Now. Here. This.

When to Speak....or Not!

2010-03-15T06:25:00.000-07:00

Boy. This is new territory for a gal like me, so used to speaking her mind! I have always been honest, sometimes to a fault. In innocuous ways this entails telling my hubby every salacious detail of a walk with our toddler, or the carnitas lunch I had at La Mission, the moment to moment progress of my sore toe etc. It also included stream of consciousness processing of my subconscious mindforms. Oh yes. Were you to be in my family, as my daughter or my husband, any random thought occurring to me, would make its way into YOUR brain. Several months ago, however, events conspired to alert me to the fact that, GUESS WHAT, not everyone is interested in sharing to that extent! I have really reined in, therefore, my tendencies to be "honest". I try very hard now, to not cross boundaries. Just as I do at school with my little ones, give space, observe, knowing that the less interference the better I now do at home. So that is a big Yippee!

At the moment I am looking at two situations in my life with two friends. One has a spouse who is being outrageous in some pretty socially unacceptable behavior and this friend is still in denial. Another is one who has gone back to a "dark side" spiritual teacher who really stifled and hurt her before; really crossing boundaries. This man does NOT treat people with dignity or respect whatsoever. She was so relieved to be OUT of the cult at one point and really found her voice again. Inexplicably she has returned. I've barely said anything at all regarding this turn of events, but did say one MILD thing and she has ceased speaking to me. I do have ways of contacting her if I choose, but I will not.

I'm holding my tongue in both situations. This is new territory. Wish me luck.

Abuse of Power in Guru Land

2010-03-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

I'll make it brief for today. This was said my Adyashanti, a teacher I've seen a few times. Never became a 'student' of his, but I do appreciate his point of view. Especially here when he says:

"What I tell people is that if you’re seeking enlightenment, your good sense is vital. In fact, you’re going to have to learn to trust it more and more. I think people actually know early on when something’s off about a teacher, but they think they must be wrong, because an enlightened person can’t do any wrong. And that’s not true. Enlightened people can do wrong. They can do harmful things."

My comment: HELL TO THE YES!

How I Went from Miserable and Resentful to Blissful and Grateful in 12 Hours

2010-02-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

It was March 11, 1981 and I was married to my second husband, Jeff, a fireman with the city of San Jose.

A little backstory: The marriage was just an “okay” match. We had fun sometimes, but there was a definite strain of competition in Jeff that I found baffling, being that I was his wife. If I accomplished anything of significance, or succeeded in an endeavor, rather than being happy for me he would say how he could probably have done it faster, better, higher, farther etc. This competitive “thing” with him was so bad that we couldn’t even play friendly board games or card games together. The last time we’d played Scrabble on a picnic by the Russian River, I’d won the game and he became so furious he took the Scrabble dictionary and threw it into the river, wouldn’t speak to me out of anger for hours.

Also I had my own baggage which I’d brought to the marriage, that being a lot of unfinished business with my mom which included heavy resentment over my childhood (she was a critical control freak who never let up from morning til night) and frustration about how she was still trying to manipulate my behavior and decisions based upon criticism and harsh disapproval. These two people were the closest TO me, other than my little 3 year old daughter. The combination of their influence in my life PLUS my poor skill level in dealing with either of them, left me in pretty sad shape. My response to be resentful, depressed, angry and irritable. Not fun.

This one particular day, March 11^th, I’d gone to my first appointment with a therapist I’d been to during my divorce from my first husband, Lee. Her name was Marge Weimer and I really liked her and trusted her completely. I was there because I could no longer stand the state of my “state”. I knew I had major work to do in order to process through all of the crap that was inside of me. It was pure “yuck”. Also I knew that therapy took quite awhile and would be no “enlightenment weekend”.

At that appointment I described to Marge how I was feeling and basically, other than a few folks, I told her I felt that “everyone is not REAL, nobody is REAL!” Marge, being the good therapist she is asked “WHO is not real?” I replied “I KNOW you are trying to get me to say that I am not real, but it doesn’t FEEL that way to me right now.” We talked a bit more about I don’t even remember, probably my list of complaints J and I scheduled an appointment for the following week and I left. My mood was black. I felt that I had SO MUCH crap inside of me and that therapy was going to take…well it felt like an infinite amount of time at that point, before I got anything TRULY resolved.

I went home to my husband and Sarah. She was playing in her room and I remember sitting on the sofa in front of the large picture window in our living room. Jeff asked me a question and I think I snapped at him. I told him also how I was feeling still so much resentment toward my mom. He sympathized in his way by saying “Well your mom is a shitbird….flying around shitting on everything!” Small comfort.

That night before we went to bed, Jeff told me that he had been fantasizing lately about going to Argentina WITHOUT me. He then said, he felt that if I didn’t change my behavior and attitude, that he felt he was going to want a divorce. SHIT! That just tanked me. Not that he was the love of my life, by any means, but it was the whole idea that I would have a SECOND divorce under my belt at the age of 28! What a failure I thought I was! I couldn’t bear what that indicated about me and facing all friends and family with ANOTHER marriage break up.

After I tucked Sarah in bed for the night, I went into our spare bedroom to be alone. I laid on the floor and just sobbed into the carpet. I cannot tell you how miserable I was. I was at the end of my rope, that’s for sure. I didn’t know WHAT to do, but having been raised Catholic I did have a vague idea that there MIGHT be a God, some benevolent presence. It had been LONG years since my experiences as a child which held me in spiritual thrall at that time. I’d almost forgotten all about that. Catholicism actually had sort of snuffed those feelings out. It sure hadn’t supported or reinforced those sentiments and realizations. So at 28 I had only a remnant of a sense of spirituality. Thank God for that I suppose. I was at rock bottom in that moment and not knowing what else to do AND feeling mighty angry at FATE, GOD whatever it was I said aloud “If you REALLY EXIST godammit, then you better show me, because I’m DYING down here!” I REALLY meant it, more than anything I’d ever meant in a LONG time. Then, I took a OTC sleep aid and went to bed.

I awoke at about 4:00 in the morning and immediately felt that familiar sick, heart-sinking feeling that I’d had before I went to bed. But now, in the quiet of the night, with ONLY my own psyche to notice, I felt something new; I wanted to die. Not that I wanted to commit suicide, I didn’t. What I wanted was for that hateful, resentful, sick-minded self to DIE, dissolve, disappear. This feeling was so strong that I had an instinctive “pulling away” from within. That is the only way I can describe it. In so doing, I felt within, a sensation like a earthquake, like a tectonic plate shift, a sensation like a crack within. The very next moment, IN that crack poured an Avalanche of LOVE, so much so much so that it blasted me wide open. Suddenly I felt totally awash in Love! An Ocean of love! Monumental waves of Love just washing through me in around me and in an INSTANT all of the resentment, hate, disappointment, confusion, depression was utterly utterly GONE!

I felt an tremendous Love for ME, from a Presence in my room. There was a presence which was loving me so completely that it dwarfed the idea of parental love. Imagine the most loving, most supportive, compassionate, adoring parental love you could possibly dream of and that love was like a thimbleful compared to an Ocean of the Love I was experiencing. This presence was loving me and I saw an image of myself like a newborn in a large pair of hands. Tears of love-bliss were streaming down my face, all I could feel was love. I was feeling love for absolutely everything.

The next thing that happened was truly amazing. I began to “see” faces of people I’d forgotten completely. I began to understand from the Presence in my room (telepathically) that these were all people for whom I had held some form of resentment in my heart. I saw myself as a baby in my playpen on the front lawn of my house and forming a resentment toward the bread man who was talking to my mom! The faces appeared faster and faster and as they appeared to my mind’s eye they simultaneously passed through my heart which was so filled with love, there was an instantaneous healing and blessing with that person. It was happening so rapidly it felt like warp speed until finally within mere minutes I was in the present moment and had healed everything with everyone in my entire life.

I began also, to have “Christian” teachings in my mind making sense to me. I heard “Father forgive them they know not what they do.” I SAW that anyone anywhere who did something unloving was MERELY AND ONLY because they were not feeling the love-bliss as I now was blessed to be feeling. There was NO judgment on this! NONE! The Divine mind was showing itself to me. I SAW and more than that KNEW that the entire idea of guilt was a manmade construct! I saw the nature of God was So totally LOVE that there was no room, no space, no thought of anything like guilt, wrong, bad. ALL of us were accepted and loved and adored and cherished just exactly as I was feeling now. To include EVERYONE, Hitler, Stalin, Genghis Khan, you name it! Everyone was precious and perfect and utterly cherished just as they were, in the Divine Heart/mind. The entire Catholic and Christian teaching about Hell was totally false. We could never do anything that could separate us from the total love of the Divine and we were always swimming in this Love but without knowing it.

For about two hours I just basked in the love bliss and my heart was so full and I felt so GRATEFUL I cannot describe it fully. Such gratitude. This knowledge felt more REAL than anything I’d ever felt before. Everything else, ordinary life was sort of stepped down, ratcheted down reality, or as Jesus put it to one of his disciples “veiled”. I laid in bed just meditating on the love in my heart in a blessed out condition until the sun came up and Jeff woke up. I said good morning to him and he said to me “Something happened to you!” I mean it was THAT obvious. I was just beaming with joy and love and light….even I realized I actually LOOKED different.

That day I looked around the world and everything was incredibly BRIGHT and colorful. So many bright colors! Where before things had literally looked dim and dull, suddenly life was an explosion of color and light! WOW! it was positively psychedelic. This lasted for MONTHS. Also for months, what occurred was that every morning at 4:00 a.m. I would wake up from “dreaming” that I’d been in a realm where myself and others and ANGELS had been singing or chanting love songs to the Divine. OR I would wake up from a dream where I had been on a boat with Jesus. Or I would wake up from a dream where I had been questioning Jesus about the Cosmos. Mostly I would wake up with the sense I had just been meditating in a realm with exalted beings such as angels, but not entirely angels. Just in an exalted realm above the human, that’s all I can say.

My relationships with everyone improved very much, as you might imagine. I had the impulse to run up to everyone and say “do you know how much God loves you?! You don’t even know! You are so loved!!” But, I restrained myself. J . Slowly the brightness of colors went more back to normal but not entirely. Slowly I began to be less of a bliss ninny, but again, no entirely. What didn’t come back ever, was poisonous resentment. Also, I totally lost my ability to hate. That never returned at all.

I was changed at the core of my being and I have been a basically happy person, an optimist and a lover ever since that day. The “formula” that worked for me was surrender and prayer. That is what it took in my case. Giving up, being at rock bottom and reaching out, even angrily to God/Source/Divine….fill in the blank with what has heart and meaning to you. IT the Heart, doesn’t care what you call it…..just THAT you call it.

As a side note, I kept my appointment the following week with my therapist Marge. I related this entire story to her and she asked if I would write it down for the meditation class she taught weekly. She said this was an experience that many of them were hoping for through meditation. After our session she walked me to the door and hugged me saying “I feel as if I have been in the Presence of an angel for the last hour. Thank you.”

Thank you for listening to my Leela. J

Can We Close the Zoos Now?

2010-02-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

When Joelle was little (she is now almost 21) I used to take her to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, Aquarium AND the Zoo each first Wednesday of every month. It was great because each first Wed. is FREE day and we'd pack a lunch and go with friends; the kids in strollers and the moms in sneakers.....we'd make a whole day of it. Many times, it would just be Joelley and me. The Zoo was a favorite.

At that time, I could sense the unhappiness of the animals in captivity, (the elephants were particularly depressed) but Joelle's sense of wonder, amazement, excitement and joy hit the "override" button for me.

I can see why at one time, zoos were the only way for children to learn about animals and get a sense of what they were like. At the SF Zoo, they used to have "Zoo Keys" which turned on a little tape recorder that played a brief recording on facts for each animal exhibit. It was educational. Then too, people were less sensitive to the effects on animals in captivity.

NOW, however we have Animal Planet. If you are a regular viewer, you can see just about any type of animal, up close, complete with all sorts of facts and simply spectacular footage. With all of this available, are zoos necessary? Are zoos humane, based on what we have learned about animals? Zoos came into being over 100 years ago. It is my belief that they are antiquated, far out dated and unnecessary. I hope they are all eventually closed as the current population of creatures dies off.

SUICIDE is a Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem

2010-01-23T06:18:00.000-08:00

or Why the Supreme Court's Decision on Corporate Rights makes our Heroine want to stick her head in a Washing Machine on Extra Spin cycle INSTEAD of a gas oven. Part 1,613

Briiiing! Briiiiiing! Wake up Americans....time to wake UP! In case you've been inundated with only news stories about the weather (it's been raining...who knew!?) let me pass along a bit of important info: Your democracy now sleeps with the fishes. The SCOTUS has decided that Corporations (long legally considered to be 'individuals' by some pretzel logic known only to lawyers) have the right to free speech to the extent that their right to spend money on political campaigns is unlimited. Too late to kiss direct democracy goodbye...we never really had that, but now democracy, small "d" is done, over, kaput. Not only can corporations donate obscene amounts of cash to support their candidate of choice, they can spend gazillions of dollars to thwart, suppress, campaign against those candidates they do not want to have elected. Average, everyday Americans don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell now to run a political campaign. Unless they have corporate backing; sponsorship as it were. You want to run for office? You must become a product.

Future media broadcast: "Ladies and Gentlemen, the next President of the United States, Ms. Sarah Palin tm, a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil will be inaugurated on January 20, 2013 in Google Plaza. The President Elect and First Dude have already moved into Halliburton House (formerly known as the White House) and have been settling in. Ms. Palin has been spending the past few days making plans for the redecoration of the Neimann Marcus room.

Those individuals wishing to attend the Inauguration must have their background checks processed and passports stamped by the office of Homeland Security no later than January 1st.

Persons wishing to assemble in the Designated Free Speech Protest Area must have their applications including the $1,000.00 application fee processed and approved by HSA no later than January 5th. Unlawful assembly by persons without permits will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Those convicted will be housed at the Blackwater Correctional Facility in Maryland. Authorities anticipating a large inmate population increase due to this event have made provisions for the newly convicted "overflow" to be transferred to the Focus on the Family tm. State Prison. FOTF Prison currently houses convicted abortion providers, pro-choice advocates and gay and lesbian activists.

BREAKING NEWS This just in: Coca Cola Armed Forces have announced that they intend to institute a draft as early as next September to counteract the now double digit desertion numbers among their personnel fighting in the Indian Water conflict along the Ganges River. Anonymous sources say that the new order to shoot on sight any Indian women attempting to access water under cover of night has caused the rise in desertion rates among the Coca Cola troops. Coca Cola officials state that the first round of drafts will be instituted in the Palestinian Work Camp (formerly known as Gaza) which is controlled by Israel Goldman .Sachs.

Additional Announcement: Comcast Federal Network will have three broadcast channels available for this evening: Lexipro Channel's 24 hour marathon of American Idol, Exxon Mobil News Channel and Levitra/Celias Inc. Channel's Highlights of ESPN.

So yeah, I feel like sticking my head in for a double wash, extra rinse this bad news shit outta my brain cycle, don't you? But because I have faith in human nature ultimately, if not American nature at this point, I would never opt for the Sylvia Plath method of making it all go away.

But I do believe, THIS time, the Revolution will DEFINITELY NOT be televised.

Child Awakening....Part Two

2010-01-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

Part Two Child Awakening

My beloved Grandma died when I was three years old. Just so. I grokked, in the most comprehensive way, that Life was not therefore a Disneyland place as it had somehow been presented to me. Sure, there was Santa Claus and puppies, ice cream, swings, bicycles, hugs and kisses, Mommies and Daddies, but fundamentally, that was all ultimately meaningless in the face of the fact of DEATH. My father told me that when we went on a car ride together after my Grandma’s funeral, I said to him “We are all born to die.” I got it. Did I mention that I became depressed?

Life has a way of making its point, and discovering that point has been my life’s journey. I don’t recall the exact sequence of events right after my Grandma’s death, as they seem to cascade together as a rain of blessing. I will just simply describe them, best as I can without a timeline. All I know for sure is that soon after this SHOCK of the discovery of mortality, I was once again in that place of simple Awareness frequently. One morning in particular remains as a deep impression in my being.

We had these kindly, elderly next door neighbors we called “Grandma and Grandpa Buckley”. They loved my brother and me and we used to go visit them on occasion, without our parents. Nowadays we would call them “cool”. They were relaxed. At any rate, one morning I was at their house and I recall that it was early, bright and sunny and Grandpa Buckley was in his little study area behind some partly opened glass French doors, sitting in his easy chair, smoking his pipe.

I was in the adjacent small dining room, lying on my tummy under the table, looking at the sunbeams on the carpet. As morning light always captivated me, I was simply looking at the “brightness”. Suddenly I sensed a great stillness come over me and beyond me. It was if Time stopped. I sensed Eternity in that moment, as if nothing had ever happened before and there WAS nothing else. The best way I can characterize it was that it felt more REAL and true than how I ordinarily perceived time and reality. A feeling of bliss permeated my being.

Being approximately 4 years old, I had no context for this experience and had no way to convey it to anyone. I simply didn’t speak of it. In fact, I didn’t even feel a desire to tell anyone; it never occurred to me.

Looking back on all of these experiences I can see that it was kind of a set up. The duck pond, my attraction to the bright sunlight there, my joy in simply observing the loveliness was a beginning of contemplation. I was building capacity as it were. Then Grandma died and I was smithereened. I think that was a set up too, for what was to come next.

As to the exact timing of this, as I said, I can't be sure but the following experience DID occur when I was about 4 years old. It was another bright sunny early weekend morning. I remember it was either a Saturday or Sunday because my parents were still in bed sleeping. I had gotten up and dressed myself in a favorite little dress of mine. I can still remember it; a little yellow dress with puffy sleeves.

I made my way into our back yard as it was a beautiful sunny morning and I loved being outdoors on days like that. My next recollection is of standing and gazing at the mountain behind the cemeteries, San Bruno mountain and looking at the way the sun made it look so majestic. Its appearance was so beautiful that I was gazing at it in awe. My guess is that I must have been drawn into one of my, now familiar, contemplative states because suddenly "I" felt expanded in all directions to Infinity. My body felt totally huge and then my point of view shifted to up above the rooftops of my neighborhood. I was looking down at the scene below and yet my body encompassed the entire scene below, it all felt "inside" of "ME" and the thought arose: "I have always been and I always will be." I had the sudden realization, but also recollection really, that "I" was the Source and Self of all that is. I knew, again, that there was no threat, no death, no "other" as I was the only ONE. All people, all processes, all objects, the entire Universe was all ONLY ME. I was "being" everybody and everything! I SAW that it was all only a play, an entertainment even, the Universe was something I was Be-ing in order to PLAY!

It really WAS a remembering and I had the distinct sensation of it only being just a second or two that I'd forgotten. There was a thought like "Oh yes, now I remember how it is..." No sooner than I'd Realized my Self and the Truth of Reality, then I was sort of snapped back into my personal little girl bodymind again.

If I had no context for the other things that had happened to me previously, trust me, I REALLY had no context for this total world shifting experience! I knew it was real, but I also knew I was once again Trudy. I never ever forgot the experience. I never spoke of it, and wouldn't have a context for it, until MUCH later when I learned of Parmahansa Yogananda and his description of Divine Self Realization. Until then I was going to go through many a spiritual winding road before I came across a kindred who could speak of these things.

Child Awakening....Part One

2010-01-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

We'll start with being born human, shall we?

I was born in San Francisco on September 2, 1952 at 3:30 p.m. We lived in South San Francisco in a little village type neighborhood situated directly across the road from all of the Cemeteries in Colma. My earliest memories include walking to the cemetery to visit the very large pond there and feeding the ducks. We did that often. We would bring a bag of bread crumbs with us, my brother in his stroller (or was it buggy back then?) and I at my mother's side. I was very impressed with the size and beauty of the cemetery. There was a large arch at the entry way that looked like the opening to a castle. There were beautiful, long rolling lawns with flowers everywhere. There were large crypts which all looked like Greek temples. Gorgeous ionic columns fronted the crypts and multi-colored stained glass windows made kaleidoscopes of color. There were many trees of all different varieties. There were large statues of angels. To my tiny mind and body it was amazing. I loved it there.

Additionally in the 1950’s the road was very quiet. The town was very quiet. Once all the fathers went to work, the neighborhood was left to just the mothers and children. Close to 100% of the mothers stayed home to care for the children in those days. It was a slower and quieter lifestyle. Therefore when we would go to feed the ducks, it was quiet except for the ducks and swans. A few cars would pass by, infrequently. There was no loud highway noise like there is today. I remember the way the sun used to look as it shone over the neighborhood and on the cemetery across the road from the duck pond. It would illuminate the dew in the early mornings, (which was generally when we would be there) and it was casting long shadows on the pond as it rose up over the trees to the east. To me it was an enchanted place. It was so very peaceful.

It was the sunlight that particularly captured my attention; the way it appeared in the quiet early morning hours. A particular response in me began to appear at that age. It began to trigger in me, altered states of consciousness. At least these were my first memories of being so intensely distracted by light that my awareness shifted. At first I noticed was how peaceful I felt at the cemetery duck pond and also there was a sense of expansion as I gazed upon the pond, the scenery, the sunlight on the lawns; I, myself was sort of breathless at the sheer loveliness of it all. I became enraptured, forgetting my little child self’s usual thoughts and concerns. I was transported on a feeling of wonder, awe and love. I suppose I was lost in reverie, but to say that implies I was 'elsewhere', when in fact I felt more present to the actual moment than in my usual state. If my mother or brother spoke to me, then I would sort of snap to, come back to myself just naturally. That phrase! "Come back to myself" says so much! The self I was returning to was personal consciousness, "Trudy" identity. Now I realize that most of us have these moments, the space between thoughts of "I" or "me" or "mine", but they are so subtle they're scarcely noticed.

The next thing I recall from childhood is something so hugely overwhelming I cannot adequately describe it. By no means do I assume that circumstances in my life are any more intense, exalted, grievous than those in anyone ELSE's life, but I can only reflect upon my own process. Please know that I deeply acknowledge what the "all of us" go through, even if my personal experiences are vastly dissimilar or similar. That said, I'll continue.

Let me set the stage a bit. As a small child, my chief characteristic was that of quiet observer. Both parents attested to that, however it was my father who accepted it and understood. I didn't have much time with him, however as he was gone each day to work. I DID have my one and only grandmother, my mother's mother (my dad had been raised in an orphanage) who was the light of my life. We were simpatico, we could ride the same "wave" as it were. I had a deep sense that she "groked" me. Where my mother was very concerned with the details of life; the particulars, all of the worrisome "do's" and "don'ts" of 1950's housewifery...(oy!) my grandmother was a much more relaxed human being. I recall sitting on her lap gazing out of our dining room window onto our front lawn where flocks of blackbirds would be eating the bread crumbs we'd put out for them each morning. (Oh yes, oh yes, we kept the neighborhood birds flush with Wonder Bread on BOTH sides of the highway!) She and I would sit peacefully, not saying much, perhaps simply "Look...." Both of us were one with the experience of the birds.

When Grandma would come to visit she took the streetcar then a bus, down the old El Camino Real to South City and my mother, brother and I would walk to the bus stop to wait for her. When she stepped off of the bus, it felt like Christmas to me...I was so thrilled that she was there. My heart felt near to bursting. We'd walk the few blocks to our house and Grandma would take off her coat and sometimes reach into her pocket and pull out a piece of gum for me. Gum! Gum was not on the shopping list at our house I can assure you! But when Grandma gave it to me, my mother would let me have it. Grandma had such an easy way about her, she always had a smile for me and her eyes were so kind. She exuded peace and serenity even though, I know now, her life with my grandfather was anything BUT peaceful, but that's a story for another day. I can't remember too much of our doings together during her visits; what has impressed me deeply, and did then, was how I FELT in her presence. Now I know it was being in the presence of unconditional love. She had it, she gave it, she WAS it. When she was there, I felt nourished. My soul was fed, nurtured, supported. What can one experience with another human being greater than this? So that was my Grandma. Life with my mother? Not so much....she, poor thing, had issues; a nervous temperament, a mis-matched marriage, gaps within her, those emotional gaps which make for lack of understanding of others. I loved my mother, I truly did, but it was Grandma who was my support, my ally, the Friend of my heart.

Of course you can guess what's coming....we all have our mellow dramas and this was mine. Yes, she died, suddenly and abruptly. I was still just three years old when my parents told me that Grandma had died. Strangely, I'd already had a convoluted premonition that Grandma was soon to die. Several months before that, she sprained her ankle and was on crutches and when I saw that...her standing on a corner on Church Street in SF with her ankle bandaged, crutches under her arms...I suddenly thought "oh no! Grandma might die from this! Grandma might die SOON!" The fear did not leave me. I became aware of her vulnerability somehow, even though, no one had spoken to me "officially" about death and I'm quite sure I didn't "get" it yet. Quite sure.

When my parents did tell me that Grandma had died, I asked if she was coming back ever. My father said "No, dying means that we will never, ever see Grandma again. She's gone and she is never coming back." Blow to my chest! Thud to the gut! Bodily shock! My little mind was trying to wrap around this fact. I asked my father "Does everyone die???" He replied "Everyone dies, we all die someday." Oh....can I explain the Existential Earthquake this knowledge rendered? My psychological and emotional Heart eyes flew wide open and I SAW. Oh. My. God! The generalization took place, that wonderful human feat that separates us from the apes...extrapolation. Suddenly I saw and thought "This place, this realm (not in those exact words mind you, but this is the GIST) is a place where anyone you love can be gone in an instant. Ripped away! This place is not as advertised and represented everywhere as "life"....this is a Hell realm...a place of suffering and we're all headed to more suffering. I got it: Impermanence. First Buddhist Teaching. Life is Suffering. I was in Existential crisis and became deeply depressed.

ObamaRama

2009-01-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

It's ObamaRama today. Historic for so many reasons. The youth vote, the African American vote, the anti-war vote, the Universal healthcare vote, the Education vote, the Labor vote, the Pro-choice vote.....the list goes on. My question: Is Barack Obama really going to carry water for ALL of these constituents?

A couple of months ago, I was all excited and twitter-pated when Obama won the election. A big part of my "glow" came from the significance of his election to the African American community AND to those of us who have struggled against racism within our own circles of family and friends, for decades. His election felt like a huge and heavy page turning at last. Stopping McCain was good, that was good.....definitely felt good. I was represented in all of the "special interests" who voted for Obama, being anti-war, pro-choice, pro-Education, pro-Labor etc. His victory was great for me in that regard.

Since November, however I have been reading and researching and digging into some areas that have left me with a sense that all might not be as it seems or appears; the appointment of Rahm Emmanuel being the biggest clue. Also the retention of Robert Gates.

I am just hoping and praying (in my non-denominational way) that we won't be singing that old Who song, before long: "Won't be Fooled Again", the refrain being:

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

I've got the jitters.....and it's not just this big cup of Peets coffee I've been drinking. Time to do some major spiritual re-alignment or I could go into a permanent funk. Having just read in the BBC news that nervous, stressed out people tend to get dementia by a margin of 50% over people who are calm, I've got incentive!

Good luck to ALL of us! Peace and good will to all sentient and non-sentient beings! That includes YOU Mr. Obama, may your ObamaRama inspire you to the depths of your soul to really BE all that you can BE in service to the ALL in All.

A Jewish Rabbi tells the Truth about Palestine and Gaza

2009-01-18T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am so happy, so relieved, so grateful to hear this sane man's beautiful words about Judaism. It is true that Iran has been a good host to Jewish people. They even have museums and Jewish synagogues and all sorts of Jewish groups alive and well in Iran.

A little too Kind

2009-01-13T20:25:00.000-08:00

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody`s need made me blind;

But I have never yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.

anonymous

Congressman Dennis Kucinich Tells it like it IS

2009-01-13T18:36:00.000-08:00

US Congressman: Israel war violations 'deliberate'

Congressman Kucinich: America arming Israel with weapons that are used against Palestinian civilians.

PACIFICA – Israel must take the responsibility for its attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, said Congress member Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, during an interview with Democracy Now! on Monday.

"When you look at what the targets of the attacks have been, you know, the Israeli army is given a lot of credit for its precision, so when UN schools are hit, the American university there, when you look at the damage or destruction of the Red Cross’s efforts there, you have to come to an understanding that this is deliberate. This isn’t accidental. Accidents can happen in war, but when you’re using that kind of destructive power, you have to take the responsibility for the consequences of it," said Congressman Kucinich.

"There’s no question there’s a use of disproportionate force here, and no amount of reasoning or attempt to try to take the side of Israel is going to remove that single fact," he added.

"Just look at the numbers. Look at the destruction. I mean, believe what you see with your eyes. And that’s, I suppose, one of the reasons why the Israeli government doesn’t want the media to get in there. When you tell civilians to go to a house to be protected, and then you shell that house, I mean, what does that say?" Asked the Congressman.

Congressman Kucinich said the US must make sure that its military aid to Israel will not continue to be used against the civilian population in Gaza.

"Not only F-16 jets, Apache helicopters, but now we’re seeing white phosphorus used against the people in Gaza. This should be a great concern to every person in this country, because of the amount of money that we’re giving to Israel," said the US Congressman.

Such use is even in violations of the US conditions.

"In 1976, Congress passed a law that says that if the United States is going to give arms to another country, that it can attach and does attach conditions that says that those arms are transmitted under the condition, first of all, that they’re used for defensive purposes only, and second, that they not be used to escalate a preexisting conflict. On both of those cases, I think that Israel has failed," noted Congressman Kucinich.

But Israel seems to be encouraged by Washington.

"The Bush administration encouraged Israel to continue the aggression that occurred in South Lebanon that resulted in, the closing days of that war, the destruction of South Lebanon, which is one of the reasons why I’m concerned about what might happen yet in Gaza in the closing days of this current war," said Congressman Kucinich.

The US Congressman also addressed the root cause of the conflict - Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

"You have to go back to the blockade and the occupation, and you have to look at Israel’s conduct in the West Bank, as well. I mean, if Israel was so gentle with the people of Gaza, you look at the West Bank and look at what’s happened there," he explained.

But - outside the US - Israel has failed justify its violence.

"The whole world is watching this, and the world understands what’s happening. You know, no amount of attempt to rationalize this violence in Gaza is going to work for Israel," he said.

On the timing of the Israeli assault, Congressman Kucinich said: "Israel has a lot of talent, very bright people running their government. They chose to use violence. They chose it on the eve of a presidential inauguration in the United States. They’re trying to take advantage of this situation, because they know the Bush administration couldn't care less about international law."

Both the House and Senate passed non-binding resolutions last week in Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly supporting Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

On Thursday, the Senate passed the resolution by a unanimous voice vote. The House voted on a similar bill Friday.

The measure passed by a vote of 390 for, five against, twenty-two representatives voting “present.”

Democratic Congress member Dennis Kucinich of Ohio is one of the five members of the House to vote against the resolution.

UK weighs in on Israel, the MPs of Parliament Furious

2009-01-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

From the News.scotsman.com, this article today:

Cross-party fury of MPs at Israel

Published Date: 13 January 2009
By Gerri Peev

BRITISH MPs yesterday lined up to give their strongest condemnation yet of Israel's actions in Gaza, branding Ehud Olmert's government "mass murderers" and calling for the country to face sanctions.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, faced cross-party demands for Israel's ambassador to be expelled from London and for Britain to recall its representative from Tel Aviv.

The strongest criticism in the one hour session, that followed a statement from the Foreign Secretary, came from Sir Gerald Kaufman, a former Labour minister, who is Jewish.

Directing his fury at the Israeli prime minister, foreign minister and defence minister, he said: "Olmert, (Tzipi] Livni and (Ehud] Barak are mass murderers, war criminals and bring shame on the Jewish people whose Star of David they use as a badge in Gaza."

He suggested the British government would have taken a more strident tone if it had been Hamas who had "slaughtered 900 Israelis".

Peter Kilfoyle, a former Labour defence minister, also accused Israel of "state-sponsored terrorism" and urged the government to ensure no arms were exported to the country.

Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said if any other democratic state had behaved in the same way, it would be faced with economic sanctions.

Michael Howard, the former Conservative leader, took a swipe at the outgoing Bush administration's lack of progress on the Middle East and said there was a "glimmer of hope on the horizon" with the election of Barack Obama, the US president-elect.

"It is only the president of the US who has the means to secure the concessions from both sides that are necessary to achieve a viable Palestinian state and a lasting settlement," he said.

Chris Mullin, a former Foreign Office minister, said "These are war crimes that we are witnessing in Gaza.

"Britain should start talking with EU allies about sanctions and "at the very least to stop selling them weapons and, perhaps, the withdrawal of our ambassador".

Mr Miliband rejected calls for severing diplomatic ties and imposing sanctions, saying this would simply isolate Israel. However, he called for abuse allegations made by both sides to be investigated.

He added that there was "no evidence" that UK weapons were used by the Israeli defence force in the latest attacks.

Protests in UK.....Our Media won't cover US protests

2009-01-13T05:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning as I was sweeping the leaves at our school, I was wondering "Where are all of the Bu-Jews? Why are they not out and protesting?" I remember during the Viet Nam war, some Buddhist monks set themselves on fire to protest against the war. Buddhists have traditionally been against wars of all kinds. This kind of violence, where state of the art military is raining down terror on a population TRAPPED like fish in a barrel would seem to be so outrageous that pacifists of ALL kinds would be out in the streets.

Jewish people, some friends of mine in fact, have turned to Buddhism as a philosophy, have been on Buddhist retreats in fact. I know of some Jews who have embraced Buddhism to the point of becoming nuns and monks and/or writing books about the practice. So many Jewish folks convert that they are affectionately called "Bu-Jews". Yesterday morning I was asking the question of the Universe: "Where are the Bu-Jews?" In fact, where are the protesters altogether?

In a conversation with a friend yesterday I discovered that yes, there ARE protests going on, it is just that OUR US MEDIA DOESN'T DEEM IT NEWSWORTHY to cover it, in print or broadcast. They learned that lesson in Viet Nam. "Don't show actual wars, don't show people's outrage." Have glossy graphics with new scrawl as a talking head describes a white wash version, the official party line slant on it all. In passing they'll mention that some people were protesting but they always cast the protesters in the light of "kooks" "fringe" "extremists", all descriptions being pejorative AND they'll always mention ANY violence on the part of the protesters, even if it is one window broken. The whole idea being that Americans are so damned attached to "private property" that any damage that may occur to this holy of holies de-legitimizes ANY intent or purpose or message of the protesters. It's sort of an innoculation process; TV news viewers are supposed to be so put off that they'll NEVER take the protests seriously EVER.

I went on the hunt for news stories about protests that DID get broadcast and I found one in London, UK, where a former UK Ambassador to Uzbakistan, Craig Murray grabs a loudspeaker and speaks his mind and heart. I've posted it here:

It's All.....Too Beautiful

2009-01-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

small faces - itchycoo park

Over bridge of sighs
To rest my eyes in shades of green
Under dreamin' spires
To Itchycoo Park, that's where I've been

What did you do there?
I got high
What did you feel there?
Well I cried
But why the tears then?
I'll tell you why
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful

I feel inclined to blow my mind
Get hung up feed the ducks with a bun
They all come out to groove about
Be nice and have fun in the sun

I'll Tell you what I'll do (what will you do?)
I'd like to go there now with you
You can miss out school (won't that be cool)
Why got to learn the words of fools
What will we do there?
We'll get high
What will we touch there?
We'll Touch the sky
But why the tears there?
I'll tell you why

It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful

I feel inclined to blow my mind
Get hung up feed the ducks with a bun
They all come out to groove about
Be nice and have fun in the sun

It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
It's all too beautiful
Ha! It's all too beautiful

How to Create MORE Islamic Extremists....

2009-01-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

If ever there was any doubt, that the West's unconditional support of Israel fomented more violence in the Middle East, the latest developments in Israel and Gaza are the perfect case in point.

For the slow learners in the Republican party, any straggling Neo-Con sympathizers out there I offer below, an excerpt from today's NY Times article on the anger in Egypt. It's growing. It's predictable and it's understandable.

I have railed against Israel's blatant military blitz on the Palestinian people in other posts, so I will assume my position on that is clear and a given on the prison camp that is Gaza. What I want to say is that in my opinion, the Palestinian plight is THE issue of this century. Unless and until the Palestinian people have their OWN SOVEREIGN nation in their own land, going back to the 1967 borders, there will be no Peace possible in the Middle East. Period. THAT is the crux of the matter. Forget oil, forget "strategies" of the West and it's military fantasies about bases, control of resources etc. It's about Palestine.

US support and funding of Israel makes us a TARGET. Period. WE are part of the problem and the Muslim world KNOWS it. Iran knows it. Syria knows it. For sure, the people in the streets of Egypt KNOW it. Now they also know that their government, being allied with Israel is part of the problem too. From the NY Times:

Nowhere in the Arab world is the gap between the street and the government so wide as here in Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel and has refused to allow free passage of goods and people through its border with Gaza, a decision that has been attacked by Islamic and Arab leaders and proved deeply troubling to many Egyptians. And so the government of President Hosni Mubarak appeared to lean back on its standard formula for preserving authority at Friday Prayer, relying on its security forces to keep calm on the street and government religious institutions like Al Azhar to try to appease public sentiment, in this case by lashing out at the Jews in response to Gaza.

“The pressure is mounting on Egypt,” said Abdel Raouf el-Reedy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the United States. “How come you keep the Israeli ambassador here? How come you keep the Egyptian ambassador in Israel? How come you still export gas to Israel in spite of a court order to stop? The system is on the defensive. Public opinion is more clearly on the side of Hamas.”

The mood on the streets of Cairo feels somber, dark, dejected. There is a heavy security presence. Armed riot police officers are massed outside of professional organizations, like the Doctor’s Syndicate, that are often run by members aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, the officially outlawed but tolerated Islamic movement. Massive troop carriers clog small side streets.

Over three days of interviews here, people seemed deflated about the public criticism their country had received, let down by the failure of their own government to help the Palestinians and sickened by the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, not only combatants but many women and children as well. Over and over, Egyptians said they felt the only ones they could trust were the Islamists — not their government.

There you have it. The Islamic religionists are going to rise to more prominence. They are the only ones speaking out, forcefully against the actions of Israel. They are earning more and more legitimacy and respect everyday. Is that what we want? It's not what I want; being a woman, I have to say the idea of Medieval religionists seeking to create a Caliphate gaining more power is not in MY best interest or the interest of women everywhere. However, I can understand how this is happening. Our greedy, stupid, callous, paranoid Western stance on Israel/Palestine is the fuel for the propulsion of Islamic fundamentalism. It IS that simple.

Bruce Cockburn - Rocket Launcher

2009-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Millie and I had a conversation last night, about the necessity of keeping our attention centered in the positive. She said that for every evil we witness or hear about, we need to balance it out with five positive, grateful, thankful, blessed thoughts...she said the ratio is 5/1. She is probably right. Last night, I agreed. Today I heard that Israel had bombed a UN medical aid convoy, yesterday as well as a Red Cross mission. I've been knowing about them bombing ambulances, but tried not to think about it.

Today, I ask myself, do we just continue to look away and play "let's pretend"? Huh? Is that what we do? All us "speer chill" people? At some point do we stand up and fight back? At least, have the emotions of wanting to fight back? The old saying "if these were your kids dying...." They ARE our kids dying!! They are OUR kids! The whole world is YOU. The whole world.......is....you.

Gaza Today.....a blog I am now Following...

2009-01-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

In order to gain some balanced perspective, I have begun following a blog of a fellow who I heard interviewed on Democracy Now, on Free Radio Santa Cruz. His name is Sameh Akram Habeeb.

It's an eye-opener to hear the raw story coming out of Gaza. It certainly tells a different tale than the official news from the alphabet channels, ABC etc. Now the front page story on the NY Times is that the U.N. and the Red Cross are de-crying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. My question is, WHEN is the U.N. going to get some teeth? They have produced over 100 "resolutions" scolding Israel and that is what it amounts to; a verbal slap on the wrist. It's a non-event.

My second question is: Where is the outrage from the Democrats in Congress? Third question: WHY is everyone in Washington so freaking scared of AIPAC????!!!!

You can access Gaza Today by clicking on the link in "Favorites"

Oxford Professor and Former Israeli Military Man Speaks Out about Gaza

2009-01-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

Oxford Professor of international relations Avi Shlaim has written an excellent background piece which analyzes the on-going situation in Gaza from its inception. A good history lesson for those who are interested in how the US is complicit in this, BEYOND just "diplomacy" and the $4 billion in annual aid given to the state of Israel.

I wish the incoming Obama administration would meet with this guy. Condi Rice and the Busheviks should get out of this picture NOW. For further reading, here is link to article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine

The Heartbreak of Gaza.....

2009-01-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

I do realize that the conflict between Israel and Gaza, between Israelis and Palestinians is like a Hydra....that it is complex, multi-layered, chock full of "reasons" and its mutual karma is stuck on an Infinity loop. Someone needs to "jump the track" soon or this could get ratcheted up beyond our wildest nightmares.

However I do have some feeling about this. I have a pressing sadness, it feels like chest pressure.....like the inability to draw a full breath when I contemplate what is taking place in Gaza. One of the contributing factors is this:

I heard Israel's Defense Minister interviewed; his comments were aired on NPR yesterday. He stated that the reason Israel is going on an all out offensive after "so much restraint" (!!) is that the rocket shells being lobbed into southern Israel had made normal life impossible for Israelis living there. He said that they never knew when rockets would be fired onto their streets, their child's school, their car, etc. He said that Israel finally had to go in to crush Hamas to give Israelis "the peace and tranquility and standard of living they deserve." The life they "deserve".

I was aghast at the psychic and emotional disconnect of this man and his sentiments. What about the standard of living of the Palestinians? They have been living in a third world ghetto, cut off from aid for 18 months. Their territory is one big prison, utterly impoverished relative to the territory of Israel. I don't understand how Israel refuses to look at this, unless they view the Palestinian people as "less deserving" humans. Or is it simply "less human"?

Happy New Year to the Earth, Happy New Year to the People and all Creatures Great and Small

2009-01-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

Let's Sage the White House - Get out all of Those Evil Spirits = Dark Energy

2008-12-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

Kate Clinton said the idea grew from hearing about shamans who cleansed the area around Machu Picchu of evil spirits by saging after George Bush visited.

“We are going to meet in Washington at 6PM on January 19th at the new White House visitor's center,” Clinton said in a new interview. “We'll mill around there for a little bit. And then we're just gonna walk over towards the White House, or as close as we can get, with our little sage sticks and try to get out the bad spirits. So, we can clear out the bad spirits in time for the new Obama administration to come in on the next day.” (hundreds have signed up!)

http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/2008/12/19/saging-the-white-house/

above strategy superseded -

new meeting place & plan.....

This couldn't HURT......Indigenous people are onto something(s) alot deeper and more profound than our current level of human connection with the Soul of the World/Planet. Come to think of it, I'm gonna sage my house after the TV news broadcasting into my living room all of the horror going on in Gaza right now.....the heaviness is palpable. The sadness and deep psychic trauma of that circumstance is best left for another post entirely.

Maybe we should sage the entire planet, do a world-wide Puja....

Uncle Jay Explains the News ....

2008-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

US Media Unconditionally Supports Israel.....Eyes Wide Shut

2008-12-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Once again, during an Israeli Military action against Palestinians, the US is silent, the media is silent, even left-wing bloggers are (for the most part) silent when it comes to questioning or criticizing Israel. On Huffington Post I found some excerpts of recent Israeli press commentary and even they have been asking questions that are more pointed than anything to come out of the US. To wit:

One Sunday analysis at Haaretz: "A million and a half human beings, most of them downcast and desperate refugees, live in the conditions of a giant jail, fertile ground for another round of bloodletting. The fact that Hamas may have gone too far with its rockets is not the justification of the Israeli policy for the past few decades, for which it justly merits an Iraqi shoe to the face."

Another opinion piece in Haaretz -- titled, "Neighborhood Bully Strikes Again" -- by Gideon Levy: "Israel embarked yesterday on yet another unnecessary, ill-fated war. On July 16, 2006, four days after the start of the Second Lebanon War, I wrote: 'Every neighborhood has one, a loud-mouthed bully who shouldn't be provoked into anger... Not that the bully's not right - someone did harm him. But the reaction, what a reaction!' Two and a half years later, these words repeat themselves, to our horror, with chilling precision. Within the span of a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, the IDF sowed death and destruction on a scale that the Qassam rockets never approached in all their years, and Operation 'Cast Lead' is only in its infancy."

Also from Haaretz, Zvi Barel writes: "Six months ago Israel asked and received a cease-fire from Hamas. It unilaterally violated it when it blew up a tunnel, while still asking Egypt to get the Islamic group to hold its fire." Yet the U.S. media refers that only Hamas violated the ceasefire.

Could it be that the most conservative wing of the Israeli political spectrum, actually resides in the US?

And Now, for Something Completely Different

2008-12-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I've got myself a head cold as of yesterday around lunch time. Sneezed like I was getting paid for it, all day into the night. Spent the afternoon on the computer listening to lectures on YouTube. Had a limited night's sleep so I've been surfing the net today as I rest in bed, drinking tea. In a conversation with a friend, it was suggested I check out Red Ice Creations website which I did. Found some very interesting info on, oh you know, Secret Societies, Ancient Symbology, Astro-theology (Hi, Zacharia Sitchin, my old buddy....)

Anywho, As Michael Tsarion (great series on YouTube entitled "The Origins of Evil" in 13 parts) kept mentioning the Atenists.....so I looked up Aten and here's what I found:

Here is wiki blurb:

Both Ra and Horus characteristics are part of the god, but the god is also considered to be both masculine and feminine simultaneously. All creation was thought to emanate from the god and to exist within the god. In particular, the god was not depicted in anthropomorphic (human) form, but as rays of light extending from the sun's disk. Furthermore, the god's name came to be written within a cartouche, along with the titles normally given to a Pharaoh, another break with ancient tradition.

Aten
The Aten, the sun-disk, first appears in texts dating to the 12th dynasty, in The Story of Sinuhe, where the deceased king is described as rising as god to the heavens and uniting with the sun-disk, the divine body merging with its maker.[2]
Ra-Horus, more usually referred to as Ra-Herakhty (Ra, who is Horus of the two horizons), is a synthesis of two other gods, both of which are attested from very early on. During the Amarna period, this synthesis was seen as the invisible source of energy of the sun god, of which the visible manifestation was the Aten, the solar disk. Thus Ra-Horus-Aten was a development of old ideas which came gradually. The real change, as some see it, was the apparent abandonment of all other gods, above all Amun, and the introduction of monotheism by Akhenaten.[3] The syncretism is readily apparent in the Great Hymn to the Aten in which Re-Herakhty, Shu and Aten are merged into the creator god.[4] Others see Akhenaten as a practitioner of an Aten monolatry.[5]

Pretty interesting eh? The Sun (Son) rising to return to the Creator/Source/Light (Father). This is even similar to the old Vedantists and Yogis of India saying that we are all a manifestation of Light and at death or total Enlightenment return to dissolve back into Light. I can get with that. :-)

Our god is a sun god, RA RA RA!
Our god is a fun god, RA RA RA!!!

(feel free to wave your pom poms at any time)

Israel Vows to Keep Firing on Palestine

2008-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

What else is new?!

I don't know if I even believe the official reports out of the New York Times on this subject anymore. Every time I read a story like this about Palestinians shooting rockets at Israel, JUSTIFYING Israel's MASSIVE response, I consider the source of the story. I used to think that Israel was a client state of the US, but I am beginning to see that, no, the US is a client state of Israel, no matter WHICH way the MONEY flows. It's not about the money, necessarily. It's about US foreign policy, middle east strategies, who is in Washington DC calling the shots, behind the scenes. I have heard news reports from sources other than American and Israeli during other conflicts such as this (same sh*t, different day...) and the reports are markedly different. Generally what I find is that the US and Israel exaggerate beyond all credibility Palestinian actions and couch the language so as to dehumanize and de-legitimize ANYTHING the Palestinians do, even if it is a young kid simply lobbing rocks at an Israeli soldier.

Israel is the sacred cow of our time. No one seriously interested in public office in this country, can dare BREATHE a word against Israel. Just as in the beginnings of settlement on this continent, no one dared breathe a word against the Crown in England. You were a loyalist or you were a Revolutionary. Before the revolutionary idea caught on most people were still loyal to King George and the idea of the Monarchy. These days, people would consider it a revolutionary idea, to questions out loud Israel's actions, Israel's legitimacy, Israel's "security" in the Middle East.

I supported Barack Obama as everyone who knows me is aware, but I was taken aback when he came out and stated in the strongest terms, that Israel and it's agenda was sacrosanct, basically. He had even stronger words of support than even some right wing neo-cons. I realize he had to come out and say SOMETHING signaling his alliance with Israel, especially in the face of those idiotic attempts to link him to Islam via "Barack Hussein Obama" etc. But what about Palestine?

What about the Palestinians? How long can the world's people just shrug this off? This whole two state solution idea is way past time to come, but even if that is the eventuality, how will the Palestinians avoid becoming just a state "in name only"? How will they be essentially sovereign? Is that possible and does anyone even care, other than Hamas?

Professor Juan Cole who runs a very informative website called "Informed Comment" had this to say today (excerpt):

The outbreak of hostilities affects Americans, since al-Qaeda hit New York and the Pentagon in some important part over the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians. The airstrikes and large death toll also present a challenge to the incoming Obama administration, which may find peace-making more difficult now.
The UN Security Council held a special evening session on Saturday and issued a call for an immediate ceasefire. The attacks drew a furious response from the Arab world. Egypt, which has collaborated with Israel in blockading the Gazans, branded its partner's air strikes "murder." The US, which for some odd reason holds an irrational hatred of the Palestinians, branded the dead Gaza policemen "thugs" and blamed the massive aerial strikes solely on Hamas, the fundamentalist Muslim party that controls Gaza.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, outgoing president of the European Union, issued among the more measured responses: "The President of the Republic expresses his lively concern at the escalation of violence in the south of Israel and in the Gaza Strip. He firmly condemns the irresponsible provocations that have led to this situation as well as the use of disproportionate force. The president of the republic deplores the significant loss of civilian life and expresses his condolences to the innocent victims and their families."
Sarkozy "requests an immediate cessation of rocket fire directed at Israel as well as of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, and he calls on the parties to exercise self-restraint. He reminds everyone that there is no military solution to Gaza, and demands the implementation of a durable truce."
This statement, which I seem to be the only news source to present in full in English, seems to me to be the best issued by any head of state on this particular incident, and shames the insensitive and one-sided statement issued on behalf of the US by Gordon Johndroe.
Israel blames Hamas for primitive homemade rocket attacks on the nearby Israeli city of Sederot. In 2001-2008, these rockets killed about 15 Israelis and injured 433, and they have damaged property. In the same period, Gazan mortar attacks on Israel have killed 8 Israelis.
Since the Second Intifada broke out in 2000, Israelis have killed nearly 5000 Palestinians, nearly a thousand of them minors. Since fall of 2007, Israel has kept the 1.5 million Gazans under a blockade, interdicting food, fuel and medical supplies to one degree or another. Wreaking collective punishment on civilian populations such as hospital patients denied needed electricity is a crime of war.
The Israelis on Saturday killed 5% of all the Palestinians they have killed since the beginning of 2001! 230 people were slaughtered in a day, over 70 of them innocent civilians. In contrast, from the ceasefire Hamas announced in June, 2008 until Saturday, no Israelis had been killed by Hamas. The infliction of this sort of death toll is known in the law of war as a disproportionate response, and it is a war crime."
I agree and if you would like to really research the subject and study the history, I suggest you peruse Professor Cole's excellent website:
http://www.juancole.com/

The Mom Song

2008-12-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

The Mom Song from Northland Video on Vimeo.

Mark Twain Quote

2008-12-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

I know for a FACT that what Mark Twain says here, is the Truth! ;-))

“We are always hearing of people who are around seeking after the Truth. I have never seen a permanent specimen. I think he has never lived. But I have seen several entirely sincere people who thought they were permanent Seekers after the Truth. They sought diligently, persistently, carefully, cautiously, profoundly, with perfect honesty and nicely adjusted judgment- until they believed that without doubt or question they had found the Truth. That was the end of the search. The man spent the rest of his life hunting up shingles wherewith to protect his Truth from the weather.”

– Samuel Clemens, What is Man?

Duck, Duck, Goosed!

2008-12-17T06:34:00.001-08:00

Odd Job should have aimed better.....

FDIC Chair Has the Right (and FAIR!) Idea

2008-12-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

Sheila C. Bair, Chairwoman of the FDIC has proposed several variations of a plan to help homeowners stay in their homes. The Treasury Department, officials at the White House are angry at her, however. Angry at her.

From today's NY Times Article:

"Around the time that the F.D.I.C. took over IndyMac, Mrs. Bair began urging Treasury and White House officials to use taxpayer money to encourage other lenders and mortgage servicing companies to modify large numbers of at-risk loans, a plan she expected would help 1.5 million borrowers avoid foreclosure and reduce an oversupply of homes on the market. She estimated the program would cost taxpayers about $24 billion."

Controlling the housing market by reining in the flood of homes for sale, would really help those who are watching their own homes decline in value. Equity, the investment homeowners have always banked on is slipping away like Santa Monica beachfront properties built on sand. Going, going, there they go....bye bye! GONE!

These vulture bankers have gotten theirs and are now using the cash to pay off stockholders, maintain their positions, basically indulge themselves, as per usual.

Meanwhile, people who have NOT screwed around financially, who've played by the rules are in danger of losing so much of what they've worked so HARD for. I am thinking of my brother right now, who owns a business which is poised to really take OFF. Orders for his products are better than last year; he has some very heavy hitters in his industry who have submitted orders that could really help his business take off. Yet he faces the bankruptcy of his business. Why? The S.O.B.s in the banking industry are not providing the revolving credit to businesses one month in advance of revenues, as they used to do. That is how business has been done. Not now though. They've gotten taxpayer funds, but are hanging onto the money themselves as already mentioned and people like my brother; always a fair and honest businessman who treats his employees and customers VERY well, is facing a total drubbing.

THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL! I'll be looking for ways to put pressure on lawmakers about this; if any of you know of an organized effort to do so, let me know!

Senator Bob Casey D-PA, re: the Big Three Automakers

2008-12-08T06:34:00.001-08:00

I have to say also, with regard to the labor concessions -- Mr. [Ron] Gettelfinger [UAW president], I wanted to review some of those. Because I am stunned by the kind of -- when you hear the talking heads on television and when you read what some people say in this town and across the country about the mythology that's out there about how we're -- how we got to this situation. And, frankly, the scapegoating of the men and women of organized labor, and in particular, autoworkers.

Point number one: In 2005, cuts in wages for active workers and health-care benefits for retirees -- point number one. I'm reading from your testimony. Cuts for new workers, bringing the wage level down to 14 bucks an hour. How many industries are doing that? Reducing the company's liability for retiree health care by 50 percent. And I realize these have been in the record before, but it is very important.

And wages and benefits. You said yourself that they're about 10 percent -- 10 percent of the budget? You would think listening to some of the people talk out there, some of the so-called experts, that wages and benefits were 70 percent of the cost. So there's a lot of mythology, a lot of myth generally that has been put on the record.

In 20-- since 2003, downsizing by the companies has reduced their workforce by 150,000 people. That doesn't get said very often. The labor-cost gap with foreign transplant operations will be largely or completely eliminated. OK? So, it's -- I think it's important to put this information on the record for this hearing. And then we've heard this garbage about 73 bucks an hour. It's a total lie, and some people have perpetrated that deliberately in a calculated way to mislead the American people about what we're doing here. It's a lie, and they know it's a lie.

This is what my husband Ted was telling me; it's all horse puckey, the whole $73 an hour hype. Designed to rile up other working Americans against Union workers.

Saving the Big Three for You and Me

2008-12-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

So the Big Three Auto Execs are back on Capitol Hill with their tin cups in hand again today. They face a skeptical Congress and they SHOULD! The P.O.S.'s they've been manufacturing for DAYS.... are a joke and so is their management style. Michael Moore has a message for them, AND for us. I know, I know Michael Moore.....he can be so damned Michael Moore-ish....but he makes some good points and he's pretty funny too. Check him out:

Saving the Big 3 for You and Me...

A Message From Michael Moore

by Michael Moore
Friends,
I drive an American car. It's a Chrysler. That's not an endorsement. It's more like a cry for pity. And now for a decades-old story, retold ad infinitum by tens of millions of Americans, a third of whom have had to desert their country to simply find a damn way to get to work in something that won't break down:
My Chrysler is four years old. I bought it because of its smooth and comfortable ride. Daimler-Benz owned the company then and had the good grace to place the Chrysler chassis on a Mercedes axle and, man, was that a sweet ride!

When it would start.
More than a dozen times in these years, the car has simply died. Batteries have been replaced, but that wasn't the problem. My dad drives the same model. His car has died many times, too. Just won't start, for no reason at all.

A few weeks ago, I took my Chrysler in to the Chrysler dealer here in northern Michigan -- and the latest fixes cost me $1,400. The next day, the vehicle wouldn't start. When I got it going, the brake warning light came on. And on and on.

You might assume from this that I couldn't give a rat's ass about these miserably inept crapmobile makers down the road in Detroit city. But I do care. I care about the millions whose lives and livelihoods depend on these car companies. I care about the security and defense of this country because the world is running out of oil -- and when it runs out, the calamity and collapse that will take place will make the current recession/depression look like a Tommy Tune musical.

And I care about what happens with the Big 3 because they are more responsible than almost anyone for the destruction of our fragile atmosphere and the daily melting of our polar ice caps. Congress must save the industrial infrastructure that these companies control and the jobs they create. And it must save the world from the internal combustion engine.

This great, vast manufacturing network can redeem itself by building mass transit and electric/hybrid cars, and the kind of transportation we need for the 21st century.
And Congress must do all this by NOT giving GM, Ford and Chrysler the $34 billion they are asking for in "loans" (a few days ago they only wanted $25 billion; that's how stupid they are -- they don't even know how much they really need to make this month's payroll. If you or I tried to get a loan from the bank this way, not only would we be thrown out on our ear, the bank would place us on some sort of credit rating blacklist).

Two weeks ago, the CEOs of the Big 3 were tarred and feathered before a Congressional committee who sneered at them in a way far different than when the heads of the financial industry showed up two months earlier. At that time, the politicians tripped over each other in their swoon for Wall Street and its Ponzi schemers who had concocted Byzantine ways to bet other people's money on unregulated credit default swaps, known in the common vernacular as unicorns and fairies. But the Detroit boys were from the Midwest, the Rust (yuk!) Belt, where they made real things that consumers needed and could touch and buy, and that continually recycled money into the economy (shocking!), produced unions that created the middle class, and fixed my teeth for free when I was ten.

For all of that, the auto heads had to sit there in November and be ridiculed about how they traveled to D.C. Yes, they flew on their corporate jets, just like the bankers and Wall Street thieves did in October. But, hey, THAT was OK! They're the Masters of the Universe! Nothing but the best chariots for Big Finance as they set about to loot our nation's treasury.
Of course, the auto magnates used be the Masters who ruled the world. They were the pulsating hub that all other industries -- steel, oil, cement contractors -- served. Fifty-five years ago, the president of GM sat on that same Capitol Hill and bluntly told Congress, what's good for General Motors is good for the country. Because, you see, in their minds, GM WAS the country.

What a long, sad fall from grace we witnessed on November 19th when the three blind mice had their knuckles slapped and then were sent back home to write an essay called, "Why You Should Give Me Billions of Dollars of Free Cash." They were also asked if they would work for a dollar a year. Take that! What a big, brave Congress they are! Requesting indentured servitude from (still) three of the most powerful men in the world. This from a spineless body that won't dare stand up to a disgraced president nor turn down a single funding request for a war that neither they nor the American public support. Amazing.

Let me just state the obvious: Every single dollar Congress gives these three companies will be flushed right down the toilet. There is nothing the management teams of the Big 3 are going to do to convince people to go out during a recession and buy their big, gas-guzzling, inferior products. Just forget it. And, as sure as I am that the Ford family-owned Detroit Lions are not going to the Super Bowl -- ever -- I can guarantee you, after they burn through this $34 billion, they'll be back for another $34 billion next summer.

So what to do? Members of Congress, here's what I propose:
1. Transporting Americans is and should be one of the most important functions our government must address. And because we are facing a massive economic, energy and environmental crisis, the new president and Congress must do what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was faced with a crisis (and ordered the auto industry to stop building cars and instead build tanks and planes): The Big 3 are, from this point forward, to build only cars that are not primarily dependent on oil and, more importantly to build trains, buses, subways and light rail (a corresponding public works project across the country will build the rail lines and tracks). This will not only save jobs, but create millions of new ones.

2. You could buy ALL the common shares of stock in General Motors for less than $3 billion. Why should we give GM $18 billion or $25 billion or anything? Take the money and buy the company! (You're going to demand collateral anyway if you give them the "loan," and because we know they will default on that loan, you're going to own the company in the end as it is. So why wait? Just buy them out now.)

3. None of us want government officials running a car company, but there are some very smart transportation geniuses who could be hired to do this. We need a Marshall Plan to switch us off oil-dependent vehicles and get us into the 21st century.
This proposal is not radical or rocket science. It just takes one of the smartest people ever to run for the presidency to pull it off. What I'm proposing has worked before. The national rail system was in shambles in the '70s. The government took it over. A decade later it was turning a profit, so the government returned it to private/public hands, and got a couple billion dollars put back in the treasury.
T
his proposal will save our industrial infrastructure -- and millions of jobs. More importantly, it will create millions more. It literally could pull us out of this recession.
In contrast, yesterday General Motors presented its restructuring proposal to Congress. They promised, if Congress gave them $18 billion now, they would, in turn, eliminate around 20,000 jobs. You read that right. We give them billions so they can throw more Americans out of work. That's been their Big Idea for the last 30 years -- layoff thousands in order to protect profits. But no one ever stopped to ask this question: If you throw everyone out of work, who's going to have the money to go out and buy a car?
These idiots don't deserve a dime. Fire all of them, and take over the industry for the good of the workers, the country and the planet.
What's good for General Motors IS good for the country. Once the country is calling the shots.

Yours,
Michael Moore

Prop 8 ~ The Musical!

2008-12-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Adi Da Samraj has Transcended Manifest Existence

2008-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Adi Da, AKA Da Free John, AKA Da Love Ananda. He was my Guru for many years. I was a formal student for some of that time, but not all. Near or far, apparently connected or apparently not, he has been one of the most powerful influences in my life. He has died, but not really. Not for me and I know not for many. He is in my bones. Here is the Press Release on the Adidam website:

In the early evening of Thursday, November 27, His Divine Presence, Avatar Adi Da Samraj, Departed from the Body. He was in His Fijian Hermitage, Adi Da Samrajashram (the Island of Naitauba).

His Passing was entirely peaceful and free of any struggle. He Passed of natural causes. At the time of His Passing, He was Working in His Art Studio, surrounded by devotees who were engaged in serving His Artwork.

His Body will be interred in the most sacred Place of Adidam — the secluded Temple which Avatar Adi Da established in 1993 (at Adi Da Samrajashram) as His burial place.

On the morning of His Passing, He had completed His Writing of The Aletheon, the book which He designated as "first and foremost" among all of His Writings. Avatar Adi Da worked on The Aletheon intensively for the last two years, bringing all of His most essential Spiritual and philosophical communications into a final form. The Aletheon is scheduled for publication by The Dawn Horse Press in 2009.

His Divine Presence Bequeathed to humankind a Legacy of Inexhaustible Profundity and Limitless Blessing-Power.

Spiritual Way

Avatar Adi Da's Primary Gift is His own Eternal Transcendental Spiritual Being. The Primary Purpose of His human Lifetime was to Establish the means by which any and all beings could be truly connected to Him and in devotional Communion with Him. Thus, He Worked with utmost intensity, throughout His entire Life, to develop and establish His Transcendental Spiritual Way-Adidam, or (more fully) the "Radical" (or Always "At-the-Root") Reality-Way of Adidam Ruchiradam.

Most fundamentally, the Reality-Way of Adidam is the devotional relationship to Avatar Adi Da Samraj as one's Divine Avataric Master. That Way was established and elaborated by Avatar Adi Da in the greatest possible detail, during His human Lifetime. Thus, His precise Instruction relative to all aspects of His Way will always guide and align practitioners of His Way, in the process of always deepening Communion with Him.

Teaching Literature

Avatar Adi Da's literary, philosophical, and practical writings consist of over sixty published books — including The Knee of Listening, His Spiritual Autobiography, and The Dawn Horse Testament, His magisterial Revelation of the entire Spiritual Process from beginning to end.

His Divine Presence did a tremendous amount of Writing in the years 2005-2008. Just two weeks before His Passing, He designated the five books that He Wrote during that three-year period as "the Five Principal Books of My Forever Comprehensive Seventh-Stage Address to all-and-All":

The Aletheon: The Divine Avataric Self-Revelation of His Divine Presence, Avatar Adi Da Samraj

The Gnosticon: The "Perfect Knowledge" Reality-Teachings of His Divine Presence, Avatar Adi Da Samraj

The Pneumaton: The Transcendental Spiritual Reality-Teachings of His Divine Presence, Avatar Adi Da Samraj

Not-Two Is Peace: The Ordinary People's Way of Global Cooperative Order

Transcendental Realism: The Image-Art of egoless Coincidence With Reality Itself

Prepublication editions of The Aletheon, The Gnosticon, and The Pneumaton — as well as the second edition of Not-Two Is Peace and the first edition of Transcendental Realism — are currently available from The Dawn Horse Press.

Examination of world religions

Over a period of many decades, His Divine Presence undertook a massive examination of the world's religious traditions, culminating in an annotated bibliography of approximately 10,000 items, entitled The Basket of Tolerance. A briefer "epitome" version of The Basket of Tolerance is scheduled for publication by The Dawn Horse Press in 2009.

Avatar Adi Da also created original translations of traditional Spiritual texts, translations in which He brings out the deepest meaning of the original texts. The recent publication Reality Is All the God There Is (published by Inner Traditions) presents His translations of texts from the traditions of Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta.

Practical literature

Avatar Adi Da's writings on fundamental practical areas of human life, examined from the Spiritual perspective, include Green Gorilla (published by The Dawn Horse Press), relative to raw diet, and The Complete Yoga of Emotional-Sexual Life (published by Inner Traditions).

Literary Works

Avatar Adi Da's principal literary work is His trilogy entitled The Orpheum. In the late 1990s, poet Robert Lax said of The Mummery Book (the opening volume of the Orpheum trilogy), "Living and working as a writer for many decades, I have not encountered a book like this, that mysteriously and unselfconsciously conveys so much of the Unspeakable Reality." The Orpheum is also presented in the form of cutting-edge theatre — as shown online at www.mummerybook.org.

Spoken Discourses

In addition to His Writings, Avatar Adi Da gave thousands of hours of recorded Discourse. Many key Discourses have already been published by The Dawn Horse Press on CD and DVD. And many more will be published on an ongoing basis.

Artistic Works

Avatar Adi Da was an extraordinarily prolific artist, producing over 100,000 works, primarily in the years since 2000. He was invited to show His work in a solo exhibition at the 2007 Venice Biennale, and also as part of the 2008 Winter in Florence Festival. Noted art critic Donald Kuspit has written, "It is Adi Da Samraj's imaginative triumph to have conveyed the illusions created by discrepant points of view and the emotionally liberating effect when they aesthetically unite . . ." Among the publications of Avatar Adi Da's art are The World As Light, Transcendental Realism, and The Spectra Suites. His artistic work can be viewed online at www.adidabiennale.org and www.daplastique.com.

Work with non-humans

As an expression of His Deep Love for and Constant Blessing of all beings and things in the entirety of the natural world, Avatar Adi Da founded and developed Fear-No-More Zoo (www.FearNoMoreZoo.org). His Divine Presence created an extensive body of Wisdom about the Spiritual nature of non-human beings, and of the non-human world altogether, for the sake of humans' ongoing understanding, respect, and stewardship of all life. Avatar Adi Da's Vision of Fear-No-More is one wherein human and non-human exist equally, at heart, within one diverse sacred culture.

Call for World Peace

Another dimension to Avatar Adi Da's far-reaching Legacy is the social wisdom embodied in His book Not-Two Is Peace (published by The Dawn Horse Press). In it He Calls for the establishment of a Global Cooperative Forum that mobilizes "everybody-all-at-once" on the basis of recognizing the prior (or inherent) unity of the entire human family. He proposes that such a forum is the necessary and effective means for addressing the world's most pressing issues. Information about this initiative is available online at www.globalcooperationproject.org

"I Will Not Be Gone"

Many times during His Lifetime, His Divine Presence, Avatar Adi Da Samraj, prepared people to rightly understand the significance of His Bodily Lifetime and the fact that His Bodily Lifetime would inevitably come to an end at some point.

In the following passages from His Essay "I Am The One Who Has Always Been Here", written in 1995, Avatar Adi Da Speaks of His Eternal Transcendental Spiritual Existence, His Everlasting Regard for all beings, and His Constant Blessing-Grace.

I Will Be here Forever.
I Will Be every "where" Forever.

I Cannot Leave, For My Transcendentally Spiritually "Bright" Divine Spherical Self-Domain Is Not Some "Where" To "Go To".
My Divine Self-Domain Is Eternal.
I Am Eternal, and I Am Always Already Merely Present-here, and every "where" In The Cosmic Domain.

By Means Of My Divine Avataric Incarnation here, I Have Given you My Divine Secret.
My Divine Secret Is This: I Am Eternally Present, and I Am Omni-Present.

My Bodily (Human) Avataric-Incarnation-Form Has Its time, Whereby I connect (or Freedom-"Bind") you (and every one, and all, and All) To Me.
When The Time Of My Divine Avataric Incarnation is Fulfilled, Then I Am "Retired" To My Eternal Form-The Divine-Body-Power Of My Divine Self-State Made Infinitely Intact In The Cosmic Domain (Forever).

As he would say, "Tcha". Om Sri Da Hridayam.

Hitler goes into Foreclosure - Parody

2008-11-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

In Honor of Our New President.....With the Greatest Respect and Appreciation....Oh Hell Yeah!

2008-11-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

"Religion is Killing the Republican Party"

2008-11-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

Gee, ya think??

Kathleen Parker wrote a piece for Washington Post where she does a post-mortem on the bleached out, bloated cadaver that is the current GOP. I couldn't agree more....

Exerpt:

As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.

Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.

I'm bathing in holy water as I type.

To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh.

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth -- as long as we're setting ourselves free -- is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

Prop 8 Allows Religion to Dictate to State

2008-11-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest stats:

Roughly 85% of Christians of all denominations voted FOR it, roughly 85% of non-Christians voted AGAINST it. What does that tell you? I'm tired of people arguing about the 'vast majority of religions' think blah blah blah.... My answer to that is this:

Even if the case is, that "the vast majority of people across a wide spectrum of religions share a viewpoint", it doesn't give them the right to impose that viewpoint on others via the law, if it violates Civil Rights.

Case in point: In 1967 the Supreme Court finally recognized the Civil right of white people to marry black people: Inter-racial marriage. (It had been illegal prior to that). Even THOUGH the SCOTUS declared it legal and Constitutional, a full 80% of people across a wide spectrum, as you say, shared the viewpoint of DISAPPROVAL. Had they the ability to vote on the matter, they would have voted to ban it. Exactly the same thing is at play here, only the ban is on gay marriage.
The same arguments were heard then that God intended the races to marry only each other, blah blah blah.....just as they now say "God's" intention (as if anyone could adequately know) is that only heterosexuals may marry.

The REAL question is this: Are gays and lesbians full fledged citizens of the USA, or not? In California: Are they full fledged citizens of CA or not? That is the fundamental matter in question and it IS one to be handled by the SCOTUS ultimately.

Mormon Church Should Lose Its Tax Exempt Status

2008-11-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

The Mormon Church contributed roughly HALF of the funding for the Yes on Proposition 8 Campaign to ban gay marriage in California. Volunteers poured in from Utah as the church felt this was a "moral imperative". The Church basically gave marching orders to members to flood into our state and involve themselves in our political process, which they did. The $5 MILLION influx of cash in the last two weeks of the campaign enabled all of those deceptive, fear-mongering TV ads featuring little kids being "taught" gay marriage in school.

Where is the separation of Church and State?? The Yes Campaign says that they were very careful NOT to distribute leaflets or talking points on church property to avoid the APPEARANCE of church involvement in politics, but come on......that is the slimmest of slim technicalities. We all know this was a church based initiative; we're not willing to let them off the hook with an "oh, okay then..." Now the Mormon Church is upset that people are well..upset. After all of the fear and deception, lies, mean-spirited bigotry they are crying "foul" when gays, lesbians and their supporters are protesting on behalf of Civil Rights. It boggles the mind!

From today's NYT article (linked below) :

Mr. Otterson said it was too early to tell what the long-term implications might be for the church, but in any case, he added, none of that factored into the decision by church leaders to order a march into battle. “They felt there was only one way we could stand on such a fundamental moral issue, and they took that stand,” he said. “It was a matter of standing up for what the church believes is right.”

That said, the extent of the protests has taken many Mormons by surprise. On Friday, the church’s leadership took the unusual step of issuing a statement calling for “respect” and “civility” in the aftermath of the vote.

“Attacks on churches and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues,” the statement said. “People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal.”

Except that you didn't just EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS, you pulled out all the stops and placed your church members and their ideologies smack in the middle of our political process. Your missionaries, flush with cash, proselytized our electorate with your religious dogma and doctrine to directly influence the outcome of the vote. Now you want people, whose Civil Rights have been abridged by YOUR efforts, to simply "play nice" and walk away saying "oh okay, guess we lost then....bye bye now..." ????

I hope there is such a brouhaha following this smackdown of Civil and HUMAN rights that there will be AT LAST a serious reexamination of the Tax status of many of the religious organizations (AND cults, let's get real) who are entwining themselves like Poison Ivy into so many of our public and secular institutions.

LINK to NYT article:

Cocoa Tea's Barack Obama Reggae Song

2008-11-14T05:31:00.000-08:00

Sweet!! Check it out!

To People Complaining about Obama tapping Clinton Era Heavyweights

2008-11-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

What don't people get about the concept of CHANGE? We suffered under the Bush Crime Family for 8 loooooong years. The Iraq war, Enron, Homeland "Security", FEMA's non-response to Katrina, Faith based initiatives, socially retrograde appointments to the SCOTUS, decimating Roe v. Wade at every opportunity, de-regulating and privatizing everything they could lay their greedy hands on.

When Obama spoke of CHANGE, what did that mean to you folks? For me, it meant that we would have a change from what has been going on for the past 8 years. Certainly Bill Clinton made some fundamental errors, NAFTA being one, the way it was structured, the Patriot Act to name but two. HOWEVER the change we need at this point is to undo much of the damage done by BushCo. The economy is first order of business to include Healthcare reform. The Iraq war, our international relations, infrastructure repair, need I go on?

In order to effect these changes Obama may call on some old tried and true Democratic hands. SO WHAT? This is a plus in my book. I trust Obama to be enough of his own man to differ and alter course if need be, should these folks offer solutions that seem unwise. Meanwhile give the guy a break and remember all the Bush havoc from which we wish to change.

Can't let the Passage of Prop 8 Pass....

2008-11-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Living here in CA in Santa Cruz; Berkeley by the beach, it was a real buzz kill to learn that Prop 8 passed.

While gay marriage was legal in CA, what, precisely has happened to heterosexual marriage? Did couples awake in the night in terror? Did they suddenly question their fidelity, ability to continue the commitment? What?? No longer able to feel "saved" and special quite like before?

Love ya Keith Olbermann and your Special Comment last night, but the real question is this:

Are gays and lesbians full citizens of the United States or not? Are they full citizens of the state of California? If they ARE, then they have identical rights as everyone else. If NOT, then it must be spelled out legally and no half-baked measures will do. We will then know precisely what we are up against.

By we, I mean all people living in 2008, mentally as well as physically, not those living in the Bronze Age.

Southern Strategy for Winning National Elections: Buh Bye! don't let the door hit you in the...

2008-11-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

So, Political Scientists are uniformly declaring that the Southern Strategy to win elections at the National level is dead. This angling for the supposed all important white, racist, conservative vote is now irrelevant. The election of two men, one of African American descent, who are NOT from the South demonstrated clearly that this old paradigm is disappearing rapidly in our collective rearview mirror. Here's what we're losing (from NYT article today):

Race was a strong subtext in post-election conversations across the socioeconomic spectrum here in Vernon, the small, struggling seat of Lamar County on the Mississippi border.

One white woman said she feared that blacks would now become more “aggressive,” while another volunteered that she was bothered by the idea of a black man “over me” in the White House.

Mr. McCain won 76 percent of the county’s vote, about five percentage points more than Mr. Bush did, because “a lot more people came out, hoping to keep Obama out,” Joey Franks, a construction worker, said in the parking lot of the Shop and Save.

Mr. Franks, who voted for Mr. McCain, said he believed that “over 50 percent voted against Obama for racial reasons,” adding that in his own case race mattered “a little bit. That’s in my mind.”

Many people made it clear that they were deeply apprehensive about Mr. Obama, though some said they were hoping for the best.

“I think any time you have someone elected president of the United States with a Muslim name, whether they are white or black, there are some very unsettling things,” George W. Newman, a director at a local bank and the former owner of a trucking business, said over lunch at Yellow Creek Fish and Steak.

Don Dollar, the administrative assistant at City Hall, said bitterly that anyone not upset with Mr. Obama’s victory should seek religious forgiveness.

“This is a community that’s supposed to be filled with a bunch of Christian folks,” he said. “If they’re not disappointed, they need to be at the altar.”

Finally, these under-educated Confederates can no longer determine the direction of our country and our society. They are the dinosaurs of this era and a meteor has just landed in their backyard. Woo hoo! Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/politics/11south.html?th&emc=th

David Brooks: Republicans in "World of Pain"

2008-11-10T05:55:00.001-08:00

I enjoy David Brooks; watch him every Friday at 6:00 p.m. on PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer. I don't always agree with him by a long shot, but he is a SANE Republican. He knows how to take the temperature of the country. He sees trends, changes, forward MOVEMENT for god's sake. He gets it that issues need to be addressed from a balanced perspective rather than a hellbent for leather ideological vortex of whirling fears and prejudices with a death-grip on the past.

For my part, if the Republicans are in a world of pain as Brooks said here on Face the Nation yesterday, they've no one but themselves to blame. Those chickens coming home to roost are so massive, so leaden, the whole house is caving on them and unless they learn the lesson, it will be a generation at least before they come into power again. It heartens me very much to hear Brooks' dead-on analysis; he's nailed it, more than any other pundit I've read so far. Note what he says about Sarah Palin. Watch:

Synchronicity

2008-11-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well it's been quite a week. It has been an emotional high for me. Lots of tearing up and feelings of relief and I'll admit, some "payback' as I feel the power of my party of choice beginning to take over the White House. It feels so gooooooood.

What has simultaneously occurred is that people I knew in my former spiritual group/Sangha have contacted me within the past couple of weeks. Three of them I've not heard from in years. The commonality we all share now is some perspective at last on the circumstances which caused us to bail on this "spiritual" group. At first, we went through varying degrees of feeling traumatized and in need of space and healing.

My response was to remove myself utterly from the spiritual scene altogether. What I did for awhile was to attend an AA 12 step meditation group at Land of the Medicine Buddha in Soquel, near where I live. It was great; the people were inspirational but I felt out of place and a bit of an oddball, being that I've never been a drinker much at all, let alone an alcoholic. I just loved their vibe and the fact that they all were looking at their addictive behavior. Where does one find "Guru huggers Anonymous"? I was at a loss, so the meditation group was a stop gap measure. It served. Since I left that, I've not joined or participated in ANYTHING other than my beloved job, which has it own spiritual merits and benefits and my physical fitness program which also has similar benefits.

After hearing from my oldtime buddies I began to ponder once again, what is it that I've gained in my almost five years distant perspective on the whole spiritual game? (Realize that we all felt we'd been in a cultic situation, if not an outright cult). As I did my walk/jog in the redwood forest today (I know, I know, I'm a lucky duck to live here...) I was looking at what I'm left with in how I view the whole long strange trip it WAS. What has percolated up as bonafide Reality? What if any insight have I gained?

What came to mind was that what I trust, are those insights or feelings that reflect something Universal, something inclusive and wholistic. If there is a sense coming from any quarter of "All of this is ONLY God" or "Love is the guiding intelligence of my life", I can get with that. That feels trustworthy to me. Bob Marley's "One Love, One Heart, Let's get together and Feel Alright".....I can get with that. IF there is any personal reference or anyone making self congratulatory remarks about how great their revelations have been; how much wisdom they've gained, how, in ANY way, "special" they are....my B.S. detector goes "bzzzzzzzzzzt" and if it as if I am suddenly swimming in sharky waters and my instincts are to paddle AWAY man....and get to dry land!

So it's clear to me I've been successfully innoculated, FINALLY against the lure of these charismatic, spiritual "leaders" (Blech!) Yet it is refreshing and heartening to feel that, yeah, I can feel connected to the Unknowable Source, the Ground of Being and it's no-graven-image aspect feels supremely trustworthy.

Maybe there IS something to that biblical second commandment after all. Did I just make a biblical reference?? Yeah, I guess I did. Pssssssst...Chris Hitchens, I still love ya.....

Men's Brains, Women's Brains

2008-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

This explains ALOT!

Our joy; our sentimental Wednesday...messages from loved ones

2008-11-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

From my friend Sue: "I was just about to e-mail you! when those red states started flipping last night the full impact of the message for the desire for peace and unity this sends to the world hit me. I cried for an hour. Our generation is over kiddo. Let's hope the youngsters do a better job! xo!!!!!!"

From my friend Chelsea when I said "President Obama" sounds so great:

"Damn right, that feels great! I haven't felt this way since I was a
little kid and I saw Bobby Kennedy in my hometown. Hopefully, Obama
will survive his two terms as president. I have to confess I'm a bit
worried for him, just because it only takes one crazy person and one
slip up on the security.

But today I won't think about that. I'm celebrating like everyone
else!

You go girl. I love your blogs.

Voicemail from Elizabeth: "Dude! We are sooooooo happy! Yay!! Oh god, it is so great! Call me!"

Voicemail from Millie: "Hello my beloved friend...I want to say thank you for working so hard, thank all of us....now we have to work to reach out to those who have been on the other side....."

Phone call from John: "Heh, heh...heh.....wooo...heh....heh...."

Phone call with Roxy: "This is so great but now I want to see Bush, Cheney and all of them, not just kicked out of office, but put in jail!"

(Ah well, some of us are still mightily pissed....:-) )

President Obama!

2008-11-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

Oh god, if this is a dream don't wake me!

Overjoyed to say the least! I am so happy for America, I am so proud to be American. I look forward to being able to say these words for the first time in 8 years "Turn on the TV honey, the President is giving a press conference."

Yes we can. Yes we did.

Thank God/Goddess/Jesus/Krishna/Buddha all beings of Light. The universe needed this.

Whew......

Don't Speak for me, Sarah Palin by Hockey Mama for Obama

2008-11-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

I want to MEET all these cool people putting out thoughtful, funny, insightful videos!

This gal also has a great soprano voice. Check her out:

Wassup?????

2008-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart Interviews Obama 10/29

2008-10-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

ACLU calls for Government to Release Info on Troop Deployment within the US

2008-10-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

ACLU Demands Information On Military Deployment Within U.S. Borders (10/21/2008)

Deployment Erodes Longstanding Separation Between Civilian And Military Government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded information from the government about reports that an active military unit has been deployed inside the U.S. to help with "civil unrest" and "crowd control" – matters traditionally handled by civilian authorities. This deployment jeopardizes the longstanding separation between civilian and military government, and the public has a right to know where and why the unit has been deployed, according to an ACLU Freedom of Information request filed today.

"The military's deployment within U.S. borders raises critical questions that must be answered," said Jonathan Hafetz, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "What is the unit's mission? What functions will it perform? And why was it necessary to deploy the unit rather than rely on civilian agencies and personnel and the National Guard? Given the magnitude of the issues at stake, it is imperative that the American people know the truth about this new and unprecedented intrusion of the military in domestic affairs."

According to a report in the Army Times, the Army recently deployed an active military unit inside the United States under Northern Command, which was established in 2002 to assist federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. This deployment marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command.
Civilian authorities, not the military, have historically controlled and directed the internal affairs of the United States. This rule traces its origins to the nation's founding and has been reaffirmed in landmark statutes including the Posse Comitatus Act, which helps preserve the foundational principles of our Constitution and democracy.

"This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority, and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law," said Mike German, ACLU national security policy counsel and former FBI Agent. "Our Founding Fathers understood the threat that a standing army could pose to American liberty. While future generations recognized the need for a strong military to defend against increasingly capable foreign threats, they also passed statutory protections to ensure that the Army could not be turned against the American people. The erosion of these protections should concern every American."

In order to assess the implications of the recent deployment, the ACLU requested the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense today to immediately make public all legal opinions, executive orders, presidential directives, memos, policy guidance, and other documents that authorize the deployment of military troops for domestic purposes.
Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Department of Defense has dramatically expanded its role in domestic law enforcement and intelligence operations, including the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping programs, the Department of Homeland Security's use of military spy satellites, and the participation of military personnel in state and local intelligence fusion centers. The ACLU has repeatedly expressed concern about these incremental encroachments of the military into domestic affairs, and the assignment of active duty troops to Northern Command only heightens these concerns.
A copy of the ACLU's information request is available online at: www.aclu.org/safefree/general/37272lgl20081021.html

Mecca Lecca High Mecca Hiney Ho....Mecca Lecca Chi Mecca Chiney Ho...

2008-10-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I am calling on all gods and goddesses of things, large and small, faeries, gnomes, elven folk, space aliens, Jambi the Genie; ANYONE who can pull strings for this beautiful blue/green planet, to DO so, to get Barack Obama elected.

I want to experience the collective psychic joy of the globe, when he is pronounced the winner for Leader of the Free World.

Amen

Gotta LOVE Jon Stewart

2008-10-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

More West Virginia Machine Flipping Votes From Dem to Repub

2008-10-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week.

From Pleterh on Digg: "Republicans are on their way to stealing a 3rd election by manipulating the voting machines. The oldest trick in the book. Solution: take in your video camera and record your vote on video. If it flips, you have the evidence. Use technology to fight abuse of technology!"

I was going to take my camera phone in the voting booth anyway to take a pic of my ballot. We have paper ballots where I live, but if YOU live where they have electronic machines, video your vote! Everyone who can, should be doing this! I don't care what your party affiliation is, it is important for all votes to truly COUNT!
read more | digg story

CBS News: New Study Details Massive Voter Roll Purges Underway in At Least 19 States

2008-10-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

Found on Bradblog a report and video of CBS News reporting also. My take:

This is the only way McCain can win. People around the world have asked Americans, "How could you people have voted for George W. Bush TWICE?!" The correct answer is "We didn't!" It was decided by Diebold hackers, hanging chads, the Supreme Court GOP appointed Justices, the lack of sufficient voting machines in poor neighborhoods, and an average of a 15 minute wait for voters in wealthy, white neighboroods and an average of a 4 hour wait in poor, black neighborhoods. It was due to fliers tacked up in poor, black neighborhoods stating "Republicans vote on Tuesday, Democrats vote on Wednesday." It was due to Republican operatives jamming phone lines at Voter Information Hotlines and on and on....

All of this is documented in "How To Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative: Allen Raymond, Ian Spiegelman (In stock at Amazon btw, I checked!)

A Nation Held Hostage by Nitwits

2008-10-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Journalist discusses the intellectual qualities of a person who cannot decide between say, a Prius and a fully loaded Humvee with Ozone depleting afterburners.......a tofu salad or a 32oz. steak and a side or ribs......or Obama and McCain.....Who ARE these people??

read more | digg story

Sarah Palin Booed Loud, seat view. Flyers game.

2008-10-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Crowds getting Uglier at Palin/McCain rallies

2008-10-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

True to Republican values, McCain and Palin are using tactics to get crowds "mad as hell" and are scapegoating the media. Nothing new for Republicans, when the news is reported on things they've said and done and it is not couched in fawning and favorable terms, they decry the media as "liberal! left wing! biased!" Only this time, their tactics of whipping up the crowd into a literal "mob" (in this case think 'lynch mob') is unprecedented. Gee, do you think it could having anything at all to do with the fact that Barack Obama is.....shh..............(black?)

Story on Talking Points Memo:

Dana Milbank -- the Washington Post reporter who wrote this morning's piece about the Palin crowd's disgusting abuse of reporters at a rally yesterday -- tells me that the McCain camp's repeated attacks on the media have spawned crowd hostility towards the press that's running at a "degree of intensity" he's never experienced in covering presidential politics.

As Milbank wrote, one Palin supporter hurled an unspecified racial epithet at an African American sound man, and told him: "Sit down, boy."

I checked in with Milbank to get a bit more on what happened yesterday, because the ugliness unleashed by McCain-Palin's nasty crowd-riling tactics are becoming a story in this campaign.

"None of this is new, but the degree of intensity is different," Milbank says. "It's taken an uglier turn. I've been doing this for years, and there's never been anything quite like this."

Milbank says that after the Palin attacked the New York Times and Katie Couric in her stump speech yesterday in Florida, he and other reporters were pelted with boos, with some saying things like "screw you" and "fucking liberal media."

"McCain has so overtly taken on the media -- they're doing it to rile the base," he continued. "And lo and behold, the base is good and riled."

Tina Fey on SNL The "Debate"

2008-10-05T08:39:00.001-07:00

Fey nails it once again! Watch:

Union President Defends Obama Against Racism (VIDEO)

2008-10-05T08:25:00.001-07:00

AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka offers this moving defense of Obama against racial attacks. (h/t Sullivan)Richard Trumka serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, , he was elected in 1995. He previously was president of the United Mine Workers from 1982 to December 22, 1995. Trumka was born in Nemacolin, PA, a third-generation coal miner who went to work in the mines at age 19. He attended Penn State U and his law degree from Villanova. While president of the UMWA, Mr. Trumka led the successful nine-month strike against the Pittston Coal Company. It became a rallying symbol for the entire labor movement. A major issue in the dispute was Pittston's refusal to pay into the industry wide health and retirement fund created in 1950. Trumka encouraged non-violent civil disobedience to confront the company in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and relied on a sophisticated corporate campaign involving Wall Street investors. Besides his fighting aggressively against employers on behalf of his members, then-President Trumka established an office that raised U.S. mine worker solidarity with the mineworkers of South Africa while they were fighting racial apartheid.] He further served as the U.S. Shell boycott chairman, which challenged the multinational Royal Dutch/Shell Group for its continued business dealings in South Africa. Upon being elevated to the AFL-CIO, Secretary-Treasurer Trumka has focused on creating investment programs for the pension and benefits funds of the labor movement, fighting Wall Street greed, and challenging politicians to create an equitable economy for working people.

read more | digg story

Hey Sarah, Sarah...

2008-10-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

Quote

2008-10-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

President Franklin Roosevelt once told a group of activists lobbying him, "I agree with everything you said. Now go out and make me do it."

We the People only have power if we use it.

Sometimes the Blogs' commenters are even better

2008-10-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

than the bloggers! At least as interesting. In response to Bob Cesca's column about Sarah Palin being a "hooplehead" and in her own words a "Joe Six Pack" candidate, a commenter named Spartanmom had this to say:

"

Hey, Can I be in McCain's cabinet?

I could probably handle a couple of positions.

Interior-I garden, can use a shovel, have one each, Native American and African American neighbor. So that covers agriculture, mining, Indian Affairs

Defense-My father was a Marine in WW2, My son was in the army in Afghanistan (and I had to buy stuff to send to him so I know about procurement), I own two guns (one of them is from WW1 so I have knowledge of the history of conflict)

Treasury-I pay my bills, can use Quicken (and I'm a quick study so QuickBooks should be no problem) Subscribe to the Economist (but I wouldn't play that up for fear of looking elitist)

Attorney General-my sister and her two daughters are lawyers

Commerce-I buy stuff in several states, Europe and Japan.

State-I've had a passport since 1975, I've been to three Canadian provinces, England and San Francisco. My husband has been to Taiwan and India. My daughters have been to Ireland. I've had trouble with my neighbors so I know about conflict.

Wait, never mind a cabinet post, I'm running for President."

Hawwwww!

Dennis Kucinich ROCKS! He always asks the right questions....

2008-09-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

Katheleen Parker - National Review A Conservative's POV

2008-09-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDZiMDhjYTU1NmI5Y2MwZjg2MWNiMWMyYTUxZDkwNTE=

">http://article.nationalrevi...

Palin Problem She’s out of her league. By Kathleen Parker

If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin. To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president — and possibly president — is to risk being labeled anti-woman.

Or, as I am guilty of charging her early critics, supporting only a certain kind of woman. Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick — what a difference a financial crisis makes — and a more complicated picture has emerged. As we’ve seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion. Yes, she recently met and turned several heads of state as the United Nations General Assembly convened in New York. She was gracious, charming and disarming. Men swooned. Pakistan’s president wanted to hug her. (Perhaps Osama bin Laden is dying to meet her?) And, yes, she has common sense, something we value. And she’s had executive experience as a mayor and a governor, though of relatively small constituencies (about 6,000 and 680,000, respectively). Finally, Palin’s narrative is fun, inspiring and all-American in that frontier way we seem to admire. When Palin first emerged as John McCain’s running mate, I confess I was delighted. She was the antithesis and nemesis of the hirsute, Birkenstock-wearing sisterhood — a refreshing feminist of a different order who personified the modern successful working mother. Palin didn’t make a mess cracking the glass ceiling. She simply glided through it. It was fun while it lasted. Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League. No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted. Palin filibusters. She repeats words, filling space with deadwood. Cut the verbiage and there’s not much content there. Here’s but one example of many from her interview with Hannity: “Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we’re talking about today. And that’s something that John McCain, too, his track record, proving that he can work both sides of the aisle, he can surpass the partisanship that must be surpassed to deal with an issue like this.” When Couric pointed to polls showing that the financial crisis had boosted Obama’s numbers, Palin blustered wordily: “I’m not looking at poll numbers. What I think Americans at the end of the day are going to be able to go back and look at track records and see who’s more apt to be talking about solutions and wishing for and hoping for solutions for some opportunity to change, and who’s actually done it?” If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself. If Palin were a man, we’d all be guffawing, just as we do every time Joe Biden tickles the back of his throat with his toes. But because she’s a woman — and the first ever on a Republican presidential ticket — we are reluctant to say what is painfully true. What to do? McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden. Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country.

My take: The wheels are coming off the 'Straight Talk Express". It has now become Gobbledygook LandRover. Her performances are flabbergasting. For the sake of the country, I hope that McCain continues to embrace Palin. He shouldn't get off so easy. . I think if he was able to jettison Palin, he could put in Tom Ridge or someone much more palatable to Independents and it would shake up the campaign all OVER again. He picked her, he can now reap the "rewards"

Jack Cafferty: Is Sarah Palin fit to be President? Take a guess at what I think...

2008-09-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Chris Rock on Larry King

2008-09-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

I love this one!

2008-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

2008-09-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1185304443/bctid1811529197

Obama, not McCain Shows Steady Hand in Crisis

2008-09-22T06:30:00.001-07:00

From Bloomberg this morning:

Obama, Not McCain, Shows Steady Hand in Crisis: Albert R. Hunt

Commentary by Albert R. Hunt

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- For the first time since 1932 a presidential election is taking place in the midst of a genuine financial crisis. The reaction of the candidates was revealing.

John McCain, railing against the ``greed and corruption'' of Wall Street, won the first round of the sound-bite war. He came out with a television commercial on the ``crisis'' early on Monday of last week, and over the next three days gave more than a dozen broadcast interviews. He and running mate Sarah Palin would reform Wall Street and regulate the nefarious fat cats that caused this fiasco.

It was a great start. It then went downhill as he stumbled over his record of championing deregulation, claimed the economy was fundamentally strong, and flip-flopped over the government takeover of American International Group Inc.

For his part, Barack Obama didn't come across as passionately outraged and wasn't as omnipresent or as specific.

More revealing, though, was to whom both candidates turned on that panic-ridden morning of Sept. 15, and how the messages evolved before and after that day.

McCain called Martin Feldstein, the well-known Republican economist and Reagan administration adviser, John Taylor of Stanford University, who served in President George W. Bush's Treasury and Carly Fiorina, once the chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Co.

Obama called former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, and former Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Larry Summers.

It was a mismatch.

Towering Volcker

Feldstein, for all his intellect, was ineffective in the Reagan administration; then-White House deputy chief of staffDick Darman cut him out of important action. Volcker, first at the Treasury and then as chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a towering figure in every way.

Taylor is a well-regarded academic. In four years as undersecretary of the Treasury, he left few footprints. Summers, as both deputy secretary and secretary, left a lot.

Fiorina is smart and quick; to put it charitably, Rubin will forget more about financial markets than she'll ever know.

When it comes to governance, and either Democrat Obama or Republican McCain will inherit this miserable financial mess, the best guide is who they talked to, what they said, where they've been, and how knowledgeable they are.

Obama's record and earlier speeches belie some of his more populist rhetoric. Yet they also suggest, as do his advisers, a much more activist government role than is likely under a McCain-Palin administration.

Comfortable With Subject

Obama called for the overhaul of the financial-regulatory system and tougher enforcement well before this past week's traumas.

Detached observers who watched him last week, especially in a Bloomberg Television interview, were taken by how conversant and comfortable he was on the subject, despite his thin record. Few detached observers came away with that impression watching the Arizona senator.

Much of the re-regulatory fever focuses on the Federal Reserve and any new agencies created to clean up the fiasco. Central, however, will be a more vigorous Securities and Exchange Commission, or whatever holds that investor-protection function.

McCain displayed a sudden interest in the SEC last week when he demanded that Chairman Chris Cox be fired. When his campaign was asked if the senator had ever criticized the current commission's performance before, they failed to respond.

All For Obama

Tellingly, three former SEC chairmen, a Democrat, Arthur Levitt, and two Republicans, David Ruder and Bill Donaldson, have endorsed Obama. Levitt is a board member of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.

Donaldson, who was tapped by Bush to head the SEC, says Obama called him last year about the financial-regulatory problems. He has never heard from McCain.

``Obama has been talking about the need for better financial regulation well before this crisis hit and has done some real thinking about it,'' says Donaldson, a lifelong Republican. ``McCain comes across as someone who suddenly realized changes have to be made.''

There is a case for McCain: it's if you believe in less regulation, that the government should get out of the way and let the markets work their will.

No `Real Understanding'

``I don't think anyone who wants to increase the burden of government regulation and high taxes has any real understanding of economics,'' McCain said this spring at an Inez, Kentucky, town hall meeting, where he also declared ``the fundamentals of our economy are good.''

Until recently, he repeatedly invoked Ronald Reagan's calls for less regulation. He voted for the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley corporate-governance regulations -- then last year said he regretted that vote.

McCain isn't averse to some regulations. He has strongly championed a greater federal role in campaign finance, tobacco and boxing. In each case, he saw a clear villain -- special- interest money, a tobacco product that puts profits ahead of lives, and unscrupulous boxing promoters.

There has been little evidence that prior to last week he ever put financial firms in this category. Although he assailed excessive corporate compensation last week, McCain has opposed a tepid House-passed bill that would give corporate shareholders the right to cast a non-binding vote on compensation of top executives.

Turning to Gramm

The person he has turned to most for counsel on such matters is his ex-Senate colleague Phil Gramm. Gramm is a political Gordon Gekko, a brainy economist with a Darwinian view of markets and public policy.

It's not easy to remember what the financial world looked like 10 days ago much less 10 months ago. Decisions that will be reached after this election will be the most important since the 1930s.

Obama, as more than a few Democrats are complaining, hasn't been as quick, sharp -- or demagogic -- as they would like. McCain has been beset by deeper difficulties: an inchoate and inconsistent message that seems to reflect political exigencies more than principled convictions.

On the financial crisis, last week belonged to Obama.

(Albert R. Hunt is the executive editor for Washington at Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Albert R. Hunt in Washington at ahunt1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: September 21, 2008 09:33 EDT

NY Times Op-Ed: Barack Obama, John McCain and the Language of Race

2008-09-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Is race still a factor in the year 2008 in the Presidential election? You bet and it is just under the surface, until it's not. A couple of jaw-dropping examples, in case you've missed them..

White women, no way / Once pro-Obama, but now swoon for McPalin? Who the hell are you?

2008-09-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

From Mark Morford, column at SFGate on Friday 9/19:

Every white woman I know is positively horrified.

Mark Morford

* White women, no way Once pro-Obama, but now swoon for McPalin? Who the... 09.19.08
* David Foster Wallace All literary flags at half-mast, rightfully so. In... 09.17.08
* Are you an elitist? 18 revealing ways to know for sure 09.12.08
* Evil: It's the new good! Shut up and drink your high fructose corn syrup... 09.10.08

More Mark Morford »

Wait, that's not exactly true. It's more accurate to say that every thoughtful or liberal or intuitive or open-minded white woman I know worth her vagina monologue and her self-determination and two centuries of nonstop striving for equal rights and sexual freedom and exhaustive patriarchal unshackling is right now openly horrified, appalled at what the addition of shrill PTA hockey-mom Sarah Palin seems to have done for the soggy, comatose McCain campaign -- that is, make it not merely remotely interesting and melodramatic, but aggressively hostile to, well, to all intelligent women everywhere.

Truly, among women in the know and especially among those who fought so hard to bring Hillary Clinton to the brink of history, nausea and a general recoiling appear to be the universal reactions to Palin's sudden presence on the national stage, stemming straight from the idea that there's even a slight chance in hell such an antagonistic, anti-female politico could be within a 72-year-old heartbeat of becoming the most powerful and iconic woman of all time.

They say: You've got to be kidding me. They say: This is what we get? This could be our historic role model? Two hundred years (OK, more like 2000) of struggle, only to have this nasty caricature of femininity try to hijack and mock and undermine it all?

It cannot be true, they say. The universe must joking, would not dare dump such a homophobic, Creationist evangelical nutball on us, this anti-choice, God-pandering woman who's the inverse of Hillary, this woman of deep inexperience who abhors birth control and supports abstinence education and shoots exhausted wolves from helicopters and hates polar bears and actually stands for everything progressive women have resented since the first pope Swift-Boated Eve.

But now, the truly bizarre part. Despite this defiant outcry, a great many pundits and reports have suggested that, just after the Palin VP announcement, a sizable chunk of predominantly white women nevertheless abandoned their tentative support for Obama and leapt into the lyin' arms of McCain, presumably simply because of Palin's gender and PTA momhood.

And thus did the harrowing wail go out: WTF? Could it be true? Are cadres of formerly Obama-leaning white women really so enchanted by Palin's gender and motherhood status that they openly ignore the fact that she basically wants to shove women's rights back about five decades? Can it be so simple, crude, sad?

Let us analyze. Let me, being a straight white male and therefore only capable of gazing in awe at the spectacle that is the indecipherable female intuitive response, foolishly attempt to decipher some of it anyway, and explain why in hell some women might jump to Palin, despite the fact that she essentially hates them. Shall we begin?

"She's one of us." This was the resounding quote from many deer-in-the-Palin-headlights fans, a bizarre, dangerous sentiment that echoes the blue-collar Midwest's blind love of George W. Bush, simply because he came across as the kind of simple-minded aw-shucks guy you'd want to have a beer with, never you mind that giant silver spoon sticking out of his mouth or that giant daddy's-boy chip on his droopy shoulders.

Is this all it is? Does "one of us" merely mean white women really believe Palin could, if McCain didn't survive his first term, effectively lead the most powerful, flawed, complicated nation on the planet merely because she's a hard-workin' mom with moxie, that she's managed to raise a gaggle of strangely named kids who hunt and don't believe in evolution and get pregnant before they're old enough to buy a pack of Marlboros?

Or does it mean they agree with Palin about not giving a damn for equal pay, or honest sex education, or separation of church and state, or alternative energy, or a woman's right to choose, or their own daughters' rights if they get knocked up after being raped or incested? Nah, that can't be it.

Maybe we're just not used to seeing the female voting demographic depicted this way. Truly, it's usually men who are the knuckleheaded ones, who will flip their vote merely over a single inconsequential issue ("I like everything about Obama except he supports gun control, and I love my guns, so I guess I gotta go for McCain"). Women, according to the eternal mythology, are no such dupes, and choose more wisely, from deeper intuition, instinct. Right?

Wrong. Maybe this is our simple summary, the blaring headline we should be reading in the wake of recent events. "Easily duped Palin supporters prove: Some white women are just as dumb as men." Is that all it is? Maybe so.

Ah, but there is good news. It appears the bloom is already off the McPalin rose, the baby bump she gave McCain is already gone, as everyone from here to Wasilla is sick to death of hearing about her. Every day that goes by it comes clearer that the Sarah juggernaut is no juggernaut at all but merely an increasingly disturbing PR stunt, and a bit of a disgrace for John McCain himself, whose once-noble aura of integrity and class has essentially vanished.

A potent backlash is coming fast. Actually, it began almost immediately, just after the Republican National Convention, when the GOP cheerfully announced they'd raised a whopping one million bucks in the 24 hours following Palin's speech, so inspired was the heavily drugged conservative base by her teleprompter-reading skills (she didn't write a single word of her own speech, of course; it came from a former Bushite, well before she was the VP pick).

Well, gosh. Really? A million? Wow.

But then Obama's campaign issued a statement of their own. Turns out they'd raised a bit money in the exact same time frame, a rather impressive outpouring of cash from all those on the left who could be heard screaming "oh my God no way in hell" to their TV screens as Palin's finger jabbed at the heart of all that's right and good with the world. The amount Obama raised in the same 24 hours? $10 million. Well now.

How much of that staggering amount came from the newly galvanized, infuriated female populace from the left who see right through Palin's shrill charade and damn well recognize an imposter in their midst, it's impossible to tell. But I think it's a damn safe bet to assume, they are legion.

And let me tell you, they are pissed.

A Little Clarification Needed...

2008-09-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

Found this on Crooks and Liars.com

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, and you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and be President of the Law Review, and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years i n the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex edu cation, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DUI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

The Real America

2008-09-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

Democrats are stymied with the results of polling lately. Bush's approval ratings are so low....how could the country be leaning Republican AGAIN? Who are these people??

Some of these folks are those who are willing to admit to themselves that yes, McCain might have lied here and there, that Sarah Palin may have stretched the truth a little bit, but that is okay. Some follow blindly and progressives think they have awakened in some alternate Universe...."how could they vote against their own self interests? How can they follow a man like McCain who wants to continue the Iraq war? After all, wasn't Obama's popularity due in large part to the fact that he was against the Iraq war from the beginning? Isn't this one of the main slams against Hillary, that she voted for it? Aren't the American people interested in ending the war in Iraq?" Judging from Obama's ads of late, one wouldn't think so. He is not campaigning on the war theme at all anymore. So how CAN the American public be so gullible as to fall for another war-monger we say to ourselves.

Living on the coasts as most of my friends do, and those progressive folks in New York City sometimes forget that America in large part is The Waltons. America is Dollywood. America is Deliverance. America is Beavis and Butthead. America is Pimp my Ride. America is Survivor. America is County Fair. The majority of these Americans are not at all adverse to wars.

I think Democrats made a miscalculation when they attributed the disapproval ratings for Bush as a sign that the 67% were therefore going to all vote Democratic this time around to end the war. Perhaps the disapproval of Bush was that he had not had a decisive victory in Iraq, like Desert Storm. Perhaps they were angry that he had not managed to capture Bin Laden and given them SATISFACTION and prestige; they haven't yet been able to high five each other and woo hoo it up.

These are the Americans who have no problem supporting a crusty old war monger POW who says things like "I see victory in Iraq. I know how to leave, by winning it!" or "There will be wars ahead, many wars." or "I will follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell!" They have no problem with Palin saying "Perhaps so" we will have to go to war with Russia." These Americans have no problem with war.

Sure, some of their kids will have to go to these wars and die, but think about it, the spin is that when they die it is for a "noble cause" and they become automatic heroes. Not to be cynical here but a war hero might be better for some of these families than a lackluster ne'er do well son or daughter that would have otherwise been an embarrassment. Now they can be heroes. Like Sarah Palin's son; he is being touted as a Patriot and hero for signing up but it is not mentioned that the judge ordered him to sign up to the military or go to prison for vandalizing school buses. I cannot believe he is the only one in that circumstance. For the parents of these kids it is 'whew! thank god there is the military option." Even with the possibility of death looming out there, the military option is still seen as superior to having your kid be a punk or criminal bringing shame and blame on the family.

The majority of Nascar families, small town families (who overwhelmingly vote Republican) will not see their children go to wars. They will sit back and watch the (sanitized) war news on TV and pass the popcorn.

I am one of those who believe that Americans are never gonna get it about war, unless and until it is fought on their doorsteps, their loved ones are killed right in front of them and their towns and cities destroyed. Then at long last, Americans may well lose their taste for war.

"In what respect Charlie?" Charles Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin

2008-09-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Palin reminded me of the typical Bible thumpers who ring my doorbell on Saturday mornings. They are not interested in REALLY having a conversation, they view my time with them as an opportunity to hammer me over and over with their talking points. If I ask a detailed question, a question which requires a thought process, a sophisticated grasp on the basis of the question, they go into "wash, rinse, repeat" mode. They act as if simply repeating their beliefs and talking points over and over is suddenly going to become convincing. It doesn't. Sarah Palin's repetition of her memorized talking points did nothing to convince me of anything OTHER than her hubris and lack of depth. This woman does not think in nuanced ways, she does not dive deeply into critical thinking.

These are deal-breakers as far as I am concerned. I have lived long enough, read widely enough, traveled extensively enough to know that the world is simply not black and white. The world is not a cartoon between Bullwinkle and Rocky vs. Natasha and Boris. It is complex, having complicated and entangled issues. I want a leader who grasps that directly with great powers of perception.

Plus I want a leader who understands Science. Palin believes that dinosaurs lived on Earth 6,000 years ago. This kind of ignorance is embarrassing and a big clue to the mind of the woman. As my husband said "A beauty pageant contestant, with beauty pageant answers."

McCain, the retired military "analysts" and the Myth

2008-04-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

of Al Qaeda in Iraq. McCain talks about Al Qaeda in Iraq taking over if the US leaves...he doesn't seem to realize that the US presided over the ascension to power in Iraq, of pro-Iranian Shiite parties. There is a danger that pro-Iranian Shiites will take over? They are already IN power. Or Al Qaeda will take over? They cannot coexist.

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Al Gore's brand-new slideshow on the climate crisis

2008-04-11T06:55:00.001-07:00

Al Gore presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting

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Petraeus, Iraq and the Lebanon Analogy

2008-04-09T06:24:00.001-07:00

What if the US is playing the Syrians here, and the Iraqis, the Lebanese?In this analogy, the war is not ended by foreign occupation troops. If anything, the Syrian policies just keep the pot boiling.

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Olbermann's Special Comment - Clinton is Using the Race Card

2008-03-13T06:42:00.001-07:00

In his first "anti-Democrat" Special Comment, Keith Olbermann slams the Clinton Campaign for using the good ol' southern strategy, campaigning like a Republican, and its unwillingness to take responsibility for its own racially charged and insensitive remarks.My comment: This whole disgusting episode has tanked the possibility of ANY type of Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket. Hillary, you are NOT as smart as you would have us believe. I resisted the ideas that you were in it solely to win for yourself out of some hellbent for leather twisted ego need, but now it has become too clear that THIS is really what you're all about. Now you have actually threatened Dem chances in the Fall by being so incredibly divisive. In a two words: you SUCK. Now, just go away.

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Psychosphere: Where Facts are Crazier

2008-03-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Got this from a friend this morning. Thought I'd pass along. Hang on to your hats everybody and buckle your seat belts (Oh, but don't DRIVE anywhere unless you absolutely HAVE to. Fasten your seatbelts anyway though.....).

Trudy

Hello to the Horde,

Please see attachment- best cartoon to explain the problem I have seen.. please must see…..halarious if it wasn’t so serious….

Economy:

As we come to the first quarter of 2008, we see economic calamities. But “psychophere “ readers are not among those who were caught unaware. Now that the collapse or recession is underway we see inflation rising. What the f**k does that mean dre??? That means we will all get poorer, everything will cost more, every commodity will increase, but not your well earned wages. NO gang, we will pay for this fiasco with inflation, the hidden tax!!!! Thanks uncle bush….your sure are swell. Commodities like wheat, pork bellies, gold, silver, cooper, lumber, agriculture, etc… will increase for two main reasons. One price of fuel is the foundation of commodity prices, so if fuel cost go up, everything fucking goes up… This is happening for number of reasons, Iraq war or other middle east geopolitical reasons, increased demand, no increase in output, and last but not least the erosion of the dollar. And two, as the dollar weakens it cost more dollars to buy the same amount of anything. Bang!!!inflation…get it. You have a spread in two directions. The stock market is taking the beating we spoke of in the last edition, no surprises. The derivatives market looks ripe to break. We all know how the housing thing is going, glad we didn’t listen to the MSM analyst, “soft landing” my ass. The dollar will continue to slide, by the end of the year 2 dollar per euro. Fuel will reach 135 dollars a barrel, and housing prices will plummet by another 15-20 percent. But hey, its all for freedom, right? Where fighting to free the world by giving them our freedoms right?…..that’s normal right? For the cost of this war we could have avoided all of this financial mess, secured social security, had free college education, and free medical. Gotta love the fight against those dam terrorist, you know the ones that only exists in Disneyworld, or the world we are supposed to believe in. And if you don’t, we got a room for ya in Gitmo, its called the water boarding room. Where you will do and say anything to make you believe in Disneyland again….… I love this brave new world…..

Sssso, for all you soon to be home owners, get ready for some good pickens at the end of 2009. Stay away 2008, unless you have a deal to steal…

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080310/opec_khelil.html?.v=1
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iPODn59bFNSnccM9QHN0ZKT7gGUQ Oh did I forget to mention it’s a global problem too, shit, when it rains it poors…….no pun intented
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ae0IGuEKi9d4&refer=home
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/10/goldman-sachs-fed-may-cu_n_90710.html they have been doing this over and over again with the same results, failure. Some people call that insanity. And they call me crazy. Cause I am!!!!!Heeee Ha
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/goldman-sachs-raises-possibility-200/story.aspx?guid=%7b4B702F7F-41F8-45F0-A133-630F12F2C764%7d&print=true&dist=printTop Just a little misstep with Iran and boom, were fucked…
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0832645120080308 You guys think Im playing, its everywhere…325 Billion hit!!! Just like that overnight practically. What about smaller company’s ?
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article3508468.ece can you hear those printing presses at the Fed… every dollar they make they get a cut…..and your dollars purchasing power decreases……….I love the fed, there always watching out for us…
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/19079.asp
http://money.howstuffworks.com/grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm perspective on inflation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080306/ap_on_bi_ge/home_foreclosures must read
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080306/bs_nm/hedge_exits_dc_1;_ylt=AnTsHwBa2YdneV6qLVf5xwkE1vAI

The Apple doesn't fall far from the Bush...

2008-03-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Remember George H.W. Bush's famous trip to the supermarket to get a taste of life for the little people? No wonder the Chimp in Charge is mind boggled to learn the price of gas.....

Movie Review: 10,000 B.C.

2008-03-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

10,000 B.C. could easily be: 10,000 Boring Characters

Cheesey, hokey, awful!

Ridiculous accents, preposterous epochs/civilizations mixed together. Snail's paced and an obvious low budget rip off of Apocalypto (which was a great film).

I couldn't care less if boy got girl, if the Old Mother kicked the bucket or if they did or did not score a woolly mammoth for dinner. Forgettable characters, embarrassingly stupid plot.

Don't waste your money and PLEASE if you can't resist going, don't bring the kids; they might think this is possibly true human history. Ugh!

Video: Saturday Night Live Spoofs Hillary's 3AM Ad

2008-03-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

SNL spoofed Hillary's 3AM ad with a sketch depicts a 3AM phone call between Senator Clinton and a very inexperienced President Obama. In the sketch, President Obama calls Hillary in the middle of the night for advice on what to do about Iran and how to fix the heating in the White House. And of course, at 3AM, Bill is nowhere to be found!

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Lawn feud shooter goes free

2008-03-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

Lee Macon, the Broward man who shot his neighbor to death during a fierce disagreement over the line that divides their two lawns, walked out of jail a free man Thursday.

My comments: Found this on Wingnut Daily and they obviously think this story is good news. Here's the back story:A guy comes out of his house because he hears his neighbor getting riled up at the lawn guy who accidentally mowed part of his lawn. Dig this: BECAUSE he thinks there is some trouble brewing, HE GETS HIS GUN and tucks it into his belt! That's right; he didn't call 911, he didn't attempt to dialog first, he brings out a pistol as if this was freaking Dodge City. The neighbor IS incensed, he does get physical with the guy, the guy then whips out his gun and ends up killing the neighbor. He was not indicted for any crime. Hello??? Is this not 2008? Do we not have in place, remedies for this type of dispute? How about calling in your lawn guy to your home to avoid confrontation if it is starting to heat up? How about getting a homeowner's group to help with some conflict resolution, since it is an ongoing dispute? How about calling law enforcement to come to help defuse the situation? There is even more unbelievable circumstances to this case.

Well I guess it's now totally cool and okay to be a complete throwback, cowboy idiot, kill somebody and not suffer any consequences. This must be good news for all of the redneck, gun-toting knuckle draggers out there. Let's see, "I'm pissed at my neighbor! First thing to do is grab my Smith and Wesson, yessir, that'll take care of bidnez. I don't have no other idears in my brainpan, cuz I'm just an ignorant summabitch. It's all good though, cuz we got the 2nd ammendment. Damn straight!"

Read on:

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Jon Stewart Ponders Bush's Ignorance About $4 Gas

2008-03-09T08:47:00.001-07:00

On Thursday night's episode of "The Daily Show," host Jon Stewart riffed on the fact that President Bush was unaware of the fact that analysts have predicted gas prices could soon reach four dollars a gallon.

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John McCain vs. John McCain

2008-03-05T05:58:00.001-08:00

Good luck with this in the Fall, Repubs! I hope that whoever is the Dem nominee, will play this BraveNewFilms expose' on McMaverick's double talk on Prime Time TV, over and over again. He's swiftboating himself! Check it out!

Barack Obama Runs Rings Around John McCain ~Olbermann

2008-03-04T06:35:00.001-08:00

I love Olbermann.

The Coming Food Shortage

2008-03-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

I read the NY Times' editorial this morning about the problem of food shortage created by farming land for biofuel rather than for food consumption. The editorial discusses the impending impact on supplies for the poor in developing countries. There will be shortfalls. There will be increased hunger and less food aid. After reading the editorial I read the comment section. While there were several informed and astute comments, I thought that Steve in Virginia's was absolutely right on target. Like Steve, I too think that America is in for a rude awakening as we are leveled by circumstance to our proper station in life, as it were. We've been living an elevated, unparalleled lifestyle for the past forty or fifty years, but the E ticket ride is about to be over. Get ready...

Here is Steve in Virginia's commentary:

2008 7:20 am

Link
Unsurprisingly, inhabitants of this country want to have their cake ... their monstrously inefficient SUV's and pick- up trucks. giant houses and other energy wasting conveniences ... and eat, too.

Eat cheaply, that is.

For too long, this country has been in a state of denial about energy use and the environment. It's hard to point a finger of blame since just about everyone here has made a decision at some point to participate in the sprawl - automobile - development - subsidy game. Why not? For a long time, it was extremely profitable ... at least for some people. For a time .. back in the '50's and '60's ... it was fun, too!

"Little Deuce Coupe" "Rocket Eighty-eight" Rock and roll!

Now, the ground rules have changed. Basic food items are becoming extraordinarily expensive, at the same time the credit system that has financed the sprawl - through - subsidy extravaganza is becoming unwound with almost sadistic deliberation. All individual economic actions are part of a whole; they are not separate from each other. There are stresses that are manifesting themselves throughout the entire global economy; world wide inflation, currency devaluation, deflation of assets and the collapse of banks and investment companies. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke - and his counterparts in the World's other central banks - use the term 'recession' but the actions of the Fed actually spell out 'Depression'. The country has painted itself into an energy consumption corner. 'Peak Oil' has come and brought with it 'Peak Food'.

Americans need to look in the mirror and prepare themselves for hard choices. Either the choices will be made collectively and with some sense of management and shared sacrifice ... or changes will be imposed by circumstance. In the latter case, the sacrifices will be profound and destabilizing.

America is at a crossroads. The 'way of life' that was invented in the period after World War Two is obsolete. All that runs in train ... the automobiles, suburbs, wasteful consumption, wasteful 'development' and the government policies that support these activities is obsolete as well. In the end, all will go into the 'ash can of history', regardless of our denial or the silly actions of government agencies.

Getting rid of the cars and the sprawl will be hard. Seeing McMansions and Walmarts leveled with bulldozers on TV to create farmland will be shocking, but anyone who thinks that we the people can have a decent country without making these sacrifices is fooling themselves. Yes, Virginia, there are limits ... and we are there, already!

— steve, Virginia

Jacob Heilbrunn: Bill Buckley's Conservatism

2008-02-29T06:38:00.001-08:00

William F. Buckley's conservatism was real. Actual. He disagreed vehemently with the current Neocons running our government. He declared that if we had a Parliamentary system in the US, Bush would have to resign, if not be impeached.Buckley was an intellectual, vastly intelligent and a far cry from what passes for "conservative" nowadays

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Chief Justice Roberts Defends ExxonMobil

2008-02-29T06:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on how much money ExxonMobil should be forced to pay as damages for its Exxon Valdez oil spill 19 years ago. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank notes that Chief Justice John Roberts appeared "bothered" that Exxon might have to pay for its destruction: ...

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Countdown: The Politics Of Funny

2008-02-26T06:33:00.001-08:00

Does it bother you that Jon Stewart made this crack about Obama's name sounding like Osama? Or that his middle name is Hussein like the former dictator? I really think Stewart was making fun of those folks who actually freak out at the similarity of the names as if somehow his name will dictate his political agenda. That assumption is absurd, which is what I believe, Stewart was pointing out. It was mildly funny, not wildly funny as Stewart has certainly been in the past, but I think Olberman is over -reacting on this one. Check it out:

In Memories of a Painful Past, Hushed Worry About Obama

2008-02-25T06:19:00.001-08:00

Front page NYT story today: Some voters are invoking the memories of the killings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.

My comments:

My husband and I have been worried also and have mentioned to one another "God I hope he doesn't have an assassination attempt on him." I was in high school when MLK and Bobby Kennedy were shot. I was very interested in politics at that time and I was "for" (though I could not vote yet) Bobby Kennedy and followed his campaign as did my parents. I was just nine years old when President Kennedy was shot but I can tell you that it was very traumatic. I was sitting in class in when there was an announcement over the loud speaker "President Kennedy has been shot." I believe we were then all sent home early. Once home, our family activity had just stopped; we were all in the living room and my mom was crying and we were all glued to the TV watching the news story and film footage of the motorcade. To me, it was unbelievable. It was hard to believe that our President could be that vulnerable. I was so young and still innocent. I could feel also the shock and grief of my parents; even the news reporters were completely devastated. Everyone in my world that I saw and knew was devastated.When Bobby Kennedy was running for President, I think many of us felt that here was a chance to have the JFK policies, the JFK standard raised once again. It felt like many people felt deeply that the Kennedys were almost interchangeable in that you could depend on their Democratic values, their Civil Rights values. In addition, Bobby Kennedy was questioning the war in Viet Nam. It was such a hopeful time, rather like now with Barack Obama. It's something I don't want to relive....the heartbreak, the horror, the emotional deflation, depression, grief and it goes without saying I don't want any of that for the Obama family. Yet I am not so naive as I once was. At this point I do not believe that JFK was killed simply by Oswald, acting alone, nor do I believe that Bobby Kennedy was shot ONLY by Sirhan Sirhan. I think he was a puppet to a larger, YES, conspiracy to keep the Kennedy style of government OUT of Washington. That is what I fear for Obama; that there are still those elements in our society who would stop at nothing, don't mind killing, to keep their pockets lined, their ideology in place and devil take the hindmost.

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REPUBLICANS ARE THROWING JOHN MCCAIN UNDER THE BUS

2008-02-22T06:34:00.001-08:00

Why did the New York Times wait until now to release the story of McCain and cute lobbyist? Could it be that the Republican elites saw results of Wisconsin and KNOW McCain can't beat Obama? Do they have a Plan D? Read on...

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New York Times article on McCain and Lobbyist

2008-02-21T06:35:00.001-08:00

First thing this morning I read my NYT in my inbox as I do every morning. There on Page One is the story that McCain was possibly having an affair with an attractive lobbyist back in 1999. As the story goes, McCain aides were very concerned, had several meetings to confront McCain about the appearance of the too cozy relationship. Yada, yada, yada.

It appears they perhaps got too cozy and he was probably smitten with her a bit, loved the attention etc., after all he was 62 and she was 40 and very attractive. But it does not appear that there IS evidence of any "affair". It appears that there was the appearance of an affair. The more important angle to the story would be that she was a lobbyist whose client was a party in upcoming or ongoing proposed legislation. THAT is the story. Her client was pouring tens of thousands into McCain's campaign when he was on a committee that would decide about legislation affecting her client.
This whole romantic angle is only possible because she was a female lobbyist. Had she been male then we would have been talking about too much access to the Senator etc. But since she's female the angle is romance.
It feels rather slime-ball to me; the timing is suspect and the whole thing feels like a witch hunt. I don't support or condone McCain's extreme rightwing positions at all; yet I can't help feeling the guy is being unfairly targeted on this one.
Can we be Democrats and not feel knee-jerk glee whenever a Republican is in hot water? I feel disheartened when I see people jumping on the bandwagon, obviously not having carefully read the article but just join in the savaging of a person because he happens to be of the opposite political party. Yuck.

But as one commenter on HuffPo noted Americans will get way more upset about "a blowjob" than they would about a thousand crooked deals. Who cares if McCain had an affair; the real story is about the lobbyist influence. Forget the sex angle. It's a non-issue to grown-ups.

Progressives should unite behind Obama's inspirational words

2008-02-20T06:40:00.001-08:00

Robert Creamer: To Vilify Obama for his Ability to Inspire is to Ignore the Principal Lesson of the Last Three Decades of American Politics

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Lawyers, Guns and Money: Wisconsin

2008-02-20T06:28:00.000-08:00

Obama wins Wisconsin. What's it all mean? check out the post at LGM.

Lawyers, Guns and Money: Wisconsin

Bill Clinton stand ups to Pro-Life protesters

2008-02-18T17:58:00.001-08:00

He tells the truth about the true agenda of the anti choice crowd.

Old Clinton Ties and Voters’ Sway Tug at Delegates

2008-02-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

The dwindling group of undecided Democratic superdelegates is being caught in strong political crosscurrents.

My Comments: I sure hope we don't get a brokered convention. We are in a position (finally) where young people have come out in record numbers to participate and vote. Are we going to then turn around and play "Father Knows Best" on them, saying their votes don't ultimately count because super delegates get to trump voters? I think this would be monumentally stupid for the future of the party and the political process. It's so Rovian to do it that way. It's so very Right wing conspiracy. It's so cynical and short-sighted.

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James Moore: A Texas Turncoat Casts His Lustful Eyes Toward

2008-02-16T10:37:00.001-08:00

Mark McKinnon was a Democrat, then a "Bush guy", now a McCain advisor and is longingly looking at the Obama campaign. Announced he will switch horses in mid-stream if Obama becomes the Dem nominee. Do we want a slimeball like this anywhere REMOTELY close to the Obama campaign?

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Democrats Look for Way to Avoid Convention Rift

2008-02-16T08:19:00.001-08:00

Some senior Democrats plan to remain neutral for now in the presidential race in part to keep open the option to broker a peaceful resolution to a tight contest.

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