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A Veteran in Joliet,IL * A Music Store Owner Who Died in Baghdad* It has become commonplace, news about deaths and injuries in Iraq. We read about the casualties; we hear of them. After a while it fails to have the same impact that it once did unless....unless you happen to know one of the victims. War and its effects are dehumanizing. Yet, once in a while you come across items that make you pause and think. They cause deep sadness even if you didn't know the individuals.That is how I felt about David Adams of Joliet,IL, who returned home with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an Iraqi named Alan (Elin) who was shot and killed by insurgents when they kidnapped Jill Carroll, a free-lance journalist working for The Christian Science Monitor. Alan was acting as interpreter for Jill Carroll."When David Adams came back from Iraq, the war followed him home. Adams is from Joliet, Illinois. He was a specialist in the 101st Airborne from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, destined to be in the military."My father had served in the Marines. My mother's father served in World War Two in Patton's army. All my uncles and cousins, they've all served," said Adams.Adams was serving when the US went to war with Iraq in 2003. "We were told this thing about winning the hearts and minds of the people and one of the way we can win the hearts and minds is to give them a bottle of water and throw candy to the kids," said Adams.Their orders were to keep the convoys moving through every village. Do not stop for any reason. That included one April morning. "Out of the left corner of my eye, I can see a child start to run across the street," remembered Adams.Adams continued, "She was a little girl, probably about 5 or 6 years old, and as she is running across the street, she's not looking where she's going. She's just a kid and she gets run over by a truck. I would say there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her." Source: KSDK.com*Riverbend, author of Baghdad Burning, wrote on January 12th about Alan, the record seller."Thank You for the Music...When I first heard about the abduction of Christian Science Monitor journalist Jill Carroll a week ago, I remember feeling regret. It was the same heavy feeling I get every time I hear of another journalist killed or abducted. The same heavy feeling that settles upon most Iraqis, I imagine, when they hear of acquaintances suffering under the current situation.I read the news as a subtitle on tv. We haven't had an internet connection for several days so I couldn't really read about the details. All I knew was that a journalist had been abducted and that her Iraqi interpreter had been killed. He was shot in cold blood in Al Adil district earlier this month, when they took Jill Carroll... They say he didn't die immediately. It is said he lived long enough to talk to police and then he died.I found out very recently that the interpreter killed was a good friend- Alan, of Alan's Melody, and I've spent the last two days crying.Everyone knew him as simply 'Alan', or "Elin" as it is pronounced in Iraqi Arabic. Prior to the war, he owned a music shop in the best area in Baghdad, A'arasat. He sold some Arabic music and instrumental music, but he had his regular customers - those westernized Iraqis who craved foreign music. For those of us who listened to rock, adult alternative, jazz, etc. he had very few rivals.It hit me then that it wasn't the music that made Alan's shop a haven- somewhere to forget problems and worries- it was Alan himself.He loved Pink Floyd:Did you see the frightened ones?Did you hear the falling bombs?Did you ever wonder why weHad to run for shelter when thePromise of a brave, new worldUnfurled beneath the clear blue sky?Did you see the frightened ones?Did you hear the falling bombs?The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on.Goodbye, blue skyGoodbye, blue sky.Goodbye. Goodbye.(Goodbye Blue Sky - Pink Floyd)Goodbye Alan..."* Alan is gone, leaving behind a wife and two children. Jill Carroll's captors had threatened to kill her unless the U.S. met their demands by today, Sunday-Feb.26. Her fate is not known. The demands are "unspecified". For David Adams and others like him it is an uphill battle. Hope they are receiving the care they need to return to the life they knew before the war.

Assault on Roe v. Wade * A report by Chet Brokaw,AP, in the Washington Post states: "Gov. Mike Rounds (R) said he is inclined to sign the bill, which would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless it is necessary to save the woman's life. The measure would make no exception in cases of rape or incest." What a chaste group of people with high moral values! Are they, really? Are we to believe that they grew up without indulging in pre-marital sex? That they waited for holy matrimony before their first sexual experience? May be they didn't even masturbate. Just prayed or took a cold shower when they got the urge. Possible? Give them the benefit of the doubt...some might. The more likely explanation is that all of them indulged in youthful indiscretions--- the terminology made famous by G.W. Bush during his 2000 presidential campaign. That could cover a gamut of what the holy rollers consider sinful, immoral activities. Then one day they saw the light and decided not to allow anyone else to engage in them. Just say "No" to sex. Power is an aphrodisiac. The modern day Torquemadas in South Dakota are charged up. Praise the Lord and do it in the missionary position...any other is taboo.The issue is bound to head for the Supreme Court on a fast track. It would be interesting to see how the justices, especially Roberts and Alito, who spoke about respect for "precedence" during their confirmation hearings, vote.Here is an item to lighten up a little. After reading about the hypocrites in South Dakota one needs something that is more earthly. (Before sex)"Dennis: Look, even if you did get pregnant, I'd marry you.Odette: Do you believe in centralized government or states' rights ?Dennis: What?Odette: I just want to know the kind of guy I'm marrying.Dennis: I'm starting to get the distinct impression you don't want to do this anymore."From Sarah Kernochan's 1998 film "Strike"(also released as "All I Wanna Do")

* That is fact. South Dakota is not an exception to the rule. Women of South Dakota are no more immune to unwanted pregnancies than women in other states. Therefore, one has to wonder about the women and men of South Dakota who approved a draconian legislation barring the option of abortion to women who might face an unwanted pregnancy. "The measure, which passed the state Senate 23 to 12, makes it a felony for doctors to perform any abortion, except to save the life of a pregnant woman. The proposal still must be signed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who opposes abortion."According to Rapid City Journal: HB1266 passed the House 54-15 and the Senate approved the bill 25-10. It faces challenges before it can take effect. During debate on the measure Tuesday, Sen. David Knudson, R-Sioux Falls, tried unsuccessfully to change the measure so it would allow victims of incest or rape to obtain abortions. Knudson said the state should not force victims of rape or incest to bear the extra burden of continuing a pregnancy. The bill also is flawed because the Legislature unconstitutionally delegates its authority by allowing a court to decide when the law takes effect, he said. Schoenbeck said the state needs to take action against abortion, and he said very few abortions involve rape or incest. "We lose 800 children a year in South Dakota. Those are 800 South Dakotans lost to the horrendous act of abortion," Schoenbeck said. "Almost all of those children die for convenience sake." What about the other side...there is always a "other" side. What takes place after the birth? What will the State do for the mothers of who are not permitted to have abortion? What will the State do for the infants? Did the legislators ask themselves what if it happened to their daughters, their sisters, or their colleagues? Perhaps they did and felt secure enough to disregard it. Paradoxically, the same people who are against abortion under any circumstances also oppose sex education and contraception! Made me think of the slogan on belt buckles worn by Hitler's soldiers "Gott mitt uns" (God is with us). There are three women in the SD Senate and 13 women members in the House.

*Feb.20, 2006, issue of Newsweek contains an interview with Robert Redford. "What's the political landscape look like to you today?" "Now you pick up the paper and there's a Watergate every day. I don't think anyone's connecting the dots and saying to the public, "Wake up, folks, because you could end up in a totalitarian nightmare, wondering what happened to your country." What is happening to our country? Well, for one thing the president and his cohorts are busy doing what they are good at---subverting the rights of the people. Following from Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies have been secretly removing from public access at the National Archives thousands of historical documents that were available for years, The New York Times reported on Monday. The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 previously declassified pages began in 1999, when the CIA and five other agencies objected to what they saw as a hasty release of sensitive information after a 1995 declassification order signed by President Bill Clinton, the Times said on its Web site. The secret program accelerated after the Bush administration took office and especially after the September 11 attacks, according to archives records, the paper said. It came to light after intelligence historian Matthew Aid noticed dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the archives' open shelves, the Times said. Under existing guidelines, government documents are supposed to be declassified after 25 years unless there is a particular reason to keep them secret. Some historians say the program is removing material that can do no conceivable harm to national security and note that some of the documents have been published by the government, the Times said. They keep using the tragic events of 9/11 like a cash cow.*Threat of Veto - President has a Hot Potato in His HandsBipartisan opposition to the proposed deal to permit a firm from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, take over management of six major U.S. sea ports means a problem for the president. No wonder he has threatened a veto. If he fails to twist the arms of Republican lawmakers to support the deal then he might be forced to exercise his first veto. Would it be sustainable?The AAAS Comes Out in Support of EvolutionThe American Association for Advancement of Science, at its annual meeting in Missouri,aligned itself on the side of evolution. "Teaching the idea threatens scientific literacy among schoolchildren, it said." The fundos are sure to counterattack and they have a friend in the White House.The Chasm between What We Say and What We DoWhere is the moral high ground? Almost 100 prisoners have died in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since August 2002, according to US group Human Rights First.

*Michael Lerner is editor of the bi-monthly Tikkun magazine and rabbi of Beyt-Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco. Tikkun is described as a "Jewish" magazine but it is much more that. Rabbi Lerner's outspoken voice for peace and justice has made him a controversial figure. His new book "The Left Hand of God,Taking Back Our Country From The Religious Right" is certain to aggravate Christian zealots. The book is very timely. When a religious group (any religious group) receives support of the government in power in carrying out its goals then the resultant combination spells ill for the rest of the population and abuses take place. Such a situation strikes at the very heart of democracy. We must not quietly surrender to the wave of bigotry currently gaining force in America. A review of the book by Rev. Ed Bacon of the All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, California, appeared in the Los Angeles Times on February 19th."Where the Violence Comes From"Here is a link to Rabbi Lerner's speech at American Academy of Religion

Smoke and Mirrors With Our Money*Of Course, El Jefe will be gone in three and half years and playing golf or killing rattle snakes in Crawford,TX, or whatever that turns him on. But our children and grand children will be paying through their nose for the parting gift for his friends that he has sneaked into his budget. The subservient Republicans in the House are likely to approve it. In the Senate it might run into some opposition. David Broder's column Trillion-Dollar Gimmick in the Post reveals the dirty ploy. It will make you weep unless you happen to be in the top 1% of the tax bracket--the targeted group that reaped most of the benefits. In fact, this analysis says, "The administration's proposal, by changing the rules after the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts were enacted but before they are extended, would ensure that the cost of continuing the tax cuts in the years after the current sunset dates would never be counted. The costs in those years were not counted when the tax cuts were first enacted. . . . Now, the administration is proposing that the tax cuts for those years also be ignored when the tax cuts are extended. To fail ever to count the cost of the tax cuts in the years after the sunset dates . . . would represent one of the largest and most flagrant budget gimmicks in recent memory." How large? The Congressional Budget Office scores the cost of making these tax cuts permanent at $1.6 trillion over the next decade. The administration's estimate is somewhat less -- $1.35 trillion. But, the folks at the OMB told me, it's wrong to claim that they are hiding that cost. They told me to get out my copy of the budget, and they told me right where to look. And sure enough on Column 8, Line 11 of Table S-7 on Page 324 of the green-bordered book, I found the very figure they had cited -- $1.35 trillion. The heading on the chart of Effects of Proposals on Receipts reads: "Make Permanent Certain Tax Cuts Enacted in 2001 and 2003 (assumed in the baseline)." Those last four words conceal more than a trillion dollars worth of lost revenue.

We are now at war. To some of us it is an utterly senseless war in which almost 2300 American soldiers have lost their lives. Many more will die before it ends. The number of injured is close to 8000. And we have killed more than 30,000 Iraqi civilians in this war to bring them "freedom". The lists of casualties make it starkly clear that majority of our soldiers are in their twenties. It makes me sick to read names of 18 and 19-year old dead soldiers. A war based on lies and deceptions perpetrated by people in high positions, among them a president who avoided serving in Vietnam and a vice-president who took five deferments from the draft. George F. Will (not one of my favorites) wrote a great column on February 15th in the Washington Post about the abuse of power: "No Checks, Many Imbalances"The list of books is far from complete. I have read most, not all of them. In researching anti-war fiction I came across the classics: "All Quiet On The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque and "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo--both about World War I. Other notable titles:Under Fire - Henri BarbusseThree Soldiers - John Dos PassosThe Good Soldier Svejk - Jaroslav HasekWorld War IICatch-22 - Joseph HellerSlaughterhouse Five (or The Children's Crusade) - Kurt VonnegutThe Painted Bird - Jerzy KosinskiFires on the Plain - Shohei Ooka, translated by Ivan MorrisThe Naked Pioneer Girl - Mikhail KononovVietnamGoing After Cacciato - Tim O'BrienThe Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien. More like a memoir than fiction.A Rumor of War - Philip CaputoThe Sorrow of War - Bao Ninh, translated by Frank Palmost and Phan T. HaoGardens of Stone - Nicholas Proffitt*A new, non-fiction book about Iraq.The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq "Once and for all the idea of glorious victories won by the glorious army must be wiped out. Neither side is glorious. On either side they're just frightened men messing their pants and they all want the same thing - not to lie under the earth, but to walk upon it - without crutches."---Peter Weiss*"NATIONAL DEFENSE, n. In U.S. political discourse: 1) The pauperization of the nation through expenditures for deadly weapons systems; 2) The bombardment and invasion of small countries. The United States is, of course, the only nation entitled to such 'defense.' If the inhabitants of other countries resist the U.S. government's 'defensive' measures, they become guilty of 'internal aggression'; and if governments of other countries practice U.S.-style national defense, they become guilty of 'naked aggression.'"(U.S. government spokesmen repeatedly used the Orwellian term 'internal aggression' during the 1960s when referring to the resistance of the Vietnamese to the U.S. occupation of their country.)—Chaz Bufe, The Devil's Dictionaries ("American Heretic's Dictionary" section)

* The Post reported that the Republican Party's efforts to obtain church directories in North Carolina has caused consternation in some quarters. "The North Carolina Republican Party asked its members this week to send their church directories to the party, drawing furious protests from local and national religious leaders." The GOP's action fits in very well with what it has been doing for some years. The Republicans found out that it paid to wear your religion on your sleeves. All of a sudden they became devout Born Again Christians, champions of bigotry, full of zeal to demolish the barrier between church and state. Their attempts to cull church directories to look for supporters and volunteers should not surprise any one. During the 2004 presidential race, the Bush-Cheney campaign sent a similar request to Republican activists across the country. It asked churchgoers not only to furnish church directories to the campaign, but also to use their churches as a base for political organizing. The tactic was roundly condemned by religious leaders across the political spectrum, including conservative evangelical Christians. Ten professors of ethics at major seminaries and universities wrote a letter to President Bush in August 2004 asking him to "repudiate the actions of your re-election campaign," and calling on both parties to "respect the integrity of all houses of worship." And so it goes.

Denmark in The Center of the Cauldron * Anti-Semitism in Arab Press*Five people reported to have died in Pakistan in violent demonstrations against publications of cartoons about Prophet Mohammed. Are the demonstrations spontaneous? Not according to reports. For some reason it is not hard to incite mobs in that part of the world. If it is not satire about the prophet it would be something else. People should be free to demonstrate against acts that are rightly or wrongly taken as disrespect to deeply held beliefs. There is nothing wrong about boycotts of good and services from countries that are deemed responsible. But arson and looting are despicable acts. Loss of lives cannot be justified, even if the dead are considered by some as martyrs for a holy cause. Denmark, where it all began, and other European nations who are the targets of Islamic rage, face a difficult situation. But if they capitulate where would it all end? The BBC reported: "Blatantly anti-Semitic literature is on sale in Cairo, just like many other Arab capitals. The BBC News website's Martin Patience reports on the apparent inconsistency in the Egyptian reaction to the Danish cartoons caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad."Cartoons are a form of satiric expression. No more, no less. One can argue about good taste or lack thereof in what cartoonists might use as subject but that is no justification to muzzle them. Above all, editorial policy must never be discriminatory. If the prophet is fair game, so must be the pope and Virgin Mary. From The Washington Post: "But the scope of the fallout tells only one story. The debate over the cartoons is replete with unintended consequences, some still taking shape this week. On one side is a defense of freedom of expression, on the other an unforgivable insult to a sacred figure. In between are potentially longer-lasting repercussions: a rethinking of relations between Europe and the Muslim world, and a rare moment of empowerment among Muslims who have felt besieged. Given the moral certainty pronounced by each party, some in the middle feel forced to take sides, blurring the diversity of religious thought that might offer grounds for compromise."It is odd that the war against Iraq, in which thousands of innocent civilians have lost their lives, does not arouse Muslims to protest with the same degree of passion. Although no Islamic country joined the Coalition of the Willing as active partner, some tacitly provided support by allowing bases and overflights. "Denmark was among the first countries to join the Coalition of the Willing." With the facts that are now known about the lies and deception used to form the Coalition, Danes have reason to be ashamed of their role in the war but not for publication of the cartoons. Comments Hepzibah The Watchman — 2006-02-16 I enjoyed reading your opinions on the cartoons. Perhaps if the people rioting had more freedom of expression, they would respond with words instead of fire.

The Veep Under Siege * Breaking News: Cheney to be InterviewedImaginary conversation. Cheney to Whittington: "I hope we'll still be friends". Don't bet on it. Strange, how efforts by the White House and VP's office to keep a lid on this story managed to do just the opposite. Another example of their arrogance and excessive concern about secrecy. Serves them right. Gloves are off and the media has smelled blood in the water. Howard Kurz in the Post: "Okay, other than the fact that the comics haven't had so much fun since President Bush choked on a pretzel. (Letterman: "We can't get Bin Laden, but we nailed a 78-year-old attorney.")."According to Reuters "Cheney will be interviewed by Fox News at 2 p.m. (1900 GMT), White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters. The interview will not be aired live." Trust him to select a friendly news service. Think soft balls. Would that mean the end of it. Not likely. Comments Anonymous — 2006-02-15 Of course the interview won't be aired live. Even the blind squirrels over at Fox might find an acorn and ask a real question. Then where would poor Dick be?