FAITH AND WAR

LETTER TO ME LOVE

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:39:30 GMT

03/05/06

Someone once told me it is good to write a letter to someone who has died and you miss them:

Dear Agnes and Denis,

I miss you both and hope you have found all the answers to the questions we are all haunted with, like what and who are we?

Things here are changing so fast it takes your breath away, our country--- the United States of America has become the terror of the world. We now are in the midst of preparing for another war in Iran, will it happen? I do not know.

Our President is hated throughout the world, Americans visiting other countries use foreign passports if they can get them, our military is being slowly destroyed in Iraq and our leaders are now trying to convince the people that it is a good idea to have our ports run by a country who has traditionally hated the U.S.

I have been sick for the last few weeks, my lungs are not in good shape, smoking is slowly killing me, and I must stop and have tried a number of times. I still do protest, write letters, go to our city council and raise some little voice to ask that Bush be stopped. Maybe it will happen that America will finally start to feel there is something very wrong and start to find out where our America has gone, maybe.

Veterans are being screwed over, seniors have been ripped off by what the republicans call a drug benefit, and the Patriot Act has now just passed Congress with most democrats voting with the republicans.

I do get so angry with the democrats who are so afraid to take a stand---I want them to take the bull by the horns and run, but there are so many bulls coming out of the corral it is like a stampede. I can almost understand the dems being in shock, the corruption of this administration and the republican leadership is on a scale that makes Grant’s team look like angels. There are good people trying to stop what is becoming a virus on the living, but so far, we are losing the fight.

There is great hope that the dems will retake the House of Representatives in 06, there is even the optimistic view that both chambers may fall to the democrats. The theory seems to be that if we take the House, we would immediately start impeachment hearings and force Bush out of office. With this bunch in office, I believe they will say something like, “Bush only has two more years and he is crippled, let us leave him in office and make it a campaign issue for 08.” If that happens there will be a mass of people leaving the Democratic Party, where we will go is a big question!

I do not know what will happen tomorrow, Bush is in a tight spot and his answer up till now has always been to cause more death and destruction. Iraq is on the verge of civil war, Afghanistan is a no man’s land outside of Kabul, the capital, and Iran wants nuclear weapons. Bad mix for any type stew!

Trying to understand this administration is a waste of time, they have created chaos and we should see it as it is and not try to dissect it into its different parts. My hope is that the pressure will become so great the republicans take back their party from the NeoCons. I am not encouraged that over 80% of voting Republicans think “W” is doing a good job.

Sometimes during periods of weakness, I just want to shun anyone who says they are still a republican; what will it take to wake these people up. Bush is a killer and must be removed from office.

Reading over this letter, I realized I have left out the very things that keep me going, Patty, my great and wonderful love, the kids and grandkids who make me laugh. Friends both close and far away who share their love and fears. The simple look of unconditional love from our dog Lucky. My life is full and I could spend the rest of my days in love and not deal with all this stuff that I see coming, but the “Other” has always gotten me into trouble. I can see a good and just world, I can see children playing around the world, I can see families laughing and enjoying the gift of living, why can’t our leaders see this picture? When our leaders stop seeing this picture of life and only see conquest they must be held accountable, they must be removed from office never to lead again. I will continue to fight, and keep you informed of where America has gone, where good people say---Enough!

Love,

Your brother Joe

PS When you meet with the Source, God, or Goddess ask her to help us down here on this troubled planet; we of peace need intervention.

JUST ONE MORE

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 18:07:40 GMT

A Soldier For Truth Has Fallen: In Memory of Specialist Doug Barber author: Jay Shaft Today I come to you with a heavy and troubled heart. I have the unfortunate task of giving you some very tragic news. Yesterday afternoon Specialist Douglas Barber, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, took his own life after struggling with the demons and nightmares of PTSD for over two years. In Memory and Mourning of the Tragic Death of Douglas Barber

By Jay Shaft- Editor of Coalition For Free Thought In Media

1/17/05
link to groups.google.com

Today I come to you with a heavy and troubled heart. I have the unfortunate task of giving you some very tragic news. Yesterday afternoon Specialist Douglas Barber, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, took his own life after struggling with the demons and nightmares of PTSD for over two years.

No one really knows what caused his sudden and deadly breakdown. Doug had been on the phone laughing and kidding around with one of his best friends about an hour before the incident. Several friends have said that Doug seemed to be in an upbeat and playful mood throughout the morning, and that he never mentioned any problems.

He was on his way over to his best friend's house to hang out and try to forget about his problems for awhile. Something happened after that which caused Doug to give up and make the decision to take his own life. For some reason Doug decided he could no longer bear the ongoing pain, agony and inner torment.

The Lee County, Alabama sheriff's department was on the scene trying to talk Doug out of it for over 30 minutes. The investigating officer has stated that every effort was made to stop the situation and save Doug's life. Doug apparently turned his back to the officers, fired one shot, and ended his life.

William Wooldridge is a fellow veteran who served in Iraq in 2003. He said that Doug called and left two messages that were playfully making fun of him for still being in bed. William woke up to find one last horrifying message from Doug on his answering machine. He tried to get in contact with Doug's friend and found out it was already too late.

Today I was supposed to publish a positive update to Doug's case for 100% service connected PTSD with the VA. He had finally achieved a victory in his long struggle and fight to get counseling and medical benefits.

Instead I find myself mourning someone who had become a good friend of mine. Instead of writing Doug's story of hope and courage, I find myself compiling his final memorial. An overwhelming wave of sadness washes over me as I write this. What was a story of triumph has turned into a tale of tragedy.

I find myself unable to deny a friendship with Doug, especially after we had invested over a month in telling his story of what happened in Iraq and after he came home with PTSD. He was extremely excited and relieved about going through the process of receiving his full disability and medical benefits.

I was helping Doug to arrange his personal account into an outline for book publication. I have spent hours helping him talk out the chapters and to flesh out his story in fuller detail.

As a result of this work I was in contact with him at least three times a day and we spent over 100 hours in contact over the phone. Next week Doug was planning on coming down to visit and to meet me in person.

Even though I was talking to him every day, I was not aware of how close Doug was to a breakdown. Sadly, I will never be able to shake his hand or go out for a beer and just shoot the shit. We were planning on just sitting down, having a normal conversation, and forgetting about all the problems we had shared and discussed.

I spoke to him on Sunday and was prepared to conduct a final interview about the progress in his life yesterday morning. I never spoke to Doug again. I feel such a loss that I cannot begin to comprehend it. One of the last things he said to me was that he was happy to be standing up for all the other vets who were getting screwed by the VA and the military.

Doug had just been awarded a 50% disability with 100% to be awarded within 90 days. After over two years of hell and agony he was finally able to access proper counseling for his PTSD. Sadly it was too little, too late.

He had been denied treatment for so long that he was in an unimaginably horrifying mental state. All the problems that had been buried and untreated for the last two years finally overcame Doug's ability to deal with it.

He was looking towards a conclusion to his personal war forbenefits and treatment. After fighting for over two years, the end of his struggle appeared on the horizon. He repeatedly told me that the clouds of PTSD were breaking up and that he felt the light of day in his darkness and despair. Those were the last words he ever spoke to me.

He hung up in a cheerful and jubilant mood. All he could think about was that the update was coming out today, and everyone would see that a vet could win against the system if he stuck in there long enough. He wanted every vet to know that they could stand up and tell everyone if they had been denied treatment or recognition from the VA.

He kept his hopes up with the thought that he was leading the way for every returning soldier who would follow in his footsteps. The overwhelming public response and support gave him courage and strength when he was at his weakest.

He could see that his story had made a tremendous impact with the public and had resonated to the highest levels of the VA, Pentagon, and Congress. Because of his story and words of truth, hurried investigations have been initiated and VA administrators are now reviewing their policy in regard to the treatment of returning Reservists and National Guardsmen.

Doug may have taken his own life, but the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of the VA. They stonewalled his claim and prevented him from getting treatment at every step of the way. He struggled for two years to get any type counseling for his problems.

Last year he turned himself in for emergency crisis treatment through the VA. Their response was to give him a counseling appointment every three months and give him medication without any real supervision or follow-up.

Because they did not immediately respond to Doug's cry for help, his condition was allowed to grow into an insurmountable problem. If they had given him access to therapy and full PTSD counseling and support I doubt his life would have come to this unnecessary end. It was a complete failure on the part of the VA that led to this senseless death of a man who put his life on the line for his country.

They had the ability to step in last year after they knew without doubt that he was in imminent crisis and desperate for help. Instead they stalled him to the point of utter mental breakdown. His pleas for help were ignored and shuffled through the chain of endless paperwork, applications for services and case reviews.

What happened to Doug has happened to thousands of veterans who have returned from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also happening to vets from every previous war.

Doug was just the latest soldier in a long tale of tragedy and woe being suffered by this nation. Many families have lost a loved one after every option and resource was unavailable to a soldier in dire need of immediate care and compassion.

The VA by its denial of assistance and betrayal of trust helped Doug to reach his final day of desperation. It is their failure to help, not Doug's reaction to problems he could no longer cope with that needs to be the story behind this tragedy. They must be held accountable for their failure not only to help Doug but the hundreds of thousands of other vets being denied their benefits.

We all must realize that if Doug was getting the proper care and supervision, his problems would have been addressed and a path of healing could have been offered. As it was he got no help until he broke down and took his own life because he had lost all hope of recovery. This should never have to happen to another veteran who has served this country.

I will be releasing an article tomorrow in tribute to Doug's memory and the truth he helped to expose. He should be remembered as a common man who stood up for his brothers and sisters in arms. His personal views may have caused conflict, but his desire for fair treatment of all vets carried above any political views he had.

I have spoken to Doug's wife Robin and several of his close friends. I have been in contact with many people who loved and cared for Doug, and his death is not going to be forgotten or ignored. I will be releasing some comments and experiences from Doug's friends that were in touch with him over the last few days. Please look for a press release to come out by tomorrow evening.

I am also releasing over two hours of audio interviews with Doug so that everyone can hear his experiences recounted in his own words.

As I write this I am listening to Doug's interview with talk show host Doug Basham conducted on 12/16/05. I sit here with tears in my eyes when I realize how much I will miss Doug's frank and open honesty. I will miss his desire to stand up and expose the truth for the whole country to see.

I will especially miss his burning and ardent dedication to revealing the facts of how veterans are being denied healthcare and access to proper counseling and treatment.

I am unable to write any more at this time. I find myself really feeling the shock and loss for the first time since I heard the tragic news. I just can't write any more without breaking down.

I join in mourning with Doug's family and friends. I share the pain of all those who knew Doug and will miss his forthrightness, dedication and honesty.

Jay Shaft, Editor, Coalition For Free Thought In Media
coalitionforfreethoughtinmedia@yahoo.com

THE OUTLAWS

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:20:56 GMT

THE OUTLAWS

I was trying to stay out of the rain in Portland, OR. Ducking under the overhangs, I was struck by a white flash, heard a voice say “You are the chosen one.” “Go forth and arrest all republicans.” I got to my feet and ran like hell to 82nd Street.

Knowing that I must have tripped and hit my head, I continued on my way to work, when again I hear the voice, “You have been given a great task.” I said aloud, “Who is this?” “I am who is” said the voice, sounding more annoyed----this was getting weird.

Working alone had a great advantage this night; I was not excited about hearing voices, a sure sign that you are going nuts, loony tune time. I did not hear the voice again that night but the next night the thought was loud and clear, can we arrest the Republican Party, the whole party? I am not even a lawyer, what do I know about prosecuting the republicans, this is not something any sane person would even entertain. But----

I started to wonder how the Ricco Act would apply to the Republican Party, could we outlaw the entire Republican Party. I did what any good citizen would do, I looked up the Ricco Act and guess what?

The Ricco Act fits perfectly:

“When three or more parties conspire to carry on an on going criminal enterprise and/or conspiracy, it can fall under the RICCO Act. Their pattern of deception and conspiracy plus all the theft clearly made this a RICCO action in my view.”

This was going to be fun; I started to have visions of dozens of republicans arrested on the capitol steps, a group “Perp walk.” Can you just imagine the expression on the face of the head cockroach-man, DeLay? We could have a wonderful time at the hearings, a combined select hearing on the corrupt enterprise known as the Republican Party, this was getting good!

I could see Rep. Connors pointing his finger and asking, “Mr. O’Reilly, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Republican Party?”

“Name names sir!” and Billy giving up his family, friends and even some people he didn’t know, it would be great. The fact that we would have established a criminal conspiracy; we could bug all the phones and homes of every registered republican, wow! We would learn so much from that little move.

We could build a new prison in Cuba to hold all the republicans awaiting charges and trial, they could see first hand how much fun it is to be in the Caribbean eating wonderful meals. This is good! However, the best part is to come!

Again, I am not a lawyer, but I understand under this act all property can be confiscated by the state. We could take all their wealth, that would be good---get the money honey. Sen. Frist, broke---alone, on the street, I just love it.

I know, I know----maybe this will never happen or maybe some prosecutor out there will become so upset about what is going on that Ricco would be waved around to scare the hell out of the Republican Party. Did I tell you about a guy named Abramoff?

SINISTER STRATEGY

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 21:24:55 GMT

January 1, 2006, 9:46 AM

A NEW SINISTER STRATEGY BY THIS CRIMINAL ADMINISTRATION

I listened to the radio today and heard a disturbing voice telling a story of how the troops are upset about the peace movement because it damages the morale of the soldiers who are fighting for the freedom of Iraq. I was reminded of a rumor about the soldiers being ordered to contact the press back home and sing the praises of the war. This is not new and will not work in the long term; however, it will cause great pain to the families of the soldiers and the military.

One of the more promising things that has happened thus far in this war, we, as a nation have separated the decision to go to war from the military, who must fight what was determined by the Bush Administration. If the progressives are not on top of this new strategy, we will be seen by many Americans as anti-military. This is what happened in the late sixties and caused a major split in the public. The people who suffered most were the troops, their actions came under investigation and they became the bad guys---this should never happen again. The Bush criminals are using the troops as props and now using them to spread propaganda that serves only the administration. These criminals know no bounds when it comes to lying, cheating and killing the innocent, they must be run out of office.

We will see a flood of feel good stories from the MSM, (or STATE RUN NEWS) concerning the war in Iraq. Are you watching Mr. Democrat, get off your butt and move against this sinister move by Bush. I hope this madness will end soon; our nation is suffering from the action of this group of criminals.

In Peace,

Joe Walsh, (Lone Vet-Portland, OR.)

WISH LIST FOR 06

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 01:14:58 GMT

December 30, 2005, 9:47 AM

My Wish List for 06

1. See my family go though the year without a death.

2. See a democratic win in the House.

3. See more and more Americans waking up to this criminal-- some call President.

4. See progressives take over the Democratic Party and the DINOs be defeated in primary challengers.

DINOs (Democrats in name only)

Here's how the top five weasels looked at year-end along with their number of lousy votes:

Ben Nelson (D-NE) 41

Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 19

Kent Conrad (D-ND) 18

Max Baucus (D-MT) 17

Mark Pryor (D-AR) 17

Lieberman not making the top five surprised me, but he only got a seven weasel votes, it would seem he has been out front more than the rest of the DINOs.

5. See a real withdrawal from the entire Middle East.

6. See real help for the working men and women of this country.

7. See repeal of some to the lunatic laws that has squirmed out of the 05 Congress.

8. See all Americans covered by medical insurance.

9. See BushCo impeached, arrested and sent to Cuba.

10. See our public school fully funded and operating successfully

At the end of 06 I will look at this list and hope I can remove some of this things---that would be a good thing.

In Peace,

Joseph Walsh

(Lone Vet of Portland, Or.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 04:02:35 GMT

A Christmas Greeting to Bush/Cheney and Sen. Smith

The Lone Vet--Portland, Oregon

BUY ANOTHER PIECE OF JUNK

President Bush reminds me of a used car salesman, the guy in a funny suit who attempts to get you to come back just one more time. You have been to this car lot many times and have never gotten a good car, they all have some type of problem, but you cannot seem to stay away from this guy. Maybe it is because you want so much for this man to show, just once, that he is honorable, will tell you the truth---he does promise this time will be different.

Here is a good time to tell you a story about denial:

A woman was cleaning her daughter’s room and found some birth control pills; she confronted her daughter with the evidence. “Tell me!” said the mother, “These are not your pills.” The daughter replied, “Mom, my name is on the pill holder, and they are filled by prescription, they are my pills.” “Tell me that these pills do not belong to you,” said the mother again. The daughter gave up and said, “OK, they are not mine, mom. The mother put down the pills and said, “Make sure you return the pills to their owner and we will not talk about this again.”

In this short true story, the mother got what she needed; a way to deny the evidence and continue on her make believe road. She was happy and safe from the reality that her young daughter was having sex. To understand why 40-50% of Americans still support this criminal administration re-read the story.

I used to think that we were heading for a cliff, there was great danger if we did not stop and look where this man called Bush was leading us, and now time has run out.

We have gone over the cliff, and we have smashed upon the ground, now we are just pieces of what was, we are broken and will never be the same. The Bush family has won, Dick Cheney can die in peace, he has succeeded in destroying the country once called the United States of America. There is nothing left, our great democracy is dead.

We are now known for torturing suspects and old men, the invaders who burn women and children in the tens of thousands. The rest of the world thinks we have gone mad. Once our enemies would surrender to us knowing that they would be treated like human beings. Remember the stories of the Germans, (WW2), who would run to the GIs and away from the Russians because the word was out that Americans would treat you as a POW and not execute you on the spot. Sorry, gone.

We now know that BushCo is spying on Americans without any checks and balances, they decide who is a threat and who is not. The DOD is spying on groups including Quakers, who say this action in Iraq is wrong and must be stopped. Rummy is smiling and happy.

Our Vets are being shipped home as freight, after dying for something they thought was noble. Freight, no honor guard, in the excess baggage holes of planes, where above first class passengers drink Champagne.

Over three hundred thousand vets from the first Bush war are now listed on permanent disability, there will be many, many more from the little bush. Our VA system is imploding and you cheer for the bush. There is so much more--China owns our IOUs, the poor will now be cut from food stamps, medical care on any level---Barbara likes this part.

Our media has gone from being called the muck rakers to the Main Stream Media to the Corporate Media and having finally succeeded in reaching the height of their hypocrisy will now be know just as “The State Run News.”

“God Bless Us, Every one!”

12/21/05

WE ARE BEING ATTACKED

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 03:14:48 GMT

SOMETIMES I THINK WE ARE FIGHTING ONE OF THE LEGENDARY SEA MONSTERS FROM THE OLD MOVIES, YOU KNOW, THE GIANT SQUID.

I heard today that we might have shot a man who just wanted to get off a plane in Florida. The first story about this incident was a man said he had a bomb, ran off the plane and was killed by two heroic sky-marshals. The story is becoming a little more complicated, the passengers seem to be saying they never heard the guy mention bomb, some of them say they did not hear him say anything at all. The man’s wife was trying to tell people he was ill and needed his medicine; he ended up dead with five or six bullets in him. Welcome to Florida folks, if I were you I would not move too quickly off the plane. There was an instant poll showing 70-80% of us thought that he should have been shot, most of us bought the original story put out by the authorities. When are we going to learn?

The tentacles are everywhere; they have crushed people who have given their entire lives to the defense of this country, like Clark, Wilson and a long list of others we will never know about. Education is being systematically strangled by this group of maniacs in the White House. Tax gifts to the rich during war are causing shortfalls in every other program including food stamps, medical assistance, veteran assistance and any program to help the poor and middle class. The fact that China now owns most of the debt this lunatic is running up seems to be missed by our state run media.

Our military cannot keep up with the required deployments, generals are now sending out SOS messages through congressional representatives like John Murtha. The president has said repeatedly if the generals request something they will get it ASAP. The few generals who have had the courage to ask for armor, more troops, and maybe better Intel have all been shunned or retired. Dean says we cannot win this war and is crushed for speaking the truth; this war cannot be won because there is no war.

The action that is going on in Iraq is an occupation, not a war---we won the war two years ago, our military defeated the armies of Saddam and he is in jail standing trial for murder, again the war is over. The only real question left for any of us to consider, do we want to stay in Iraq or get the hell out.

The only way to defeat this monster we call the Bush Administration, is to force them to answer the above question, stay or get out? The American people are now saying they want to end this madness, but the people in the White House want this to go on and on for years. Please Mr. Democrat force them to answer because that answer will dictate what we do in the coming years. To leave Iraq we will have to bring together the best minds in the country, come up with a plan and sell it to the American people. If we are to stay in Iraq, we will have to call for a draft to replace the troops now serving three and four tours, industry must be put on a war footing. Ford wants to close plants, sorry make tanks. This also must be sold to the American people.

Every time a democrat gets into an argument with a republican, they make the mistake of talking about when we should get out, not the main question if we should get out. Force them into the corner, make them tell the American people what we are going to do, they are in charge.

J. Walsh, THE LONE VET

PORTLAND. OR.

PICTURES OF THE GRANDKIDS, KRIS, OLD MAN AND THE QUEEN OF THE MOUNTAIN

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:48:55 GMT

In the mist of darkness there is light.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:08:03 GMT

FIRST THINGS FIRST

The democrats must come up with a clear and simple position on this complicated subject, a way of allowing the American people to understand what we stand for concerning the War in Iraq.

Many of our Senators and House members voted for the authorization and the continued funding of the war in Iraq. This has placed the democrats in the position of not wanting to say it is time to get out of Iraq. A strong position would be that we insist talking about making the decision to get out. The next question of how we accomplish our departure only comes into the debate when we are honest with the American people about not having any intentions of staying in Iraq. This is where the NeoCons are the most vulnerable, they do not want to leave Iraq and lose whatever advances they believe they have won. The permanent Bases are the AchillesÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂ heel of the NeoCons

I believe that many Americans confuse cut and run with proclaiming that the war is not over and we are running away--- not true! What we are doing now is occupying Iraq. We have won the war, the armies of Saddam Hussein have been defeated, the very people who he is charged with trying to destroy will try Saddam. Once you make that distinction it would allow you to say to the rest of the world we have done all that we can. We have saved Iraq from the terrible dictator, and we must now train the Iraq forces to a level that they have every chance to create their own form of government. The rest of the world would come to our aid, if they believe we are truly leaving. The democrats want to leave but the NeoCons do not----that is where the arguments should be. The democrats must push Bush on the issue of building permanent bases in Iraq. You can call them embassies or bases, makes no difference. They are a big hindrance when you try to convince the world we have no desire to control the internal affairs of Iraq. The democratic position should be no permanent bases.

When the Bush Administration goes after you on cut and run relate what at least one general has said----it would take 12-18 months to get our troops out of Iraq if we decided to leave today. There is no cut and run.

We can ask Jordan to help set up peace talks with all the interested parties. This must include as many groups as possible, and we should not exclude anyone that has a power base. Jordan will help if they also believe that we have no designs on the future of Iraq.

11/19/05

Joseph Walsh

Tendjoe@aol.com

More thoughts on this 11/23/05

I view the democrats very different than most do. I see the democrat as a child who goes into a store and steals a candy bar. I view the republicans as a criminal who pulls up with a truck and takes everything in the store. They are both stealing, but there is a huge difference.

There were over twenty senators who opposed the invasion of Iraq. I may be wrong but I believe all the republicans voted for the war against Iraq. (Chaffee may have been the exception.) I am not sure what the house vote was but it seems to me that dems also managed to get about 120 votes to say no.

The reasons for going into Iraq were:

The United States under this administration wanted to control the oil flow and they wanted to have a big foot in the Middle East. Secondary reason, because we were there why not make some bucks. These are not new revelations, the NeoCons tried to get Clinton to sign on to their agenda in 1992.

Long-range plans for the progressives should be to have a third party, a group of people who are the conscience of the government. I would love to see 20 or 30 politicians who are people who know what it means to decide what things to buy this month, because I cannot afford all the things I need. Should I buy heat, food, or medical? Short range plans, keep the heat on the party of power. If the Dems take control of the house and there is no investigation into what this administration has done to almost every aspect of our lives, they should be run out just like the repubs.

HOPE

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:36:03 GMT

Hope

One day on the bridge a woman asked me why I call myself the Lone Vet. She also was interested in what I saw for the future of our beloved country. I remember answering that I did not know but there is always hope. For the second time a friend asked me about this most important concept, so I will try to answer the question, “Is there hope?”

Our republic, in my opinion, is based on trust. We elect people to represent us in Washington and we trust them to do honorable work for the betterment of the country. Most of us want to be free from the nuts and bolts of running this country that we call the United States of America, we are busy trying to live our lives. We are in the grips of a criminal administration and are now forced to look at the decisions that were made and the reason for those decisions. We trusted our politicians and the trust was broken almost from the first day Bush took office. I do have hope, and it is you.

Today, as I write this, I am aware that most Americans now say that invading Iraq was a bad idea, that the president should have moved faster on Katrina and overall is not doing a good job. I am also aware that as the polls fall for Bush so will his ability to frighten the news media and others who are terrified to criticize this family of wolves. There is great hope here, and people have just taken to the streets in the hundreds of thousands to protest many of the Bush policies. The Republican Party is faced with investigations, indictments and just had one of their worst weeks in years. There is hope here.

I expect in the coming months that Bush and Rove will attack those who criticize to such an extent that honorable republicans will also begin to oppose them. That will be the kiss of death for the “Bush Crime Family.”

I now go to my bridge on Thursday and Friday with my sign because I do see hope, a flicker of light in this dark tunnel we are all trapped in, just a flicker. This is not the time to slow down, this is the time to double everything that you are doing, protest more, write more, call more, because without hope there is only the Bush Criminal Family to laugh at you. Each of us throws a rock into the ocean of corruption, soon, very soon you will see a wonderful new Island being created, we shall call it the Island of Hope. When I do despair, I think of these words :

"I remember that all through history,the way of truth and love has always won; there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall."
Mahatma Gandhi,