the guy by the door …

My first choice of course was Elizabeth Kucinich. Dennis probably would be the best in the history of First Spice.

I’ve seen more Obama energy in and near Harvard Yard than any other candidate. Not a lot, but more than anyone else. If it comes down to it, I’ll gladly spend the hour it will take to vote for Obama. Hopefully, it will be an Obama-Edwards ticket. But the candidates “left standing” are all waffling on the Regional War in the Middle East. What’s wrong with America being number one in sustainable economic development? Or are we dedicated to My Lai on a regional scale? We have to destroy the region to save it?

We have a Supreme Court, largely Harvard trained, who clearly violated the legislative intent of the Constitution in 2000 and will be in place for another generation. A Congress unable to stop funding escalation in the region despite the Tide of ‘06 and a President who “signs away” a restriction on building a permanent presence and proposes to put more weapons in the region.

If we wait a year for change, it will be impossible. We need to be moving now, by every means possible.

Assembly at Noon

He wasn’t in uniform. I thought his boots meant construction, but he said, “destruction.” He’s a United States Marine on leave from Iraq for a month. He’s going back for 9 more. I made no attempt talk him into resisting. Nor could I, like Radar O’Reilly, say, “Stay low, fella.” Improvised Explosive Devices, you see, are usually on or in the ground. All I could say was, “Watch yourself.”

“Will do.”

We can’t wait for an election which will give us a choice of people who will ‘manage’ a situation that the Neo-Cons, even as you read, are wiring to last a long, long time.

If we cannot reach them¹, we must impeach them.

Time for the Harvard Cambridge peace walk².

Update: The National Defense Authorization Act excludes use of funds for permanent military bases in Iraq. George W. Bush released a signing statement that he intends to ignore that provision. Joseph A. Palermo finds this to be yet another reason to impeach and Gary Hart calls this lastest move in the NeoCon plan what it is: the Burden of Empire.

¹The ship has pretty much sailed on that one.

²Noon every Wednesday. Meet at the John Harvard Statue i.e. The Statue of At Least Three Lies. The Berkman server clock is wrong by an hour.

But the sky is gay.

I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day.

Mark works on the trees,

While the students are away.

——————–

I have no idea how the Reverand Gomes feels about the cold,

but I’m told he’s a hell of a preacher, if you’ll pardon my french.

Updated, January 25

They came to deliver food and medical supplies for an international relief convoy to Gaza this Saturday January 26:

Gaza has other problems:

Clean the Water, Turn on the Lights,
Stop the War on Human Rights.

The demonstrators view the Israeli blockade in response to Hamas rockets as:

Collective Punishment

They wanted to speak with the Israeli Consul and ask him to let the convoy through:

But they were turned away:

There were some goyim¹ and the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights might include some Palestinians, but mostly the were Jews - Jews for Human Rights in Gaza and Jewish Voices for Peace - and the Israeli Consul would not see them.

Saturday, January 26, Local: Campaign to Break the Siege of Gaza, 12noon-1pm, Harvard Sq., Cambridge (in front of Au Bon Pain) On that day that Israeli peace groups will attempt to enter the Gaza Strip with a convoy of essential supplies and medicines. Gaza no longer has sufficient fuel to keep its power station running. Hospitals and homes are dark and cold, remaining food stocks are being spoiled, the water and sewage infrastructure is breaking down. We American taxpayers — who make this collective punishment possible — must raise our voices. Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights

¹Reverand Ralph, though sporting an Anglican collar, is Unitarian. Ah, those Unitarians, such an unruly bunch. God love ‘em. And as I’ve mentioned before, I am Pennsylvania Dutch.

Gotta get on the Red Line. More latta…

Jewish Voice For Peace Boston, and Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights have announced:

Protest at the Israeli Consulate Boston to demand Israel stop the Blockade of Gaza, which is leading to malnutrition, raw sewage in the streets, no electricity ect. In solidarity with the international relief convey.

Similar demonstration July 2006.

Time: NOON to 1pm this Thursday January 24th

Place: Israeli Consulate Boston, located in the Park Plaza Hotel

Directions: Park Plaza hotel is located near the Boston Public Gardens (Arlington St. stop) We’re meeting at noon right across the street from the Park Plaza Hotel, the entrance closest to the Common (Arlington St. stop).

Action: WE are one of hundreds of protest world wide to demand that the international relief convey be let thought on Saturday January 26th SEE (http://zope.gush-shalom.org/index_en.html)

We will attempt to bring food to the Israeli Consulate and demand they end the siege of GAZA. Bring one food item to give…..

We will have leaflets, signs, speaker, music, and a few cartons of medical and food aid to carry in to the consulate - we’re going to try asking the consul to deliver it to Gaza, and to forward to his government our demand that they let the Israeli relief convoy through the Erez checkpoint this Saturday.

—–

Is collective punishment ever justified?

Brothers consulting on their computing environment.

While not ready for Vista, we were ready for a new scanner/ copier/ printer.

Coco and Jo at Pine St somewhere in the South.

Jo was our mother. She took me to see “Gone with the Wind.” I don’t remember how many times.¹ My mother went into reveries about men with gleaming sabres on horseback². She remembers how handsome Billy Westmoreland looked in his uniform when he came to church³. I suspect “The Wind Done Gone⁴” is more my style.

¹Frankly Scarlettⁱ, I don’t give a damn.

²She was, however, partial to gray uniforms.

³I guess West Point Gray was close enought for herⁱⁱ. She could have held out for Annapolis Blue, but she married a Pennsylvania Dutch school teacher. Go figure.

⁴Make-believe, it would seem, in the Mind of the Law is real enough to merit the attention of the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. Was this case really about the money or was it about who owns history?

^IJo was a redhead too, but I was more circumspect with her.

^IIShe thought Billy got a raw deal about that “Viet Nam businessⁱ.”

ⁱShe was aware of the cautionary departing address of President/General of the Army Dwight David Eisenhower, for whom she and Guy both voted, but it seems to have had little or no effect on either of them.