Well, rats...I was going to write about that moment of Dogwood dominance, that moment each spring that is overwhlemed by white. Then I was going to write about the curious behavior of the eagles, flying back up the creek so early in the morning and thinking how lucky I am to live above them, wondering how many people ever see their whitest of white tails radiating in the brilliant morning sun. Then I was going to write about what that lump in the picture of the dogwood limb turned out to be. Then I was going to write about the President's Economic Report of 2005 that showed the Republican administrations for the last 30 years have sent every single economic indicator, whether it is inflation, deficit, trade balance, government spending, you name it, every single one of them except for corporate CEO salaries, has gone the wrong way under Republicans and the right way under Democrats. It's true and I will try to get to that or at least get you the numbers. But I decided I won't write about any of that.

Actually, I decided to not write at all except to suggest that you read something.

Riverbend is a young woman living, or trying to, in Iraq. She is a blogger writing about her life and what she sees, and often enough, she has told us things that have happened in Iraq that only came to light after months of cover up by the Bush Administration.

She has never been wrong! She has told us things that we did not want to know about our country's actions and their consequences. She aslo tells us about the small things of life that allow people to survive, of cooking and the search for water; of buying school supplies for her nieces; of the task of sending them to school accompanied by the family men carrying weapons to see them there safely.

And then she tells us things like this:


BuzzFlash: The Bush White House and their representatives keep saying it was all worth it to get rid of Saddam Hussein. We think there might have been other ways of getting rid of Saddam Hussein besides wrecking a nation and taking over its oil. What do you think?

Riverbend: I think this wasn't about the welfare of Iraqi people and ridding them of a dictator. I think this has been about the US strategically placing itself in a Middle Eastern 'hot spot' -- in the middle of Turkey, Iran, Syria and the Gulf countries -- to wreak havoc and promote instability in the area, and have direct access to the oil, of course.

Democracy has to come from within and it has to be a request of the people -- not of expatriates who have alliances with the CIA and British intelligence. People have to want something enough to rise up and change it. They have to be ready for democracy and willing to accept its responsibility. The US could have promoted democracy in Iraq peacefully, but then they wouldn't have permanent bases in the country, would they?


Please read her interview:

Riverbend Interview


Peace,

Steve