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• On reflection: a week after the inauguration

  I could barely see the podium or the big screen last week in Washington, DC. It's not because we weren't close enough to either... in fact, we were pretty darn close to the action. It's because I couldn't stop crying the whole time. From Aretha (what a hat...!) to Reverend Lowery ("Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen...") the experience was transformational. I was honored and excited to be able to attend, of course, but I was not prepared for the emotion of the event. I have met Mr. Obama and I've been inspired by his words on many occasions. Jennifer and I were there in Denver on that beautiful August evening when he accepted his party's nomination... Posted Jan 28 2009, 10:18 AM by KTrapani with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: human rights, New Year's Resolutions, values, Bush Doctrine, racism, civil rights, Dr. King

• The Doctrine of Preemptive Military Action: Bush or LBJ?

  It's barely dawn in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964 and the US warship Turner Joy is under attack by the North Vietnamese. 21 torpedoes, machine gun fire... the ship is evading and counter-attacking: full battle stations, high drama in international waters. That night the US President, Lyndon Johnson, goes on national tv to tell all Americans that there was "unequivocal proof of an unprovoked attack" on a US vessel. Then, he went to Congress and on August 7 both houses passed a joint resolution called The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, allowing the President to use miltary force to "support" any Southeast Asian nation threatened by North Vietnam. And the Vietnam War begins... Posted Jan 07 2008, 01:45 PM by KTrapani with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: Bush Doctrine, Gulf of Tonkin, Iran, LBJ