"the nightkeeper"

I, to bed I go
to sleep's harvest,
the ends to unwind,
bid gracious leave
the day that had and was.
Summon, my asking,
the Nightkeeper,
draw he close,
breathe gently fresh thoughts
into the peaceful mind.

this seat is for you

Rosa Parks
February 4, 1913-October 24, 2005

don't ask, don't tell

The U.S. military's infamous ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy line has taken on a whole new meaning during the raging war in Iraq. Nothing quite so '90's as applying to gays in the ranks, this new bend stole the playsheet on quiet delusion where it is now being used for U.S. military public relations itself. Out come the "we don't know anything's" whenever asked about Iraqi civilian war casualties, or about anything that may compromise the image of the U.S. military and the Department of Defense.

Take for example a response to reports of a U.S. military bombing mission that resulted in numerous civilian deaths in the Al Anbar region of Iraq last weekend, as reported on latimes.com, October 18, 2005:

''Army Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman, said American authorities had "no confirmation or information that there were any civilians involved. We were going after insurgents using precision-guided munitions. We take great care at all times to ensure that we target only valid, legitimate targets."

However, the local Iraqi doctor on the site, the local hospital, and eyewitnesses all begged to differ with the American account.

Both the United States and British governments do not keep official tabs on the number of Iraqi civilians killed or injured. In fact, the U.S. policy on civilian war casualties is that of non-accountability---meaning, if they don't count them, then they really don't count. Sort of like, ''If a tree falls in the forest, but there's nobody there to hear it...'' except here, somebody did hear it fall. In fact, quite a lot of people have been hearing and seeing the constant fall of Iraqi civilians, gunned down, bombed or even shot from convoy driveby's by coalition troops. Luckily, a number of independent non-military groups are keeping track of the innocent victims. One such group is the Iraqi Body Count, whose figure today for total civilian loss is a startling 30,018.

The U.S. government now has compensation policies in place for families of killed Iraqi civilians. The U.S. doles out about $2,500 to grieving Iraqi families to make up for loved ones accidentally killed by American troops. But, the families have to seek compensation from the very regime that caused their loss---an obviously daunting task, as anyone would imagine. And, if the lost father, son, wife, or daughter was not confirmed as present by the Americans, or worse, considered a "terrorist" for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, then they fell without being heard.

Check out this compelling article from the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/14/MNGJ2F8D8L1.DTL

say it isn't so

U.S. military air strikes bombed Iraqi civilians yesterday, but you might not see this story in your daily news if it might offend you. Thankfully, the Associated Press was there for news media not tied at their ankles.

Is it considered anti-American to show American atrocities?

This story aired on Canada's national news, CTV, on October 17, 2005.

Read the story from LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bombing18oct18,0,4206175.story?coll=la-home-world

Or read an excerpt of the story here from canoe.ca, dated October 17, 2005

U.S. bombs Iraqi villages
By THOMAS WAGNER

BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. warplanes and helicopters bombed two western Iraqi villages, killing an estimated 70 people near a site where five American soldiers died in a weekend roadside blast. The U.S. military described those killed as "terrorists," but residents said at least 39 of the dead were civilians, including children.
Sunday's violence near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi came a day after Iraq voted on a landmark constitution that many Sunnis opposed. As officials continued counting millions of paper ballots Monday, the charter seemed assured of passage.
On Saturday, a roadside bomb killed five U.S. soldiers in a vehicle in the Al-Bu Ubaid village on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi. On Sunday, a group of about two dozen Iraqis gathered around the wreckage were hit by U.S. air strikes, the military and witnesses said.
The U.S. military claimed the crowd was setting another roadside bomb when F-15 warplanes hit them, killing about 20 people it described as "terrorists."
But several residents and one local leader said they were civilians gathering to gawk at and take pieces of the wreckage, as often occurs after an American vehicle is hit.
Tribal leader Chiad Saad said the air strike killed 25 civilians, and several others said the same thing, although they refused to give their names out of fears for their safety.
The other deaths occurred in the nearby village of Al-Bu Faraj. The U.S. military said a group of gunmen opened fire on a Cobra attack helicopter that had spotted their position. The Cobra returned fire, killing about 10. The men ran into a nearby house, where gunmen were seen unloading weapons before an F/A-18 warplane bombed the building, killing 40 insurgents, the military said.
Witnesses said at least 14 of those dead were civilians. After a man was wounded in an air strike, he was brought into a nearby building that was struck by warplanes, said the witnesses, who refused to give their names out of fear for their safety.
An Iraqi journalist reporting for The Associated Press said he later saw the 14 bodies and the damaged building.
Associated Press Television News video from the scene showed the victims included at least two children and one woman. Witnesses said seven other children were among the dead. APTN also showed two children among the wounded at Ramadi General Hospital.

lies and disgrace: what's still good about america?

...the ACLU, for starters

http://action.aclu.org/torturefoia/

conquer this!

It started innocently enough. I was perusing through a newsstand copy of U.S. News and World Report's spanky collector's edition ''Untold Tales of the Great Conquerors''. If ever there were a kitschy mag, this was it, folks. But, there was only curiosity and zero cynicism on my part as I flipped through the pages and soon realized I had somehow managed to have never studied world history---and the only great historical facts I knew came from whatever I happened upon during my travels, boosted by scenes from Hollywood epics, and a few settings in novels.

So I started reading the mag.

History-light, the magazine reads of tales and triumphs of some of the biggest, baddest conquerors known to us, starting with Alexander the Great and ending 87 pages later with a demi-piece on the American empire (an unfortunately opinioned endbit of noxious patriotism and Bush-banter thrown directly at the magazine's conservative U.S. buyers, in what is otherwise delightful reading).

Overall, reading this magazine was definitely better than sitting through 20 lengthy lectures and a final exam. And, after five articles of slayings, revolts and attacks, I began to think.

We would like to believe, in the twenty-first century, that we are far away from such primitive times; when armies slaughtered their enemies in ruthless, indiscriminate fashion to achieve their missions, and made use of frightful examples to propel their campaigns. Yet, however we may wish in our moral souls, the dark heart of man remains the same after all these centuries. Sure, modern military methods and technologies are more efficient in terms of conserving manpower, producing fewer casualties, while exacting greater effectiveness. And, treaties and sanctions carry heavier weight in a world economy. But, quests for power, land, and resources remain at the top of many leaders' "to-do" lists---even those who are democratically elected. Genocides, assassinations, prisoner torture, and terrorist acts are still very much part of our societies (Rwanda, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, 9/11, Iraq, just to site a few). There are still showy decapitations, mass executions and systemic rapes. All because the human body still bleeds the way it has always bled.

The historical battles detailed in this magazine and in history books may seem archaic at first glance. But, look again. The story changes, but the song remains the same.

the adventures of nature boy

Rarely does jazz music move me to do anything but change the channel. However, on this late night I was feeling some sort of lethargy-melancholy, probably brought on by my first full-fledged sinus-cold of the season. It was approaching midnight and pumping dancetracks and techno music was not an option for my already aching head. A spin of the dial landed me on something soothing enough to dispel the raucous sounds of Friday night partiers on their way out to the clubs.

That's when I heard her voice, so haunting and passionately stirring at once. The lyrics were familiar, thanks to some relatively recent pop culture homage, though I had never in the past noticed the sheer beauty of this song as sung by this particular artist. Who sang it and the name of the piece were completely unknown to me. Thus, my quest began. It wasn't until a day later, several web searches and a trip up to HMV's jazz music section (and an embarrassing discussion with the clerk thereat) that I discovered what had had me so mesmerized the night before. My ignorance must be forgiven, in light of the warm aural embrace and sensorial awakening I had felt from what I believe to have been a classic rendition of Eden Ahbez's ''Nature Boy'' by the great songstress Sarah Vaughan.

Nature Boy

by Eden Ahbez

There was a boy...

A very strange enchanted boy.

They say he wandered very far, very far

Over land and sea,

A little shy and sad of eye

But very wise was he.

And then one day,

A magic day, he passed my way.

And while we spoke of many things,

Fools and kings,

This he said to me,

''The greatest thing you'll ever learn

Is just to love and be loved in return.''

''The greatest thing you'll ever learn

Is just to love and be loved in return.''