Well, we gave it our best shot. John Kerry was only a handful of votes from being our next President. Now George Bush feels emboldened. Claims he has a mandate. More people voted against George W. Bush than have ever voted against any candidate in the history of The United States. Some mandate.

So, we move on. Normally, I say "Well, it could be worse...." But that doesn't seem to work here.

We move on hoping that somehow we can get out Iraq before another 1,000 young Americans die. We move on hoping that the next Bush war won't take our own sons and daughters. And we move on hoping that we can continue to find the good in the world to make it all worth fighting for.

It has been a difficult stretch of unfortunate events. And yet, along the way, I have been able to find some satisfying success. Joe Cheetham died tragically and unexpectedly. And Paul Loughlin took his own life. All within two weeks or so. The confusion began to pile up.

The wave of the start of the school year took over, hardly allowing for a moment to process the news. And five days ago the guy that served me lunch a few times a week this summer died in a nasty crash on I-83. Killed himself and three good friends, two of them brothers.

John Kerry in Harrisburg (2004) 

Eliott and his hat!

Obviously, much has been written describing and analyzing the events of September 11, 2001. I wonder if anyone has read anything describing how -- among all the other atrocities of that day -- the bird populations in and around Manhattan were impacted. I had read something, somewhere along the line, about some of the pets (dogs and cats) that survived in nearby apartments, etc., but I have not seen anything on birds...and yet I am certain that bird researchers must have studied this question.
Let me know if you know anything out there...thanks...I think I'm simply trying to distract myself from thinking about all the other images that come to mind this time of year.
Hope your day is peaceful,
Bill Diskin

So, I sense that some of you are beginning to ask "What is up with Bill? Why's he so overboard about this election?" (No swiftboat reference intended...)

My most basic response is that I'd rather have the Kerry and Edwards families leading our country than the Bush and Cheney families. I do not pretend to know and understand all of the issues. I realize that my knowledge on most of the issues is only a scratch on the surface.

But I do feel strongly that going to war in Iraq was wrong. And if that wasn't bad enough, the treatment of prisoners by American soldiers -- under the supervision of Donald Rumsfeld -- was appaling and embarrassing. I feel strongly that the Bush administration is far more concerned with corporate America than middle class America. And I feel strongly that it is wrong that Halliburton is profiting from the war in Iraq.

Maybe even more important, though, are my interpretations of the distinctions between the Republican party agenda and the Democratic party agenda. Going all the way back to the RNC when Pat Buchanan spoke (one of those Reagan years) and basically said homosexuals are non-human and unworthy of the rights granted to American citizens, I have found it difficult to connect with the Republican ideals.

I feel strongly that every American -- every citizen -- deserves the rights and protections of the Constitution. No political party has the right to choose certain individuals or groups and deny them these basic rights. When that can happen, we all suffer.

And, when it comes down to it, I fear war. I hate that families all of our country and all over Iraq are being torn apart over a war that never had to happen. I say, diplomacy first. In my opinion, George Bush failed as a diplomat. He rushed to war too soon and without just cause. For that, if for no other reason, he should not get the chance to lead our country for four more years. If I made a mistake at work that led to such horrible results, I'd expect to be fired. Bush should be fired.

And I do admit that I am selfish in all of this. I do not want another four years of this war and planning for the next. I realize that John Kerry will have no way to end th e Iraq war easily or swiftly, but I'd rather we try his approach than continue with the Bush plan.
Kerry's administration will, I believe, begin to restore the reputation of the United States around the world. Currently, we look like war minded bullies with no regard for diplomacy or international law. Kerry and Edwards -- the Democrats -- will work to rebuild the relationships we need around the world. Only then, I believe, will we have a chance to be successful in bringing global terrorism under control.

My bottom line? I want my children to grow up in a world that is more often at peace than at war. I want them to grow up without the stress and tension of bracing for the next big terrorist attack. I want them to grow up in a country that respects all citizen. In a country that respects the land and natural settings upon which it was founded. I believe the Democratic party is more capable of allowing that to happen. We have to do a great deal of the work. And our leaders have to create a situation where that work can begin.

And that's why I am so interested in this election. My goal is to share things that I read in an effort to help spread information and ideas. I don't expect that all of you will agree with everything I send. But if I can help one person -- or two -- become more interested, and they in turn make the effort to learn more and become more involved, then my efforts are worth it.
I think we are in desperate times. I at least want to know that I did everything I could.

Sincere regards,
Bill Diskin

Hello all:

I got to see John Kerry and John Edwards when they came to Central Pennsylvania this past Friday.

They spoke at the State Capitol building in Harrisburg, PA.

Thanks to a slight flaw in the otherwise tight security, I was able to work my way to the front of the crowd. There I got to meet Cate Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, Chris Heinz, Andre Heinz, Vanessa Kerry, and yes, the biggest star of all -- Ben Affleck.
In each case, I was able to have a reasonably lengthy conversation. Elizabeth Edwards is quite impressive. She asked me where I lived, what I did for a living, and how I liked living in Central PA.
Cate Edwards told me how nervous she was the night she introduced her mother at the DNC earlier in the week. She said she was "scared to death" the whole time. Prior to that night, the largest crowd she had addressed was "about 30 people".
Vanessa Kerry is really sharp as well. She thanked us for coming out and laughed when I asked her if the candidates kids bus was the fun bus. She said yes, especially with Ben Affleck on it!
And I had quite a funny interaction with Affleck himself. He, too was interested in where I was from and how involved I was in the Kerry campaign. Later -- and Nicole is really upset about this -- a small group had gathered and the excitement of the evening had calmed down...I thought "Nicole will never believe that I'm chatting with Ben Affleck", so I called her on my cell phone. Ben agreed to say hello to her -- but I dialed (by accident, I swear!) her cell phone number instead of our home number (in the excitement, I clicked the wrong name in my phone's address book). Sorry, Nicole...he's no big deal anyway!
My favorite chats of the evening came with Andre and Chris Heinz. Both have spent a good bit of time in Pittsburgh and we had a nice time talking about mutual friends and our memories of Pittsburgh. (Though Andre was busy chatting up a woman in Spanish the whole time...)
I must admit seeing some things in John Kerry that I didn't think he had. He has a warm, thoughtful, intellectual side that doesn't always come out on TV. And John Edwards is definitely high energy! Great motivator.
So, it was a fascinating evening watching the whole campaign event unfold. Certainly a major undertaking. (I do have some questions about security, though, if someone like me can walk uncontested -- without being searched/scanned/or questioned -- into handshaking distance of the candidates. Sort of scary.
Anyway, I had a great time...as did 25,000 other Democratic supporters in a historically Republican stronghold. I think Kerry has a good chance this November. Thanks, in part actually, to John Edwards and his energy. I compare Edwards to Dick Cheney and can't imagine who would CHOOSE Cheney's demeanor and record over Edwards enthusiasm and positive nature.
Anyway, it was a great event. And great to see the Kerry/Edwards ticket having some real impact. Should be an interesting election!

I am currently caught up in the writing of Brian Doyle. I "discovered" him a few weeks ago in the current issue of Orion Magazine. His essay, "Lost Dog Creek" inspired me to write a letter to Orion praising them for including his essay, along with a piece by Terry Tempest Williams in the same issue.

Mr. Doyle's work is humorous and refreshing. Good natured sarcasm. He is clearly a dedicated father and spouse. And he has a deep felt sense of spirituality. He actually writes from a Catholic perspective...though somehow it hasn't been in a negative way!

Two nights ago, I attended a talk by Terry Tempest Williams. She is excellent. I had always heard that she is great to hear. And I am now preaching that same message. She is so gracious and polite. So thankful for the interest from the audience. And grateful for the positive response. Most importantly, she is willing to be outspoken. She condemns the war in Iraq. She questions the Patriot Act. She longs for a world that is free of violence, oppression and hatred.

"Commencement" -- in the current issue of Orion Magazine -- chronicles Ms. Tempest Williams' graduation day address to the University of Utah last Spring. She said so much that day that many others would dare not say. She called for us to celebrate "the open space of democracy". And she put into question the direction our nation -- our government -- has taken since September 11, 2001.

Read her books. See her in person.

March 2004. Spring is officially here...though the temperature is in the 30's. Spring brings hope. But things don't seem too hopeful around the world. Yesterday marked the one year "annivesary" of the start of the war in Iraq. We are no much closer to a solution than we were a year ago. We have no exit strategy. American soldiers continue to die each day.

If there is any good news here, it's that with each passing day, George Bush's chances of being re-elected grow slimmer. Americans are becoming more and more disgusted by the situation in Iraq. Bombings in Spain on March 11 have resulted in outcries from around the world that the US should get out of Iraq.