Another interesting link from the World Tribune website, Memorandum from Dennis Miller to anti-war protesters. I couldn't stand Dennis Miller as a Monday Night Football broadcaster, but this list is quite good.

From an Australian news website, BRITISH troops outside Basra have discovered cruise missiles and warheads hidden inside fortified bunkers as part of a massive arsenal abandoned by Saddam Hussein's disintegrating southern army.

Like all early news about about the war, who knows if this is true, but if it is, it makes the work of the UN weapons inspectors very suspect.

The Jerusalem Post as well is reporting that a chemical weapons plant was found in Iraq, but I'm not going to post a link until I see other news agencies confirming the report.

That grenade and shooting attack with the 101st Airborne unit is very shocking. Out of the 13 wounded, CNN is reporting that one person has already died. Supposedly an american soldier was involved, and I heard a military commentator on CNN or MSNBC say that this kind of thing used to happen all the time during the Vietnam War. The commentator said when he first heard of the incident, he thought it might be the work of a disgruntled soldier.

I can't help but think that some of the anger of the protestors is generated by their irrational hatred of George Bush. If a democrat was President like Al Gore or even Bill Clinton, I wonder if the protests would be as large. I wonder if Bill Clinton was leading us into a war with Iraq, would the conservative commentators be the ones demonstrating because of their irrational hatred of Bill Clinton. I don't remember people demonstrating when the US military into Bosnia and Kosovo, and we didn't have UN approval to do that.

I've been watching CNN all day. Nothing more depressing like all day and night war coverage, but I can't help myself. I feel like I need to keep up with what's going on with the war. I am so afraid of what will happen when our troops get to Bagdad. That is when the real fighting will start will fear.

I'm starting to hate the protestors. I can't help it, and I feel bad because I've been attending anti-government protests since I was 16 years old. They've become so violent, so angry, and the ones they interview of TV sound so darned arrogant. I wonder if they know that they're coming across in interviews as just spoiled babies who don't know what the heck they're doing, especially the young ones.

What makes me so angry is that they're protesting in San Francisco where the majority of the people agree with their position, and that their actions are just turning people off. The protestors said that they're protesting in San Francisco so shut down the economic war machine.

I was going through my old newspapers today, and I came across a SF Chronicle article from March 9 which said that "According to the new international survey of Cushman & Wakefield, the cost of occupying office space in San Francisco has now fallen to the level of Budapest and Helsinki." How's that for what commercial real estate costs in a thriving economic war machine city.

They only reason the protestors in San Francisco are as successful as they have been in shutting the city down is because the mayor agrees with them and SF is tolerant of protests. Maybe too tolerant. You don't see this sort of stuff happening in any other major city, but then I don't believe San Francisco is a major city any more, if it ever has been.

From that same 3/9/2003 article:

"I don't think San Francisco has ever been a place that attracted international companies." said Cushman & Wakefield's Joe Cook. "We're a top tourist destination, but in terms of world perception, San Francisco has always had a more of a local focus, compared to a city like New York".

I hear rumors that Sadam Hussein is dead. Why doesn't he speak? They just keep showing old tape. It's not his style to not talk from what I can tell. You know who's making money in the war? All the retired army people, war analysts and commentators. Those "talking heads" are raking in the media fees for their expertise on TV.

I pray every day for our troops. They weren't drafted, they volunteered for service and are just following orders. After 9/11, it really hit me hard when I watched the national memorial service for the victims, the one where Bush, Clinton and Carter attended, that our country was first and foremost a military power. When I watched the uniformed soldiers walk up aisle with the flags, I was reminded very intensely that America's power partly rested with our military. The image was further reinforced when I saw all the uniformed military commanders at the service.

When our country was attacked on 9/11, I felt so helpless and it was surprisingly and curiously very reassuring to me to know that our military was there, and that they would do everything in their power to protect our country and its people. I don't think I ever appreciated the military as much as I did then, nor did I realize how much the military had played a part in creating, forming, sustaining and protecting our country. So I keep our troops in my prayers, and I pray they return home to their family and loved ones as soon as possible.

I'm watching Aaron Brown on CNN, and he reminds me of Mr. Rogers. He's Mr. Rogers for adults who watch the news; his voice is so calm. He could reporting the worse kind of violent news, but since he sounds so calm and collected, anyone listening to him won't freak out very much.

Is this Aaron Brown's appeal?

I'm really bothered that the Iraqis are not putting up any resistance. Are they luring us to Bagdad like a trojan horse, and then they'll start attacking. I don't like this. I'm not a military strategist, but it all looks way to easy, like we're being set up either for an ambush or for the media to say "look how the imperialist americans have run over poor Iraq".

I heard on the radio that the perimeter around Bagdad is heavily fortified and boobytrapped. Maybe we could precision bomb the perimeter before going in, like that scene from the new James Bond movie where the bad guys laser out the land mines to South Korea.

Those antiwar protestors. SFGate reported that Molotov cocktail material found near wher the antiwar protestestor were meeting today. Once the protests start doing violent and destructive things, the police will have no choice but totally crack down. The violent ones are ruining it for the rest of the peaceful ones. I don't know why I care. It's such evil and bad karma on the part of the protestors, that if SFPD decides to try some Sadam Hussein tactics and go violent on the antiwar protestors then I say they deserve it. How dumb and stupid can you get. They say they're for peace, yet they use violence to get what they want.

And My silly mayor Willie Brown will take major heat for not cracking down sooner. They say San Francisco is ground zero for antiwar protests, and that's fine, but once things get violent and crazy, the city will have no choice but to respond and the final result will be the outlaw of protests in San Francisco for a long time. Just you watch!

Spooky! There are rumors on the Net and the radio that we could go to red alert. They're saying it means that we might not be able to go outside. No one knows what it means. When they announced the Rodney King verdict, SF went through a city-wide curfew. That was a pretty frightening experience. There was such an air of violence in the air.

More North and South Korea madness. South Korea went to its second highest alert in 7 years, and Japan is warning North Korea.

There are reports saying there are Mexican troops on our border, but no one knows why. There are also rumors about stuff happening at the Palos Verdes nuclear power plant in Arizona. And what's up with the French finding that poison ricin in their subway.

Rumors, rumors, rumors. All we need now is a terrorist attack in our country. If that ever happens, there will be more than night curfews to deal with.

From a story on Yahoo:

"While anti-war protesters shut down streets around Civic Center, Mayor Willie Brown said the Police Department will keep the streets open and the city will run "business as usual." He also said the protesters who shut down traffic were counterproductive.

"I've got to assume that these people are so misguided that they are actually aiding the enemy by doing what they are doing," Brown said. "Most of these people who are being arrested and have been arrested, probably more than 75 or 80 percent, are not San Franciscans. I just wish they'd stay in their own communities and protest rather than put the expense on us."

I wonder if we can get money from the protestors' communities to pay for the anti-war protests march. The San Francisco Unified School District said they might lay off 1,000 teachers. Wanna bet that number goes up now that the City has to pay for these anti-war protests? Wanna bet the City of San Francisco will start cutting more social services for the poor, needy and elderly and start laying off more people to pay for the anti-war protests?

Darn! The radio news is reporting that is costs the City of San Francisco half a million dollars a day to deal with the anti-war protests. Where is this money coming from as the City of San Francisco is strapped for cash?

Don't believe everything the media tells you about San Francisco. Many people who live in San Francisco support Bush's war on Iraq. We are a diverse people with many opinions! I so resent the media trying to stereotype those of us who live here. For heaven's sake, there were Bush/Cheney signs in windows in my neighbourhood during the 2000 election.

I used to think everyone in the 60's was a free-love hippie. That's the what media would have you believe. When I studied the history of the 60's, I discovered hippies were a small percentage of society but you'd never get that impression from the news report.

And yes, although I do support the president's war on Iraq, I just about despise everything else Bush is doing to our country.

I had just gotten into my car to drive to bible study class, when I turned on the radio and heard the end of Bush's speech saying that the war had started. It was so shocking. The news reports were saying that the war wouldn't start till tomorrow.

I thought about not going to class and staying hope to watch the war unfold on CNN, but I decided that I needed to act normally and go to class. When I got to church my pastor was visibly freaked out, and was thinking about cancelling class. Almost everyone showed up, so he changed his mind and we had class.

It was weird being in bible class, knowing that a war was going on, but it was also such a great distraction for my worried mind. Our bible discussions are so intense and lively, that I forgot for a couple of hours that my country was at war. A war that I cautiously support, although a big part of me knows that war is just plain wrong.

I pray for the US troops fighting this war, and hope against hope that they come safe and alive.

I don't know what's freaking me out more, the upcoming war on Iraq or:

1) the superflu bug that seems to be spreading around the globe. "The Stand" by Stephen King is one of my favorite books, and you bet I thought of the "Captain Tripps" virus when I read this headline;
2) the thought of retaliatory terrorists strikes by Al-Queda or Iraqi sleeper cells in the US;
3) Saddam Hussein launching chemical/biological weapons on US troops;
4) Saddam Hussein launching nuclear weapons against US troops;
5) Saddam Hussein attacking Israel;
6) Saddam Hussein launching chem/bio/nuclear weapons against US interests outside of Iraq;
7) Saddam Huseein launching chem/bio/nuclear weapons at the US;
8) the crazy North Koreans launching a pre-emptive strike against the US, while we're at war with Iraq;
9) watching the body bags of our troops come home on TV;
10) CNN showing all the civilian casualties in Iraq;
11) a repeat of what happened to the Japanese during WW2, but this time happening to anyone from Iraq or or arabic descent.
12) hate crimes against people of middle eastern descent.

I can go on and on, but I'm freaking myself out even more just to list my fears.

It's a crazy, crazy world and it's not going to get any better soon.

The following was sent via email to all members of my church on the upcoming war.

Subject: [PCUSANEWS] Church leaders issue pastoral letter on war

Note #7628 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Church leaders issue pastoral letter on war
03142
March 19, 2003

Church leaders issue pastoral letter on war

Presbyterians urged to place their trust in Jesus Christ by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - With a U.S.-led war against Iraq all but certain, three leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have issued a pastoral letter to all Presbyterians, calling for prayer and fasting in support of all who will be in danger in the event of war.

The March 18 letter is signed by the General Assembly moderator, the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, the PC(USA)'s stated clerk, the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, and John Detterick, executive director of the General Assembly Council.

It acknowledges that Presbyterians "represent many different views regarding the best response to the threats posed by Saddam Hussein," and urges members of the denomination "to remember that our ultimate security is in the One who says to us: 'Take courage, I have conquered the world' (John 16:33)."

The full text of the pastoral letter:

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We write to you today with heavy hearts, believing that short of a miracle, the beginning of full-scale military action against Iraq is imminent. In his address Monday night, our President left little room for the fading hope that war could be avoided.

We know that as the specter of war hangs over us all, those for whom it is most painful are those who find themselves in imminent danger, including U.S. military personnel prepared for combat, Iraqi soldiers ordered into place to defend their country and the citizens of Iraq who will find themselves the unintended objects of destruction and death. We cannot help
but think, also, of all the families, churches, businesses, and other communities whose circles have been broken by the call to bear arms. Though we know all too well the real toll of every war, it is our fervent prayer that God will offer protection to all those who are placed in harm's way by decisions not of their own making.

As we are in the midst of Lent and looking toward Holy Week and Easter, we call upon you to join us in prayer and fasting for all these named above, and also for the leaders of our nation, the leaders of Iraq and of all the nations of the earth. We are praying especially for those leaders in whose hands lie both the implements of war and the instruments of peace. We dare
to hope that whatever military action there is will be brief and that when the destruction has ended, the community of nations will come together to bring restoration. We urge Presbyterians to be in the forefront of efforts to rebuild Iraq, to support the United Nations and to work for peace and justice in the Middle East.

We are a diverse church, called into life by the Triune God, who is known to us in Jesus Christ. We represent many different views regarding the best response to threats posed by Saddam Hussein. Yet we are one in our faith in Jesus Christ as both the source of our salvation and the ground of our security. We urge you to remember that our ultimate security is in the One
who says to us, "Take courage; I have conquered the world" (John 16:33).

We know that you will be gathering in many places in the weeks ahead to pray, to study, perhaps to grieve and to support one another. Please take advantage of the resources that are available to you on our church's web site, www.pcusa.org/iraq. Many of these have been prepared for such a time as this.

"And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

In the love of Christ and the hope of His Resurrection,
Fahed Abu-Akel, Moderator
Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk
John Detterick, Executive Director

People are talking about shutting down the city of San Francisco with protests and civil disobedience to stop the money war machine. San Francisco is is such an economic slump, and the city currently has the biggest glut of office space in last 20 years. San Francisco has already been economically damaged by the dot com bust, so it's not the ecnomic engine it used to be. San Francisco is in fact, an economic hell hole right now.

If protestors really wanted to shut down the economic war machine, they should shut down Washington DC and Pentagon City, or Wall Street in NYC, or the Chicago Board of Trade, and not my already economically ravaged city.

Personally, I think the anti-war protests and the shut down of the city will have the opposite effect. I think people will just get upset, and turn away from the anti-war protests. I'm listening to a representive from anti-war protest organizers, and he's totally pissing me off. He is such a jerk! Talk about whiny and not answering any directly any of the questions that people are asking him. He's worse than any slimy politicianm who won't answer a question directly. I can see the headlines now, downtown San Francisco workers getting into fights with anti-war protestors. Great!

Whatever. This is one of the few times I'm glad I don't work in the downtown Financial District of San Francisco.

I'm not sure what kind of paper The Guardian UK is, but a columnist had this to say about Tony Blair, Electrifying Blair goes into Churchill-Custer mode. Did I read this right? Tony Blair being compared to Winston Churchill?

News commentators here in the SF Bay Area are saying to check out Blair's speech to the House of Commons. It's supposed to be amazing, and they're predicting it will be studied for years as a great speech. Well done, Tony Blair!

Sorry, I'm just not all that chatty this week. I think all this talk of war is putting me into a bad mood. I support the president and our troops, but I'm starting to become frightened of all this talk of retaliation from Al-Queda and Iraq. I know most of it is talk and rhetoric, but still it's frightening.

And all these darn protests here, I don't know. Wouldn't it make more sense to protest in a city where people are more supportive of the war? Like how about NYC or DC or Dallas or Atlanta? It's a mystery. I just hope people support our troops, and don't treat them as badly as they did the Vietnam war vets.

Last night I went through my closet and threw out five shopping bags of clothing, and the whole process was so upsetting. I think I threw out $2,000 worth of clothes, and it freaks me out. It makes me feel like I've been misallocating my financial resources. I know that some of the clothes are being thrown out because I lost weight and the clothes don't fit anymore, but it still freaks me out. I feel like such a wasteful clotheshorse. I threw out 9 pairs of pants.

Some of the clothes I'm getting rid of are not my style anymore either. I threw out two pairs of wool shorts, that I used to wear in the winter time to work with a blazer and heels. I tried them on last night, and I felt so old fashioned. Do people still wear outfits like this? I know I wouldn't be caught dead in them anymore.

Some of the clothes being thrown out were just old and I was holding on to them for sentimental reasons. There were a couple of outfits I bought while on vacation, that I haven't worn since those vacations. You know, funky tropical clothes that look great on while you're on vacation, but look so touristy at home. I threw out belts, hats, and old scarves. I have belts that are now too big for me. What a trip!

I think I need to be more careful about my clothing purchases. I threw out clothes and a pair of shoes that I've never worn. I think I bought them on sale, but then never ever had an opportunity to wear them. It's so wasteful! I'm so wasteful!

And yes, can you tell I'm bummed about what I threw out last night? The only two good things that came out of this whole process is 1) I have more space in my closet and 2) charitable tax deductions.

I'm being so festive. I'm cooking up some corned beef and cabbage. Okay, yes I'm eating meat and I'm a semi-vegeterian, but I love corned beef! This is one of the few times of the year I'll eat the stuff. What's a St. Patrick's Day without corned beef and cabbage.

If I was more ambitious, I'd whip up a batch of irish soda bread, but I'm still watching my calories.

I live in a neighbourhood in San Francisco, which has three of the most popular irish bars in the city. The St. Patrick's Day partying started last night, and people were shouting and I could hear them singing drunken songs all night long. I'm sure it will worse tonight. The police usually close off a couple of blocks just to accomodate all the partiers.

I have to be in the office very early tomorrow for a meeting, so no partying for me. I'm staying home and watching "Children of Dune", and eating corned beef and cabbage.

Busy weekend it seems. Too busy and tired to blog anyway.

I went to my health practitioner in Berkeley, and I told him about my allergies and half colds I was getting. He said my immune system just needed tuning up, so he did that. He told me the reasons I didn't get full colds was because my constitution was so strong. I laughed and told him, I don't feel that way. Then he did some other things.

Listening to the news as I write this, and the radio news announcer just announced that Robin Cook, who I believe is the British Foreign Secretary has just resigned in protest over Tony Blair's position on the war in Iraq. Poor Tony Blair. I read an article over the weekend, which said that Tony Blair sincerely believes in what he's doing, and that he is willing to risk his career for his beliefs. I rather like him, and I feel bad for him. The article said that Tony Blair did an about-face in standing with the US instead of the EU. Tony Blair will sadly be probably booted out of office, but I don't think there's anyone strong enough to succeed him.

The world is getting crazier. Don't you feel it? I was in Bali on vacation when the first gulf war started, and didn't come home till the end of January. It was weird being out of the country at the time, but probably good too. The war seemed surreal and far away, like it wasn't really happening, even though most of the hotel guests sat glued to watching the war on CNN enfold.

I turn the TV on every morning as soon as I get up. I know soon one morning, I'm going to turn on the TV and the war will have begun. I do not look forward to that morning.

I just saw the movie "The Pianist". I am so freaked out. Afterwards, I went to a mall to try to ground myself back into the current time period. I even looked at shoes, at my beloved Dansko Jade shoes, but I was too emotional to try them on.

I think I'm even more disturbed than when I saw "Schindler's List", because I saw Schindler's back to back with the movie "The Piano". I went from one emotional state with "The Piano", and into a completely different emotional state with Schindler's. Most of the time during Schindler's you could hear people crying. Someone was crying the whole time during "The Pianist".

I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I think I was too horrified. Adrien Brody gave such subtle performance and Roman Polanski is a genius. I didn't know "The Pianist" was based on a true story. The real pianist lived in Warsaw till his death in 2000. He was eighty eight years old, and had written the story of his life.

Polanski does not paint his characters with black and white strokes. There was so much ambiguity in the movie. There were good jews, bad jews, good germans, bad germans, good poles and bad poles. I mean, he could have. He the director after all, but he didn't.

I am amazed by the will of the human spirit to live on, despite such hardships. I am amazed by how evil people can be, how cruel and how utterly horrifying their actions are sometimes. And what's truly amazing is that people can live on after expreriecing such terrible things, almost as if nothing has happened. The human will to survive to go is so strong, despite all our attempts to kill it.

The tears come now, after I've written all of this. Maybe writing helps me release the emotions that built up as I watched "The Pianist". I feel a need to read this man's story, although it will be a very heart wrenching thing to do. Did music keep him alive? How did he survive into another century, and not go insane?

My own concerns seem so petty to me now. My need for material things seem so blasphemous even, after having watched people scrounge for food and their very survival for 2.5 hours.

Will this movie win "Best Picture" on Oscar night? I don't know. It's such a subtle movie. Roman Polanski's set and depiction of the events in Warsaw during World War 2 was meticulous. I believ Polanski survived the Warsaw Ghetto as a child, and I'm sure this added to the authenticity of the movie.

"The Pianist" won the best picture prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but I think this movie may be too subtle for Hollywood. And Polanski's misdeeds with 13 year old girls doesn't endear him to many people. "The Pianist" is an incredible piece of filmmaking, but perhaps a friend is right. She said that the country is in such an emotional mood right now, that "The Pianist might be too much". She thinks that "Chicago will win best picture because people want escapist movies right now.

She says our current reality of an upcoming war, terrorists scares and our 9/11 post traumatic stress disorder is just too much to deal with, and that "Chicago" is the only light hearted film that lets the moviegoer escape from the real world. She may be right. Too bad. I think in any other year, "The Pianist" and any of the other movies nominated might have won.

I think I'm going to be freaked out all weekend. But it's okay. A great movie does that you sometimes.

This is so not good. They are laying off teachers everywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was listening to the radio yesterday afternoon, and teachers were calling in and saying that layoffs were happening in Oakland, San Jose and Gilroy. There was an article on SFGATE.com today, which said that teachers in San Francisco will also be laid off.

I hate those California Teachers Association radio commercials. I don't hate the message, I just hate the speaker's voice beacuse he sounds whiny and militant. The commercials say "there's an education recession", but what they don't say is everyone is suffering with this bad economy. The union makes it sound like teachers are being singled out, and that's just not true. Everyone is financially hurting.

I'm torn because I know the state has to make budget cuts. The money has to come from somewhere, and I think I would rather have it come from education rathen than from social services. Children at least have parents, one hopes, to take care of them. But what about the people who can't take care of themselves like the mentally challenged (mentally ill) and the physically challenged (disabled)? They have to taken care of by the state. Part of me still blames San Francisco's homeless isssues on the closure of social service facilities in the 1980's. I wasn't living in the area back then, but I know the history. The people affected by the closures had no where to live, but the streets.

But I do feel sorry for the teachers getting laid off. Things in this world are so stressful right now, and I think I'm being stressed out by all of it. On the one hand, the news says that things aren't that bad, and the other hand they keep reporting about layoffs, new homes standing empty, and people being out of work for a very long time. It's so bipoloar. The facts that the news people are reporting just don't add up to the their stories about the economy being not that bad.

It's so confusing!