ABC Distorts Story on Obama

Mainstream media must have "drama" so they resort to distortions. This video first came to my attention from Huffington Post and The Horse's Mouth.

From Arianna on DC Conventional Wisdom

As I wrote in an earlier post today, the Washington DC Zombies control our news media outlets with their versions of "truth" and "fact" to the detriment of the nation's well-being and/or welfare. The example shown in Huffington's column demonstrates this long practiced deception of twisting others' statements into questions that need to be addressed. This keeps the lie or conventional wisdom up front in the minds of listeners or viewers and unfortunately the refutations are subordinated and left un-highlighted.

With the lack of audience engagement with critical analysis of the news they get, it is easy to see one of the reasons for citizen apathy. Of course, this 24/7 cycle of news tends to overwhelm even the most thoughtful person. Could that be the reason for non engagement with civic issues?

NYT End of Year Editorial

If we are to maintain a democracy or return the US to its higher values, then we must have leaders who have true integrity and not the facade which recent politicians have used. The NYT's editorial comes at a time when the little dirty secrets of the Bush administration are finally being aired. Why has it taken so long to publicize this? Those of us who want peace need to count on a vigilant press and on men and women of honor and integrity to assume leadership positions, more importantly, we need citizens who care and take action when the government makes bad policy and poor decisions concerning war and peace issues.

I still feel we should call the Department of Defense by its old name, the "Department of War" and that we should form a Department for Peace.

Once Again Republicans "Eat" One of Their Own

As the story from the Huffington Post points out, members of the Republican party are after one of their own. John McCain on the verge of making a comeback finds himself under dirty political trickery ===yet again. How can we develop a plan for peace when politicians vie for power and control instead of for who has the best ideas to help our country?

Benazir Bhutto: From the Oxford Union to Her Last Rally in Rawalpindi

Arianna Huffington wrote a decent piece on the death of a woman who like herself came to leadership position in a British university club. I find it interesting that as foreigners in England they overcame any possible stigma of "other" through the kind of fearlessness that Huffington writes about. I am a woman whose realm is not that of the elite with which these two women associated. However, I have fought through bouts of fearfulness to do what I can in my little corner of my world. Tomorrow, after all the initial hoopla over the former prime minister's death is tamped down, I will plod along to do what I can to listen better and help those whose lives I may influence.


Women leaders who represent what is good in human kind are rare in the rarefied atmosphere of international/world politics. Women, who like me, work toward making their ideals a reality are rarer still because idealism interferes with the status quo of acquiring and keeping power to the detriment of people one is supposed to lead, guide, and help. Despite the contradictory comments about Bhutto's political history, I tend to honor her. After all her history is frequently transcribed by men whose own attachment to power and corruption is challenged by women such as Bhutto. May she be at peace. May her family feel her strength and love in the months and years ahead, and may the many decent people of Pakistan get leaders worthy of their support. That is my small prayer from Tempe Arizona on a day such as today.

Burning Fires in CA -- National Guard in Iraq

Paul Rieckhoff writes at Huffington's post and he experienced the Iraq war. He works toward helping veterans of both Iraq and Afghanistan through an organization he and other veterans began. The point of the particular article he recently wrote in The Huffington Post is that while many if not most young men in the National Guard throughout the 50 states joined the Guard to be of service to their home states, these young men find themselves in Iraq. With the recent fires in California, it must have been difficult for many of the marines leaving Camp Pendleton to go to Iraq when many of their neighborhoods were in danger and when they could have been available to help put out fires--except for the war intended to keep us safe.

A Courthouse in Iraq

David sent pictures of the "landscape" where he is at. According to his note this is a courthouse where the soldiers have protected renovations or improvements.

Promotion for David

Despite my oposition to the war, I do have friends and family over in Iraq and Afghanistan. David has been over in Iraq three times now. He is happy to be a noncommissioned officer at a higher rank than the private first class which is my grandson's rank.

Some days are good for some of these youngish men.

Peace and Justice?

Pat Tillman's death continues to enlighten us as to the perverse lengths this administration will go to in order to "cover up" the true nature of a young man's death. The story from Alternet provides the essentials. I pray this family gets justice since their son cannot be restored to them.

AlterNet: MediaCulture: Taking Apart Bill O'Reilly's Shoddy Journalism

I really must save this link for my classes. O'Reilly and his ideological journalism is a prime example of what contributes to the diseased civic discourse we all experience today. How can peace be achieved with such a distortion of facts? Rhetorical question but one that we can consider mulling over.

AlterNet: MediaCulture: Taking Apart Bill O'Reilly's Shoddy Journalism

Clinton Hits Back at Pentagon Official - The Huffington Post

In addition to not answering questions, the War Department has attempted to muzzle those who want to see contingency plans for our withdrawal from Iraq. Once again, members of the Bush Administration would classify questions as unAmerican and traitorous behavior.

I'm not a great fan of Senator Clinton but in this instance she is 100 per cent correct.


Clinton Hits Back at Pentagon Official - The Huffington Post

Fourth of July 2007

Fourth of July this year finds two of my grandsons enrolled in military service and of course my cousin's son in Iraq. So while we here, stateside, sing patriotic songs, set off fireworks, and gather together to celebrate the nation's birthday, many of our young sons, grandsons, cousins, husbands and fathers are away in less comforting situations.

I pray for all our citizens and our boys overseas. I pray for an end to war and hate and pray for more understanding among people around the world.

Peace and JFK

Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind. John F. Kennedy (1) 05/29/1917 - 11/22/1963 35th president of the USA

Reading the new book on the Kennedy brothers merely underscores the accuracy of this quote. I do hope someone will be courageous enough to follow up on such an idea--peace--that can lead us out of the quagmires of war.

Alliance for Peace

A new call for a Father's Day project aimed at reducing war and working for a Department of Peace.

He's at it Again

Know I understand the reason for Gore losing to Bush--his vice-presidential running mate was Joe Lieberman. Now Generalissimo Lieberman wants to make war on Iran if it doesn't play by the rules. Whose rules? Where did Generalissimo Lieberman get the right to tell other countries how and when to behave by those rules? Doesn't the Generalissimo realize that his kind of talk contributes to the hatred festering in the very places he would invade and occupy?

When two-faced Lieberman (and I do hate ad hominem attacks), leaves the party he spent so much of his time in so that he could retain power (however much a United States Senator might have) to undermine the call of most of the people in that party he demonstrates his duplicity. Perhaps his ties to Israel create his thinking of war in the Middle East. Perhaps he should be a senator there rather than here. I have felt for a long time that he thinks of what is best for Israel and conflates that thinking with his perceptions of what is good for the US. But is his thinking really accurate?

I'm with the doves here, we must appeal to the higher angels of our nature before even thinking of more death and carnage on this continent or anywhere else.

General Wesley Clarke sent an address for a new website he's created: Stop War in Iran
I hope more people on the blogosphere sign on.

A Personal Plea for Peace

As a grandparent, I realize ever more acutely now that we must let our grandchildren seek their own way through life. Yesterday, we had a farewell dinner for my second grandchild, James Antonio Ernesto Rodriguez. He volunteered for Afghanistan and none of us know why. I couldn't help but cry at the thought of his leaving AND at the departure of all other young men and women who hold ideals of duty to this country in ways that differ from my own. I suppose that age leads to greater reflections on the beauty of life and the fact that in the words of JFK all wars are stupid.

We should lead a world to develop the better nature of humankind--not the lowest and darkest nature of our beings.

I'm reading a new book on the Kennedy Brothers--Robert and John and wonder how our world would look today if either or both had not been assassinated. Ah well we can't know that, but I hope future world leaders will pick up courageously the cause of peace.

How could we go about such a venture? Some would say addressing the needs of the poor, not only the desires of the rich, could lead to people having more time to spend on developing the better natures of their being instead of pursuing survival.

That would be one thought that I fear our present culture/society ignores.

George Washington Comments on George W. Bush

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Retired Gen. George Washington Criticizes Bush's Handling Of Iraq War

This delightful story from the online version of The Onion highlights what many peacenicks have been thinking and saying--The Shrub has mismanaged the war and has not acted within the confines of his job description--seeking instead to become the monarch that George Washington refused to become following end of the Revolutionary war and the end of his second term in office in 1796. Congress does not get off in this delightful and insightful commentary. Civilian authorities should pay attention to their responsibilities of oversight and not give any elected representative, like the president, leave to usurp more power than the constitution allows.

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Rudy Giulianni

Either or talk and misrepresentation of others' positions lead to the kind of thinking that led to war--in this case a warrant less war.

Olbermann's discussion helps place a bit of sense to the Gulliani self serving untruthful statements.

Keith Olbermann Interviews Bill Maher March 27, 2007

As I wrote in the post below this one, people must be honest. If one is principled, one should stick to those principles. Placating our baser urges as many have done in this era leads to the ethical problems we see in government and in other areas of life.

Defining Our Principles

I've recently been drawn to people from disparate parts of the world who seem to be doing the same thing--namely standing up for their beliefs despite pressures to moderate their positions. One such person is Asma Khalid and another is Dennis Kucinich. In an alternet article,
Ms Khalid indicates that placating frightened Europeans by identifying herself as a moderate Muslim would nullify her definition of orthodoxy--namely being pious about her faith. Changing her identity would further distort Muslim faith and align it more with bombers and other radical elements which she claims Muslims in general are not.

Another person whose credentials have risen sharply in my estimation is Dennis Kucinich. I usually enjoy listening to Bill Maher but was not pleased when he persisted in attempting to get Mr. Kucinich to answer questions his way. Mr. Kucinich would not. Citing his own beliefs, Kucinich claimed his belief in working toward peace not war and that use of assassination as a tactic would not be his policy even if the target were Osama bin Laden.

Kudos to Kucinich who everyday says and does things many of us believe in.