RUMSFELD CALLS FOR REGIME CHANGE EVERY 15 MINUTES

Raven is happy that I am back in Puerto Angel. He has been doing aerobatics in the trees, singing outside the window while I was trying to take a nap—and yesterday evening he left me one of his feathers in the bathroom. (I am not sure what I was supposed to do with it, and was afraid to ask....)

This morning, however, he is looking serious. If a bird can hunch in front of a computer screen, that is what he is doing.

Rave, what’s the problem?

“Oh, nothing but the continued unravelling of rationality here on the planet. Great news for Earth Day is the prospect of nuclear conflagration in North Korea. Here, from the Common Dreams site:

‘A secret Donald Rumsfeld memorandum calling for regime change in North Korea was leaked yesterday, opening a fresh foreign policy split in the Bush administration. The classified discussion paper, circulated by the defense secretary, appears to cut directly across State Department plans to disarm Kim Jong-il, the North's dictator, through threats leavened by promises that his regime is not a target for overthrow.’”

More Doublespeak. If I remember my history correctly, first Hitler invaded Poland a la blitzkrieg, 1939’s version of Shock and Awe. And then wasn’t there a non-agression pact signed by Hitler and Stalin—designed to buy time before Hitler invaded the Soviet Union?

“Sounds singularly familiar. Here it says:

‘The memorandum was leaked on the same day that a senior State Department negotiator flew to Beijing for three-way talks with China and North Korea. Officials working for Mr Rumsfeld are implacably opposed to the talks, pointing to North Korea's long history of extorting aid and concessions in return for promises - never kept - to behave in a more reasonable way. Instead, they seek to use the salutary effect of the rapid victory in Iraq to push North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons program immediately.’”

It also sounds like the first phase in going after China, Rave.

“Could be. Listen to this:

‘An unnamed senior administration official told the New York Times: "The last thing the Chinese want is a collapse of North Korea that will create a flood of refugees into China and put Western allies on the Chinese border." Colin Powell, the secretary of state, is said to have secured the president's approval for a carrot and stick approach in a meeting last week. Mr Powell called for threats to withhold aid and investment from North Korea, while assuring the regime that it faces no threat from the United States. Mr Rumsfeld, who was "distracted" by the war against Saddam Hussein, did not attend the meeting and may now be trying to regain some traction in the Korea debate, officials speculated.’

Distracted?! That’s what they say about us supposed bird-brains. I am not accepting Rumsfeld in any of his nefarious aspects. Distracted, indeed.”

Rave, even more disturbing to me than his being distracted is his arrogance. Last week it was Syria he was threatening to invade. This week it’s North Korea. Next week, who knows who the target will be. If this were a movie we were watching, we would vote with our feet because it wouldn’t be believable.

Raven, appearing to be distracted by something outside the window, prepares for take-off. He votes with his wings, leaving another feather on the keyboard of the computer.