In Case You Wandered By

[Originally posted at Mockingbird's Medley.]

Okay. Does anyone not get this, other than CheneyBush? Can any thinking person NOT see that the Iraq occupation harms this nation. It's a self-inflicted wound that now involves Islamic radicalism within striking distance of nuclear weapons in Pakistan. (Remember, they have the bomb.) If CheneyBush ever conjured up a mushroom cloud threatening America, the best opportunity for the bad guys to come by that nuclear threat is Pakistan.

Where a shaky military-civilian government is now actually fighting Islamic radicals. Whose intelligence services have supported the Taliban and even al-Qaeda, Right next door to the guys who actually did attack the US on 9-11. You'd think that an America seriously concerned with its own and other nations' security would be devoting far more effort toward helping Pakistanis come to terms with each other. Instead, the US is spending hundreds of billions of dollars fighting in and around a multi-front civil war in a nation that posed little direct threat to us before we opened it up to al-Qaeda.

Go figure. Then count the bodies.

I hope Congress will have the balls to tell commander guy that the nation is not required to follow him and the Army (mostly the latter) down the rat hole of death and destruction in Iraq. Congress has the power to tell the executive when to wage war. And, as far as I am concerned, when not to wage war. If Congress fails to say no to continued occupation in Iraq, America fails.

"A republic, if you can keep it."

--Benjamin Franklin 1787

Updates

Plans. Plans. I got plans. I leave for the Pacific Crest Trail August 6 to hike the last 180 miles with my AT partners Red and Gary. They hiked all but 300 miles of the trail last year and are back on the trail in late July. I will join them in at Stevens Pass, east of Skykomish, Washington and walk to Canada with them. The original idea was to meet them after I'd moved to Olympia but that hasn't happened so I'm flying up and back. Don't EVEN want to miss this hike. I'm busily trying to remember how to put together 3500 calorie lightweight daily menus that cook fast but don't cost an arm and a leg or poison me with sugar and preservatives. Tall order I know. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has them.

That pushes the move to Olympia into September, either before or after I attend a conference in West Virginia. The move always seems recede into the future but so far I can live with a September/October arrival. In the meantime, I can pack more, help Maggie manage the real estate empire, submit my AT manuscript to publishers and maybe post a bit here and at Mockingbird's Medley. I'm sure I'll have something to say. If you are looking for the same informed, thoughtful commentary you occasionally found here, you can find plenty at the blogs on my blogroll.

Maybe the delay will give Prince the Dalmatian time to injure himself beyond repair and force us to end his life. He's stabilized since I last wrote about him. He's very alert, attentive, strong, has no chronic health problems and is not in pain. His eyes are bright and he takes great interest in what's going on around him. He also lacks a well functioning back end and a front end that's also a bit wanky so he falls a lot. At times he is very restless, especially around food times (which to his brain is almost any waking minute if some one is in the vicinity of the kitchen or dining area). Then he wanders and gets caught in the barstools, sometimes bringing one down on him. Extricating him can be quite complex. Maggie and I figure one of these times he will fracture a leg and the healing process just won't be worth it for an old 15 year old dog. I'll be happy if we can minimize the pain. Or he may make it to Washington with us. Sometimes we think he will live forever.