Nashville

Mrs. Sheehan will be speaking about the robbery of billions of dollars to bail out financial speculators who have wrecked the economy through their greed and neglect. A small number of very wealthy people and international corporations are reaping billions of public money being bailed out and  in their pursuit of war and occupation in the Middle East. Tennesseans are losing thousands of jobs because of this irresponsible and covetous behavior. Thousands of people are saying “No more bail outs to the people and corporations that are causing so much pain and death.”

An outspoken supporter for health care justice, Reverend Henry Blaze, widely recognized as a leader committed to social justice, the social gospel, and to the philosophy of non-violence, will also speak. His 26 years in the ministry have been dedicated to the pursuit of a “Genuine Community” that recognizes the humanity and equality of all people. Reverend Blaze has consistently worked to ensure that access to health care is a reality for all Tennesseans, regardless of income or social strata. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, a nonprofit, public interest law and advocacy firm that gives priority to policy issues and civil cases affecting the poor and marginalized communities.

David Rovics is a dangerous man who tells the truth. We all know the truth is rare these days in our media.  He asks us to think about what we would do if we knew the truth about why things are happening around us that don’t make sense. What “If every time we went to war to fight our evil foes, they told you we were really fighting for the good of CEOs — If you could feel the hunger of the many and see the riches of the few — If they told it like it is — what if you knew? David loves the ideals of our country. He thinks that we would realize the words of our national song that says we are the “home of the brave, and the land of the free” if we had unfiltered information to be the free people who would have the moral strength to make good decisions. So he sings, “If you knew that the whole planet depend on what you do now –  would you take command with the speed our times allow?  If the pundits told the truth for just a week or two, and real life was shown on TV — What if you knew?”

Our times are so exciting! It really is up to us. We must not allow ourselves to be divided left or right. We are all concerned Americans who see that real change must be brought about. So, come and party with good folks from all walks of life to show the politicians, that there are so many of us, they must pay attention. And we will have a good time showing them.

For more information contact:

• Chris Lugo: 615-593-0304
• Eliz Barger: 931-964-2119

FreeThinker founder Debbie Boen created this striking Obama signs for the Nov. 4 election.

As I was driving to the Icehouse café on Tuesday night, NPR (National Public Radio) said something about declaring Obama and I didn’t get what had happened.  I walked into the cafe and everyone was watching the big screen TV.  There was a screaming crowd on the TV set.  The scream of happiness from the TV crowd of thousands didn’t stop and seemed to shake the earth.  I swear I could feel the vibration of it come from the earth into my body.  Miranda Herrick ran up to me and said, “Did you hear what just happened?  Obama is declared a winner!  Why are we NOT screaming?  Why are we NOT screaming?”  and with that we both started screaming and again and again.

Hugs.  Screaming.  Jumping up and down.  Tears.  Stacy Smith Segovia took a picture of me being excited.  I realized that this was personal history:  me feeling truly excited.

Gikuyu and I talked.  I forgot how to feel exhilaration, I said.  It’s so unfamiliar.  Brandt Hardin sat down with tears in his eyes.  Each of them had a respect for me and the work I had been doing for several years.  Miranda had given me the place to hold the first meeting of the Freethinkers (for peace and civil liberties).  Gikuyu and Brandt put together the Tour of Wurdz and used it to give people their voices of dissent.  Brandt’s political art show Tuesday night at the Icehouse was made on the pages of the tiny Bill of Rights that I had given him.  (do go see it!)

Last night seemed like a first time I had dared to feel.  For the last four to six years my life has been riding on a horrible dread that I had to push down in order to function.  The happiness I felt had been forced.  I hadn’t been all the way HERE.  Finding humor had to be rediscovered.  Finding the good in things had become a destiny for personal health and for the health of the community.  Being a part of Clarksville Online had become a most valuable and commendable asset to our community in that line.

Maybe instead of getting all worked up, I should have chosen to be “dumb and happy,” as my father-in-law likes to say.  But when those planes flew into the towers my husband and I thought, “Oh no.  What is he (Bush) going to use this to do?”

When my daughter got married, I was happy for her but secretly hoping that she would not bring children into this future.  When we celebrated holidays, it was a forced happiness for me.  I can’t say everything was phony because some of my richest experiences were about the dissention we were able to cause and the celebrations we had despite oppression.  I’m going to say that the bad things this country has been doing is yet to be exposed.  The stuff we already know is nothing compared to what is hidden.  We were lucky to have had the torture and such exposed.  It always interests me how bad it had gotten and how many still did nothing and how many still supported it.  How low does it have to get to really shock some into action?

Candlelight Vigil at the Eternal Flame

Knowledge is power although we each had to struggle with our own feelings of dread related to it and how much action we could take in the face of that dread.  Most of us are bound to not go down being stupid.  The events the Freethinkers did run, vigils and protests, had a double purpose of dissension and also of moving our bodies.  Taking one step, one honk, one appearance to a function that puts motion into the body again.  Move.  Despite.  Opposition.  We made ourselves find a forced feeling of safety when we felt threatened to shut up.  It was too much like the Nazi’s and I think you know that.  Having our neighbors threaten us.  Having our neighbors dehumanize us for disagreeing.  Having no media.

Our country had taken a wrong path at the crossroads.  Like someone who chooses crime as a path, if you go down the wrong path too long it can become impossible to turn back.  You get caught, get thrown in jail.  Your bad record gets created and the hole gets deeper and harder to climb out of.  This wrong path could have been continued but instead we, as a country, chose to turn around and go back.  Go back to the crossroads and chose a different path.  A path of decency instead of war and bullying.  Maybe it was necessary to experience the wrong path for awhile.  How many thousands died because of it.  It was a scary wrong path.  Like the other wrong paths we try not to think about:  the genocides of Native Americans, of women during the witch trials, the Jews, the Crusades and so many more.

So thanks to America for not being happy in lower states of fear and bullyness.  You demand better.  Several of the folks who got the tally at different Clarksville voting precincts found that Obama lost to McCain by only a few votes.  I’m sure he did really well in Nashville.  That is success!

Last night I was very happy to be with others who saw Michael Moore in Nashville just before the election of 2004.  We’ve all had this core feeling of dissent since that event.  The Michael Moore fireball really woke me up to what action is possible.  After the election of 2004 several of us put together the Clarksville Freethinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties.  I gave workshops on understanding apathy and moving through the emotions up to positive anger.  I bought mini Bill of Rights books to hand out.  Mary Alice and I started a newsletter.  We held meetings at the library.  Held weekly vigils in public square about the war for a year.  Joined in MoveOn efforts.  Several people wrote letters to the editor of the Leaf (Chronicle).  Joined Gathering to Save our Democracy in their attempts to get verifiable elections in Tenn.  Went to Democrat meetings.  Went to war protests in Nashville. Went to civil rights meetings.  Made signs.  Made art.  Sat at the parks with statistics of the war signs.  Turned our backs on the Bush motorcade when it passed through Kentucky.  Did this when the Democrat Party and most of the country acted frozen.

Some of the many others who inspired me were:

• My grandfather and the one time I heard him tell a friend how Hitler destroyed his opposition.  Grandpa loved this country more than anyone I know and he showed me that I still had the power and necessity to do something now, before it’s too late.
  

  Boen lights a candle at the Eternal Flame

• Bernie Ellis and Gathering to Save our Democracy for speaking the truth and doing something about election fraud.  By the next major election, Tennessee will have verifiable voting machines.
• Cindy Sheehan, a warrior just like us, who was determined to bring Bush down and did it when she broke through the main stream media wall.
• Chris Lugo who put together and reported on peaceful dissention to the war.
• Christine Pieysk who turned a breeze into a flurry of powerful action and words.
• Bill Larson who created ClarksvilleOnLine; what a gift to our city and to our voices!
• Civil Liberty leaders Terry and Wanda McMoore.
• Turner McCullough.  David Shelton.  Blayne Clement and Kim.  Tom Payne.  Beth and Faith Robinson.  Jill Eichhorn.
• Sarah of Boulder.  David Boen.  Randall Boen.  Alma Sanford.  Miyo and Jordi Kachi.  Nancy and Daren.  Gerry Gilman (go, go, go!).  Deborah Bowles.  Kitty.  Beverly.  Barry, Ted and Hannah Kitterman.  Tracy Diven.  Leslie Pierce. Gregg Schlanger (creator of the Eternal Flame monument, “Pillar of Clouds, Pillar of Fire”).
• MoveOn.org who united this country.
• The web which did the real reporting. So many others!

Others who inspired life:  Annette Cunningham, UU Clarksville, APSU, ARTZ and Gabriele and Bob Wardeiner, Tom Thayer and John McDonald of the Roxy Regional Theatre, Downtown Artist’s Co-op, NYC, Silke’s, The Looking Glass, Tandoor, Suva and Jack Bastin.

I feel like I have awoke from a nightmare.  Am I all the way awake yet?  Will I remember just how bad it got?  Will I learn?

Before the next step I feel the need to really, really celebrate.

This is not an ending but a (difficult) climbing out of the hole and creating a new beginning.  Time to put on a different pair of shoes.

Again I thank Clarksville Online for being 3 steps ahead in that game.

Thanks to you for being on (this mailing list).  In connection there is definite power.

Withholding a handshake is a direct violation.

It’s easy to look at Sen. McCain begging off a handshake from Sen. Barack Obama and just see a white guy dissing a black guy. But I wouldn’t get Al and Jesse on the BlackPhone just yet — I think that whole thing is a sight more complicated than prejudice and politics. I’m (arguably) as much a race man as anyone, but real men everywhere know McCain’s in clear violation of the man code. Let me explain.

For me and most of the men I know, the handshake is as good as gold: it’s a bond that seals a covenant of honor and mutual respect. Now, some cats go overboard. Like, shake my hand firm, man, but don’t squeeze too hard. Who are you? Popeye? No need to break my fingers.

Also, there’s hand hygiene: Don’t sneeze into your palm and offer your hand—that just shows a lack of home-training.

And don’t let me catch you in the washroom not washing your hands after you take care of business, son. Instant violation.

If you are eating ribs or barbecue, dap will do just fine, thank you. Unless you know me as a Free Mason and can hold your light, don’t try to slip me any finger-dance, hand-jive or crazy-ish. Just give me a grip, make it firm, and keep it moving. And if you’re white, my name is Jimi Izrael, not Jimmie Walker — shake my hand like a man and keep that ’70s-era-black-power handshake you’ve been perfecting for the last 10 years. Nothing like a white man hunched over in a lean trying to give you some “soul.” Holy crap.

Everywhere in America, the handshake is a mark among men, an unspoken rite of affirmation and respect that says, “You know what? After all is done and said, you’ve got a pair, I’ve got a pair, and we both respect and revere that commonality.” White men shake honorably. Black men have the half hug, which includes a grip. Gay men hug freely (as all real men should). Women kinda shake each others’ fingers, and men shake hands with women as a matter of business: it’s an equalizer, a nod of respect. One thing is for sure: the handshake is not to be taken lightly.

Like anything, there are degrees of insults. Like offering a man your left hand instead of your right — particularly if you are not left-handed — it’s a declaration of intention: a gesture that signifies a deeply held enmity, hinting of vendetta. Refusing a handshake altogether is a violation that, from the boardroom to the poolroom, will pretty much get your ass kicked. And when a man won’t shake another man’s hand, it’s insulting at a base level.

There are laws among men for shaking hands. There is no “ladies first” when it comes to the handshake: Deferring a handshake to your woman is like an open-hand slap — something you just don’t do. You reject these simple truths as just street-corner protocol or puff-puff-pass politicking at your peril. This is real talk. This is the code of men.

McCain said more by not shaking Obama’s hand — passing off to his wife — than words ever could. If he didn’t want to touch him, he surely would not have let his wife do so. So to all you racial Chicken Littles out there: No, the diss was not about race. It was a violation 10 times more serious than that. McCain refusing Obama’s hand was about dismissing Obama’s manhood, refusing to meet him on the level, denying his equality as a man and worthy opponent.

Jimi Izrael is a culture-critic and award-winning journalist living in Cleveland, Ohio. He can be reached through his website, www.jimiizrael.com

Reprinted with permission from author and take from http://www.theroot.com/id/48400

Terry McMoore

The last day to register to vote in Montgomery County is October 6.Early voting begins October 15.

The right to vote and exercising your right to vote is the most valuable constitutional right we have. It is both a right and a privilege.

If you don’t vote, you deserve the government you get. It doesn’t matter which side of the political fence you’re on, because all Americans have the same issues and concerns for their families and their country.

The economy, the war, taxes, education, health care, social security, women rights and, especially in our community, veteran’s rights are at the top of the list in every household.

Many people over the centuries have fought, marched and even died so we could have the right to vote, yet many still don’t vote. In the August primary election in Montgomery County, fewer than 12 percent of voters participated. With this kind of turn out how do we expect to ever hold our elected officials accountable to the public?

Some say the system is broken, so that is why they don’t vote. There is some truth about the broken part, but by not voting we allow the same governmental practices to continue regardless of which party is in power.

Your vote is your voice. I am starting to take the same position as most politicians: If you don’t vote then I don’t want to hear your complaining. Ever wonder why your calls, letters and e-mails to your local, state, and national representatives don’t ever get answered? It’s because any smart politician checks to see if you are a registered voter first, then your voting record over the years and how you voted.

This information is public record and if I have it — which I do — then you can bet the politicians have it, too.

Another excuse I hear for not voting is the claim that “my vote does not count or does not matter.” Well, let me give you a little history lesson.

In 1800, when the results of the electoral college votes were opened by both Houses of Congress, there was a tie vote for President between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election of president into the House of Representatives where Thomas Jefferson was elected our third president by a one vote margin.

In 1824, the House of Representatives defeated front runner Andrew Jackson by one vote and elected John Quincy Adams as the nation’s sixth president.

In a 1999 city election in Hillsborough County, Fla., one of the city council candidates won by a single vote.

And in 2000 the U.S. presidential election was decided by less than 1 percent of the vote.

Even felons don’t have an excuse for not getting registered to vote.

In 2006 our Tennessee state legislators passed a bill that specified the following: If you are off of parole and have paid all your fines and restitution to the courts and state, and if your child support payments are up to date then you can apply at your local election commission to have your voting rights restored.

Folks, it does not get any simpler than that.

Many election commissions allow you to register to vote online, but personally I prefer that you visit the election commission in person or just drop by the headquarters of the political party headquarters of your choice.

Either way you need to get it done! Register to vote by the Oct. 6 deadline. It sets a good example for our youth and it’s your personal responsibility!

The Nashville Peace Coalition has issued the call for a demonstration in Nashville on Saturday, August 2nd to call for international diplomacy and peaceful dialogue instead of blockades and threats of bombing Iran. The demonstration is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and to last one and a half hours. It will take place at the intersection of 5th & Broadway in downtown Nashville.

The Peace Coalition is taking part in a national day of action to stop the potential war on Iran, which includes a massive demonstration in New York City and dozens of similar actions across the country on that day.

Statement from the Nashville Peace Coalition on why we are demonstrating:

It is with grave concern that we observe the growing threat of a new U.S. war–this time against the people of Iran. The media is filled with reports of an alleged nuclear threat posed by Iran and the assumed need for the U.S. to take military action. These reports recall the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” stories issued in the months leading up to the war on Iraq.

In the lead up to the illegal invasion of Iraq, the Bush Administration asserted that Iraq possessed massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and that it was capable of launching an attack – nuclear, chemical and biological – on the U.S. within 45 minutes.

President Bush said that the U.S. had to attack immediately, and could not “wait for the final proof — the smoking gun — that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.” We all know now that this propaganda campaign was a complet fabrication created to justify a war of aggression.

Now we see reports that are all too similar being made to justify military action against the people of Iran. Taking Iran to the UN Security Council is a prelude for unilateral action. Just as in the case of Iraq, none of the claims made by the U.S. government stand up to unbiased scrutiny. Iran has submitted to the most intrusive and humiliating inspections, above and beyond what is required by Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). None of the inspections have found any evidence that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons program.

There is only one government that has used nuclear weapons against civilian populations, and that same nation has the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction on the planet. Most dangerous and incredible it is at this very moment developing a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons that it intends to use, not merely to threaten. That country is, of course, the United States. Shouldn’t any real discussion of the dangers of nuclear weapons include the weapons stockpiled by the Pentagon and the history of U.S. aggression and interventions?

Iran has suffered greatly at the hands of the U.S. We recall the U.S. overthrew the democratically elected government of Dr. M. Mossadegh and returned the Shah to the Peacock Throne – ‘the proudest achievement of the CIA’. For 25 years the Shah ruled Iran with an iron fist for the benefit of U.S. oil corporations before the people of Iran, in the millions, overthrew his tyranny at a terrible cost in lives. For the past 27 years U.S. sanctions have impeded Iran’s right to development and brought great suffering to the people.

It is essential that all voices opposed to the devastation of a new war in the Middle East speak out now. We urge an immediate end to Washington’s campaign of sanctions, hostility, and falsehood against the people of Iran. We oppose any new U.S. aggression against Iran. We need funds for human needs, not endless war for empire.

In an interview with Amy Goodman on April 28, Ritter stated:

“There is no doubt in my mind that the US is planning right now, as we speak, a military strike against Iran.” Ritter warns that such an attack is unnecessary, and if launched, could provoke a massive response with catastrophic consequences to millions of people, including Americans.

“The most important thing to know about Scott Ritter is that he was right.” — Seymour Hersh

Ritter famously and accurately argued in 2002 that Iraq no longer had WMD when he spoke in Louisville that year. He now recommends diplomatic engagement with Iran, and supports local and national efforts to pass resolutions urging President Bush to refrain from ordering any military attack against Iran without explicit Congressional authorization.

Ritter, the author Target Iran, Waging Peace and Iraq Confidential, was one of UNSCOM’s most senior weapons inspectors in Iraq between 1991 and 1998, after having served for eight years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a Marine, he conducted arms inspections in the former Soviet Union, and provided analysis of Iraq’s missile capacity to General Schwarzkopf in the 1991 Gulf War.

Lizzie West & Baba Buffalo, whose “19 Miles to Baghdad” is played frequently on Democracy Now!, will be performing songs from their upcoming album, The Tumbleweed Cabaret (Dream #1), slated for August 2008 release. They are co-founders of Holy Road Tours Union (HRTU), a progressive arts cooperative.

Tickets are $10 in advance, and $15 at the door. For tickets & more info, go to http:www.realintelligence.org or call 310-842-8794.This event is sponsored by The Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC) of Louisville, Kentucky.

FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties will sponsor a candlelight vigil tonight at 7 p.m. at Public Square.  The event will include prayers, readings and a vigil.

Another landmark has passed in the Iraq War: 4000 American soldiers killed. The price tag that is these lives doesn’t show up in the surge numbers or the war planning budget – there is no way it can — other than the price of body bags and the cost of the flight back home. Whatever “victim” benefits may be assigned to their survivors.

I sit here today, submerged in a sadness of deja vu, having done all of this before — nearly 40 years ago — in another time and place, another military town with another military base, when thousands of other soldiers who had a one way trip to war.

It is ironic that this number came on one of the holiest days of the Christian community, and that it has been treated with more silence and resignation than any other numerical landmark of the Iraq conflict. I am an activist opposed to the war, but that does not mean I do not support our troops. Our troops are great; they and their families deserve much more than the shoddy treatment they receive via multiple deployments, and post deployment care (or lack thereof).

This is not a war the American people want; it is (or has devolved into) an administrative war waged by a national leadership — the Bush regime — that is in total disconnect with the people. This is a war for which we are spending not billions but trillions of dollars with little to show for those dollars but bodies — our troops, “enemy” troops, and tens of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire. This a war riddled with underestimations, bad planning, corruption, and disinformation. To say nothing of the erosion of our own civil liberties.

The prospect of maintaining a military presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future does not sit well with a majority of Americans, who are facing multiple challenges on the home front: the housing crisis, the high cost of oil products, college costs, food costs, and the need to care for thousands of emotionally and physically disabled soldiers coming soon to a hometown near you.

Last year, when we passed the “3000 American soldiers killed” mark, I wrote a poem for a local peace rally. “Songs” was recently published in the Pitkin Review.

Songs

Once, in the vigor of youth

I waged war against war

invoking the power of peace

in protests silent and

others more vocal, active,

waving signs I did not want to write,

singing songs I hoped to never sing again.

chanting words I did not want to say.

I knew where the flowers had gone;

I placed them there myself,

at graveyards and at the wall.

Now, from a vantage point decades old,

I re-read old letters,

and browse the albums of time.

I remember the first soldier I loved,

the injustice of his dying.

I count the friends who followed him,

and those returning maimed,

spirits shattered,

I see it happening again,

wrong war, wrong place,

with armies of our children

marching into silver coffins,

winging to the unfamiliar

to be marked in blood.

Yes, I remember that song about flowers;

it dances from shadows of my mind,

spiraling with renewed grace.

I am writing new signs,

composing new songs,

resurrecting chants and slogans,

because we haven’t learned.

“Right to hunt” constitutional amendment passes 105th General Assembly

House Joint Resolution 108 passed on the House floor this week with overwhelming aproval. The constitutional amendment would add provisions to the state constitution establishing the right to hunt, fish, and harvest game subject to “reasonable rules and regulations.” An excerpt from the resolution reads:

Hunting and fishing are honored traditions in the state; citizens have enjoyed the bounty of Tennessee’s natural resources from the time prior to statehood, including hunting and fishing for subsistence and recreation; therefore, hunting and fishing is a vital part of the state’s heritage and economy and should be preserved and protected.

Having already passed the Senate this year, the amendment must now win the approval of the 106^th General Assembly next year by a two-thirds vote. The measure could be on the ballot for referendum as early as 2010.

“Pass the bottle” clears committee

The “Pass the Bottle” legislation, which would ban open containers in vehicles, and one of several DUI bills rolled out as a comprehensive effort to combat drunk driving, passed subcommittee this week and will next be heard in the State and Local Government Committee. The bill has met resistance for the last several weeks, however, members who previously seemed to oppose the bill wrangled over amendments, one of which lessened the charge for having an open container in a vehicle to a misdemeanor and a $50 fine.

If the bill is signed into law, federal funds to the tune of over $13 million could be returned to the road building account, and used in much-needed areas of maintenance such as road paving. Currently, the state receives the federal funds, but is restricted in how the money is spent. Due to these restrictions, much of it is now used for public safety campaigns.

Legislators participate in “Ag Day on the Hill”

Legislators participated in “Ag Day on the Hill,” an event sponsored by the House Agriculture Committee to raise awareness regarding the many things Tennessee farmers contribute to our economy and identity. Representatives from the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and produce, dairy and beef producers were all on hand to meet with legislators and discuss their initiatives and products. Below are some highlights:

Tennessee Farmers Cooperative: Despite a difficult year in which farmers were plagued with drought conditions, the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative reported a successful year due to the hard work and determination of their farmers. All of the state’s feed manufacturing facilities were designated Safe Feed/Safe Food Certified Facilities by the American Feed Industry Association, a rigorous process ensuring safe food.

U.S.D.A.: Although the number of farms in the U.S. decreased slightly, cash receipts from farm marketings increased by 11 percent. The top commodity in the state of Tennessee proved to be cattle.

Produce and Dairy: The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has rolled out a new website, http://www.picktnproducts.org/, that features great gifts, seasonal recipes, games, and where to find fresh produce, and hardy plants.

Dairy farmers reported that Americans are consuming more dairy than ever before. Per capita consumption of total milk has climbed to 605 pounds today from 552 in 1983. Tennessee is part of the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, which also recently rolled out a new website, http://www.southeastdairy.org/.

For more information, please visit www.tennessee.gov/agriculture.

In brief…

• Schools: The House voted unanimously this week to pass legislation that requires school principals to grant students excused absences for up to 10 days for the purpose of visiting a parent who is stationed outside of the country. Currently, if a student’s parent, custodian, or other person with legal custody or control is a member of the United States armed forces or National Guard, a public school principal must give the student an excused absence for one day when the member is deployed and another day when the service member returns from deployment. Having already passed the Senate, the bill will now be sent to the Governor for his approval.
• Public Records: House Bill 2750 passed the Local Government Subcommittee this week, and will now be heard in full committee. The measure will allow elected bodies to set up websites where they can “instant message” one another, making the “conversations” available for the public and the media’s viewing. The bill was filed in response to the problems associated with the state’s Sunshine Law.
• Energy: The House voted this week to support House Joint Resolution 838, a measure that encourages the governor to establish a goal of reducing fuel consumption by at least 15 percent in the state’s vehicle fleet by June 30, 2010. The resolution was embraced by House members on both sides of the aisle. The sponsor said he believed that 2010 was a realistic goal to reduce the fuel consumption.
• Education: A bold education initiative called “Education Pays” was passed out of the House Education Committee, winning bi-partisan approval. The bill’s sponsor said he was extremely pleased that the Education Committee is thinking outside the box. The Education Pays Act creates a pilot program to give cash rewards to encourage academic achievement among at-risk students.

The week ahead…

• House Bill 3519 exempts home-based kitchens where non-potentially hazardous foods are made and the sale of such foods at farmers’ markets from department regulation. (Agriculture)
• House Bill 3715 requires meat or milk from cloned animals and all food for human consumption that has been genetically altered or modified to be labeled as such and that notice be appropriately given to the public. (Agriculture)
• House Bill 3865 requires all birthing hospitals to provide educational materials for parents of premature newborns. (Health and Human Resources)
• House Bill 3059 creates a Class B misdemeanor offense of consuming alcoholic beverage while driving motor vehicle on public highway and Class C misdemeanor offense of possessing open container of alcoholic beverage within passenger area of motor vehicle on public highway. (State & Local Government)
• House Bill 4023 prohibits the diminution in value of gift cards and gift certificates. (Consumer & Employee Affairs)
• House Bill 3991 creates new Class E and D felony offenses of assault on law enforcement officer; and Class B felony offense of aggravated assault on law enforcement officer. (Judiciary)
• House Bill 4042 authorizes human resource agencies to apply for grants and implement statewide an intervention program called “Moral Kombat.” (Education)
• House Bill 0009 creates K-12 lottery capital outlay special account; establishes grant program for capital outlay projects for K-12 educational facilities administered by comptroller of the treasury. (Education)
• House Bill 4185 adds a new classification of limited resource waters to the Water Quality Control Act of 1977. (Conservation & Environment)

On March 15, 2008, the sacrifices of those affected by the conflict in Iraq during the past five years will be honored. Support and sympathy will be expressed for the members of the U.S. armed forces, their families and the people of Iraq.

Citizens will gather at noon Saturday, March 15 at the Amphitheater at the Bicentennial Mall at 600 James Robertson Parkway in downtown Nashville. There will be speakers – most of them veterans and their families, and music – all expressing hope for peace in the future. The program will end on an upbeat note, with a performance by the men’s choral group “Nashville in Harmony”.

At 3PM, veterans, military family members and others will carry a large canvas, bearing the names of Tennesseans killed in Iraq, up the hill to the War Memorial Plaza. The 93 names will be symbolically added to the names of those Tennesseans who have died in previous conflicts. This event, titled “Steps to Peace”, will express the hope that there will be no further casualties to memorialize.

There is continued controversy over the most honorable and responsible way for the United States to wind up its military operations in Iraq. But Americans are united in mourning for the fallen and sympathizing with their families. They are impatiently waiting for all the members of our armed forces currently serving in Iraq to come home safe and sound.

Citizens insist that the veterans of this conflict must receive all necessary assistance to regain their physical and mental health and to readjust to civilian life. And they are determined that the suffering should not be in vain – that the people of Iraq should attain self-rule, the fruits of their labor and resources and the reconstruction of their nation.

“Our attitude towards this conflict mirrors the mood of the season”, said Jane Steinfels Hussain, a member of the Nashville Peace Coalition. “There are springtime cultural traditions throughout the world, mourning death but looking forward to new life and hoping for a better future.” “We are not blind to the death and suffering caused by this conflict. We do
not pretend that everything has gone well. But we express our hope for a more peaceful world in the future and our determination to work for the wellbeing of all.”

Sponsored by the Nashville Peace Coalition, a project of the Nashville Peace & Justice Center.

A commonsense DUI measure appeared again this week before a House subcommittee after questions and concerns were raised two weeks ago. The “Pass the Bottle” legislation, which would ban open containers in vehicles, was one of several DUI bills rolled out by Republicans as a comprehensive effort to combat drunk driving. Currently, no driver may consume an alcoholic beverage or possess an open container of such while operating a motor vehicle, but passengers may consume alcohol. The bill sponsor, in his opening remarks, said this policy invites drivers to drink as long as there is a passenger to which they can “pass the bottle.”

The bill experienced some resistance in subcommittee last week, when members expressed concern over the ability of sober drivers to take friends home who are drinking, and also regarding sporting events, such as University of Tennessee football games. The same questions and concerns were raised this week, delaying the legislation once again.

In 2006, there were 1,287 fatalities on Tennessee roads with 509 due to alcohol-related crashes, a 7.6 percent increase from the previous year. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among persons between the ages of 3 and 33, with 50% of the victims being in alcohol-related crashes. In addition, fifty-two percent of drivers that were involved in alcohol-related fatalities had BAC levels at or above .16.

Republicans argued that in addition to saving lives, the law would produce only positive revenue for the state, and would also allow $13 million in federal funds to be used for projects such as roads—currently, the money has very specified uses, restricting the state’s ability to use it as efficiently as possible. They also pointed out that 40 states have adopted such a measure, with several more considering it this year.

Tennessee has only five of the eleven elements proposed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) who have designed model legislation for a comprehensive approach to lowering the incidence of DUI in states. In addition to lowering the level for extreme drunk driving, NTSB also urges adoption of legislation to enhance vehicle impoundment, zero tolerance or lowering blood alcohol levels for repeat offenders, and enactment of an automatic license revocation program (ALR). The NTSB claims ALR is a major factor proven to reduce alcohol-related car crashes. Without ALR, the offender can get back on the road as soon as they are sober enough to drive.

Finally, the NTSB urged passage of a more uniform and mandatory system for installation of interlock devices to immobilize the vehicle of a drunk driver upon detection of alcohol in their body. Interlock devices are small pieces of equipment attached to the steering wheel of a car with a tube that the driver must breathe into in order to allow the ignition to start. Republicans are focused on passing many of these DUI laws this year in their comprehensive package, bringing Tennessee up to speed with the majority of states in the nation.

Flag bill nearly scuttled in committee

House Bill 3155 was nearly scuttled in the State and Local Committee this week, over concerns by the Bredesen Administration. The Republican bill would require the governor to proclaim a day of mourning and to fly the state flag at half-staff over the state Capitol whenever a Tennessee member of the armed services is killed in action or dies from combat-related wounds, after which the flag would be delivered to the deceased member’s family. The administration argued that the law should only apply to local government buildings, noting that the flags at the Capitol are lowered for occasions and not individuals.

The Republican sponsor said the measure was not controversial, but simply a way to honor Tennessee’s brave men and women who give their life for our country. With the concerns unresolved, the bill was deferred until next week.

In brief…

• A bill that will change the spring sales tax holiday has passed the full House. The bill will move the spring sales tax holiday from March 21-March 23 to April 25- April 27, so that the holiday will not fall on Easter. The Senate has already approved the measure, and the Governor is expected to sign it soon.
• House Bill 3943 passed Education Committee this week, and will next be heard in Finance, Ways and Means Committee. The bill, if passed, would allow teachers to take leave without penalty to visit a spouse, child, or parent deployed for military duty.
• A House Joint Resolution that urges the Governor to establish a goal of reducing fuel consumption by at least 15 percent in the state’s vehicle fleet by 2010 passed the State and Local Government Committee this week. The Republican sponsor pointed toward the recent trend to more environmentally friendly vehicles, believing that the state should set an example. The bill is expected to reach the House floor soon.
• In the same vein, House Bill 2794 would add alternative fuel and hybrid-electric motor vehicles to the present list of vehicles authorized to drive in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The bill passed out of the Public Transportation subcommittee, and will next face the full Transportation Committee.

The week ahead…

• House Bill 2511 prohibits investigative or enforcement actions of violations of environmental laws based solely on information submitted by an anonymous source (Environment)
• House Bill 2633 replaces authorization for the Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance to regulate boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts with a new athletic commission (Commerce)
• House Bill 3991 creates new Class E and D felony offenses of assault on law enforcement officer; and Class B felony offense of aggravated assault on law enforcement officer (Judiciary)
• House Bill 2949 requires regulating entities to notify a holder of a license, certification, or registration of applicable laws and changes in applicable laws (State & Local Government)
• House Bill 2978 requires .5% reduction of sales tax on food in next fiscal year when surplus revenues exceed $50,000,000 in current fiscal year (Government Operations)
• House Bill 3399 requires local law enforcement agencies to increase patrols around high schools whose students are at risk of being exposed to criminal activity before or after school (Education)
• House Bill 2587 clarifies that kerosene sold directly to a consumer for residential use is tax exempt (Budget Subcommittee)
• The House will likely take up a resolution during the Monday session that states their position on the boundary dispute raised by the General Assembly of Georgia. House Joint Resolution 919 states that “the Tennessee-Georgia boundary has been properly established.”

Last fall, there was an article in the Leaf Chronicle [10.12.07] titled, Fort Campbell General stresses suicide prevention. It reported that with nine suicides for the year, and 16 deaths pending investigation, and with three suicides in the last two weeks, the general said:

“This is unacceptable and it must stop. I want everyone associated with Fort Campbell to take pause, and to focus on what we can do as a community to reverse this trend.”

According to the Fort Campbell Courier, [12.20.07 vol. 43, no. 51], Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Commanding General at Fort Campbell, made suicide prevention his priority since he took command in 2006. He expanded the “buddy care” program, which has soldiers watching out for each other, to “unit watch,” a program used by commanders when a soldier has suicidal thoughts. Now he is training families to recognize signs through “Building Family Resiliency” programs. He was quoted as saying:

“The individual has got to take personal responsibility. They have got to take responsibility for themselves and realize that they can save their own lives. It comes back to the individual.”

An army wife spoke out about these articles and about what was going on at the base because of the suicide scares. This is her view, in her words:

I only became aware of these “programs” when there was apparently an increase in suicides in the November/December time frame.

At first I thought they had to be kidding.

The approach seemed to be such a knee jerk reaction and was basically like a lockdown. It seemed to be good for command but not for soldiers or families. It was said by a few soldiers that it had even been discussed to simply move all the soldiers on post until they left for deployment. A 75 mile radius without approved leave was instated.

My husband suddenly had to do two formations a day — am and pm. If his commander was not present they had to wait for the commander to show up — so sometimes they’d be waiting around for hours.

So during that last month together we felt the grip tighten and it was very uncomfortable in terms of having reasonable last weeks as a family. Deployment is hard enough without adding this type of stress. It was highly dysfunctional. There was nothing official given to the family. To my knowledge we were not addressed at all.

I remember thinking how reactionary this was, and how anyone with any sense at all in a management or leadership level should consult with psychiatric professionals on the matter. I do not believe this ever happened.

The reaction was so harsh to all of the soldiers and their families that it is a miracle it didn’t cause further damage in suicide rates. It certainly heightened the stress levels. It was so obvious a cover-yourself-paper-trail reaction. It felt like the command was incensed that these soldiers would do this (suicide) on their watch.

I never saw any concern as to the WHY or the CAUSE of this increase. It is no secret that this command has been less than supportive of its people. When I did a scant amount of research and found further documentation that this leadership places full responsibility for soldiers not being able to cope with deployment stress squarely on the shoulders of those soldiers, I was furious and disgusted.

The increase in deployment rotation no longer allows for families and soldiers to readjust fully and complete the emotional deployment cycle before they re-enter the next deployment cycle emotionally.

So the fact that this type of stress and reaction is placed solely at the soldier’s feet is absolutely wrong. I also find absolute absurdity and irony in the idea of “battle buddy” as prevention to suicide — especially if the soldier is to take responsibility for himself and his own actions. People who are at the level of being suicidal aren’t going to call some randomly assigned “buddy” to help them through it. Besides, they hand these soldiers weapons and these soldiers handle multi-million dollar equipment, but they need to be assigned a battle buddy to prevent them from killing themselves? I would certainly love to see the psychiatric basis for any of these decisions as well as the considered psychological impact on the family.

Do I feel like this command gave a damn about these soldiers or their families? Not at all. I think this command was concerned with the professional and political impact this (suicide rates) would have on their individual career. Is that a strong opinion-you bet it is!

What really amazes me is that this problem was bad enough to put these high level restrictions on our lives but not one single news outlet picked this up. The media should be ashamed if they knew and said nothing. I’ve heard rumors that this has been one of the worst years at Fort Campbell ever and that it’s possibly the worst rate Army wide.

But who’s to tell-none of the numbers are being released-just those of us going on with our daily lives being basically punished because some commander is furious that soldiers are so depressed that they have felt it necessary to resort to suicide.

My husband told me the way they assess risk is with a standard question matrix that they all had to submit to. A spreadsheet isn’t going to tell you accurately who is truly at risk. What is overwhelming emotionally to one person may be not a big deal to another. If “this must stop!” then why not bring in professionals? They have the access to them but they are too concerned with their career to do the right thing. It’s easier to blame the victim.

Someone once said “The first sure sign of lack of control is over-control.” How is it no one seemed to notice something was so desperately wrong over at Fort Campbell and so obviously out of control? Where are our representatives and our senators? Where are the reporters? Why did no one seem to notice this thing?

Local therapist responds …

Polly Coe, a Clarksville-based mental health therapist working with troops, said she has heard such comments,concerns and frustrations many times over. Coe writes:

I have heard comments just like the ones of the soldier’s wife quoted many times over, and I quite agree with her. The buddy approach is a farce. Understandably, the Army tends to suspect suicidal ideation as a means to get out of deployment. However, it is ignoring the clear fact that suicides are increasing and is not looking at why.

Between the second and recent third deployments, many soldiers I saw did not want to go on the next deployment. Primarily, they did not want to be gone from their families that long – e.g.:15 months. But even some of the Special Forces guys, who have shorter but more frequent rotations, have also expressed frustration at the inability to have a decent family life.

I have not worked with any suicidal soldiers. However, a couple seriously discussed harming themselves to avoid deployment. Relatively few of the enlisted soldiers and NOC’s whom I saw “believe in” these wars, although officers tend to buy into the wars more. Many of the enlisted soldiers do not seem to think that they are fighting for freedom or against the terrorists. They feel that their efforts are wasted, that they are risking their lives to do missions that will be undone the minute they turn their backs or go to the next town.

The soldiers with families are also aware of the impact their absence has on their families. Starting last summer, before the third deployments, I started seeing a lot of boys, age 10-14, sons of soldiers, who confided in me that they feared that Dad wouldn’t survive the third deployment, that he will finally be killed. I couldn’t promise them that their dad would make it, so this was heart breaking work as a therapist.

I would love an honest survey of the military who have to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan – how many believe that they are making a difference, improving the lives of the locals, saving the U.S. from terrorists? How many would volunteer to go? Perhaps the reason for the increased suicidality is the increasing disillusionment of the soldiers with the war.

Coe has frequently spoken out about the impact the war and multiple extended deployments has had on soldiers and their families across the country.

American’s are highly skeptical about the notion of progress in Iraq, with only 11% polling responding that they are “pleased” with the results of the war. Yet Americans seem resigned to the fact that US troops are going to remain in Iraq. The simple fact is that the United States cannot afford to continue this war. In addition to the complete lack of international support for Bush’s folly, the middle class can no longer afford to pay for the war. The national debt is at an all time high of $9.1 trillion dollars and Congress has appropriated another $580 billion dollars in military spending, far in excess of the actual amount of appropriations needed to defend the national security .

The United States Senate has sent a message to the American people, that they do not care about them or about their future. By voting in line with the President the Senate has showed that what it cares about most are defense appropriations and handing out thousands of spending contracts. This makes sense in light of the fact that the Senate is composed mostly of millionaires, as almost 50% of the Senate is in this category, while in the US population as whole only about 1% are millionaires. The investment interest of the current class of Senators is heavily weighted towards money and much less toward people or the American interest.

Then there is the military . . .

According to a recent poll from the Center for American Progress, the Bush administration is doing a remarkably poor job of helping out veterans and their families. Military families have turned sharply against the Bush administration, with only 35% responding favorably when asked if their needs were being met. The Senate does not have a clear direction for the war in Iraq and it is relying on the Bush administration for leadership on this war that the President has unilaterally led us into. What the Senate should be doing is exercising leadership of its own, by rejecting the Omnibus Spending Bill, reducing federal spending for the war in Iraq, and bringing our troops home.

By spending another $70 billion dollars on a failed war, we are only prolonging the inevitable withdrawal. Although Americans feel ambiguous about their responsibilities to the Iraqi people, the Iraqi people do not feel nearly so ambiguous. They want the troops out and they want their country returned. We have bombed their country, killed their people, created two million refugees and polluted their country with depleted uranium, and still the Senate thinks we should stay the course and that we are making progress.

It is time to end the war and bring the troops home. Tennessee deserves progressive leadership and deserves a candidate who will stand up for common sense and not for private contractors and military appropriations. We have lost to many good men and women, created too much devastation and human misery because of our narrow sighted actions in the middle east. It is time for us to face up to our mistakes and begin to reconcile ourselves with the international community. It is time to begin reducing our national debt, reducing our military spending and stepping out of the post cold-war mentality of the neo-cons. It is time to bring the troops home now!

Paradise is the second part of O’Malley’s famous war trilogy and is set amidst the horrifying conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorists. The play follows the lives of two young girls, one Israeli and one Palestinian who in another place could have been friends. O’Malley follows their lives, their teenage crushes, their dreams as the cloud and horror of war looms over them and colors their world.

The show was first requested by The Cincinnati Playhouse as part of its educational outreach, but in the Post 9-11 world, the tour was cancelled and a threat was made to cease the production. However, the play eventually opened to a sold out opening night at the Kirk Theatre on New York’s Theatre Row in March 2005 for a limited run, and has since played to standing room only audiences through out the United States.

While O’Malley was a playwright at APSU, he often pointed the tragic events of 9-11 as the genesis for his war trilogy. The playwright spent the last five years of his life probing the psyches of religious fanatics, who commit unfathomable atrocities in the name of their God, and the victims of those atrocities. What O’Malley reminds us of in his trilogy is that those victims are not just on the battlefield, but also in those left behind at home during war, or in this case, two little girls caught up in a conflict they do not understand in a world that seems to be falling apart little by little around them.

While at Austin Peay, Glynn O’Malley met the widow of a fallen Fort Campbell soldier. Eventually, O’Malley established the Sgt. Ariel Rico Memorial Scholarship designated for the children of dead or wounded soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division. APSU’s production is directed by Dr. Sarah Gotcher, a long-time friend and associate of O’Malley. The play will run from Wednesday through Sunday with shows at 7:30 PM and a 2:00 PM matinee show on Sunday. The cost is $4.00 for students and $6.00 for General Admissions. Dr. Gotcher, respecting the wishes of O’Malley, has stated that all proceeds from the production will be given to the Sgt. Ariel Rico Scholarship. To reserve tickets call the Trahern Theatre ticket booth at (931) 221-7379.

But the right response now is to engage Iran diplomatically. Use sanctions against their terrorist elements as a way of underscoring our purpose, but talk, and talk without pre-conditions to explore their interests, understand their motives, and seek some common interests.

Right now the angry rhetoric and saber-rattling is a boon to the most hard-line, anti-American elements in their government. It strengthens their grip, intimidates moderates, and confuses our allies around the world, who want to see Iran’s hegemonic aspirations contained without the use of force.

We should send a top level mission into the region, just as Bill Clinton did in the Balkans, and talk to all parties, both inside and outside Iraq. Armed with a statement of principles, some inducements, and a sharp explanation of the consequences of failure, we might well craft some understandings that could help pave a successful US exit from Iraq, check Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons, and reassure anxious neighbors.

I reject the use of force at this time. While all agree that Iran should not be permitted to acquire nuclear weaponry, the intelligence that has been shared with me suggests there is still time for a diplomatic initiative, not only to head off their nuclear plans but also to persuade Iran to end its military assistance to militia inside Iraq. Surely the United States will have the wisdom and courage to try diplomacy first, and save the use of force for a last, last, last resort.

Visit StopIranWar.com to find out what else you can do to help stop this war before it starts!

About Gen Wesley K. Clark Ret.

During thirty-four years of service in the United States Army Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. In 2004 Wesley Clark was a Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

In December, 2001, I reluctantly went to Ground Zero, to the pile of debris, the hole in the ground, the shattered remnants of buildings that had been the World Trade Center complex in downtown Manhattan. As so many others had already done, I inhaled the dusty air, some of which may have been human once.

I stood on the gallery of a church, leaning against one of its columns, staring aghast at the immensity of the devastation. Rubble. Piles of rubble. Behind makeshift fences and barriers. Designed to keep out a steady stream of the curious and the mournful.

I looked skyward, from ground level up to the top of a faceless building, exterior walls gone, the world privy to the angle of every desk and chair and file cabinet in the now wall-less, fully ventilated window offices. Huge loosely hung sheets of black tarp fell a hundred stories from roofline to sidewalk, and running high across the that roofline, touching the clear blue sky above, was a multi-story American flag.

I remembered so many times before,walking across the plaza, riding the elevator to Windows on the World, dining with my mother as the panorama of the Big Apple glittered around us. Seemed like yesterday.

I was oblivious to the actual event as it happened; I was thousands of miles away, in another hemisphere, on a slick, mossy corduroy path, photographing bromeliads, bamboo, palms and flowers in 110 degree Amazon heat. No phone. TV. Radio. Just a guide, a few fellow travelers, a National Geographic photographer filming birds, native cooks preparing tropical delicacies like tiger catfish, and the chatter of colorful noisy macaws. I was soaked to the skin with sweat, reveling in the majesty of the towering rainforest.

In my photographic journal, I made a haunting notation: 9-11-01. Pink flower. 9 a.m. In the presence of such exquisite beauty, I was oblivious to the horror unfolding to the rest of the world.

It was only a day later, when a supply boat made an unscheduled stop at our camp, that I learned what happened. The sketchiest of details. Almost no information at all. By lantern light, beneath a thatched roof with the night sounds of the jungle around us, a small group of us, from the USA, England, Germany and Australia, scanned the pictorial front page of a damp Peruvian paper. Everything in the Amazon was damp.

La Guerra. The headline spread from edge to edge. Big block letters. Superimposed over a picture of President Bush flanked by the burning, smoke-spewing towers. Long on image; short on detail, and none of us fluent in Spanish. Our guide and a teacher helped translate the meager news. As far as we knew, a war had started. We were ahead of ourselves. As we slowly comprehended the enormity of it all, firefighters (above right) were deep in debris, trying to save lives, sometimes at the expense of their own. I sat in the rainforest and wrote.

“We still have no information on the terrorism. It is as if we are in a microcosm, a sanctuary cut off from the world. Our sanctuary is also our oasis from the horror… there is great peace here, and and expectation to live simply and simply live. We could learn much from these old but far from simple people. This Amazon has much to teach us, and is a great leveler.”

– Journal entry, 9-16-01

It was only at the end of the week, at the Chavez Airport in Lima, that we learned about the true enormity of death and destruction. Horror-stricken, my companion and I joined thousands of tourists now calling the airport concourse home. For days. Cancelled flights, poor communications, worried relatives. Army tanks outside the plate glass windows, flags at half mast, soldiers in heavy boots marching back and forth through the airport with assault weapons at the ready. American Airlines in frazzled disarray. We huddled in shadowy corners, sleeping on marble floors, piled up against each other and our luggage (above left). Not knowing — anything.

There were no newspapers or magazines; TVs had been removed. A single computer in a small phone booth area could be rented for 30 American cents an hour; we collected messages and addresses, booked the computer for an hour at a time, and held the places in line for those who made the necessary internet connections and bulk-emailed messages for everyone else. Mass e-mailings. Short messages. “What’s happening” and “We are okay, just stranded.”

To this day, despite having made the pilgrimage to the Mecca of ground zero, I still feel a disconnect from the events of that week. I always will, I guess. I didn’t live through it, was not saturated with the immediacy of news coverage, didn’t have a clue of its enormity.

I was moving in a different world, an isolated world of peace, beauty, spirituality and the most basic living, in tandem with natives who still travel hundreds of miles over rivers in dugouts just to see a single doctor in a ramshackle shed or a shaman with a healing garden. A different world. One without such weapons of mass destruction.

I don’t diminish what happened in New York City; not by any means. There are no words that will ever completely describe it. The absolute horror of it.

But today, even as many Americans mourn, even as many question some of the events of that day, even as we fight the wrong enemy in the wrong country while the true instigators remain untouched and taunting us, even as our soldiers continue to die in this “retaliatory” fight based on untruths, we must take a moment to mourn. A moment of silence. Not just for the dead in the towers. But the dead in Iraq — women, children, elderly, innocents and our soldiers. A moment of silence to think about what the right response is, or should be.

The numbers didn’t stop with the 3000 who died at Ground Zero.

The numbers continue to surge past 3,774 (as of 7 p.m. 9/10/07) U.S. soldiers killed and the hundreds of coalition troops who have died.

The number of innocents slaughtered in Iraq can be measured in the tens of thousands and grows day by day.

The number of people whose hearts, minds and spirits and bodies are warped and twisted by war escalates; physical and mental trauma doesn’t recognize borders and number too many.

So we must take a moment to mourn.

And then we must move on.

For there are decisions to be made, political and social battles to be fought, and a country or two and thousands of people to be mended. We have been fiscally and emotionally and politically bankrupted by the fallout from those first few hours of what should have been an ordinary workday on September 11.

My mother, in one of our many discussions about everything and anything some ten years before she died, once said of her own death, “Mourn as you must, but honor me most by continuing to live and be the best that you can be.”

Yes, we need to think about that. And what that “best” might be. And move on to achieve it.