Today, local U.S.citizen Mike Hawash was branded a "terrorist" by the U.S. Government for his donations to an Islamic charity - that has been identified as a conduit for terrorist funding. He has been held at the Federal Maximum Secruity facility in Sheridan, OR - and no significant information on the details regarding his case have been released (in accordance with the Patriot Act).

Tomorrow morning @ 8:30pm, there will be a gathering outside of the PDX U.S. Courthouse (on SW Salmon) to protest infringement on the civil liberities of this U.S. citizen and Oregon resident. Check out the Free Mike Hawash website for more details.

In case anyone is wondering....I haven't fallen into the abyss. In fact, it's waaaay busy around here - which explains the big nothing that's shown up on this site during the past couple weeks.

More of the same in the coming weeks. I'm entrenched in a couple projects - never mind the business of racheting the mind/body over the hump of 32. Yeah, baby....welcome to early middle age. You feel like you've still got it, but.....don't fool yourself.

That's a little wisdom for all you weekend warriors...

Feh.

Everyone needs to pay attention now.

Just the other day, the American public saw the destruction of a Saddam statue. It toppled over into seeming throngs of happy Iraqis, who happily started beating it with their shoes....all while the U.S. cameras rolled, sucking up the symbolic meaning and pushing it out to a nation of gullible citizens.

"Baghdad Falls", the headlines scream the next day. In a matter of 24 hours, the tide has turned back to the idea of total victory. Reports speculate on the status of the hated leader. Dead, perhaps? Hiding, most definitely.

Suddenly, the conversations from the media are being deflected from whether or not we're going after Saddam, to the liberation of the Iraqi people. Does something sound familiar?

Osama anyone?

That's right, ladies and gents. The same game is being played....and we a buying it. In October of 2001, it was all about Osama and his Taliban cohorts. Never mind the oil interests in the area. By fingering a terrorist-du-jour, we had every excuse to start turning the screws.

When we couldn't nab the bearded one, our interests turned next door to our patsy rogue dictator, Saddam. Never mind that his country is the nexus of oil production in the area - and is conveniently located in the center of the Middle East. Weapons of Mass Destruction? You bet he has them! Did the years of sanctions, bombings and inspections erase most of the threat? Who cares? All we need is a barely plausible threat - and the memory of his past usage of said WMD on his enemies to the north.....and we've got a reason to invade.

Pure hubris, my friends. Unabashed and unforgivable in its scale.

Will we ever find Osama and Saddam?

Were we ever meant to?

I love the confidence that Donald Rumsfeld has. To be able to stand in front of reporters and lie so effectively is a measure of real talent. Today, he slyly dodged a question regarding the issue of finding WMD. Instead of admitting that our motivation for getting into Iraq had nothing to do with any viable threat to the U.S. - he responded with a mention that this action was more about the liberation of the Iraqis.

So....all that wind about sarin gas and chemical weapons and dissarming Saddam was what? Guesswork? How about a convenient excuse to invade under the guise of a (in)credible threat?

Also, his sanitized view of the humanitarian need in the area is embarrassing - to say the least. While the media reports dire circumstances in hospitals - along with the overwhelming need for water and basic utilities - Rummy plays it off as a non-issue. That the needs aren't that bad - and that we are actively addressing the need.

Right.

Been slacking on the website, but don't feel particularly guilty. I've joined the MoveOn Media Corps - which is actively questioning the overwhelmingly pro-war stance of the mainstream media. So, besides that, protesting whenever possible, debating with co-workers, working 9-5 and trying to hold some semblance of a life together.....yeah, the website comes in second.

That being said, I should mention that Greg Palast, author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" will be speaking at Portland State University (Gymnasium). Event starts at 6pm - but get there early. Word has it we may be sold-out. Definately worth looking into. Palast has been reporting to the UK Observer - and was one of the few reporters to expose the fraudulant Bush win in Florida 2000.

I'll be helping out with the event...so if you see me, give a shout.