HMonk Quickie! ~ Frontline's "The Dark Side"

Damn, I hope you didn't miss this week's episode of Frontline on most PBS stations. But, in case you did, here's the direct link to WGBH's page on this latest and perhaps most disturbing report concerning the manipulation, manhandling, and political steamrolling by The Dick, Rumsfeld, and others as they beat the drum for the war in Iraq:

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"After 9/11, Vice President Richard Cheney seized the initiative. He pushed to expand executive power, transform America's intelligence agencies and bring the war on terror to Iraq. But first he had to take on George Tenet's CIA for control over intelligence."

The Dark Side

Copyright 1995-2006 wgbh educational foundation. All rights reserved. Used here for contextual purposes only.

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I've added this link to my old Protest Page at The Human Trust.

For a concise review of the program, read the Raw Story's Frontline: The battle between Vice President Cheney and CIA to control the 'dark side'. It's a tasty little tidbit that may cause you to run screaming to your nearest video/DVD rental outlet.

Don't forget to click any "Frontline" links you may find at my Protest Page either. Links to an earlier Frontline program on the war, and a follow-up Frontline are linked from there as well. Okay then...it's been a long day ~

And the "Beat" Goes On

You've probably read my little rant on intolerance. In today's unstable climate of fear and intimidation, hate murders continue at an alarming rate, and not just here in the US, but around the world. Here's one of the most recent gay murders, from England:

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"Mr Dobrowski, an assistant manager at Bar Risa Jongleurs, in Camden, north London, was on his way home from a friend's house when he was attacked at about midnight.

He was found unconscious but died later in hospital from head, neck and facial injuries.

He was beaten so severely his own family did not recognise him and he had to be identified by his fingerprints."

full story: Men Jailed for Gay Barman Murder

Copyright 2006, BBC. All rights reserved. Used here for contextual purposes only.

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Here in 'Merica, we've got that nasty old homegrown sumbitch, Fred Phelps. You remember Fred, doncha? He's the "minister" who had his group holler and hold up signs saying "God Hates Fags" etc. at Matthew Shepard's funeral, following Matt's beating in Wyoming at the hands of two locals.

The Southern Poverty Law Center keeps a close eye on folks like Fred. I do too. In fact, I've coined the term "Phelpsian." Here's the latest on Fred from SPLC:

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"While attending a military funeral in Michigan, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., says he and other mourners were bombarded with "chants and taunting and some of the most vile things I have ever heard."

Rogers was alluding to the homophobic signs and jeers from members of the Westboro Baptist Church led by Fred Phelps."

full story: Tolerance In the News: New Law Won't Curb Hate

Copyright 2006, www.tolerance.org. All rights reserved. Used here for contextual purposes only.

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And so, yes, the "beat" goes on. Whether you're a gay soldier who died in service to 'Merica, or a prostitute who just happens to resemble the obsessive focus of an angry serial killer. You might simply be a child whose parents are hated by someone else for a reason you can't even fathom. Hate is not vengeance. Hate is a kind of battery acid that melts down what's left of a heart, and feeds the rage left behind. I hate "hate."