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White Supremacists in America"Mr. Hale said attacks on race-betrayers and 'mud people' were understandable but a waste of time. 'Suppose someone goes out and kills 10 blacks tonight,' he said, shrugging. 'Well, there are millions more.' "Anyone who finds it hard to believe that the above is from an article in today's New York Times, can look up Nicholas Kristof's "Home Grown Osamas" with a few clicks of the mouse.Perhaps there is hope for Mr. Hale. According to some proponents of the Second Coming, all but fundamentalist Christians are doomed to disappear from the face of the earth. That should take care of most of the "mud people". If there are some dark-skinned Born Again Christians left on this good earth their number should be small enough for Mr. Hale and his followers to deal with.Home Grown Osamas"At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being."---Friedrich Otto Hertz (1878-1964)

The President and his backers merrily continue dancingExtracts from Stephan Labatan's report in The New York Times, March 9, 2005."The main lobbying forces for the bill - a coalition that included Visa, MasterCard, the American Bankers Association, MBNA America,Capital One, Citicorp, the Ford Motor Credit Company and the General Motors Acceptance Corporation - spent more than $40 million in political fund-raising efforts""Final passage of the measure is now an inevitable formality.""The White House applauded the votes on Tuesday."Our legislators never fail to take care of those who pay into their campaign chests while the interests of the majority of their constitutents get drowned in the pork barrel.Remember Abe Lincoln's address in Gettysburg, Nov.19, 1863 ?"......government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." That is what he said. What we have become is a government of lobbyists, by the lobbyists, for the lobbyists.The full report can be read at BankruptcyAlso see my post : Wednesday, January 26, 2005 , "You've got to dance with them what brung you".Note: The NY Times articles can be accessed free for 7 days from date of publication. Registration procedure is simple.

What is next--mandatory clitoral circumcision?Mark Morford of The San Francisco Chronicle, wrote on March 4, 2005:"I cannot, in other words, imagine living in Alabama. Or Texas. Or Louisiana. Or Georgia. Or Tennessee. Or in any of the handful of terrified and morally convulsive states where they prohibit such activities, where the selling of "genital stimulating devices" is outright illegal and deeply dreaded."The full article can be accessed at the link below.How many children, men and women have been killed by dildos ? An easy one. None,nada, nil, zero, zilch. But there they go tirelessly seeking dirt that exists only in their minds. It is the Taliban mentality. Viagra is OK but "morning after pill" for women (to prevent unwanted pregnancy) is not! These are the same people who promote abstinence and are against teaching of the use of condoms in sex education. The hypocrisy is monumental.chronicle-morfordSee Paul Johnson's essay, "Witch Hunts and Special Prosecutions"in The Spectator.American Fanatacism"Oh, for a forty-parson power to chantThy praise, Hypocrisy! Oh, for a hymnLoud as the virtues thou dost loudly vaunt,Not practise!"---Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron), Don Juan (canto X, st. 34)

Born Into Brothels (2004)Winner of Oscar for the best documentary film.The sights, sounds, and lives of the inhabitants of Sonagachi, the red light district of Calcutta (Kolkata), brought unfiltered before the world. Zana Briski and Ross Kauffmann's film demonstrates what a few dedicated artists with limited funds and resources can achieve.As a former Calcuttan I was affected by the scenes of the city. The images reflected an overwhelming sense of decay and failing infrastructure. But the children were the stars. Their exuberance in the midst of the squalor was infective. They projected hope.kids with cameras

Women under tribal lawsMukhtar Mai BBC's report about the hapless Mukhtar Mai and her experience (first in the hands of rapists and then before a High Court in Punjab Province) makes it clear how little progress has been made for women's rights in some countries, especially those where Sharia laws and tribal councils are in effect."Women often suffer 'honour punishments' to pay for crimes attributed to relatives."---BBC (March 4,2005)bbc.pakistan

Ramblings of a man with time on his handsFreesias Here we are in March, less than three weeks away from Spring but the rains continue. We have had more rain than we normally get. Up in the Pacific Northwest there is fear of drought! Have been using the gym more frequently. I would rather be out on a trail. The daffodils and freesias (mostly yellow) are looking gorgeous. The foothills will remain green until May, and that is certainly a good thing. In the produce section of the local food stores, asparagus and grape fruits are plentiful and affordable. Just a matter of days before sunny days become the norm......I hope.The Oscars and EuthanasiaThe much anticipated Oscar awards show came and went. I was glad that Eastwood's movie got the recognition it deserved. I and my movie going friend thought that "The Aviator" was too long and boring. Don't pay much attention to clothes and coiffurs but noticed that Penelope Cruz looked stunning in the yellow gown.Interestingly, euthanasia figured in both winners in the feature film category, "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Sea Inside" (Spanish). Don't think that they would change anyone's mind about the subject. I was a believer in euthanasia before the films were released and I shall continue to be one. I respect those who have strong conviction about the end of life being in God's hands. It is a very personal issue. They should not try to prevent those who hold a different opinion from making the decision to call it quits when the circumstances convince them to do so.Nanni Moretti in "The Son's Room" (Le Stanza del Figlio), 2002An extraordinary film by Nanni Moretti.Starring: Laura Morante, Nanni Moretti, Guiseppe Sanfelice, Claudi Della Seta, Stefano AccorsiDirected by: Nanni MorettiProduced by: Nanni Moretti, Angelo BarbagalloI had missed this film when it went through local theaters. Caught it on video. A gem. Check it out.Paul Theroux, Alexander FraterCurrently reading Paul Theroux' "Dark Star Safari - Overland from Cairo to Cape Town" (Houghton Mifflin, 2003)In a recent post, a fellow blogger (in London,UK) mentioned the heavy rainfall in the Hebrides. That reminded me of Alexander Frater's delightful book "Chasing the Monsoon". A friend to whom I recommended the book said that he didn't want the book to end. That is how I felt when I read it.Then there is BachOn the CD player: Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor. Kennedy (Nigel) with The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI Classic)

Pope Urban II and doctrine of "Positive Violence"Years ago I attended a seminar in which the time management guru Alan Lakein expounded on "postive procrastination". Not easy to practise but I could see the merits of Professor Lakein's theory. "Positive violence", however, is another matter. Two recent books contain fascinating details about the crusades and "positive violence".The First Crusade: A New History by Thomas Asbridge (Oxford University Press, 2004)The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinopole by Jonathan Phillips (Viking Books, 2004)The authors teach medieval history at the University of London.In her review of the books, Joan Acocella wrote in The New Yorker: "Whenever a war needed to be viewed as a sacred enterprise, the word (Crusade) came up. George W. Bush used it to describe his war on terrorism."We know that President Bush backed off from continuing with the theme because of its connotations; it was not considered politically correct. For his war, he needed support of Islamic countries.I learned that it was Pope Urban II (1035-1099) who preached about "positive violence" to motivate the knights of the First Crusade who were facing pangs of conscience and doubts about what they were doing and what they were taught about heaven, hell and sins. Later, when the Fourth Crusade came around, Crusaders were assured of absolution of all "confessed transgressions". I quote Ms. Acocella: "So it was two in one: the knights could go on slaughtering people and get to Heaven thereby. That was 'positive violence', and according to Asbridge and Phillips, it was the motor of the Crusades."Ms. Acocella's review mentioned that the beginning of the First Crusade might have had something to do with faith but it didn't take long to turn into looting and pillaging expeditions. She cited another British historian Steven Runciman and his "History of The Crusades". Mr. Runciman wrote that "....the Holy War itself was nothing more than a long act of intolerance in the name of God." For instance, on their way to Constantinopole, the People's Crusade (a rabble army organized by a French monk, Peter the Hermit) killed a large number of Rhineland Jews.Today we are told that we are waging war to fight terrorism and to spread democracy. The other sides tell their followers of a holy war against infidels! While the Muslims don't shy away from using the term "Jihad", our policy makers painstakingly avoid "Crusade" in their speeches and exhortations. There are similarities in what they believe and zealously pursue--that the end justifies the means; violence is necessary....and positive. There seems to be very little concern about the innocent civilians caught in the middle. We have coined a term for them--"collateral damage". Perhaps the Muslims say "mekhtub" (It was written).Positive procrastination is worth thinking about. Pursuit of the policy of positive violence ought to be shunned by all.

"Go ahead, Jeff" - Manipulation, Crude and ArrogantBy now the details of Jeff Gannon and his role as a planted (embedded) member of the White House press corps are known to all who have an interest in the goings on in the Bush White House.Nevertheless, Hendrik Hertzberg's "Newshounds", in the Talk of the Town section of The New Yorker magazine (Feb.28, 2005) is worth reading. Mr. Hertzberg's elegant and understated prose is always a pleasure to read. He outlined the sordid facts and their implications in a masterly way.hertzberg"Successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance politically only as they placate, appease, bribe, seduce, bamboozle or otherwise manage to manipulate the demanding and threatening elements in their constituencies."---Walter Lippman (1888-1974) Comments Anonymous — 2005-10-22 Great blog you have. I have a site about banjo bluegrass music. You can check it out at banjo bluegrass music

Our Soldiers and Iraqi CiviliansThe Associated Press reported that as of Friday, Feb.25,2005, 1491 members of the U.S. Military had lost their lives in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.+++++The number of severely wounded soldiers is many times higher. The current figure reported by Global Security.org is: 10871+++++Latest count of dead Iraqi civilians published in the web site of Iraq Body Count.org is:Minimum 16121Maximum 18393The web site includes details of the data base and the methodology.It also contains full explanation of IBC's position in respect to Lancet Magazine's report about "100,000 deaths".IBCGlobalBBC-Lancet"I'm a war president"---G.W. Bush, Feb.8,2004 (NBC, Meet The Press)

"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), Ode to the West WindCherrry Tree Daffodils Spring is not far behind, less than four weeks away. Yet, here in the San Francisco Bay area, we have had unusual amount of rain in February. A few sunny, warm days but mostly cold and cloudy. Today is very wintry. Forecast is for chances of showers during the weekend. The reservoirs are full and the Sierra snow pack is high. There is no need to worry about drought in the summer months.It is time for the days to turn warmer ; the sun to come out and stay out. Signs of the advent of Spring have become visible. The flowering cherries are in bloom. Daffodils have appeared all over the town; some in my own front yard. The sweet peas have started to climb the frames. For a few more weeks we shall need the blankets. On the minus side, the chanterelles have become scarce. AC and I went foraging on Tuesday and found just a few. But we had a bountiful season. We are ready to welcome Spring.