I really don’t know what else to say. It is truly impossible for me to imagine what it must of been like to live under the thumb of a brutal dictatorship protected by a vast system of oppression. The terror of living in that world.

These people who risked everything, including their lives, to change their world, and our world, are heroes. They were ordinary people doing extraordinary things and becoming transformed.

I am not sure that I would have had their nerve. I try to imagine getting up in the morning and going to a rally, not sure I would live to come home again – and I can’t. Imagine, then, getting to the rally and seeing main battle tanks – as big as small houses – and knowing that they might turn on you. And staying and then doing it the next day and the next.

Martin Luther King was right The arc of history bends towards justice.

When Joe Biden, on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, said that Mubarak is not a dictator, it just pissed me off. Then  – in the turmoil of Egypt – that stupid comment seemed to disappeared. But according to Chase Madar over at the london Review of Books, Biden has made the same sort of stupid comment about Darth Vadar, among others.

Look, I know Darth fairly well, and Jim, I just want to mention that Darth has overcome asthma, some serious, serious asthma, and it’s just a really inspiring story, he’s written a children’s book about it, I gave a signed copy to my granddaughter for Christmas. Anyway our position is that before Darth blows up the planet Alderaan with his so-called Death Star, which is really just a large weather satellite with a few dual-use components, Darth should, you know, take some of that planet’s concerns into account. He should take their concerns seriously, and it should be a peaceful process. They have a right to protest against their planet getting blown up. But Jim, it’s a two-way street, and Alderaan shouldn’t be vandalising the Death Star’s weapon systems, which, of course, not that they exist. There’s been a concern that some of the more radical elements, you know, the Wookie Street, might try to do this. So no, we don’t think Darth Vader should resign. But if he does – if he does – we can find the recent appointment of Darth Maul as his acolyte Dark Lord of the Sith to be really, really encouraging from a human rights perspective. Just remember, the Empire is a fragile beacon of democracy in a turbulent universe.

This is riped off from Slate, but lots of fun if you like movies.

If Filmmakers Directed the Super Bowl

A couple of days ago, I saw a satellite photo of the US covered in snow.  Except when I was in the Army, I have never lived in an area that got really cold in the winter. Snow is a drive to the mountains for the weekend sort of thing. Or a drive across Nevada to get to southern Utah sort of thing.

Here it is spring with the fruit trees in full blossom.

In another couple of weeks, if the weather forecast is right, the almond trees in the Central Valley will be so full of flowers  that even the ground will be covered. It will look like snow.

This whole hospital thing was a bigger deal than I expected. I kept thinking I would be leaving the hospital in a couple of hours, then in the morning, then tomorrow.  But, now I am home and will be sleeping in my own beddie-bye tonight. After a nice home made – very soft – dinner and a relaxing watch of Jon Stewart.