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Amazing, now that the truth is out about the case for taking the nation to war, the president and his aides have almost seamlesslessly switched to another tack. Among the reasons given to justify the war: ***Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks of 9/11 ***Saddam and Osama bin Laden were in cahoots with each other ***Iraq tried to buy high-strength aluminium tubes for developing nuclear weapons ***Possession of documents that showed that Iraq tried to import uranium from Niger ***Two trailers found in Iraq were mobile biological laboratories ***Iraq possessed enough dangerous material to kill the entire population of the world All of the above have been exposed as lies. What is the latest rationale for war being offered by Bush and his cohorts? Abuses in Iraq's Oil-for-Food program! Now I have heard it all, or have I. Team Bush is so adept at lying that it will continue to float balloons to divert attention and make the most of the "fear factor". Are the voters, especially those who have family members serving in Iraq and those who have lost loved ones in Bush's war, going to swallow the lies. No doubt some would. The facts that close to 1,100 soldiers have given their lives,billions of dollars lost, and thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed, mean nothing to them. Apathy, ignorance, or just denial? Maybe, just maybe, the president is taking the gullibility of the voting public a bit too much for granted. Re-election of George Bush would be the biggest con job pulled on the American people in the history of our republic. God, Stars & Stripes and Politicians Last week was a busy one for the Republican led House and Senate. The 108th Congress is winding down. How did the elected legislators spend their time? They were engaged in protecting the Pledge of Allegiance and repealing gun ban in Washington,DC. And what is the Senate, under Bill Frist, pursuing this week? A ban on flag desecration. We must be asleep not to be aware of the danger being faced by our national flag. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” ----Alice In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

I wrote in my first post (September 24th) about the Terri Schiavo case and the decision by the Florida Supreme Court to permit withdrawal of her life support system.Schiavo has been in a "persistent vegetative state" after suffering brain damage 14 years ago. Her doctors recommended withdrawl of life support system and her husband, Michael Schiavo, agreed. Her parents went to court to prevent her husband to act, and Governor Jeb Bush of Florida pushed through legislation (Terri's Law or, perhaps more appropriately, Bush's Law) in support of Schiavo's parents.In an unanimous decision, on September 29th the Florida Supreme Court ruled Terri's Law invalid. Today Governor Jeb Bush filed a motion for rehearing of the case.Governor Bush certainly has the right to his opinion,but his overzealous intervention in what is essentially a private matter makes one wonder if this, too, is part of election year politics----that his action is intended to garner support from the "religious right". The Bush Administration's view on this issue has been clearly demonstrated by the efforts to nullify Oregon's Death with Dignity Act which became law in 1997 after Oregonians voted in favor of the legislation by a margin of 60:40, an overwhelming majority. Attorney General Ashcroft failed in his first attempt but he is not done yet. This issue is bound to resurface if George Bush is re-elected.With all the strife and turmoils in different parts of the universe, I am glad to be here. I savour what I find in my daily life. Small things---the blooming of flowers in my pocket-size garden, good books, wine, simple but flavorful food, music, movies, running and hiking on trails, the company of my family and friends---give me pleasure.However, if and when I find myself in a state Terri Schiavo is in I would not wish to live for even one minute hooked up to tubes. I have executed a living will and my children are aware of my position. I do not want a doddering old man in Rome or Jeb Bush and John Ashcroft to have any control whatsoever over the end of my life."And should anyone ask you "Who are you?",you reply "Who---I? I am nobody", as Ulysses once muttered to Polyphemus".----Joseph Brodsky

French film makers have a knack of producing low budget movies (just a few characters; no expensive sets, car chases and explosions) that are gems. Patrice Leconte's 2004 film "Intimate Strangers" is one of them. It is still being shown in a few local theaters and should be available in video later this year.Chalmers Johnson's "Blowback", The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, was timely when it appeared in print in 2000. Mr. Johnson, president of the Japan Policy Institute, narrated the impact of our arrogant, shortsighted foreign policy and its effects. The situation has worsened in the past two years due to Bush's war in Iraq and the apparent lack of interest in taking a proactive role in negotiating a settlement between Israel and Palestine. Incidents of terrorism have gone up exponentially; the resentment toward the United States is no longer confined to the Middle East and followers of Islam.Quotations from the book.1) The term "Blowback" which officials of the Central Intelligence Agency first invented for their own internal use, is starting to circulate among students of international relations. It refers to the unintended consequences of policies that were kept secret from the American people. What the daily press reports as the malign acts of "terrorists" or "drug lords" or "rogue states" or "illegal arms merchants" often turn out to be blowback from earlier American operations.2) We Americans deeply believe that our role in the world is virtuous -- that our actions are almost invariably for the good of others as well as ourselves. Even when our country's actions have led to disaster, we assume that the motives behind them were honorable. But the evidence is building up that in the decade following the end of the Cold War, the United States largely abandoned a reliance on diplomacy, economic aid, international law, and multilateral institutions in carrying out its foreign policies and resorted much of the time to bluster, military force, and financial manipulations.Two books about the Arab world, written long before the current conflicts, are worthy of attention. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence, and The Letters of Gertrude Bell. T.E. Lawrence's book was published in 1926 and the Letters of Gertrude Bell in 1927.Extraordinary books by extraordinary individuals. Both of them were actively involved in Britain's empire building and consolidation of power in Arabia. Col. Lawrence fought against the Turks with the rag tag army of Emir Feisal (or Faisal) who was throned as king after the war, and resigned from the British Army, disenchanted by the duplicity of his government and its betrayal of the Arab cause.Gertrude Bell was a trailblazer. Not a feminist, she ventured into areas that were then open only to men. She traveled around the world----twice, 1897/99 and 1902/03, and climbed mountains. Like T.E. Lawrence she, too, worked for the British Government and served variously as a diplomat, archaeologist, spy, and became Oriental Secretary in Baghdad where she lived from 1917 until her death in 1926. Some (including T.E. Lawrence) criticized Gertrude Bell for her conceit and lack of conviction. She championed the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and King Faisal, largely a creation of the British. Iraq was a puppet state. After her death, King Faisal named one of the principal rooms in Baghdad Museum as "Gertrude Bell Room". The collection of letters, mostly to her family in England, are fascinating.*Almost noon. The sun is beginning to show after a cold, overcast morning. Time to go and watch two of my grand daughters in action in a soccer tournament."Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons."--Bertrand Russell

The U.S. Presidential Election (November 2nd). What a pleasant surprise! Three national polls, following the first debate on September 30th, reflected the consensus that Kerry was the winner. While Kerry's appearance and delivery was clearly superior I didn't expect the American voters to agree with his position. Bush seemed to be nervous and fidgety at the beginmning but settled down as the debate progressed. But he hemmed and hawed-----and sighed a few times. Bush played the terrorist threat card more than once. It has worked for him and he will continue to use it. At the end, it was the body language that tipped the scale in Kerry's favor. The second debate on October 8th at St. Louis, MO, should give Kerry another chance to gain on Bush. The "town hall" format of the debate would mean questions from the audience. The President is known to be uncomfortable without a teleprompter. Dealing with hard questions on policy matters is not his forte. There seems to be no end to the violence in Iraq. The massacre of children (reported to be 34) on September 30th was especially tragic. The children went to the opening of a new water treatment plant in Baghdad because it was announced that American soldiers were giving away sweets. According to BBC, a group under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was responsible for setting off the bombs. How do they sleep at night? As of September 26th the official toll of U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq: 1,046 Estimates (unofficial) of Iraqi civilian deaths range from 10,000 to as high as 37,000. "we don't do body counts". U.S. General Tommy Franks Here, in the Silicon Valley, it is an overcast morning. Temperature 69 degrees F (21 C). Gasoline prices rising at the pumps as the per barrel price for crude getting close to $50.00. Still, we pay much less than motorists in many other countries. Bach's Goldberg Variations on the CD player. It is the 1955 recording of Glenn Gould's performance. A soothing sound. "War, Your Grace, is watching the dice roll. Lucky today; tomorrow---a black hole" ----The Song of the Siege of La Rochelle

Thoughts about people, places and events The 2004 U.S. presidential election (November 2). The first of the three 90-minute debates between President Bush and the Democratic contender John Kerry is scheduled to be held on Thursday, September 30 at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Moderator: Jim Lehrer, PBS Issues: Foreign policy and homeland security Trivia: Teams representing Bush and Kerry negotiated details of the debates, including the heighth of the podium. Bush's negotiators insisted that the podiums remained apart at a certain distance and that the debaters not move about, away from the podium. Reportedly, this was to prevent viewers from seeing the taller Kerry towering over Bush! The second debate will be held on October 8th at the University of St. Louis, Missouri Moderator: Charles Gibson, ABC Town Hall meeting format, no specific topic. The Bush Team objected to inclusion of "undecided" voters, so there would be between 100-150 likely voters who are either "soft" Bush supporters or "soft" Kerry supporters. The third debate is scheduled for October 13th at the University of Arizona, Tempe, Arizona Moderator: Bob Schieffer, CBS Issue: The economy A debate between Vice President Cheney and Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards will be held on October 5th at the Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Moderator: Gwen Ifill, PBS Paul Krugman had a very timely article in The NY Times, Sept.28, 2004 (Swagger Vs. Substance) about the media's failure for in-depth analysis of the Gore/Bush debates in 2000. For those who are interested, here is the link. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/opinion/28krugman.html "War hath no fury like a non-combatant" ----Charles Edward Montague

The seasons. The signs of fall are everywhere. Although the daytime temperature still climbs above 80 degrees F (27 C), there is a feeling that soon such days would be behind us. The mornings are taking longer to show lightness and the darkness arriving earlier and earlier in the evening. Looking out of the window I can see that the leaves of the gingko trees along the street are beginning to turn; tinges of yellow becoming visible in the midst of the green. Time soon to forget about the air conditioner and think of relighting the pilot of the gas furnace to prepare for the onset of cold weather. Then there are other things. It is time for hearty foods on the table-----stews; roasted winter vegetables; soups that warm the belly. The occasional gimlet or a shandy in the afternoon replaced by a cognac at night. Running shorts and tee shirt giving way to tights and long-sleeve jerseys. Foraging for wild mushrooms instead of sitting on a bank watching the bobber of the fishing line or wading in a stream and casting flies. The crispness in the air and clear blue skies, more often seen than in the summer months, make hiking in the foothills very enjoyable. There is the ritual of planting bulbs and sweet pea seeds. Hindi (the official language of India) is not my mother tongue. It lacks the sweetness and cadence of Bengali and Urdu. But the Hindi for fall is "patjhar". It means falling leaves. A lovely word. Correction 11/2/07: Although used by many Hindi-speaking Indians, patjhar is an Urdu word. "When it is autumn do we get spring weather, Or gather may of harsh northwindish time?" ----Ezra Pound, "Silet" Weapons of war. The images of tanks and grenade launchers are so ugly and brutish. Modern technology has created products that make our life better, as well as highly efficient instruments of death. When it comes to killing of innocent civilians is there a difference between suicide bombers and laser guided bombs? Yes, the laser guided bombs are much more destructive. The reports about dead and injured have a numbing effect. Some people cease to care; others are in denial. So much violence in parts of our planet. Just a few megalomaniacs responsible for much of it. The lies they use to justify their actions are sickening. "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 "There never was a good war, or a bad peace" ----Benjamin Franklin