Last week I vacationed alone in Utah, visiting, hiking, and taking pictures at two national parks – Zion and Bryce. Simply put, awesome!! Bryce is known for its odd rock formations called “hoo doos.*” The parks lacked the usual throngs of tourists that naturally visit when the kids are not in school, which enabled me to move from one outlook to another without meeting congestion and crowds. I conversed with people from Germany, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Houston, Boston, Seattle, and Bemidji (Minnesota) while walking the trails. When I approached the Park Ranger station at Bryce, I did not have to pay the $35 entrance fee due to the “National Day of Mourning” for former President George H. W. Bush, aka, #41. I read the USA Today newspaper at the continental breakfasts and the Chicago Tribune upon my return home that eulogized #41.
These newspapers gushed about him. Here is one quote: “As an intergenerational smattering of Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives listened intently, one speaker after another recalled qualities arguably in short supply today: Integrity. Kindness. Dignity. Humor. Empathy. Generosity. Truth.” Other articles talked about compassion , grace, and one of a gentle soul. He was lauded as a master of diplomacy. These descriptions are complete bullshit generated by the propaganda machine.
The USA Today did print one critical comment about the deceased. It noted that when GHWB ran for a U.S. Senate seat (TX) in 1964 (an election he lost), he said he would not vote for the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed racial segregation and discrimination in employment. He said, “The Civil Rights Act was passed to protect 14% of the people. I’m also worried about the other 86%.” In this connection, while running for president, GHWB ran the notorious Willie Horton ad as means to play the fear/race card.
NONE of the articles I read discussed the ugly history of the Iran/Contra scandal when GHWB served as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan. If you want to learn more about this sordid passage of American history, read Robert Parry’s book, Lost History. Basically, money from South American cocaine, starting with sales in Los Angeles (and the start of the crack epidemic), got routed to fund military weapons to the Iranian allies. Sick, sick stuff. Ask henchman Oliver North.
NONE of the six articles I read mentioned anything about #41 using depleted uranium during Operation Desert Storm, which started on 1/17/91 and lasted 38 days. The propagandist narrative was and still is that Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and the US had to intervene. However, there was no mention of the reason Hussein’s military crossed the border. That is, Kuwait had employed new technology, i.e., slant drilling, near the border to siphon Iraqi oil without crossing the border above ground and refused to stop stealing liquid gold. This is detailed by Ramsey Clark (U.S. Attorney General from 1961-68) in his book, The Fire This Time. #41 said he would not use the nuclear weapon if Hussein deployed chemical weapons; instead, #41 would only use “overwhelming” and “devastating” force. Of course, this was a lie.
When #41 used mighty force by dropping 88,500 tons of explosives on civilians and infrastructure, Americans were spoon-feed that the bombing constituted “surgical strikes” on Iraq’s military. This was a lie. Americans were not told at the time that the strikes were not surgical or that #41 did in fact use chemical weapons – he used upwards of 6,000 depleted uranium (DU) rockets. DU not only kills people with radioactive dust clouds, but also contaminates the soil. Testing sites in Minnesota and New Mexico have been left permanently radioactive. The London Independent called the use of DU a war against the environment (just like napalm in Viet Nam and under #43, white phosphorus).
Of course my man Alan Jourgensen and his band Ministry had something to say about #41. In their 1992 release called Psalm 69, the opening track is called “N.W.O.” In this song, Ministry sampled #41 talking about a New World Order. “What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong. A new world order.” #41 thought he could reshape the Middle East with his foray into Iraq and failed, (just like his son). Ministry saw through the bullshit.
There is one redeeming value that I can think of left by #41. He signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in public accommodations. Unlike the 1964 legislation #41 opposed, disability cuts across socioeconomic, racial, and sexual status.
Back to my trip. I saw a lone photographer around 8:30am with a tripod and fancy camera at one of the switchbacks en route to Zion’s “Overlook Trail.” I pulled over to talk. He said to come back to this site at sunset circa 5:00pm because when the light hits the monolith, the stone will glow. And so I did. Nothing happened for 15 minutes, then my jaw dropped, and I snapped some pretty good pictures. As I left the park, I snapped some more pictures of the sunset.
