Lubbock Left

Got the following announcement in my inbox, and I think it’s worth passing on.

John Agresto, former senior advisor to Iraq’s Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research, will discuss his nine-month
assignment assisting Iraqis in rebuilding their system of colleges and
universities.

The lecture, titled “Eyewitness Iraq: Myths and Realities,” will
start at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6 at the International Cultural Center, 601
Indiana Ave.

Working under U.S. Ambassador Paul Bremer, Agresto worked to rebuild
Iraq’s higher-education infrastructure from Sept. 2003 to June 2004.
Agresto believed he could complete his work.

He was overly optimistic.

Following the lecture, Agresto will sign copies of his book, Mugged by
Reality: The Liberation of Iraq and the Failure of Good Intentions.

The event is free and open to the public.

Because of highway construction, attendees should take Texas Tech
Parkway or University Avenue to Fourth Street, then turn south on
Indiana.

Tonight’s MoveOn.org vigil in support of ending the War in Iraq was a success.

The event began with volunteers displaying signs along 82nd St. — one of Lubbock’s busier streets. The signs from L to R are “Peace is Patriotic,” “Iraq War: Wrong Way,” and “Keep Them Safe.” It was at this time that someone from KCBD put a camera in my face and I flubbed through some statements about the event, so I might have been on your TV last night.

After that, the group gathered near the Veterans’ Memorial in five groups of this size to read through rolls of this year’s U.S. Soldier casualties and injuries in Iraq. It was a powerful moment, followed by an equally powerful minute of silence to honor the fallen.

The event ended with remarks from Bobby, the organizer, about contacting our representatives to tell them that we want out of Iraq.

Overall, it was a very tasteful event. It brought out more than the usual mix of activists as well, which is really one of MoveOn’s great strengths.

Local activists from MoveOn, DFA, and other groups will meet for a vigil to end the War in Iraq.

Here are the details:

National Take A Stand Day
H. Huneke Park 82nd at Nashville
4001 82nd St at Nashville (East Kingsgate)
Lubbock, TX 79423
Tuesday, 28 Aug 2007, 8:00 PM

You can sign up to attend the vigil at MoveOn’s website.

I will attend and try to take some good pictures. Let’s show our representatives that we still want to end this war, and we will not quit until our troops come home.

Normally, this blog will not address national issues. However, today there are two big news items that I don’t want any readers to miss:

1. Karl Rove to Resign at the end of this month
2. On Friday someone uncovered a clip of Cheney warning of an Iraq Quagmire in 1994

Michael Moore has commentary on the Cheney clip available as well.

This will be an interesting week.

Looks like the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board published an editorial about the need to change course in Iraq. In the past, they have been big supporters of the Bush foreign policy; critics agree that this is a significant reversal in position. Color me surprised!

From the editorial:

Americans are being asked for a level of patience that they do not have and that the White House has not earned. It is time for Iraqi troops to take over this fight, even if it means risking full-blown civil war.

And wow, they also have an editorial urging Congress to pass a “20 percent renewable energy standard.”

Did this newspaper dinosaur evolve while I wasn’t looking, or what?