Sanity in the Senate

The following is a transcript of Senator Robert Byrd's speech in the Senate, 2/12/03. I thought it was so articulate and thoughtful--undeniable, really--that I had to post it.



"To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences.



On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent--ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.



And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world. This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption--the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future--is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our--or some other nation's--hit list.



High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together?



There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.



Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.



This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal. In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long

>and porous borders.



In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come. Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant--these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.



The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land. Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?



And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein? Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq? Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?



In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years. One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution. But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.



Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq--a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15--thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare--this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.



We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings. To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time."



For my money, this is the most cogent and thoughtful examination of the issues we're facing that I've encountered. I've sent a letter of support to Senator Byrd and you can too by going to his website here.

Garry Goodrow on the NYC Demonstrations

Friend Goodrow reports:

Saturday, February 15, 2003, 4:20pm



"Glamericans for Peace" have their signs trimmed with fur. One of them reads: "Botox Not Bombs!" They are outside the NYP Library, 42nd and 5th, together with a thousand or so other people, all preparing to walk to 51st St. & 1st Ave. for the demonstration. There's an entire samba contingent, with very big puppets. There is a woman who says, "I had to bring my 14 year old son, because what is going on is outrageous." A lovely girl has a patch on her backpack that says, "Whorehouse of Representatives." I had no button or sign, and saw a guy with a peace symbol button on his hat. I asked him where he got it, meaning where could I get one. He said, "I got it out of the closet. It's from 1968." There was a contingent from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, and they all were still moving.



Anyone who tells you that there were fewer than a quarter million people in New York for that rally is either lying or simply uninformed; and for a news organization, being uninformed is one technique of lying.



Eve Shopsin and I went up there together. I was supposed to meet people at the Library's north lion, but never found them. Eve and I walked east on 42nd St, and the sidewalks were crowded with signs and songs.



The police department had made a big, dumb mistake by getting an injunction banning a march past the UN and up to Central Park. They had assigned 1st Ave. between 51st and 60th as the place to hold a rally, and in the end, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Lexington Avenues were choked with people and cops from 42d up to at least 63d.



Evie and I only made it to 2nd & 54th. The police were letting no one go the next block east to 1st, but they were not letting us got north either. Both sides of the avenue were jammed with people, and of course we spilled into the street, At 54th we were stuck, and there the police did one of their little shows, with horses herding the crowds and sassy teenagers (and oldsters) getting arrested. I got a chance to bend down and say to a horse's ass: "Good afternoon, officer." There was an amazing Police General Staff on hand, including a 4-star General, two bird Colonels, a major, several captains and lieutenants. The lesser officers pushed us onto the sidewalk, then kept pushing.



I'm such a shy, even-tempered, mild-mannered guy, y'know? But I almost lost it a couple times. They brought in one of those plastic webs, about three feet high, and they were shoving us and moving the web along. A rather nasty cop had his baton across my back, and was pushing me steadily, but I had my legs in opposition because there was really no place for me to go. Then he wapped my back with full length of the stick, both hands. It hurt. I turned my head and yelled at him, "You cocksucker!" Instead of arresting me, he used my lack of balance to push me further into the crowd. Then he seemed to lose interest.



My second thrilling brush with destiny was moments later. One of the Colonels, a big fat, red-faced guy, started to plunge into the crowd to grab somebody. He was furious and redder every second. He cried, "That sonofabitch is going!" as he charged. But we got in his way. I actually put my hands on his rather available stomach to hold him back, at which point my little mind whispered, "You off to jail, Jack!" But, perhaps sensing what a stupid figure he was cutting, he strutted off and to confer with other brass.



There is always a jerk around to ruin a nice day. As I was holding back the cop with the club, a guy in front of me yelled at him, "Don't do that to him! He's an old man!" And the jerk who yelled that had a gray beard. When I mentioned it to Evie later, she said, "Yeah, I heard that. That was terrible."



The cops were taking a lot of shit, of course, from excitable young folks and loudmouthed older ones. They were in a ridiculous position. All because of that ridiculous injunction.



We left, and tried to go down 3rd Ave., but riot police were making arrests (there was no rioting) and filling up a PD bus, and we

couldn't get past the next corner. We went over to Lexington, which was one big street party of cops and protesters, all the way down to Grand Central, where we could get a shuttle and a train home. (One funny sign: "FUCT TAPE")



We went to stop at the Oyster Bar, but they, like the NYPD, had not anticipated the number of people who might want oysters (don't forget, many demonstrators were from out of town, and looking to take advantage of a visit to Gotham.) The Oyster Bar was swamped. Too long a wait, hungry as we were.



I have been told that 5th Ave. was also thronged with signs, and that there were crowds northward as far as the 80's.



Yes, I smiled and laughed a lot to see this outpouring of my Murrican friends. The official response from Pres. Twerp so far has been that he is seeking peace too, and Americans have a right, and so on. I wonder if anyone has turned him on to the "Glamericans?" Maybe they're a matter for Ashcroft's Torquemada Squad.



Smile and laugh, friends. And come out for the inevitable next one.



All we are saying . . .

Is Oop Bop Sh'Bam!



IN RISU VERITAS--GG."



Mike again: Jon, got any scenes you'd like to share?

There's an interesting article....

...on Hal Holbrook's nearly fifty years of portraying Mark Twain on stage. Take a look.