Appreciating Truth

A much-maligned former president spoke up today, affirming what most of us already know. Members of the United States government do sanction and carry out torture, in spite of the recent White House denials.

Jimmy Carter wasn't the most successful president, but I do think he has been the most successful former president. He has used his experience and wisdom to speak out against lies and injustice.

He is still maligned. Fortunately for the rest of us, that doesn't seem to stop him.

Another Small Kindness

It's such a simple thing, yet meaningful.

This morning we had a short rain shower. Soon after the rain began falling one of our neighbors came to the door and rang the bell. I was surprised when I opened the door and he told me that it was raining so I'd better close the car windows.

When I was young, this is how neighbors were. I haven't seen neighborly kindness like that in over thirty years.

Muslims believe in the importance of small deeds. I'm sure the man at my door this morning does too. And I am very grateful to have such nice neighbors.

A Senior Moment

I mentally wrote this blog at least three times over the weekend. Something would happen, like Bush's statement on torture or the shooting deaths in northern Wisconsin, and I would think about my Monday blog.

However, I had a long and busy day today and all of my wonderful thoughts have disappeared. So please accept my apologies. And next time I'm inspired, I promise to write something down somewhere.

Interesting

Over three thousand miners were trapped in a mine in South Africa yesterday. All were safely rescued. The U.S. has lost miners in several accidents over the past year--probably not more than 30 overall, but in many cases none could be saved.

I wonder why.

Scrooge Would Be Proud

"Let them die and decrease the surplus population," said Ebenezer Scrooge. That's the only rationale I can see for this morning's veto of a health care plan for children.

I could write volumes about today's veto, and I'm sure volumes are being written. But I find it hard to know what to say. The decision was so obvious to nearly every American citizen and a majority of Congress. That didn't stop our own Ebenezer from robbing American children of health care.

I am sick of living like this. I want a divorce. I'll accept impeachment.

He Was Right

Five years ago, Barack Obama spoke out against the war in Iraq. His voice was one of the minority. But, as it turns out, he was right.

Iraq is a quagmire. The Iraqi people are much worse off than they were before the arrival of U.S. troops. American casualties continue to rise (though at a slower pace, war supporters announced gleefully yesterday-- it doesn't matter if one soldier is killed, not if that one soldier is your son). Terrorism, whatever that is, has increased since the beginning of the war. Have I left anything out? Oh yeah. Depleted uranium poisoning. Cholera. Where's the good in this war?

Or any war, for that matter. Wars are fought by the young to satisfy the greed of the old. And in this case, the old did not fight when they were young. They had other obligations.

I won't promote a political candidate on this blog. But we could use a little vision in the White House.

Peace is Dangerous

I've come to a startling conclusion--an epiphany. They were right. The National Guardsmen who shot and killed four students at Kent State University. The Washington D.C. police who arrested hundreds during the anti-war march last month. All the unsung heroes who, largely unappreciated, performed their jobs diligently to save society from a tremendous evil.

Peace is dangerous.

It's sounds ludicrous, I know, but just think about it for a moment. What about all those anti-war demonstrations? Do you realize how much of a hazard to public safety they caused? All those demonstrators on buses, converging on a single city. Imagine the potential for road accidents. Think of the bus driving alongside a compact car on the highway. The poor family in the compact car doesn't have a chance. They could have been crushed.

And all those people left their homes for the weekend. What if their homes had caught fire, possibly burning down whole neighborhoods? They should have stayed home and taken care of their properties.

And I shudder to think about the large crowds in D.C. during the demonstrations. There could have been a stampede. Imagine, also, the wear and tear on the streets and sidewalks. Who is going to pay to repair those?

Even worse, imagine that the demonstrators succeeded. Think of the defense contractors. They're family men. What would happen to their children? Would they be denied health insurance because their fathers were unemployed? Would they go hungry? They may become violent, bringing guns to school and joining gangs. Has no one considered this?

And what of the soldiers? If they weren't in Iraq and Afghanistan, they would be here in the U.S. They would be driving cars, creating a greater likelihood of accidents. They may even be playing ball with their kids. Think of all the broken windows. Someone might get cut on the glass.

We must be thankful for wars. They feed the defense contractors' children, decrease the U.S. population, and keep our young people out of gangs.

Think of it. George Bush is a genius!