In light of the recent indictment of Lewis Libby, I found the following article quite interesting (written prior to the indictment). Here is the first paragraph, as well as a link to the entire article. (GW’s administration continually resembles a bad cowboy movie.)

In a New York Times article published on Sunday, columnist Frank Rich buried the dart right in the center-black. "What matters most in this case," wrote Rich, "is not whether Mr. Rove and Lewis Libby engaged in a petty conspiracy to seek revenge on a whistle-blower, Joseph Wilson, by unmasking his wife, Valerie, a covert C.I.A. officer. What makes Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation compelling, whatever its outcome, is its illumination of a conspiracy that was not at all petty: the one that took us on false premises into a reckless and wasteful war in Iraq. That conspiracy was instigated by Mr. Rove's boss, George W. Bush, and Mr. Libby's boss, Dick Cheney."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/101705I.shtml

These are some lyrics from song written by Jackson Browne almost twenty years ago (eerily prophetic)…

They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us every thing from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars
I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die

"The sorrowful spirit finds rest when united with a similar one. They join affectionately, as a stranger is cheered when he sees another stranger in a strange land. Hearts that are united through the medium of sorrow will not be separated by the glory of happiness. Love that is cleansed by tears will remain externally pure and beautiful. " -Kahlil Gibran

I met this gentleman at a Buddhist monastery in Chengdu, China in July. I never got his name , but he'd repeat "welcome to Chengdu...welcome to Chengdu" in a humble tone that a loving grandfather would use.

I wonder if he tells his grandchild the story behind that old tattered hat he wears. I bet it has a few adventurous tales. It's original owner was possibly a Russian named Vitaly or Sergei, who purchased the hat with their total weekly earnings from the vodka kiosk they work at part time.

I took this photo a few weeks ago early on a Saturday morning on the Illinois River (close to Arkansas). I really like the way the photo turned out, although I began thinking about the trees. They remind me of various barricades that are planted in the name of dominion, both physically and spiritually.

A few excerpts from the current Rolling Stone interview with Bono regarding aspects of his faith:

"The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt. So the blues, on one hand -- running away; gospel, the Mighty Clouds of Joy -- running towards. And later you came to analyze it and figure it out."

"As an artist, I see the poetry of it. It's so brilliant. That this scale of creation, and the unfathomable universe, should describe itself in such vulnerability, as a child. That is mind-blowing to me. I guess that would make me a Christian. Although I don't use the label, because it is so very hard to live up to. I feel like I'm the worst example of it, so I just kinda keep my mouth shut."