-- SEX POLITICS RELIGION ARTS -- SERIOUS AND HUMOROUS --
It is just a place to come with an open mind,
though ours are not always-Please tell us if they're not!
The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq’s descent into guerrilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw-dropping, insider’s tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003) as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts.
This haunting film examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy – the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military – largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today. How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions?
It vividly dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush Administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.
“I think this decision to disband the [Iraqi] Army came as a surprise to most of us…” Q: What was your reaction? “I thought we had just created a problem. We had a lot of out of work [Iraqi] soldiers.” – our interview with Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State
NO END IN SIGHT alternates between U.S. policy decisions and Iraqi consequences, systematically dissecting the Bush Administration’s decisions. The consequences of those decisions now include 3,000 American deaths and 20,000 American wounded, Iraq on the brink of civil war, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, the strengthening of Iran, the weakening of the U.S. military, and economic costs of over $2 trillion. It marks the first time Americans will be allowed inside the White House, Pentagon, and Baghdad’s Green Zone to understand for themselves what has become the disintegration of Iraq.
"Our aim, like the United States is, step-by-step, to move control to the Iraqi authorities," Brown said, joining Bush at a news conference at this mountaintop presidential retreat at CAMP DAVID, Md.
All of this boils down to men who come running to "take control" when those they consider "children" fall down and scrape their knees. Sometimes, the best thing is for dad to stay at work and let the children grow up. Instead of this "step-by-step" approach, sometimes you just have to throw the kids in the deep end and stand prepared should they begin to drown, but let's not assume they will.
This statement by British Prime Minister Brown echoes a hundreds of years old patriarchal view by the US and England, as if they are still legitimately delegated the position of policemen for the world. We hear things like this and just nod our arrogant Anglo heads in the assumption that "someone's gotta do it... if not us who?" The answer is clear to all but us; the world community is made up of sovereign nations who don't need a daddy. The only time we need to intercede is when one nation breaks the sovereignty of another, and sometimes when our assistance is requested to quell internal strife. Even then, we must sometimes say, "No".
Iraq is perfectly willing to let us do their job for them, to take the heat as it were, literally 115F degrees, while they take vacations. Bush and Brown are perfectly willing to do it as it feeds their corporate masters of the military industrial complex. It's all about business for them, and we have to get it through our heads that this exercise of imperialism for business sake is an unacceptable justification for the loss of life. Yes, people die anyway, everywhere, but it is not always our job to augment their deaths with those of our soldiers.
There is no pride in dying for corporate profits when it has nothing to do with the defense of our nation. In fact, these same men, if posted properly within the US, could clearly enhance our defense against potential foreign action.
How many times must it be said that there are limited resources and anyone you put outside our country is no longer available to directly defend our nation? Meanwhile, their occupation feeds a resentment that actually decreases the quality of our security by creating an impetus for insurgencies.
It is time for we children to tell our daddies that we no longer believe they should run the family. They have put us in greater danger and have destroyed our reputation as keepers of the flame.
USS Carrier Nimitz and supporting battle compliment off the coast of Iran
It is very painful to hear from someone you love while they serve in the US military, but if we didn't hear from them, we are left with the fear that things may have gone awry.
It is difficult for me to share this letter from my Nephew, but he would like for America to know the human side of this massive military show of force. And sometimes, show of force is the very thing that prevents war. Sometimes, it just scares countries into increasing weapons production. Who ever knows?
There are 16,000 personnel on these ships above and beyond the buildup in Iraq. It is really an intimidating site to see and the part they don't see is underwater with full compliments of nuclear weapons. The planes are in the air constantly off the Iranian coast and God only knows what must go through the minds of the simple people of that country.
We can only pray that our leaders will avoid doing anything that will force us into many more years of death and war.
Iran is a beautiful and ancient land, Persia, as it was once known, and its leaders are not a refection of the beliefs of its people. Sometimes we forget, wars are between leaders, but the deaths and destruction is born by the people.
We must never forget that Iranian President Ahmadinijad no more represents all his people than Bush represents all the US, yet it is they who will either deliver us from evil or into a bloody conflict the likes of which none of us could imagine.
LTJG Nick Hall and shipmates, USS Nimitz
Good Afternoon from the Iranian coast, Sometimes it’s hard to write everyone out here, whether it’s because our email service isn't working or secured or we are just being worked to death, so these emails make it easier to write home so I don’t leave anybody out. Things are keeping busy for the NIMITZ lately. You may have seen in the papers that we just steamed 3 battle groups together into the Straits of Hormuz off the coast of Iran. Obviously someone higher up has us parading around in a show of force for political reasons. Whatever the case, It certainly is a sight when you see some of these small fishing boats or Arabian dowhs and they are trucking along right next to the Carrier and the other 7 or 8 warships.
We will being doing a lot of operations out here and then may be back home in late ****. Talking with my detailer, I will possibly be receiving orders to Charleston, SC and moving with Ashley back east in January, but that is still not confirmed. Like anything in the military, I am waiting on an answer.
Due to our email being secured, I missed MOTHER’s DAY, so Happy Late Mother’s Day mom, I hope you liked the card.
Ashley started a HR position at ***, a company based out of San Diego that works on Military Technology, including some naval equipment that I am familiar with. So she is excited, call and congratulate her if you get a chance. Keep on truckin'!
I will attach some more pictures to this email. Some are of our recent Beer Day that we had on-board, yes the Navy drinks beer. The rule is, if you are out at sea longer than 45 days, Uncle Sam owes you a couple beers and we have been at sea since I left, so it was well deserved. The other pictures are of the battle group marching around so enjoy. Hope to hear from all of you soon.
P.S. Can someone forward this to Grandpa and send me his address, the one I have isn’t working.
Lieutenant Junior Grade NICK HALL AWEPS / SHIPS GUNNER WEAPONS DEPARTMENT USS NIMITZ
“Duty is the most sublime word in the English Language” Robert E. Lee, c1857
Editor's Note: Anytime a part of the US military shows force without actually fighting, it is solely for political and diplomatic impact. This should go without saying. "Parade rest".
As for readers, reading something into an article that wasn't written; welcome to journalism.
Nick is well aware I am a professional writer and I would say the same to him as anyone. Anything someone doesn't want repeated, it is THEIR responsibility to request it be off the record and to receive confirmation before they continue, according to journalism practice and the law regarding news.
There are NO private communications with reporters unless both parties agree it's private.
Neither Nick nor I would be ashamed of anything in his letter or article. He's a fine man;his words should not be paraphrased, nor mine.
A reticent tear drifted wearily down my cheek. It was December 8, 1980 and John Lennon was dead.
The winter sky was grayer, the wind was colder, and I was only vaguely aware of the stinging rain on my skin which now seemed so very far away . I was in complete solitude walking the Delaware Bay... shoreline at dusk.
The world was without color at that moment and I was numb. Later that evening I found myself in the company of some equally numbed friends fashioning a raft of flotsam, driftwood, and twigs. We tied it together with seaweed and dune grass; placed photos of John on it and dowsed it with gasoline. We then ignited the raft and pushed it out to sea.
After the initial “whoosh” of the raft igniting, all sound ceased as we stood watching John’s Viking funeral pyre make its way towards the horizon growing smaller and dimmer silhouetted by the indistinct shadow of the Cape May - Lewes Ferry in the distance. No one spoke.
The sea and wind were silent, and no music played. It was all we could do. Silence was the only music that seemed fit. All rests, no more notes.
GOD
Written in 1970 by John Lennon
God is a Concept by which
we measure our pain
I'll say it again
God is a Concept by which
we measure our pain
I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I-ching
I don't believe in Bible
I don't believe in Tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in Mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in Yoga
I don't believe in Kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me...and that reality
The dream is over
What can I say?
the Dream is Over
Yesterday
I was the ... Dreamweaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the Walrus
But now I'm John
and so dear friends
you'll just have to carry on
The Dream is over
I won’t attempt to address the paradigm shift the Beatles brought with them to the Limelight.
Suffice it to say it was not small. Yet you could sum up their entire body of work by simply saying the underlying theme of it all was “Love.”
John Lennon was a man of sharp wit, piercing intelligence, boundless creativity, and strong spirit. Despite his unprecedented celebrity he always remained “one of us”. He used his celebrity to further the cause of peace in the world. Have you ever noticed how it seems anyone with a message of peace is violently removed from the planet?
From Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr.
From Jesus of Nazareth to John Lennon.
From Robert Kennedy to Steve Biko. (I think Bono and Peter Gabriel best watch their step!)
For those who may be unfamiliar: John’s strong nonviolent stance against war was perceived as a threat by both Richard M. Nixon & J. Edgar Hoover. They brought their considerable powers to bear in an effort to have John deported.
Take a look at this FBI file on John Lennon released through the Freedom of Information Act. (FOIA)
Not much information; not much freedom either.
These files were released to University of California, Irvine, historian Jon Wiener, who wrote about them in his book "Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files." Portions of the files had been withheld under the claim that releasing them would "endanger the national security."
With the help of the ACLU of Southern California, Jon Wiener sued the FBI asking the courts to order release of the withheld portions of the Lennon file. Here is that same document after the suit.
The 2 words released appear to be
"stated that"
At the trial the FBI claimed the text contains "intelligence information gathered by the United States about or from a foreign country, group or individual."
Release of the information on this page, according to the FBI, "can reasonably be expected to lead to foreign diplomatic, economic and military retaliation against the United States."
The withheld information remains the subject of litigation.
There is one more file to see, and it is a "Wanted" Flyer issued for John's deportation hearing.
That's not even Lennon. How much more about these documents is erroneous?
John Lennon was one of the most familiar faces in the world at this time yet that is not John Lennon’s picture in this FBI “wanted poster”. It is an East Village street singer named David Peel.
I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Strange days indeed...
Most peculiar mama.
Now, without further ado,
I give you the officious
DC Posthumous Interview
with John Lennon.
DC-
John, how are things outside of the space time continuum?
JL- Existing without physical form is a gas.
DC- How do you find Eternity?
JL- Turn left at purgatory. (Chuckles)
DC Is there a God?
JL- If you want it.
DC- What kinds of things are you doing now?
JL- I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round, I really love to watch them roll, No longer riding on the merry-go-round, just had to let it go.
DC- John, how about music? Are you still making music?
JL- George and I were just jamming with Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham on drums, Sun Ra on the keys, 'the Ox' (John Entwistle) on bass. It was pretty interesting.
Yesterday, I did a session with Al Einstein and Thomas Jefferson adding a little sweetening with their violins. We did a track last week with Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, Charlie Parker, and believe it or not, Richard Nixon called on his "Hell phone" and wanted to sing.
DC- Did you let him?
JL- Nah, none of us liked him in life, I can’t say he’s any better in death. And he sure as hell can’t sing. Besides all the silverware disappeared the last time we let sit in. He kept jabbering about dancing on the heads of punks and erasing our master tapes as well.
DC- Do you pay any attention to the goings on back on earth?
JL- Well to let you in on a joke, Keith Moon and I do visit from time to time.
DC- Really?
JL- Have you ever woken up inexplicably worn out and tired in the morning?
DC- More often than not.
JL- It’s because while your sleeping, Keith and I shimmy down the silver cords that connect your souls to the great sempiternal beyond, then we take your bodies on a 'lost weekend' (heh heh.)
We usually get kicked out of every pub within 600,000 light-years before returning your body. Sometimes Graham Chapman comes along and we end up heckling Tommy Smothers just for old times sake, you know mate. it’s against the laws of metaphysics but we were always a bit rebellious. (Chuckles, lights a cigarette and inhales deeply)
Ahh… one nice thing about being a bloody aeriform spectre; No health to look after! You know you should enjoy that physical form while you can. It’s the one thing I miss. That, and existing in the same dimensions with my family and friends.
Although, I’m always there in a sense, as long as I‘m remembered.
DC- That explains a lot. John, do you follow current events back on earth?
JL- We get satellite TV but it takes years for the signals to travel here. You see those Tralfamadorians over there with Kurt Vonnegut? They’ve been observing American Tele for a long time. They think Gilligan is the the leader of the earth people.
Of course, when Kurt arrived and heard that, he rolled on the noise floor, laughing. Then he said sadly “… it was pretty much the truth.”
So it goes.
I read Duly Consider on the ether net, that was a nice article on the nature of music last week by the way. Fripp is trippy and Eno is a hoot!
DC- Thanks, John! We are honored! Aside from your elegantly surreal lyrics and prodigious musical contributions, you were always a great campaigner for the cause of world peace.
Is there anything you would like to say to those of us you had to leave behind?
JL- I said it while I was there with you. I’m saddened by all the wars and violence. War is over if you want it. I don't believe in killing whatever the reason! If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, but that's their problem.
Love and peace are eternal.
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
(Imagine ...John Lennon's responses are a combination of the author's imagination and actual Lennon quotes.)
Peace, Benjamin New
Visit ---- The John Lennon Artificial intelligence site
DC Editor's Note: In this week when the 'moral majority' are mourning the death of a man who claimed to be a Christian who favored the death and dying of millions to starvation, war, pestilence and AIDS; Duly Consider remembers John Lennon who gladly represented the so called 'immoral minority' as he opposed all that pretense that has been a whole generation of haters!
These are extraordinary books by extraordinarily qualified authors. The most prolific researchers on Islam today, they still can't get a date with George W. Bush.
The conversant yet transcendent styles are accessible to all reading levels and should be required for all Americans who pretend to actually care about solving the problems that face us in the middle east.
Reza Azlan pens this pervasive book and just as it is complete, Vali Nasr finishes one more definitive book on the Shia Revivalentitled the same, as a window the size of your living room into the problems and solutions for Iraq and surrounding Islamic nations. It is clear that our current administration has zero interest in actually ending this war, as their goal is not peace in the middle east, but profit from war.
Though it is clear the Islamic world sees no other way to get to heaven but by Allah, they certainly are not in agreement on what Allah looks like or how he wants his people to proceed. As the Shia and Sunni are much like Catholics and Protestants are to the Christian world, they are far too worried about how they will get along to worry about trying to convert the US or anyone else outside of the Middle East. Sure, they believe we will come around to their way of thinking but not by war but by revelation by their true God, Allah.
According to author Reza Azlan, if the US pulled out of Iraq immediately, the first thing that both the Shia and Sunni would agree on would be the elimination of Al Quaeda and the second would be to guarantee peace and stability to Iraq, as they care more about sustaining peace there than anyone in the US government. What is stopping us from following that advice? Well, maybe it has something to do with the absolute closed eyes and ears of the Whitehouse to anything that would stop the flow of money out of average American's hands into the Military Industrial Complex. This war is all about maintaining palatial Imperial Life in the Emerald City for the occupiers of this war torn country. But... that's another book.
