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....
A refusal [by Iraq] to admit UN inspectors, or their admission and subsequent likely frustration, which resulted in an appropriate finding by the Security Council could provide the justification for military action....sensitising the public: a media campaign to warn off the dangers that Saddam poses and to prepare public opinion both in the UK and abroad....The US should be encouraged to consult widely on its plans..."
"The seeping of blogistan into the pages of the Times of London with regard to its own scoops seems to me a bellwether of the kinds of changes that are being produced in our information environment by the blogging phenomenon. The gatekeepers at the New York Times and the Washington Post can no longer decide whether a leak is a story or a non-story. The public decides what a story is."Ruth Conniff (political editor of The Progressive): "Making sure that people see the facts, and hammering home the point that the lies we were told led us to the mess we're in now, has got to be part of the solution."
Quotes:
"....we need to drop our professed hatred for television, know what's on, what's effective and what people are watching, and then figure out the best way to use the medium....
....we're not going to be able to effectively utilize television if we're not attuned to what's on and how well it gets the point across."
"O you, who covers the high places with waters,
who sets the sand as a bound to the sea and upholds all things,
the sun sings your praises; the moon gives you glory,
Every creature offers a hymn to you, his author and creator forever."
- An Eastern Orthodox prayer
* Legend has it that Chief Taughannock and his band of Delaware indians raided the Iroquois tribes in this area (Cayuga & Seneca), but were defeated and most of the Delawares who did survive were adopted by their captors. One of these braves fell in love with White Lily, a Cayuga maiden. One dark night the the brave and White Lily fled toward the Delaware's canoe on the shore of Cayuga Lake. Being chased by the Cayuga braves, the entire village was alerted and joined in the chase. Running through the pine forest the couple knew they would not make the crossing at the creek above the falls. Chosing death over the torture that would be inflicted on the brave per the Iroquois code, they stood on the edge of the falls, embraced, and leapt. Since it was dark, the villagers returned to the in the morning to gather the remains for burial. But when they returned, they could not find the brave and maiden. It was said that the Great Spirit was aware of the young couple's love and he opened the "door" high on the side of the ravine. When they jumped he ushered them through the secret passageway and closed the door tightly behind them.4. My father, fishing in the ocean, Brewster, Mass, Cape Cod
_
This sounds like a Daily Show skit..
The problem is..it's for real!
"Get down and clear your own weapon!" Cpl. William Kozlowski shouted to Zwayid in English.~~~~~~
Zwayid answered in Arabic. "That's my weapon," he explained, pointing to his friend.
"Corporal, you're a leader!" Kozlowski shouted back. "Take charge!"
Zwayid smiled at him. "What's he saying to me?" he whispered
"Faced with plummeting public support for the war in Iraq, a growing number of members of Congress from both parties are reevaluating the reasons for the invasion and demanding the Bush administration produce a plan for withdrawing US troops. A bipartisan group of House members is drafting a resolution that calls on the administration to present a strategy for getting the United States out of Iraq, reflecting an increasing restlessness about the war in a chamber that 2 1/2 years ago voted overwhelmingly to support the use of force in Iraq."Kansas.com June 12 - Military action won't end insurgency, growing number of U.S. officers believe
Since winning re-election last November, President Bush has seen his poll numbers sag like Great Grandma's bosom.
'Kairos' refers to the "timeless realm" of God, a space in time where measurable time does not apply. We pause upon the brink of the unknown; we are each a part of the same phantom corps moving about the earth. The book of history remains empty and blank out ahead of us.
Who are we, as individuals, to think we can effect those now-white pages?
We are living in a moment of time which I believe will prove itself to be a great turning point in the history of not only America, but all of mankind. In order to have this moment in history be a reflection of purpose and principle in our lives, we simply must learn to speak a different language than those who are seeking to control the political agenda today in America.
We must learn not only to avoid speaking in the tongue of right wing talking points, but to create a new language for all men and women to recognize and understand. It must be a language which would be the basis of new and inspired conversations.
The book of history awaits. We each need to give substance to our reality, but we can only do it in concert with one another. I believe the good of mankind depends upon it.
So, here is our kairos time. We're pebbles in a great sea. Our language, uttered at the right time and with the right intonation, could make all the difference.
- - Jude
"Since 1980 in particular, U.S. government policies have consistently favored the wealthy at the expense of working families - and under the current administration, that favoritism has become extreme and relentless. From tax cuts that favor the rich to bankruptcy "reform" that punishes the unlucky, almost every domestic policy seems intended to accelerate our march back to the robber baron era."
"...Plenty of powerful people would like this document to go away, not excepting the folks in the news media, because the document provides a capstone exposure of just how flawed, biased, shabby and ultimately deadly their coverage of this issue has been. Don't doubt for a second that the scions of our journalistic realm would like the Minutes to fade, because as long as the document stands in the light, their complicity in this catastrophe is all too clear.
It isn't going away."
"..last week we were out of session, and more people asked me about the Downing Street memo, and I said, you know what, I really haven’t seen much about it in the news, and then I realized it was on the blogs."You see? If we hadn't talked about it, it's quite possible that no one would have. I'm grateful that Nancy, and many others, are listening.
Yes - his barking head can sling saliva across a twenty-foot conference room, but he knows the scent of Republican fear....
.....and a Democrat's wallet.
"Dean's fellow Democrats would rather boo him than themselves." - Joan Vennochi, Boston GlobeListen to Joan Vennochi. We have enough real problems. Dean isn't one of them.
"I don’t think his remarks were appropriate, but I think he’s been a great chairman. I don’t know the context he said what he said, but I think he’s been a great chairman. As I said, I travel the country constantly, and I know the enthusiasm he has engendered among the grassroots in our party. That their voice, their vote and their volunteerism will make a difference, and that they look to him and think he’s a good—people don’t understand what the chair of the Democratic National Committee does; he does things that elected officials don’t do, and sometimes he’s a little more out there on some of his statements. But again, if I made a litany about all the things they said about me, much less about Democrats in general. They’re very offended when somebody says something about them. They’re pretty glib when it comes to criticizing Democrats in general and Democrats in particular. So I wouldn’t make a whole lot of it. But I would say that it is par for the course, ‘let’s focus on that, so people don’t have to focus on the economy, the war, what they’re trying to do to Social Security’—you know the list."
Kenneth S. Deffeyes nominates next Thanksgiving as his World Oil Peak Day wherein "we can pause and give thanks" for the good years of abundance, and face up to the coming decline of this life-force fuel.."
"..of the three actual votes on the floor for impeachment, Johnson, Tyler and Clinton, all three were a contest between Congress and a President over the political direction of the country. Neither Johnson nor Tyler served a second term, Clinton's Vice President failed to secure election. Nixon, who resigned before almost certainly losing a vote rounds out the list, his VP was also defeated."The Republicans are going to have to go into hyper-defense mode over the Downing Street memo if they expect to have political viability in 2008. The sheer (serious) talk of impeachment in the mainstream media is sure to cause them substantial political damage.
