And another thing..you know, what is up with Dick Cheney and Karl Rove? They are like a never ending duet featuring the michelin man and the pillsbury dough-boy. Every time I see one of them I think of the line from Macbeth "the lady doth protest too much." If they were really sleeping the sleep of the just, they would have nothing to fear and they wouldn't always be coming out and trying to spin the story. I am reminded of criminals who can't resist coming back to the scene of the crime. I heard it reported that the vice president was running an assassination squad from his office. I could never imagine believing that Al Gore ran a hit squad, or Gerald Ford, or Bush 41, but sadly Mr. Cheney wouldn't seem so implausable, mainly due to his apparent doctrine of "Any Flimsy Pretext ".

I am against the death penalty. I am against torture in any form for any reason. So it follows that I am against tazing. No one should have to be afraid of the police, for then, it is not long before we are living in a police state. And like it or not, I believe that many of our African-American citizens live every day of their lives in a police state, right here in America.
Cast your minds back to Eleanor Bumpers. She was a mentally ill black woman in NYC, shot dead by six policemen because she was wielding a knife. Ooohhh..a knife you say, but...she was grossly overweight and old and hardly light on her feet and skilled at knife-throwing. Any number of strategies would have worked to defuse the situation, but they were not utilized.
Then you may recollect Abner Louima, brutalized in a brooklyn police station without pity and for no reason, and even so-called good guys in the department did nothing, until they were forced to.
Next comes Amadou Diallo, murdered in a hail of bullets for having the nerve to reach for his wallet, and oops, don't forget that the "authorities" then tossed his apartment, looking for some evidence to exonerate their actions! Even freakier is when you realize that the officers involved received a change of venue for their trial, went up to Albany and were found "not guilty" within a week! That had to be one of the shortest murder trials in recent history. We must ask "why".
Right now in our newspapers we read about the trial in Westchester where a black police officer was shot dead by officers from another department! while he was doing his job! because he didn't follow their directions.
We can not go back and raise someone from the dead, but we can soul-search and humbly realize that our attitudes must change most of all. Every one is of equal value. Every one is guaranteed equal rights. Why are our African-american citizens so often deprived of their rights, even in a time when we have seemed to come so far.
If it is not fair for everyone, then it is not fair for any one. No one could ever argue that African americans have not borne the brunt of police brutality. There are a lot of good and even great cops out there, and they more than anyone else, have to engage in self-examination and educate their collegues accordingly.

christian right wing
you better come to your senses
better start mending fences
or sooo long.
when the world moves on you've gotta change
or just become a fossil
and keep in mind your attitudes
weren't held by christ's apostles!



A work in progress...words in my head when I woke up..sung to the tune of "desperado" More to follow.

When is someone going to let dick cheney and karl rove know that they are surplus to requirements? Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't recall people from the Clinton camp and the Gore camp weighing in constantly on the Bush presidency. When are these people all going to cease and desist, so we can all get down to business?
The tea parties of the previous week were just nonsense. Then, this week, the gutter press went on and on and on about a handshake! I looked up the word "churlish" yesterday. It means boorish or ill-bred, and that's the kind of person you would have to be to turn your back on someone's proferred offer of peace and friendship. And you know, hello, Mr Chavez has a right to his opinions whether we agree with them or not, unless we're turning into nazis. And this is the point where I think we really all have to stop and take stock. Historically, movements such as fascism and nazism have sprung from the conservative and reactionary factions of political parties, never the liberal or progressive factions. You can almost boil it down to "live and let live" or, "live the way I live or else!" Awful things have been done in our name, and the previous administration must be held accountable. These tempestuous little non-issues are simply a smoke screen to attempt to deflect us from the real truths we are seeking to uncover.
Isn't it ludicrous to call republicans "the right"? The right what? The right stuff? Hhmmp. and then we come to the "christian right". Who would Jesus torture? Who's hand would Jesus refuse to shake? And how come it is they who seem the most morally bankrupt to me?