Sunday, November 13, 2005
Sunday - "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise"
Newsweek*Torture*John McCain*Naomi Klein*The Disc Jockey
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Bright and mild morning. Temp. about 48 degrees F (9 deg.C). The sky is blue. One of those mornings when just looking out of the window makes me feel good.
It is heartening to know that the president and his men are not having an easy time answering the critics. Chickens come home to roost. They did their share and more of creating miseries for thousands of people here and abroad. It is fitting that they are in the proverbial "hot seat" trying to justify their actions. Bill Clinton faced impeachment for diddling with Monica Lewinski. G.W. Bush, responsible for deaths of more than 2,000 of our soldiers, and emptying the nation's coffers, continues to bluster. Things might catch up with him some day.
The Debate About Torture, by Evan Thomas and Michael Hirsh in Newsweek's online edition covers the "dark side of intelligence gathering".
*****
Bright and mild morning. Temp. about 48 degrees F (9 deg.C). The sky is blue. One of those mornings when just looking out of the window makes me feel good.
Only a few weeks back the leaves of gingko trees alongside the street were green; almost overnight they turned yellow and now they have started to fall. The bulbs in my pocket size garden are emerging. Need a few rainy days before going out to forage for chanterelles in the foothills.
I have done with surfing the net, read the news. There is little to feel cheerful about. The violence and senseless loss of lives in Iraq. It saddens me every time I read about dead soldiers. Majority of them are in their twenties. Dead for what--lies spread by a group of men who stayed away from serving when they were young. And the monstrous budget deficit ! So what did the Republicans in Congress try to do to reduce spendings ? Zeroed in on cutting benefits for Medicaid recipients...people at the lowest end of the ladder ! So typical. But even with the majority they enjoy in both houses, the measure failed to gather enough support. They are back at the drawing board, cooking up plans to push it through by cutting deals with moderate Republican members.
It is heartening to know that the president and his men are not having an easy time answering the critics. Chickens come home to roost. They did their share and more of creating miseries for thousands of people here and abroad. It is fitting that they are in the proverbial "hot seat" trying to justify their actions. Bill Clinton faced impeachment for diddling with Monica Lewinski. G.W. Bush, responsible for deaths of more than 2,000 of our soldiers, and emptying the nation's coffers, continues to bluster. Things might catch up with him some day.
The Debate About Torture, by Evan Thomas and Michael Hirsh in Newsweek's online edition covers the "dark side of intelligence gathering".
- "But at what cost? While many Americans probably don't wish to know too much about the "dark side" of intelligence gathering, the horrific images of tortured detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a terrible toll on America's standing in the world. "It's killing us," says Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whose NEWSWEEK essay on the subject follows this article."
Plan to go out for a run. Like the late runner, author Dr. George Sheehan, my energy flows when the sun is in its azimuth. In the meantime, there is music for company. Bach is good at any time. But this morning I am in the mood for jazz. A mixed bag. Listened to The Very Best of Fats Waller,then John Coltrane's Blue Train; MJQ play "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" I have Arturo Sandoval's Evolution, and a few Cuban jazz CDs lined up for the rest of the morning: Introducing Ruben Gonzalez, piano (it has the classic "Siboney" composed by the great Ernesto Lecuona), and the Ry Cooder/Manuel Galban compilation Mambo Sinuendo.
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"Tis a gift to be simple
Tis a gift to be free
Tis a gift to come down
Where you ought to be...
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
We'll be in the valley of love and delight."
---A Shaker hymn
"Tis a gift to be simple
Tis a gift to be free
Tis a gift to come down
Where you ought to be...
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
We'll be in the valley of love and delight."
---A Shaker hymn
