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At one time they claimed to have Him in their corner. But the signs are clear. He has had it with being used by bigoted Christians. A day before the midterm elections, in the flood tide of negative advertisements and smear campaigns, this one stands out as an example of utter crassness. Now we have pre-election "telephone prayer service" ! That is pushing bad taste to new heights.From The Tampa TribuneTAMPA - U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, who has made past comments that raised questions about her religious sensitivity, prayed in a telephone prayer service recently that God would "bring the hearts and minds of our Jewish brothers and sisters into alignment."A Harris spokeswoman said Friday that the Longboat Key Republican, who has advocated electing Christian officeholders, was talking about converting Jews to vote Republican, not to Christianity.In a conference call prayer service sponsored by a religious conservative group on Oct. 3, Harris expressed the belief that Florida will lead the nation in a spiritual reawakening. She said that will include changes in government, including prayer in schools and changes in tax regulations on churches and charities."We just decree and declare there will be a shift for this nation, that there will be an enormous revival, even a revolution as we speak," she prayed. "Once again, we'll rejoice, rejoice with your Son and bring this nation into alignment with your government with your kingdom principles and authority."I hear someone barfing; must be Him.

This item from Writer's Almanac was forwarded by my friend JHL. The poem can be heard in audio. By sheer coincidence I happened to watch Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971) on video a few nights back. Filmed in England, Dustin Hoffman and Susan George in the leading roles. Not quite my cup of tea.How to Live"I don't know how to live."–Sharon OldsEat lots of steak and salmon and Thai curry and mu shupork and fresh green beans and baked potatoesand fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream.Kick-box three days a week. Stay strong and lean.Go fly-fishing every chance you get, with friendswho'll teach you secrets of the stream. Play guitarin a rock band. Read Dostoyevsky, Whitman, Kafka,Shakespeare, Twain. Collect Uncle Scrooge comics.See Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, and everything Monty Python made.Love freely. Treat ex-partners as kindlyas you can. Wish them as well as you're able.Snorkel with moray eels and yellow tangs. Watchspinner dolphins earn their name as your panga slam-bams over glittering seas. Try not to lie; it soursthe soul. But being a patsy sours it too. If you causea car wreck, and aren't hurt, but someone is, apologizesilently. Learn from your mistake. Walk gratefullyaway. Let your insurance handle it. Never drive drunk.Don't be a drunk, or any kind of "aholic." It's badEnglish, and bad news. Don't berate yourself. If you losea game or prize you've earned, remember the winnershistory forgets. Remember them if you do win. Enjoysuccess. Have kids if you want and can afford them,but don't make them your reason-to-be. Spare them thatmisery. Take them to the beach. Mail order seamonkeys once in your life. Give someone the full-onass-kicking he (or she) has earned. Keep a box turtlein good heath for twenty years. If you get sick, don't thriveon suffering. There's nothing noble about pain. Dieif you need to, the best way you can. (You define best.)Go to church if it helps you. Grow tomatoes to put store-bought in perspective. Listen to Elvis and Bach. Unlessyou're tone deaf, own Perlman's "Meditation from Thais."Don't look for hidden meanings in a cardinal's song.Don't think TV characters talk to you; that's crazy.Don't be too sane. Work hard. Loaf easily. Have goodfriends, and be good to them. Be immoderatein moderation. Spend little time anesthetized. Divethe Great Barrier Reef. Don't touch the coral. Watchfor sea snakes. Smile for the camera. Don't say "Cheese."--Charles Harper Webb, Amplified Dog

For Rev. Ted Haggard, no more conference calls with the White House"Agreed to resign"! Did he have a choice ? A clear example of the saying "Hoisted by his own petard". It does not matter how they try to spin it, the once powerful Rev. Haggard will soon disappear into oblivion. Once the sordid details began to come out, the New Life Church of Colorado Springs,CO, sought a quick end by kicking Haggard out. There must be panic among others like him who preach about hell and damnation from the pulpits. But that is a common situation with hypocrites, especially when it comes to their sex lives. Not easy to maintain the hollow facade. Think of their miserable existence; always afraid of exposure and yet keeping up a front by their anti-gay, anti-abortion rants. No wonder Rev. Haggard bought methamphetamine.Rev. Haggard is not going to be back as president of National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) either.CNN:"COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - Nov.4,2006 - The Rev. Ted Haggard agreed Saturday to resign as leader of the megachurch he started in his basement more than 20 years ago after its independent investigative board said he was guilty of "sexually immoral conduct."On Friday, the White House sought to downplay Haggard's influence within the administration. Spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters Friday that it was inaccurate to portray him as being close to the White House, insisting Haggard was only an occasional participant in weekly conference calls between West Wing staff and leading evangelicals. "He has been on a couple of calls," Fratto said. "He's been to the White House one or two times."Last year, Time -- citing Haggard's White House access -- put him on its list of the nation's 25 most influential evangelicals. (Time.com article) ...

How the World Sees it: Fear = G.W. BushSurprise, or is it? It was President Lincoln who said: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Here our president is going hoarse trying to convince voters in America that Democrats cannot be trusted and that they are weak on terrorism. The warmonger has become fearmonger. The polls are predicting an outcome that, if proven right, would cripple the remaining years of Bush presidency. So his desperation is a no brainer. But on the other side of the Atlantic our closest allies in the Coalition, the Brits have a different, very different, outlook. They don't feel good about the fact that Prime Minister Blair hitched up his star (which has become tarnished) to Bush's war, and they think that our president is a dangerous man.In a recent survey conducted by major newspapers in four countries -- The Guardian (UK), Haaretz in Israel, La Presse and Toronto Star in Canada, and the Reforma in Mexico -- President Bush is No.2 among those who are considered as dangerous to world peace. He is between Osama bin Laden (No.1) and North Korea's Kim Jong-il (No.3) ! bin Laden received 87% rating, President Bush 75%, and Kim Jong-il 69%. Caption of the article in The Guardian reads: "British believe Bush is more dangerous than Kim Jong-il"America is now seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbours and allies, according to an international survey of public opinion published today that reveals just how far the country's reputation has fallen among former supporters since the invasion of Iraq.Carried out as US voters prepare to go to the polls next week in an election dominated by the war, the research also shows that British voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both countries were once cited by the US president as part of an "axis of evil", but it is Mr Bush who now alarms voters in countries with traditionally strong links to the US.Read the full article in The GuardianEugene Robinson in the Post: "How Low Will Bush Go?"If Democrats manage to take control of one or both houses of Congress on Tuesday, the reason will be that voters were not adequately roused into a state of heart-pounding, knee-knocking, teeth-chattering fear.Not that Republicans haven't been trying. George W. Bush used to claim he was "a uniter, not a divider," but that was a long time ago. These days, he'd probably try to deny the quote the same way he tried to disown "stay the course." The Karl Rove formula for political victory has been to draw a bright line between "us" and "them" and then paint those on the other side not as opponents but as monsters."Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air"The Three Witches, Macbeth, William Shakespeare, ul r:through the fog and filthy air. ...

Pentecostals * South Dakota * The Rains CameFour days to go. "It ain't over until the Fat Lady sings". To us who wish to see the Republicans defeated, would it sound joyful, like Scott Joplin's Tremonisha, or like a tragic opera? The signs are still good but we'll have to wait until the morning of November 8th for the final results. Another sex scandal for the hypocrites. A man named Ted Haggard has been accused of paying for sex with a gay man. This wouldn't have been news except for the fact that Haggard happened to be the Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals who took a leading role in railing against homosexuals. The Post reported:"Haggard, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, vigorously denied the allegation. "Never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife," he told a Colorado television station, KUSA. But in a later interview with a different local station, the church's associate pastor said Haggard had offered "some admission of indiscretion" to the church leadership -- though "not admission to all of the material that has been discussed."The Christian Right reminds of me the saying about the Moral Majority of yesteryears -- that it was neither moral nor a majority. The supporters seem to have an obsession -- prurient,obsession. They are against women's right to choice. South Dakota legislature passed the most stringent anti-abortion measure in the nation to prevent doctors from performing abortion except in cases where the mother's life is in danger, and on March 6th Gov. Mike Rounds signed it into law. "The bill was designed to challenge the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe , which in 1973 recognized a right of women to terminate pregnancies. Its sponsors want to force a reexamination of the ruling by the court, which now includes two justices appointed by President Bush."They are against availability of the Morning After pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy; they are against dissemination of birth control information to school students. What do they do to help the infants born to unwed mothers who are unable to take care of their babies? *©Ian Britton, FreeFoto.comThe first real rain of the season began on Wednesday evening. It felt good. Yesterday I ran in the rain and found leaves piling up under the trees on Selby Lane (Atherton, CA). There are lovely maple trees in that area. This morning, driving on Foothill Expressway I saw a row of colorful maple trees between Los Altos and Sunnyvale.A few minutes back I watched a young woman walk by holding an umbrella and talking on her cell phone, oblivious of the rain.Listening to Autumn Leaves. The CD is titled Tokyo 96. Keith Jarrett - piano, Gary Peacock - bass, Jack DeJohnette - drums.

Midterm Elections Going down to the wire -- six more days and it still looks good for Democrats no thanks to John Kerry. It is not that only politicians (think of the Reverend Pat Robertson) open their big mouths and make gaffes but when they do it the media pounces on the story.and the shockwaves are felt. The opposition lapped it up. Of course, the Democrats would have acted no differently. The Commander-in-Chief was delighted to find something to talk about apart from his usual warnings that support for Democrats means support for terrorists. .The bottom line, however, is that for us the numbers look good. Music to my ears. The macaca man, Senator George Allen in Virginia is looking shaky. Dan Balz and Chris Cilliza in the Post: "When strategists for the two political parties began handicapping the battle for the Senate earlier this year, nobody put Virginia on the charts of likely switchers. Republican Sen. George Allen was looking at the reelection contest as a tune-up for a likely 2008 presidential campaign.Democrats were looking elsewhere to find the six seats they needed to take control.A series of missteps that began with Allen’s now-famous "macaca" comment and that include question about of his Jewish ancestry and attitudes about race turned the state into a battleground. But as little as 10 days ago, some Republicans were beginning to believe Allen had regained his footing and was beginning to move into a clear lead.Now, with six days left until Election Day, Virginia has again moved decisively onto the list of potential takeovers for the Democrats, appearing at least as ripe for the picking as Missouri and perhaps slightly more so than Tennessee.

Yes, definitely. It is not the only game in town.As a blogger (for two years) I had come to depend on Technorati, the blog search engine. It helped to build up readership. Its reciprocal arrangement with Washington Post was an attractive feature. The vagaries -- the periodic, inexplicable failure (for a day or two) for blog posts to appear on Technorati after "pinging" -- were furstrating but I felt that I could live with them. Except acknowleding e-mail messages Technorati does not respond to reports of service problems. Too busy or too few people. Cannot complain, it provides free service as do the other search engines. Have no clue whether my experience is an uncommon one. For me, things got much worse when, beginning October 24th the posts stopped appearing on Technorati. One day everything was normal and then pings became ineffective. Pings were acknowledged but nothing happened. No explanation. Although I "pinged" every day after the 24th, this is what I saw on October 31st:Ping Us Welcome back, musafir! When you update your blog let us know with a ping. Updated 7 days ago This morning it read "Updated 21 hours ago" !In the first few days the number of visitors dropped noticeably. That is the bad news. The good news is that after I started notifying Google, Yahoo, Del.icio.us, and Digg my hits are averaging the level I reached with Technorati. So, based on my experience I'd say that bloggers can survive without Technorati. I'm talking about the vast majority of us, not the stars of the blogosphere. No doubt they receive special attention from Technorati and they deserve it. But bloggers have other choices, rewarding choices, to announce new posts. Listing in Technorati will undoubtedly increase the hits, but I'm content. Have noticed that the Washington Post no longer shows a link to bloggers alongside all major news items in the web edition.

As I write this, it is 6:20 PM in Baghdad. Iraq Coalition Casualties web site reports that 103 soldiers have died so far in October. The list below is incomplete (pending DOD confirmation). Four of them under 20 years of age; 73 in their twenties. Ask what did they die for? What has their deaths accomplished? The WMD never existed; the Iraqi freedom turned out to be a cruel joke. Currently, we are being told that the war is against global terrorism by radical Islamics. That,too, could change. "Stay the course" has now become flexible. The soldiers keep on dying.Peter Slevin in Washington Post, When the War Comes Home"COLUMBUS, OhioAlone and in clusters, collars up to block the rain, thousands of people lined the streets on a gray October day in 2005 to welcome their warriors home. For 13 miles, they rose to wave, a few to salute, as the buses rolled slowly past. More than one tough Marine, homeward bound after a brutal tour in Iraq, shed a tear.Playing the terrorist threat card; the only hand they have got. CBS News/AP: "Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday the increase of violence in Iraq is linked with efforts to influence the outcome of next week's elections in which Republicans are struggling to keep control of Congress. "It's my belief that they're very sensitive of the fact that we've got an election scheduled and they can get on the websites like anybody else," Cheney said. Well, 17 months ago the same man said about the Iraqi insurgents: "......they are in their in their last throes" (May 31, 2005). Now his message is that the insurgents want Democrats to win ! Yes, go on spreading fear. From NPR: "All Things Considered, October 30, 2006 · The U.S. military can't account for hundreds of thousands of weapons purchased to arm some 325,500 Iraqi security forces by December, according to a new report. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last week that the U.S. military would beef up Iraqi forces' training. But the new data reveals weaknesses in the arming of Iraqi security forces.Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction who provided the report to Sen. John Warner, says the Iraqi security forces lack the logistics personnel they need, including mechanics, supply clerks and medics."Chase A. Haag, 22, Army Corporal, Oct 01, 2006Mario Nelson, 26, Army Sergeant, Oct 01, 2006Denise A. Lannaman, 46, Army National Guard Sergeant, Oct 01, 2006Justin D. Peterson, 32, Marine Captain, Oct 01, 2006Christopher B. Cosgrove III, 23, Marine Reserve Lance Corporal, Oct 01, 2006Aaron L. Seal, 23, Marine Reserve Corporal, Oct 01, 2006Raymond S. Armijo, 22, Army Specialist, Oct 02, 2006James D. Ellis, 25, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 02, 2006Satieon V. Greenlee, 24, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 02, 2006Justin R. Jarrett, 21, Army Specialist, Oct 02, 2006Joe A. Narvaez, 25, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 02, 2006Michael K. Oremus, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 02, 2006Joseph W. Perry, 23, Army Sergeant, Oct 02, 2006Kristofer C. Walker, 20, Army Specialist, Oct 02, 2006Daniel Isshak, 25, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 03, 2006Jonathan Rojas, 27, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 03, 2006Dean Bright, 32, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 04, 2006Timothy Burke, 24, Army Specialist, Oct 04, 2006Christopher O. Moudry, 31, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 04, 2006George R. Obourn Jr., 20, Army Specialist, Oct 04, 2006Edward M. Garvin, 19, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 04, 2006Benjamin S. Rosales, 20, Marine Corporal, Oct 04, 2006Nicholas A. Arvanitis, 22, Army Corporal, Oct 06, 2006John Edward Hale, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 06, 2006Bradford H. Payne, 24, Marine Corporal, Oct 06, 2006Brandon S. Asbury, 21, Army Sergeant, Oct 07, 2006Carl W. Johnson II, 21, Army Corporal, Oct 07, 2006Lawrence Parrish, 36, Army National Guard Sergeant, Oct 07, 2006John Edward Wood, 37, Army National Guard Specialist, Oct 07, 2006Shane R. Austin, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 08, 2006Timothy Fulkerson, 20, Army Specialist, Oct 08, 2006Stephen F. Johnson, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 08, 2006Derek W. Jones, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 08, 2006Jeremy Scott Sandvick Monroe, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 08, 2006Robert M. Secher, 33, Marine Captain, Oct 08, 2006Phillip B. Williams, 21, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 09, 2006Julian M. Arechaga, 23, Marine Sergeant, Oct 09, 2006Jon Eric Bowman, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 09, 2006Shelby J. Feniello, 25, Marine Private 1st Class, Oct 09, 2006Shane T. Adcock, 27, Army Captain, Oct 11, 2006Nicholas R. Sowinski, 25, Army Sergeant, Oct 11, 2006Justin T. Walsh, 24, Marine Sergeant, Oct 11, 2006Gene A. Hawkins, 24, Army Sergeant, Oct 12, 2006Johnny K. Craver, 37, Army Lieutenant, Oct 13, 2006Thomas J. Hewett, 22, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 13, 2006Kenny F. Stanton Jr., 20, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 13, 2006Leebenard E. Chavis, 21, Air Force Airman 1st Class, Oct 14, 2006Joseph M. Kane, 35, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 14, 2006Charles M. King, 48, Army 1st Sergeant, Oct 14, 2006Timothy J. Lauer, 25, Army Specialist, Oct 14, 2006Keith J. Moore, 28, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 14, 2006Jonathan J. Simpson, 25, Marine Sergeant, Oct 14, 2006Jr., Lester Domenico Baroncini, 33, Army Sergeant, Oct 15, 2006Stephen Bicknell, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Oct 15, 2006Joshua Deese, 25, Army 1st Lieutenant, Oct 15, 2006Jonathan E. Lootens, 25, Army Sergeant, Oct 15, 2006Mark C. Paine, 32, Army Captain, Oct 15, 2006Brock A. Babb, 40, Marine Reserve Sergeant, Oct 15, 2006Joshua M. Hines, 26, Marine Reserve Lance Corporal, Oct 15, 2006Russell G. Culbertson III, 22, Army Corporal, Oct 17, 2006Joseph C. Dumas Jr., 25, Army Specialist, Oct 17, 2006Nathan J. Frigo, 23, Army Petty Officer 1st Class, Oct 17, 2006Ryan E. Haupt, 24, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 17, 2006Christopher E. Loudon, 23, Army 2nd Lieutenant, Oct 17, 2006Garth D. Sizemore, 31, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 17, 2006Norman R. Taylor III, 21, Army Sergeant, Oct 17, 2006David M. Unger, 21, Army Corporal, Oct 17, 2006Daniel W. Winegeart, 23, Army Specialist, Oct 17, 2006Ronald L. Paulsen, 53, Army Reserve Staff Sergeant, Oct 17, 2006Joshua L. Booth, 23, Marine 2nd Lieutenant, Oct 17, 2006Patrick O. Barlow, 42, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 18, 2006Jesus M. Montalvo, 46, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 18, 2006Jose R. Perez, 21, Army Not reported yet, Oct 18, 2006Daniel A. Brozovich, 42, Army National Guard Sergeant 1st Class, Oct 18, 2006Edwardo Lopez Jr., 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 19, 2006Kevin M. Witte, 27, Army Staff Sergeant, Oct 20, 2006Tony L. Knier, 31, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Oct 21, 2006Clifford R. Collinsworth, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 21, 2006Nathan R. Elrod, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 21, 2006Eric W. Herzberg, 20, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 21, 2006Nicholas J. Manoukian, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Oct 21, 2006Joshua C. Watkins, 25, Marine Corporal, Oct 21, 2006Nathaniel A. Aguirre, 21, Army Specialist, Oct 22, 2006Matthew W. Creed, 23, Army Specialist, Oct 22, 2006Willsun M. Mock, 23, Army Sergeant, Oct 22, 2006Nicholas K. Rogers, 27, Army Specialist, Oct 22, 2006David G. Taylor, 37, Army Major, Oct 22, 2006Amos C. R Bock, 24, Army 1st Lieutenant, Oct 23, 2006Carl A. Eason, 29, Army Specialist, Oct 23, 2006Richard A. Buerstetta, 20, Marine Reserve Lance Corporal, Oct 23, 2006Tyler R. Overstreet, 22, Marine Reserve Lance Corporal, Oct 23, 2006Charles O. Sare, 23, Navy Hospital Corpsman, Oct 23, 2006Donald S. Brown, 19, Marine Private 1st Class, Oct 25, 2006Daniel B. Chaires, 20, Marine Private 1st Class, Oct 25, 2006Thomas M. Gilbert, 24, Marine Sergeant, Oct 25, 2006Jonathan B. Thornsberry, 22, Marine Reserve Lance Corporal, Oct 25, 2006Charles V. Komppa, 35, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class, Oct 25, 2006Ricky L. McGinnis, 42, Army 1st Sergeant, Oct 26, 2006Luke J. Zimmerman, 24, Marine Sergeant, Oct 27, 2006 Comments Anonymous — 2006-10-31 This list is too long... can you imagine a similar list of Iraqi civilians who've lost their lives? musafir — 2006-11-01 Good point. Listing Iraqi civilian casualties by name cannot be done. The number, even if you take the lowest (about 45,000 according to Iraqi Body Count - http://www.iraqbodycount.org/) is numbing. A recent Johns Hopkins study reported more than half a million. I have commented about Iraqi civilians and "collateral damage" quite a few time since the war began. President Clinton faced impeachment because of his dallyings with Monica Lewinsky. It cost the nation $40 million. Now we have a president who took the nation to an unjustified war that resulted in deaths of many thousands. The costs could exceed one trillion. And he still goes on creating reasons for the war. Perhaps I should stop listing the names of dead soldiers. Thank you for writing.

You cannot keep them down. The Dixie Chicks received a lot of flak in March 2003, when Natalie Maines said before a performance in London (UK) "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." That caused a few cancellations and demonstrations against them but they remained defiant of the critics.Their latest political statement is the movie "Shut Up and Sing"www.dixie-chicks.comFilming some tough ChicksA documentary shows they won't 'Shut Up & Sing'By Damon Smith, Globe Correspondent | October 29, 2006NEW YORK -- Just weeks after 9/11, Ari Fleischer, then White House press secretary, warned Americans to "watch what they say."Beyond alarming civil-rights advocates, who recoiled from the ominous tone of his words, Fleischer's admonition was a reminder that, in some quarters at least, any voice of dissent could be construed as anti patriotic, regardless of content or context. Just ask Bill Maher -- or the Dixie Chicks, the fiery subjects of Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's rousing new behind-the-scenes portrait, "Shut Up & Sing," which premiered last month at the Toronto Film Festival and opens in Boston Nov. 10.In 2003, these massively talented Southern stars were the best-selling all-female group in North America, beloved by adoring fans and the image-conscious country-music establishment, which regarded them as their sunny, all-American ambassadors.During a concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, however, on the eve of the Bush administration's shock-and-awe campaign in Iraq, lead vocalist Natalie Maines remarked that she was "against this war, this violence," then cheekily added she was "ashamed" that the president of the United States was from Texas, her home state. Within days her comment was circulated online, and a backlash was born."I think they thought that they could set an example with the Dixie Chicks, that they would crumble," says Kopple, 60, a two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, during a conversation in New York. "But I think they had no idea who they were dealing with."Fueled by the zeal of arch-conservative websites such as FreeRepublic.com , Maines's remark (made "on foreign soil," apoplectic fans and talking heads exclaimed, as if Great Britain were in cahoots with the Axis of Evil) quickly mushroomed into a major controversy, earning the group reams of hate mail, a nationwide radio boycott, CD burnings, even death threats. Willfully or not, the Dixie Chicks had stumbled into the ugly world of partisan politics. But instead of backing down, the makers of "Shut Up & Sing" discovered, the Chicks remained defiant."That's why country music got so mad at them," Kopple says of Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, her musical cohorts. "They didn't toe the line, in a sense. Country music probably thought of them as very conservative [people], and when they came out like this [against the war], I guess they felt betrayed."Cutting between then and now, "Shut Up & Sing" depicts the personal and artistic transformation this episode wreaked, for better and worse, on the lives of Maines, Maguire, and Robison. Instead of making nice with Nashville institutions like CMT and the Country Music Awards, the Chicks boldly pursued other avenues of self-expression.Working with famed producer Rick Rubin and songwriter Dan Wilson in 2005, the Dixie Chicks ventured away from the traditional country sound -- and its marketing apparatus -- to make "Taking the Long Way Home," a mature, even defiant album overshadowed by events of the previous year and a half.Kopple and Peck have collaborated on numerous film projects, including a doc about Peck's father, Gregory, star of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Both mention that they had wanted to profile the Dixie Chicks even before the anti war brouhaha."We were always intrigued by them and how they had risen to that level of success," says Peck, 48, on the phone from Austin, "and the very fiery, independent spirit that had shown up way before London."After hearing about "the comment," Kopple recalls, they were even more keen to do a film, and immediately sent over a new proposal. A few months passed, and then Kopple and Peck met with the Chicks in Los Angeles and got the green light, beating out other interested parties, including Michael Moore and "Don't Look Back" helmer D.A. Pennebaker."I think what we told them is that we were interested in their journey," says Peck. "We didn't have an agenda about how to portray it or a slant that we wanted to take [on the controversy]. We just wanted to experience and understand what they were going through, through their eyes."Glimpsed in early 2004, when filming began with a bare-bones, all-female crew, the Chicks reveal themselves to be savvy strategists and hard-driving businesswomen, negotiating with a rep from jittery world-tour sponsor Lipton, managing the stinging aftermath of the radio ban on ticket sales, and posing for a provocative cover of Entertainment Weekly, adorned with some of the more hateful nicknames ("Dixie Twits," "Saddam's Angels") they'd recently acquired. Maines, in particular, is a spitfire, never hesitating to say exactly what she's thinking. Simon Renshaw, their amiably effusive manager, is a sage adviser who makes things happen. But he's no Colonel Parker: He clearly takes orders from Maines, Maguire, and Robison."They are women in control," emphasizes Kopple, who says she was surprised and "totally fascinated" not only by the Chicks' complete autonomy over their hard-won, often stressful careers and the richness of their family lives (all three are mothers to small children), but the intense bonds of friendship that unite them. "Sure, they argue and discuss, but when it comes down to it, they are there for each other."When Robison gives birth, for instance, her bandmates are there with her, jubilantly taking photos and making saucy jokes with her husband. And in their obligatory interview with Diane Sawyer in 2003, tough questions are asked. Yet rather than a teary-eyed confessional, the segment is an impressive show of group solidarity, and there are no apologies."They don't flinch," says Peck, with obvious admiration. "And that's exactly how they feel and who they are. They don't look back, they don't have regrets."Like Peck, Kopple says she had no expectations at the outset -- "The magic of documentary is that you don't know. You go with life and what happens" -- and that her crew had, at best, a negligible impact on the Chicks' overall demeanor and decision-making process. "We tried to let them forget we were even there, because what they were doing in their lives and the things they were figuring out and the music they were writing and the relationships they were having with their families is what" they were focused on. "I don't think we mattered."Kopple has had a long, distinguished career as a socially conscious documentarian. She was a member of the collective that produced the harrowing 1972 anti war film "Winter Soldier," and in 1976, she won an Academy Award for "Harlan County, U.S.A.," an incisive, unabashedly militant doc about beleaguered Kentucky coal miners. She won another Oscar in 1991 for "American Dream," which trailed a group of Hormel meatpackers in their struggle for better working conditions. Other credits include "Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson" and "Wild Man Blues," a popular film about Woody Allen's tour of Europe with his New Orleans-style jazz troupe."The majority of the films that I do are about people who are fighting for social justice, people who are standing up for what they believe in, and people who won't be silenced," says Kopple, who in 1998 was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. "I'm sure many of the people who'll see this Dixie Chicks film would never have thought they would be so complex, so bright, such great businesswomen and so alive."Still, Kopple believes the cost-of-free-speech aspect may have a positive political -- and even personal -- effect on viewers of any persuasion."I'm hoping the people who don't agree with the Dixie Chicks, or with what they said, will see this film so they can understand where they're coming from. Because it seems like in this country, there is a real cowboy mentality: 'You're either with us or against us.' Dialogue has been lost, so we need people like this more than ever."Damon Smith can be reached at damon.g.smith@earthlink.net.

Rhus Ridge/Black Mountain Trail (Los Altos, CA)At the top of the climb from Rhus Ridge Parking Lot© Frank Crossman,www.openspace.orgFor those who enjoy outdoor activities the weather couldn't get any better. Soon the rains will come but even then the conditions rarely get bad enough to stop runners and hikers from taking advantage of what the Bay area has to offer. One can almost say "so many trails, so little time". It is also that time of the year when the wild mushrooms begin to appear. I look only for chanterelles -- delicious and easy to identify. The winter of 2005/6 was especially bountiful.A few days back JHL and went to hike at Rhus Ridge, off Moody Road, less than a mile past Foothill College.Autumn leaves at Rancho San Antonio© Karl Gohl,www.openspace.orgThe trail begins with a steep 0.9 mile climb to the top where there is a choice of heading south past the former Windmill Pasture site towards Rancho San Antonio or taking the Black Mountain Trail on the right. Ascending Black Mountain is arduous. The 4.9 mile trail from Rhus Ridge parking lot involves a climb of 2800 feet. We have done that but last Tuesday we hiked a shorter loop. From the Black Mountain Trail, just over a mile past the junction of trails at Windmill Pasture meadow we made a dogleg to the right towards Duveneck Hidden Valley Ranch. Immediately on the left is a grove of trees with a view to the west.We sat down there for a picnic lunch. Chicken drumsticks baked in crushed tomatoes, artichoke hearts, seasoned with tarragon, salt and pepper; roasted sweet potatoes, washed down with a half bottle of merlot. Then we had coffee, apple and dark chocolate. All was right with the world.On the hike back we went down to Pipeline Trail, followed the creek and turned right to climb up Ewing Hill. The switchback trail makes it easier. It took us back to Black Mountain Trail. We turned left, hiked back to the Windmill Pasture meadow and descended to the parking lot. The downhiill part can be hard on the knees; hiking poles help.On the return leg we met Gayla Johnson, the ultra marathoner, who was on a run wearing knee braces. She stopped to talk for a few minutes. Gayla completed the Western States 100 mile endurance run in California from Squaw Valley to Auburn .....four times. Amazing feat. This 2000 photograph shows her leaving Foresthill (62 miles from Squaw Valley).©www.run100s.com