Internet muse.
Daring, bold, never sold.
My daily weblog of politics, humor, philosophy...and a constant and nagging reminder of the existence of universal love....
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Why I will be supporting John Kerry
"There is no violent reason for this; I'm doing this for peace and justice and to try to help this country wake up once and for all."
--John Kerry, anguished as he committed his war decorations to the wind in his hope for America to learn the truth about a war which made no sense. [LINK]
He lived and breathed the terror of battle. He saw with his own eyes. He stood up strongly and non-violently at a confused time for his cause (for truth) which we now see, through the clear lens of history, was a righteous cause.
I believe Iraq is as wrong as Viet Nam. I'll never understand why John Kerry voted "Yes" for the Iraq resolution on a fatefully sad day in October 2002. Because he did, John Kerry was not my first choice for the Democratic presidential nominee. I still find it intellectually difficult to personally forgive him for what I perceived as a gross lack of intuition and a violation of decent political ethics.
I ask myself: "Where was Kerry lacking in intuition?"
My answer: "For having trusted George W. Bush".
Now Kerry is running up against the man he trusted..the man who betrayed his trust. A man who betrayed all our trust. A man who fed us lies and material misinformation in order to obtain the political keys to his warped and inadequate war plans.
I'm heartsick to the point of nausea about the American men and women we've already lost in Iraq. (Not to mention the raw pity I am feeling for the innocent civilian life already lost or living in hell alongside our soldiers).
The only success George W. Bush has had in uniting Iraq is unting Iraq against America. He did a bang-up job of doing that.
By the betrayal of my trust and John Kerry's trust, he has also succeeded in uniting the betrayed against him in the next election.
I will warn John Kerry, though...if he gets my vote, he can expect me to remind him as loudly as possible that I want our troops back home where they are respected, valued....loved. They're our precious treasure. I believe, in the depths of my heart, that John Kerry agrees with me.
John Kerry, I hand you my hope.
"There is no violent reason for this; I'm doing this for peace and justice and to try to help this country wake up once and for all."
--John Kerry, anguished as he committed his war decorations to the wind in his hope for America to learn the truth about a war which made no sense. [LINK]
He lived and breathed the terror of battle. He saw with his own eyes. He stood up strongly and non-violently at a confused time for his cause (for truth) which we now see, through the clear lens of history, was a righteous cause.
I believe Iraq is as wrong as Viet Nam. I'll never understand why John Kerry voted "Yes" for the Iraq resolution on a fatefully sad day in October 2002. Because he did, John Kerry was not my first choice for the Democratic presidential nominee. I still find it intellectually difficult to personally forgive him for what I perceived as a gross lack of intuition and a violation of decent political ethics.
I ask myself: "Where was Kerry lacking in intuition?"
My answer: "For having trusted George W. Bush".
Now Kerry is running up against the man he trusted..the man who betrayed his trust. A man who betrayed all our trust. A man who fed us lies and material misinformation in order to obtain the political keys to his warped and inadequate war plans.
I'm heartsick to the point of nausea about the American men and women we've already lost in Iraq. (Not to mention the raw pity I am feeling for the innocent civilian life already lost or living in hell alongside our soldiers).
The only success George W. Bush has had in uniting Iraq is unting Iraq against America. He did a bang-up job of doing that.
By the betrayal of my trust and John Kerry's trust, he has also succeeded in uniting the betrayed against him in the next election.
I will warn John Kerry, though...if he gets my vote, he can expect me to remind him as loudly as possible that I want our troops back home where they are respected, valued....loved. They're our precious treasure. I believe, in the depths of my heart, that John Kerry agrees with me.
John Kerry, I hand you my hope.
I read the news today, oh boy
Blogger Soj isn't trying to bum you out. Really. She underscores her current blog entry titled "World Unrest Report", which is a round-up of news from around the world, with:
Note: The links are provided to raise awareness. Please click on one (or all!) of them and find out what's going on. They are not provided to depress you, or to focus solely on the negative, but to raise consciousness about what's going on around this big planet of ours.
Blogger Soj isn't trying to bum you out. Really. She underscores her current blog entry titled "World Unrest Report", which is a round-up of news from around the world, with:
Note: The links are provided to raise awareness. Please click on one (or all!) of them and find out what's going on. They are not provided to depress you, or to focus solely on the negative, but to raise consciousness about what's going on around this big planet of ours.
Grover Norquist mocks followers of Jesus Christ
Heretics call Norquist a "prophet"
Excerpts from an adoring and glowing review of Norquist:
Excerpt One:
America is not for yourselves alone. If you want to be left alone, relinquish your citizenship and move to Mars.
Excerpt Two:
Cheap and easy. Grover is nothing but a whore. Wait until Grandma starts eating from garbage cans because she has no money and nursing her never-healing wounds with her own spittle because she has no medical coverage.
Excerpt Three:
As if Jesus Christ and St. Paul didn't advocate helping the poor amongst us. It is the Judeo-Christian's moral responsibility and conscience-based drive to be compassionate, even when it comes to formulating decent public policy. Grover's irreverent mockery of the Christian sensibilities in most Americans will lose him more than he'd ever hope to gain. He should know America better. He's a clown..and a hypocritical clown to boot.
We also know he's in big trouble for courting dubious Islamic-fundamentalist groups for Republican campaign funds. Ask Frank Gaffney.
I suggest that the pledges our representatives are signing- with the promise not to raise taxes- are decidedly not only undemocratic, but anti-American. It is a form of political enslavement. There are many forms of enslavement. Condemning certain citizens to poverty can be far more oppressively enslaving than the requirement for the government (of the people) to require some to pay a share that will not materially harm them and will benefit the necessary welfare of the nation.
We need to speak out on this issue. Look at how these pledges are being used and beware!
______________________
Read:
March of the Banana Republicans
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
At ABC News' Political Note, it says: "Grover Norquist is tearing out his hair …" LINK
Heretics call Norquist a "prophet"
Excerpts from an adoring and glowing review of Norquist:
Excerpt One:
---Grover views those of us on the right as being "the good guys" who "just want to be left alone." Conservatives ask the government for nothing.
America is not for yourselves alone. If you want to be left alone, relinquish your citizenship and move to Mars.
Excerpt Two:
---Norquist then shared the secret for Republican transcendence and that is to constantly seize upon the populace's hatred for taxation.
Cheap and easy. Grover is nothing but a whore. Wait until Grandma starts eating from garbage cans because she has no money and nursing her never-healing wounds with her own spittle because she has no medical coverage.
Excerpt Three:
---He told of the Governor of Alabama who "outwardly had no signs of mad cow disease" and even cited Jesus in his attempt to create a bigger and lazier leviathan [although Norquist comically noted here that he was previously unaware of Paul advocating for a progressive income tax in the New Testament].
As if Jesus Christ and St. Paul didn't advocate helping the poor amongst us. It is the Judeo-Christian's moral responsibility and conscience-based drive to be compassionate, even when it comes to formulating decent public policy. Grover's irreverent mockery of the Christian sensibilities in most Americans will lose him more than he'd ever hope to gain. He should know America better. He's a clown..and a hypocritical clown to boot.
We also know he's in big trouble for courting dubious Islamic-fundamentalist groups for Republican campaign funds. Ask Frank Gaffney.
I suggest that the pledges our representatives are signing- with the promise not to raise taxes- are decidedly not only undemocratic, but anti-American. It is a form of political enslavement. There are many forms of enslavement. Condemning certain citizens to poverty can be far more oppressively enslaving than the requirement for the government (of the people) to require some to pay a share that will not materially harm them and will benefit the necessary welfare of the nation.
We need to speak out on this issue. Look at how these pledges are being used and beware!
I think every American who cares about democracy should pledge NOT TO VOTE for any politician who would enslave themselves by signing away their integrity and political freedom like this. Why? Because they represent us..and they're signing away OUR political freedoms.
______________________
Read:
March of the Banana Republicans
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton
At ABC News' Political Note, it says: "Grover Norquist is tearing out his hair …" LINK
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Looking For Your Own Face
Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.
So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.
It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.
Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.
What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.
--Attar
Persian Sufi poet, 12th Century
as translated by Coleman Barks
Your face is neither infinite nor ephemeral.
You can never see your own face,
only a reflection, not the face itself.
So you sigh in front of mirrors
and cloud the surface.
It's better to keep your breath cold.
Hold it, like a diver does in the ocean.
One slight movement, the mirror-image goes.
Don't be dead or asleep or awake.
Don't be anything.
What you most want,
what you travel around wishing to find,
lose yourself as lovers lose themselves,
and you'll be that.
--Attar
Persian Sufi poet, 12th Century
as translated by Coleman Barks
Pat Tillman was a man who believed in a cause, died for his country
Pat Tillman was a man who believed in a cause, died for his country
The cause in which his country was engaged mattered more to Pat than the dull emptiness of greed. It mattered more to Pat than life.
Buffalo Bill's
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
--ee cummings
from a wonderful Sports Illustrated article
I saw this line in an article today:
How do we reconcile Bush's applause regarding one decent and honorable man's walking away from millions for a cause in which he felt so strongly that he gave all for country --- while nearly every policy of the Bush administration is filled with the motives of the greediest among us? It makes me so sad. I honor Pat's service. I honor the life he gave for this country. I honor every man and woman who died, was wounded, or is going through a non-stop hell because of the greed that brings people to the point of war. They all walked away from shelter, safety, beloved family, for their country. Those are the things our president should be applauding. During his State of the Union speech last January, he never gave tribute to the dead at all. I respect the office of the president, but I have to say, from what I've seen of his political face (which is the only way I could possibly be able to judge), that I don't think I like Mr. Bush very much as far as human beings are concerned. His values are so very different from my own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I saw a headline at World Net Daily: "Firm will give Tillman's jersey to family--Could have made up to $4 million selling pieces with trading cards"
A businessman is meant to look like a hero for not being a sleaze who'd cash in on the back of a dead American hero. I'm sorry, I think I'll refrain giving him any special pat on the back. Why do we glorify the greediest-worst of businesspeople when they finally do something ethical? What does that say about our society?
The cause in which his country was engaged mattered more to Pat than the dull emptiness of greed. It mattered more to Pat than life.
Buffalo Bill's
defunct
who used to
ride a watersmooth-silver
stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
Jesus
he was a handsome man
and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death
--ee cummings
from a wonderful Sports Illustrated article
I saw this line in an article today:
[Pat] Tillman has been lauded by many Americans, including President Bush, as a hero for walking away from a $3.6 million contract in the prime of his football career to join units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How do we reconcile Bush's applause regarding one decent and honorable man's walking away from millions for a cause in which he felt so strongly that he gave all for country --- while nearly every policy of the Bush administration is filled with the motives of the greediest among us? It makes me so sad. I honor Pat's service. I honor the life he gave for this country. I honor every man and woman who died, was wounded, or is going through a non-stop hell because of the greed that brings people to the point of war. They all walked away from shelter, safety, beloved family, for their country. Those are the things our president should be applauding. During his State of the Union speech last January, he never gave tribute to the dead at all. I respect the office of the president, but I have to say, from what I've seen of his political face (which is the only way I could possibly be able to judge), that I don't think I like Mr. Bush very much as far as human beings are concerned. His values are so very different from my own.
I saw a headline at World Net Daily: "Firm will give Tillman's jersey to family--Could have made up to $4 million selling pieces with trading cards"
A businessman is meant to look like a hero for not being a sleaze who'd cash in on the back of a dead American hero. I'm sorry, I think I'll refrain giving him any special pat on the back. Why do we glorify the greediest-worst of businesspeople when they finally do something ethical? What does that say about our society?
Sgt. Pat Tillman wore two uniforms that Americans will always remember: the Army fatigues in which he died, and the NFL jersey he sacrificed first..... Before his death, Pat Tillman's NFL jersey might have been lost in the 55,000-square-foot building near the Ballpark in Arlington, where Donruss Trading Cards assimilates iconic souvenirs, putting small pieces of history on collectors' cards. The pieces of a typical game-worn jersey will yield about 2,000 trading cards. In the case of Pat Tillman, the company estimates it could have made up to $4 million. "What Pat Tillman is going to mean to the United States of America is better left to his family and who they want to write that chapter ... not us," said Dully.
Coming Tomorrow to a 9-11 Commission Near You...
Coming Tomorrow to a 9-11 Commission Near You
No..it's not Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy...it's..
THE DICK CHENEY AND DUBYA MCBUSHY SHOW!
No..it's not Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy...it's..
THE DICK CHENEY AND DUBYA MCBUSHY SHOW!
Frank Lautenberg sticks it to VP Cheney
Frank Lautenberg sticks it to VP Cheney
At ABC's Political Note, it says:
Sen. Lautenberg on "chicken hawks":
"The lead chicken hawk is the Vice President. He's been attacking Kerry. What nerve. Where was Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War?... Cheney said he had other priorities, he should tell that to others who served and died in Vietnam."
Lautenberg on Bush:
"Last July, he said bring 'em on, he wasn't brought on the field of Vietnam when there was a chance for him to do something."
McCain responds to Lautenberg "chicken hawk" charge, calls for peace, reasonableness, bipartisanship, ratcheting down of the rhetoric while sticking up for both Bush and Kerry, ABC News' Linda Douglass reports.
By the way, VP Cheney took in a cool $178,437 from Halliburton in 2003.
In another news story about Frank Lautenberg: He accused American companies this week of collecting "blood money" by doing business with terror sponsors and said he would push for legislation to stop it.
At ABC's Political Note, it says:
Sen. Lautenberg on "chicken hawks":
"The lead chicken hawk is the Vice President. He's been attacking Kerry. What nerve. Where was Dick Cheney during the Vietnam War?... Cheney said he had other priorities, he should tell that to others who served and died in Vietnam."
Lautenberg on Bush:
"Last July, he said bring 'em on, he wasn't brought on the field of Vietnam when there was a chance for him to do something."
McCain responds to Lautenberg "chicken hawk" charge, calls for peace, reasonableness, bipartisanship, ratcheting down of the rhetoric while sticking up for both Bush and Kerry, ABC News' Linda Douglass reports.
By the way, VP Cheney took in a cool $178,437 from Halliburton in 2003.
In another news story about Frank Lautenberg: He accused American companies this week of collecting "blood money" by doing business with terror sponsors and said he would push for legislation to stop it.
Jim McDermott is a godless Marxist and other assorted fables
Jim McDermott is a godless Marxist and other assorted fables
OH MYGOD!!
He didn't sayGOD!
*I can't wait to see World Net Daily's headline on this one*
If Jim McDermott had left out the words "..one nation, indivisible.." out of his recital of the Pledge, we'd have a bona fide problem. Only the truest patriot understands that, in order to maintain the bonds of a strong nation, our common faith lies not in believing that God exists, but that we have an undying drive to survive as a united force in the cause of freedom for all.
Trivia: Yesterday, April 27 was the 50th anniversary of when the phrase "underGod" was added to the original pledge (which never before contained it).
OH MY
He didn't say
*I can't wait to see World Net Daily's headline on this one*
If Jim McDermott had left out the words "..one nation, indivisible.." out of his recital of the Pledge, we'd have a bona fide problem. Only the truest patriot understands that, in order to maintain the bonds of a strong nation, our common faith lies not in believing that God exists, but that we have an undying drive to survive as a united force in the cause of freedom for all.
Trivia: Yesterday, April 27 was the 50th anniversary of when the phrase "under
Congratulations go out to Arlen Specter
Congratulations go out to Arlen Specter
One thing the president has done as (begrudging) political necessity is to have backed Arlen Specter in this attempted coup by the extreme right wing Norquistian crowd. Toomey fooled some of the people in Pennsylvania with his faux-drumbeat about strict social and economic conservatism, but he couldn't fool all of them. Toomey will fully support Specter after this defeat. The Club for Growth claims it was Specter's "grit" and "money" that snared the win.
Just what we look for in our greatest leaders... grit...money....... (*whatever happened to character, accountability, respect for true freedom, respect for the rule of law and ethics, intelligence, trustworthiness and honesty, anyway?)
On the Drudge report, the headline reads: Specter ekes out win in Pennsylvania primary.
When you look at the results..Specter had 526,120 votes, or 51 percent, to Toomey's 509,507 votes, or 49 percent...you'll see there's a division in the Republican party mirroring today's national overall polarizing political numbers. Trouble in Republican paradise? It's no wonder the president felt he had to back Specter.
I honestly like Arlen Specter and I'm very happy for his victory.
Now it's on to face the Democratic candidate Joe Hoeffel this November.
One thing the president has done as (begrudging) political necessity is to have backed Arlen Specter in this attempted coup by the extreme right wing Norquistian crowd. Toomey fooled some of the people in Pennsylvania with his faux-drumbeat about strict social and economic conservatism, but he couldn't fool all of them. Toomey will fully support Specter after this defeat. The Club for Growth claims it was Specter's "grit" and "money" that snared the win.
Just what we look for in our greatest leaders... grit...money....... (*whatever happened to character, accountability, respect for true freedom, respect for the rule of law and ethics, intelligence, trustworthiness and honesty, anyway?)
On the Drudge report, the headline reads: Specter ekes out win in Pennsylvania primary.
When you look at the results..Specter had 526,120 votes, or 51 percent, to Toomey's 509,507 votes, or 49 percent...you'll see there's a division in the Republican party mirroring today's national overall polarizing political numbers. Trouble in Republican paradise? It's no wonder the president felt he had to back Specter.
I honestly like Arlen Specter and I'm very happy for his victory.
Now it's on to face the Democratic candidate Joe Hoeffel this November.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Bush's gift to Osama..
Bush's gift to Osama..
George W. Bush has given Osama bin Laden everything he could ever have wished for.
Bush invaded a Muslim country without just cause and in defiance of practically the entire world, and delivered to bin Laden a terrorist recruitment poster for the ages. The Middle East is coming together in unprecedented ways to fight the United States, a crucial step along the path towards bin Laden's desire to create a pure Islamic Caliphate. The bloodshed spurred by the Shi'ite uprising, aided by the unlikely alliance with the Sunnis, have left Iraq in utterly unsolvable turmoil. American soldiers, and Iraqi civilians, continue to die. There is absolutely, positively no good side to this situation.
Osama bin Laden need only sit back and watch everything go his way. He is almost certainly aware of the old military rule which states, "Never interfere with an enemy who is in the process of destroying himself."
--William Rivers Pitt [LINK]
Bush invaded a Muslim country without just cause and in defiance of practically the entire world, and delivered to bin Laden a terrorist recruitment poster for the ages. The Middle East is coming together in unprecedented ways to fight the United States, a crucial step along the path towards bin Laden's desire to create a pure Islamic Caliphate. The bloodshed spurred by the Shi'ite uprising, aided by the unlikely alliance with the Sunnis, have left Iraq in utterly unsolvable turmoil. American soldiers, and Iraqi civilians, continue to die. There is absolutely, positively no good side to this situation.
Osama bin Laden need only sit back and watch everything go his way. He is almost certainly aware of the old military rule which states, "Never interfere with an enemy who is in the process of destroying himself."
--William Rivers Pitt [LINK]
Dems sorry they "screwed" Howard Dean?
Dems sorry they "screwed" Howard Dean?
James Ridgeway poses the possibility in the Village Voice, stating: "..the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean."
Mr. Ridgeway seems very doubtful about Kerry's ability to beat Bush this November. He first cites Kerry's wealth as a roadblock to the Oval Office...and then the fiasco about the medals (To which I say: ..at least he earned medals, unlike the other rich boys who deliberately avoided the overseas gig in Viet Nam). I feel that his "wishy-washiness" (especially on the Iraq resolution) has always been a point of weakness-in-truth, even though Senator Kerry may have seen giving Bush authority on Iraq as "political insurance" at the time. Read Ridgeway and decide for yourselves.
Personally, I still think The "Real Souls" of the Democratic Party-Bruce Reed and Al From are among the worst of the Democratic party's leading figures. Ridgeway doesn't mention them, but since he did mention what was done to Howard Dean, I make reference to two of the biggest culprits. It's nice to pretend "we're" all one happy unified party, but take just one look at Reed and From's "Real Soul" and you'll realize "we--the happily unified" never were, in actuality.
The only thing we have in common is the need to find someone to replace Bush in November. The world really needs for that to happen. America really needs for that to happen. Ivy league or not, Bush has been too easily convinced by a God-voice (imagine him relying on something like this). He's been led by human voices around him who have proven to be unworthy of American trust. He admits to ignoring newspapers. His arrogant and ignorant stubbornness has caused the world to back off from dealing with him. (I believe they all hope for Kerry or another Democrat to win in November..and if that doesn't happen, God help us). Our soldiers are being abandoned by "coalition partners". The Wizard of Oz wouldn't have given Bush a small token of recognition of any qualities that make for someone with a semblance of a brain.
Do you remember the Charles Krauthammers, the Robert Novaks and the David Brooks of the right-side of the media aisle begging for Howard Dean to be the Democratic nominee? Do you now see the reverse psychology in that? I'd imagine they would have wanted Senator Kerry all along because he lacked the clarity of some other candidates. I hope he can learn to convince others about the importance of this election. If he's our only hope...and if he fails, so fails America.
I wish the Dems hadn't sabotaged Howard Dean. I know they did. Alas, what's done is done. Kerry won the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania tonight. The Democrats have somehow become sure he's the one they want. I wonder how things will be different in Iraq when he's in power...it really isn't clear just yet.
Today at Linfield College in northwestern Oregon, Dennis Kucinich said:
"Americans should have a better choice than a decision whether to have a Republican or Democratic version of the war. We are being told we have to stay the course, that we can't cut and run. We are dedicated to this war despite the fact that it is wrong..."
Bottom line, there's few major differences between the two major parties when it comes to the Iraq war. On top of that, the entire country seems to be missing the Ben Franklins and the James Madisons of yesteryear. As Gore Vidal said: "Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates." At the same time, I don't believe Gore would consider Senator Kerry to be "deranged, a despot, part of an alien army who's managed to openly take everything over..." (as he does, indeed think of Bush).
Is John Edwards doing anything this November?
Disclaimer: This is not to tick off Kerry supporters. I'd certainly consider voting for him if it came to Kerry v. Bush.
James Ridgeway poses the possibility in the Village Voice, stating: "..the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean."
Mr. Ridgeway seems very doubtful about Kerry's ability to beat Bush this November. He first cites Kerry's wealth as a roadblock to the Oval Office...and then the fiasco about the medals (To which I say: ..at least he earned medals, unlike the other rich boys who deliberately avoided the overseas gig in Viet Nam). I feel that his "wishy-washiness" (especially on the Iraq resolution) has always been a point of weakness-in-truth, even though Senator Kerry may have seen giving Bush authority on Iraq as "political insurance" at the time. Read Ridgeway and decide for yourselves.
Personally, I still think The "Real Souls" of the Democratic Party-Bruce Reed and Al From are among the worst of the Democratic party's leading figures. Ridgeway doesn't mention them, but since he did mention what was done to Howard Dean, I make reference to two of the biggest culprits. It's nice to pretend "we're" all one happy unified party, but take just one look at Reed and From's "Real Soul" and you'll realize "we--the happily unified" never were, in actuality.
The only thing we have in common is the need to find someone to replace Bush in November. The world really needs for that to happen. America really needs for that to happen. Ivy league or not, Bush has been too easily convinced by a God-voice (imagine him relying on something like this). He's been led by human voices around him who have proven to be unworthy of American trust. He admits to ignoring newspapers. His arrogant and ignorant stubbornness has caused the world to back off from dealing with him. (I believe they all hope for Kerry or another Democrat to win in November..and if that doesn't happen, God help us). Our soldiers are being abandoned by "coalition partners". The Wizard of Oz wouldn't have given Bush a small token of recognition of any qualities that make for someone with a semblance of a brain.
Do you remember the Charles Krauthammers, the Robert Novaks and the David Brooks of the right-side of the media aisle begging for Howard Dean to be the Democratic nominee? Do you now see the reverse psychology in that? I'd imagine they would have wanted Senator Kerry all along because he lacked the clarity of some other candidates. I hope he can learn to convince others about the importance of this election. If he's our only hope...and if he fails, so fails America.
I wish the Dems hadn't sabotaged Howard Dean. I know they did. Alas, what's done is done. Kerry won the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania tonight. The Democrats have somehow become sure he's the one they want. I wonder how things will be different in Iraq when he's in power...it really isn't clear just yet.
Today at Linfield College in northwestern Oregon, Dennis Kucinich said:
"Americans should have a better choice than a decision whether to have a Republican or Democratic version of the war. We are being told we have to stay the course, that we can't cut and run. We are dedicated to this war despite the fact that it is wrong..."
Bottom line, there's few major differences between the two major parties when it comes to the Iraq war. On top of that, the entire country seems to be missing the Ben Franklins and the James Madisons of yesteryear. As Gore Vidal said: "Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates." At the same time, I don't believe Gore would consider Senator Kerry to be "deranged, a despot, part of an alien army who's managed to openly take everything over..." (as he does, indeed think of Bush).
Is John Edwards doing anything this November?
Disclaimer: This is not to tick off Kerry supporters. I'd certainly consider voting for him if it came to Kerry v. Bush.
After Najaf..........
U.S. troops have moved into a base in Najaf that Spanish troops are currently abandoning. What a shame.
This is where Spain's pull-out is really showing how our leader's George W. Bush's failure to get this whole thing right is going to sink our cause. (Unless he goes to the U.N. now and makes an apologetic plea for a renewed global constituency, which we know he is simply incapable of doing).
Najaf is "Revolution Central" to the Shi'ites in Iraq. There is strong anti-American sentiment..the resisting Sh'ites there see America as nothing more than Saddam's replaced occupier. Najaf is their holiest city, blood-rich with their cultural history.
Spain's abandonmemt of the base near Najaf will more than likely prove to be a grievous turning point in the battle for the Shi'ite heart and mind. There's no question that we'll be the political loser. Wars are not only won with brute force, although, after Najaf, it appears that sheer brute force may have to be arranged since America is never going to strike a familiar political chord with the average Iraqi.
In Fallujah on Monday, a mosque's minaret was destroyed during a fight between Iraqi Sunni insurgents and U.S troops.Today it is reported that the U.S. forces promise to stay away from the sensitive Shiite shrines at the heart of the Najaf.
I hope they can keep that promise, but I wonder if it truly matters anymore? A mother sees her child, who is seeking shelter from the crossfire under an Army tank, run over like a sack of rice. What cares she about the shelled minaret?
U.S. troops have moved into a base in Najaf that Spanish troops are currently abandoning. What a shame.
This is where Spain's pull-out is really showing how our leader's George W. Bush's failure to get this whole thing right is going to sink our cause. (Unless he goes to the U.N. now and makes an apologetic plea for a renewed global constituency, which we know he is simply incapable of doing).
Najaf is "Revolution Central" to the Shi'ites in Iraq. There is strong anti-American sentiment..the resisting Sh'ites there see America as nothing more than Saddam's replaced occupier. Najaf is their holiest city, blood-rich with their cultural history.
Spain's abandonmemt of the base near Najaf will more than likely prove to be a grievous turning point in the battle for the Shi'ite heart and mind. There's no question that we'll be the political loser. Wars are not only won with brute force, although, after Najaf, it appears that sheer brute force may have to be arranged since America is never going to strike a familiar political chord with the average Iraqi.
In Fallujah on Monday, a mosque's minaret was destroyed during a fight between Iraqi Sunni insurgents and U.S troops.Today it is reported that the U.S. forces promise to stay away from the sensitive Shiite shrines at the heart of the Najaf.
I hope they can keep that promise, but I wonder if it truly matters anymore? A mother sees her child, who is seeking shelter from the crossfire under an Army tank, run over like a sack of rice. What cares she about the shelled minaret?
Monday, April 26, 2004
"Fanatics and Fools" Website
*Now on sale at Amazon.com*
The official website is up and running!
At Arianna's blog, she says there's everything you'd want to know about the book at the official site -- plus a petition you can sign letting John Kerry know which of the 10 issues that make up the book's "Contract for A Better America" you support the most. So visit the site, sign the petition, and help reset our nation's priorities.
You can also send a postcard!
*Now on sale at Amazon.com*
The official website is up and running!
At Arianna's blog, she says there's everything you'd want to know about the book at the official site -- plus a petition you can sign letting John Kerry know which of the 10 issues that make up the book's "Contract for A Better America" you support the most. So visit the site, sign the petition, and help reset our nation's priorities.
You can also send a postcard!
"I maintain that all sorrow comes from love of those things of which loss deprives me."
--Meister Eckhart
The source of my grief and loneliness is deep in my breast.
This is a disease no doctor can cure.
Only union with the Friend can cure it.
____________________
The heart longs for God, and seeks to find its true Beloved. If we follow our longing, if we allow ourself to be pierced by the pain of separation from the source, we will be drawn back to God.
Longing is the central core of every mystical path, as the anonymous author of the fourteenth-century mystical classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, simply states: "Your whole life must be one of longing."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Love and suffering are powerful transformative agents because they embrace the mystery of being human. Longing is love's call to "return to the root of the root of your own self," to the place within the core of our being.. where we are always whole.
We are conditioned to avoid pain, but the mystic pain of the heart is the thread that leads us; the song of the soul that uncovers us. Meister Eckhart said, "God is the sigh in the soul," and this sigh, this sorrow, is a most precious poison. How love heals us from the sufferings we inflict upon ourself is always a mystery.
Thanks to Nurihsan for the referral to the article from which I took the above statements.
WTO says no to U.S. cotton subsidies; sides with Brazil
The WTO has issued a landmark decision denouncing U.S. cotton subsidies (which were approved democratically by our Congress). The WTO sided with a complaint from Brazil claiming that the payments unfairly boost U.S. production and exports while lowering world cotton prices. We probably won't be the number two cotton producer in the world much longer. This is the first time a country has been challenged over its domestic agricultural subsidies. This is probably just the first of more complaints to come against our nation.
The WTO has issued a landmark decision denouncing U.S. cotton subsidies (which were approved democratically by our Congress). The WTO sided with a complaint from Brazil claiming that the payments unfairly boost U.S. production and exports while lowering world cotton prices. We probably won't be the number two cotton producer in the world much longer. This is the first time a country has been challenged over its domestic agricultural subsidies. This is probably just the first of more complaints to come against our nation.
Coffins: The White House has totally lost the P.R. war
Mainstream radio and news are totally against the government's policy to ban and/or censor these photos.
For only one example, see this article from Editor and Publisher.
"Americans deserve to see who is paying the ultimate price for this war."
--Virginia Pilot
"...as the United States continues a war that is -- at this moment, at least -- being waged on the pretext of freedom, the government tries to censor images of flag-draped coffins. But the censorship has failed because it defies common sense and federal law. ... These images are what they are: a sad reflection of our president's war of choice. Yes, they are sobering. That is even more justification for their prompt and public release."
--Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo
Mainstream radio and news are totally against the government's policy to ban and/or censor these photos.
For only one example, see this article from Editor and Publisher.
"Americans deserve to see who is paying the ultimate price for this war."
--Virginia Pilot
"...as the United States continues a war that is -- at this moment, at least -- being waged on the pretext of freedom, the government tries to censor images of flag-draped coffins. But the censorship has failed because it defies common sense and federal law. ... These images are what they are: a sad reflection of our president's war of choice. Yes, they are sobering. That is even more justification for their prompt and public release."
--Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo
An interview with James Moore/ A letter from the family of a Soldier
At Buzzflash, there's an interview with James Moore, author of the recently-published book "Bush's War For Re-election: Iraq, The White House, And The People". On the book's back cover, Buzzflash offers its support by saying the book 'masterfully details how Bush's war for re-election has real victims: the families of soldiers who have died in Iraq and American citizens who have dared to tell the truth'.
In the Buzzflash interview, Moore states:
I read a letter to the Editor of the Syracuse Post Standard today from the mother-in-law of a soldier in Iraq. The following is an excerpt:
At Buzzflash, there's an interview with James Moore, author of the recently-published book "Bush's War For Re-election: Iraq, The White House, And The People". On the book's back cover, Buzzflash offers its support by saying the book 'masterfully details how Bush's war for re-election has real victims: the families of soldiers who have died in Iraq and American citizens who have dared to tell the truth'.
In the Buzzflash interview, Moore states:
There are families whose lives have been ruined by the President's decision to attack Iraq. And because that was unnecessary, these families are even more shattered by it. They try and try to believe that their child died for something important, but they're struggling to do that now. And in some of the cases, these families have been split apart in the same way that the Civil War split families apart. [By politics]
I read a letter to the Editor of the Syracuse Post Standard today from the mother-in-law of a soldier in Iraq. The following is an excerpt:
How will we justify it if Jon comes back broken and mutilated - or not at all? Will we say it was worth it?
I hear so many families saying "He believed in what he was doing," and "He was fighting for freedom." I won't be believing that. I've never believed we should be killing Iraqis to set them free. Will I have to mouth those words for the rest of my life to comfort a distraught young woman whose husband paid a price he shouldn't have to pay?
My mother's heart fears the future. I pray, and hope, and honor the young men and women doing what they have to do. But I do not honor the president who keeps them in the way of harm to serve his own twisted interests.
I hear so many families saying "He believed in what he was doing," and "He was fighting for freedom." I won't be believing that. I've never believed we should be killing Iraqis to set them free. Will I have to mouth those words for the rest of my life to comfort a distraught young woman whose husband paid a price he shouldn't have to pay?
My mother's heart fears the future. I pray, and hope, and honor the young men and women doing what they have to do. But I do not honor the president who keeps them in the way of harm to serve his own twisted interests.
American Political Jihad and Myths about Iraq
How many coffins have to come back to Dover before politicians acknowlege how myth and coffin have married to share an American legacy?
At Skippy the Kangaroo, I was interested to read about a recent article by Steve and Cokie Roberts titled Party purists paralyze Congress by political jihad. I especially appreciated Skippy's take on the topic.
Kevin Hayden thinks it's probably late in the day to change many Americans' false perceptions about the war in Iraq and that John Kerry may find it an exercise in futility to continue to make that an important part of his campaign. He cites Juan Cole's April 25th commentary regarding the sad fact that so many Americans still believe Saddam gave substantial support to al-Qaeda (and worse, 45% actually say that "clear evidence" has been found in Iraq to support this allegation!)
Juan Cole makes the astute observation:
Democratic party leadership has not developed an effective critique of Bush administration approaches to the 'war on terror,' and that in effect the Republicans are poaching on Democratic territory successfully in this regard.
Democrats have their work cut out for them. I don't know that I agree that Kerry should abandon attempting to dispel the myths about Iraq. If not Kerry, then who? America has bought into the myths and there's no one on the Right who will risk political damage by bringing significant truths to the light of day. This is probably nothing new in the political realm. I think we can all recall seeing a determined look-away from truth for politics' sake occur during the Viet Nam era. The question is: Didn't we learn anything from that American experience? How many coffins have to come back to Dover before politicians acknowlege how myth and coffin have married to share an American legacy?
Juan Cole contrasts Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee's decided independent search for truth with the Republican Right, who keeps with the partisan line in perpetuating the myths about Iraq. He cites recent Associated Press worries that centrist Republicans like Chafee and Spector are a "dying breed." I saw Republican Senator Chris Shays (CT) speak about the U.N. Food-for Oil investigation on FOX Sunday show yesterday and I got a clear sense of a non-partisan in his search for truth. Democrats should recognize and give positive reinforcement to independent-minded Republicans whenever possible. Public speaking about great respect and value placed on idependence of the individual political mind (regardless of party line) is the only way to turn the tide of polarization and civil division in America. Hit Americans in their mass consciousness. They don't have a clue where they're being led today...and the cliff edge is fast approaching. (Which takes me back full-circle to Skippy's commentary as referred above).
I believe it would serve the Democrats well to educate Americans about the authors of myth. Grover Norquist, for all intents and purposes, is a democracy-criminal and I believe he should be exposed as often as possible as it is his Club For Growth which is strong-arming and hijacking the People's true and responsible American represention. Representation is the life-blood of American democracy. It's being poisoned without our knowlege. The debate about these unpatriotic political tactics need to be raised to mainstream media debate as often as possible.
I never thought I'd see the day that the Northestern Republican would be a threatened species... eaten by their own party. Democrats have a stake in reaching across party lines to defend Republicans of independent mind. Kerry recently made a public plea for improvement in the tone of civil discourse in Washington, D.C., stating:
"The high road is harder, but it leads to a better place."
I think he's onto something there. If he can develop a way to throw the truth about the Norquistian-style hijacking of American politics in the mix with a more effectively-developed critique of the Bush administration's wrong-minded approaches to the 'war on terror', he may find empowerment via truth-in-politics. What a refreshing, unwaffling idea.
How many coffins have to come back to Dover before politicians acknowlege how myth and coffin have married to share an American legacy?
At Skippy the Kangaroo, I was interested to read about a recent article by Steve and Cokie Roberts titled Party purists paralyze Congress by political jihad. I especially appreciated Skippy's take on the topic.
Kevin Hayden thinks it's probably late in the day to change many Americans' false perceptions about the war in Iraq and that John Kerry may find it an exercise in futility to continue to make that an important part of his campaign. He cites Juan Cole's April 25th commentary regarding the sad fact that so many Americans still believe Saddam gave substantial support to al-Qaeda (and worse, 45% actually say that "clear evidence" has been found in Iraq to support this allegation!)
Juan Cole makes the astute observation:
Democratic party leadership has not developed an effective critique of Bush administration approaches to the 'war on terror,' and that in effect the Republicans are poaching on Democratic territory successfully in this regard.
Democrats have their work cut out for them. I don't know that I agree that Kerry should abandon attempting to dispel the myths about Iraq. If not Kerry, then who? America has bought into the myths and there's no one on the Right who will risk political damage by bringing significant truths to the light of day. This is probably nothing new in the political realm. I think we can all recall seeing a determined look-away from truth for politics' sake occur during the Viet Nam era. The question is: Didn't we learn anything from that American experience? How many coffins have to come back to Dover before politicians acknowlege how myth and coffin have married to share an American legacy?
Juan Cole contrasts Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee's decided independent search for truth with the Republican Right, who keeps with the partisan line in perpetuating the myths about Iraq. He cites recent Associated Press worries that centrist Republicans like Chafee and Spector are a "dying breed." I saw Republican Senator Chris Shays (CT) speak about the U.N. Food-for Oil investigation on FOX Sunday show yesterday and I got a clear sense of a non-partisan in his search for truth. Democrats should recognize and give positive reinforcement to independent-minded Republicans whenever possible. Public speaking about great respect and value placed on idependence of the individual political mind (regardless of party line) is the only way to turn the tide of polarization and civil division in America. Hit Americans in their mass consciousness. They don't have a clue where they're being led today...and the cliff edge is fast approaching. (Which takes me back full-circle to Skippy's commentary as referred above).
I believe it would serve the Democrats well to educate Americans about the authors of myth. Grover Norquist, for all intents and purposes, is a democracy-criminal and I believe he should be exposed as often as possible as it is his Club For Growth which is strong-arming and hijacking the People's true and responsible American represention. Representation is the life-blood of American democracy. It's being poisoned without our knowlege. The debate about these unpatriotic political tactics need to be raised to mainstream media debate as often as possible.
I never thought I'd see the day that the Northestern Republican would be a threatened species... eaten by their own party. Democrats have a stake in reaching across party lines to defend Republicans of independent mind. Kerry recently made a public plea for improvement in the tone of civil discourse in Washington, D.C., stating:
"The high road is harder, but it leads to a better place."
I think he's onto something there. If he can develop a way to throw the truth about the Norquistian-style hijacking of American politics in the mix with a more effectively-developed critique of the Bush administration's wrong-minded approaches to the 'war on terror', he may find empowerment via truth-in-politics. What a refreshing, unwaffling idea.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Polarized
In today's Washington Post, David Von Drehle discusses just how pervasive the political split is in today's America. It is the first of three promised articles. Both Kerry and Bush reach for the center, Mr. Von Drehle claims, yet their "basic colors" show through...especially in a political system that is intent on pulling them apart with the production of perfect archetypes of Red and Blue.
In today's Washington Post, David Von Drehle discusses just how pervasive the political split is in today's America. It is the first of three promised articles. Both Kerry and Bush reach for the center, Mr. Von Drehle claims, yet their "basic colors" show through...especially in a political system that is intent on pulling them apart with the production of perfect archetypes of Red and Blue.
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