I understand about politics. But I don’t understand why Rep. Mazie Hirono turned her latest Thanksgiving email message to constituents into another paean to veterans. Perhaps its a symptom of the depth of militarization of our society that it seems “natural” to add an overlay of military issues to another national holiday that really has nothing at all to do matters of war and national defense.

Robert Aitken, Buddhist teacher, founder of Diamond Sangha, and lifelong peace activist, had a similar but much more elequent reaction to Senator Inouye’s recent email newsletter, expressed in an open letter to the senator.

Dear Senator Inouye:
This is an open letter. Thank you for sending me your recent Report to Hawaii. I was taken aback by its complete lack of any mention of the concerns that polls show are of primary interest to American voters. There is nothing about the war in Iraq and its costs to human life, to the environment, and to our national treasure. There is nothing about the dire threats being made to Iran. There is nothing about our apparent policy to support oppressive regimes across the world. There is nothing about the bitter disappointment with the United States that is being expressed by our former friends. There is nothing about the imperative to shred the Constitution, to violate human rights, to suppress free speech, and to stifle the free spread of information. There is the nothing about the rejection of immigrants as honest people who must make a living and who contribute to our economy. There is nothing about the burgeoning of hate crimes in our country. There is nothing about the intransigent and dangerous stand the Administration is taking about global warming.

This is an appalling litany, Senator. It bespeaks the danger of Fascism and makes an utter mockery of your Report.

In the name of the most common decency, I urge you to draw upon your stores of virtue and high opinion. Set forth for all to hear the primordial law that human beings are brothers and sisters! Your hour has come! Let Hawai‘i lead the nation!

Yours sincerely,
Robert Aitken

And Aitken also shared a fine talk given at his 90th birthday party, which offers very good reading for a day of giving thanks.

When we get back from this morning’s walk to dawn, I’ll have to get the turkey into the oven, but that’s the easy part. Doing a modest cleaning of the house by mid-day, at least enough to pass my mother’s inspection, will take a bit more effort. My sister, who moved back to Honolulu several months ago, is driving my parents out to Kaaawa for the day. If we’re lucky, Ms. Wally, Duke, and Romeo will at least show themselves to the guests, and Wally may even interact.

Yesterday’s “Turkey Trot” at Kaaawa School was a lot of fun. The competition requires students to run around the school’s field and do things along the way–dive through hoops, run over hurdles, manage a sack hop, etc. By far the hardest is the team challenge, which involve three or four students who have to stand on a pair of what look like 2×4’s with ropes attached as hand-holds, and then walk caterpillar-style for about ten feet, with the older students going a bit farther. It’s interesting that the teamwork aspect and the requirement for coordinated effort is by far the most difficult for students to master. In any case, just click on the photo below to see the day’s gallery.