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Parents speak out about lies and exploitation of the death of their sonAccording 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

Seymour Hersh writes: "The 10 inquiries into prisoner abuse have let Bush and Co off the hook"Link:The Guardian,UK - Seymour Hersh

Out to save souls but oblivious of people with empty bellies"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.

"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.' " ...

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. "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. ...

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 BedellSFChronicle-Edward Epstein

And you don't have to dig for itDid 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!" ...

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 MallowJohnny Jump Up

The Conservative Way or No WayOn 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.

Milking the Threat of TerrorismFor 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