The 9/11 Excuse

On September 11, 2001, the world was shocked when two planes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center, another plane hit the Pentagon and a third exploded over a field in Pennsylvania. Three thousand are estimated to have died in the combined attacks. Nearly one-third of the dead were not Americans. The world came together in support of the United States.

It was a tragic day, and one we never hope to repeat. In the days and weeks to follow, Americans lived under a cloud of suspicion, anger and fear.

It has been nearly five years now, and the White House is still using the 9/11 attacks as rationalization for its assault on our personal freedoms. First the Patriot Act, passed and then renewed. Then the admission of listening in on overseas calls. Most recently, the disclosure of the collection of the phone records of thousands of American citizens.

Because of 9/11, we must sacrifice our freedoms. Shredding of the Constitution? Safety is more important. Because of 9/11, we must invade Afghanistan. Increase in the drug trade? Unfortunate consequence. Because of 9/11, we must launch an attack in Iraq. No weapons? At least the people of Iraq are free. (Free of their homes, their familes and often their lives.)

The building of a massive monument is underway on the former site of the World Trade Center. A tribute to those who died. Wouldn't a better tribute be the pursuit of peace?

How long will it be before Americans say enough? Restore our Constitution. Bring back our rights. Return our soldiers to their families. Return Iraq and Afghanistan to the people who live there, the ones who have the most to lose.

I won't hold my breath. It won't happen soon. After all, we must remember 9/11.

From a leader

A few days ago, President Mahmoud Ahmedinajib sent a long letter to the White House. I will type in some excerpts, from a translation provided by Le Monde, a French publication.

"September eleventh was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies."

"There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals."

"Why is it that any techonological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R & D one of the basic rights of nations?"

"The people of Africa are forebearing, creative and talented. They can play an important and vital role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from happening. Don't they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth--including minerals--is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

"Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?"

And in conclusion,

"Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the Will of God will prevail over all things."

Now, do these words sound like the rantings of an evil lunatic? Or should we quesiton the propaganda we receive daily courtesy of the nightly news?

The Intelligent General

The intelligent general, if there is one
will realize the folly in putting the military
in charge of a civilian post

Of course, the intelligent general will also
understand the mistake of placing troops
in modern Mesopotamia

And I'm sure the intelligent general will
admit the Afghans are not better off with
more opium, destruction and death

But the Decider has chosen a ranking general
to oversee the gathering of intelligence
to save us from terror unseen

Be very afraid.

For the Birds

We're being warned to prepare for the coming pandemic. Bird flu looms on the horizon.

Contingency plans have been announced. Mass quarantines. School closures. Stock up, they say.

Meanwhile, a real epidemic is occuring in several midwestern states. Mumps has reappeared, with new cases reported every day.

Bird flu is discussed in nearly every newscast. Be alert. Be prepared. Be afraid. A TV movie next Tuesday will promote a climate of fear.

The mumps epidemic registers barely a blip on the public screen.

I don't know what's going on. But I am always wary when the government and mainstream media make such a big deal over something.

What are they hiding? What is not being reported? What are they not telling us?

Give me your tired, your poor. . .

I have refrained from jumping into the immigration fray because I'm not sure where I stand. I still don't know, but it's time to take the leap.

My father's parents came to this country early in the twentieth century. When I was in ninth grade, I interviewed my grandfather about his journey. Before he left Greece, his mother gave him two pair of underwear, and the following instructions. Wear one on the journey. When you arrive, take that one off and throw it into the ocean. Put the clean one on. Mothers always have to consider the practical matters.

He arrived, not knowing a word of English. At Ellis Island he communicated that he wanted to go to St. Louis, where three of his brothers already lived. They placed a color-coded tag on his clothes. When the train reached St. Louis, the conductor told him to get off.

I could go on with his stories. Sleeping in a single room with twenty other men. Founding the first Greek Orthodox church. Running a restaurant with his brothers. My immigrant heritage has always meant a great deal to me.

But it's not Ellis Island anymore. Some immigrants sneak into the country. Others overstay their visas. Traffickers often import humans from other countries for slave labor.

My grandfather came here legally. But the process was so much easier then. Landing at Ellis Island. Undergoing a basic physical exam. Get on the train, and you're on your way.

Now there is paperwork. And waiting. Fees. Many must consult lawyers.

One of the strongest arguments I've heard in the last several days against illegal immigration is that the immigrants don't pay taxes. They fail to contribute to the society.

So why don't we make immigration easier again? This country is large enough, physically, to accomodate thousands more. The low-paying jobs exist. If the immigrants are legal, they will pay taxes just like any other exploited American.

Without immigrants, this land would be both better and worse. Better, because if we go all the way back then it would still belong to the Native Americans. Worse, because if we focus on more recent history we can see the many contributions made by immigrants and the children of immigrants to this land.

When I taught social studies, I often began by showing my students two maps. First the physical map. This, I told them, is how Allah created the earth. Mountains and plains. Rivers and lakes. Then the political map. This, I said, is what man has done to the earth. Dividing into up into parcels of land and claiming ownership over something which does not truly belong to us. We, too, are temporary.

I vote for looking at earth the way Allah created it. No borders. No barriers. Oneness.

Life and death in the richest country

Experts are expressing shock over a newly-released study showing that Americans, even those in the upper class, are less healthy than citizens of Britain. This, even though Britains spend less money on health care. What in the world could it be?

I would have to study the survey, but I have my own hypothesis. I believe Americans are sick because of what we eat. We call it food. Often it is something else altogether.

Walk into the neighborhood grocery store, pick up any item and read the label. Look for levels of sugar, fat and sodium. Check out the ingredients. Artificial preservatives. Food coloring. Chemicals with names too long to pronounce.

Real food can be found at health food stores. Generally at two or three times the cost. It never ceases to amaze me that food with chemicals and preservative is less expensive than real food.

What about produce? Have you tried to buy a watermelon with seeds. That is the way God made them. But now all supermarket watermelons are seedless. How? Through genetic engineering. Do you actually want to eat "Frankenfood"? When the U.S. tried to send genetically-engineered food products to African nations, they were rebuffed. It is better to be malnourished than to ingest fake food. Which is, actually, a different manner of malnutrition.

And meat. Animals are injected with growth hormones and fed with the remains of other slaughtered animals. Sounds yummy.

Americans are said to be obese, but we are far from healthy. Soft drinks. Fried foods. Chips of all flavors. Where are the nutrients?

If I could go back in time, I would have stopped eating fake food when I was young and healthy. Now I am sick because of the chemicals and preservatives I have ingested. I have learned my lesson, and I pray it is not too late.

Americans are not healthy. Heart disease. Diabetes. Cancer. All are on the rise.

We don't need specially-flavored high-powered athletic potions. When you're thirsty, drink water. We don't need chemically-enhanced sodium-ladened fodder. When you're hungry, eat organic.

Health in this country will continue to decline until we demand clean water and real food.

Nothing

I really can't think of anything new to say today. But I've decided to jump in anyway because, after all, having nothing to say doesn't stop most people these days.

From sportscasters to news anchors, filling air time with nothing is a common practice. Unless you count endless analysis and cute stories about cats in trees as something.

I won't write cute animal stories today or analyze the implications of Johnny Damon's return to Boston in a Yankees uniform. I don't want to waste your time.

Sometimes, there really is nothing to say.