Same-sex Marriage * Tom DeLay's Wife * Secret Prisons *Iraq President's game plan suffered a setback, or did it really? President Bush was well aware that his proposed constitutional amendment to ban same sex weddings didn't have enough support in the Senate. It was a move to appease and energize his core support groups. "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed to pass the Senate on Wednesday but Republican leaders planned to take it up in the House, keeping a national spotlight on the divisive issue." Republicans thrive on divisive issues.The 49 to 48 vote basically ensures the measure won't get anywhere in the full Congress, thwarting President Bush and the mostly Republican senators who argued that the Constitution must be amended to prevent judges from striking down existing state bans on gay marriage.DeLay's WifeThe former House Majority Leader continues to be in the spotlight. Details have emerged about a questionable retirement fund set up for Mrs Christine DeLay when Tom DeLay was the House Whip. The Washington Post: "A registered lobbyist opened a retirement account in the late 1990s for the wife of then-House Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and contributed thousands of dollars to it while also paying her a salary to work for him from her home in Texas, according to sources, documents and DeLay's attorney, Richard Cullen. "Buckham's financial ties to DeLay's family -- and the retirement account in particular -- have recently attracted the interest of FBI agents and others in the federal task force probing public corruption by lawmakers and lobbyists, according to a source who was questioned in the course of the government's investigation.Secret Prisons, What Secret Prisons?The story refuses to die. The pesky Europeans continue to follow the trail about secret prisons used by the United States for holding and interrogating prisoners. The facts include complicity by a number of European nations. It is not difficult to understand countries like Poland,Romania, Turkey, and Bosnia doing dirty work for the United States in exchange for money or other forms of payment. One can also find no surprise in Tony Blair's Britain being involved. But Sweden, Germany, Italy ! They should be ashamed. "BERLIN, June 7 -- A European investigator concluded Wednesday that there are "serious indications" that the CIA operated secret prisons for suspected al-Qaeda leaders in Poland and Romania as part of a clandestine "spider's web" to catch, transfer and hold terrorism suspects around the world."In addition, Dick Marty, a Swiss investigator working on behalf of the Council of Europe, the continent's official human-rights organization, said at least seven European nations colluded with the CIA to abduct and secretly detain terrorism suspects, including several who were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing. He said those countries should be held accountable under European human-rights laws.Sweden, Italy, Britain, Turkey, Germany, Bosnia and Macedonia "could be held responsible for violations of the rights of specific individuals" who were handed over to the CIA or captured by U.S. operatives in those countries, Marty said in a report released Wednesday in Paris.The Free, Democratized Iraq of G.W. BushThe BBC reports "Violent Baghdad deaths top 6,000" The number is for this year (2006) and just for Baghdad...not all of Iraq.MORTUARY'S MONTHLY TOLLJanuary: 1068February: 1110March: 1294April: 1155May: 1398Is this the Iraq President Bush talks about? There is a disconnect somewhere. Comments of an Iraqi woman blogger in Baghdad Burning.

The Fundos and Balderdash How many of you were aware that according to fundamentalist Christians--those who believe in the doomsday scenario made popular by some authors--today represents "the number of the beast". The article in the Washington Post made me gasp that there are people who take it seriously. Get a life. "Satan's spawn are having a lucrative old time today. The calendar says this is the 6th day of the 6th month of the millennium's 6th year. According to the King James version of the Book of Revelation, 666 is "the number of the beast." Some interpret Chapter 13, Verse 18 as referring to the coming of the Antichrist, who will receive his power directly from Satan to establish a kingdom on Earth that will be the beginning of Armageddon.""Number of the beast", my foot! It is a nice morning. Enjoy it. Let the nuts worry about Armageddon."There is a sucker born every minute"---Joseph Bessimer or David Hannum

Grief, Anger.....and a Sense of BewildermentI opposed the war before the first bombs fell on Baghdad, before the first pair of boots hit the ground in Iraq. Today, with all the facts that are known, my position has solidified. Our nation was taken to war on a pack of lies. The cost has been horrendous both in terms of wasted lives and the money (our money) spent. The lies continue although they have gone through different versions since March 2003 when the war began. So, I read Peter Slevin's Bonded by Loss, Divided by War in the Post with sadness. "UNIONTOWN, Ohio -- Bob Derga searches for purpose on a flat terrace behind his house, overlooking the woods. On one side is a weeping cherry tree. On the other, above the Marine Corps seal, is a chiseled stone: "If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever." Beyond saying that I'm with the parents who question the senselessness of the war, I wouldn't comment about the sentiments expressed.Amid the sadness that has looped through his life since the death in Iraq of his only son, Derga has found a spark that drives him to defend President Bush, the war and the troops who are fighting it. He has begun to speak out, urging Americans "to have the guts as a nation to stay the course."Forty miles north, Paul Schroeder and Rosemary Palmer, whose only son lived and died in the same Marine Reserve unit as Derga's son, have also been driven by anguish to speak out. But they do not believe in this war or this president or in staying the course.They are convinced that their son's life was wasted. They want negotiations to begin, the war to end and the troops to come home.One war, one Marine unit, two pained families divided about the way forward.The numbers (see below) tell a story but only a small part of the story. When you think of the loss of lives, think not only of our soldiers but also about the hapless Iraqi civilians who got caught in the unjustified war. It would be absurd if one fails to take them into the equation.U.S. Deaths confirmed by the DOD: 2,473Injured: 8,344Iraqi civilians: 38,059 (minimum) 42,434 (maximum)Sources: Iraq Coalition Casualties and Iraq Body Count"War hath no fury like a non-combatant"---C.E. Montague, British author, journalist, soldier

Bill Lichtman * Barcelona * The RamblasI had the good fortune to work for some years under a man named Gabriel "Bill" Lichtman. He was the quintessential shipping man. He had began his career as a reporter and got into ocean transportation almost by accident and became an authority. For more than 30 years he managed the the activities of a large American steamship company from an office in Calcutta, India. The cargo ships plied from the east coast of the United States to Persian Gulf and through the Suez to Rangoon, Burma. Enroute they stopped at Karachi and Bombay. On the return leg the ships called at Chittagong (Bangla Desh), then Calcutta, Madras, Cochin, Colombo and headed for the U.S. Atlantic Coast via the Suez Canal. But he was more than a shipping man. Widely read, he radiated warmth and made friends no matter where went. He was a raconteur, a bon vivant. Short and bald but sought after by women of all ages.In those days the cargo containers were just beginning to make their presence felt. Shipments were loaded and unloaded in breakbulk form. One could see bales of jute, coir, human hair and snake skins (yes, there was trade in human hair), crates of machinery, chests of tea, and bags of mail.Strange, how the mind works. Reading about the Ramblas in Barcelona in Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind took me back to Bill Lichtman and times long past. He had spent some years in Barcelona and talked fondly about the city although he detested General Franco and his regime. I remembered that years later, when he was living in Livorno, Italy, and I was in California, he wrote about the Ramblas. I dug up the letter. "I am going to Rostock on the 28th but I am not looking forward to it very much. It has an interesting maritime history but on these trips it is bam to the meeting! And bam to the airport! It is a pity to to miss the local color or even see if the people are always laughing and smiling as they always do in the pictures in the DSR magazine which we receive. In early December I will do better, with Leo, I will be attending a meeting in Barcelona. I can smell the flowers on the Ramblas already for I am sure that the market there hasn't changed at all even though it is 40 years since I last walked through it. "Bill Lichtman used to type or handwrite letters. He died before the quantum leap to instantaneous electronic communication. I wonder if he would have used e-mail. Would the messages have had the same impact of opening envelopes bearing stamps of different countries, extracting the pages and savouring them time and time again as I did today ? No, for me they wouldn't.*Listening to Regret (based on Bach choral prelude for organ "The old year has now passed away").Modern Jazz Quartet: Blues on Bach.John Lewis, piano and harpsichordMilt Jackson, vibraharpPercy Heath, bassConnie Kay, drums and percussion

The President fires a salvo on.....? Same sex marriageThe bigots will lap it up. It was expected to happen. President Bush played to his core support groups. He will get some dividends. But his call for Constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage is a cynical political ploy which deceives no one. Peter Baker in the Post: "President Bush plans to wade back into the emotional debate over same-sex marriage for the first time in his second term beginning today with a pair of speeches pressing the Senate to approve a constitutional amendment next week defining marriage as the union of a man and woman."But critics said the only reason Bush and Frist are reviving the issue is for election-year pandering to conservative voters, who, polls show, have grown disaffected with the president for various reasons."They understand that they are in deep trouble and they need to do anything they can to appease their people, which is the right-wing base," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization. "This is an age-old political tactic, which is when everything is falling down around you -- as it is for the administration -- you go for your base."And what is VP Cheney going to say if he is questioned about this issue ? He will try to waffle, dodge it. However, during a campaign speech in Iowa in August 2004, the vice president who has a "openly lesbian" daughter, stated: ".....the issue of legalising gay unions should be settled by individual states rather than by Washington." (The BBC)This move was so typical of Bush that it failed to cause waves. But there will be more moral values issues coming down from the White House. He is president of God's Own Party and must battle on behalf of besieged fellow devouts. Holier than thou ? I have my doubts.*Chastity Belt, Anyone ?On a somewhat related subject, an article that I had missed when it first appeared in the Post on May 16th, Virginity Pledges Can't Be Taken on Faith, made me chuckle. The clean, pure Americans tirelessly working to prevent young boys and girls from having sex. I say bring back the chastity belt; virginity pledges are not doing much good.

Killing of Iraqi CiviliansThe abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib brought out other instances, including Guantanamo, and the outsourcing of torture under CIA's extraordinary rendition program. Similarly, the exposure of deliberate killing of Iraqi civilians in Haditha on November 19, 2005, has resulted in disclosure of other cases, one is about deaths of civilians in Ishaqi. "U.S. commanders used appropriate force in taking down a safe house in Iraq during a March 15 military raid that led to the deaths of as many as a dozen civilians, according to the results of an investigation announced in Baghdad yesterday." This, however, is not the end of the story. The BBC reports that :"The Iraqi government has rejected the findings of a US military investigation into the deaths of 11 civilians in the village of Ishaqi, north of Baghdad. A spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the report, which cleared the US soldiers of wrongdoing, was unfair.Josh White in The Washington Post: "A third case, involving a separate group of Marines, could lead to murder charges at Camp Pendleton in California. In that case, Marines allegedly dragged an Iraqi civilian out of his home and executed him. A defense attorney for one of the Marines had predicted that charges would be filed by yesterday, but Camp Pendleton officials said they had not been filed as of last night."The death toll for Iraqi civilians kept going up and up (currently close to 40,000) and yet hardly raised any eyebrows here in America. They were expendable in Bush's war. Perhaps now, after three years, there would be some attention paid to civilian casualties, especially when military action is involved. Let us hope so.*Bumper sticker seen this morning on a Volvo in Palo Alto: STOP THE MAD COWBOY DISEASE. Comments Anonymous — 2006-06-03 The Iraqi woman who made this video is incredibly brave. Please, watch this video and pass it along... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=891513925297288257&q=Iraq%3A+The+Women%27s+Story

The Hay Festival * Lord Rees on "Humanity's defining moment"As he, himself, tells it he "used to be the next president of the United States". Many of us wince because there is truth in that. Al Gore looks good, and sounds good. He stands head shoulders above the current incumbent of the White House who has made America a mean-spirited nation, and who is despised by people in most of the countries in the world.The Guardian, a venerable British newspaper, organizes the annual Hay festival. "Hay is a tiny market town in the Brecon Beacons National Park, It has 1500 people and 41 bookshops. The Festival is a spectacular holiday party for friends to gather and indulge their tastes for the finest books, food, drink, comedy, music, art, argument and literature."This year the festival began on May 26th and will end June 4th. Mr. Gore appeared there on May 30th and spoke about global warming and climate change. Later, in an interview with Jonathan Burkman and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian, he made one of his sharpest attacks on the Bush presidency, describing it as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists". We have seen the emperor without his clothes; "rightwing extremist" is an understatement.Al Gore's candidacy in 2008 is uncertain. At this point we don't know if he would throw his hat in the ring ? But the more one listens to the new Al Gore the more attractive he appears to be. He can provide the balance between the Democrats who seem too willing to shift to the right, become Republican Light, and the firebrands. *Lord Rees, head of the Royal Society of Britain, was another distinguished guest who spoke at Hay. "Humanity has reached a "defining moment" in our dominion over the planet and our ability to destroy it, according to the head of the Royal Society, Britain's premier scientific institution. "The 21st century is the first in the Earth's history where one species has our planet's future in its hands and could jeopardise life's immense potential," Lord Rees told an audience at the Hay festival yesterday." The eminent physicist, who is Astronomer Royal, said scientific advances had made it much easier for individuals to commit devastating acts of terror on a much greater scale than 9/11, using for example biological weapons. "In a global village there will be global village idiots. And with this power, just one could be too many," he said. These might not be fundamentalists, but those with the mentality of a computer virus designer or arsonist, he added. "Even a single person will have the capacity to cause massive disruption through error or through terror. We are kidding ourselves if we think that technical education leads to balanced rationality."

It was a pleasure to read in Eugene Robinson's column Chicks & Balances that the Dixie Chicks' new album is No.1 on the Billboard's chart. Great. Their courageous anti-war statement in March 2003 drew a lot of criticism and the jingoism that prevailed at that time resulted in the Dixie Chicks being put on the black list of many country music stations. "Taking the Long Way," the Chicks' new album, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard charts last week, with 525,829 copies sold. That would be remarkable under any circumstances -- the Chicks, by some measures, have become the most successful female group in history -- but it's downright astounding given that many country stations are refusing to play the album's first single, "Not Ready to Make Nice."In fact, a lot of country stations have refused to play any of the Dixie Chicks' songs since March 10, 2003. By then it was clear that nothing would deter George W. Bush from launching his elective war in Iraq, and the Chicks were giving a concert in London, where popular opinion generally saw the impending invasion as pure madness. Maines committed the crime of speaking her mind. "Just so you know," the golden-haired, golden-voiced Texan told the audience, "we're ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas."The Dixie Chicks were right. Today they have many more on their side than they had in 2003. It is a vindication not only for them but for all of us who were against the unjustified war. * Comments Anonymous — 2006-06-02 Nicely said. The "I told you so" element even seems to have added some fire to their music. There's actually lots of great anti-war music out there. One of my personal favorites is Josh Ritter's song called "Girl in the War". http://www.joshritter.com/album_animal.shtml Check it out!

From the same wonderful folks who gave us moral values. A sickening example of hypocrisy. It is the leaders who sent them there, not the soldiers out in combat zone who need to learn about core values. "The U.S. military investigation of how Marine commanders handled the reporting of events last November in the Iraqi town of Haditha, where troops allegedly killed 24 Iraqi civilians, will conclude that some officers gave false information to their superiors, who then failed to adequately scrutinize reports that should have caught their attention, an Army official said yesterday." "False information", duh ! Weren't we all fed a pack of lies to take us to war ?Even before the final report is delivered, Army Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, today ordered that all U.S. and allied troops in Iraq undergo new "core values" training in how to operate professionally and humanely. Not only will leaders discuss how to treat civilians under the rules of engagement, but small units also will be ordered to go through training scenarios to gauge their understanding of those rules.William Arkin's post "Haditha Can't Be Blamed for a Lost War" hits the nail on the head."In Baghdad, the U.S. military has announced that it will interrupt the killing to conduct across-the-board "core values" training. This is a hapless and hollow gesture.Haditha either represents an exceptional incident perpetrated by the rage of a platoon of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines and as such does not necessitate a sensitivity class for the American military at large or it represents a hidden side of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where civilian deaths are all too common and accountability on a day-to-day basis doesn't exist. *David Broder's op-ed piece The Seer and the Scandals covers the very unexpected developments in the second term of G.W. Bush. In less than a year a series of set backs, both domestic and in Iraq, brought the mighty, invincible (or so it seemed) Bush juggernaut to a screeching halt. "Even as Bush and his most loyal international partner, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, met to celebrate the (partial) formation of a permanent government in Iraq, a wave of violence swept across Baghdad, taking the lives of two members of a CBS News television crew, among others. And details began leaking out about an alleged massacre last November of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines who were said to be retaliating for the death of one of their buddies in one of the countless roadside bombings."This second-term swamp is a far cry from what most of the Washington Monthly experts predicted -- and from what I would have guessed had I indulged in a crystal-ball exercise. Grover Norquist, the conservative activist, said Bush and the Republicans would send the Democrats into permanent political exile. Paul Begala, a Democratic political consultant, said Bush would exact vengeance on his political enemies. Several people predicted that he would usher in a new era of good feelings, tackling global warming and avoiding divisive social issues. Wrong, wrong, wrong. * Great but it remains to be seen what the Democrats can do with the opportunity that now exists to regain power. There are days when I don't feel too optimistic about their success.

Initial reports about the massacre of civilians in Haditha were disturbing. There was a sense that something horrible took place there on November 19, 2005. Now it has been officially confirmed that some members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, went on a rampage and shot 24 Iraqi civilians, including women and children. Yes, the perpetrators must answer for what they did but trial and punishment of the offenders will not erase the shameful episode, and they will not heal the sorrow and anger of the Iraqis. Congressman John Murtha (D-Pa), who was among those who demanded a release of report of the enquiry, had mentioned attempts to coverup. Coverup at this point is no longer an issue. An editorial in the Post calls for full accountability.TIME Magazine has the most detailed report,datelined May 28th, about the massacre. "But one morning last November, some members of Kilo Company apparently didn't attempt to distinguish between enemies and innocents. Instead, they seem to have gone on the worst rampage by U.S. service members in the Iraq war, killing as many as 24 civilians in cold blood. The details of what happened in Haditha were first disclosed in March by TIME's Tim McGirk and Aparisim Ghosh, and their reporting prompted the military to launch an inquiry into the civilian deaths. The darkest suspicions about the killings were confirmed last week, when members of Congress who were briefed on the two ongoing military investigations disclosed that at least some members of a Marine unit may soon be charged in connection with the deaths of the Iraqis--and that the charges may include murder, which carries the death penalty. "This was a small number of Marines who fired directly on civilians and killed them," said Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican and former Marine who was briefed two weeks ago by Marine Corps officials. "This is going to be an ugly story." Comments musafir — 2006-06-01 Thank you for your comments. I disagree. All marines are not "evil". Congressman John Murtha who played a leading role in demanding full investigation and report of the massacre in Haditha, was himself a decorated war veteran---a marine---although he didn't serve in Iraq. I think the leaders (including Tony Blair) who began the war against Iraq are in a way worse than the marines involved in the killings in Haditha. musafir — 2006-06-05 The marines shouldn't "get away with it". Yes, what they did was akin to an act of terrorism. But they are part of a bigger picture. A few marines being punished will not address the totally unjustified war and the ones who were responsible for sending them there. One has to assume that there were other, unreported instances when civilians were killed under questionable circumstances. One hopes that the harsh glare under which the U.S. Army has been placed in Iraq would prevent further atrocities. I wouldn't bet on it.