Refuting Dick Cheney On Torture

From Brave New Foundation:

Matthew Alexander was the senior military interrogator for the task force that tracked down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and, at the time, a higher priority target than Osama bin Laden. Mr. Alexander has personally conducted hundreds of interrogations and supervised over a thousand of them.

"Torture does not save lives. Torture costs us lives," Mr. Alexander said in an exclusive interview at Brave New Studios. "And the reason why is that our enemies use it, number one, as a recruiting tool...These same foreign fighters who came to Iraq to fight because of torture and abuse....literally cost us hundreds if not thousands of American lives."

I trust Matthew Alexander's word over Dick Cheney's on torture any old day, any old time.

What I can't understand is why the major TV media continue to give Cheney and his daughter air time to spew their lies. What's wrong with them?

In Solidarity

Read IT's reflections on what her marriage means to her.

When we got married in October 2008, it caused us to reflect on why it was so important, and why it felt so different. Of course, it has not changed what we mean to each other. I have loved my beloved partner-spouse for many years with every part of my being, nothing different there.

This past weekend, I attended the wedding of my friends Doxy and Dear Husband, which I will write more about later. At the end of the wedding service bulletin, are these words:

"Even in our joy, we do not forget our friends and loved ones who are barred by secular law and religious tradition from making the commitment we are making today. We pray for the day when all couples who wish to enter the covenant of marriage will be able to do so, and we will continue to work for the inclusion of all the baptized in the life and ministry of the church"

Doxy and Dear Friend (now Dear Husband)

Let us pray for all those in California who will be affected by the decision of the court.

The idea for this post is shamelessly stolen from my dear friend Fran.

UPDATE: From Yahoo News:

The California Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, but it also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed.

The 6-1 decision written by Chief Justice Ron George rejected an argument by gay rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

The court said the people have a right, through the ballot box, to change their constitution.

Not good. How sad that the judges conclude that rights already given may be taken away by a majority vote.

At least, those who are married get to stay married. The judges probably decided that based on convenience. Think what a nightmare it would be for the bureaucrats to have to undo marriages. How would they procede? With divorces? Annulments?

UPDATE 2: See IT's blog for more news on the California Supreme Court decision.

Medical Advice To Live By....

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Thanks to Ann.

Please Pray For Frank And Carol

From David@Montreal concerning Frank, who has leukemia, and who has undergone gene therapy, preceded by treatments to destroy his immune system in order for the gene therapy to be effective, and for Frank's wife Carol:

acting on my intuition I blew the budget & called Frank last night
and spoke with both Frank and Carol
both of them sounded worn down at the moment- though Frank did his best as usual to sound both positive and grateful
he particularly asked me to thank 'all those incredible individuals out there you've got walking in prayer with us through this' to quote Frank, 'i still can't quite believe it' and Carol told me, more than once in the rough spot he's told her he's got to 'make it,' 'just too many people counting on me for any other option.'

the latest challege is c-difficile,
and Frank has been given medication, but been asked to stay away from the hospital until its beaten-- 'unless things become critical'
of course we are also waiting for the proverbial other shoe to fall GVHD which can be anticipated any time within the first hundred days; the result of the genetic material being only a 9/10 match.

as i said both Frank and Carol sounded particularly worn down, and for the first time he hinted to me of the possibility of a future without him.
Carol spoke of the hardship of not even being able to attend her parish Church last Sunday as they are in isolation. and Kerri, their youngest daughter and my God-daughter has just been confirmed as being pregnant, however F & C cannot see either her or their other 2 daughters and grandchildren
i confess there were tears i hung up.

so, dear siblings in faith and practice I'm asking for prayer- for their spirits, for this latest challenge

THE WORD From Ellen - Just DANCE!

Thanks to Elizabeth at Telling Secrets, via Lisa at My Manner of Life comes the video of Ellen DeGeneres giving the commencement speech at Tulane University - that's TU in my beloved native city of New Orleans. Yes, it is. How proud I am that the powers, whoever they are, had the audacity and the wisdom to invite Ellen to speak at their commencement exercises. It's likely one of the best commencement speeches that I have ever heard.

All right, so it's 10 minutes long, and you don't have time, or you don't want to take the time, but you should watch anyway. It doesn't feel like 10 minutes, and I promise you that you won't be sorry if you do. Remember that Ellen is also a native of New Orleans, so she is my sister in a very special way.

Elizabeth and Lisa both posted the video, but I had to have it. I believe that they and you will understand why.

Memorial Day - Remembering The Fallen

Note: Picture and parts of the post taken from my Memorial Day tribute last year and the year before with the numbers of dead in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan changed. As of today the number of the fallen from the Iraq War stands at 4300 and the number in Afghanistan at 687. Last year, the numbers were 4081 for the Iraq War and 506 in Afghanistan. When will it all end? When will the bodies stop coming?

The picture moves me greatly. Some years ago, a video surfaced showing the deeply respectful manner in which the caskets were transported to and loaded upon the planes headed for Dover Air Force Base, but it soon disappeared due to directives from the Bush maladministration, for "security reasons" and "respect for the fallen and their families". I don't recall that names were visible anywhere, and I'd think that many families and friends of the fallen would have cherished the portrayal of the loving respect with which the brothers and sisters in arms treated the remains of their loved ones. But it was not to be.

President Obama lifted the ban on media coverage of the remains of the fallen arriving at Dover, so long as the families don't object, which is exactly how it should be. The families' desire for privacy must always be respected.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those in all our wars who gave everything in the service of their country. We honor them for their courage and dedication to duty. We extend our sympathy to their families and friends, whether the loss is recent or from long times past. We stand with you. We mourn with you.

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. Micah 4:1-4

Lord God, Almighty and Everlasting Father, we pray for all those who have died in wars. We pray the they may rest in peace in the perpetual light of your love. We pray for your blessing upon the families and friends of all those who have died in service to their country. Console them for their aching loss. Bring them healing of body, mind, and spirit. Give them strength and courage to go forward, and Lord God, above all else, give them your peace that passes understanding to keep their minds and hearts.

They Wouldn't Pay Me

PJ, Fran, LJ, and Jane

I asked them for money, but they didn't pay up, so here it is. The photo is in very poor condition, blurry, with white spots, but it serves it's purpose as revenge because they would not give me the cash I demanded. I blurred the face of the precious boy, because I'm careful about pictures of children on my blog, but I wish you could see him. By all means, click on the picture to get the large view of the "grown-ups". You won't be sorry.



Dear Friend

It's hard to believe, isn't it. The man pictured in the previous post is in disguise. The picture above is what he looks like without his disguise. He would not give me money, either.

The pictures are from Dear Friend's birthday party which included music from the 50s. I can't tell you how much I wanted to dance, but, had I done so, I may have been in bed for the rest of my visit because of the sorry state of my knees, I enjoyed watching my friends and especially the children dance. Paul and I were going to have a slow dance, if the music had been right, but that didn't happen.

More to come.

Je Suis Rentrée Chez Moi

Dear Friend and Doxy at DF's birthday party

I'm home from one of the most beautiful weddings that I have ever attended. Just look at Doxy and Dear Friend. Isn't she the most gorgeous bride-to-be? And isn't he the handsomest groom-to-be evah? Paul's pictures from the wedding are better than mine, so I'll steal his later and post them here.

Yes, we partied, partied, partied at one celebration after another. Dinner parties, dance parties, birthday parties, wedding parties. It was a great trip. I'll write more later, probably much more, and post more pictures, some of which will embarrass my blogger friends. Paul scooped us all with his pictures.

It's good to be home.

I've Got To Leave This Town

I'll check out tomorrow for a few days, just a long weekend really. I shall return on Sunday, revived, refreshed, renewed, and rarin' to go.

I've got the low-dirty-livin-in-a-smalltown blues
And I'm runnin' out of things to do
I don't need no pity, just drop me in a city
I've got to feel the rhythm runnin' down in my shoes

I'll turn off comments tonight while I'm gone.

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?"

I'll Feed You

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass.

Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.

He asked one man, 'Why are you eating grass?'

'We don't have any money for food,' the poor man replied. 'We have to eat grass.'

'Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you,' the lawyer said.

'But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree.'

'Bring them along,' the lawyer replied.

Turning to the other poor man he stated, 'You come with us, also...'

The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, 'But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!'

'Bring them all, as well,' the lawyer answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was.

Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, 'Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you.'

The lawyer replied, 'Glad to do it.You'll really love my place.

The grass is almost a foot high'

Cruel!

Dennis strikes again. He's going crazy with the jokes. And his doctorate will be in psychology.