As a child I remember the shock of discovering that amidst all my excitement over battle ships and aircraft carriers there was this white ship with doctors and nurses
on it that sailed to other countries armed only with expertise and good will. The idea that a battle group could be formed that projected hope instead of
death was a mind blower to me.

All the armament and war technology described above is still awe inspiring to the child in me but I understand
that it is really only high tech death and destruction, a sure sign of a 'failure to communicate.'

Could we ever get the public to get juiced up about convoys that go about eliminating chaos, disease and (dare I say it?)
over population? Could we all get so excited about actually using our immense power not to spread our idea
of god but our idea of concern?

Could we do these things so people would have to consider for a moment that the United States of America
is not populated by utter and complete assholes?

Yes I know. Iran could build a nuclear 'device' and threaten Israel. What if we spent all the preceding years communicating
with people and assisting mutual understanding and helping all people attain common goals like health and security instead of
busily insuring the safety of our coprorations?

Some will slap me down for my dreamy idealism but I maintain that what I speak of is pragmatic, brass tacks
realism that can only benefit all of us.

CNN really likes to stir the shit up doesn't it?

all that and more and yet, the following are CNNs Internet Headlines:

8-year ordeal ends with victim's escape | Read
2 killed, 4 wounded in shooting spree | Video
Karr arrives in Colorado | 'Like a wolf'
360° Blog: Nuke standoff puts fear on Iran streets
Former Iraq POW Jessica Lynch is pregnant
Pluto no longer a planet, say astronomers | Video
CNNMoney: Apple recalls laptop batteries | Video
Navarrette: Can you make it past my last name?
Blue Angels and Thunderbirds strut their stuff
Haunted house dare gets cheerleader shot
CNN Wire: Latest updates on world's top stories

BBC "U.S." Headlines this hour
US backs morning-after pill sales
Policeman jailed for Rio massacre
US 'lacks Iran arms intelligence'
Bolivia writer set for US embassy
Shift of power in Mexico congress
Kenya ready to fete Obama Oh yeah, and BBC feature story is
the fact that the Northwest Cell Phone Arrestees...are being released.
That must be too embarrassing for CNN to repore.



Only CNN can conjure up endless trash.

Boise will have an aerial spraying of Dibrom or Naled, an organo phosphate, this monday and tuesday. Idaho has had 5 W. Nile Virus related deaths recently
and the disease is listed here in Boise as 'epidemic.' This is an 'emergency' of course so screw you citizen, were spraying the place with a neuro toxin.
The argument in favor is that this is a health emergency so discussion over we need to kill all the mosquitos.
Is that possible?
When do they spray next?
What exactly are the ramifications to the fish and other insects?
What exactly is the future of W NileVirus here in Boise? ...Is it here to stay?
If it is here to stay then do we spray our city and river every year?
What is the end game here? Are we trying to eliminate the disease or minimalize it?

My thoughts are:
1. I am getting a little tired of being governed by emergency dictate but maybe that's just the way it is these days.
2. Do they spray every day in Cairo?
3. Main question, is there another way? I suspect that from now and forever we will have to live with this. Can we all talk?
4. I notice 50,000 plus U.S.citizens die every year from traffic fatalities. Can we get going and start bombing our freeways?

DUers are intelligent people and can poke holes in my peeve and really I welcome that because maybe I need a reality check.
Guess i'm just worried about what this will do to the critters and the whole nature thing. One of my very narrow minded views of
Americans is that this solution is just so typical. When nature upsets us we are egotistical enough to think we can conquer it. In doing
so we often screw up the balance thing.

Thoughts? Talk amongst yourselves. I'd make latkes but I don't know how.

Dick Cheney comes to Boise tomorrow for a Republican fund raiser. No public access. $125. tickets
and $2,100 per couple photo ops. Idaho Peace Coalition organizing a low key street demo
on the parade motorcade route with people holding headstones representing every U.S. state and
territory each one showing the number of U.S. military fatalities in Iraq.

Question:
Who pays for Cheneys or any other similiar campaign trip?
Secret service and advance security is costly. Do we
pay for that or the RNC?

vote republican
If your disgruntled Arab, Lefty room mate is flying soon please check his/her baggage.
vote republican
Go to work, unemployment office, market, school, day care with extra care.
vote republican
If you fly on commercial airllines be sure to let someone know you saw a Code Red alert on CNN.
vote republican
Do not connect the dots between imperialist violence and increased terrorism. This does not help.
vote republican
If you figure out what the hell you or I as common every day Joes and Jills are supposed to do differently
aside from apologizing deeply to Joe Lieberman please contact Homeland Security as they haven't a clue either.

As for the MSM; "It was June 28 and God said let there be war and it was good."

I live in one of the few states that still supports George Dubya in the polls.
I work with people who go to church weekly, watch Fox news and believe it all.
Suffice it to say; I don't.

I don't pester people with my daily outrage at what's happening in the world.
We all have an important job to do where I work and that's fine.
Those who know my politics will occasionally jab me like yesterday;

"They knocked 'em pretty good didn't they, 60 people killed."
I try to deflect saying "Yeah right. You're going to hell for saying that you know."

Then this co-worker sits down in my office to off handedly tell me how Israel needs to
defend itself. I try to explain the idea that there are two sides to a story and no matter
how you feel about it all, the deaths of children should be a sober moment not a gung ho
topic of speech.

My door was open and my voice got louder and once again it's crazy me ranting.
Later the same morning another co-worker mentions how unfair the inheritance tax is and hopes it is repealed.
She is not a millionaire. I try to explain. She doesn't get it.

It's a good thing.
I have caused two people to think.

which I do not believe many in DU dispute then it would seem
that simple humanity would compel you to acknowledge that
the misery it inflicts on the innocent is regrettable. It's long term
effects toward a lasting peace are doubtful. Nothing noble is being
demonstrated here other than a failure of Israel, the Arab nations, the
United States and Europe and the rest of the world to craft a lasting
peace out of a situation all of the above parties had a hand in creating.

think and feel. She knows that they, each one of them is unlike any human beings we non detainees are familiar with.
She knows that they cannot feel like we do nor do they empathize or much much less have any
whisper of humanity in their bones.
Yes, the intellectual international political diplomatic law degreed types like Colleen can pretty much
dictate the truth to us NASCAR morons and say that the people in Gitmo are, you know, not human and not
to be concerned about.
So fucking educated Colleen.
So fucking stupid.

But if the rest of the world could drag our asses into a World Court heres how I'd
sort it out as supreme judge and executioner. (I know that this is in and of itself a tad fascist but I found this a cathartic and enjoyable exercise anyway;

The Cabal- GW and his puppeteers. Life in prison with mandatory face to face encounters with those affected by the war. The injured and surviving family members (of any nation) would get priority visitation privileges, forever.

The Congress- Each member would have to defend his or her actions in court. Prison sentences would be meted out or not based on the jury's perception of the individuals
real knowledge and understanding of the facts at the moment. if a case could be made that the person was not well educated to begin with and has
always been a sucker for flags and brass bands then this person would be deemed a lesser evil. If the individual was intelligent, very well educated
like, lets say Hillary or Joe Lieberman, then that person would have to defend their support of an illegal war. They would have to convince the jury that despite
skepticism among their own constituents that they were just blown away by all the incontrovertible evidence in favor of commencing on a crime against
humanity and an attack on our civil rights. They could still win compassion if in defending themselves they displayed, perhaps for the first time, some honesty
about their actions.

The People- We would be required to continue to look at ourselves each day in the mirror and let our consciences decide our reward.
Those without a conscience will continue to try to distract us with hatred of others, with red herring issues like gay marriage, immigration
flag burning, abortion, gun ownership and on and on.

Maybe if all that came to pass the nation would appreciate the value of the humanities and the value of teaching our children, our citizens, how to think and not just
how to follow. Maybe we would be sure our citizens were educated in history and the great and not so great civilizations that have preceded us and 'done it all before.'