BWARGH!

Damn the bastards who scheduled the WB Superstar and American Chopper's POW bike episode at the same time!!!

Oh - the horrible choices I have to make!!!

for REAL???

(Disclaimer: This is a continuation of my uneventful holiday weekend memorium so just skip it if you're looking for anything remotely informational)

Because I have nothing else to do, I'm currently watching E!'s Top 101 Starlicious Makeovers. I realize that such a show should be beneath my notice but, for today, it isn't. Because it is so totally devoid of content, I thought I would make a couple of observations. These are not new and exciting comments, nor are they new and exciting ideas. I just have nothing else to do so I'm attempting to find meaning somewhere.

Observations:

Mickey Rourke looks like an alien in bad disguise.

Any woman over 40 in Hollywood, no matter how drop dead gorgeous, is considered a freak of nature. The unspoken message is clear: These few women have managed to defy time, but the rest of you idiots are not gonna be so lucky.

'Extra' weight is NOT ACCEPTABLE

Heavy pancake makeup and fear-inducing amounts of mascara are NOT OPTIONAL

Breasts are okay as long as they're not too big

Big boobs do not equal brilliance

Women are only considered expectional if they lose over 75 lbs, dye their hair blonde, and get invited to pose for Playboy (a.k.a Carney Wilson).

Men are considered exceptional if they can fog a mirror.

We're only up to about 70 now but the Jacksons are coming...AAAACCCKKK!!! It's a MichToya monster!

More disgusting abuses of power

Did you know that Bush (and our REAL presidents also) pays almost nothing for all the traveling they do during campaigning? The opposing party has to pay for everything they use (or they're supposed to) but the 'President' can declare a trip Official Business and they don't pay a thing. Even if they do pay (big laugh), it's a paltry sum compared to the costs.

There a bit of information about this at John Kerry's website - but know that there's probably some spin on it, even with the references.

FederalNewsRadio has also written about this topic.

To be fair, all the presidents who have had access to Air Force One (and other travel perks) have used it for campaigning. Apparently, Clinton was not shy about using the jet either. However, Bush is already outstripping Clinton's usage and I've yet to hear much mainstream media coverage about this egregious waste of taxpayer dollars. Just another shameful and unethical expenditure that no one's talking about.

disempowerment and conflict

I've talked briefly before about my troubles with Mr. Door, my neighbor. Things have steadily degenerated and he now appears completely opposed to talking to me personally and working anything out. I realize there's always the possiblity that things could change, but he seems to *seriously* dislike me. Without going into lots of detail, suffice to say that my encounters with him have been unpleasant. Well, I've contacted my landlord (again) and he said he'd take some action(my request was to institute a 'quiet hours' policy).

So if my landlord seems agreeable to helping mediate this dispute, what's the problem with me? I'm feeling all sad and down because there's a fight going on - a pointless little battle over something stupid. And it's made me feel totally disempowered, like I have no control over what's going on, I have to go to someone else to handle the situation and, even then, have no idea what is actually going to happen. I feel like Mr. Door has cast me in the role of 'unbelievably bitchy neighbor' and I wonder constantly whether or not I'm being unreasonable.

So why does any of this matter? Why would I even care enough to blog about this? Because I think it's important to follow this little spat to gain more awareness about how conflicts begin and grow. Good intentions and and polite attempts to resolve conflict mean nothing if both parties aren't interested in working it out. It's also important to realize that no matter how nice I may think I am, he obviously has a different opinion.

There have been some difficult spots for me - not letting myself get dragged into his drama (not wanting to be as unpleasant to him as he has been to me), not going on a justification rampage (where I list all the facts about what's happened - in excrutiating detail), and not taking his unpleasantness personally (his overreaction to my requests probably doesn't have anything to do with me).

Staying aware of what's going on isn't really that pleasant for me. It would be easier to either start retaliating, bitching to my landlord constantly, or seriously badmouthing Mr. Door. None of these are acceptable options for me so I'm kind of left with just turning it over to the universe and trusting it will all work out.

Part of the struggle I've had with this is the idea that if I'm kind enough, understanding enough, and patient enough that everything will work out pleasantly. This is another one of those ideas I'm going to have to let go of. Even though I'm not interested in mediation as a career, I think it's extremely important that I get lots of practice in not vesting my energy into a specific outcome. Getting upset because he's not responding to me the way I think he should is pretty much a big waste of time.

I've been polite, courteous, and reasonable and he's chosen to be cranky, fussy, and mean. I'm content with my behavior.

my boring weekend

Yes, the boring weekend stretches endlessly on. After a short, ill-advised nap, I am now unable to sleep. If you guessed that in order to try and induce sleep I'm subjecting myself to additional heinous low channel programming, you're right. Go directly to the Land of Endless Good Movies and informative, educational programming. So there are a couple of things I'm going to comment on in this post - commercials I happen to see and the movie The Last Samurai.

So, a Zyrtec commercial that just reinforces the belief that not only are women inept in the business world, they can't do anything other than interfere with men and cause them shame and failure. All this from a commercial about allergy medicine you ask? All this and more, I reply.

The entire commercial takes place in the boss' office. The attentive, attractive, and focused man is completely distracted from doing his job by his pathetic female coworker's allergies. She's sneezing & nose-blowing and that's just an unbearable distraction for this poor guy. He absolutely cannot do his job and it's all her fault. He misses the everything the boss says and walks out of the office, asking the female coworker if she got notes. She flutters at him, with a phlegmy simper, and replies, sadly enough, no she didn't.

Next, we see that he's immediately given the lectern and told to recap the information to the entire sales force! That poor guy - just another man who suffers miserable failure because of a woman. Do I even need to say any more about this effing idiotic piece of garbage?

My next comment is on The Last Samurai. I enjoyed several things about the movie including the landscape, the portrayal of the samurai (pre-Tom Cruise) and the general sense of historical Japan. What I want to comment on is the whole 'white men as savior' theme. I mean, we're talking about a culture that has been around for thousands of years and they can't seem to manage this conflict without Tom Cruise showing them what to do. In fact, the samurai couldn't save themselves or influence the emporer until Tom Cruise came on the scene and proceeded to take care of it for them.

The biggest irony? One of the reasons the samurai and the emperor were at odds was because of westernization ( or modernization)! I don't know enough about Japanese history to know whether or not the movie's at all factual but I do know that contact with white/European culture had a huge impact on all of the Asian cultures. Those poor backward people, with their undeveloped, backward cultures. Thank god the white men showed up to save them from themselves (and rape their culture in the process)...

driveling drivelish drivel

It's Memorial Day weekend, Saturday afternoon around 6:00 and I have nothing to do. That is pathetic enough but the form of entertainment available to me at the moment is the really low channel cable programming. Here's what I've seen:

A commercial in which a girl (probably about 12 but looks 18 or so) runs to the door (because she's been waiting for her date to show up), melts her face screaming when she sees it's her date & realizes that (freakin' flapjacks) she's got hairy legs! She races madly to the bathroom and sprays some foam on her legs (oven cleaner maybe?) and then wipes them down with a downy cotton ball. Suddenly, the world swims back into focus and she's able to concentrate on her womanly duties with regard to her man. Thank god for wipe-away hair.

Lethal Weapon II dubbed in spanish. No further comment required.

A low shot, upwards towards the front door of a house. The door opens in slow motion, a man runs out. He's a normal guy, some love handles, a little baldness happening up top. He's leaping around (still in slow motion) clicking his heels (no ruby slippers however) and clapping his hands in glee. Queen's "We Are the Champions" plays in the background. We're waiting anxiously to find out why he's so happy. Text fades in...Viagra (blah blah blah).

Steven Segall randomly kicking ass in order to Do the Dew.

A oddly shaped steamer thing that not only cleans the baked on grime off oven door glass but will clean a soy sauce stain off the cheapest piece of cloth you own. Even a stain you made on purpose can be cleaned with the Amazing High Pressure Steam Blower. The blower might also be used to get rid of those pesky freckles and other epidermal problems.

A bunch of fabulous manicures on the forty home shopping channels that have squeezed themselves into the 25 low level cable channels I get.

Any number of people who are willing to (for a small fee) help me on the road to salvation. I think they should all be referred to the Christian Exodus website.

A huge number of badly filmed, poorly lighted, and even more poorly scripted public broadcasting programs. The one I'm currently watching features a guy with a motorized scooter that looks pretty home grown. Is this trailer park QVC?

The Beatnik Sanctuary. I'm not sure if this is public broadcast programming or not but it's really lame-ola. Not only is the music pretty stinky, it's not even fun to watch. Oh god - save us from 70s rock album multi-color outline special effects... Is that woman shaking a squash or a beanbag?

tidbittles

yet another pop culture phenomenon I'm running behind on - The Daily Show (with Jon Stewart)

I had a random impulse to see all the Baldwin brothers together...

While watching OPB, I saw a show on Ace R. Hayes. It would have been cool to hear him in person but I'm many years too late :(

As if there weren't enough doom & gloom prophets out there

Is it just me or is it a bit offensive for an anglo-saxon dumbass to front with some gangsta speak? Weird.

Why does it seem that people are always laughed at when they try to be nice? Can't you effing cynics give it a rest???

If you're interested in peace and are looking for some ways to protest, look no further than your phone bill.

healthy lifestyles

I've been thinking about it lately and I may owe an apology to people in various other parts of the country for thinking they eat like shit because they have no self control. This bad eating can lead to all kinds of healthy problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes. I've thought for a long time that it our eating habits are totally under our control and I still believe that but I've also realized that much of what we eat is dictated by what's available.

Now - before everyone gets their frilly panties in a big ole' bunch, let me explain. Before I moved to Portland, I felt like I ate fairly well, limited the amount of refined sugars and flour, little fat, little grease, etc. I still believe that was a healthy diet but it's *nothing* compared to what I can eat out here. I mean, there's almost no comparison between the quality and quanitity of fresh, organic, and wholesome foods I can find in any store here and the mass-produced, genetically enhanced, pesticide covered stuff I got in Charlotte. No comparison at all.

I didn't bring this up just to make everyone jealous, I brought it up to make a point: If you have no idea that wholesome and healthy foods are an option, how would you know to even look for them? If your diet has always consisted of fast foods, heavy grease/fast, lots of refined, chemical-laden junk, how would you even know there was other stuff available?

For a more in-depth look at fast food and obesity in America, go see Supersize Me.

codepinkers

Here's the codepink pyramid - rock on women in pink!

titter titter titter

ccan sent this to me - thanks :)

testing helloblogger picture posting

This is a strip from Pearls Before Swine. You can visit them at http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20040517.html. I saw this on another blog but I can't remember whose. I thought it was hilarious, specially considering I'm a conflict resolution gal...

this didn't work b/c helloblogger only works with .jpgs and I tried to trick it by changing a .gif by renaming it to a .jpg.

super evening!

For those who don't know, I took up bellydancing several months ago - studied initially with the fabulous, fabulous Fariba until I moved. I haven't found anyone out here yet but that may have changed tonight. I went by the bdance class at school, met the teacher & found out there was dancing at a restaurant tonight and decided to go. mstach went with me and it was great to finally see some live dancing.

the really cool part is that one of the dancers was absolutely stunning! well, she walked by our table after her set and I started talking to her and we ended up chatting for quite a while. We exchanged info - mainly b/c I'm interested in checking out the troupe she dances with and seeing if they're people I'd like to dance with.

I also got to see Sharita (the teacher) dance and she was just great. She did a cool veil dance (kept the veil on most of the dance) and a great routine standing on a chair. I'm definitely going to visit her studio & see if I can afford some lessons.

All in all, a successful networking evening...

btw - it turns out that there is a dancer here who's also named Fariba and who may be a bit of a character. I've gotten extremely mixed reactions when I tell people that I started with Fariba and have to hasten to mention that it's East Coast Fariba, not the local Fariba. LOLOLOL

spare us!!

I hadn't heard the hubbub about Kerry possibly postponing accepting the DNC's nomination but when I finally read the story, here's what caught my eye:
======================================================
"..."You can't make a campaign about money. It's not about money. It's about issues. It's about what the future is for the American people, and that's what this should be all about: What's your policy and how you're going to make America better for all our people.."
======================================================

Those words were spoken by Boston's Democratic mayor, Thomas Menino. Is he fucking living in the same world I am? Of COURSE the elections are about money you dumbass!!! Whoever has the most money can shove themselves into the faces of more people, more often. Not to mention any other unsavory things that money might be used for. At any rate, to say that elections "aren't about the money" is just downright stupid - especially for the mayor of a major American city.

Braw-ha-ha-ha - campaigns...{gasping for air}...about{rolling on floor kicking feet}...issues {loudy, screamy laughing noises erupt}

blogland just gets better

I recently mentioned I'd found a great blogger and suggested everyone visit TJ's Place (he's on the blogroll on the sidebar). Now I'd also like to suggest you visit Chez Miscarriage. Yes, I realize it sounds depressing but this blogger is an awesome writer and she's writing about some seriously personal and important things. She's an amazing writer, especially considering that she's writing about her incredible struggle with infertility.

Infertility, and the difficulties it presents, is probably pretty foreign to most of us. I've had two friends who have been trying for years to get pregnant with no success. Although I've seen second-hand how difficult it's been for them, this blogger is willing to share her story. Support her and increase your awareness about a pretty sensitive issue.

great leapin'lizard gonads - you GOTTA read this entry from her blog!!!

The lighter side

I look at myself sometimes and realize that I can be a very serious person. I also love to have fun and laugh my ass off but much of my posting comes across as super serious, social justice & political action kind o' stuff. Well, I'm going to make an effort to lighten up a little and, to that end, I spent a couple of hours reading TJ's blog last night. Not only is he a good writer, his stories are *hilarious*!

He's the manger of a 'gentlemen's club' so many of his stories are about life at a strip joint and his knack for observation is unbeatable. Check him out :)

test posting for comments

checking to see if the comment function is working

screamingly funny!

Remember when I was talking about Googlebombs? Well, type in 'weapons of mass destruction' and you'll get this page!

HOLY GOD (literally!)

I just heard about the effort of certain christian fundamentalists groups to organize in south carolina and secede from the US. Check it out at www.christianexodus.org! They actually have the nerve to talk about how many people want to live in a country with a government that's friendly to them (thus implying the current gov't isn't friendly to fundamentalism)LOLOLOL

They're also talking about a 'return to life in the early United States' - what a HOOT! Do they mean the slavery part or the oppression of women part? Are they also going to start witch hunting and sewing big letters on people's clothing to indicate which sin they've been found guilty of?

This is so funny I'm having a hard time remembering that it's also pretty fucking creepy!

Rosemary Ruether

Rosemary Ruether writes for NCR online (see previous post). Here are a few of her articles I found intriguing:

Racist extremists use Bible verses to justify killing

Diverse forms of family life merit recognition

To spiritualities of violence

Question is how to end cycle of violence

Feminism must rediscover pacifist roots

The unrealized promise of dialogue with Buddhism

Good guys,’ ‘bad guys’ politics

We love our prisons more than prisoners

Here's some bio information: Rosemary Ruether is the Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif.

which description doesn't belong?

I've recently discovered the National Catholic Reporter online and think they've got some good stuff going on. However, I just came across this snippet in a short piece from the editor's desk:
===============================================================
"...What I also recall is that in a three-square-block area around our house there were several Jewish households, at least one Jewish-Christian couple, a conservative Baptist, a row of homes where mostly African-Americans lived, assorted Presbyterians and Catholics, and a plumber who studied Zen Buddhism. The high school friends of our older children gave our living room in after-school hours the aura of a junior U.N. gathering..."
===============================================================
The piece itself is pretty unremarkable, the reason I clipped this snippet was to comment on the inclusion of 'African-American' in a list in which all other descriptions are religious. What does that mean? Is African-American suddenly a religion unto itself? Are we supposed to draw some sort of conclusion that all African-Americans are the same religion? That African-Americans associate their race with a religion, much the same as Jews?

I know the answer to none of these questions but I'm going to email the editor to find out.

Also, I apologize for not posting a better discussion of this but I'm still learning about oppressive language and how it seeps into all aspects of our society. For me, even though this may seem somewhat innocent, it promotes the ideas that that it's okay to describe people grouped by their race/ethnicity. It wouldn't have stood out so much to me except for the fact that NONE of the other religious descriptions included race descriptions AND the African-American description did NOT include a religious description.

I'm sure there's a much better way to make the point than this, but there it is...

holy smokes!

Okay - I am extremely aware of the potential harm this show could cause but I can't stop myself from watching the WB's Superstar USA. Yes - the humiliation possibilities are immense but it's SO FUNNY!

our sirota!

I love David Sirota :) Not only is he hot, he's a wonderfully witty writer and regular guest on Al Franken's show on Air America. He wrote this great piece on the two different sides of Dubya - it's on the MONEY!

I love you Angel!

For those of us who are Angel fans, here's a great site that has awesome episode recaps & stuff. I miss Angel but I'm absolutely loving that they'll all be on DVD soon! In fact, I'd say the best thing about Buffy is that Angel got his own series :)

tidbittles

Google-bombing...aahhhhh - how I love my Google :)

{Snicker}...I'm assuming at least one part of this is a goof but who knows???

ChuckD absolutely rocks the house! Check out both of these sites: Bringthenoise.com and Rapstation.com.

I've heard bits and pieces of the Chalabi scandal but could this be true??? Another story (from the Washington Post) My god - the implications are staggering - almost beyond comprehension. I can't help but wonder two things: (1) What effect, if any, did his manipulations have on previous presidents and (2)If we had a president with any sort of reasonable intellect/intelligence, would things have turned out differently? Was Bush a just dupe in an incredibly covert, far-reaching, complex, and well-planned scheme or did Bush's war-mongering idiocy simply play into their hands?

For those of us who have trouble responding when people who say things like "that damned liberal media" or "i don't like my taxes paying for people's welfare checks", here's an AWESOME response. In fact, you may want to memorize the document and just periodically update your responses to include new, more relevant facts with which to squash their arguments.

A good explanation of the difference between crediblity and reptition.

What makes me sad about the Bush quote in this article is that there was no war happening when he took office.

conversation

Here's a transcript from May 23 - Meet the Press. this particular show included the following people:
Guests: Ahmad Chalabi, Iraqi governing council member, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., David Broder, Washington Post, John Harwood, Wall Street Journal, William Safire, New York Times, Robin Wright, Washington Post.

initiating dialogue

My friend thast has made much the same comment as this article - that we should be trying to talk to terrorists instead of talking about them and responding violently to them. I'm not sure exactly how much good this attempt is doing but it's got to be something. Obviously, American tactics are doing nothing except create more terrorists and support the terrorist belief that America is the home of satan.

There's not much else I can even say about this that isn't either blatantly obvious or being said more succintly in many other places.

what??

I found this *really* disturbing diatribe about gay marriage on congress.org's Soapbox site.

There seem to be a variety of posts up there - some interesting, some just idoitic - but maybe worth reading.

trip back east

I booked my plane tickets for my trip to NC in August. I'm going to be there for a week, will fly out of Seattle on a redeye Wednesday nite & will return the following Thursday. I'm taking the train to Seattle to fly b/c the tickets from Seattle were *much* cheaper than those from Portland.

I'm a bit nervous about returning, especially about eating since I'm a vegetarian now & Charlotte isn't especially veg friendly. However, cduig and hculp are both vegetarians and they survive so I'm sure I will also.

tidbittles

This came from the AWADmail Issue 122:

From: (name withheld)
Subject: words about family
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/paterfamilias.html

I have thought off and on about China, the importance of family there, and the effects of China's limit on family size. With only one child per family, the words brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. will no longer be in common usage. Along with the loss of the words will come a dramatic change in society. Blood may remain thicker than water, but there will be oh so little shared blood.

This is why it's so goddamn important that you FIND OTHER NEWS SOURCES!!!

Why am I finding NO comfort in this?

What??? So people screamed over the wording in the press release but not over the content of the show? Can you say "how much more can we hype the stereotypes?"

Even the military's own newspaper is feeling the burn when it attempts to sort of report the truth.

Wow - what a great piece of writing about journalism v psuedo-journalism (ex: Fox "News")

An interesting piece. To speculate on people's outrage at seeing those pictures in the newspaper: It's easier to not know what happened or to know in an abstract sort of fashion. Seeing those pictures brought the reality home to people in an uncomfortable, maybe painful, way. If people supported the invasion of Iraq, perhaps they're now being called to question that support. The resulting self-examination may not suit them as well as they'd like.

Powell's shortened interview.

ummmm....because there's not so much positive light with which to paint?

More and more evidence that this administration is disentegrating rapidly & is trying to hold on as much as possible. How can the people involved sleep at night, knowing that they've condoned such hideous acts?

I wonder what gay activists have to say about the show discussed in this article?

peace stuff

I've found some good peace stuff online and thought I'd share:

Mark Twain's classic anti-war story The War Prayer. The entire site is an excellent resource for peace materials.

What are the elements required to create a facist nation?

Listing of peace literature

The National Catholic Reporter's list of peace literature

Abstracts from a conference held at WI's Oshkosh university. (Here's the entire doc directory - looks like maybe some interesting stuff.) Here's another set of abstracts.

A contest for peace writing. There's also a list of publications but it's entirely run together in one big chunk & nigh on impossible to read.

University of Milwaukee's peace site. Includes info on the Peace Education Commission although it doesn't say if it's still operative or not.

Center for Peace Education (Cincinnati/Western Kentucky)

Ian Harris' transcription of a discussion of peace education theory. An excellent discussion!

The United States Institute of Peace. Having 'United States' and 'peace' in the same sentence feels a little awkward these days.

There are LOTS more, I only listed a few that I came across. You can google a search on peace literature or peace education if you're looking for more.

tidbittles

I couldn't find this story online but the text is in this blog and it's great!

A bleak picture

I was cruising my newsreader (Bottom Feeder) and came across this wonderful Code Pinker's story about her time in Iraq. It's not a pretty picture but it's honest and that's what is sorely lacking in our media today.

You can read more about the CodePinkers here

tidbittles

More press coverage about the on going electric voting machine debacle.

Here's an entertaining diatribe from Ann Coulter. Note that she constantly uses the word 'Muslim' instead of the word 'terrorist'. I wasn't aware the two had become synonyms but perhaps she knows something I don't.

A good letter about a potential Kerry 'theme'

I realize that religion is all about silly little rules but this just seems a bit insane...

Speaking of questionable sanity - what's up with Ted?

it just gets worse...

So I was reading some other blogs and found out that not only did Rumsfeld approve a program to expand the interrogation techniques, but (surprise surprise) Bush knew about it also... The rest of the story is supposed to break on Monday.

This is where everything gets even scarier. If I believe that violent action was the only way to go, I could *so* see a case for a black op program that allowed certain people almost complete freedom to do whatever they deemed necessary to accomplish the goal - strike down terrorist threats as soon as they're discovered. However, my problem doesn't only lie in the fact that I don't believe this type of operation is effective, it lies in where the line is drawn.

How do we know that the government hasn't already turned this kind of program on American citizens? We don't. Where is the line drawn - who determines which people are suspect enough to fall under the 'strike first, ask questions later' program? We don't know.

In any government that views military might and superior force of arms as the way to conduct business, there will be this kind of fear and terror also amongs its citizens. There is NO GUARANTEE that that government won't turn its eye on its own people - given a provocation it feels is great enough.

No guarantee that we won't be on the receiving end of those 'strike first' raids and interrogation sessions. I realize that many people would laugh at me and call me paranoid but I feel I'm just being truthful. Our government has completely stopped listening to us, if it ever did. Even though these kinds of operations may have been SOP in the past, that doesn't make them right or acceptable. How long before I do something the government decides, in secret, is threatening? Will I be whisked away and held in isolation like all those people in Guantanamo Bay?

Who knows?

One other tidbit - Yahoo! News reported on this also - here's a snippet from their site:
==============================================
"...Critics say the interrogation rules, first laid out in September after a visit to Iraq by the then-commander of the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amounted to a green light for abuse.

Defense Department officials deny that, saying prisoners always are treated under guidelines of the Geneva Conventions..."
=============================================

I probably wouldn't have taken a second glance at this except for one small fact - Donald Rumsfeld said in 2003 that America wasn't abiding by the Geneva Convention anymore. So, denying abuse on those grounds seems spurious at best. Maybe they can find another excuse...

A new look!

In case you didn't notice, my blog has a nice, fresh new look :) I was getting a bit tired of the old template but put off choosing a new one b/c I knew I'd have to spend some time on a bit of recustomizing. Unfortunately, the comments feature seems to be broken but I'm hoping to get that fixed before too long. Until then, feel free to send me mail if you'd like to comment...

Conversational spaces

I've recently had the opportunity to meet a bunch of wonderful people with whom I feel I've formed a good bond. I love creating conversational space with all of them and am feeling really blessed that they're part of my life. The experience of meeting new people, especially in a bunch, and learning about them - individually & as a group - is always exciting, challenging, intimidating, scary, and beautiful.

I feel like I might not be socially aware enough, smart enough, or broad-minded enough. This is the first time in my life I've felt like maybe I'm not smart enough for the people I'm meeting. I've always felt pretty intelligent, pretty at home in the mental realm. But I'm meeting people here who are *way* smarter than me. LOL - I never thought I'd hear myself say that! Well, I'm not here so much to make myself smarter as to learn about emotionally connecting with other people and I'm having a wonderful time :)

The whole point of this post was to say that I feel that creating safe conversational spaces is one of the more important and rewarding things we can do for each other as human beings. Creating and holding safe spaces where we can simply be with each other - without judgement or expectation - that's a special and marvelous experience. My thanks and gratitude to all who have and continue to share the experience with me.

body image site

Just found this cool site about body image & the media: About Face

Peace Educator curriculum

Hey all - here's what I've put together as my curriculum. I had to create my own packet of courses b/c there's not anything like this at my school - nothing that specifically addresses Peace Education. My program director was absolutely cool & supportive - probably because I added another year (or so) onto my program. It's remotely possible I'll end up with two masters but I'm not ready to make that committment yet (if ever).

Required Courses
================
Philosophy of CR
Advanced Mediation
Adult Learning
Negotiation and Mediation
Introduction to Peace Studies
Nonviolence
Anthropology of Violence
Cultural Pluralism & Urban Education
Action Research
Restorative Justice
The Urban School & "At Risk" Status
Social Foundations of Education
Community and CR in Educational Organizations
Practicum
Thesis/Project Prep Seminar
Thesis Project

Electives
==========
Peacekeeping/Making/Bldg
Language of Violence
Mentoring in Higher Education
Power & the Sacred
CR Systems
Gandhi/Nonviolence
Grant Writing
War & Peace in the Media
Nonviolence & Public Policy
Nonviolence in America
Peace History

This looks a *lot* scarier than it is. Some of those classes are weekend seminars, some I may just audit, and I have leeway with some of the 'required' courses. There are some that are required by the dept, some that I've determined are important enough for me to consider required. That said, it's going to be a LOT of work - but I'm already loving it!

Oh yeah - I've already taken some of the stuff in the Electives list - it's stuff I'm taking this term and a couple of summer classes. What I take is also *terribly* dependent on what's offered and what I can afford...

Will the horror never cease?

(Thanks to DG for this tidbit) I thought The Swan and the Bachelor were bad but something about this is just even more offensive...

Swans and ducklings

Wow - what a powerful piece of writing. Here's an excerpt:
===========================================================
"...What if ducks got to set the beauty standards? Swans could still be pretty, but ducks wouldn't have to stretch their necks, bleach their feathers and lengthen their wings to become something they're not. They could just be ducks, beautiful in their own right..."
===========================================================

I watched The Swan twice and felt like absolute crap about myself for a couple of weeks. The show seems wrong to me on so many levels but I have to come back to this question: "If these women truly and authentically transform themselves & gain meaning in their lives because of this show, can it be as bad as I feel it is?"

I suppose my problem with the entire concept is that women who don't meet a certain beauty standard feel that they're ugly & that they have to go through all that trauma to be beautiful. Someone doing what they choose to their body isn't really the issue - the fact that they feel they *have* to is what bothers me so much.

tidbittles

A good op-ed piece - well written, anti-inflammatory but effective in its delivery.

At least some people in the company have a sense of outrage at the disgraceful way their company behaved.

Wow - this looks like it's going to be pretty interesting to follow. As the article states, there are *lots* of potential issues this could raise, 1st amendment and otherwise.

What surprises me is that Gibson's company even considered doing such a film.
Here's a lame attempt to (I think) discredit the film. I haven't seen the film nor read much about it, but here's some not-so-lame commentary. Here's hoping we'll get to see the film!

Goddamnit - can the peepul wake up before yet ANOTHER election is stolen! Fucking electronic voting machines are almost entirely designed (read: programmed), manufactured, & distributed by Diebold. Diebold - owned by staunch Republican (conservative) supporters. That means that Diebold voting machines should be automatically suspect for tampering. And we're having them installed everywhere! I think California is the only state so far to even say "Well, maybe they're not the best idea." Come ON people!!! If Diebold manufactures the machines, that means THEY WRITE THE CODE THAT TELLS THE MACHINE WHAT TO DO! Maybe *someone* can follow the logic from there...

I think I blogged about this guy before but can't find the post so possibly not. What the hell are we thinking supporting (read: condoning/accepting) this type of horrendous behavior? Don't we have enough problems in this country without another fatheaded, insecure, power-hungry idiot blasting our airwaves?

I realize that this may seem like a frivolous sort of thing to put a lot of time and energy into, but wake up - the media is a HUGE part of almost every American's daily life. Whether you watch TV or not, you see newspapers, magazines, flyers, billboards, we hear radio commentary and the like. When an enormous company like Disney starts making decisions about what's appropriate or not, that should be like a 500 fire alarms going off - who are they to decide what is and is not appropriate?

My question exactly.

I had no idea about this event but now have the utmost respect and admiration for Dumisani Muleya. American journalists should take note - about the worst they risk is potential damage to their career for standing up for what they believe. This guy does it even when his life may be at risk.

This is a GREAT article that brings together & makes sense of all the screaming & shouting going on around indecency since the Jackson breast incident. It's a bit lengthy but well written & informative. Also, in relation to the previous item, Americans need to realize the impact that this mass rush toward regulation is having on our free speech rights. If they're regulating the entertainment & news media today, who the hell do you think is next? Thoughtpolice are on the way in...

Go BLOGGERS!

Although I have little issue with the press *finally* turning on Bush, I'm a bit hesitant to support it completely. My reservations are mainly because the 'herd of sheep' mentality still remains. Are media outlets truly giving us fair and unbiased coverage or is it just now fashionable to bash Bush? The point of media is to present viewpoints and allow viewers access to as much information as possible. I'm concerned that now, even though those are viewpoints I agree with, the pendulum will swing in the opposite direction. That's no better for the American public than before.

A really good piece that asks the question: Who will be the first major newspaper to advocate a withdrawal from Iraq?

An interesting study on racism in advertising in Britain.

Although I love Air America, I am sorry for the previous listeners of WLIB in NY.


LOLOLOL! I'm not addicted, I can quit anytime I want to. So far, I've chosen not to...

This is an interesting story that seems a bit trivial but points to a deeper issue: Are Milano cookies really that good?

Federal shiftiness!

I just heard that 28 federal employees were discovered as having bogus college degrees. As if that weren't bad enough, two or three of them are in charge of nuclear safety mgmt. I couldn't find the article on this (I heard it on an Air America news flash) but I did find this instead - kind of ironic, doncha think?

Also, Randi Rhodes had a fantastically funny song about Rush Limbaugh a day or two ago - I emailed the show to see if they could post it... HERE IT IS!!! Look down the list and click .wav next to "Rush, I'm a Nazi" Be warned - this could definitely be considered offensive & crude but it's hilarious!

Some add'l details

For those of the Senate Armed Forces committee who forgot to bring the 'chain of command' diagram, here it is.

The Taguba report (or the text thereof)

A blog with several relevant and organized entries

SIGN THE PETITION: Donald Rumsfeld - GET THE HELL OUT! You're a rat bastard of the highest order, serving a smirking weasel who's never stopped gloating about a stolen election. You should *never* have been made Secretary of Defense just as Dubya should *never* have been given the presidency. GET OUT NOW.

Bloggity blog blog

Just a quick post to comment on the new blogger interface. It's spiffy looking but I have to say that I kind of liked the old one. I think I can upload pictures now, so that'll be cool. I've been listening a lot to a lot of Air America radio & have just been biding my time posting about current events. Does anyone *really* want to see those videos?

By the way, after all the bruhaha with my recalcitrant neighbor, I got to do a good deed today. He left his car lights on so I knocked on his door & told him. He didn't have much to say LOL

tidbittles

If the squashing of American business & low quality goods aren't enough for you, here's another reason NOT to shop at Wal-Mart.

no new news

Go jump off the nearest bridge if you're surprised by this....

some conflict resolver

Well, I ran into some conflict with my new next door neighbor and, believe it or not, it didn't go so well. I've already told the silly little backstory to a couple of friends so I'm not going to tell it again but the conversation today did *not* go well. In fact, he ended up shutting the door in my face. What I really want to do right now is explain everything that happened to lead up to the door shutting and then explain some more about what I think, etc. At this point, all that stuff seems pretty pointless as he wasn't even willing to have a discussion with me.

It's possible that I've done something to offend him or it's possible that his hostility has nothing to do with me - who knows? Obviously, I don't want to have this horrible relationship with someone who lives so close to me but I have no idea how to proceed. I asked bgor and she mentioned maybe making a peace offering but I'm *so* not ready to do that yet. I'm pissed that he was so hostile and rude to me - I don't want to have to deal with him at all. I'm also not interested in any sort of retaliation drama or power plays but I feel stuck.

There are no guidelines or official policies in place so I can't take the higher authority route as I've done before when speaking to uncooperative neighbors didn't work. From the little contact I've had with him, my landlord appears to be pretty cautious about confronting conflict so I feel like I'm blowing in the wind.

If you have suggestions (nonviolent, collaborative suggestions), please let me know.

Absolute voting frustration!

Here in OR we vote by mail. I just got my ballot and suffered an enormous shock - I can't vote in the May presidential primaries! I can't vote for Dennis :( This is because OR has closed primaries (I think it's called closed) which means that if you're not registered Democrat, you can't vote in the Democratic primary. What a crock of shit! I remember hearing about this but I didn't realize what it meant. That sucks.

In a larger view - who thought this up & why? This totally disallows a whole bunch of people from voting in primaries and that seems absolutely unfair. If you know the answer, will you send me email?

Sign the petition

ActForChange has set up a petition you can sign & send to your representatives asking them to say NO to reinstating the draft. Here's what I sent - my comments are above the '===" in the letter:

************************************************************************
Drafting young people to die in more and more violent conflicts is one of the most short-sighted decisions our country can make. From a logical perspective - if you send all the young people off to die, who's going to support the soon-to-retire baby boomers?

What are you going to do if you vote to reinstate the draft and YOUR child gets chosen to go die? Are you willing to face the music if your child is asked to take a place in the dance YOU helped design?

Think carefully - this is your chance to say NO NO NO to something you should have said NO to before now.

===============================================================
I am writing to urge you to address and face the human and budgetary costs of our occupation in Iraq honestly and openly and, while addressing those needs in a straightforward manner, to also reject any efforts to reinstate the draft.

While we need to find and develop ways to relieve the strain on our military, announcing a serious plan for leaving Iraq and bringing in military forces from other countries are a much better alternative to reinstating the draft.

Please let me know how you intend to proceed on this issue.

*********************************************************************

WHAT liberal media???

For those of you who persist in claiming that the media is liberally biased, I say HAH! One of your own has basically proven what we've been saying all along - the large media in this country panders to the right wing contenders. If the ongoing bruhaha around Sinclair's decision to pull the Nightline tribute doesn't at least get you thinking, then your brain is a shriveled husk and you're no threat to us anyway.

Just in case you don't get what I'm saying, here's Sinclair's non-political "reason" for pulling the show:
"appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.''

Hmmmm....because honoring those who've fallen during an effing useless, pointless, and unwarranted invasion of another country is considered subversive. Recognizing all those people who died FOR NO FUCKING REASON WHATSOEVER is 'undermining the efforts' of our oh-so-righteous (pun intended) administration. Whether or not I agree with the war or with our military machine mindset in general is NOT THE POINT! The point is that these people were told they had to serve their country in this way and they made a choice to honor their committment.

Need I also point out that at least SOMEONE is honoring their committments - especially since our self-serving, warmongering, corporate-owned government is doing everything they can to weasel out of what is owed veterans in one of the most SHAMEFUL displays of hypocrisy I could ever imagine.

Lest I not allow a voice from the other side to be heard, here's part of Sinclair's public statement (directly from their website: http://www.sbgi.net):
===================================================================
"...While Sinclair would support an honest effort to honor the memory of these brave soldiers, we do not believe that is what "Nightline" is doing. Rather, Mr. Koppel and "Nightline" are hiding behind this so-called tribute in an effort to highlight only one aspect of the war effort and in doing so to influence public opinion against the military action in Iraq. Based on published reports, we are aware of the spouse of one soldier who died in Iraq who opposes the reading of her husband's name to oppose our military action. We suspect she is not alone in this viewpoint. As a result, we have decided to preempt the broadcast of "Nightline' this Friday on each of our stations which air ABC programming..."
===================================================================

They go on with some drivel about why haven't the names of Americans killed in terror attacks since, and including, 9/11 been read but, as several Air America hosts so plainly said "THEY HAVE!!" On the one year anniversary of 9/11, Nightline (and other shows perhaps) ran the names & pictures of all the victims. So doesn't the Sinclair group watch TV? Or is their own broadcasting network too liberal for them?

Who's your daddy?

For those of you who persist in claiming that the media is liberally biased, I say HAH! One of your own has basically proven what we've been saying all along - the large media in this country panders to the right wing contenders. If the ongoing bruhaha around Sinclair's decision to pull the Nightline tribute doesn't at least get you thinking, then your brain is a shriveled husk and you're no threat to us anyway.

Just in case you don't get what I'm saying, here's Sinclair's non-political "reason" for pulling the show:
"appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.''

Hmmmm....because honoring those who've fallen during an effing useless, pointless, and unwarranted invasion of another country is considered subversive. Recognizing all those people who died FOR NO FUCKING REASON WHATSOEVER is 'undermining the efforts' of our oh-so-righteous (pun intended) administration. Whether or not I agree with the war or with our military machine mindset in general is NOT THE POINT! The point is that these people were told they had to serve their country in this way and they made a choice to honor their committment.

Need I also point out that at least SOMEONE is honoring their committments - especially since our self-serving, warmongering, corporate-owned government is doing everything they can to weasel out of what is owed veterans in one of the most SHAMEFUL displays of hypocrisy I could ever imagine.

Lest I not allow a voice from the other side to be heard, here's part of Sinclair's public statement (directly from their website: http://www.sbgi.net):
================================
"...While Sinclair would support an honest effort to honor the memory of these brave soldiers, we do not believe that is what "Nightline" is doing. Rather, Mr. Koppel and "Nightline" are hiding behind this so-called tribute in an effort to highlight only one aspect of the war effort and in doing so to influence public opinion against the military action in Iraq. Based on published reports, we are aware of the spouse of one soldier who died in Iraq who opposes the reading of her husband's name to oppose our military action. We suspect she is not alone in this viewpoint. As a result, we have decided to preempt the broadcast of "Nightline' this Friday on each of our stations which air ABC programming..."
================================

They go on with some drivel about why haven't the names of Americans killed in terror attacks since, and including, 9/11 been read but, as several Air America hosts so plainly said "THEY HAVE!!" On the one year anniversary of 9/11, Nightline (and other shows perhaps) ran the names & pictures of all the victims. So doesn't the Sinclair group watch TV? Or is their own broadcasting network too liberal for them?

More on Abu Ghraib

I'm listening to Randi Rhodes talk about the prison, Abu Ghraib, and what's gone on there. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was shocked to see a woman grinning, standing their next to all those men. Needless to say, I'm even more flabbergasted that a woman was actually in charge of the prison - one of the most notorious prisons in the Middle East. I realize it's a bit naive and sexist to be shocked at this behavior from women but I was.

Reprehensible war news

I'm a bit late out of the gate with this one but the furor surrounding the American torturers in Iraq seems not only justified but required. I was speaking with a group of classmates this past weekend & found out that the things the American soldiers did to the Iraqis are probably NOT the result of too little training but the result of the type of training our soldiers get at the School of the Americas. After seeing the pictures, it seems less and less likely that these horrendous things were perpetrated solely by soldiers with no training in torture or intimidation techniques. Untrained soldiers might have participated, but someone knew to use this type of abuse and humilitation.

What sickens me further is that a woman was involved. I did an interview yesterday with a young woman from Lewis & Clark college and she asked if I thought women were, by nature, peacemakers. I'm glad I didn't give an unequivocal yes. Maybe I shouldn't be so repulsed by the fact that a woman was involved - maybe I should view her as simply another soldier but I can't. I don't understand how anyone could involve themselves in this kind of sadistic behavior - male or female. Just something about seeing a woman standing there with a grin on her face and all those poor men lined up makes me feel physically sick.

I also don't understand why they took pictures.

Strong women

Recently, I've had the opportunity to re-examine my ideas about strong women. More specifically, what traits constitute strength for a woman? For the *vast* majority of my life, here's what I've thought:

intelligence
physical strength
a loud laugh
quick wit
analytical ability
indepence (or the appearance of independence)
problem solving
resolve/determination
shouldering as much as possible without breaking down
doesn't need relationships, although they can be nice

(note how many of these traits are things we find desirable in men?)

I don't know how many other women would identify with what I've listed but that's been my definition for a long long time. Over the last year or so, I've had those beliefs just turned upside down. I won't go into great detail but suffice to say it was a shock to me to realize that that strength of character isn't always based in the intellectual realm. Another thing I've noticed more recently (i.e. today) is that all of the traits I listed have nothing to do with feeling or emotion-based characteristics at all. I suppose I bought into the idea that weepy, emotional females are weak and I wanted nothing to do with emotions if they make you weak.

I don't believe that these traits I listed are undesirable in women, my point is that those were the ONLY things I thought made up a strong woman. I thought things like wanting to have intimate male relationships and caring about your appearance were things that only shallow, fluffy, brainless women wanted. I thought that being strong meant that you marched along with you eyes focused on lofty goals and important ideas. Strong women have neither the desire nor the time to waste on trivial things like their bodies or their relationships. Those were for other women, not me.

Discovering that I do care (on a really deep level) about my body has come as a great shock to me. Feeling how much it bothers me when I put on weight, have bushy eyebrows, or some bad skin days isn't pleasant. I don't want to worry about those things. I don't want to care about my body because that makes me one of those weak-willed, narcissistic females who can't think of anything but finding a guy to keep them in style (or so my thought process went).

I am also constantly amazed at the extremes that my thoughts take me to. For me, it appears, there is often no middle ground, only two ends separated by a vast gulf of darkness. I'll do almost anything to stay on the end I've chosen because I've gifted the other end with all the characteristics I'm afraid of.

Finding out that I'm part of the larger whole, part of a group that I share a lot more with than I necessarily want to admit, is scary. I've always kept my distance by refusing to allow myself to admit that I have many of the same feelings, desires, and needs that others have. In that respect, men and women are alike also and that makes it even scarier - to see that I'm part of humanity in a way I wouldn't recognize before. I thought that by keeping myself at a distance I could avoid all that messy stuff about emotions and feeling - especially with regard to myself.

It didn't work.

Emergency peace team

I read this and am filled with gratitue and humbleness. I don't know that I am courageous enough to do what the Emergency Peace Team is doing. I received a copy of this letter from them this morning:
===============================================================

Dear friends,

Yesterday we carried out a very successful action at the largest military base here, on the outskirts of Najaf on the road to Kufa. We were able to get a considerable amount of media, which no doubt contributed to the success of our action, and helped insure our safety.

We held a press conference at the al-Najaf Sea hotel at 1:00 pm. There were almost twenty video cameras trained on us, and more still photographers. The crowd of media was perhaps 30 altogether. We unfurled the banners we would carry to the base: one said "Peace" in arabic, english, and spanish. One said "U.S.A.: Don't Be The New Saddam. Come Home" in English (addressed to the U.S. soldiers). One said "No U.S. occupation" in Arabic. A third banner read "Peace" in Arabic, English and Spanish (Salaam in Arabic letters, Peace, Paz). Each member of the delegation made a brief statement, and then we left in a cab for the base, which was just a kilometer or so down the road. On the way, the press followed us on all sides, with their cameras following us through the windows. Later we heard that the footage of our event was carried on twelve different stations. The press here is largely from the Arab world.

Stopping about a 200 yards or more before the base, we unfurled our banners, and spread out, with Peter in the middle carrying a white flag, to indicate our peaceful intent and unarmed, nonviolent approach. Our greatest fear was of snipers, for we had heard many stories of people being shot without warning, and of shots fired at cars that just slowed down on the road passing the hospital/military base. As we approached, a flock of cameramen came with us, both ahead and behind.

We had trouble identifying the entrance to the camp, as it was behind a large concrete barrier. We crossed the street to a gravel road that went around the barrier, and just as we stepped off the sidewalk onto the gravel, a shot rang out. A flock of birds flew up from inside the base, and we stopped and raised our free hands, continuing to hold the banners. It was a tense and frightening moment, but a relief also, in that because none of us had been hit, it showed that it was only a warning to stop.

We talked as we stood there, trying to decide whether to go ahead, or to the side, as we were standing in a spot partially blocked by trees, and felt it would be better to be in the open. We were careful to stand with the banners to one side, not blocking a view of our bodies, so that it would be clear that we were unarmed. We had left all bags and packs behind for the same reason. A few anxious minute passed, and just as we were going to begin moving forward, we saw some soldiers appear to our right from behind the concrete barrier (the barrier was about12 feet tall!). They motioned us to come ahead, and we did so, careful to walk slowly and keeping our hands raised. Three of the four soldiers remained crouched behind trees, weapons pointing out toward the road, and one approached us.

PFC Lopez was courteous and professional. He invited us to come in behind the shelter, saying that we were in great danger standing there in the open. It seemed somehow ironic, after all of our travels, but then we realized that HE was in great danger standing there with us. We moved ahead to the cover of the concrete wall, then stopped to debate whether we should accept his invitation to come inside. We had previously decided not to enter their perimeter, fearing that the US military authorities might try to detain us. They said that Meg, who had made the initial contact with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, would be the only one allowed inside to speak with the officers, but that the rest of us could come inside the first defensive position, which consisted of two sandbagged bunkers flanking a road that was blocked by a parked dump truck.

Meg went ahead while we talked it over, and we soon decided that it would be better to go inside. We wanted the chance to talk with the soldiers inside, which would have been impossible from where we were. It was a wise decision because we were able to talk at length with PFC Lopez, a Cuban from Florida. He had been sent to meet us because the gate was defended by troops from El Salvador, and he was the only Spanish-speaking soldier in his unit. The other soldiers who had come out to meet us were El Salvadoreans, as were the men in the bunkers. Lopez spoke good English as well as Spanish, and responded to our questions in a warm and human, if slightly guarded way.

We asked him how it felt to be in Iraq, and for any impressions he might want to share with us. He replied that he was a soldier, and that he was doing his job. His unit was moving in to replace the Spanish troops that were leaving. He was a medic, and was preparing the clinic. We pointed out to him that the military base was set up in the largest hospital in Najaf, and that it contained 400 of the 900 hospital beds in all of Najaf. He replied that resistance fighters had attacked the base from the hospital, and that they had simply "secured" the hospital. When asked why the military base had been set up next to a hospital in the first place, he said he didn't know. The base, he said, was here when he arrived, and had been there for some time.

We spoke about how many Iraqis had told us that they were glad the US had invaded and deposed Saddam Hussein, but how US behavior and insensitivity had gradually turned them against the US. He gave us the US soldier's-eye-view of the situation. They are targets every time they leave the base, and even within the base are attacked regularly (every night, he said) with mortars. He told of children of 10 throwing grenades at them, of soldiers stopping to help a woman whose car had broken down along the road, only to discover, as the woman fled and the car exploded, that it was a trap for them. "No soldier likes war," he said, "but it's our job."

A highlight of our visit was a mortar attack. Explosions began to sound as we lounged in the shade of a covered area behind the bunkers facing the road. He directed us to a concrete shelter just a few feet from where we had been talking. We scrambled inside, and as we did, were amazed to see just outside, one of the guys from El Salvador, standing out in the open, look up at the sky and, raising his arms, call out "Here I am! Come and get me!" An interesting act of bravado, perhaps for our benefit.

The mortar attack was brief, but as we sat in the bunker waiting for the "all clear," we were joined by Lt. Col. Francisco Flores of El Salvador. Like Perez, he was friendly, and the conversation went on. Perez came in and we talked. As we had not brought any bags with us, none of us had our notebooks. Too bad we didn't have a tape recorder with us! No doubt we will be able to report on all of this in more depth later, but in general, the two soldiers were warm and human with us, and we were glad that we had decided to come in and talk with them. They were frank, and answered our questions candidly. However, they made it clear that they followed orders (Nuremberg flashed through my mind), and that they had no control over decisions that were made above their heads. Nor would they offer opinions on the wisdom, legality, or morality of those orders.

I think it's safe to say, on behalf of the delegation, that our interaction with these men only strengthened our conviction that peace, if it is ever to come, must come from the peoples of the world. We can't expect it from the governments, who sit safely in comfortable offices making decisions that force the hell of war on soldiers and civilians alike. Both the soldiers we met inside this base, and the people of the resistance we met in Najaf, are playing out a tragedy being written by powerful men far away from the suffering and pain they are causing. The people of Iraq, as exemplified by the people of Najaf, of Fallujah, of Baghdad, are caught in between; their wishes for a normal life sacrificed to the quest of a small handful of men for power and control.

Why do we become soldiers, closing our minds and allowing others to think for us; giving our lives... and taking the lives of others... to further the ambitions of men who have no regard for the lives of others? Brian, one of our members, pointed out to the soldiers that every human being has a moral responsibility to an authority even higher than their governments: a divine authority that, speaking through the voices of all religions, calls on us to love one another, to be kind rather than cruel, to help one another rather than hurt each other.

After maybe an hour or so, a hummer drove up, bringing Meg back to join us. They said we were free to go when we pleased, but before leaving, we formed a circle of prayer there between the bunkers and shelters, and offered our prayers for the safety of everyone in Najaf and all of Iraq. The soldiers standing around us seemed somehow embarrassed, and gradually backed away, leaving us alone in the hot sun.

I don't remember right now what the others said (I'm sure that they will all eventually share their versions of all this with the list), and not even exactly what I said, but it was something about my impression of the army base as an expression, not of strength and power, but of weakness and fear. Our human heritage of thousands of years of war should teach us that war is not the answer to war; it demonstrates a failing of our society. We must look instead to an awakening of the spirit of humanity within us.

Only love will open the door inside each of us that enables us to see that every other human being is just the same as us, deserving of respect, yearning for love and connection, and wishing only... as PFC Lopez so eloquently put it... to be with his family, to go to the beach and play with the kids, to have a barbecue on Sunday, mow the grass in the back yard, to laugh and be safe at home.

A great work await us, the peoples of the world, if we truly want peace. We must escape the grip of the men who have taken control of the governments of the world. We must learn to see ourselves not as American or Iraqis, but as human beings, brothers and sisters, one human family.

When shall we begin?