first death in war

was reading an article from Harper's and it gave insight into why the Bush administration is refusing to comment on the Pat Tillman death

his was the first death of a prominent figure in Bush's war in terror

this article indicates that the first death in a war is often used to gather support from the people to demonstrate how someone in the public eye would give his/her life to defend their country, the country they loved and for a cause they believed in

well, Tillman was critical of the Bush administration and was killed by friendly fire - not the best example to use as a first death

so, Bush and his cronies continue to tell their lies and Pat Tillman's death becomes a rallying point for those that see through the lies

transit thoughts

have been taking the bus lately and thinking about the approved bus fare hike in the lower mainland

as long as the money is used to improve transit than i accept the fare increase but if skytrains are still packed during rush hour then i'm not sure if it is worth it

this compounded by the total lack of a presence by transit/skytrain staff at skytrain stations and on the skytrain itself

i believe this presence is necessary for several reasons, including: to provide security presence, asking for directions, and as ambassadors for the region to tourists

i've witnessed several times people approaching the ticket machines with no clue on how to operate the machine or figure the whacked zone system

if you want to get more people on transit then it has to be made more friendly

and translink has to force the drivers' union to accept part time drivers

until these things happen, people will still sit in their cars, making traffic worse and harming the precious environmental conditions necessary for maintaining human existence at its current level