Suddenly the sky is dark with chickens coming home to roost. Start with the amazed discovery of the White House, the Defense Department and the U.S. press corps that nations don't care to be invaded, even if they have been misgoverned by a tyrant for decades. How many Russians died defending the Soviet Union from German invasion after enduring famine and Stalin's terror? This isn't 1991, when Iraqis asked themselves, "Why die for Kuwait?"

Basra? "Military officials," ran a Tuesday European press report, "later admitted that they had vastly underestimated the strength of Iraqi resistance and the loyalty of Basra's population to Saddam." The report quoted a British officer as saying, "There are significant elements in Basra who are hugely loyal to the regime."

Kurdish-held northern Iraq? "Even in Kurdistan," reported the London Independent, also on Tuesday (in the person of my brother, Patrick Cockburn), "where the U.S. is popular and where President Saddam committed some of his worst atrocities, there are flickers of Iraqi patriotism. A Kurdish official, who has devoted years to opposing the government in

A few hours ago I was released from jail with the Reverend Roy Bourgeois MM and more than 60 others including several Nobel Peace Prize winners, major US religious leaders and directors of various human rights organizations. We were arrested, charged and presented a May court date for "protesting without a permit," while expressing our opposition to the tragic war afflicting the people of Iraq.

Our group of national leaders was organized by Pax Christi USA and we gathered in prayer outside the whitehouse, believing the right to peaceably assemble is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately this right has withered away and we were carted away to jail. We prayed at the whitehouse because the Bush administration continues an unpermitted 12 year genocide against the people of Iraq.

The international community has not granted the Bush administration a permit to destroy Iraqi homes or contaminate their water. The Pope and the Dalai Lama refuse to grant a permit for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Nor today, as a citizen of this country can I not permit this unlawful administration to continue to harm the children of Iraq.

Dear Columbus Police:

I was disturbed to hear that the Columbus Free Press reported that the Columbus Police Department has been harassing peace demonstrators, including:

-telling African-American youths that white agitators were entering their neighborhood -encouraging pro-war activists and failing to respond to physical assaults on anti-war activists
-writing frivolous parking tickets to anti-war demonstrators

Though individual police officers may not share the views of the anti-war demonstrators, I hope that the Department is stressing to officers that the image of the CPD and the city would be better served by tolerantly accommodating the peace demonstrations.

I hope that the Free Press article was inaccurate. However, I found the report of police intimidation to be credible enough that I will sign myself only,

C. Andersen

AUSTIN, Texas -- There was Donald Rumsfeld on Sunday morning repeatedly warning the Iraqis that prisoners of war are protected by the Geneva Convention and showing pictures of POWs is wrong. That would be the same Donald Rumsfeld who refused to classify the POWs at Gitmo in Cuba as POWs, instead calling them "detainees" and "military combatants."

The administration initially prepared to claim Al Qaeda fighters were not covered by the Geneva Convention, until the military pointed out that what goes around, comes around. We displayed pictures of our prisoners wearing black hoods, in chains and housed in outdoor, chain-link kennels.

If the Republican Guard surrenders, will right-wing radio talk jocks who have never been near a war refer to them as "hummus-eating surrender monkeys"?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... You need to keep an eye on the back pages of the newspapers and the brief recaps that follow, "And in other news today ..." There is stuff flying under the radar you would not believe.

For one thing, both the House and the Senate have passed George

www.booksforsoldiers.com

It's easy as pie. You can look up or add military addresses of soldiers to send books to. Or can send books to the addresses already on the site.

Books of your choice!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Books For Soldiers started in 1991 during the Gulf War I. We heard from many of our family members and friends about the long waits with hours and hours of nothing to do. We sometimes forget that our service people are alone, thousands of miles away, with nothing to stimulate them intellectually.

During the first Gulf War, we collected almost 1000 used paperback books and sent them to our friends serving in the Gulf and they passed them out to their fellow soldiers.

We received many notes of thanks, after the war, from soldiers who got one of our books, read it and passed it on. It made the time away from family pass more quickly."