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VP Cheney Shoots his hunting buddy * Saint Patrick, Fitzgerald the Dragon Slayer*Remember the hilarious novel "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" by Jimmy Breslin? It came to my mind when I read that Vice President Cheney accidentally shot one of his buddies during a quail hunting trip in Texas. The good news is that the victim, a Mr. Whittington, is doing fine. Lately nothing has gone right for the neocons who started the misadventure in Iraq. But the leaders who dodged Vietnam are charging ahead, blustering and lying. The death toll for U.S. soldiers: 2267, including 25 who have died this month.*Plamegate Invesigation Refuses to DieRepublicans, including the Strangelovian VP Cheney probably curse the day when Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed as special prosecutor to investigate the leaking of information about Valerie Plame. Just imagine what would have happened if the smarmy John Ashcroft remained in charge of the investigation. Mr. Firzgerald is quite different than the other special prosecutor whose office leaked like a sieve and who revelled in appearing in front of TV cameras. No one knows how it will end but "Scooter" Libby has already talked about the VP's role and Karl Rove is still a part of the investigation. Uneasy nights for them? You bet. Perhaps the vice president had a bad night before the hunting accident. The Guardian (UK) carried a special report on Patrick Fitzgerald. But for now, Plamegate remains open. The powerful still dread a phone call from his office. 'He has been walking on soft-boiled eggs so far and he is still doing it well. I don't think the White House is off the hook,' Mikva said. Some think they see Fitzgerald planting the seed of a political career. One day, they believe, he may run for the governorship of Illinois, a possible springboard for the presidency. Others dismiss that as nonsense, but see him as the next head of the FBI. Then the Untouchable would be the lawman for all America. Yet perhaps Fitzgerald is just that rarest of people: an honest man in Washington. 'The mystery is there is no mystery. He has a finely honed sense of right and wrong, that's all,' said Jay Stewart. If so, he might want to consider a saying from the French essayist Charles Peguy: 'The honest man must be a perpetual renegade.' The strange and growing list of Scooter Libby, Abdel-Rahman, Osama bin Laden, Conrad Black, the Gambino family, and perhaps even President Bush himself can all attest that the Untouchable has fulfilled that brief so far. ...

The Air Force Academy * Year of the Dog begins for the Chinese* In Round II, evangelical Christians won back most of the ground they had lost in 2005 after complaints were voiced about overt promotion of Christian faith at the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO. "Air Force eases rules on religion" is the caption of a report in today's Washington Post. "The guidelines were first issued in late August after allegations that evangelical Christian commanders, coaches and cadets at the Air Force Academy had pressured cadets of other faiths. The original wording sought to tamp down religious fervor and to foster tolerance throughout the Air Force. It discouraged public prayers at routine events and warned superior officers that personal expressions of faith could be misunderstood as official statements." Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington-based group whose investigation of the Air Force Academy helped spark the controversy last year, said the revisions "focus heavily on protecting the rights of chaplains, while ignoring the rights of nonbelievers and minority faiths." Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, an Albuquerque lawyer who is suing the Air Force over its policy on religion, questioned the sentence allowing commanders to share their faith when it is "reasonably clear" that they are speaking personally, not officially. "Reasonably clear from whose perspective, the superior's or the subordinate's?" asked Weinstein, a 1977 Air Force Academy graduate. "When a senior member of your chain of command wants to speak to you 'reasonably' about religion, saying 'Get out of my face, sir!' is not an option." *Gung Hay Fat Choy Read about snow storm in Washington,DC. For us in the San Francisco Bay area, it is somewhat foggy. Temp. in the low 50's F (11°C). The fog will clear by noon and the sun will be out. The forecast is for more of the same the next few days. Good for outdoor activities--pottering in the yard, walks, runs. Many of us will do just that. Last evening the annual parade to mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Dog) took place in San Francisco. It was a great success in terms of the pagentry and participation. To my Chinese friends: Gung Hay Fat Choy.

It was time to ramp up the threat of terrorists. The President used a tried and tested ploy. Steve Bell of the Guardian created one of his masterly cartoons about the president's speech.©Steve Bell 2006The speech, however, failed to do the president much good. He has played that card so often that it is beginning to lose its power.Former President H.W. Bush miffed about attacks on son at Mrs King's funeral. Hah. Tunnel vision or what! When it comes to slander and dirty tricks, the Republicans wrote the book. (CBS) Former President George H.W. Bush has expressed dismay and anger at attacks on his son, President Bush, at the funeral for Coretta Scott King.

Addicts and Pushers, Part II * The Freedom Fries Gang*We have been hearing and reading a lot about "reform" in Congress as we know it. Elected legislators, especially Republicans, are concerned about the impact of scandals on the mid-term elections. They are making appropriate noises and putting up the usual dog and pony shows which they are adept at doing. But meaningful reform? Forget it. Not going to happen. Read what Newsweek has to say about the newly elected majority leader. "Only in Washington could an old pro like Boehner, an eight-term congressman with close ties to Washington's K Street lobbying culture, be seen as the fresh face of reform. Boehner's ever-present George Hamilton tan gives him the look of a man forever coming back from vacation. He does get around: over the years, he has made the most of controversial rules allowing members to accept free trips to luxury retreats around the world. Since 2000, Boehner has taken more than $150,000 worth of junkets paid for by private interests—ranking him in the top 10 of all members of Congress."The lawmakers have become addicted to freebies and the lobbyists are there to feed their habits. Changes, if any, are going to be cosmetic. Corruption is dead, no....long live corruption. The lawmakers will continue to chew, slurp and cut deals with those who pick up the tabs. The constituents can go pound salt. Remember, it is the same gang that gave us Freedom Fries. They spend their time occupied with important matters like fried potatoes and photo opportunities."Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country. "--Kraus, Karl(1874-1936)

* In some parts of the world it does not take much to incite violence. There are people blinded by faith who are too willing to be lead by mullahs or priests into the streets to burn or pillage when they perceive their faith to be under attack. Consider the current turmoil over the cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten in Denmark. Are there Christians, Hindus and Jews who would have been offended by caricature of their faith? Yes, certainly. Would they have gone on a rampage? That is questionable. Not that some among them would not have wanted to. Bigots exist among followers of all faiths but if they lived in a democratic society they would not have been permitted to cause the mayhem in which the Muslims are engaged in. Then there are others for whom it is an opportunity to vent their anger over issues that are unrelated to the offending cartoons. Griff Witte writes in the Washington Post: "Furor over the caricatures of Islam's most revered figure may have triggered the wave of recent demonstrations among Muslims worldwide. But as the protests escalate, they are morphing into an opportunity for individuals, groups and governments to push agendas that often have little or nothing to do with defending Islam. Rallies ostensibly held for religious reasons have become chances to vent economic frustrations, settle local scores or gain political leverage."Rabble-rousers are making full use of communication technology to keep the flames alive. "COPENHAGEN, Feb. 8 -- Mohammad Fouad Barazi, a prominent Muslim cleric here, received a text message on his cell phone last week. It was a mass mailing from an anonymous sender, he said, warning that Danish people were planning to burn the Koran that Saturday in Copenhagen's City Hall Square out of anger over Muslim demonstrations against Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad."

Another day, another photo opportunity *The president, who during his first term never addressed the NAACP, went to Lithonia, GA, on February 7th to attend the funeral of Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Reports mentioned that he went to mend fences with the black community. Whatever the reason, his absence would have been glaring and so he was there and took his place among former presidents, H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The president's speech was received with polite applause. "The Rev. Joseph Lowery, former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, drew a standing ovation when he criticized the war in Iraq, saying, 'There were no weapons of mass destruction over there.' 'For war, billions more, but no more for the poor,' Lowery added as Bush sat behind him on the speaker's platform."Former president Jimmy Carter, who has been critical of Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program, pointed out that King and her husband, the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., were targets of a "secret government surveillance" at the height of the civil rights movement.There are no longer any questions about President Bush's beliefs and priorities. Lithonia was yesterday. Now it is back to Washington and business as usual.

*The Newsweek cover story about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran makes interesting reading. One can understand that the UN and super powers are distrustful of his statement that "he does not want nuclear weapons". The nations known to possess nuclear weapons are: USA, UK, Russia (former USSR), France, China, India, and Pakistan. Pakistan was actively involved in exporting nuclear technology to rogue nations, including Iran, Libya, and N. Korea, but it is now one of our allies in the war against terror; all past sins forgiven. The US readily accepted Pakistan's explanation that it was Dr. A.Q. Khan, head of the nuclear weapons program, who single-handedly carried out the technology exports ! For some mysterious reasons possession of nuclear weapons by Israel is not mentioned by members of the nuclear club. Israel is, unofficially, a member. Wink wink, nod nod. It is the old "my enemy's enemy is my friend" kind of thing. So, can Ahmadinejad be trusted ? Perhaps not but he is not the only fanatic currently in power as head of a state. There are many others.

*Amazing, the turmoil in the Islamic world about the cartoons that first appeared in Jyllands Posten, Denmark, in September 2005. What do we know about the press in predominantly Muslim nations and its treatment of other people's faiths ? How does it deal with Christians, Jews, Hindus ? The Muslims don't have to look at cartoons that depict the prophet; they can stop buying the publications; they can stop advertising in them. But what they are doing and demanding cannot and must not be condoned. Burning of embassies will not advance their cause. European governments should not surrender to frenzied mobs. Censorship, whether mandated or self-imposed, is a slippery slope.Martin Rowson's cartoon in today's Guardian, UK, is very telling.

Where are the film makers ?*"America's wars do not happen just to Americans." The Guardian, UK, published an item that caught my attention. Richard Williams wrote mainly about the film Loin du Viêt-Nam (Far from Vietnam) recently released in London. He mentioned Sam Mendes' film Jarhead (2005), about the first Gulf war and ".....how muted the opposition to the present war in Iraq has been, by comparison with the chorus of anger that eventually helped to undermine the American government's belligerence". Very true. There is no dearth of talent, and there is strong feeling among millions of people in America and abroad about the unjustified war against Iraq. Yet there has not been any notable film about the war. There is need for movies that depict the horrors, the grief of families who have suffered directly and indirectly from this war both here in the United States and in Iraq. Members of the "Coalition" were conned, bullied or paid to support the war. The hoax called "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and its costs must be exposed, and movies can have greater impact on people than reports in print media and on television. The numbers as of February 2nd: U.S. Soldiers - dead 2249 Injured 7683; Iraqi civilians - dead 28293 (Min.) 31900 (Max). Financial cost - $440 billion and climbing. The Bush and Blair cabal foisted this war on us in 2003 and are still merrily continuing with the lies.Notable anti war films All available on video although you might not find them in the neighborhood outlet. The list includes foreign films with sub-titles.All Quiet On The Western Front (1930), perhaps the greatest of all anti-war movies.The Road to Glory (1936)La Grande Illusion (1937), FrenchRules of the Game (1939), FrenchGreat Dictator (1940)The Men (1950)The Burmese Harp (1956), JapaneseMash (1970)The Boys in Company "C" (1970)Slaughterhouse Five (1972)Go Tell The Spartans (1978)The Deer Hunter (1978)Apocalypse Now (1979)The Killing Fields (1984)Platoon (1986)Full Metal Jacket (1987)Black Rain (1989), Japanese, not the American movie with Michael DouglasLife and Nothing But (1989), FrenchBorn on the Fourth of July (1989)Jacobs Ladder (1990)The Quiet American (2002)*War is not good for children or other living things.---Vietnam era anti-war slogan

*The Spring solstice is 45 days away. Overcast sky and occasional showers continue to remind us that we are in winter. But there are signs of spring all around us. Daffodils and crocus are blooming in my pocket-size front yard. Freesias have started to bud; sweet pea vines are climbing the frames; nasturtiums are spreading. And cherry trees already bursting out with blossoms all over the neighborhood. So, cloudy sky notwithstanding, nature is doing its thing to tell us about the change ahead.Daffodils ©MusafirCrocus © starfish75, Stock.XchngWhat I'm going to miss are the chanterelles. It has been a very bountiful season. Every time my friends and I went foraging we came back with bags full of them. Delicious in soup, risotto, and just sauteed with chives and eaten with toasted French bread. Even tried my hand at making a custard and it turned out great. A glass of sauvignon blanc and life is sweet. Santé.