On reading his invitation to “embrace Islam.”

I am by the Grace of God a Christian man, by my acts a great sinner. So like a thief do I confess Him: Remember me Oh Lord, when thou comest into Thy Kingdom.

I have never in my life treated a Muslim man, woman or child with disrespect; nor do I personally know any American who has, or would ever do so.

I believe it’s wrong to advise another man to renounce his faith and thereby surrender his soul. This is prelest, and it is evil.

Holy war is an oxymoron and a delusion. War, in any form, is hell come to earth.

I believe, and I will die a Christian, Insha’Allah.

About 200 people gathered on the west steps of the State Capitol on Friday afternoon to lodge their protest against the Iraq war. Demonstrators represented a broad swath of area peace groups, as well as students, professors and religious groups.

Candy Anderson, one of the organizers of the protest, said similar events will be held across the nation in coming weeks, including a march and die-in in Washington, D.C., next week. [SacBee]

Want to see something really big and infinitely daunting?

It’s 16″ x 11″ and filled with absolutely nothing. It’s supposed to contain my ideas for the direction of a chapter I’m working on, in which my protagonist confronts the question of his faith in God and explores his mysticism. [Sigh] That’s OK, it’ll come. Probably in the morning. Many scenes require coffee.

I did some good work today and I got to donate blood. I always consider that a privilege if not a pleasure. And really it’s not a negative thing. The people at the blood bank are always very nice and professional. And it was different this time because they came to Carpinteria, my small hometown, in their special bus. The turnout was strong, so I was handed a reminder that people here are compassionate, as everywhere.

I have to confess that I did not heed the nurses’ warnings against physical activity for the rest of the day. I took a vigorous bike ride in the late afternoon. I was fine. It felt great. My bike had a tune-up this morning at the bike shop, and it was working like a Swiss car. Zoom.

“As the city of Napa increasingly begins to resemble a cemetery, organizers of a silent anti-war protest are getting their point across.” Vallejo Times Herald:

In response to a comment on my post “By the Numbers:”

“We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age. Not since the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has the world faced such perilous choices. North Korea’s recent test of a nuclear weapon, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a renewed U.S. emphasis on the military utility of nuclear weapons, the failure to adequately secure nuclear materials, and the continued presence of some 26,000 nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia are symptomatic of a larger failure to solve the problems posed by the most destructive technology on Earth.

As in past deliberations, we have examined other human-made threats to civilization. We have concluded that the dangers posed by climate change are nearly as dire as those posed by nuclear weapons. The effects may be less dramatic in the short term than the destruction that could be wrought by nuclear explosions, but over the next three to four decades climate change could cause drastic harm to the habitats upon which human societies depend for survival.

This deteriorating state of global affairs leads the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists–in consultation with a Board of Sponsors that includes 18 Nobel laureates–to move the minute hand of the “Doomsday Clock” from seven to five minutes to midnight.”

[Board Statement, The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists]

More than 1,800 Iraqis killed in August – Yahoo! News:

“At least 81 American service members also died in Iraq during August — an increase of two over the previous month but well below the year’s monthly high of 126 in May. American deaths surpassed the 80 mark during only two months of 2006.”

Can anyone help me understand the relevance of these numbers? Does the fact that 45 fewer Americans were killed amount to good news of some kind?

I just don’t get monthly tallies at all. I don’t even want to google how many Iraqis have died in total. Not right now. Later, I will. Sometimes I do.

But counting dead bodies by the month seems analogous to worrying about your neighbor’s dog peeing on your side of the property line, when the town has swept down the valley in an avalanche of mud.

The editor’s mandate. Discouraging and depressing. …

The stores run publishing now. Not news, I know. And the sales people at the publishing houses help decide who will be published.

…Where does a new writer go? How does he/she get an agent?

Sandra Scoppettone’s Writing Thoughts: No Place At The Table: A post on the regrettable realities of getting published.

“U.S. Senator Tim Johnson says ‘he is back’ after suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage eight months ago.” Link

“The New York Times says ‘there had been rumblings over the weekend,’ but ‘the White House sought to quell the rumors.’ In his ‘Washington Sketch’ column for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank writes that faced with the rumors, ‘the attorney general directed his spokesman to deny’ them. Adds Milbank, ‘For a man accused of lying to Congress, it was a fitting way to go out.'”

[USNews.com]

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, embroiled in a row over the sacking of eight US attorneys, has formally announced his resignation.[BBC NEWS]

Ding dong the witch is dead!

Peaceable is getting a little overhaul today.

Resistance is futile.

“‘Your admitted conduct was not only illegal, but also cruel and reprehensible. Your team, the NFL, and NFL fans have all been hurt by your actions,’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to Vick.” CNN.com

There you go, you dog killing freak. Next step: criminal sentencing.

Can I get a Woof, or an Amen or something?