Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Then let's nuke 'em

I grew up knowing, from my parents, that Truman HAD to drop the bomb to end the possibility of a long, drawn-out struggle from the Japanese. Nuclear war was the kind war. As Rumsfeld later said of the initial attack on Iraq, "It was the most compassionate bombing you've ever seen!"

Ee-gads.

Watching the news tonight, with more bombing of a building - a mosque - a collection of bricks and mortar and some history, a building people are stupid enough to die over... the fact that the more troops we send over, the more sophisticated the bombs become (regardless of what country they come from), the exponentially more humans who die... and Bush will tell you that's what it takes to "win."

If winning = pounding the enemy into the ground until they no longer exist, then let's get it over with. Right now, we're the superior military force. Right now, we have bombs nobody else has. That's goin' away. Globalization and all.

Using Truman's logic, let's nuke where we must. Just take them all out. In a few days, we'll have proved we're the biggest bullies in the schoolyard and will have only killed a few more innocents than if we'd continued the projected decades-long occupation.

Blow up the buildings. They're only bricks and mortar. Show the weak facade that religion is, so connected to material things like shrines and altars and false gods.

Nuke it all. Let's start again. And may the fastest, most effective bomber win.

Will that finally make us proud to be Americans?

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

When Dogs Fly


I screwed up the lens cap on my camera at Country Fair last year (don't ask). But the flaw sometimes makes for cool framing. Lucy, in flight.

Artistically looking behind her at the rocks off Bandon, on the southern Oregon coast:

Just call me Annie Leibowitz. Or not.

Who loves ya, baby?

Part of our hike every day, Elephant Head Rock:

Down the 2.5 mile stretch of dramatic rock formations, past the Seaweed Shroud:





Another view of Elephant Rock:



More of the 2.5 mile walk:





Lots of good smells:



The rock that legend has it is a woman's pained spirit rising out of the sea:



Lucy, really sick of walking 5 miles in the wind and the dunes every time we STEP OUT THE DOOR:



Heading home, stopping at South Slough, to stroll through the skunk blossoms:





Life is good when you and your dog are tired and windblown:

Monday, June 04, 2007

Like Ted Bundy Before Him

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Serial Killer of the Week.

A man so selfish, he chose to endanger the entire world rather than miss his wedding trip to Greece. And now there are even questions of whether or not he actually did the deed.

But it's okay because he's a white guy. And a lawyer to boot. And a personal injury lawyer to add insult to... well, injury. An ambulance chaser. THAT's why he thought to tape record one doctor somewhere not saying exactly what he could legally be held liable to knowing about later.

He's white. Imagine if he were a black man. He'd be in a penitentiary infirmary right now. Imagine if he were a gay black man. He'd be on his own island somewhere. Imagine if he were Middle Eastern. He'd be in Guantanamo.

But because he's a wealthy, educated white guy, he gets fluff pieces in the New York Times (AP) about what a great guy he really is. Except for the TB endangering part. Like the BTK killer, Ted Bundy, and a host of other serial killers before him, he has a Greek chorus of astonished friends and neighbors who swear he couldn't do anything like that, killing other people. He's a good guy. A really good guy.

Who are his PR people? That's what I want to know. They're a firm to work for!

His station in life made him arrogant enough to get on crowded planes in crowded airports and go to his vacation. When he was told in Italy to check into a hospital, he evaded authorities and took a flight from another country (I don't remember which and am sick of researching this) to Montreal so he could drive across the border.

A touch of premeditation? Ya think?

Once again, because he was a nice-looking white guy, he got a pass from border control (anybody betting what race and gender that guard was?). He spent a grand total of TWO MINUTES at the border crossing.

Imagine if he were any race but white.

His treatment will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I wonder who's picking up that bill? Certainly not our hero, Andrew Speaker!

And all the while, he and his family make the rounds of TV talk shows, asking forgiveness and trying to get your understanding.

Tell them to kiss your ass.