Joe Wilson

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." - Jesus

By now, everyone has heard the words shouted out by South Carolina GOP Rep. Joe Wilson during President Obama's congressional health care speech. One might assume that Wilson would be roundly criticized and censored from both sides of the aisle for his outburst. And indeed, many from his own political party have disassociated themselves from Wilson's "You lie" shout out as inappropriate and, more to the point, ineffective in persuading people of the dangers of the proposed health care plan. But even after offering a (forced) apology which was accepted by White House chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel on behalf of the President, some might be surprised that Wilson received $750,000 in campaign contributions in the 48 hours after Obama's speech.

And therein lies the problem. If Obama (or the Congress) sanctions Wilson further, the far right could become enraged in much the same manner Cuban repatriates and the CIA grew to despise John Kennedy for his lack of military response during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. On the other hand, if Obama accepts Wilson's apology with no further retribution as he seems to have done, one can only imagine that it will encourage further outbursts during other Congressional speeches. Either way, there are some ugly feelings festering out there. I fear that unless the histrionics of the last two months over the proposed health care bill cannot be quelled with cooler heads prevailing, we are setting ourselves up for a similar Kennedy-like scenario. Let it never be said that Americans based their decisions on fear and hatred, but on the premise that all men are created equal, and that all Americans deserve basic health care.

9/11 In Memorium

"It's easy to imagine an infinite number of situations where the government might legitimately give out false information. It's an unfortunate reality that the issuance of incomplete information and even misinformation by government may sometimes be perceived as necessary to protect vital interests." - Solicitor General Theodore Olson, whose wife Barbara was killed on September 11th, 2001.

"Here we're talking about plastic knives, and using an American Airlines flight filled with our citizens, and the MISSILE USED TO DAMAGE THIS BUILDING, and similar (inaudible) that damaged the World Trade Center." - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, in an interview with Parade Magazine on Oct. 12th, 2001, from inside the Pentagon

Today is Sept 11th, the eighth anniversary of the day planes crashed into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa., a day never to be forgotten in American history. The result of this act was the loss of thousands of lives, two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands if Iraqi citizens. The reason given for the U.S. reaction? Retaliation for a terrorist attack led by Osama Bin Laden without prior knowledge of White House officials or provocation. Looking back from the perspective of eight years and a son who served in the Iraq war, I have a few questions. For instance, could someone please tell me:

Why many eye witnesses of the plane crash into the first Trade Center building said they heard secondary explosions after the plane hit the building, and also as the building was falling down. Why thermite was detected in both buildings, a material which burns/explodes hot enough to melt metal, while air line fuel doesn't burn at a high enough temperature to melt metal.

Why prominent newscasters commented at the time of the buildings' collapse that the way the buildings fell into their footprints had to be "a result of something that was planned."

Why, until Sept. 11, 2001, there had been no report of any protected steel structure collapsing from heat caused by fire anywhere in the world.

Why the damage at the Pentagon was completely inconsistent with being hit by a Boeing 757.

Why eye witnesses said they saw no evidence of a plane crashing anywhere near the Pentagon. The only sight was the hole in the side of the building, a hole which just happens to be the size of a Tomahawk cruise missile.

Why the odor emanating from the Pentagon site was identified as that of cordite, a compound found in aircraft ammunition.

Why eye witness reports showed that officials who controlled the streets around WTC building 7 evacuated the area an hour before its collapse, and that various officials forwarded verbal warnings conveying certainty that the collapse would occur. Why thermite was also found in that building.

Why television broadcasts, notably the BBC, announced the collapse of WTC 7 at least 23 minutes before the event.

Anyone?

Newsworthy?

Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government. - Abraham Lincoln

I just heard on my local news station that Tom Delay will be performing on the upcoming program, "Dancing With the Stars." Glenn Beck is being mocked for finding symbolic Communist art at 30 Rockefeller Center. Town hall meetings are being taken over by demagogues. These are the kinds of stories that have been clogging our national airwaves in the last few weeks. But could it be that there is actual news out there that is deadly important, even crucial to our survival as a free country, news that we will never hear because it goes against the agreed-upon propaganda of those who control public policy?

I would submit that the pap masqueraded as the news that we are being fed daily pales in comparison with what is really happening in the world. The ironic thing about it, perhaps, is that the very people disseminating the "nightly news" are the ones most blinded to that fact.

Thus, "they have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see, they have ears, but cannot hear." Psalm 135: 16, 17a