Monday, May 30, 2005
"No man is an island, entire of itself"
Loss, grief and the need for compassion
I was nearing the end of my run, a few blocks from my place when I heard the man say "My dad died". I had seen him before, sitting on the stoop smoking, on some days with a can of beer in his hand. But we never spoke to each other. He watched me running past and I saw him from the corner of my eyes.
The words "My dad died" made me stop. He came off the stoop and said "My dad died today". He named the hospital a few miles away. I asked him how old was his father and he said "He was old. 81." I said the usual things. That I was sorry and hoped that the end was peaceful. The man said that his father was suffering for a long time; it was time for him to go. He wiped his tears. I took his hands, stood there for a few minutes, said "take care" and resumed my run.
After coming home I thought of the man who lost his father and felt the need to talk to a stranger. I was glad that I stopped and wondered whether it helped him in a small way to be able to share his grief. I hoped that it did.
These days when I run past the house he waves at me and says "Hi". Still don't know his name but we have a connection.....sort of.
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
--- John Donne(1573-1631), "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions"
Friday, May 27, 2005
An Anti-War Poem by Yehuda Amichai
"A POEM THAT I WROTE IN A HIGH FEVER"
You who are lengthening your lives
with the best doctors and best medicines
remember those who are shortening their lives
with the war
that you in your long lives are not
preventing.
You who are again screwing
the younger generations
and winking at each other
the winking of your eyelids
is like chill of the swinging shutters
in an empty house.
---Yehuda Amichai (translated from Hebrew by Leon Wieseltier)
So far in May,Sixtysix (66) American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq...and there are 4 more days before the month ends. Patriots or cannon fodder? You decide. My mind was made up long before the first pair of boots hit the ground.
*******
Yehuda Amichai (1924-2000)
Yehuda Amichai was born in Germany. He moved to Israel at the age of 12 and lived there until his death.
"In Amichai one almost always encounters a delight in figurative language; yet his poems are never pretentious or tedious, since they speak out of the everyday and towards concerns we encounter every day. His great themes are love and loss: he celebrates life with vibrancy and energy and a relish for feeling, yet at the same time he is intensely aware of what is lost as history, both personal and social, shears away from each individual things he or she holds dear."
Link:
UVM-Amichai
You who are lengthening your lives
with the best doctors and best medicines
remember those who are shortening their lives
with the war
that you in your long lives are not
preventing.
You who are again screwing
the younger generations
and winking at each other
the winking of your eyelids
is like chill of the swinging shutters
in an empty house.
---Yehuda Amichai (translated from Hebrew by Leon Wieseltier)
So far in May,Sixtysix (66) American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq...and there are 4 more days before the month ends. Patriots or cannon fodder? You decide. My mind was made up long before the first pair of boots hit the ground.
Yehuda Amichai (1924-2000)
Yehuda Amichai was born in Germany. He moved to Israel at the age of 12 and lived there until his death.
"In Amichai one almost always encounters a delight in figurative language; yet his poems are never pretentious or tedious, since they speak out of the everyday and towards concerns we encounter every day. His great themes are love and loss: he celebrates life with vibrancy and energy and a relish for feeling, yet at the same time he is intensely aware of what is lost as history, both personal and social, shears away from each individual things he or she holds dear."
Link:
UVM-Amichai
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Freedom Fries, Freedom Toasts and The Clowns of Capitol Hill
Volte face by Congressman Walter Jones (NC)
"Although he voted for the war, he has since become one of its most vociferous opponents on Capitol Hill, where the hallway outside his office is lined with photographs of the 'faces of the fallen'."
The Guardian,UK, reported that Republican Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina now regrets initiating the ban against the word "French" from menus in Capitol Hill restaurants. He has become a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq. Good for him.
What about Speaker Hastert? I remember hearing him speak passionately in support of the change in names. The politicians never say "No" to an opportunity to appear before cameras.
Link:
Guardian-Freedom Fries
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
The Magnificent Water Falls at Yosemite National Park
And the Lure of Half Dome
Merced River ©Arundhati Bhowmick
A great view © Arundhati Bhowmick
Bridal Veil © Arundhati Bhowmick
Yosemite Falls, Upper and Middle © Arundhati Bhowmick
Fifth tallest in the world. Height: 2425 ft.
Closer view of Yosemite Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Meadow, Horsetail Falls in the background © Arundhati Bhowmick
Also known as El Capitan Falls. Height 1500 ft.
Small Church (Non-denominational) in the Valley © Arundhati Bhowmick
Looking at the peaks from Yosemite Valley © Arundhati Bhowmick
Lower Yosemite Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Vernal Falls from Mist Trail ©@Tim Hentzel
Nevada Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Half Dome, A Piece of Rock that is like a magnet to hikers
Half Dome, Sheer Side © Arundhati Bhowmick
Climbers going up the cable (like ants) © Musafir
Half Dome cables, last 200 yds, 55 degree incline © Kenton Lee
On Half Dome © Sarbajit Ghosal
Climbing buddy,SG, showing off © Musafir
SG on the precipice © Musafir
*******
The falls at Yosemite are in their grandest at this time of the year. The unusual amount of snow on the peaks and the heavy melting process means water flowing down in force rarely seen. To add to it, the valley is green and not yet overrun with summer visitors although the Memorial Day weeknd would bring a lot of them to the park. It is a treasure to enjoy.
Distant view of Bridal Veil ©Arundhati Bhowmick
Merced River ©Arundhati Bhowmick
A great view © Arundhati Bhowmick
Bridal Veil © Arundhati Bhowmick
Yosemite Falls, Upper and Middle © Arundhati Bhowmick
Fifth tallest in the world. Height: 2425 ft.
Closer view of Yosemite Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Meadow, Horsetail Falls in the background © Arundhati Bhowmick
Also known as El Capitan Falls. Height 1500 ft.
Small Church (Non-denominational) in the Valley © Arundhati Bhowmick
Looking at the peaks from Yosemite Valley © Arundhati Bhowmick
Lower Yosemite Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Vernal Falls from Mist Trail ©@Tim Hentzel
Nevada Falls © Arundhati Bhowmick
Half Dome, A Piece of Rock that is like a magnet to hikers
Half Dome, Sheer Side © Arundhati Bhowmick
Rock climbers, brave souls, go up the sheer face of the rock. We,hikers, ascend the other side. The last 200 yards require pulling yourself up cables attached to posts embedded on the rock. Not as hairy as it looks but strenuous. Thousands of hikers do it during the season. For those who are interested, full details available in the excellent post by Kenton Lee(see link).
Climbers going up the cable (like ants) © Musafir
Half Dome cables, last 200 yds, 55 degree incline © Kenton Lee
On Half Dome © Sarbajit Ghosal
Climbing buddy,SG, showing off © Musafir
SG on the precipice © Musafir
Photo credit: Arundhati Bhowmick used a Nikon Coolpix 5700 to take most of the photographs, including the sheer side of Half Dome. Exceptions were the ones going up Half Dome and of Vernal and Nevada Falls.
Link:
Kenton Lee
Kenton Lee
Monday, May 23, 2005
The Showdown in U.S. Senate - Judicial Nominees and Appointments
Lies and distortions, smoke and mirrors
As the zero hour approaches for the so called "Nuclear" option over President Bush's judicial nominees, we know about the major players in this battle.
What do we know of the facts--the history of judicial appointments?
And what do we really know of how the American people feel?
For the answer to the first question all one needs to do is to look at the chart below (published in NY Times May 18, 2005). These are historical facts, not numbers cooked up by reporters of the Times.
| | |
| May 18, 2005 |
As to the second question, the Republican senators pushing the nuclear option feel that they have the backing of their constituents. How many of their constituents are aware of the facts and the significance of this unprecedented political muscle flexing is another matter. Editorials in newspapers as diverse as The Chattanoogan, Salt Lake Tribune, and Roanoke Times have come out against the tactics being used by Majority Leader Bill Frist and the senators who are supporting the nuclear option. While refraining from public statements, The White House is deeply involved...and is in full suppoort of what is going on in the senate.
This is an example of "power corrupts" at its worst. It is almost as if the Republicans are sure that they will enjoy majority for ever.
Remember Corporal Pat Tillman?
Parents speak out about lies and exploitation of the death of their son
According to a report in today's Washington Post, the army created a myth. Nothing new. Before the tragic death of Corporal Tillman in freindly fire, there was Private Jessica Lynch. There are numerous reports about "fictionalized" accounts of her rescue.
Excerpts:
"Patrick Tillman Sr., a San Jose lawyer, said he is furious about what he found in the volumes of witness statements and investigative documents the Army has given to the family. "
"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," Patrick Tillman said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."
*******
" Mary Tillman says the government used her son for weeks after his death, perpetuating an untrue story to capitalize on his altruism -- just as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was erupting publicly. She said she was particularly offended when President Bush offered a taped memorial message to Tillman at a Cardinals football game shortly before the presidential election last fall. She again felt as though her son was being used, something he never would have wanted."
*******
Link:
Washington Post-Pat Tillman
According to a report in today's Washington Post, the army created a myth. Nothing new. Before the tragic death of Corporal Tillman in freindly fire, there was Private Jessica Lynch. There are numerous reports about "fictionalized" accounts of her rescue.
Excerpts:
"Patrick Tillman Sr., a San Jose lawyer, said he is furious about what he found in the volumes of witness statements and investigative documents the Army has given to the family. "
"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," Patrick Tillman said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."
Washington Post-Pat Tillman
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Back to Abu Ghraib - The Cover Up
Seymour Hersh writes: "The 10 inquiries into prisoner abuse have let Bush and Co off the hook"
Link:
The Guardian,UK - Seymour Hersh
Friday, May 20, 2005
The Door to Door Brigades of Proselytizers
Out to save souls but oblivious of people with empty bellies
What is noteworthy is that no one from the church ever speaks to them about Jesus Christ and religion.
*****
"In our country are evangelists and zealots of many different political, economic and religious persuasions whose fanatical conviction is that all thought is divinely classified into two kinds-that which is their own and that which is false and dangerous."
---Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court, 1941-1954You have seen them. The well-dressed, well-fed men and women (sometimes accompanied by children) carrying pamphlets and cards who appear on neighborhood streets on weekends and knock on doors. They alight from a van and spread out. Very methodical. Perhaps you have been approached by them and you have talked to them.
They are on a mission--to save the souls of all who do not belong to the particular Christian sects which they represent. They have been taught that the rest of us are doomed and they hit the streets, charged up with zeal to convert us. Like car sales people promoting their brand, these soldiers of god say that theirs is the true way, they have the key. They are dedicated; their arrogance is colossal.
Do they go to the inner cities? Anyone seen them in the Tenderloin, or Hunters Point (San Francisco)?
I politely tell them that "I'm not interested". Once someone tried to begin an argument and said "You don't believe in Jesus?". I told her that what I believed in was my personal affair.
There are exceptions. Not all Christian organizations happen to follow that line. In every city across America there are people who are homeless; who are hungry and sick. Once a week I serve as a volunteer at a food kitchen run by a local church (I am not a member). Every week, Monday through Saturday, it serves freshly prepared lunch to all who come through the door. The number of meals served each day ranges between 400 to 600. In addition, donated food items (vegetables, bread, canned goods) are placed on counters for those who need them. The church also operates a center which distributes clothes once a week.
What is noteworthy is that no one from the church ever speaks to them about Jesus Christ and religion.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
"Revenge of the Sith"
"Some film critics suggest it could be the biggest anti-Bush blockbuster since 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' "
"The Emperor Strikes Bush" is the title of an article by Dan Froomkin of The Washington Post. Mr. Froomkin quoted comments by film critics and George Lucas, the producer of the Star Wars epic.
" 'When I wrote it, Iraq didn't exist,' Lucas said, laughing.
" 'We were just funding Saddam Hussein and giving him weapons of mass destruction. We didn't think of him as an enemy at that time. We were going after Iran and using him as our surrogate, just as we were doing in Vietnam . . . The parallels between what we did in Vietnam and what we're doing in Iraq now are unbelievable.' "
More:Bruce Kirkland writes in the Toronto Sun: "Star Wars is a wakeup call to Americans about the erosion of democratic freedoms under George W. Bush, filmmaker George Lucas said yesterday.
"Lucas, responding to a question from the Sun at a Cannes Film Festival press conference, said he first wrote the framework of Star Wars in 1971 when reacting to then U.S. President Richard Nixon and the on-going events of the Vietnam War. But the story still has relevance today, he said, and is part of a pattern he has noticed in his readings of history.
" 'I didn't think it was going to get quite this close,' he said of the parallels between the Nixon era and the current Bush presidency, which has been sacrificing freedoms in the interests of national security. 'It is just one of those re-occurring things. I hope this doesn't come true in our country. Maybe the film will awaken people to the situation of how dangerous it is.' "
David Germain writes for the Associated Press: "Lucas never mentioned the president by name but was eager to speak his mind on U.S. policy in Iraq, careful again to note that he created the story long before the Bush-led occupation there.
Lucas said he has long been interested in the transition from democracy to dictatorship.
"In ancient Rome, 'why did the senate, after killing Caesar, turn around and give the government to his nephew?' Lucas said. 'Why did France, after they got rid of the king and that whole system, turn around and give it to Napoleon? It's the same thing with Germany and Hitler.'
" 'You sort of see these recurring themes where a democracy turns itself into a dictatorship, and it always seems to happen kind of in the same way, with the same kinds of issues, and threats from the outside, needing more control. A democratic body, a senate, not being able to function properly because everybody's squabbling, there's corruption.' "
Washington Post-Dan Froomkin
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
War against Iraq, "The Mother of All Smokescreens"
George Galloway hits back....hard at Senator Norm Coleman
"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies. "
Members of the U.S. Senate learned the meaning of oratory today when George Galloway, the former MP from Scotland, appeared before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesotta, and lashed back against unfounded charges for profiteering from the Oil for Food Program.
The full transcript can be accessed from Times On Line (see link). Also, the audio version from MSNBC is worth listening to. George Galloway's speech today will be part of history and rate a place alongside those of the late Winston Churchill. Here is an excerpt.
Times on Line-George Galloway
"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies. "
Members of the U.S. Senate learned the meaning of oratory today when George Galloway, the former MP from Scotland, appeared before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesotta, and lashed back against unfounded charges for profiteering from the Oil for Food Program.
The full transcript can be accessed from Times On Line (see link). Also, the audio version from MSNBC is worth listening to. George Galloway's speech today will be part of history and rate a place alongside those of the late Winston Churchill. Here is an excerpt.
"Now, Senator, I gave my heart and soul to oppose the policy that you promoted. I gave my political life's blood to try to stop the mass killing of Iraqis by the sanctions on Iraq which killed one million Iraqis, most of them children, most of them died before they even knew that they were Iraqis, but they died for no other reason other than that they were Iraqis with the misfortune to born at that time. I gave my heart and soul to stop you committing the disaster that you did commit in invading Iraq. And I told the world that your case for the war was a pack of lies.
“I told the world that
"Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies.
If the world had listened to Kofi Annan, whose dismissal you demanded, if the world had listened to President Chirac who you want to paint as some kind of corrupt traitor, if the world had listened to me and the anti-war movement in
Times on Line-George Galloway
Monday, May 16, 2005
The Morning After Pill
The United Kingdom takes an Enlightened Approach
Being from one of its former colonies, I'm pleasantly surprised by how the people of England have changed over the years. From straight-laced, stolid approach to religion, morality and politics the Islanders have become tolerant, liberal and rational. Demographic trend--influx of immigrants--is a factor. But it is more than that. We,too, have seen number of immigrants increase exponentially in the past three decades. The explanation for this lies perhaps in the acceptance of privacy rights and lack of demagogues. Politicians and the clergy do not mouth off fiery statements about a society in decay, moral values, sin and such claptrap. The Brits would boo them or pay no attention.
The article by Geraldine Bedell (The Observer) on Morning After Pill is a good example of how they look at things. There are no extreme views from one side or the other. It is primarily a women's issue and women talk about it without bringing in god and morality. Strident voices of men are missing in the argument. Rightly so.
*******
Footnote: Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) has been in the forefront to protect women's right to contraception.
"California is one of four states considering laws requiring that all prescriptions be filled. Four states permit pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions that violate their personal beliefs, and 22 other states are considering similar laws."
Links:
The Observer-Geraldine Bedell
SFChronicle-Edward Epstein
Being from one of its former colonies, I'm pleasantly surprised by how the people of England have changed over the years. From straight-laced, stolid approach to religion, morality and politics the Islanders have become tolerant, liberal and rational. Demographic trend--influx of immigrants--is a factor. But it is more than that. We,too, have seen number of immigrants increase exponentially in the past three decades. The explanation for this lies perhaps in the acceptance of privacy rights and lack of demagogues. Politicians and the clergy do not mouth off fiery statements about a society in decay, moral values, sin and such claptrap. The Brits would boo them or pay no attention.
The article by Geraldine Bedell (The Observer) on Morning After Pill is a good example of how they look at things. There are no extreme views from one side or the other. It is primarily a women's issue and women talk about it without bringing in god and morality. Strident voices of men are missing in the argument. Rightly so.
"California is one of four states considering laws requiring that all prescriptions be filled. Four states permit pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions that violate their personal beliefs, and 22 other states are considering similar laws."
Links:
The Observer-Geraldine Bedell
SFChronicle-Edward Epstein
Sunday, May 15, 2005
There is Gold in Them Ther' Hills (In Iraq), Hoo Boy
And you don't have to dig for it
Did I hear someone say "What about the dead and wounded?" Nah. Don't pay attention to the bleeding heart liberals.
Matt Miller in The New York Times:
NYTimes-Matt Miller
Did I hear someone say "What about the dead and wounded?" Nah. Don't pay attention to the bleeding heart liberals.
Matt Miller in The New York Times:
[Infomercial director: " 'The Republican Guide to Wartime Tax Cuts' ... Take One ... Action!"]
ANNOUNCER: In the old days, war profiteering was a grueling round-the-clock job. You actually had to make something, like planes or guns, and then overcharge the government obscenely. Now, thanks to the Republicans, countless Americans are becoming "war profiteers" in their spare time - and you can, too. Riches once thought to be the exclusive preserve of a few unsavory arms merchants have been made available to thousands of successful Americans, many of whom pull in the cash literally as they sleep!"
Link:NYTimes-Matt Miller
Friday, May 13, 2005
An Unusual Spring
Six Weeks before Summer
"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.
---Robert Frost (1874-1963)
It has been an unusual Spring for us in the San Francisco Bay area. Temperature continues to be much cooler than the norm for this time of the year. Frequent showers, rains, even a hailstorm a few days back! Yesterday was summery. Today the sky is overcast and there is forecast of showers on Monday.
Overall, it feels good. Have always enjoyed running in drizzly weather. Great display of wild flowers in the foothills; the meadows look lush and green. Rows of gingko trees on the street are so full of new leaves that you can hardly see the branches. My small garden is doing well. The nasturtiums a riot of colors, and sweet peas in bloom.
Schools preparing for graduation ceremonies just about a month away. Summer Solstice is on June 21st. The seasons come....and go.
JHL and I went back to Russian Ridge to look at wild flowers. Here are a few pictures.
California Poppies
Poppies, Owls Clover, Sky Lupine
Indian Paintbrush
Red Maids
Tidy Tip
Owls Clover,Checker Mallow
Johnny Jump Up
"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.
---Robert Frost (1874-1963)
Overall, it feels good. Have always enjoyed running in drizzly weather. Great display of wild flowers in the foothills; the meadows look lush and green. Rows of gingko trees on the street are so full of new leaves that you can hardly see the branches. My small garden is doing well. The nasturtiums a riot of colors, and sweet peas in bloom.
Schools preparing for graduation ceremonies just about a month away. Summer Solstice is on June 21st. The seasons come....and go.
JHL and I went back to Russian Ridge to look at wild flowers. Here are a few pictures.
California Poppies
Poppies, Owls Clover, Sky Lupine
Indian Paintbrush
Red Maids
Tidy Tip
Owls Clover,Checker Mallow
Johnny Jump Up
Thursday, May 12, 2005
PBS - Going, Going, Gone
The Conservative Way or No Way
On May 3rd I wrote about the takeover of Public Broadcasting Service by conservatives. Mark Fiore's animated strip in today's San Francisco Chronicle does it much better. Check it out.
Link:
Mark Fiore
*******
"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."
---Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Third President of the United States,1801-1809.
On May 3rd I wrote about the takeover of Public Broadcasting Service by conservatives. Mark Fiore's animated strip in today's San Francisco Chronicle does it much better. Check it out.
Link:
Mark Fiore
---Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Third President of the United States,1801-1809.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Masters of the Craft of "Crying Wolf"
Milking the Threat of Terrorism
For some of us this did not come as a surprise--the report in USA Today what the former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge stated at a conference:
"Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled."
Mr. Ridge went to say that:
"More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge told reporters. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' "
The threat of terrorism was milked at every opportunity and it paid handsome dividends. It is like a cash cow that keeps on giving.
Link:
USA Today
For some of us this did not come as a surprise--the report in USA Today what the former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge stated at a conference:
"Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled."
Mr. Ridge went to say that:
"More often than not we were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge told reporters. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' "
The threat of terrorism was milked at every opportunity and it paid handsome dividends. It is like a cash cow that keeps on giving.
Link:
USA Today
The Abusers at Abu Ghraib
Slimy creatures
You have read about them, seen them on TV and wondered about them---the central characters in the prison scandal whose faces first became familiar from the images that they themselves created. Images that shook the world and made us feel ashamed and revolted.
Who are they? What made them do what they did?
As the facts come out and more is known about them it becomes evident that there is little explanation. We just have to accept the fact that there are such people in the army and elsewhere. Given the opportunity the sadistic tendencies, the dormant brutality lurking in them, come out and Abu Ghraib happens. Other facts,too, become obvious. Failure of higher ranks to maintain discipline and permitting a climate of "anything goes". There was tacit support; they looked the other way. Conditions in Abu Ghraib Prison gave the slimy creatures the opportunity and they had a blast. One detects not the slightest display of remorse from any of them. They gloated in the images from Abu Ghraib; you see them gloating now. Scary, these sons and daughters of our society.
Guantanamo was different. There the abusive interrogation practices were in accordance with official policy! Those involved followed orders.
Link
NY Times-Kate Zernike
You have read about them, seen them on TV and wondered about them---the central characters in the prison scandal whose faces first became familiar from the images that they themselves created. Images that shook the world and made us feel ashamed and revolted.
Who are they? What made them do what they did?
As the facts come out and more is known about them it becomes evident that there is little explanation. We just have to accept the fact that there are such people in the army and elsewhere. Given the opportunity the sadistic tendencies, the dormant brutality lurking in them, come out and Abu Ghraib happens. Other facts,too, become obvious. Failure of higher ranks to maintain discipline and permitting a climate of "anything goes". There was tacit support; they looked the other way. Conditions in Abu Ghraib Prison gave the slimy creatures the opportunity and they had a blast. One detects not the slightest display of remorse from any of them. They gloated in the images from Abu Ghraib; you see them gloating now. Scary, these sons and daughters of our society.
Guantanamo was different. There the abusive interrogation practices were in accordance with official policy! Those involved followed orders.
Link
NY Times-Kate Zernike
Monday, May 09, 2005
"Artful Leakers" and "Phantom Sources"
The Media and Credbility Gap
Are we going to see an end to reports that ascribe "unidentified source", "unnamed official"? Reading them one gets an image of a person whispering to an enterprising journalist, a bureaucrat making a call from a pay phone, or surreptitiously passing a note. Don't bet on it. The practice has developed legs of its own and is not going to disappear any time soon although The NY Times and other newspapers are taking a hard look at it.
Readers who follow the major dailies take position on both sides of the argument--those who would like to see the end of the practice and those who feel that without such protection the sources would "dry up" and important news stories would never appear in print.
Daniel Okrent of the Public Editor column in NY times (5/8/05) wrote under the heading "Briefers and Leakers and the Newspapers Who Enable Them".
Credibility is also why many reporters will now acknowledge that the profession's worst habits must be broken - the vague descriptions of phantom sources, the readiness to disregard their motivations, the willingness to let them say what they wish without public accountability. White House correspondent David E. Sanger, much of whose recent work has been in the extremely sensitive area of nuclear proliferation, told me, "In the post-Iraq world" - the world in which artful leakers convinced reporters and their readers that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction - "using identifiers like 'intelligence officials' or 'officials with access to intelligence' just doesn't hack it."
On a somewhat related issue, a blogger (Dilettante's Diary) wrote on April 10th about the broadcast media. She made cogent points about the lack of honesty that prevails in the industry, the unavoidable influence of the connection between corporate owners, advertisers and the government.
The bottom line is that free press isn't really "free". The Washington Times and Fox News Channel are like propaganda arms of the White House. Other venerable institutions such as The NY Times, Washington Post, CBS,NBC,ABC and CNN try to present "balanced" news and often end up serving pap. They have great reporters who are hamstrung. It is the system.
Links:
NY Times
Dilettante's Diary
NY Times-Daniel Okrent
Dilettante's Diary
Are we going to see an end to reports that ascribe "unidentified source", "unnamed official"? Reading them one gets an image of a person whispering to an enterprising journalist, a bureaucrat making a call from a pay phone, or surreptitiously passing a note. Don't bet on it. The practice has developed legs of its own and is not going to disappear any time soon although The NY Times and other newspapers are taking a hard look at it.
Readers who follow the major dailies take position on both sides of the argument--those who would like to see the end of the practice and those who feel that without such protection the sources would "dry up" and important news stories would never appear in print.
Daniel Okrent of the Public Editor column in NY times (5/8/05) wrote under the heading "Briefers and Leakers and the Newspapers Who Enable Them".
Credibility is also why many reporters will now acknowledge that the profession's worst habits must be broken - the vague descriptions of phantom sources, the readiness to disregard their motivations, the willingness to let them say what they wish without public accountability. White House correspondent David E. Sanger, much of whose recent work has been in the extremely sensitive area of nuclear proliferation, told me, "In the post-Iraq world" - the world in which artful leakers convinced reporters and their readers that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction - "using identifiers like 'intelligence officials' or 'officials with access to intelligence' just doesn't hack it."
On a somewhat related issue, a blogger (Dilettante's Diary) wrote on April 10th about the broadcast media. She made cogent points about the lack of honesty that prevails in the industry, the unavoidable influence of the connection between corporate owners, advertisers and the government.
The bottom line is that free press isn't really "free". The Washington Times and Fox News Channel are like propaganda arms of the White House. Other venerable institutions such as The NY Times, Washington Post, CBS,NBC,ABC and CNN try to present "balanced" news and often end up serving pap. They have great reporters who are hamstrung. It is the system.
Links:
NY Times
Dilettante's Diary
NY Times-Daniel Okrent
Dilettante's Diary
Saturday, May 07, 2005
God is a Republican
"Insanity Fair"?
One could see it coming.
Pastor Chan Chandler of East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville,NC, expelled nine members of his congregation because they "didn't support President Bush". The pastor's action received support from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. An official informed the Ashville-Citizen Times that "a pastor had every right to disallow memberships if a church's bylaws allow for the pastor to establish criteria for membership"!
This is a step beyond the position taken by the Catholic church before the election of 2004 to deny sacrament to those who supported abortion rights for women.
What next?
You could lose your job because of politicial affiliation
You could be refused admission in school
You could be refused tenancy
Repent, all you sinners and show your support for the holy rollers. Change your voter registration otherwise you'll be punished by the vengeful Republican God. There is additional incentive. You'll not be "left beind"; the countdown to Armageddon has started.
It is a bit early but think I'll pour myself a glass of the house plonk.
Link:
Guardian-Democrats Voted out of Church
One could see it coming.
Pastor Chan Chandler of East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville,NC, expelled nine members of his congregation because they "didn't support President Bush". The pastor's action received support from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. An official informed the Ashville-Citizen Times that "a pastor had every right to disallow memberships if a church's bylaws allow for the pastor to establish criteria for membership"!
This is a step beyond the position taken by the Catholic church before the election of 2004 to deny sacrament to those who supported abortion rights for women.
What next?
You could lose your job because of politicial affiliation
You could be refused admission in school
You could be refused tenancy
Repent, all you sinners and show your support for the holy rollers. Change your voter registration otherwise you'll be punished by the vengeful Republican God. There is additional incentive. You'll not be "left beind"; the countdown to Armageddon has started.
It is a bit early but think I'll pour myself a glass of the house plonk.
Link:
Guardian-Democrats Voted out of Church
Friday, May 06, 2005
A Tribute to Mothers, especially
And to members of the opposite sex
Mother's Day is around the corner. This is an expression of my admiration, affection and respect for women. Where would we be without you and the X Chromosome!
Here are a few that I have known (my pleasure, privilege, and good fortune). I'm thankful.
******************
Mother's Day is around the corner. This is an expression of my admiration, affection and respect for women. Where would we be without you and the X Chromosome!
Here are a few that I have known (my pleasure, privilege, and good fortune). I'm thankful.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
The havoc that Nader wrought
And Blair vs. the Tories
A fellow blogger AmericanOL raised the following question:
"the conflict here for many is that Blair was wrong on Iraq, but as a world leader he is much closer to the likes of clinton than bush anyday. would you rather have a conservative thatcher or a labour blair? or, do you agree that blair should pay for his illegal war regardless by losing his PM spot?"
If I were a British citizen I would have considered voting for the Liberal Democrats but most certainly not if that meant the remotest chance of a victory for the Tories.
Four and half years after the 2000 election it still rankles that an old has been, driven by ego, made it possible for the ultraconservative Bush administration to come into power.
There were other factors: (1) voters who were disenfranchised; (2) voting systems and procedures that "malfunctioned"; (3) the party-line United States Supreme Court vote declaring George W. Bush the winner.
Nevertheless, The Nader votes were one of the key factors in Florida, and Florida would have given Al Gore the electoral college votes needed to win. Do the Naderites think about it? Ralph Nader's abject performance in the 2004 election showed that he had lost his core supporters but he still went through the motions. And this is a man that I one time held in high esteem. How he fell!
A fellow blogger AmericanOL raised the following question:
"the conflict here for many is that Blair was wrong on Iraq, but as a world leader he is much closer to the likes of clinton than bush anyday. would you rather have a conservative thatcher or a labour blair? or, do you agree that blair should pay for his illegal war regardless by losing his PM spot?"
If I were a British citizen I would have considered voting for the Liberal Democrats but most certainly not if that meant the remotest chance of a victory for the Tories.
Four and half years after the 2000 election it still rankles that an old has been, driven by ego, made it possible for the ultraconservative Bush administration to come into power.
There were other factors: (1) voters who were disenfranchised; (2) voting systems and procedures that "malfunctioned"; (3) the party-line United States Supreme Court vote declaring George W. Bush the winner.
Nevertheless, The Nader votes were one of the key factors in Florida, and Florida would have given Al Gore the electoral college votes needed to win. Do the Naderites think about it? Ralph Nader's abject performance in the 2004 election showed that he had lost his core supporters but he still went through the motions. And this is a man that I one time held in high esteem. How he fell!
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
About Patriotism,Politics and Flags
The other side of the Atlantic
Elections in the British Isles are going to take place tomorrow, May 5.
Many of you are aware of the "Daily Kos", the admirable blog by Markos Moulitsas. He appeared in The Guardian,UK, as a guest blogger and wrote about the difference in style of political campaigns in Britain.
"In the US, candidates for any political office prove their loyalty to their nation by putting flags on stage. Lots of them. Sometimes dozens of flags, other times just a couple of REALLY big ones. Every campaign sign sports an American flag while hundreds of people in the audience wave little American flags. Each candidate also wears a lapel pin with a little American flag on it. Because the more they accessorise in red, white and blue, the more, er, they love America. Or something."
Makes you wonder why do we feel the need to make campaigns into circuses ? Why do the citizens of the United Kingdom and Europe feel comfortable without such props ?
Link:
Guardian-Moulitsas
Elections in the British Isles are going to take place tomorrow, May 5.
Many of you are aware of the "Daily Kos", the admirable blog by Markos Moulitsas. He appeared in The Guardian,UK, as a guest blogger and wrote about the difference in style of political campaigns in Britain.
"In the US, candidates for any political office prove their loyalty to their nation by putting flags on stage. Lots of them. Sometimes dozens of flags, other times just a couple of REALLY big ones. Every campaign sign sports an American flag while hundreds of people in the audience wave little American flags. Each candidate also wears a lapel pin with a little American flag on it. Because the more they accessorise in red, white and blue, the more, er, they love America. Or something."
Makes you wonder why do we feel the need to make campaigns into circuses ? Why do the citizens of the United Kingdom and Europe feel comfortable without such props ?
Link:
Guardian-Moulitsas
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
End of PBS as we knew it - Grubby Hands Grasping Control
Victim of being considered "Liberal"
It is a matter of time. Now the mandarins of morality are making sure that PBS (a refreshing alternative in the clamorous jungle of commercial broadcast media) offers only what they want us to watch and hear. The attacks against PBS are not new. Conservatives had always been unhappy with the contents of programs in PBS. They considered them to be "biased" (too liberal). In today's America, what the conservatives want the conservatives get. The Pharisees are going to put their grubby hands on it and turn PBS into another god and country oriented media outlet.
A comparison between the BBC (an entity fully funded and owned by the British government) and PBS says a lot about the difference between the two countries. The BBC has, so far, remained free of any interference by government.
We got rid of the Taliban mullahs in Afghanistan but adopting Taliban-like policies here in the United States.
The NY Times 5/2/05
"WASHINGTON, May 1 - The Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is aggressively pressing public television to correct what he and other conservatives consider liberal bias, prompting some public broadcasting leaders - including the chief executive of PBS - to object that his actions pose a threat to editorial independence."
Without the knowledge of his board, the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, contracted last year with an outside consultant to keep track of the guests' political leanings on one program, "Now With Bill Moyers."
Link:
NY Times-PBS
*******
It is a matter of time. Now the mandarins of morality are making sure that PBS (a refreshing alternative in the clamorous jungle of commercial broadcast media) offers only what they want us to watch and hear. The attacks against PBS are not new. Conservatives had always been unhappy with the contents of programs in PBS. They considered them to be "biased" (too liberal). In today's America, what the conservatives want the conservatives get. The Pharisees are going to put their grubby hands on it and turn PBS into another god and country oriented media outlet.
A comparison between the BBC (an entity fully funded and owned by the British government) and PBS says a lot about the difference between the two countries. The BBC has, so far, remained free of any interference by government.
We got rid of the Taliban mullahs in Afghanistan but adopting Taliban-like policies here in the United States.
The NY Times 5/2/05
"WASHINGTON, May 1 - The Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is aggressively pressing public television to correct what he and other conservatives consider liberal bias, prompting some public broadcasting leaders - including the chief executive of PBS - to object that his actions pose a threat to editorial independence."
Without the knowledge of his board, the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, contracted last year with an outside consultant to keep track of the guests' political leanings on one program, "Now With Bill Moyers."
Link:
NY Times-PBS
Monday, May 02, 2005
Iraq and the War Against Terrorism
"Mission Accomplished" - President George W. Bush, May 2, 2003
And more.
"I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind. And again, I wish it wasn't true, but it is true."
---President Bush on NBC's 'Meet the Press' - Sunday, February 8, 2004; 12:03 PM
Now the latest available numbers. The cost in human terms two years later:
******
On a related issue, the Associated Press reported that "Terror attacks worldwide more than tripled last year reaching a record high, according to government figures released by a senior House Democrat.
Based on a briefing federal officials gave congressional aides, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Tuesday there were about 650 significant terror attacks last year. He said that was more than three times the record 175 tallied by the government in 2003."
Based on a briefing federal officials gave congressional aides, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Tuesday there were about 650 significant terror attacks last year. He said that was more than three times the record 175 tallied by the government in 2003."
Return of the Con Man
Ahmed Chalabi, con man, bosom buddy of the war mongers, who had a major role in our misadventure in Iraq but temporarily fell from grace, is back in favor. He won the grand prize! Meet the new oil minister.
Links:
Terror Attacks
NY Times-Chalabi
Iraq Body Count
Global Security
"War hath no fury like a non-combatant"
---Charles Edward Montague, British soldier,author(1867-1928)
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Bix Beiderbecke
Great article by Frank Gray (The Guardian,UK) on Bix Beiderbecke and other jazz musicians who lived and performed in New York City.
Bix was a rarity--a White cat in a field dominated by Blacks. I have a CD which includes such classics as "Riverboat Shuffle", "Singin' the Blues", and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans". All of them originally recorded in 1927. Bix was accompanied by saxophonist Frankie Trambauer and guitarist Eddie Lang.
"He was completely self-taught and could not read music." Amazing.
A marble plaque on the wall of the building where he died reads:
In Memory of Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke
Pioneer Jazz Cornetist, Pianist & Composer
The Original Young Man With A Horn
Born - March 10th, 1903
Davenport, Iowa
Died - August 6th 1931
43-30 46th Street, Sunnyside, New York
Paul Maringelli and The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Committee
Guardian-Beiderbecke
Singin' The Blues
Charley Records Ltd, London,UK
CD 2013 (1993)
