3000

3000. That's a lot of people. But the Iraqi dead number in the hundreds of thousands, too unimportant to the Pentagon, or any other US government agency, to actually count. And now comes an escalation, almost as if Bush was trying to screw McCain again, who probably thought no one would take his McCain Escalation Doctrine seriously.

Of course, with every day that goes by, we are no closer to a political solution, which is what Iraq needs. And with each passing day, the insurgents get better at killing our soldiers. Our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. For what? Please, all you wing nuts who read this (and I know you're out there), I'd really like to hear your explanation of the Noble Cause we're there for.

Like I said to the idiot drummer on Like Jazz here at the Taper, Saddam was no threat. And occupying that country is going to ruin ours. Estimates of a TRILLION DOLLARS are starting to seem moderate when thinking about the long term costs of this fiasco. And these die hard Bush lovers are probably sticking to their story. Fight them there or they'll follow us home, blah, blah, blah.

I dream of confronting Bush lovers. I am downright hostile to them now. And I used to be a happy guy, during the Clinton years. I find myself seriously pissed off almost all the time now. I see a Bush bumper sticker on a car and I have to get next to them to flip them off. I don't want to be like that, but GODDAMNIT, 3000 Americans have died over there to make us LESS SAFE.

So, WTF? We kicked the Republicans out of congress, a clear signal from the American people that we want out, and Bush, his brain, and his backbone are going to send in more troops. They don't give a shit about what anyone thinks. They want stability so the can divy up the the Iraqi oil, privatize the whole thing, and get in there for the long run profits.

It's sickening. And it's certainly impeachable.

Little Do They Know

I'm sitting here during a rehersal of the new musical "13" for which I'm doing the projection. The show is about a Jewish kid from New York who moves to Indiana (where he attends Dan Quail Jr. High) and tries to fit in with the cool kids. It's cute, I guess, to 13 year olds. It has it's moments, and a few good songs. Talented kids. Still giving me a headache.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, three more US soldiers died today, taking the total to 2993. As I read the story about these men, Marines who died in battle in Anbar province, I wonder how much these 13 year olds actually think about their future in a world with more terrorists, thanks to George Bush's historic blunder. I wonder if, in 5 years, when these kids turn 18, we will still be reporting on US deaths in Iraq. I wonder how many Iraqi 13 year olds now will even be around in 5 years.

As I walk to the bathroom here in the Mark Taper Forum, I have to pass the boy's dressing rooms. They are, much like my 12 year old boy, slobs. Of course, here, they have a maid. I wonder how many Iraqi kids have maids. I wonder how many US soldiers who have died over there have ever had maids. When Saddam hangs in Iraq, he may be the last person in Iraq who ever had a maid.

But I digress. Whether you're a slob, rich, snob, or a bitch, it's a free world. Kids are free to think about whatever they want. I just wonder how many of these kids even know how many US soldiers have died in Iraq.

I wonder if they think about it at all. Here they are about to be stars. Their futures are as bright as these vari-lights that keep shining in my eyes when they baly-hoo. I doubt if Iraq, soldiers, Iraqi kids, terrorism, George Bush, or even political philosophy has even dawned on them yet.

Maybe they should live it up while they can. Who knows what kind of fucked up world the Republican party is going to leave them. This might be the best time of their lives.

TomPaine.com - A Parable For Our Times

My friend Jon Cupp would have liked this essay by Bill Moyers:

"Nobel Laureate economist Robert Solow’s analysis sums it up well: What it’s all about, he simply said, is "the redistribution of wealth in favor of the wealthy and of power in favor of the powerful.'"

Jonathan Cupp, my friend and union brother

My good friend, co-worker, and union brother Jonathan Cupp died yesterday. This is from KGMB:

"On the Big Island, visitors ventured into the treacherous surf at Kehena Beach just a day after a California man drowned there. A witness said 45-year-old Jonathan Cupp was swimming dangerously close to the rocks.

'The waves being very choppy kind of smashed him into the rocks, which obviously knocked him a little bit unconscious, and within moments he was swept out to sea with the current,' said Australian visitor Scott Reidy.

Reidy said several people grabbed their boogie boards and paddled into the pounding surf to help. A fire department helicopter picked up the victim. Cupp died at Hilo Hospital. Reidy said there were no lifeguards or warning signs at the black sand beach.

'I felt powerless. Part of me wanted to jump in and help him, but I knew in the back of my mind if I did something like that then I also would be the one that drowned,' he said."

Jonathan was also one of my political friends. We shared a passion for progressive politics. He was dismayed by the Bush administration. We talked politics often. He was intelligent. He was also kind and polite, something he tried to get me to work on. He said more than once that he admired my outspokeness as much as I admired his humility.

We were working together the day before he left for his big island condo, where he was on vacation for 3 weeks. He lamented leaving when there was work, and I told him not to worry about it, there would be plenty of work when he got back (with award season coming). We got a postcard, and then a Christmas card from him, which he sent here to the Taper. I have put them on my wall, where they will stay until the remodeling. After that, we'll find a new wall.

In production for the new musical "13"

It's massive, loud, young, energetic, and tweeny. It's 13:

"Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown has composed the songs for this new musical comedy – smart, magnetic, and upbeat -- sure to speak to and captivate current, former, and soon to be teens."

Well, judging by the way my kids love Rent, they'll probably love this too. While my 17 year old might be a little old for this, she'll probably love it as a nostalgic look back at her middle school worries about who's cool and who's not. My twelve year old boy, on the other hand, is right in the middle of the themes in this play, and I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

For more about this play, you can read Jason Robert Brown's blog.