This weekend is 2 years since the bombing of Iraq commenced.
I'm going down to Bris on Sunday for the "WE Still Say No to War" rally and march.
See Mike M's site for a march near you.

News from the Land of OZ..........
Little Johnnie is slipping in the P.M. popularity stakes 'cos he used interest rates to scare people away from the opposition last election, and now they are going up!!

He also said no more Aus troops would be sent to Iraq but guess what?????????????
You guessed it! He's sending more!

On this, the second anniversary of that sad day that this war started, I want to share a song... one of the songs from the Woody Guthrie Archives, that was recently set to music (by Jeff Plankenhorn) http://www.wdwagoner.com/WPKN-FM/ about a third of the way down the page, there's a link to the audio and video of the premier of the song, done at the Church, the "Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway" tour ... Eliza Gilkyson, Ellis Paul, and Jeff Plankenhorn sing:

PEACE CALL
(Woody Guthrie and Jeff Plankenhorn)

open your hearts to the paradise to the peace of the heavenly angels
takes away that woeful shadow dancing on your wall
take to the skies of peace oh friends of peace of the one great spirit
get ready for my bugle call of peace

peace, peace, peace
i can hear the bugle sounding, roaming around my land my city and my town
peace, peace, peace
i can hear the voices ringing, louder while my bugle calls for peace

thick war clouds will throw their shadows, darken the world around you
but in my life of peace your dak illussions fall
think and pray along the way, embrace the ones around you
get ready for my bugle call of peace

peace, peace, peace....

if these war storms fill your heart with a thousand kinds of worry
keep to my road of peace, you'll never have to fear
keep in the sun and look around in the face of peace and plenty
get ready for my bugle call of peace

peace, peace, peace....

i'll clear my house of the weeds of fear and turn to the friends around me
with my smile of peace, i'll greet you one and all
i'll work, i'll fight, i'll dance and sing of peace of the youthful spirit
get ready for my bugle call of peace

peace, peace, peace...

The Right is now bristling with "I told you so" rhetoric about the war. How Bush can now claim all the success of turning the middle east into democracy in country after country. They swallow this analysis by the media and will now just conveniently let go the fact that we invaded a sovereign country based on poor info and poor decisions. That we have caused immeasurable pain to over 100,000 families. And that by their acceptance they share the blood on their own hands.

Saddam is gone. Woopee! I wonder how much solace that is to the loved ones of the dead and maimed. That W settled his little petty grudge and secured our oil interest.

Republicans just don't GET IT.

Well, the rally and march went well today. Numbers were not huge, apathy is still in the air. Comments like "It'a bit late now" etc. were made to me during the week when I told people about the march. But the tide is turning here, as I mentioned in my post below.
Normaly I don't enjoy spending time among large groups of people but always feel a sense of hope and belonging when attending peace marches (ours are for the most part always peaceful)
Before the 60min train commute home for me, I went to one of our beautiful city parkland/tropical gardens to be alone and reflect. I felt overwelmed for a moment that more people had not attended. I mean all the stuff we said would happen 2 years ago has happened ie discovery of no WMD's, death of many innocent people, etc. So people are not being thought of as traitors etc for marching now.
On the drive home from the railroad station one of our thinking persons radio stations was playing a lecture and question and answer session on whats going on and the speaker said not to be too hard on people who are still hiding away in the suburbs still trying to come to grips with it all.
I guess it will just take time for people to sort it out.
I watched all the news of the marches around the world which cheered me also.
I would appreciate hearing about anyone elses experience at marches this weekend.

Some positive notes:

(1) Several of today's letters to the editor in the Dallas Morning News expressed the writer's regret for having voted Republican. Even one such letter would have astounded me. The reasons were varied; some because of the war, some because people suddenly see it is the Republicans who are doing the tax-and-spend dance, just dressing it up as something else. They sounded like middle American, conservative blue- and pink-collar workers with kids in Iraq and shrinking bank accounts and futures. That's what needs to happen--for these people to wake up. Too little, too late? Sure. But we'll take what we can get. Maybe, just maybe, it's starting.

(2) Air America begins broadcasting in Dallas tomorow!!!!!!! Now we can hear it in the car, Jay can play it in the shop without being tied to the computer, etc. Yippeee!!!!!!!!!

Cool Shel....there's HOPE yet!!!!!!