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Sunday, September 19
Iowa's Tom Douglass on Bush's War and That Gigantic Beehive
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 19 Sep 2004 03:23 PM CDT
 Iowa's Tom Douglass on Bush's War and That Gigantic Beehive
by Tom Douglass, North Liberty
Supporters
of the war on Iraq believe that when you are attacked, the only
reasonable response is to strike back, and to strike back with such
force that you teach your attacker a lesson so that they will stop
attacking, retreat, and not attack again. Therefore, the invasion of
Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein would "teach them a lesson" so
that they would never again interfere with our country.
The problem with this belief is that it is based on flawed assumptions.
The first is that overwhelming force in one area will frighten all
possible enemies. Another is that everyone in the world, regardless of
cultural differences, fears death.
We were
attacked by bin Laden, a militant Muslim religious zealot. Saddam
Hussein was a secular political leader who wanted nothing to do with
bin Laden, and the feeling was mutual. Saddam Hussein had not
threatened the U.S. since 1991, after the Gulf War. Yes, he had wanted
to, but with the sanctions and inspections, he posed no credible threat
to us. Bin Laden, on the other hand, has made clear his intention to
make war on the United States, on our own turf.
Consider
that you are walking across your lawn, and a hornet stings you because
you inadvertently disturbed its nest. You hurt and are angry. Then you
recall that your neighbor has some beehives that he manages for the
profit from the honey. You love honey, and you could use some profits
yourself. So, to get back at the hornet, you get your baseball bat and
immediately go over to your neighbor's yard, crack him on the head and
steal his beehives. Big problem: you forget to use smoke to neutralize
the bees while you move them, and, in the process, the bees swarm and
sting the hell out of you, even though with each sting, a bee dies.
This is
essentially what Bush has done. Because of his greed for oil, he has
unleashed the fury of literally more than a billion people across the
face of the earth. The adherents of [militant] Islam believe that 1)
each Muslim has the responsibility to defend the religion BY WHATEVER
MEANS, when it feels attacked, and 2) they do not need a leader. Each
Muslim is not only allowed to act independently, he is REQUIRED to do
so, or he will suffer eternal damnation. By dying in the defense of his
religion, each [militant] Muslim ensures his place in paradise. So,
instead of frightening attackers who, like us, are afraid to get hurt,
Bush has stirred the huge beehive of militants who wish to die for
everlasting glory. And the shame is, that, by cooperating, being
tolerant, and peacefully working out our differences, we could have had
all the honey we wanted at a decent price.
We may
not be able to relate to Islamic values and beliefs, but we ignore them
at our peril. We will never win a war on terrorism as long as there are
American troops in Arab countries.
Tom Douglass, North Liberty, Iowa
Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 19 Sep 2004 10:11 AM CDT
 Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member
Blog for Iowa's intrepid reporter hides her true Deaniac colors and goes au Republican
White House Press Corps Member: September 14th, Denver, Colorado….
AND YOU WERE THERE!
By Connie Wilson
Whatever made me think that I could masquerade as a good Republican and get a White House Press Pass for the Bush Rally at Coors Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, September 14th? I do own a “good Republican cloth coat,” but it was much too warm for wearing that. So I put on my best Omega gold jewelry and my caramel-colored Jones of New York three-piece suit with matching heels to pick up my tickets. The woman making us sign our names, addresses and serial numbers complimented me on my outfit. I was, as they say, “In like Flynn.” (Or was it Flint?) I brazenly asked her, “How do I go about getting a Press Pass for the event?” Here comes, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”
As it turned out, it was no easy matter getting this official White House Press Pass. You had to fax a request, on letterhead, complete with your name, date of birth, social security number, organization for which you wrote, your affiliation with this organization, your blood type and your approximate net worth. I’m just kidding about the last two, but I’m not kidding about the others. [And me without a letterhead! Or enough of a net worth!]
Sue Ann in the Press Box
My trusty Republican friend, Sue Ann, and I had just returned from my book signing, in the scenic prison town of Canon City (7 miles from the Royal Gorge). It was midnight. We had to gerry rig a “letterhead” from the blog picture, provide the information requested, and fax it. We also had phone numbers to call, which I did at 6 a.m. the day of the event (no answers). It was midnight, the night before the event.
“But they won’t get this until the day of the event,” said Sue Ann.
I fixed her with a steely gaze. “That’s the beauty part, Sue Ann. It’s genius!
I’m counting on it, in fact…That, plus your vast array of camera equipment. Hang everything you own around your neck! We’ll either look very official or we’ll look like lost Japanese tourists.”
more »
Paul Johnson: An Independent Kind of Democrat
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 19 Sep 2004 04:46 AM CDT
 Paul Johnson: An Independent Kind of Democrat
These
days, Paul Johnson, Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional
District, is making a name for himself by being unafraid to speak out
on the issues that are truly relevant to Iowans today.
"These
are among the issues I believe we should be discussing in this
campaign," says Johnson, "but it is even more important that we address
the issues important to the voters of the 4th district. That's why I
have called on Tom Latham to join me in a series of candidate forums in
all 28 counties of the 4th Congressional District. To date, he has not
accepted this offer. I hope he agrees to participate, since it would be
a truly democratic way of providing information to potential voters."
Paul's platform includes:
1. A
privately-delivered universal national health care system to reach the
forty-four million Americans without health insurance.
2. A national commitment to phasing in clean, efficient, renewable energy.
3. An
education program that places more emphasis on students, funds for
infrastructure, technology, special education and teacher enrichment
programs than making educators teach to narrow tests.
4. A
foreign policy where the U.S. will once again work together with the
world community, much of which has been badly alienated over the past
three and a half years.
5.
Better intelligence and more police to enhance security, rather than
the current policy of building more weapons of mass destruction, Star
Wars and military empire-building.
6. A
National Service program available to all young people, including
military, Peace Corps, and AmeriCorps service, with rewards such as
college tuition grants and low-interest home and business loans.
7. A National Private Lands Conservation Act that promotes and rewards stewardship and conservation.
8. An economy that rewards full-time work with a living wage.
9. A progressive system of fair taxation to replace tax cuts for the extremely wealthy.
10.
Publicly-funded, clean and fair elections, so that campaigns are about
providing information to voters rather than amassing special interest
funds and incumbency privilege.
To learn more about Paul Johnson or to contribute to his campaign, click here.
To visit the innovative new Johnson blog, click here.
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