The Fourth Option (A Centrist Perspective) Blog

Body counts in groups Of twos, and threes, and fours, and Pieces put together to make a whole One, Are reported by the news with casualness -- As informal as saying today's date: "Three soldiers were killed in Iraq today." "A car bomb killed two marines." "An explosion took the lives of four Americans in Baghdad… …Next, in case you missed the Tonight Show, here is what Jay Leno had to say!" …Next, coming up, David Letterman's top ten …" Unnoticed: One plus two plus three … add up to thousands. Unnoticed: There are dead Americans returning from Iraq. Unnoticed: Many of the Americans, who are loosing their lives, are eighteen- and nineteen-year olds. Unnoticed: Most of us never see the quiet Hearst and silent funeral processions for them -- our Fallen Heroes. Unnoticed: Most of us never hear the cries of the families who have lost these love ones. Unnoticed: We are creating a growing number of very young widows with small children. Unnoticed: Th...

Sprayed ground meat: the only remains from them, -- outside my memories. Together: we laughed and cried and boasted about future dreams with beautiful wives, and children. Never again . Red and Green Mosaic: the jungle leaves with their splattered blood flowed from my mourning tears; I knew: None will ever drink a beer, nor own a house, nor meet his future wife, or hold their babies to nurture through little league through wellness and sickness to attend prom and college and make grandchildren. Never again . (My buddies only wanted to give those war-torn children candies -- knowing future Dads should practice loving kids, Unknowing, --that here: Children were often wired as bombs to explode.) Never will they have a birthday, or reach the age of twenty or vote,             -- for the first time. Never again .                   ...

Truth in politics is the voice one hand claps to wedge-issues hits tunes of marching music for  The Great Divide Truth in politics is less honest than a meaningful, lengthy discussion with a pet rock:      beyond grasp, light years below the ethical reach, of the socially and politically literates beyond feelings -- its benign neglect. Yet, somehow it always manages to fool those who will bear the greatest cost of being fooled: Those who can least afford the social and economic burden of being fooled! Convincing them, once again, to vote         ---against their best interest                              ---and that's the irony.

The Lord is my shepherd, but how unlike Whoisyours, Quang Ngai? i grazed daily in the rich, lush, green pastures of His Psalms, away from the poor, dark shadows of your starving hopeless bellies. Your yews, lambs and flocks of little sheep lay silently, unsleeping in these merciless, unrelenting, rattan mats, besides these ——still crying —waters, wailing along with the red rice paddies that mourns your pains and screams your anger, beneath the scarlet, out-raged, blanket covers of your blood —savagely slaughtered by US. i shall not want —whose pacification made you lie down your betrayed souls in these ditches of unrighteousness, for His name’s sake. For as i walk through Tu Cung’s jungles, negotiating through its horrific crosses of death shadows and evil bamboo stalks, i fear most US that comfort me, and art with me for His name’s sake. For He prepared a table before me in your presence -- But who are my enemies?     He anointed my head with oil, but why? Who faile...