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Silence of the World's Muslim Community*More than 200 dead in the last five days! At this rate the number of Iraqis killed in factional violence will soon exceed the number killed directly or indirectly in actions of the Coalition (mainly U.S.) forces. In the absence of an outcry one has to come to the conclusion that the Muslims don't care. The Islamic world has failed miserably to condemn the violence in Iraq. Every day Iraqis, mostly ordinary citizens, are dying horrible deaths at the hands of extremists---Sunnis, Shias, al Qaeda members. Mercifully, "collateral damage" from military actions is no longer a daily occurrence.We don't hear about Mullahs speaking out; we don't know of any leader in the Middle East who has taken a position to do something about the butchery that is going on. The silence is deafening. It is shameful and cowardly.Iraqis killing Iraqis, in the name of God or in the battle to gain power. Do we have a hand in it? Yes, inasmuch as we went there to establish a handpicked government that would be a lackey. The plan misfired. Now we are stuck in another quagmire. True, it has not reached the size of Vietnam but two and half years have passed since the first pair of boots hit the ground. More than 1900 of our men and women in uniform have died there. What have we achieved ? Saddam and his goons are no longer there. Others have taken their place.

Gag me with a spoon*Ms Miller emerged from behind prison doors after serving 85 days for her refusal to name her source in the Valerie Plame affair and uttered claptrap about her principled position. No doubt she will be back at the NY Times spreading falsehood which she so aptly did to promote the war against Iraq. All the stories about the non-existent WMD! Sickening.Judy Miller's Statement

*It took time but his transgressions finally caught up with The Hammer aka The Exterminator. The Republicans issued the expected vituperations against Travis County D.A. Ronnie Earle for indicting Mr. DeLay. Regardless of how it ends, the former speaker of the House will be paddling in the legal swamp for some time. No one deserves it more.In the Senate, Bill Frist, the majority leader, has problems of his own. Frist, who made no secret of his intentions to be a contender in 2008 presidential race, has to clear his name from being involved in questionable stock transactions.Bad news for El Jefe ? Yes and no. While Republicans in Congress, weakened by the scandals, might not be very effective in backing the president's agenda, the scandals divert attention from his own failures and dwindling support on the war. Headlines that move the spotlight from the lack of response when Katrina struck, reconstruction projects with the usual suspects raking money hands down, the mounting death toll in Iraq, and the rising energy costs, are probably received with a sigh of relief by the White House. They provide distraction, albeit for a short duration.

Is she right ? You be the judge.*Karen Hughes is the former White House Counsellor and long-time confidante of G.W. Bush. Their association goes back to the days when he was governor of Texas. In July 2005 she was appointed as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. She is currently on a tour to promote the United States' position on various issues.Hughes Defends Women's Status in IraqBy SUZAN FRASERAssociated Press WriterSeptember 28, 2005, 11:00 AM EDTANKARA, Turkey -- The United States' new public relations chief, Karen Hughes, responded to Turkish criticism over the Iraq war by telling women's rights advocates Wednesday that Iraqi women were being treated better now than they were under Saddam Hussein. That was what she said. The following articles paint a quite different picture.Iraqi women fear for their rightsBy Caroline HawleyBBC News, Baghdad July 25,2005 "Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq had some of the most secular legislation in the region. ...

Props galore - Photo opportunities and more photo opportunities*The President must be tired, flying back and forth from the areas affected by Katrina and Rita. After dawdling in Crawford he is bending over backward to repair the damage.....the damage to his popularity rating. And we were told once that he never paid attention to polls. Perhaps he is doing it at the insistence of his handlers.Will he succeed? The former FEMA director's testimony today before the House of Representatives isn't going to help much. While Michael Brown strongly criticized officials in New Orleans, he also pointed his finger at DHS. This is the Michael Brown who was appointed as head of FEMA by President Bush and received high praise on September 9th during the president's first visit to the Gulf Coast after Katrina. ("Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job")The President's attempts to keep under his control investigation of what went wrong might not succeed either. Remember, he tried it with the 9/11 enquiry and failed. This time,too, there is skepticism about his efforts to block an independent commission. Time for another long vacation.A Reuters news agency report included the following:Republicans have so far rejected calls for a bipartisan commission similar to the panel that investigated the September 11, 2001, attacks, even though polls show an overwhelming majority of the public supports such a probe. ...

The hurricanes have exposed the bureaucratic messKatrina and the failure of the officials involved with FEMA and The Dept. of Homeland Security made the nation aware of the problems with management. More examples of their ineptness are being reported on a daily basis. And Hurricane Rita is about to hit the Texas Gulf.Today's Chicago Tribune (online edition) carries a report by Andrew Martin and Andrew Zajac that describes the situation in respect to providing buses to transport people from the affected areas.Offer of buses fell between the cracks

Still too early to be sure*There is no question,however, that more and more people are voicing doubt about the decision to go to war against Iraq and the president's handling of the war. Recent polls conducted by various organizations clearly point to a change and the change is not confined to the so called "blue" states. Heartening sign.From Petula Dvorak's report in The Washington Post "Antiwar Rally Will Be A First For Many":"The seasoned protesters who organized tomorrow's antiwar demonstration are well-versed in many other causes. They have marched and rallied against police brutality, racism, colonialism and the policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.But their message on the Mall tomorrow will be singular: "End the war in Iraq."More power to them. Let's hope for a groundswell.

*The holy rollers at Repent America, an organization based in Philadelphia,PA, claimed that New Orleans was the target of God's wrath because of its sinful ways, especially the Southern Decadence Parade--"an annual homosexual celebration" according to their press release--which was scheduled to begin on August 31st.Now that Hurricane Rita (designated as Category 4) is heading for Texas Gulf, time for another press release from Repent America. What sins have the residents of Port Arthur, Galveston, Houston and other coastal towns in Rita's path committed to be chosen for your God's wrath?

Odds and Ends on Autumn SolsticeGore Vidal, Peter Jennings, Sidney Bechet*Welcome autumn. Yesterday, JHL and I walked at Coal Mine Creek. Trails still damp from the rain on Tuesday; the air smelled fresh and sweet of bay laurel and eucalyptus leaves on the ground. We sat near the hammock between two eucalyptus trees to have our sandwiches. Shared a bottle of Mission St. Pale Ale and watched a red-tailed hawk circling overhead. I don't know a read-tailed hawk from any other raptor but JHL has recently joined a bird watching group and she was equipped with binoculars. The hawk kept circling over the area for a while as if it knew it was being watched. Then the circles widened and we could no longer follow it. Gore Vidal Speaks It was a pleasure to read Emma Brockes' interview with Gore Vidal in The Guardian. Nearing 80, he pulled no punches in talking about G.W. Bush and his administration.Excerpts:"............was he surprised by Bush's inadequacy in dealing with the floods in Louisiana?"No." He musters a little smirk. "It's a corrupt administration" - Vidal's voice begins to rise magesterially, and his whole body to inflate like a hovercraft - "as they have proven to the whole world. I was just watching television; Bush has for the first time admitted that he might be culpable."Was he convincing?"No-o-o. What was convincing was that his handlers said you get out there and apologise.""Age Cannot Wither Him" - Emma Brockes, The Guardian,UK *Tributes to Peter Jennings (1938-2005)Friends and admirers of the late Peter Jennings assembled at Carnegie Hall on September 20th to pay homage. In addition to being a great journalist, Jennings was a lover of jazz and "......attracted to women".David Bauder, AP,who had covered Jennings in the past, wrote a great piece about him and the gathering at Carnegie Hall."Jennings, ABC's chief news anchor for more than 20 years, was also "famously attracted to women," Koppel said. "Even so, he only married four of them." ...

Yesterday 1900, today 1906 *"How many times must the cannonballs fly, before they're forever banned?...How many deaths will it takes till he knows that too many people have died?" -Bob Dylan, "Blowin' In The Wind". The names below represent casualties between August 3 and September 20. It supplements the list published on Aug.3, 2005.* Nils George Thompson, 19, Army Private 1st Class, Aug 04, 2005Chad J. Simon, 32, Marine Reserve Staff Sergeant, Aug 04, 2005Brett Eugene Walden, 40, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Aug 05, 2005Robert V. Derenda, 42, Army Reserve Sergeant 1st Class, Aug 05, 2005Terry W. Ball Jr., 36, Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Aug 05, 2005Brahim J. Jeffcoat, 25, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 06, 2005Kurt E. Krout, 43, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 06, 2005Chase Johnson Comley, 21, Marine Lance Corporal, Aug 06, 2005Seferino J. Reyna, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Aug 07, 2005Anthony N. Kalladeen, 26, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 08, 2005Hernando Rios, 29, Army National Guard Private 1st Class, Aug 08, 2005Ramon E. Gonzales Cordova, 30, Marine Staff Sergeant, Aug 08, 2005Miguel Carrasquillo, 25, Army Specialist, Aug 09, 2005Nathaniel E. "Nate" Detample, 19, Army National Guard Private 1st Class, Aug 09, 2005John Kulick, 35, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 09, 2005Ryan S. Ostrom, 25, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Aug 09, 2005Gennaro Pellegrini Jr., 31, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 09, 2005Francis J. Straub Jr., 24, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 09, 2005Michael A. Benson, 40, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Aug 10, 2005Evenor C. Herrera, 22, Marine Lance Corporal, Aug 10, 2005Rusty W. Bell, 21, Army Specialist, Aug 12, 2005David L. Giaimo, 24, Army 1st Lieutenant, Aug 12, 2005Brian K. Derks, 21, Army Specialist, Aug 13, 2005Toccara R. Green, 23, Army Specialist, Aug 14, 2005Asbury F. Hawn II, 35, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Aug 14, 2005Gary L. Reese Jr., 22, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 14, 2005Shannon D. Taylor, 30, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 14, 2005Jose L. Ruiz, 28, Army Specialist, Aug 15, 2005Joshua P. Dingler, 19, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 15, 2005Paul A. Saylor, 21, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 15, 2005Thomas J. Strickland, 27, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 15, 2005Michael J. Stokely, 23, Army National Guard Specialist, Aug 16, 2005Nathan K. Bouchard, 24, Army Sergeant, Aug 18, 2005Jeremy W. Doyle, 24, Army Staff Sergeant, Aug 18, 2005Ray M. Fuhrmann II, 28, Army Specialist, Aug 18, 2005Timothy J. Seamans, 20, Army Private 1st Class, Aug 18, 2005Willard Todd Partridge, 35, Army Sergeant, Aug 20, 2005Elden D. Arcand, 22, Army Private 1st Class, Aug 21, 2005Brian Lee Morris, 38, Army Staff Sergeant, Aug 21, 2005Joseph C. Nurre, 22, Army Reserve Specialist, Aug 21, 2005James J. Cathey, 24, Marine 2nd Lieutenant, Aug 21, 2005Hatim S. Kathiria, 23, Army Specialist, Aug 22, 2005Joseph Daniel Hunt, 27, Army National Guard Sergeant, Aug 22, 2005Victoir P. Lieurance, 34, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Aug 22, 2005Ramon Romero, 19, Marine Private 1st Class, Aug 22, 2005Carlos J. Diaz, 27, Army 1st Lieutenant, Aug 23, 2005Chris S. Chapin, 39, Army National Guard Master Sergeant, Aug 23, 2005Trevor J. Diesing, 30, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Aug 25, 2005Ivica Jerak, 42, Army Master Sergeant, Aug 25, 2005Timothy M. Shea, 22, Army Corporal, Aug 25, 2005Joseph L. Martinez, 21, Army Specialist, Aug 27, 2005Obediah J. Kolath, 32, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Aug 28, 2005Dennis P. Hay, 32, Army Chief Warrant Officer, Aug 29, 2005Charles R. Rubado, 23, Army 2nd Lieutenant, Aug 29, 2005Gregory J. Fester, 41, Army Reserve Major, Aug 30, 2005Jason E. Ames, 21, Army Specialist, Aug 31, 2005Monta S. Ruth, 26, Army Sergeant, Aug 31, 2005Lowell T. Miller II, 35, Army National Guard Captain, Aug 31, 2005George Ray Draughn Jr., 29, Army National Guard Sergeant, Sep 01, 2005Robert Lee Hollar Jr., 35, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Sep 01, 2005Lonnie J. Parson, 39, Army Sergeant 1st Class, Sep 02, 2005Matthew Charles Bohling, 22, Army Sergeant, Sep 05, 2005Jeffrey A. Williams, 20, Army Specialist, Sep 05, 2005Luke C. Williams, 35, Army Specialist, Sep 05, 2005Jude R. Jonaus, 27, Army Staff Sergeant, Sep 06, 2005Franklin R. Vilorio, 26, Army Sergeant, Sep 06, 2005Robert N. Martens, 20, Navy Hospitalman, Sep 06, 2005Christopher L. Everett, 23, Army National Guard Staff Sergeant, Sep 07, 2005Kurtis Dean K. Arcala, 22, Army Sergeant, Sep 11, 2005Jeremy M. Campbell, 21, Army Specialist, Sep 11, 2005David Ford, 20, Army Specialist, Sep 15, 2005Alfredo B. Silva, 35, Army National Guard Sergeant, Sep 15, 2005Shane C. Swanberg, 24, Marine Lance Corporal, Sep 15, 2005Matthew L. Deckard, 29, Army Sergeant, Sep 16, 2005Mark Dooley, 27, Army National Guard 1st Lieutenant, Sep 19, 2005"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in a final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed—those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending its money alone—it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children"-—Dwight Eisenhower, Speech (1953)