Here's a letter I was inspired to write today & send to the Desert Sun, the Idyllwild Town (En)Crier and the Lost Angeles Times...
Will they print it?
Time will tell...
-=0=-

The "paved" road known as 8th Street between Palm Dr. & Cactus street in Desert Hot Springs that I've driven to work on for over 4 years has, in that time, reminded me of explosion-ridden roads I've seen in reports of the Iraq War. Hmm... well, it would make sense that it's been in a total state of dis-repair for that amount of time, as that is when this war started. Hmm... come to think of it, all of the over 276,000 U.S. National Guard troops that have that have been serving over there, many, more than one tour, were sorely missed during the recent week of So. Calif. fire storms. Half the Guard's equipment, like all-terrain vehicles, generators, tents, etc., also sorely missed that week, is over there. Along with the current administration's saber-rattling over Iran come rumors of bomber jet planes readying for attack, while DC-10s with a payload of 12,000 gallons of fire-retardant are too few and far between here in California.
This administration has spent $604 billion dollars so far on the Iraq & Afghanistan wars. They are currently asking $196.4 billion more this year for a war that, some people seem to keep forgetting, is based on lies. The Congressional Budget Office now estimates the Iraq and Afghanistan War will cost over $2.4 trillion or $8,0000 for each Calif. resident over the coming decade. I still don't see how our congressional representative Mary Bono & the others of like mind justify these expenditures instead of allocating their use for our infrastructure improvements, police and firefighting, human social services, education, environmental action... the list goes on. These are my thoughts as I bounce down 8th Street.