It will take a concerted effort from people like Matt Chandler to dispel the notion - it's not the teachings of Jesus against the teachings of Mohammed - it's the George Bush End-of-Timers™ -vs- the Islamic world. There's a major difference.

From an avowed agnostic, thanks, Matt!

I Play a Game

In one of my favorite and cinematically breathtaking films, Out of Africa, Karen Blixen, AKA the author Isak Dinesen speaks to her lover Denys Finch-Hatten near the end of everything -- the love affair, the sojourn in Africa, the farm -- and tells him that when things are very bad she likes to play a little game with herself. She tries to make it all worse. Crank up the pain as we might say today. And then she asks him if he will dance with her, and they dance. And of course (spoiler coming) he dies in a plane crash. There is no gravity. The earth sucks, as my baby sister says.

So perhaps you'll dance with me now as I play the same game in my mind. We are baraged daily with the bad news that we are supposed to be numb to, but so many of us aren't... dance with me and read William Rivers Pitt's latest piece from Truthout.org: Your Children Are Burning

From the top: "The presidential campaigns of George W. Bush and John Kerry are at each other's throats like dogs in a fighting pit over a war that ended 29 years ago. The mainstream news media, along with the alternative news media, have enjoyed watching the show, dutifully reporting every detail and nuance of the fiery exchanges between the camps. Somewhere in these last 24 days of August, however, while arguing over a three-decades-old war, we managed to forget that another war is happening. Here are some details that have been missed ..."

I find it difficult to get into the whole heated thing when the major candidates cannot talk about Iraq, but they and their champions can focus on Vietnam instead. Thirty-five years, gentle people. But I suppose it's a change from previous presidential campaigns when the imperative was to bring the candidates' kids before the camera to prove that the candidates were real men with real dicks that worked.

As excruciating as it is, I'm going to continue to read ALL the bad stuff, and rage against the dying of my light. I'm tough. I can take it. And I have a Hulkette specially designed for backup when Kate needs to spend a weekend in bed with her head under the covers.

Perspective. Use it or lose it. I'm seeking perspective. Wisdom. Knowledge. Direction in a seemingly directionless world. And the mother ship has not come back for me yet. So there you have it. Another Monday on the Happy Planet. I'll leave you with a quote from Out of Africa about direction....

"I had a compass from Denys. To steer by, he said. But later it came to me that we navigated differently; maybe he knew as I did not, that the earth was made round, so that we would not see the way too far ahead of us."

To My Father the Republican

He died three years ago today, and in this difficult season, I can't imagine the man who raised me could vote for George Bush.

You see, my values, though taught to me by a Republican, are liberal values.

There used to be such a thing as Republicans who believed in positive steps toward racial equality. I was 7 when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. I remember we'd go by bus int he summer to the town's swimming pool, and even in small town Oklahoma, where we were from the "rich" side of town, we encountered black children along the way. As any kids might, we picked up some of the redneck prejudices that ran rampant in Oklahoma back then, but my father was having none of that. We learned early that a stinging backside would be the result of us using the "N" word or any other sign of disrespect towards blacks.

There used to be such a thing as Republicans, and Democrats, I suppose, who could judge the other side fairly. When I was 11 my Dad helped my write a speech in support of Bobby Kennedy. I gave that speech just a week and a half before he was shot, and it was full of thoughtful praise. Could I coach my own child in a speech about Dubya? Could I coach him to be a supporter without a result that was not parodic? Either I don't have that skill or something has changed.

There used to be Republicans who fervently believed in free speech. When I was 13 My Dad let me ride shotgun on a short ride to get some family friends out of harm's way. We lived in Ohio then, two towns away from Kent. I remember snipers in the trees around Roosevelt High School, just blocks from our friend's house. We picked them up and avoided the roadblocks because my Dad knew the back roads well. Yet, even though my Dad voted for Governor Rhodes, and Nixon as well, he had a grudging respect for the protesters. How else to explain him bringing home the cast album for "Hair?"

There used to be a time when Republicans were tolerant of religion. How else to explain him encouraging us later on with the lyrics to "Jesus Christ Superstar," which represents a kinder sense of religion. "He Ain't Heavy" was a song that would describe Dad's religion, not the vicious and sanctimonious brands of religiosity we see today. I may convert to Judaism in the next couple years. Christianity to me has become far too narrow. I have not a doubt that Dad would be proud of me, for I will do so as an attempt to connect to others, to find a faith I can raise kids in.

Three years ago at the end of a vacation with my then 13 year old nephew, we flew back to the States from England to his funeral. Sean was raised by my Dad partly, after my brother had died five years previous. The trip was a bonding time for Sean and I, as was our return for the funeral. I asked Sean the other day what he remembered about Dad. Sure, he responded about Dad singing those old Bob Wills songs with my Uncle Doyle, that amateurish tenor that was only sweet to loved ones. But Sean told me Dad taught him the lyrics to Joe Hill, by Joan Baez.

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

"The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
they shot you Joe" says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man"
Says Joe "I didn't die"
Says Joe "I didn't die"

And standing there as big as life
and smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe "What they can never kill
went on to organize,
went on to organize"

From San Diego up to Maine,
in every mine and mill,
where working-men defend there rights,
it's there you find Joe Hill,
it's there you find Joe Hill!

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

I was stunned. You see, my Dad's job for the first 30 years was as a negotiator against the union. He worked for Big Rubber. The enemy was The United Rubber Workers in Akron Ohio, led by Peter Bommarito. So I was shocked. But through the same lens where I learned racial tolerance and a respect for free speech I began to see. Much of my family, you see, owed their lives to the union fighting for safe working conditions, and Dad honored at least that part of the union movement. After all, he was raised in Pitcher Oklahoma and he'd worked in the mines when he was 14. By the end of his life all of Pitcher was a Superfund site. Yeah, he was a Republican who could respect both unions and the environment.

I'll vote Republican again someday, when Republicans can earn my Dad's respect.

AFP Kudos

If you really want to get the inside scoop on what's currently happening in Iraq, you really can't do much better than Agence France Presse (AFP). AFP has cultivated access in Iraq that few news agencies outside of the Arab world enjoy. This is one of those history lessons: treat a country's people fairly and with respect over the long haul, and special relationships can and do prosper. Through much of the last 20 years, AFP has consistently proven about as balenced as it gets in the middle east.

The problem usually becomes finding a good outlet to read AFP stories. Yahoo! carries a sparse AFP feed, but here's a full feed that should get you started if you're interested in reading what you're missing from the U.S. media. Bonne lecture!

DenverPost.com - OBITUARIES

DenverPost.com - OBITUARIES:

Pfc. Darrel J. Riblett, who won the Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel in a November attack near Kazimiyah, Iraq, died Aug. 14 of a self- inflicted gunshot wound. He was 20...

...In January, Riblett was awarded the Purple Heart in a ceremony at Fort Riley, where he was on active duty until Aug. 7. An Army general asked Riblett if he could offer anything else. Riblett, remembering the scant military presence at his grandfather's funeral, asked for a rifle- volley service at his grandfather's grave.

I can't even write about this stuff anymore. I blew my emotional load on Dave Guindon. Sorry.

14 WTC search dogs dead

A total of 30 search dogs were used to search the fallen World Trade Center buildings in the aftermath of September 11th. Since that time, 14 have died, 8 from cancer. The EPA claimed that there was no adverse enviromental impact from the collapse of the towers.

Now the University of Pennsylvania is opining that the death by cancer of nearly 33% of the dogs involved in search and rescue is "merely coincidental".

Liz at Blondesense has written about the environmental impact on New Yorkers from the collapse of the towers.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a veternarian) to see that something is terribly wrong.

Fourteen search and rescue dogs have died since their exposure to toxic rubble from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack - including eight from cancer, according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. But researchers believe there is no connection between the deaths and the chemicals they were exposed to.

Despite the study's findings, some of the owners whose dogs have died still blame the toxic brew the dogs immersed themselves in during the hunt for survivors and remains.

Starring George Bush as ... Radioactive Man!

This is almost devolving into a tragi-comedy.

A few months back, the UK held a series of elections for various posts, including that of representation to the European Union. Tony Blair is the titular head of the Labour Party. Labour had its ass handed to it in the elections -- it was a defeat of the magnitude that Tony Blair had to go before parliament and apologize to his party.

And now, the Bush administration is wondering why Tony Blair doesn't want to be seen within three thousand miles of George W. Bush. Gee...difficult to figure out, Karl?

Note to BushCo: BUY A CLUE.

Outside the immediate borders of the United States, George W. Bush is a pariah of the first order. There is not a foreign politician going who wants to be caught reaping praise from the Chimpster. Anyway, here's the story. Bush wants to present his lead poodle with the Congressional Medal of Honor for Britannia support of his failed endeavor in Iraq. Prime Minister Poodle is understandably reluctant to accept:

"There has been a lot of telephone traffic between the White House and Downing Street over the medal in recent week," the Sunday Mirror quoted a senior government source as saying.

"George Bush wants the prime minister to come to Washington and pick up the medal, which is the highest honour America can bestow on a foreigner.

"But he has refused for more than a year now and for good reason. He cannot possibly accept an award for the Iraq war when British and American troops continue to risk their lives there."

Blair is concerned also that a trip to the United States now would effectively be giving a boost to Bush ahead of November's presidential elections.

I'll tell ya, the Brits have a way with dry humor. Tony Blair is single digits away from less than 20% support in Great Britain. If he so much as calls Bush on the phone, and it gets reported in the Daily Mirror, Blair will be run out of 10 Downing Street at the end of a pitchfork.

And that's the rest of the story.

(Funny, again I had to go to the foreign press to find this story...)

Tony Auth