Case Closed

Every once in a while, someone crosses your path who triggers an inner response I've come to identify as "soul whispers." It can happen very quickly or evolve over time; neither way is superior to the other. What's important is the dialogue that is begun; a dialogue that ultimately becomes recognized as "soul speak." It's with that person that one can share those thoughts you might not reveal to others for many mundane reasons simply because there is no need to...Soulspeak is unconditional and by its nature defines the language of love. It knows no gender, no age, no cultural influences nor limitations. It was, and will be just what it is...the conversation of Spirit real-ized. It is with deep delight that I invite you to read the words of one of my own spirit sisters as I welcome her to share her multitude of wisdom with us all. Thank you to Elsie, my mentor, friend and sister of my soul.


Case Closed
by Elsie


The case against Karl Rove, that is. We now have all the proof we need that he isn't the political "genius" he's been acclaimed as by so many for so long. No, I'm not talking about his incredible stupidity in the treacherous outing of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, in order to launch his smear campaign against her husband, Gulf War hero and former ambassador to Africa, Joe Wilson. That investigation is still being conducted by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, so we'll have to wait and see what, if any, charges are brought against Rove for his part in the treachery which did so much damage to our entire intelligence community.I'm talking about the case of Cindy Sheehan, the Gold Star mother who has Bush squirming in the media spotlight because of her stand at Camp Casey, named after the son who died in Bush's war in Iraq.

As most of the watching world knows, she set up camp only a few miles down the road from Bush's ranch and oft-visited vacation spot in Crawford, TX. She and other members of the group she co-founded last year, Gold Star Families for Peace, have since been joined by members of groups who also oppose Bush's policies, such as Military Families Speak Out and Veterans For Peace, and by individuals from all over the nation who wish to lend their encouragement and support. Members of Veterans For Peace had temporarily relocated the crosses they'd been erecting at Arlington West in California since last February, when there were only 540 troops dead in the war in Iraq. Now there are over 1800. Family members of some of those troops helped erect them in carefully laid out order along the road in Crawford. I read that some Stars of David and Crescents were included, honoring the Jewish and Muslim troops who've died alongside their Christian buddies in Iraq.

Counter-protestors, organized by right-wing talk show host Mike Gallagher, who never served in the military and who has no "skin in the game", although he does have four sons - three more than Cindy Sheehan has now - showed up and placed American flags near the crosses. They chanted, "We Don't Care" as the other protestors sang, "God Bless America."

Late last Monday night, a "hostile" Texan, Larry Northern, affixed a bar and chains to his pick-up truck and plowed through that row of crosses, damaging many and running over about 50 of the American flags as well. Right-wing bloggers and media continue to assail Cindy Sheehan for her "un-American", "treasonous" behavior, and blame her for "damaging the troops' morale. If anything damages their morale, wouldn't it be the appalling disrespect for their fallen comrades which this contemptible act of vandalism showed?

What a real "genius" of a political advisor should have done, as soon as he learned of this act of wanton destruction and disrespect, was haul Bush's butt out of bed early Tuesday morning, tell him to dress in his best Texas cowboy duds, and gather up some of those tools he uses as props in his photo ops. He should have given all other members of the Bush administration who were present at the ranch orders to dress accordingly, and prepare themselves for duty on the front lines of the propaganda war. Then he should have summoned the members of the press corps, who are apparently held as perpetual hostages somewhere near that charmingly dilapidated shed on the ranch, and marched the whole assembly down the road to Camp Casey. Imagine the stunning impact of scenes of Bush and his companions helping to gather up and replant the downed crosses! Bush could have defused the mounting political tensions and hugged Cindy Sheehan and as many of her fellow protestors who were willing, without losing any political "face" or credibility at all. It was an opportunity to show himself as a "uniter, not a divider", and to prove that he really does support the troops and honor those who've given their lives for the cause he claims is "noble." TV networks and cable commentators would still be running video clips around the clock, and newspapers would be filled with articles praising his display of compassion and caring.

Instead, Rove allowed Bush's callous, insensitive remarks on Sunday about his need to stay "balanced" and to "go on with my life" to linger in the minds of the public. These remarks, made on a day when Bush had time to ride his bike but not to meet with Cindy, called to memory the difficulties Bush has had in staying "balanced" on said bike in the past, as well as a scooter and a couch (as the result of an attack by a "terrorist" pretzel). More importantly, they were a grim reminder that the troops honored by those downed crosses lost all chance of going on with their own lives, and that many thousands of others are still in harm's way in Iraq.

Tuesday morning, August 16, 2004, Bush had the perfect opportunity to reach out across the bitter and growing division in the heart and mind of his nation. He could have regained a bit of that high "moral ground" where Cindy Sheehan's feet are firmly planted.

Karl Rove, Bush's "brain", stroked out.