If You Do It You'll Go Blind

"Is there anything worse than being blind? Yes, a man with sight and no vision." Helen Keller

Okay, Class, we all agree it's almost impossible to avoid salacious puns when discussing this topic. So let's get those giggles out of the way now, please.

For those blinded as a result of taking Viagra, it's not at all funny. But you have to admit, there's some serious irony here. A rare side effect of a sexual enhancement drug is disclosed and it's international news. Yet nobody even suggests stopping the medication -- they'll just speed up the research to address this new wrinkle.

What happened when some potentially dangerous sides effects of arthritis drugs were confirmed? Bam, yanked right off the shelves. By the way, Viagra and its cousins carry similar potential for cardiovascular complications. But apparently, worth the risk.

Keep in mind arthritis and other inflammatory diseases affect a huge segment of the population compared to those afflicted with ED. And legions of people are suffering and dying from both mundane and deadly diseases -- for which there could be, should be a cure in today's world of medical miracles.

Sure, erectile dysfunction drugs have a legitimate place in modern medicine. But c'mon, they're not exactly up there with chemotherapy or even antibiotics. And yes, everybody should enjoy a healthy, active sex life. Frankly, we'd all be better off if our government leaders spent more time pursuing the pleasures of the flesh. As in: Make Love, Not War.

What concerns me though, is the disproportionate focus on drugs for erectile dysfunction compared to medicines that could actually save lives. The top three ED drugs rake in billions of dollars for drug companies. And more competitors are surely in the pipeline. So who's dedicating precious research and development funds to a cure for Alzheimer's or breast cancer or AIDS or the myriad of other plagues besetting modern society?

And on the subject of blindness, what about the widespread but too little known disease called AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration) -- the leading cause of blindness in people over 50. Consider the Baby Boomers, the largest population bulge in history. Closing in on 50, many already older, they're going to go blind in record numbers. The cure is out there, but pushed back for how many years because drug companies are chasing ED profits, not AMD antidotes?

Ask them, ask yourself, which cure would you rather wait for? In theory, maybe a tough call. In practice, no contest.

Here's an even more troubling question: if Erectile Dysfunction drugs came from stem cell research, would George W, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist and the rest of the MEN in that crowd be opposing it so vigorously? Let's see: Erection. Embryo. Erection. Embryo. You be the judge.

There's a joke among women, too sad, too true: if men had breasts, there'd have been a cure for breast cancer years ago. Wait til the CEOs of Pfizer and other big drug companies start going blind from AMD. Then maybe we'll all see the light.


Find out more about AMD here The Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Read more about my personal connection to it here Lighting the Way.

Images of War

Haaretz.com

"War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children." President Jimmy Carter

It's Memorial Day. A time to remember soldiers killed in battle. As if we could ever forget them.

Tragically, in today's world anyone with a cause, a grudge and a bomb can become a combatant. And turn ordinary citizens into victims of war.

We'll see many flag draped scenes of heroic military men and women today. Which is as it should be.

I want to be sure we keep the painful price of war front and center. Soldiers and citizens, victims all, deserve our honor, our prayers.








thewall-usa.com

One Family Fund
Iraq Body Count
Faces of the Fallen
The VietNam Veterans' Memorial Wall Page Photo Gallery
War Child Home Page

Tag: Getting Personal

There's a survey making the rounds of the blogosphere. It has absolutely no redeeming social value. But that's part of the fun.

Some harmless self-indulgence. A tiny glimpse into another person's psyche (in this case, mine). And, not incidentally, a semi-legitimate way to fill white space on the weekend.

You know you'll be thinking of your own answers as you read. Please share.

Somebody's pSychological Survey

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." Albert Camus

Three names you go by that won't give away your identity: Mom, Honey, Psycho Bitch (but in a nice way).

Three screen names you've had: SmartNFunny, LOSTHoney, CanIPLEASEJustBeOnlineWithoutSomeDufusAnnoyingMe.

Three physical things you like about yourself: my laugh, the right side of my brain, my smart-mouth.

Three physical things you don't like about yourself: my hump, the big wart on my chin and my cackle ... oh wait, that's wrong, I'm a Bitch, not a Witch.

Three parts of your heritage: Jewish. Royalty. What else matters?

Three things you are wearing right now: my wedding ring, my dignity and ... forget it, this is a question aimed at singles.

Three favorite bands/musical artists: Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Bruce. What, like anybody else comes close.

Three favorite songs: Fire, sung by Bruce, the Pointer Sisters or Robin Williams as Elmer Fudd. Crazy (like that's a stretch) by Patsy Cline. And At Last by Etta James. If you haven't guessed, people generally view my music collection with an A Ha! and a What The?? Hey, I'm a Boomer. We have impeccable taste in greatness and schlock.

Three things you want in a relationship: humor, heat, humdrum. Don't knock it til you've laughed, loved and then put your feet up with a good book.

Three physical things about the preferred sex that appeal to you: Wow. That's a nicely phrased heterosexual question. My answer: Clean lean hands, broad shoulders (physically and metaphysically), and the ability to dance under a Marguerita spell on a beach.

Three of your favorite hobbies: reading, writing, shopping. Wait, that last one was a mistake. Really. Just let me get my credit card out of the keyboard and I'll change it to sailing.

Three things you want to do really badly right now: eat Twizzlers, listen to music, write ... wait, I'm already doing that. If I wanted to do something else, why would I be sitting here.

Three things that scare you: drunk people, hostile people and I'm not telling you the third one.

Three of your everyday essentials: Thinking about my son. Making the bed. Pepsi. In that order.

Three careers you have considered/are considering: I have, in fact, done them all. Unless you count Miss America or Secretary of State.

Three places you want to go on vacation: Tahiti, Paris, Alaska. That was a straight answer, don't ask why.

Three kids' names you like: Dude, Puppy, Chica.

Three ways you are stereotypically a boy: I love baseball. I won't drink beer out of a glass. And I drive fast. I mean Really fast. Oh, and I hate to cook. So that's four, big deal, what boy ever followed directions?

Three ways you are stereotypically a girl: I eat like one. I walk like one. I don't get a headache from shopping.

Three celeb crushes: Paul Newman, Aaron Sorkin, Jerry Orbach (RIP). Note: the only celeb with big lips I can even stand to look at is Mick, and at least his are real.

Three things you want to do before you die: become a cool grandmother (not for a while yet, OKAY), publish the damn book already, see a cure for Cancer and Republicans.

Three people I'm tagging next:

Cindy Lou http://www.cynthiajohnston.blogspot.com/
BlondeSense http://blondesense.blogspot.com/
Matt http://www.tatteredcoat.com/

A Joke: The Bronze Rat

"Humor is also a way of saying something serious." T. S. Eliot

A woman is browsing through a curio shop and notices a lifelike bronze statue of a rat. It's so striking she decides to buy it. She asks the shop owner, "How much is this bronze rat?"

"Twelve dollars for the rat, a hundred dollars for the story," says the owner.

The woman hands over twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat; you can keep the story."

As she walks down the street carrying her bronze rat, she notices a few live rats have crawled out of alleys and sewers and begun to follow her. A bit disconcerted, she walks a little faster. Within a couple of blocks, the group of rats has grown to over a hundred. She starts to trot toward the river. The rats, now numbering in the thousands, their ranks continuing to grow, are following her faster and faster.

Terrified, she runs to the edge of the river and throws the bronze rat as far out into the water as she can. Amazingly, millions of rats all jump into the river and drown.

The woman hurries back to the curio shop. "A ha," says the owner, "I bet you have come back for the story."

"Actually no," says the woman. "I came back to see if you have a bronze Republican."



[This is a weekend for laughter and tears ... more to follow.]

No Child Left Unscathed

Andrew Lichtenstein, Corbis

Leave My Child Alone!

"The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war." E. B. White

My pal Swami Uptown has done it again. In his personal holy war against the unholy war in Iraq, he's discovered a loophole that could protect our children. It's a long shot, but a hell of an idea. If you have children high school age or younger, you can-you must-read about it on his beliefnet blog. Here's what he found Leave My Child Alone!

This brought to mind a stump speech I wanted to write for John Kerry during the 2004 campaign -- targeting the Soccer Mom Vote. A force to be reckoned with, if you recall, and as it turned out, one of the decisive swing votes that cost Kerry the election.

I used to be a speech writer, but I'm rusty, so this isn't poetry. And I never submitted it (don't ask), so he never delivered it. But it's still painfully relevant today, especially in counterpoint to the egregious failure of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind.

I See A Child

"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, 'Mother, what was war?' " Eve Merriam

As I look out over this enthusiastic crowd, I'm heartened to see so many men and women determined to take America in a better direction. Dedicated to make the changes that will regain our country's honor ... our safety ... our reputation ... and our future.

Then I see a child. And I ask: in the past four years, who has looked out for him, and his future? Who has given her a better chance to survive? Who has improved the quality of his life, his education, the streets on which he plays? Who has provided for her medical care, her college fund, her personal freedom?

George Bush? No!

I see a child. And I ask: will he grow up to fight and die for his country -- or will his country have renounced war fought for personal revenge and political gain? Will she put herself in harm's way to save others from the abomination of terror -- or will her country have used the RIGHT resources for the RIGHT reasons to hunt down and destroy the REAL agents of terror?

Under George Bush? No!

I see a child. And I cannot help but see all the children lost to us, and to their loved ones. Every one of the brave soldiers killed in Iraq was somebody's child ... and wife or husband, brother or sister, mother or father, friend. Every one of the innocent citizens, heroic firefighters, police-and-rescue personnel, and ordinary heroes who lost their lives on September 11 was somebody's child ... and father or mother, sister or brother, husband or wife, friend.

Four years ago, and then three years ago, and now again, at critical turning points in our nation's history, George Bush promised hope. And change. And a safer world.

Has George Bush delivered? No!

I see millions of children living in poverty, their parents working two and three jobs to keep a roof over their heads, while legions of corrupt CEO's rake in billions of ill-gotten profits -- directly from your hard-earned tax dollars. And George Bush has done nothing to stop it, nothing to stem the torrent of jobs flowing overseas, nothing to create more jobs here at home. In fact, he has mortgaged America's future, allowing the national debt to climb to over 7 trillion dollars.

Who will stop the profiteers, strengthen America's Middle Class, protect our environment and restore fiscal responsibility to the government?

George Bush? No!

I see a child. And I ask: will he find a level playing field in higher education and in the job market? Will she be able to afford a home, day care, a well-deserved retirement? Will they be breathing clean air, drinking clean water, viewing the natural beauty of uncontaminated forests and wetlands, mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans?

Under George Bush? No!

I see a child, too many children, suffering and dying needlessly of preventable and treatable diseases, while health care costs skyrocket. And the Bush Administration's drug industry friends rake in obscenely inflated profits. Who will overhaul our failing medical system and make health care affordable to all?

George Bush? No!

I see a child, desperately turning to crime, to drugs, terrorizing other children, because no one has given him an opportunity, a chance, a helping hand. I see a child having a child, dooming them both to a hopeless cycle of poverty and oppression, because no one has given her information, options, the power of choice.

I see a child, trying to learn in crumbling schools, to survive in desolate neighborhoods, to discover possibilities in shrinking employment markets, while George Bush pours billions of American dollars into a war with no global support, cuts hundreds of vital social programs and allows his NRA friends to put deadly assault weapons back on the streets.

Who will save our schools, our neighborhoods, our jobs, our children -- our children's lives?

George Bush? No!

I see a child -- and I see hope slipping away under the Bush administration policy of protecting the rich while ignoring the poor and middle class. I see respect weakening under George Bush -- respect for America, for her citizens, for her children.

And I know we must get Hope and Respect back. We CAN get it back.

We must tell that child-all children-that their parents and teachers and doctors and police and firefighters and soldiers will protect and provide for them. That laborers and farmers and industry captains and government leaders are going to bring HOPE and RESPECT and SAFETY back to them, and to America.

Because when I see a child, I see our most precious resource -- the future.

And I know that to save our future, we must first see a child.



U.S. National Debt Clock

Democrats - Win or Lose?

Win?

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant." Robert F. Kennedy

We dodged a bullet. The Great Filibuster Shootout has been averted. For now.

We've got heroes to thank on both sides of the aisle: McCain, Byrd, Lieberman, DeWine, Reid. They and others hustled for a workable compromise -- damn hard to accomplish when you're dealing with the intolerable, intolerant Right. But they persevered.

From all sides we hear cautious optimism. And equally cautious concern. Nobody loves this settlement but everybody's trying to put a positive spin on it.

Well, almost everybody.

The predictable villains, most notably Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who started this mess, don't know the meaning of compromise. Frist and his Radical Posse haven't a clue how to concede graciously because they're Always Right. So when Frist saw the wind shift against him in the 11th hour, he stepped aside to let Senator McCain take the fallout from conservative right wing-nuts still opposed to any agreement.

And to placate his power base further, he resorted to threats like a nasty, prissy schoolmarm, warning that if he sees any "bad faith and bad behavior" he'll go for the nuclear option. Translation: if a spot opens up on the Supreme Count, all bets are off. Compromise be damned, he's going to fight to the death for the most ultraconservative right wing Justice he can find.

Frist is a dangerous man. Very, very dangerous.

A compromise was reached, but the blood feud continues.

Lose?

"I've always said that in politics, your enemies can't hurt you, but your friends will kill you." Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas

I have a few questions for the power brokers in the Democratic Party (you know who you are).

1. Do you enjoy losing?

2. Are you formulating a realistic plan to win back the White House in 2008?

3. Have you initiated a coherent strategy to take control of Congress in any election before 2008?

4. In anointing Howard Dean head of the Democratic National Committee: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??

It's entirely possible I'll burn in hell for saying this, but-for ONE time only-I agree with a Tom DeLay supporter. Commenting on Dean's Meet the Press appearance Sunday, a DeLay spokesman said, "Leading a party with no idea, no solutions and no agenda, Howard Dean's latest antics, which previously earned him a rebuke from his own party, shows the sad state the Democrats have sunk to."

Dangling participles and all, he's articulating a far too widely held perception. Take me now, Satan.

Dr. Dean/Governor Dean/Candidate Dean became a national punch line in the 2004 presidential election. Yes, I know, he was just trying to be heard over a raucous crowd ... and Edmund Muskie didn't mean to cry and Michael Dukakis shouldn't have gotten in that tank. It doesn't matter. Sadly, wrongly, what matters most in political gamesmanship is image.

And what really counts in political leadership is Gravitas. Clout. Credibility. Democrats desperately need a national party leader with Authority. Influence. Power. Someone who can juggle PAC's, Unions, special interest groups, party pols from local precinct captains to Governors, Congressmen and Senators -- and most important, Big Money Moguls.

Does any of that describe Howard Dean? All together now: NO.

Contemporary politics is all about Marketing. Branding. Positioning. To win, you have to sell candidates, ideas and agendas to the voting public. But first, you have to muster support among your own top guns. Even today, "back room" politics remains a critical part of the process, a blueprint for success. If you haven't got what it takes, you won't win. Period.

John Kerry should have, could have, won the presidency in 2004. He and his handlers blew it. The reasons are many, and for another discussion. The outcome is what matters now. What did the party bigwigs learn from it? What are they doing differently to assure a better outcome in the future for Democrats, for all of us?

With Howard Dean in charge, the answer to both questions is the same: Not nearly enough.

A Tale of Two Churches

Baptist? No, Republican. Democrat? No, Baptist.

"A church has no right to make anything a condition of membership which Christ has not made a condition of salvation." A. A. Hodge

A radical Republican minister in North Carolina put himself front and center in the Politics Vs Religion debate. He told his Baptist congregation just before last year's presidential election, "...if you vote for John Kerry this year you need to repent or resign. You have been holding back God's church way too long." Then he ousted church members who disagreed with him.

Turmoil ensued. Even his opponents agree he was a dedicated and vigorous minister, if badly misguided. "He was energizing [church members]," their lawyer said, "but he was not energizing them with religion, he was energizing them with hate."

He could have preached sin. Or hell. And he should have preached forgiveness. Understanding. Love. But lordy, lordy, why do clergy members with impassioned political views have to turn them into hate-filled rants?

Now he's resigned, along with like-minded Republican church members, leaving behind a confused congregation of mostly Democrats. To those still there, the temporary guest pastor said, "It's time to quit taking sides. The only side here that's worth anything is the side of Jesus."

I'm a Jewish person, not a Jesus person. But hearing those particular words in that particular situation, from a Christian minister in a Baptist church, I am compelled to add: Amen!

Hosanas? No, Horrors.

"For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel." Martin Luther

What is it about the South? Dateline Louisiana this time.

A pastor, his wife, six church members and a deputy sheriff have been arrested and charged with abusing children and animals. They targeted kids, from toddlers to teenagers, in what was described as a cult-like sex ring. Don't even ask about the animals.

From what I can understand, this is a fairly small Holy Roller church. The confessed pedophile's father was once the pastor. By all accounts a good man. When the son took over the post, he fired his mother as church secretary. And started having sex with the church's children.

Last week, he walked into the local sherrif's office and confessed. "I don't really know what motivated him," said the parish's Detective Supervisor.

Guilt? Let's hope so. But too little, too late.

There's a special place in Hell for a clergyman like that. Or, he can join the Catholic church and get off scot free.

Bad Guys: Saddam & Santorum

They Might Be Hanes but He's Not Michael Jordan

"PICTURE, n. A representation in two dimensions of something wearisome in three." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Okay, my turn to say something about Saddam In His Underwear. Here goes: I don't care. A little public humiliation can't begin to compare to the crimes he's committed. And If I can't smack him upside the head myself, I'm glad somebody else did.

I'm betting it's a nearly universal opinion, no matter how politically incorrect. The guy's right up there on the Evil Dictator list with Stalin and Hitler. Some frustrated members of our military obviously agree. And wanted to remind us how much they and others suffered at the hands of this despicable despot. So in a comparatively minor get-back, they let loose some snaps of the monster at bay.

Predictably, there's twittering from all quarters.

Shades of Abu Ghraib, they tsk. Breaks the Geneva Convention, they bleat. We're going to sue, they cry. And my personal favorite: Arab militants will be offended. Oh please. Like they need a reason. Let's remember the atrocities they're only too happy to publish themselves. Balance this: Briefs. Beheadings. Briefs. Beheadings. No contest. They don't get a vote.

Yes, two wrongs don't make a right. Yes, it's wrong to sink to your adversary's level. Yes, righteous arguments lose meaning when supported by inappropriate behavior. Yes, yes, yes: human rights should be respected across the board, no exceptions.

Well, hold on. When we're talking about someone who's evil incarnate, I'm ready to say An Eye For An Eye. Although if that were done, Saddam would be long dead.

Anyway, Rupert Murdoch did it. Let him take the blame.


Speaking of Hitler...

"Politics have always been the systematic organization of hatreds." Henry Brooks Adams

How dumb do you have to be to invoke modern history's nastiest name in furtherance of your cause? About as dumb as PA Senator Rick Santorum, I guess.

It's bad enough Santorum's in league with the devil's disciples in Congress to put radical right wing judges on the federal bench. He's got to embarrass himself-and us-even more with boneheaded references to Hitler and Nazis while debating on the Senate floor.

The ADL's Abe Foxman said "Once again, Nazi imagery was used in a political debate, where it has no place. Whatever your views on the Senate rules relating to the use of the filibuster and judicial nominations, it is inappropriate and insensitive to compare American democratic procedures with actions taken by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party."

Who could disagree with that? And who could possibly forgive such unforgiveable remarks? Can you say "Republicans"? The Republican Jewish Coalition actually had kudos for Santorum's lame apology. "Sen. Santorum is sensitive to the effect of his words and the inappropriateness of the analogy," intoned their executive director.

Sensitive my sweet Aunt Fanny. The only thing he's sensitive to is the political ramifications of his ill-chosen words. If he really had a clue, he wouldn't have uttered them in the first place. And I don't care where your politics lie, you don't defend this bluto. You kick his ass around the block.

Santorum can apologize til the cows come home. His words are out there, hovering like flies on dung.

Can you say, "Congressional Record" Rick?

PS Here's a look at another immature buffoon. Nazi-Schmazi?

Sermons on the Run

"The difference between listening to a radio sermon and going to church is almost like the difference between calling your girl on the phone and spending an evening with her." Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist, 1837-1899

My friend Swami Uptown loves his iPod. He uses it religiously to help inspire his exercise routine. I wonder what he'd say about the latest trend of podmania -- podcasting. And its inevitable religious extension: Godcasting.

Personally, I'm all for technology that helps you grab some great Satellite or Talk Radio feeds for your iPod. But now people are downloading audio versions of weekly church sermons, and in record numbers. Even Vatican Radio is podcasting messages from the Pope and guest Godcasters.

According to Lycos.com, searches for online Godcasts went up 355% last month. And just a week ago, says CBS MarketWatch VP and Internet guru Frank Barnako, "searches for Godcasts were as popular as queries about TV's ER and model Naomi Campbell."

Wow. Quite a modern trilogy. Religion, guts and sex.

Though comparatively I suppose Godcasting could be viewed as a good thing. Especially for teenagers. A smidgen of spirituality, a dollop of Love Thy Neighbor, a dash of faith, even a taste of fire and brimstone -- all arguably welcome counterpoints to the chaos and violence assaulting their ears-and minds-in 50 Cent's latest release, The Massacre.

Like chicken soup, it couldn't hurt.

Or could it? Bloggers are morphing into podcasters in ever growing numbers. And in today's culture, the written word can't hold a candle to the spoken one. An auditory experience is so much more dynamic, and kinetic. It reaches out and touches the listener, literally gets into his head. That's power. And peril.

In today's climate of rampant religious extremism, there's an insidious twist to the concept of instant God in a Pod. It's the perfect platform for the Radical Right to beam their jingoistic, self-serving propaganda into the minds of the masses.

On the other hand, what happens to church coffers when all those warm bodies who used to show up on Sunday with open wallets start getting their religion fix on the Internet instead? One can only hope, and pray.

Just please, not to an iPod.

Another ER Good-Bye

"One of the few good things about modern times: If you die on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us." Kurt Vonnegut

The world is on fire. Killing continues unabated in Iraq. Iran and North Korea are going nuclear. Gas prices are up. Morgan Stanley is down. And Congress is playing kickball with the Constitution.

If you peruse these pages, you know I have a lot to say about all of it. Just not today.

Today I'm deliberately averting my eyes from the global pile up. And tonight I'll be curled up in my comfy leather chair to say good-bye to Carter.

C'mon ER junkies, you know who Carter is ... and you know who you are. To tell the truth, all the hoopla around the new Star Wars movie and its legions of tweaky fans has me feeling a little self-conscious about declaring my allegiance to any entertainment offering. But I'll say it loud and proud: I've been a loyal ER fan since Carter was a pup.

And in fact, it's not really Carter (Noah Wyle) who's on my mind today. It's the ER's late Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). His swan song was an Emmy winner. To my mind, arguably the best episodic TV death ever. I've been thinking about it and wondering how John Wells and team are going to top it. My conclusion: they can't.

Back in the day, Mark Greene was the Carter of today's ER. Yeah, yeah, George Clooney's Doug Ross was the Heartthrob, but Dr. Greene was the Heart and Soul. He was Everyman, struggling with everyday problems: stress, strained friendships, workplace politics, aging and dying parents, divorce, remarriage, parenting, and finally, his own mortality.

The show allowed him to handle it all with insight, sensitivity, sensibility and essential humanness. And they handled his character's death the same way. A doctor, remarried with a young child, struggling to keep his life, his marriage and his difficult teenage daughter afloat. Then, bam! Brain tumor. But not your mother's soap opera, ER gave us a brutal and honest look at the whole painful, messy process.

They did it cleverly too. They made it a voyage. Misery. Discovery. Anger. Hope. Acceptance. Death. They gave him time, perspective, awareness, dignity. And they gave us a hell of a ride. The seemingly final episode was in fact prologue to the end. Greene says good-bye to the staff, and to us. He walks away from the ER forever, having handed the ball, and his mantle to Carter. The hour moves forward with other characters, other plots. Then a letter from Greene to the staff arrives by fax and Carter reads it aloud. At the end of the letter is a postscript from Greene's wife. He has died. Greene's letter, and the note are tacked to a communal bulletin board. We watch as the various characters read the it, and the news of his death.

It isn't until the next-and truly final-Greene episode that we are shown his last days. Certain scenes resonate. His wife finds him in the kitchen in the middle of the night, writing a list of things he never got around to doing ... and now, never will. Some, predictable male fantasies: hit a home run to win the World Series for the Cubs. Jump out of a plane. Others, poignant fatherhood dreams: walk his daughters down the aisle. "Fix Rachel."

And that's the one that shapes the last show. Trying to reconnect with his estranged, rebellious teenage daughter, he takes her to Hawaii, where he grew up. He wants her to know him as a person and as her father. He wants them to share the past and the present ... if not the future.

In one scene he reminds her that as a child she loved The Wizard of Oz and would beg him to sing "Over the Rainbow" whenever he put her to sleep. She shrugs him off, denies the memory, and him, seems not to hear, or care.

She doesn't want his generational backwash, sees no value in groking his life or comparing it to her own. And of course she's so very angry. But as he deteriorates, and moves closer to death, she begins to understand what was, and what never will be.

She comes to him early one morning. He's lying on his bed, facing the sun as it rises over the ocean. He struggles to synthesize all he wants to say to guide her, save her. "Generosity," he tells her. "Be generous. With yourself, with your time, with your love."

Gently she places earphones on him, kisses him good-bye, and turns on the CD player. First we hear a 4-string ukulele and humming -- then a soft, haunting refrain, "Over the Rainbow" sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ... and Greene's final smile is beatific, a man at peace.

Schmaltzy? A little. Moving? Absolutely. Will Carter's swan song top it? Not a chance. But for a little while tonight, I'll wallow in whatever they give us.

Anything is better than watching the world on fine.


Learn about, listen to and enjoy "Over the Rainbow" here Head Butler - Music.

Frist, the Evil Filibuster Buster

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." Blaise Pascal

Our democracy's in serious trouble. Its most cherished, hard fought safeguards are about to be trampled, torn, rent, irrevocably destroyed.

Our country is literally under attack by extremists within our own Congress. They have no right, regardless of their religious beliefs-and certainly not in furtherance of them-to contort our Constitution for their own political goals. Yet they dare to stand up and try.

They have a leader. Worst of the worst. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee. Once a punch line, now a power broker with so much malicious momentum he's become an antidemocratic ballistic missile. How did that happen??

Not so very long ago, Bill Frist was just another conservative southern senator with apparently more interest in religion than legislation. A right wing religious fanatic with little of substance to offer, a rubber stamp supporter of George W. Bush's evangelical agenda.

Then, as the President's approval ratings slipped, leaving him less able to spread his ultraconservative message, Frist began to emerge as the President's human bully pulpit. And what a bully he is.

Frist was the perfect choice to move the President's calamitous agenda forward, under the radar, with a much lower profile than Vice President Cheney and other well known members of the President's Gang of Thugs. And now with the story busted wide open, and his cover blown, we see how badly we underestimated the scope of Frist's destructive reach in the all-out effort to put right-wing judges on the federal bench.

And with the future of the federal judiciary on the line, here's the really insulting part: they're using women-one of them a black woman- as pawns. Hoping women's groups and African American groups will be so blinded by feminism and racial pride they will overlook the documented inadequacies of both judges' qualifications and records. And when I read today that conservative black church and activist groups fell for it, and are supporting the nominees regardless, I wanted to cry.

We fought for freedom of religion. And from religion. We fought for racial and female equality. We fought for democracy. They're all under siege by a misguided, misanthropic, miserable excuse for an American leader. A holy roller on a mission.

Where are our heroes? Where's Senator John McCain? Where's Pennsylvania's own Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee? They're hustling now in the 11th Hour.

It may well be too little, too late. And for all his lame duck, slip-sliding popularity, you know George Bush is gearing up to declare victory.

But no matter how loud they trumpet the holy righteousness of their cause, George Bush, Bill Frist, and their allies in Congress are treading on disastrous territory, and Jesus is most definitely not coming back to save them.

I wonder if the nuclear option exists in Heaven. If they get there at all, these guys might need it.

Defending the Female Orgasm

"The pleasure of living and the pleasure of the orgasm are identical." Wilhelm Reich

There's a new book out which is the object of substantial scientific debate. It takes on virtually all previous studies on human sexuality, specifically the subject of female orgasm. Thinking women, liberal or conservative, will not be thrilled by this book. Fundamentalist Christians, on the other hand, will be ecstatic.

Apparently scientists and anthropologists have spent the past 74 years studying human and primate sex drives-including the female orgasm-from a strictly evolutionary standpoint. Dr. Elisabeth Lloyd, Indiana University philosopher of science and professor of biology, has reviewed that extensive research. And in her new book concludes none of it can substantiate the claim that female orgasm has any value in the perpetuation of the species.

I beg to differ. I'm no scientist but I know what I like. And I wouldn't have perpetuated anything with anybody who couldn't bring me bliss.

However, back to pure science. Lloyd's book analyzes 32 studies on the female orgasm which attempted to link it to the same evolutionary imperative as the male orgasm, clearly biologically engineered for procreation. She says none of them did the job. Women can have sex, and get pregnant, without orgasm playing any biological role. Dr. Lloyd believes that fact alone debunks the scientific, Darwin-inspired theory that all human functions have an evolutionary genesis.

Other biologists don't agree with Dr. Lloyd's thesis. Interestingly, some of the most vocal among them are men. And their reasoning is, well, typically male. Dr. John Alcock (his real name, I swear) of Arizona University posits that a woman could view achieving orgasm as "an unconscious way to evaluate the quality of the male." Is he kidding? Any woman with a pulse could have told him that. Of course what he means is that female orgasm is an unconsciously selective method for females to determine a male's genetic suitability for procreation. Forgive my lapse into scientific jargon, but I just have to add: Duh.

Although there are segments of the female population sadly not enlightened enough to seek, expect or demand orgasm from themselves and their partners, it still remains a fairly universal and logical predictor of a desire to move forward into marriage, and for most, subsequent procreation.

A female scientist weighs in with another, highly disturbing view. Dr. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, emeritus professor of anthropology at University of California says, "Perhaps the reason [female] orgasm is so erratic is that it's phasing out. Our descendants on the starships may well wonder what all the fuss was about."

S H U T! U P!

Okay, not quite the reasoned response I was going for, but gloryoski, what a dismal prospect. Dr. Hrdy spends way too much time in her lab, if you ask me.

But if Dr. Lloyd is right, and Darwin's theory, when applied to female orgasm, just doesn't hold up, that worries me. Not because I'm a strict Darwinist, although I do believe in a primarily scientific rather than creationist explanation for the origin of the species. However, I'm just spiritual enough, and cautiously optimistic enough to hope that in some unknown and unknowable way there is also another, greater force at work.

Still, this is a slippery slope. Women have enough trouble achieving parity in our still male-dominated society. A scientific claim that our most intimate sexual response shows us to be evolutionary inferiors is grist for too many strict Creationist and Radical Christian Right antifeminist mills.

With the debate on the Theory of Evolution Vs Creationism heating up again, fired by the efforts of those determined to introduce a biblical interpretation of human origins into our children's classrooms, one can see Evangelical Christians salivating at the prospect of new ammunition in the battle to put women, and Darwinism way, way, WAY down.

We would all do well to maintain a certain amount of skepticism about either camp's claims. No matter how we got here, we still need each other, and a healthy sex drive, to stay here.

And let's face it, sexuality and the ability to have orgasms is integrated into human physiology for a reason. Whether intended for procreation or in the case of females, as Dr. Lloyd suggests, "just for fun," orgasms have enormous intrinsic value all on their own.

Frankly I think anyone who would deny that, just simply hasn't had one.

Saints and Sinners

"We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. 'I will be a saint' means I will despoil myself of all that is not God." Mother Teresa

The new Pope wants to put the newly late Pope up for Sainthood. Immediately. This year. Not in five years, as is customary. One wonders, what's the rush? Could it be.......... POLITICS?

Is it possible the former Joseph Ratzinger sees the move as a good way to deflect scrutiny from his own past? And perhaps share some reflected glory from the recently passed Pope? Scores of the faithful are calling for John Paul II's sainthood, what better way to score some major points with them.

As I understand it, canonization signifies that a person was heroically virtuous in life, is now in heaven and worthy of true veneration. The process was speeded up one other time, for Mother Teresa, but that was a no-brainer, to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The woman was a saint when she was alive.

As for John Paul II, the jury's still out. And should stay out. I'm not Catholic, but I know the nominee's background is investigated, and proof of miracles -one for beautification, another for sainthood- is sought. I'm curious, in the case of John Paul II, where on the application for beautification might one denote "refused to help save millions from genocide"? And how would one describe that all important second miracle, "gave succor and protection to pedophile priests"?

In the Yiddish vernacular of my religious culture, the very idea of sainthood for John Paul II is a shonda. A shameful idea. An embarrassment. An act of bringing dishonor on your house. By anybody's definition, it's major league chutzpah. (For the uninformed, or residents of Wyoming, chutzpah means balls, big brass ones.)

And adding shonda to chutzpah, Pope Benedict XVI named San Francisco Archbishop William Levada to the post of Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. A monumentally political post. Benedict's job when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. As the late Pope's policy wonk, "God's Rottweiler" was responsible for enforcing church doctrine, punishing wayward sinners and oh yes, dealing with the pedophile priests scandal -- which apparently the Vatican felt wasn't one and the same thing.

Cardinal Ratzinger was big on tossing politically incorrect dissident theologians out on their ears for not toeing the party line. But pious child molesters? C'mon in fellas, we'll cover your tracks and hide your disgraceful acts.

Just as the new Pope passed the buck on that hot potato, he's now passed the torch to Archbishop Levada, another harshly conservative doctrinarian. Here's what they stand united against: abortion, euthanasia, feminism, homosexuality and lifting the celibacy requirement for priests. Uh, guys? About those last two. Horse is out of the barn in your own back yard, don't you think?

Levada was also a principal player in the pedophile scandal cover up. A statement from The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, ''Regarding abuse in the San Francisco archdiocese, Levada has been slow to act, harsh to victims and committed to secrecy.''

And get this: Levada's on record as having said that priests should seek counsel from their bishops on refusing communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion.

Yikes! No wishy-washy stance on separation of Church and State for this guy. What a trinity of traits: unyielding, unforgiving, underhanded. Just the person you want at the right hand of the Pope, inspiring the faithful, following in the footsteps of a seriously flawed predecessor.

For beautification, Pope John Paul II had to have performed a confirmed miracle in his lifetime. I guess making pedophiles disappear from one parish only to appear in another could be termed miraculous. But a procedural loophole also demands that in order to qualify for sainthood, a miracle must have occurred after John Paul's death.

So far, the only miracle I can see is that Catholics everywhere haven't risen up in protest over his successor.

Swami Uptown - Grace Notes

The War is thus the primary spiritual event of our time. Rooted in fraud, destined to fail, it is a death factory for Iraqis and Americans alike. Everyone who calls himself or herself a spiritual leader ought to be screaming about the real cost of this war--the price our souls pay for the lies told in our name, the deaths of women and children we don't bother to count, the wounds we are inflicting on our planet. And the press should be asking what's next--something in Syria? the bombing of Iran? And you, out there in America, should be marching in the street, calling--in the name of Christ, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna--for the killing to stop and our kids to come home. Jesse Kornbluth for Swami Uptown at beliefnet.com

I'm not usually superstitious, but this Friday the 13th is a real downer. I feel like I broke a mirror. Walked under a ladder. Ran over a black cat. Lost a daily muse ... hold on, that last one actually happened.

My friend Jesse Kornbluth drew the curtain on his daily Swami Uptown act today, and not with a swan song, but with an aria -- exactly what you'd expect from a man who makes music with words. You've sampled a coda of his eloquence above. And if you're smart, or lucky, or both, you've been listening carefully to his cantos of enlightenment for a year.

This is my BRAVO! -and my eulogy- to The Swami Concerto. Its creator lives, bless his weary soul, but his heart got so heavy it could no longer beat the drums of righteous anger and alarm. So this is also a call to others to take up Swami's cause with renewed vigor and purpose. Because it's our cause too.

For the past year, Swami Uptown has illuminated the spiritual blogosphere with a clarion vision. He's been a steady beacon of sanity. A dauntless defender of truth. A passionate believer in hope. And a peerless champion of Do The Right Thing. Every day, five days a week, he's waged war on ignorance, arrogance, indifference, pomposity, mendacity. And on war itself -- the ultimate destructive force.

He's done it with moxie, charm, passion and wit. He's got brio. He's got cojones. He's got game. For a full year he's been the head cheerleader for a team of ideals, values, uncompromising standards. But sadly, appallingly, his team -OUR team- is losing.

God knows, Buddha knows, Krishna knows it's bloody hard to be the voice of reason in a world of babbling idiots. Jimminy Cricket knows, Swami knows it's a thankless task trying to be the conscience of a body politic that's lost its moral center. But Swami's persevered. He's blasted the blowhards, pummeled the prevaricators, fumed at the fools, reproached the reprobates and eviscerated the egregiously evil.

He led the charge for a year. Now he says, I feel my biggest accomplishment here was to give comfort to readers who feel as I do; if nothing else, this blog says "You are not crazy." Of course we're not crazy. WAR is crazy. Swami gave us more than comfort, he articulated our collective rage and despair, stepped up and spoke out, gave voice to the holy concept of Right Vs Wrong.

So it's our turn. Let's go get the bastards who wore Swami down, bummed his bliss, and betrayed us all with their greed and hubris in creating and sustaining this profane war. Let's do it for Swami, but most of all for the future of our planet.

Once a week, Swami will still have our backs. And, one hopes, continue to be our touchstone for this most righteous cause: NO MORE WAR.

Another Glorious Birthday

"What children take from us, they give…We become people who feel more deeply, question more deeply, hurt more deeply, and love more deeply." Sonia Taitz

Today is my nephew's 9th birthday. Well, big whoop, you say. Every day is some kid's birthday. True, but he's not just any kid. He had a rare cancerous brain tumor removed when he was only four. And now he's nine.

Thank God.

He's a special kid, extraordinary in many ways. He's bright -gifted, in fact- funny, inquisitive, intuitive, kind, sensitive, loving. Maybe it's the cancer experience, maybe he just came that way. Probably a combination of both. No matter how old you are, you don't go through major life-threatening surgery and its aftermath without being altered in some way. And not necessarily for the worse.

In his case, notwithstanding partial deafness and other ongoing neurological issues, he's growing up to be the kind of kid anybody would be proud to have.

Thank God.

A lot of credit goes to his parents. And to his extended family. You don't prepare for a scenario like childhood cancer, you have nightmares about it. Yet his parents handled the surgery, and these ensuing years with strength and grace and yes, even humor. They did more than cope, they overcame. We all helped, but they did the heavy lifting, and so did he.

He continues to do even more. You'd think a kid who's gone through such a humongous trauma would want to forget it, ignore it, pretend it never happened. Not him. He's on a mission. To help other kids.

Lots of folks around him lately have been raising their eyebrows and shaking their heads and wondering what's up with the long hair? He's not a teenager, he's pretty healthy now, how can his parents let him get away with such an indulgence. Indulgence? Not hardly.

He grew his hair long so he could donate it to an organization that uses human hair to make wigs for children who've lost theirs to chemotherapy. Last week, just before Mother's Day, he reached the required length and got a haircut. Now you can see his beautiful face, and his even more beautiful spirit. That's what you call a special kid.

Oh by the way, in case you're wondering, in addition to his laudable qualities, he can be bratty and contrary and stubborn too. Just like any normal nine-year-old boy.

Thank God.


You can read more about him in One for the "Angel Files".

And if you want to do something: Cancer Research Fund - VHL Family Alliance Homepage

Making Hay with DeLay

dontblamemeivoted4kerry.com

Politics: "The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Attacking Tom DeLay has become an online cottage industry, and I'm loving every minute of it.

As news about the ethically-challenged House Majority Leader escalates, liberal dot-orgs are grinding out websites like sausages. And I use that metaphor deliberately. Consider the offensive, abhorrent and just plain icky stuff those things are made of -- kinda brings to mind Tom DeLay, doesn't it.

Bloggers have been bashing DeLay for a long time, but now that the Big Boys have ramped up the volume, it's really a fair fight. Where better to spend Liberal partisan contributions than in an effort to get this Conservative loser fired. The sites are slick and professionally designed, so they're not operating on our measly donations alone. You gotta believe big bucks went into these enterprises.

The top sites on any list would have to be the American Progress Action Fund's DeLay’s Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen at thinkprogress.org; the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Tom Delay's House of Scandal; and the Democratic National Committee's Tom DeLay Case File, aka Scandal Man.

The Campaign Money Watch is Taking On Tom DeLay on its site through their stated mission of Holding Politicians Accountable. As is CREW: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A laudable cause if ever there was one.

The Public Campaign Action Fund offers All DeLay All the Time. And as usual, MoveOn Pac doesn't mince words: Fire Tom DeLay.

Then there's my personal favorite, wikiquote.org, which provides a handy list of classic DeLay quotes, dating back to 1991. If only we'd seen the handwriting on the House bathroom wall a few years ago, "The judges need to be intimidated. They need to uphold the Constitution. (If they don't behave) we're going to go after them in a big way." Washington Post [9/14/97]

And well, the mind boggles at this vintage DeLay quote: "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." Congressional Record, H3706 [1996 April 23] Oookay. Ever visit a trailer park or housing project or retirement home, Tom? Of course the millions of Americans subsisting below poverty levels are just a figment of some pantywaist liberal's imagination.

I'm sure those trying to eek out enough money each week to feed their kids would be thrilled to know DeLay himself has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR official websites, all on the taxpayer's dime. One has a repugnant teaser claiming "Victory In Iraq" which points to the ultraconservative WWW.FREEDOM.GOV (You just knew these whackos would trumpet their website in all caps, didn't you.) Go there at your own risk -- the blatant abuse of patriotism can cause noxious side effects.

And finally, you have to hand it to the guys at (read it carefully) dontblamemeivoted4kerry.com. They're cashing in on the American Dream with a site full of ani-DeLay merchandise Progressive Anti-Right Wing Products. I'm particularly fond of the Government For Sale T-shirts featuring DeLay.

Whether that's true or not, it's increasingly clear nobody's buying Tom DeLay as a viable leader any more.

Ask Not Who Wrote It

"No man not inspired can make a good speech without preparation." Daniel Webster

Oy Vey! What's up with this? We haven't been socked by enough heroes with feet of clay -- now we're told JFK "may" or "may not" have penned "some" or "all" of arguably the best inaugural address in history?

Okay, Lesson One: that was not a good way to begin a speech. And I know whereof I speak, so to speak. I've been there, done that. No, not for JFK, I'm not that old. I have, however, written many speeches for public figures, including presidents. And I'm here to tell you it's not a one-man, or one-woman, job. It's a process. A collaborative effort. A meeting of bright, informed minds whose objective is to articulate a vision. To reach out and touch other minds, and hearts. To paint a picture with words and phrases that lift, rouse, affect, persuade, inspire.

Tune in to Bravo TV any weeknight at 11pm ET (not 7pm, you don't want to miss The Daily Show) and watch reruns of The West Wing in its glory days, written by Aaron Sorkin -- to my mind this generation's Paddy Chayefsky. You'll get an insider's view of what's involved in major league speech writing. And in the painstaking, exalted art of crafting an inaugural address.

Because that's the Big Kahuna, the once-in-a-lifetime shot at True Greatness. Trust me (taboo words in speech writing, by the way), no president risks securing his place in history by tackling so momentous a task alone. Especially not as savvy a politician as John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Which isn't to say JFK didn't write many of those stirring words himself. He was undeniably intelligent, well educated, a gifted writer and communicator. We know he strove for the Broader Theme, embraced Important Ideas, sought Higher Goals, and favored impassioned phrases.

He embodied all our expectations of a great leader. Global thinking. A penetrating mind. Keen wit. Polished eloquence. But Joe Kennedy's boy also had street smarts. He surely gathered the Best and the Brightest around him for his debut on the world stage. Doubtless he ran the show, and of course he took the bows, but the supporting players were critical to its success.

Former Bush speechwriter Peggy Noonan was able to claim credit for "a thousand points of light" because everybody and his Aunt Mary knew George Bush Senior didn't have the chops to come up with such a lofty concept. Ted Sorenson's in another league entirely. He continues to remain aloof from the discussion, preferring to keep his personal place in history to himself.

And what difference does it make in the end? President Kennedy remains an iconic figure in American history. Whether or not he wrote every word, he conceived and delivered an inaugural address that will resonate for generations.

Did Abraham Lincoln really write the Gettysburg Address all by himself on the back of an envelop? It doesn't matter. The men are gone. But their words abide -- and speak for themselves.

Never Again

A mass grave found after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
United States Holocaust Memorial

"And then we got out of the train. And everything went so fast: left, right, right, left. Men separated from women. Children torn from the arms of mothers. The elderly chased like cattle. The sick, the disabled handled like packs of garbage. They were thrown in a side together with broken suitcases, with boxes. My mother ran over to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, and she told me 'Leibele, I'm not going to see you no more. Take care of your brother.' " Leo Schneiderman, Auschwitz survivor

"The minute the gates opened up, we heard screams, barking of dogs. Bergen-Belsen was hell on earth. Nothing ever in literature could compare to anything what Bergen-Belsen was. When we arrived, the dead were not carried away any more, you stepped over them, you fell over them if you couldn't walk. There were agonizing...people begging for water. They were crying, they were begging. It was, it was hell. It was hell. Day and night. You couldn't escape the crying, you couldn't have escaped the praying, you couldn't escape the [cries of] 'Mercy,' the, it was a chant, the chant of the dead. It was hell." Alice Lok Cahana, Bergen-Belsen survivor

You read their words and you can't breathe. You look at the pictures and your blood freezes. You say to yourself, How is it possible that human beings did this to other human beings? And then, over the huge lump of rage and sorrow in your throat, you have to speak.

Jews have a rallying cry for the Holocaust. It's written in the blood of millions: Never Again.

For 60 years, since the war in Europe officially ended May 8, 1945 -and the enormity of the Holocaust became public record- Never Again has been a reminder, a warning and a promise.

And now, especially as the first generation of Holocaust survivors ages and dies, it must become a universal shibboleth -- to preserve their legacy of suffering, and avenge the deaths of millions, for present and future generations.

We have an obligation, as Jews, Gentiles, Muslims, Human Beings, to honor the memory and the sacrifice of so many innocent victims. To remember the mind-boggling horror of the Holocaust, and to pass the torch of Never Again to our children.

The pure evil of the Final Solution and of the Nazi's despicable crimes against humanity is so huge it is still difficult to process, even from a distance of 60 years -- but we must try, and we must succeed.

As I read the news stories last week, this weekend, today, certain scenes and quotes resonate with defiance and hope.

Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, marked as it is every year by air-raid sirens signaling two minutes of simultaneous nationwide silence in homage to Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Throughout the country, people stop what they're doing, cars pull to the side of the road, everything literally comes to a halt. People remembering. And saying Never Again.

Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate, Holocaust Survivor, "I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. And anyone who does not remember betrays them again."

Berlin's new Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, variously called a Field of Pillars, a Forrest of Tombs. In chilling irony, the concrete memorials have a special coating to protect against neo-Nazi graffiti.

Official resolution of the German parliament, "With the memorial we intend to honor the murdered victims, keep alive the memory of these inconceivable events in German history and admonish all future generations never again to violate human rights."

Candles, flashlights and lanterns stretching across Berlin in a 33-km chain as tens of thousands of anti-fascist German protesters take to the streets to present a unified force against a proposed neo-Nazi rally on the anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, "May 8, 1945 was a day of liberation for Berlin, Germany and Europe from Nazi dictatorship. This date has a lasting meaning for history - never again terror, war and genocide. We must remain vigilant."

Thousands of Jews from around the world joining in a March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau to symbolize the last desperate Nazi "death marches" in advance of approaching Allied forces. Then at Birkenau, a huge screen displaying pictures of prisoners, gas chambers, crematoriums, and survivors telling their unimaginable stories. And an enormous banner reading Never Again.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, "Remember the victims and remember the murderers. Remember how millions of Jews were led to their deaths and the world remained silent. I am sure that all my colleagues, the leaders of the world, remember. Don't let them forget."

And at the same March of the Living:

"There are so many people from around the world here, it is a guarantee this will not happen again," a Russian student, quoted in the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.

From her mouth to God's ear. Never Again.

Quotes from New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Haaretz, The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum