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DO YOU HEAR ME, DO YOU HEAR ME CALLIN’
Our candidates are floundering as this country is floundering. I am reminded of the old childhood song “Did you Ever See a Lassie” only my adult version would be “did you ever see a leader, a leader, a leader, did you ever see a leader go this way and that?” One has to be amazed that the The most important election in at least 60 years and both candidates are floundering just most flip-flopping, change your story President I ever remember has managed to paint himself as steady and resolved. The only time GWB has been steady and resolved is when he has driven us into quicksand and then he doesn’t seem to know how to “flip-flop” us out of there. Tax cuts, raging deficits, a war based on lies, unemployment, you know the list. GWB doesn’t seem to have a clue or a vision of how to shift, change, or even grab a branch to get this country out of the quicksand, thanks in part to what seems to be an immature understanding of what power and leadership means, much less use wisely. Most of the world sees him as the worst President ever. Link Remember when you were a kid and you went from one parent to the other trying to get what you want? Neither Bush nor Kerry has been able to articulate a plan or vision of empowerment for the people, perhaps that’s because they are only interested in their own power and begging us to give them that power, throwing promises at us they cannot possibly keep. And so we go “this way and that way and this way and that.” The age old question “which came first the chicken or the egg,” has never been more important than now. Do our leaders define us or do we define them? It’s obvious that we the people have not articulated our vision. We jump from the economy, to the war, to the deficit, to safety, unsure of what we need or even want. This is a problem that has been growing rapidly in this country since we went from our only choice being Keds or P.F. Fliers to a plethora of tennis shoes. We are not sure of ourselves as a nation and we have elevated two leaders who seem to be unsure and confused, so the country goes “this way and that” as evidenced by the polls. Leaders don’t take power from us; we give power and elevate them. They are living and working in our house people. As far as the polls are concerned, we get daily updates through the media who seem to be focusing on the “game” of politics as opposed to the political issues this country faces, keeping some phantom score on a phantom game. There doesn’t seem to be any duel team, we only have GWB on the court taking shots all by himself and the media is calling it a game. The only newsperson I can see who is seriously addressing the issues is Lou Dobbs of CNN and I hope everyone is watching him. The TV media either are vapid, stupid, or afraid of losing their jobs and I would pick the latter. Toddies with their strings being pulled by their conglomerate bosses and the White House. John Kerry and John Edwards must be at their wits end by now with the late August/September line up of planets in Virgo, mutable transits in aspect to their mutable signs and the US mutable Ascendant, Mars, Neptune, we are confused and they are confused, because they historically represent the candidates of “the people,” and the people don’t know what is going on. If we “the people” had wanted a leader who was sure of himself with a carved out vision, Howard Dean would still be the Democratic candidate. George Bush and the Republicans represent our Sun/Saturn Square in the US Chart. Sun/Saturn symbolizes (at it’s lowest level of expression, and politics is about our lowest level) a sense of insecurity, restrictive of spirit, lacking confidence, inhibited, fear, and an intrinsic sense of scarcity, a feeling of vulnerability around authority or intelligence or money or power, austerity and discipline. This is the part of our collective unconscious that GWB has effectively tapped into and trapped a huge portion of Americans. Now don’t write me and say I have a Sun/Saturn square does that mean I am like that because the answer is going to be “maybe, depending on your other aspects, and depending on the transiting aspects. It’s up to you to use your energy in a positive manner instead of the negative (which we as a nation are using right now) those are choices we make as individuals. Kerry and Edwards represent the mutable Mars/Neptune square symbolizing confusion, change, seriously self-delusional, feelings of being undeserving, extraordinarily sensitive to criticism and disapproval, fear of failure, facing flaws and weaknesses is extremely difficult, confused about a direction, fear of risk taking, fear of opening up to a possible rejection, addictions, puzzlement. (Kerry’s Saturn and Edwards Sun conjuncts the US Mars squaring the Neptune.) At this point in time, of the two aspects it is the Mars/Neptune that holds the most possibility, because the Venus Transit of June lasting 8 years falls within the confines of the US Mars/Neptune and the Kerry/Edwards planets. The mistake the Bush administration made with the Sun/Saturn Square when they had the chance (when Saturn was conjunct the US Sun) was not taking advantage of the positive aspects of that square. Asking the people to “give up something” such as their SUV’s, send money to the troops and displaced Iraqi’s, discipline to accomplish a long range goal, responsible sharing. They used the “bad parent” aspect of Saturn without balancing it with the “good parent” Saturn. Leaving us, the people, feeling guilty and uncomfortable about what we have while the Iraqi’s are steeped in an unfair war, our troops getting killed and forced to stay there for oil while we continue to suck up oil by the tons. So now, no matter what the polls say, we are feeling (except for the most hardened and self-absorbed among us) the Saturn fear and guilt, the kind your parent makes you feel when you’ve done something wrong. The world is our parent and they are looking our way and most of us are beginning to squirm. Even England, our mother country, is beginning to distance herself. Mom is disappointed and more than a little ashamed. With Saturn coming to an opposition to the US Pluto further attempts by this administration to restrict the rest of the world and tell them what WE want them to do and be, will be met with a global brick wall. The UN Secretary has been making rounds of the European talk shows and saying the US entered into an illegal war. Jon Stewart of Comedy Central says “with Costa Rica saying take us off your list of the coalition we have gone from a super-power to an unwanted telemarketer.” While the Bush administration’s chance to be the paternal daddy leader for the next four years has passed, the opportunities of the Mars/Neptune square are right here, right now if Kerry/Edwards can capitalize upon them and it will take them into the next 8 years. If not them, someone like them. The 26th of September, when Sun, Mars, Jupiter move into Libra with Mercury rapidly bringing up the rear shifts the energy around to Kerry/Edwards. Libra is a seemingly indecisive sign. Do I want apples or oranges? They list the pros and cons of both, and they say one thing and then the other trying to be all things to all people. GWB’s Neptune, Chiron, Moon, progressed Mars, and Jupiter all in Libra, the ingress of those planets into the sign spotlights his natal Libra planets. His Libra planets are debilitated by the square from his Natal Cancer highlighting the negative aspects of the sign. Plus Libra accents the negatives for America with our Cancer planets. That’s why the economy never does well in October or April in the US; it’s the squares to our Cancer. We will begin to look at our daddy leader in a negative way if our allowance is cut off. As a side note, Morgana tells me California isn’t too happy with Arnold for vetoing the minimum wage bill and my Safeway clerks tell me that grocery workers are still looking at a possible strike in October. Last week while Mars was in a square to Iraq’s war chart Saturn, we had one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq and Mars will oppose the Sun of that war chart just before it makes its ingress into Libra, leaving us all gasping. On the other hand, Kerry/Edwards receives the beneficial trine to their Gemini and sextile to Kerry’s Sagittarius. That’s just for starters. We, the people are looking for hope, allusions of peace, and a new vision of our world, a sense that we are helping others. Someone to validate us, tell us they know how hard it’s been but TOGETHER we will work though it all. We need pictures shown us of the Iraqi children, how can we help them, pictures of our soldiers without equipment, families on both sides being torn apart by this war. We need visuals of the monetary impact of this war on the US. Not words – visuals. Kerry/Edwards need film and pictures of what is happening in the environment, the economy, what happened in Iraq, unemployment - not words. Draw the people a map of everything thing since the beginning of this Presidency. Forget the 2000 election, just a map of all the lies up front and the reality behind, including No Child Left Behind, the environment, the impact of the tax cuts, the under funding of Homeland Security, the war, etc., etc., etc. Mars/Neptune is symbolism, films, pictures; Kerry/Edwards can help us identify with the better part of ourselves through films, pictures, drawn maps, matrix or power point. In Iraq we need to feel like we can be true liberators, and not the guilt-ridden occupiers. We need to feel the economy can get back on track, employment can go up and the environment can be saved. The United States continues through transformation and we are not going to like the process, no matter who is President because we are still in the destructive phase and that never feels good. But the Kerry/Edwards ticket has the potential of taking us through it with a spoonful of sugar so we are still left standing at the end of this phase. The Democrats should let John Edwards go armed with only an outline of the platform and his zinger Gemini one-liners. From the end of September to mid-October John Edwards will be tapped into the need of hope for people with his Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Gemini, let him go to spread that hope. Forget how he grew up; forget anything but what is being faced today and his “hope is on the way” speech. Kerry must turn away from the “he said, he said” Vietnam record, he must. End it with “I served and received commendations and GWB didn’t. I stopped supporting the war in Vietnam because we were being killed in a war that was based on lies much like the one today and that’s the end of it.” Go on to economy, security, Iraq. We are not secure and the Bush administration has not made us secure. Kerry needs to put it out there in short sentences because the American people know it, they just haven’t heard it and most are looking for someone to give them something akin to a straight answer. Yes, Mars/Neptune is illusion and most important delusion but Voltaire said, “I am sick to death of reality, I could use a good illusion.” Kerry/Edwards can tap into that need through symbolism and group visualization. Our government lives in a country within a country and I’m not sure they have the slightest interest or understanding in how to serve the people who put them there and pay their salaries. But I do know that the successful candidates are those that make us, the people, feel a piece of ownership of that government, those that acknowledge and validate us are the most successful of politicians. Kerry/Edwards have the opening over this next month to make that happen and let’s hope they know the meaning of carpe diem. As for we the people, science is discovering how our emotions impact or affect not only our health but also our lives. Masaru Emoto, a scientist from Japan, has conducted studies on water and written a book “The Messages in Water.” Doctor Emoto has discovered that a person’s thoughts impact the clarity of water, from love and joy producing beautiful stars and pentagrams, to thoughts of hate and violence producing dirty and distorted water drops. Since we as individuals are made up of 90percent water, think what we might be doing to our bodies through our anger and hate. My grandmother used to say, “hating someone or something is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies.” So don’t hate just focus. The Republicans and their constituency have one view of the world and they believe in that view, so do the Democrats. There isn’t any right or wrong, good or bad, it’s just a view, over the next several weeks think about what you want your “view” of the world to be and who is most likely to help achieve those goals. If George Bush does not represent your view of what you want the world to be, when you see or hear him smile to yourself and say “you are not President anymore.” When you see Kerry/Edwards smile to yourself and say “yes Mr. President.” I would encourage everyone to read Claudia Dikinis article on Starcats which can be accessed from the Menu on the right of this page. It is a brilliant piece of work, strong and courageous, and the last paragraph is absolutely correct. I would only add that if Bush wins there would be anarchy and we would become the "insurgents" to be brought to toe the line.
Sally Cheyne McDonald on Sep 20 | Link
Comments
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Posted by: shylurker on September 20, 2004 05:33 AMReally wonderful Sally, loved the Messages in Water part. Posted by: M. on September 20, 2004 05:44 AMSally you go girl! Even Carlos Watson on CNN's politics is speculating that Kerry is due for a good month. You go President Kerry! Send John Edwards! Posted by: Morgana on September 20, 2004 05:54 AMWe are in an evolutionary period of time where our understanding of how we continually manifest our reality and how it's in our hands is exploding. Thanks in part to the Venus Transit. This concept has moved out of the "weird" metaphysical community into the scientific community as they uncover more and more how our brain interacts with the whole person and how the whole person interacts with the Universe. How our conscious thoughts connect with energy and impacts matter. It is essential that as many people as possible stay conscious and alert over the next 8 years, using their conscious minds to shift the paradigm of the last century. Posted by: Sally on September 20, 2004 06:01 AMHas any evolved soul here not been crippled by this reign of terror? All this yak, yak, yak about predicting who will win the election is really silly. Let it unfold. rhythm and breath rhythm and breath rhythm and breath In and out In and out Back and forth diastolic/systolic yes Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 09:06 AMJust take a deep one Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 09:07 AMHave faith in this life and stop fearing the worst. enuff. Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 09:45 AMWhat a joy to find this article early on this hopeful and bright Monday morning . . . thank you Sally so very much. Now I will go about getting ready for work with your words to ponder . . . . I love your grandmother! :--) Posted by: Laurie on September 20, 2004 11:38 AMBear with me.... I know about Neptune and image. At least we, as astrologers, can know him a bit... I totally agree, Sally. "Leaders don't take power from us; we give power and elevate them." Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 12:18 PMThank you Sally, excellent article which I am still digesting. Going to have to re read it a couple of times along with Claudia's piece. It's hard to stay in the present, I keep wanting to peek around the corner of October. Becomes part of that reality in the 'now' as opposed to predicting the future for an illusion of safety and control, which is what the SCUM (so called unbiased media) suffers from. I stay away from their mantras these days. Have lately been thinking along the lines of how does all this reflect who we are as a country? You brilliantly note that above. Carolyn Myss did a wonderful talk on how FDR represented this country during the depression, ie crippled president, crippled country etc. You can see it with each and every president and the period of history they served in. Have also been contemplating on how a Kerry Win may be a winning of the battle and loss of the War. Or in other words, how another 4 years of GWB could really galvanize the Left to actually destroy the Right. Just thinking out loud here. What will be will be, and it will show us where we are in this world, as always. Posted by: Shade on September 20, 2004 12:35 PM Oops, polarized my comments too much regarding left and right. I don't ever see one "destroying" the other. That is too strong of word. All I know is that the more one gets in power, the more the other side rises in balance. Like, finally Air America Radio is out distancing Rush Limbaugh in any market they compete in. But look what it took to get the voices going, sigh. It seems like the only thing rising in opposition to the SCUM is the internet, where you can choose where you go. Staying conscious, yes that is key. Posted by: Shade on September 20, 2004 12:50 PMThere is no prediction. And it will be yhe loss of the war. I agree...balance will be the game. Jupiter conjuncting our wonderful Saturn in Libra. Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 01:00 PMI say let John Kerry take care of the government so we can go back to our studies. Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 01:08 PMSally, Wonderful... wonderfully rousing words... We must do our part, as you suggest, and visualize Kerry as 'Mr. President'... I really do like that idea! I am going to start referring to him as President Kerry, and aWol as Mr. Bush... great thought Sally! Your thoughts on the campaigns are powerful... strong, Scorpio voice here... cut to the chase. Now, if we could only get your words to Mr. President, the campaign would soar like an eagle. We can send these thoughts to President Kerry... and visualize... visualize the pictures the media won't give the people... we can send them... through our thoughts... Your postscript is right on --- "It is essential that as many people as possible stay conscious and alert over the next 8 years, using their conscious minds to shift the paradigm of the last century." Amen, Sally, amen...
Hold on everybody! President Kerry is about to take us on a joy ride!!! What else would you expect from a double Sag? Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 01:38 PMgotta go.... I 3rd that...... I'd love to be a part of the shift to the next paradigm. Posted by: teresa b on September 20, 2004 01:50 PMGreat article, Sally, and extremely valuable advice to the Kerry/Edwards campaign. Maybe if some of us can pass it up the chain locally, it will reach some of those running the campaign. I was struck by your remarks about US guilt. I think it was Freud who said that brillance was discovering something obvious that nobody else had been able to see (or words to that effect.) Yep-- that's part of the problem for decent people who still support Bush-- an uneasy feeling that the US is causing unwarranted bloodshed and suffering-- and denial of that fact. They've got to keep repeating the "Bushit" rationalizations or accept the guilt. A candidate who offers them a way out would surely be appreciated and welcomed. (Though another way of handling guilt is to turn on the leaders who engineered this mess and put all the responsibility on them. Like the Italian mob hanging Mussolini. But things would have to get a lot worse before that would happen. I prefer the scenario of a new leader recalling us to our higher selves.) Posted by: Barbara on September 20, 2004 01:57 PMThank you Sally. I'm feeling a bit depressed, so I'll save my comments for later, except to say beautifully done once again.
"It's that fear that keeps journalists from asking the toughest of the tough questions," the aging American journalist told the British television audience. In June 2002, Dan Rather looked old, defeated, making a confession he dare not speak on American TV about the deadly censorship -- and self-censorship -- which had seized US newsrooms. After September 11, news on the US tube was bound and gagged. Any reporter who stepped out of line, he said, would be professionally lynched as un-American. "It's an obscene comparison," he said, "but there was a time in South Africa when people would put flaming tires around people's necks if they dissented. In some ways, the fear is that you will be necklaced here. You will have a flaming tire of lack of patriotism put around your neck." No US reporter who values his neck or career will "bore in on the tough questions." Dan said all these things to a British audience. However, back in the USA, he smothered his conscience and told his TV audience: "George Bush is the President. He makes the decisions. He wants me to line up, just tell me where." During the war in Vietnam, Dan's predecessor at CBS, Walter Cronkite, asked some pretty hard questions about Nixon's handling of the war in Vietnam. Today, our sons and daughters are dying in Bush wars. But, unlike Cronkite, Dan could not, would not, question George Bush, Top Gun Fighter Pilot, Our Maximum Beloved Leader in the war on terror. On the British broadcast, without his network minders snooping, you could see Dan seething and deeply unhappy with himself for playing the game. "What is going on," he said, "I'm sorry to say, is a belief that the public doesn't need to know -- limiting access, limiting information to cover the backsides of those who are in charge of the war. It's extremely dangerous and cannot and should not be accepted, and I'm sorry to say that up to and including this moment of this interview, that overwhelmingly it has been accepted by the American people. And the current Administration revels in that, they relish and take refuge in that." More... Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 02:28 PMFinally! A decent speech by Kerry. On now... Posted by: mars on September 20, 2004 04:01 PMSally, It looks like the two campaigns are going to agree to 3 debates. I think this will be the defineing events of the Campaign. The Presidential Debates will be Sept. 30th in Coral Gables FL, October 8th in St. Louis Mo and Oct 13th in Tempe AZ. The Vp Debate is Oct. 5th. Have you started working on Charts for these days? After watching the Bush/Gore debates Borden where Gore clearly won and then listening to the media "spin" those debates in favor of Bush I do not think the debates will define the election. Fortunately the Oct. 13 (the last one) will be the best for Kerry but I give 0 zilch chance possibility for a positive media spin for Kerry. "if Bush wins there would be anarchy and we would become the "insurgents" to be brought to toe the line." I sure hope so! Having lived in Europe, and travelled to countries favorable to the People as diverse as Australia and Bolivia, I've been Amen. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A34235-2004Sep19?language=printer As Income Gap Widens, Uncertainty Spreads There's a piece in the new issue of The Mountain Astrologer that uses Tolkien as a template to discuss current events, and the writer has the temerity to suggest that America is morphing from a democracy into a monarchy, with Bush cast as the returned king Aragorn. I didn't have time to compose a response but I will; if you're going to use a Tolkien-based narrative arc to frame your thesis, you owe it to yourself and readers to look at all the storylines. And, in Bush's case, Sauron is a much better fit than Aragorn. These people need letters!
Election Year 2004: The Return of the King? The movie version of the final book in Tolkien's immortal trilogy was wildly successful during an election year in the United States. Coincidence? And are we electing a president - or crowning a king? Read on. Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 04:55 PMNancy posted this over on Salon yesterday and asked me to post it here on Astroworld for her. She is overwhelmed with a sick mother and some emergency patients. "I think we should come up with a beautiful vision of Kerry in the Oval Office, writing up executive orders that get this country back in the right direction again. I have to admit that if I just imagine him on Inauguration Day I still feel the fear. There is so much damage that has been done to the collective psyche, so much healing that needs to be done, so many dark policies that need to be overturned. So I imagine him signing documents, and I imagine a feeling of purpose and strength in him. And I imagine him, thread by thread, reknitting the fabric of a moral society with a real vision of the future. Each thread goes to a different part of the country or the world, each to a different purpose. Some go to factories, reconnecting them to the moral foundation of repsonsibility about their pollution. Some go to family planning clinics half a world away to restore the fight against HIV/AIDS. Some go to the leaders of other nations to restore friendships and trust. Many go to our soldiers to heal the wounds that an ungrateful and exploitive adminstration has wrought. Some go to new training centers for the unemployed, to give them skills for the future. Each thread is a part of the fabric of what must be restored and what must be built anew to bring us into the future and heal the wounds of the past four years. Each thread streams out from our new administration and at the center of it stands President Kerry. That is my visualization." Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 05:27 PMGREAT NEWS: KERRY IS ON FIRE i watched his entire speech at NYU on iraq. it was riveting. i don't know when he started, around 10:15 or something EDT, NYC (Greenwich Village, NYC). he spoke for an hour and said everything you needed to hear about how the president is an incompetent, how the situation is a disaster, and how he would fix it. he's got his MOJO working. it may be worth finding the start time or how ever that's done since it was really awesome. the press couldn't even distort it. if he gives this speech from now until the election, we're golden. as howard dean said "YEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Mike, I'm cancelling my subscription. Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 05:45 PMKerry's NYU speech will be on C-SPAN 8:00pm EDT, just read on DU. SALLY, Eloquent and right on as usual. Can someone get this article to the Kerry/Edwards campaign? I'm going to repost some of my former comments that seem appropriate to this article. "One piece of negative news and people are so far down in the dumps that we need a crane to pull them up out of it. Whatever happened to FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS on the outcome you want and staying the course no matter what news comes blowing in the wind? We buy into what we want to hear and then are fearful when we hear something we don’t want. Why is it so much easier to be negative than to stay positive? Is it because we have more practice being negative? FACT: NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE WHO IS GOING TO WIN THIS ELECTION. We can just do our best in whatever way we can and stay FOCUSED ON THE OUTCOME WE WANT. We are in the process of major planetary changes and when we are in the middle of transformation it is not pleasant. It’s happening to us personally, depending on planetary transits. And it’s happening on a collective basis. Pluto is doing what it does. Neptune is doing what it does. Uranus is doing what it does. Saturn is doing what it does. Question is, are we responding to the higher aspects of these planets and learning our lessons or are we getting caught in the chaos. OUR CHOICE!!!!!! WHAT HIGHER ASPECTS OF THESE PLANETARY ENERGIES CAN WE AS INDIVIDUALS TUN IN TO ON A DAILY BASIS? Higher aspect of Saturn: SELF-RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, and in Cancer, INNER SECURITY, instead of doubt and fear. Higher aspect of Neptune – FAITH instead of fog, doubt and apathy. Higher aspect of Uranus- AWAKENING TO HIGHER LEVELS OF THINKING AND BREAKING THROUGH OLD PATTERNS instead of complacency with the status quo. Higher aspect of Pluto – WISDOM AND INNER POWER instead of giving power and control to others.
A favorite quote: ‘KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE PUDDLES." >>>>>>>>>> And some others: "Energy follows thought." "Where attention goes energy flows"
I'm back from NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. We were up in the balcony and were moved downstairs to 9 rows from the stage. Reporting to you from Brooklyn Heights, Peace and Love, a very tired Bhakti. Pat C. - We don't get the Mountain Astrologer magazine and can't pull the monthly articles up on the web that are intended for the magazine only. I see that they ran an article on Vendic astrology in which Komilla Sutton predicts the election ... what was her conclusion if we may impose on you to look this up? Thanks! May show which way this magazine is leaning??? Posted by: Siobhan on September 20, 2004 06:20 PMClinton and shrub were both born in 1946. Researching similar instances, strange it has occured-cycle of 30 years- and everytime, both or the one who follows second(like shrub after Clinto bhakti - thank you so much for your news from the Kerry speech! It has brought a lot of light here and raised our spirits to read it all. Very, very depressed here today - don't know if there is something on the horizon here or what ... the oomph seems to have gone out of our hope for the Kerry campaign, so reading your good news has raised our spirit levels here .. thanks! Sounds like it was a wonderful speech .. will catch the one shown on C-Span tonight! Posted by: Siobhan on September 20, 2004 06:26 PMSiobhan, her bottom line is that Kerry has the better planets. She says that the October eclipses affect both candidates, but they could be more adverse for Bush. "In my opinion, the only thing that can save the Bush presidency feom defeat is if the eclipses reveal the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden in time for Bush to use this to his advantage. Still quoting, "In my final analysis, John Kerry has the edge. His transits are better, hisyogas are more strongly activated, and his Dharma Yoga indicates that he will offer real hope to the voters." Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 06:56 PMbhakti, I'll look for you tonight on C-SPAN! Posted by: Pat C on September 20, 2004 07:06 PMJaycee, Thanks for your uplifting words... and reminder that we must remain focused on positive... Mike reminds us again and again of that too... Mars, President Kerry has made more than one good speech lately... goodness knows they don't get covered! btaki! Joyous thanks for the live report... and the 3rd eye take... from someone close enough to feel his energy... now, go get some rest! All --- As countries go, America is barely a teen-ager... Sally draws the picture of U.K. or "Mom" being disappointed... teens are attracted to the unknown, the flashy, the hip, the cool --- usually the 'bad boy' persona... President Kerry is not 'exciting' --- good thing, too... I don't know about you folks, but I've had about all the excitement I can stand, thank you very much. President Kerry looks very secure, very grounded to me... time to let an adult take the helm... Pat C., What a wonderful vision of President Kerry with all the threads going outward --- hope is on the way! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful vision. There is much strength, much positive energy on this board... it is a comfort to me and I know to many others... let us enter this space in Peace and positive energy for others are here, bringing their own positive vibes for all to share and send out to the universe... 43 days? Blue light, purple light, white light... to President Kerry and our higher good... Namaste Posted by: Jo on September 20, 2004 07:07 PMI like all these comments about President Kerry and visualizing him at work in the White House. You know how the Repugs (bizarrely) bad-mouth the French and then say Kerry "looks French"? I think Kerry looks very much like Uncle Sam. BTW, have the Repugs decided to write off the Cajun vote? Or are they counting on the Cajun's not to hear all that derision of French-speakers, etc.? Posted by: Barbara on September 20, 2004 07:28 PMI am posting this again...(I had two windows open and posted to the last thread) this is an email snippet from a highschool friend (a newspaper man/novelist/adventurer) who is doing a walking/tenting stop in the internet cafe thru blustery and "filthy" weather of mother England.... I'm reading the Independent, the Guardian, and of Sally, that was a powerful piece, I am glad you wrote that....full of good info. I hope you are feeling better, too... I was going to post Palast's piece on Rather, but it is done....I must now run to my daughter's home, as she is ill and I must take care of the kids....later....hope you all enjoy my friends comments from Mother England Posted by: judi on September 20, 2004 07:45 PMhttp://bluelemur.com/newsbone/index.php?p=5 We do have some incriminating documents that Bush personally ordered 9/11 I don't know if somebody else has posted this but it's a must read! Posted by: abilene on September 20, 2004 07:50 PMEerie....I went to Claudia Dinkin's page to read the article Sally recommended, and she used Guernica painting in it! That was the subject of the dream I had in August.... PS...to the women artists....may I recommendShelley Esaak's web page on art history...she has lots to say politically also about how women artists are not valued...http://arthistory.about.com/ Teg....wish I was on the east coast, or at least able to visit....friends are very important....but perhaps we are now at the point of interacting in the etheric? Posted by: judi on September 20, 2004 07:51 PMOnly October Surprise, I can think of is Kerry thumping shrub in the upcoming debates sinking him to the abyss, where shrub will remain(or burie I invited Allegra, ( a former Deaniac, in her 60's) in the DC, Kerry Campaign, office to check out this site! I had called to ask about Bill Burkett, after reading the post about how he felt marginalized by the campaign office and was now declining to talk to the world. SHe confessed to a confusion about whether to use it oficially.........then said Move-on had picked it up & is making a moviette with Bill Burkett. But she was amazed when I told her I had seen this on an AWOL website over a year ago, that Burkett's part had been removed from that website later on & now finally it is out in the mainstream, & CBS is taking the heat. A visual of sorts happened for me last week during a promo for a PBS Frontline show on Election 2004. They were showing images of GWB and John Kerry. Kerry's face for a brief moment looked like it could be carved on Mt. Rushmore. It was a presidential feel/vibe which is difficult to explain. And a long time ago, I remember Corleonis (sp?) comparing Kerry's image to Andrew Jackson's (see $20 bill). It's ironic that the candidate that represents the Mars/Neptune energy of USA is the one that has the "realism" to him, all that Saturn energy experience. And GWB, the fake cowboy with a weak Saturn represents the Sun/Saturn square of USA. It seems lately that I observe just how reality is being created. Gives me more reason to stay open and aware and to be mindful of my own intent. Thank you bhakti for the first hand report of seeing Kerry give a speech. I love your take on things. Posted by: Shade on September 20, 2004 08:00 PMPat C. having given more thought to the Mountain Astrologer discussion. I have never submitted any of my articles to them to publish or rebutt the astrologers who do, like the guy who is pro Bush as King. Tho Bushy would love to be King and never have to rig another election. Months ago, this grandma said South Carolina "looks purple" --- well, seems some folks are agreeing... People you have to trust your gut! Not what the polls say! Not what the TV says [listen to Mike --- turn it off, or be discriminating about what you watch] --------------- Earlier this year, I saw documents from several 527s which sounded the possibility that South Carolina might be in play (due mostly to the state's dire economy). I talked about it then briefly, but subsequent polling indicated the state was still the South Carolina we all know and love -- a solid bastion of conservatism. But if any credence can be given to Rasmussen's polling, that may be about to change. As Jerome writes: -------------- Shylurker, The South is going to rise again? Maybe, maybe it will finally find its way... go Purple! go President Kerry... Posted by: Jo on September 20, 2004 08:26 PMHoly synchronistic crap! Moford put into words where my mind was going this morning. Not to depress anyone or anything, actually this is a pretty good read. Love Masochism? Vote BushCo! I have a good friend who believes, gloomily, bitterly, resignedly, that not only are we in for four more years of painful and cheerless Because this is how long it will take for the current horrific conservative cycle to play itself out, and this would resemble a more But here's the catch. Here's the argument: This dark era, this wicked 20-year dystopia America could now be facing, it might be a very good more... Posted by: Shade on September 20, 2004 08:31 PMOkay, I'm off to work in the garden, get grounded and visualize... How in blueblazes can 4 more yrs. of aWol be a good thing? Like telling an abused wife living with her violent husband could be a good thing, next time he might kill her and then we could get him for murder... So much for positive thought... Posted by: Jo on September 20, 2004 08:40 PMGreat article Captain Sally. Let's all use Pat's wonderful visuals of President Kerry to head him in the right direction with the economy too. It's been in the pits this year and has to go up! Or at least no further down. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10805-2004Jul24.html "Last month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released figures showing that last year for the first time, China supplanted the United States as the No. 1 destination for foreign direct investment worldwide -- that is, money that goes into factories, equipment, real estate or existing companies. And in a blow to fans of "freedom fries," No. 2 was France. Though other major economies also suffered a drop-off in this category , no nation fell as far in percentage terms as the United States." I got real "bummed" trying to understand how the USA could be so fascist last week and behold the marvelous Claudia's new article talks about it too! A good read on fascism called "The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism" by Dr. Lawrence Britt states at the end that not only the USA but Israel have fascist governments now. Here's some of the descriptions he gave that seem to have come out of Karl Roves operation manual. Fascism DOVETAILS BUSINESS & GOVERNMENT sectors into a single economic unit, while concurrently increasing in-fighting and distrust between the units fostering advancement towards war.
Pat C. Thanks so much for the information from the Mountain Astrologer! I appreciate your looking that info up for me - brightened up my day! Thanks!! Posted by: Siobhan on September 20, 2004 10:19 PMThis will brighten your day, week, month,rest of the year......the latest from Michael Moore. 9/20/04 Dear Friends, Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!" Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying. They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet. Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!" No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run. Yes, OF COURSE any of us would have run a better, smarter, kick-ass campaign. Of course we would have smacked each and every one of those phony swifty boaty bastards down. But WE are not running for president -- Kerry is. So quit complaining and work with what we have. Oprah just gave 300 women a... Pontiac! Did you see any of them frowning and moaning and screaming, "Oh God, NOT a friggin' Pontiac!" Of course not, they were happy. The Pontiacs all had four wheels, an engine and a gas pedal. You want more than that, well, I can't help you. I had a Pontiac once and it lasted a good year. And it was a VERY good year. My friends, it is time for a reality check. 1. The polls are wrong. They are all over the map like diarrhea. On Friday, one poll had Bush 13 points ahead -- and another poll had them both tied. There are three reasons why the polls are b.s.: One, they are polling "likely voters." "Likely" means those who have consistently voted in the past few elections. So that cuts out young people who are voting for the first time and a ton of non-voters who are definitely going to vote in THIS election. Second, they are not polling people who use their cell phone as their primary phone. Again, that means they are not talking to young people. Finally, most of the polls are weighted with too many Republicans, as pollster John Zogby revealed last week. You are being snookered if you believe any of these polls. 2. Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton (as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake. 3. Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya, there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real. Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers -- everything else is just a sugar-coated lie). 4. Conventional wisdom says if the election is decided on "9/11" (the fear of terrorism), Bush wins. But if it is decided on the job we are doing in Iraq, then Bush loses. And folks, that "job," you might have noticed, has descended into the third level of a hell we used to call Vietnam. There is no way out. It is a full-blown mess of a quagmire and the body bags will sadly only mount higher. Regardless of what Kerry meant by his original war vote, he ain't the one who sent those kids to their deaths -- and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America knows it. Had Bush bothered to show up when he was in the "service" he might have somewhat of a clue as to how to recognize an immoral war that cannot be "won." All he has delivered to Iraq was that plasticized turkey last Thanksgiving. It is this failure of monumental proportions that is going to cook his goose come this November. So, do not despair. All is not over. Far from it. The Bush people need you to believe that it is over. They need you to slump back into your easy chair and feel that sick pain in your gut as you contemplate another four years of George W. Bush. They need you to wish we had a candidate who didn't windsurf and who was just as smart as we were when WE knew Bush was lying about WMD and Saddam planning 9/11. It's like Karl Rove is hypnotizing you -- "Kerry voted for the war...Kerry voted for the war...Kerrrrrryyy vooootted fooooor theeee warrrrrrrrrr..." Yes...Yes...Yesssss...He did! HE DID! No sense in fighting now...what I need is sleep...sleeep...sleeeeeeppppp... WAKE UP! The majority are with us! More than half of all Americans are pro-choice, want stronger environmental laws, are appalled that assault weapons are back on the street -- and 54% now believe the war is wrong. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANY OF THIS -- YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THEM A RAY OF HOPE AND A RIDE TO THE POLLS. CAN YOU DO THAT? WILL YOU DO THAT? Just for me, please? Buck up. The country is almost back in our hands. Not another negative word until Nov. 3rd! Then you can bitch all you want about how you wish Kerry was still that long-haired kid who once had the courage to stand up for something. Personally, I think that kid is still inside him. Instead of the wailing and gnashing of your teeth, why not hold out a hand to him and help the inner soldier/protester come out and defeat the forces of evil we now so desperately face. Do we have any other choice? Yours, Michael Moore James C. Moore, Co-Author of "Bush's Brain" and an Expert on Karl Rove and Bush's National Guard Lies, Speculates on the CBS Memos---Are They True Fabrications?Men of Destiny “It is one thing to show a man that By James C. Moore, Co-Author of "Bush's Brain" and Author of "Bush's War for Reelection" Liars are not supposed to last. Eventually, their fabrications can be expected to collapse and all of the sickness they have spread is cured by truth and righteousness. Most of the time that’s what happens. But there is a new perception in the American political process and it is a threat to candidates and our democracy. Lying has become an acceptable tactic. And the immorality of lying is no longer a reason to dismiss it as an effective tool. When voters are not paying attention, lying works. But it still creates casualties and they are beginning to accumulate in the controversy surrounding CBS and the George W. Bush National Guard memos.
morganna, guido slipped me this information: why would morganna want to join the kerry administration when she's Empress of the Milky Way *****bhakti, i'm so j e a l o u s & proud***** just proves, ny is the center of the universe. Posted by: mike on September 20, 2004 10:40 PMFrom the WaPo today (you have to register) White House Estimates Show a $42 Billion Increase Over 10 Years, but Administration Officials Dispute That Isn't it just typical...the administration disputes itself! And people want to actually vote for these idiots??? Posted by: abilene on September 20, 2004 10:42 PM*REMEMBER BAGHDAD BOB---NOW WE HAVE BAGHDAD BUSH* Here are a few Baghdad Bob classics from the spring of 2003--- verbatim. See if you can imagine them coming out of the mouth of our president speaking to the press today. ***** "I will only answer reasonable questions." "No, I am not scared, and neither should you be." "Be assured: Baghdad is safe, protected." "We are in control, they are not in control of anything, they don't even control themselves!" "The battle is very fierce and God made us victorious." "They mock me for how I speak. I speak better English than they do." "I have detailed information about the situation...which completely proves that what they allege are illusions . . . They lie every day." "I blame Al-Jazeera." "I can assure you that those villains will recognize in the future how they are pretending things which have never taken place." "I would like to clarify a simple fact here: How can you lay siege to a whole country? Who is really under siege now?" "We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted." "Those are not Iraqis at all. Where did they bring them from?" "The American press is all about lies! All they tell is lies, lies and more lies!" "They are becoming hysterical. This is the result of frustration." "Just look carefully, I only want you to look carefully. Do not repeat the lies of liars. Do not become like them." "Search for the truth. I tell you things and I always ask you to verify what I say." "The United Nations...it is all their fault." "Even those who live on another planet, if there are such people, would condemn them." "This is unbiased: They are retreating on all fronts. Their effort is a subject of laughter throughout the world." "The force that was near the airport, this force was destroyed." "They are achieving nothing; they are suffering from casualties. Those casualties are increasing, not decreasing." "They think that by killing civilians and trying to distort the feelings of the people they will win." "Our estimates are that none of them will come out alive unless they surrender to us quickly." "They hold no place in Iraq. This is an illusion." "Once again, I blame al-Jazeera. Please, make sure of what you say and do not play such a role." "These cowards have no morals. They have no shame about lying." "You can go and visit those places. Everything is okay. They are not in Najaf. They are nowhere. They are on the moon." "Rumsfeld, he needs to be hit on the head." Posted by: KAP on September 20, 2004 10:48 PMhttp://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000071.html Key points from Mark Benjamin's article: -- Nearly 17,000 service members medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan are absent from public Pentagon casualty reports -- In addition to those evacuations, 32,684 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan now out of the military sought medical attention from the Department of Veterans Affairs -- The military has evacuated 16,765 individual service members from Iraq and Afghanistan for injuries and ailments not directly related to combat -- The Pentagon has reported 1,019 dead and 7,245 wounded from Iraq. And 27,571 of the veterans who have sought health care from the VA served in Iraq -- Among veterans from Iraq seeking help from the VA, 5,375 have been diagnosed with a mental problem, making it the third-leading diagnosis after bone problems and digestive problems. Among the mental problems were 800 soldiers who became psychotic. Posted by: abilene on September 20, 2004 10:57 PMMike, Come in Guido, Guido Roger: neocons are the most stupid bunch,I have ever come Mike, guido has absolutely the best connections. His picture of the Milky Way, what can I say, do thank him for sending it back to us. Posted by: Sally on September 20, 2004 11:34 PMJust finished the Raye Robertson article in TMA and found it quite objective. It's more about how GWB's chart reflects his need to be King/The Chosen One, and poses the question, will this country allow it? She paints a picture of him setting himself up for a power-grab. She uses his natal and progressed chart, the USA Sibley chart and Sibley chart progressed to election day. Here's an interesting quote: "At the election, Mars at 24 deg Libra (in Sibley 10th house) will energize the bureaucracy (the structure of gov't) around Libran issues (justice, civil rights, peace)as it applies to a square with trans Saturn (27 deg Cancer). Anger/frustration alert! Trans Saturn falls in the Sibley 8th, suggesting "hot button" deficit and fiscal policy issues. This square ties in to Bush's Saturn rx, indicating a potential for violence enhanced by: his progressed Sun conjoining his natal Mars; trans Mars conjunct his IC as a possible trigger (also trine Sibley Mars and sextile trans Pluto at the end of October); and Uranus transitting his 8th." Also: "The Pisces ingress discussed above could fuel this Second Coming mentality, just as Bush's Jupiter return could exploit the religious fervor. Tolkien paints a glorious portrait of a ruler, but King Elessar never presumes to be a savior. He leads the battles that distract Sauron's forces from the real saviors, Frodo and Sam, and he rightly accepts his crown from them." Her final words, "Watch out for the WND's: Weapons of Neptunian Distraction!" With all this Royalty Religious stuff and LOTR comparisons one forgets the other block buster movie of 2004, "The Passion of the Christ." Now that one gives pause for thought. Posted by: Shade on September 20, 2004 11:40 PMMike and Guido, graci. Don't do hurricanes rather prefer surfing the San Andreas in the Santa Cruz Mtns. Jamaica is in hurricane alley, and Bush hasn't left us any funds to help out our Island neighbors! Argh, now that'd be a hot job! Whoever posted the MM letter - Thanks! He sure clarified what I've been thinking about. I bet there are enough ticked-off people to watch the voting machines and keep them as honest as possible on Nov 2. He's sure right about the Repugs hammering away at the minds of the public so that they can't question like they need too. All the noise they make on TV and radio keeps the public in a stupor and I was letting it get to me too, sorry. I've decided to cut out my news listening until the election. Ha, just got to laugh at it all and sow seeds for the spring!
I think the idea of the goodness of the Clinton administration is poppycock. It was based on horrible excess and false hope. President Kerry was born for this moment. The entire world knows it and so will we. Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 12:41 AMteresa b, The lies and perjury of the Clinton Administration pale in comparison to ANYTHING committed by Bush Sr., Reagan and Bush Jr. Whatever respect and dignity left to the Presidency were long gone before Clinton got there. I'll take Clinton with his hummers and perjury over Le Deux Bush and Reagan ANY DAY!!! Besides, you're naive if you think Kerry (or anyone else) running for President will be able to restore honor and decency to the Presidency. We Americans take that away when over half of us would rather sit around and bitch about the Government than get off our asses and vote or hold our Representatives -- not just the President but those elected by us to represent us -- accountable for what they do. Kerry will be infinitely better than Bush, but doesn't have a Magic Wand to restore something to the Office it hasn't had in perhaps decades. Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 12:47 AMfurthermore, in view of your excess and false hope, take a look at the 80s and the excess prevalent in that decade. As for false hope, I'd rather the people struggling to pay their bills and feed their families (which more did historically under Clinton than ever before) have at the very least "false hope" than what they have right now ... no hope at all. Sorry for the rant, but your use of the word "poppycock" got me all riled up. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr ... (I'm also under the surprisingly harsh effects of TSaturn squaring my NVenus and, although forewarned, have no idea how to "handle" it. Eeek!!!!) Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 12:50 AMJust what I said a while back, J. "Kerry is making promises. We must hold him to their fulfillment" Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 12:52 AMI just think that our over-glorification of Clinton is dangerous. We can do better. Posted by: Teresa b on September 21, 2004 12:55 AMBut you are right,J. I just happen to be under the inflating effects of Pluto to my Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius in the ninth. Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 12:58 AMI would rather not glorify ronnie and shrub(both You think we can do better than the best President this country has seen perhaps since Roosevelt? Man, I would not want to be in Kerry's shoes. With criteria like that to meet, he's bound to disappoint. He's only a Man, after all, and one that is attempting to work in an incredibly Partisan Society and Culture. Not too mention that, despite his best intentions, he still has rapid, stupid, ignorant Republicans to work with who will be itching to shoot down anything he puts forward. Are we to blame Kerry for the Republican's obstinancy and stupidity when they won't pass through things he (and we, as a Nation) want? Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 01:02 AMMillions and millions of dollars of our tax dollars were spent by the neocons to investigate everything they might be able to hang on Clinton. He was accused of everything from murder of personal friends to fraud. In the end, all they got was a blue dress, and they destroyed the lives of everyone who stood in their way. Please. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 01:03 AM(and, again, I've got that TSaturn squaring my NVenus which is conjunct my Natal Saturn and ruler of my MC, so I'm not in the greatest of moods right now ... did I just mention I just crawled out from under the covers where I've been hiding all day? LOL) Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 01:04 AMOh, J..... and about your TSaturn on your Venus.. You can defy me. I think the idea that Kerry was born for this moment is ony in the minds of two people you and Kerry. I only intend to vote for him as a protest against a second bush admin. Kerry DID vote for the war and showed NO INGEGRITY in doing so. He was pandering for votes and if not then, he is just as delusional as bush. He talks about building a coalition of international partners; well, I've got news for him: there are no partners wiling to wade knee-deep in the s--t that we have created in Iraq. My next door neighboor has relatives in Paris and the word is that although they want Kerry to win they(the people) have no intention of agreeing to send their young to fight in the mess we've created. They will take to the streets in protest (no matter what their leaders may agree to)! So, Kerry will have to figure out a way to get us out of this mess without much iternational help. He didn't break it but WE'LL have to fix it on our own. We have lost our credibility with our allies. Frankly, he need to focus more on domestic issues where he might have more authority to rebutt the administration's non-existent success record. Posted by: Concerned Kerry Supporter on September 21, 2004 01:11 AMI'm sorry. But I couldn't stand Clinton's voice and phony country and western drawl. Just a personal thing. Nothing about his policies. Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 01:12 AMI apologize for the misspellings above. Posted by: on September 21, 2004 01:13 AMOne thing about international help. I believe security forces can be trained outside of Iraq. phony country and western drawl? he was from Arkansas, for God's sake!!! That's pretty much rock-solid South, right? Regarding the comments above about Kerry and the vote on Iraq, I implore you to read the FACTS. He voted to give Bush the option to go to War if diplomacy FAILED and only after continued Weapons Inspections. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this to get it through people who obviously don't know the facts and find it just easier to categorically blame Kerry for "voting for the war". Is Kerry to be held accountable if Bush lied and ignored diplomacy? For kicking the Weapons Ispectors out earlier than he promised he would? Bush was on his way to the UN to (hopefully) get more support. Is Kerry to blame for Bush's unwillingness to do that? And, trust me, no one is more delusional than Bush! As for getting help in Iraq, the people I spoke with while I was in Paris a couple months ago seemed to support helping us in Iraq under Kerry, but most certainly not under Bush. Ever! The chance of taking the burden of our troops and moving the financial burden (a little bit, at least) with International Help is far, far greater with Kerry than with Bush. In fact, that chance is downright non-existent with Bush. Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 01:22 AMSee you in a bit, O Wise Astroworlders. Thanks for the kick! Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 01:24 AMDon't forget that Bush promised the Leaders in the House and Senate that he was planning on allowing inspections to continue and to work hard to get an International Coalition. I don't believe Kerry is to blame if Bush did an about-face (big surprise there!) and did whatever in the H-E-double hockey sticks he wanted after he got the votes he needed. Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 01:25 AMHERE'S SOME ACTION TO TAKE NOW TO HELP OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
"The New York Daily News reported on September 15 that a key stipend designed to allow the family members of injured service-members will stop as of October 1 unless Congress takes immediate action. "TAKE ACTION Please call or write your Senators and Representatives today to ask them to take quick action to preserve this stipend. The men and women injured in the line of duty deserve the best our country can give them, and it is a crime that election year politics may interfere with their recovery."
Visit http://congress.org/congressorg/home/ to and enter your ZIP code to contact your representatives directly. http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/NewsArticle.cfm?ID=1999
The fact that Clinton was internationally loved, out foxed the neocons and remained in office despite having every card stacked against him, from a stacked court, legislature, and the FBI, is astounding. He will be hard to replace if we ever can. You don't need to use any of your energy to speak ill of either Clinton or Kerry. The neocons are going to do all that for you. If Demorats are stupid enough to buy any of their tactics, they might as well get their complimentary elephant pins, because it will be the only group left in this country. That is their plan, and they do think Democrats lack the stomach to stop them. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 01:30 AMJonathan, I am as fanatical about Clinton as you are, hopelessly biased in his favor, even more so after reading his book....I also saw the golden aura around him in 1991, and I also knew he would be president twice. If he coulda run again, he woulda beat the bush. Plus he has the best pair of hands I've ever seen on a man...sexy as hell. See....I am biased, I admit it..... Poppycock? Poppycock....Teresa B, I haven't had work other than enough to keep me barely afloat in 4 years....Poppycock doesn't play well with me, either, as it didn't with Jonathan....I did very well during the Clinton years (the internet bust had more to do with Venture Capitalists pouring money willynilly into any old internet company hoping for a hit, and Greenspan, and irrational exuberance in the stock market, than it did with Clinton fiscal policies, which were sound and gave us a SURPLUS)....if Kerry doesn't win, and Bushit claims his crown, I will be on the street with this economy....and probably, so will YOU. Teresa B., judgement on his morals is relative....you don't like him, but don't I recall that you live in the south where there is lots more judgement from fundamentalist types than there is in NYC or SF or LA? It is a DIFFERENT world in various parts of this country, as foreign as if we were really 4-5 different countries all in one, and we do see issues differently. The relentless hunting of Bill and Hillary was directly related to his choosing to run against Bush Sr. As I posted way back several articles from his book, he was warned by a Bush operative that they were going to get him....to me the crime is what Ken Starr perpetrated upon this country (and all the others, most of whom, like Robert Livingston and Newt and Henry Hyde and so many others did in their private lives never got the coverage that Clinton's did - some of these men did horrible things morally speaking)......they tried to destroy a sitting president for personal reasons......for the interrupted reign of King G the 1th....it wasn't supposed to happen, in their book....Clinton interrupted their plan of gaining control of this country for PNACs nefarious plan of making the USA a superpower.... Clinton was as fated to be Pres as any other president has....sobeit if B**h is also fated....it wakes all of us up in ways that Clinton was not fated to do. Or maybe....Bill was fated to wake up the rightwing! Which he sure as hell did....the law of unintended consequences. Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 01:32 AMRe: phony accents. Bush was born in Connecticut, and spent very little time in Texas until well into his 20's. And phoney in his case doesn't stop with the accent. It just starts there. I could say a whole lot more, but it would be bad for what little sense of tranquility I still possess. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 01:43 AMsally, those were guido's personal notes on the milky way, quite a guy. morganna, well if you in the santa cruz mtns., no need for jamaica (i used to spend summers in SC). i know guido said he was retiring but one last thing: Bhakti is: Education Director and General of the Meditation Revolution http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/autorank/hands_tara.jpg --------------------
We also know, from history that they all lied, most had mistresses or a stream of women, some were heavy drinkers, majority of them smoked something. Can we do better, I am absolutely sure of it, but a better person would have sense enough not to run for anything beyond a small town council, if that. Bush/Bush do seem to suffer from some of the same elitist entitlement beliefs of Adams/Adams, Wilson did too, so it's not just the Republicans, Whigs, or Democrats that appear to develop a sense of "better than" through politics, partly because we fawn over our party's candidate or our party's winner and pillor anyone running against the person we want. I was reading the morning paper and saw that one of our State Representatives were trying to introduce a bill that I thought to be stupid, but then I saw he was a Democrat and I caught myself (saying to myself) "well maybe this isn't such a bad idea." It left me with an uncomfortable feeling of only demanding accountability from the opposing party and made me think we have a ways to go before we can honestly get to the populace accountability of our total government. Anyway, I can say I find Kerry boring and Bush leaves me speechless, but I don't personally know either of them all I have to go on is what they've done in the past and Kerry seems to have conducted himself with a lot more integrity, honesty, compassion and authenticity than I see from Bush (from a public point of view, not private) I do know that I understand what Kerry is getting at in his speeches and I don't get what Bush is trying to say beyond movie lines. At any rate Jonathan I do agree that attaching our individual egos to "our party guy" is taking ourselves further down the rabbit hole than Alice. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 01:53 AMSally, thank you for yet another interesting article. I for one appreciate all the work you've laid down on writing such long and thought-provoking articles. I know how difficult it is to write: I write in my spare time and it's time-consuming and sometimes maddening. And they always seem to come when the threads are full!!! Many thanks. If our candidates are foundering, I'm not noticing. I put away my TV a long time ago because I got so tired of the screeching "news". Now, I get all my news from the Internet and it's much better. I think that so much of what is happening right now is just Barnum & Bailey circus stuff. It's cheap entertainment @Jerry Springer. Now Dan Rather is in more trouble. CBS is in trouble, and the public's eye is focused on them. It's all a smoke screen to divert us from the real issues: Bush has no record to run on. He's a miserable failure. The war in Iraq is escalating. They're doing everything they possibly can to divert the public's attention from the frightening reality they have driven us to. If you take a close look (like you can over at the DU), it's like everything is unraveling right before our eyes. These people are taking us right over the precipice. So I just shrug my shoulders and go on. Jonathan, I meant to ask you this before, but haven't seen you around for a bit. Did you know that the South of France was a hotbed of astrology for centuries? And still is, to some extent. Have you spent any time there? Judi....I second everything you said in last post. I'd give my right and left arms to have Clinton back as Pres. To me the sexist thing on earth is a genius intellect, and he has that and a lot more. (Kinda poor taste in mistresses tho, I fear! lol) Besides, he and Carter have been doing some really good things since he laeft office, too. This country owes him a huge debt of gratitude. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 01:54 AMJonathan, Thank you for your comments. If you defend this well with your head under the covers, wonder what you will do when you're feeling great?! Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 02:01 AMMy spelling has gone to hell. Make that "sexiest" and "left" in last post. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 02:04 AMMorgana, Some years back an American astronomer discovered a new galaxy. He had the right to name it and the name he choose was, "Snickers." When the reporters asked him why, he said, "Because, next to the Milky Way, it is just peanuts. This is a true story. Posted by: Barbara on September 21, 2004 02:09 AMSally, thank you so much for your last post. Oil on troubled waters! I think a lot of us are having some trouble staying calm lately. I can't wait for it to be Nov 3......or whatever later date decides who won. I'm a Scorpio, and I currently have Pluto opposite my Mars. Not a good thing for the temperament. Apologies to everyone if I lose it a bit. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 02:14 AMOh yes, I can vouch for Pluto contacats. I'm challenged with that as we speak. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 02:16 AMBarbara, great chuckle, best one I've had today. Judi if I recall correctly (which is possibly wrong), but have heard that the South of France is where Mary Magdelene (Black Madonna) settled after the crucifixion of the Jesus. The book I recall is the Templar Revelations and had quite a bit of detail about the early Christian movement (vastly different that what we have today). So the South of France is a hotbed of astrologers great! We are an endangered species in America! Judi I agree the Peoples around our country are vastly different, from language to lifestyles. Posted by: Morgana on September 21, 2004 02:18 AM
The film's prevalence is one sign of a discernible countercurrent among US troops in Iraq - those who blame President Bush for entangling them in what they see as a misguided war. Conventional wisdom holds that the troops are staunchly pro-Bush, and many are. But bitterness over long, dangerous deployments is producing, at a minimum, pockets of support for Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry, in part because he's seen as likely to withdraw American forces from Iraq more quickly. "[For] 9 out of 10 of the people I talk to, it wouldn't matter who ran against Bush - they'd vote for them," said a US soldier in the southern city of Najaf, seeking out a reporter to make his views known. "People are so fed up with Iraq, and fed up with Bush." http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/9/20/203311/594 Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 02:18 AMThanks for the compliments, everyone. Just finished watching Kerry's speech on C-SPAN and the influence of the "Clinton People" was very much in evidence. He's now speaking in a way the American People can understand: repeating a phrase pr an idea throughout a speech again and again and again and again. Almost to the point where the thought, phrase or idea becomes subliminal. And the message? A couple of them, actually: 1) More of the same with George Bush, a different direction with Kerry and, more importantly, 2) Bush cannot be trusted. If he keeps hitting these ideas over the head, the public will warm up to him. And if he's HALF as tough on Bush during the debates as he has been in the Speeches, including tonight's, that I've seen, poor ol' Bush doesn't have a chance. Can you imagine that poor man having his delusional bubble popped on National TV and being backed into a corner where a funny quip or a tired line used dozens of times before won't suffice? Kerry might actually embarass Bush with the truth and make Bush answer a tough question! Imagine that. And I don't think Bush is the type of guy that appreciates being humiliated or -- God forbid -- asked tough questions on national tv LIVE. His anger shows too easily in his face and I think Kerry really, really gets under his skin. Popcorn, anyone? :-) Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 02:21 AM
Thank you for a good laugh. I needed that. :-) These "contacats" are not any fun, that's for sure! Do you suppose we can blame Pluto for our soelling , as well? I'm tempted. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 02:26 AMI've always worked on the premise that it's a very good idea to go straight to the horses orals to find out what a politician running for prez actually said... pundits are not credible. When I go to transcribed material of the words of bushaAWOLdeserter... alas, I find bushaholic lunacy. When I go to transcribed material of President Kerry, I find the words of a resonable, thotful, highly-intelligent human becoming. I like that better. Many in this country nurture & support literal psychopaths, who don't think out ANY of their actions. They DO NOT CAEE about the affects of their behaviors/actions except what benefits themselves personally... even then it's "iffy." Highest praise is: "Oh, he's a decisive leader... a man of action, asks questions later... an aaaanie." Hahahaaaa. Whadda GOOD JOKE. A psychopath NEVER asks questions later... doesn't even enter its mindless mind. I'll take a thotful human becoming any ol' day. Even the sheeple will benefit since they will generally act from wherever the wind blows. Then, of course, we'll all benefit. Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 02:33 AMInteresting that someone above mentioned Astrology in the South of France. While I was in Paris, I was sitting at a cafe (because that's what one DOES in Paris, you know) and noticed that a table or two away from me two women were speaking in rapid French while looking at a piece of paper. Admittedly, my grasp of the French language is nowhere near the "rapid" stage, but I tried to eavesdrop (discreetly) as best as I could (I was bored!) and, after hearing a few buzzwords, thought they might be discussing Astrology. And then, sure enough, the paper they were looking at was a chart! Even in NYC, I rarely ever see that. Discussions about one's chart and the astrology inherent therein is best left to the dark confines of apartments on the Upper West Side or down here in the Village and CERTAINLY NOT in the glaring midday sun of a sidewalk cafe! Try that and you might get thumped on the head with a Bible! Even in NYC!! (sigh) I love France. :-) Oh! Add to that the adorable older French lady sitting with her small dog at a table at La Souffle on the Right Bank reading a dog-eared copy of a Liz Greene book ... again, in French, so I couldn't translate the title. Yeah, we here in America tend to be a bit backwards sometimes. :-) Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 02:35 AMTeg, Pluto, second only to Saturn, or maybe not, can be blamed for everyting. It's an experience, and a demanding one. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 02:35 AMTeg and Pat, yes that'll work, we'll blame Pluto, Saturn (thankfully is off me!). I can blame t pluto 19 sag trine my n. pluto 19 leo 6th h cusp with t venus conj it! One thing I would hope some people notice (but probably not) the Dems don't seem to know how to out-dirty the dirty politics of the Republicans who have become absolutely slimy over the last 25 years, I consider that a plus in a person. A decent person would be just where Kerry and Edwards are, not knowing how to respond to the slap shots taken at them. The fact thay have to hire consultants to help them slam back speaks well of their character and speaks well of good breeding, not something we can attribute to the other side, whose breeding seems to have been from streets of Larado. Anything goes. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 02:38 AMI think I had a number of past lives in the South of France....! Maybe really early...painting cave walls at Lasceaux? I think the Dan Brown book The DaVinci Code mentions that Mary Magdalene lived in the S of Fr..... I got pretty upset with Teresa B's attitude towards Clinton, but I also got upset with my best friend, a very intelligent writer who said the same things....when I mentioned that Clinton was warned that they would use any means to bring him down, she said....that's what I mean, he was "walking while stupid" (with Monica....) Well, no....both of those attitudes are about blaming the victim, something women need to be really aware of...."she was raped because she wore short skirts" sums it up. Jonathan, the French are pretty astute....and my writer friend who is walking thru England summed it up nicely....he couldn't IMAGINE that the press here would say the things about Bush that the press says in England about Blair! And geez, my friend wrote once upon a time for the National Enquirer! Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 02:40 AMI am thrilled to be USA Education Director. I promise to be a voice to Leave No Child Behind, not Leave All Child's Behinds. My take on Kerry is he just a man, not Big Daddy or a god or mythic hero. He's just a human being, he's a bit fragile in person , he's real. I think that TV distorts humans to be so larger than life that we focus on that image like a diety. So weird. Third eyeing Kerry I kept thinking how brave this person was to taken on the Hydra-Monster, the BFEE Bush Family Evil Empire. For that we must send this brave yet fragile human being alot of light. But more than that , stop whining and hoping and moping and getting depressed and help this dude fight the good fight. He cannot do it alone. Take action, that's always a good remedy for depression. I learned in my yoga studies that many saints in India were just the most eccentric characters. There was Nityananda who that would throw rocks at people transmiting the awakening energies into their bodies. Our 'old time religions' have it all wrong. It ain't about the ALL GOOD, no such thing, we live in the realm of duality. Michael Moore throws rocks and awakens, he teaches us how to hold the awakened energy to full liberation. He's a saint. Posted by: bhakti on September 21, 2004 02:40 AMNot only that, Jonathan... but bushaholic has a thing about its "heighth," which is about 5'7" or 8". President Kerry is 6'4". Bushabigbaby will demand, & probably get, a spot behind the podium where there's a taaall footstool... from off which it'll not venture. ;O) Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 02:43 AMMorgana (((hug))). Clinton is a national hero in my eyes, with the exception of NAFTA. Sally, you are a wonderful hostess, and I thank you for this site. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 02:46 AMGreat article as usual Sally!!! I hope your brilliance is never taken for granted!!! You guys have been making me smile all day, with the antics of Guido and the galaxy named Snickers!!! Keep it up!!! The humorless are easily defeated!!! Just wanted to post another TRUTH here: the Prez himself will be on CBS "Late Show With David Letterman" tonight, 11:35 EDT. Let's all watch if we can and show the SCUM (love that one too!!!)what we REALLY want to see on tv---a positive unifying message from a briliant man (sprinkled with humor, of course). white light to all, purple and blue over America, peace and love to all beings present and in spirit, and above all spread the TRUTH whenever possible..... Jonathan, my ex works in NYC, lives in Yonkers....I was on the phone with him when my computer froze up and crashed....and talkin' astrology as usual (I figure years of talking about it gets thru the thickest heads)....his late wife was from Paris, and I sent him your post, I hope you don't mind....someday, I hope to blow this US popstand for a visit to Paris and London...hopefully before WWIII is set off by these neocon fascist assholes. Morgannnnnna....I'm in the flats of SSF....behind the Golden Gate Regional Cemetery .....no mountains.....but at least its SF bay area! Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 02:48 AMThe American Hostage, Eugene Armstrong was beheaded. Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 02:52 AMJudi, you're in Colma the city of the dead off 280, 587 "live" people ? I catch BART there when I actually have to do face time in the Financial District. That's also the general vicinity where the San Andreas jumps backout into the ocean. Fascinating energies. Posted by: Morgana on September 21, 2004 02:56 AMJoannaOregon, I hope and pray that Bush gets a tall footstool during the debates. Imagine people's reactions when they hear THAT bit of news over the Net. And even better if there could be a picture! Now if he could get a Ferrari, that'd be the icing on the cake! A red one! My guess is that BelzeeBush will try to get them seated behind a desk. Height is then a non-issue and he has something to latch (without obviously gripping a podium and showing white knuckles) or lean onto that will help him feel secure. Since he can't bring his pillow with him to the debates, this'll have to suffice, I guess. And, re: the French being astute, I just think that since the attitude about education is so different in Europe than it is here in the States (they have one, we usually don't), they tend to THINK about things a bit more and DISCUSS them with their friends and, sometimes, adversaries. If you look at the most popular shows in each Country, over here in the States we have Springer and Oprah where people discuss their feelings (Oprah) and throw chairs and air their oftentimes disgustingly dirty laundry (Springer). In France, for instance, the most popular shows usually involve authors getting together to discuss with each other their books ... with a studio audience attentively listening and occasionally applauding! Can you imagine a show like that even getting the Green Light here in the States? It's not good or bad ... it's just a different attitude and a different experience. Over here, we tend to be fascinated by Labels (Gucci, Armani, etc.) and how MUCH of a thing you "own". While over there, they seem to be fascinated by Ideas and Philosophies and if you have Armani on, well, okay, but what do you THINK? What are the beliefs that drive you into your decisions? And why? Kinda neat. I suspect their intellectual curiosity drives them to investigate things like astrology. They may not "buy into it" wholesale, but they're open to it being a valid source to get guidance from. I think I've pontificated enough for the night. I now offer my creaky soap box to the next brave soul who chooses to stand on it and hold forth great thoughts and ideas. :-) Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 02:59 AMOur Island neighbor's have received some help and it wasn't us... OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada will donate one million dollars (770,000 US dollars) to Caribbean nations violently struck by Hurricane Ivan, the foreign ministry said.
Not brave enough to stand on Jonathan's soapbox (smile) but thought this article was worth noting here: LOSING OUR HUMANITY - http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0920-12.htm Good thoughts and ideas in this one. Posted by: Siobhan on September 21, 2004 03:29 AMTHE DONKEY Ohh, Joanna, Vice President Edwards is coming to South Carolina Wednesday... hoping to be able to go see him! He speaks in Columbia at 4:30 --- equinox --- what a way to change the season, bring in the fall [of aWol!] --- Jill, I will have a little ceremony before driving up and I'll be sure and light a candle... Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 03:30 AMYou're right, Jo... it'd fall off onna floor boards... where the rain just happened. ;O) Mebbe it will wear a pair of frankenstein's shoes... all day-glo green... hahaaa with pink n' baby blue laces... alla way up 'round its neck... under the duck lips. WhaddaHOOT! Equinox Edwards. Nice ring to it. Very nice. Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 03:39 AMJoanna, You crack me up! Wonder story about the donkey... Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 03:47 AMSobering article Siobhan and Gerry thanks for the heads up on Kerry appearing on Letterman. It felt good to have Kerry come out and kick butt today, wonder if it felt good for his team, hope so. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 03:56 AMJoanna, so wise & funny! Re the moral of the donkey story, I can go along with it except for #1: feel hatred--forgive. My deal would be, feel hatred--feel indifference. Also, re Bush's height--I think of a dear male friend who told me in 2000 that Gore would win because the tallest guy always wins. (Well, Gore did win really, but didn't receive the office.) Anyhow, I told my friend (who is a short guy and as manly as they come) "Yeah, Bush is shorter but remember he is standing on a tall stack of money." Posted by: Barbara on September 21, 2004 04:04 AMFantastic Article Sally!! I'm beginning to think Kerry will win. It seems to me the air has changed - like Sally said it would. I think it looked like Bush would win - and then people started to think about what that would actually mean - and now they're going - No Way!!! Republican Senators like McCain are openly criticizing Bush. I'm from Indiana - and Lugar is one of our Senators: Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar says the failure of the administration to spend more than about five per cent of the $US18-billion Congress had allocated for reconstruction amounted to incompetence. He has never totally followed the party line - a typical Hoosier contrarian - but I think it is a big sign. P.S. - If we were going to have a King - I'd want King Bill. I graduated from college during Reagan -and couldn't find much of a job until 1992. Then 1992-2000 was such a fantastic time for me. The sky seemed to be the limit. Crime was down. Employment Up. Lately it has been so horrible! But I think I can feel the energy changing. Posted by: SuzieLiberal on September 21, 2004 04:10 AMI think you're right, too, Barbara... glad I didn't write it & just passed it on. ;O) Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 04:10 AMJonathan.......when you feel homesick for Paris, watch Bouillon de Culture. It will also help your French I recall reading a book by a war correspondent during VietNam. He spent a lot of time in the company of Eurpean reporters and he said the most interesting thing was that the American reporters always wanted to know WHAT had happened. The French reporters always wanted to know WHY. Posted by: Teg on September 21, 2004 04:14 AMMebbe we're all finally getting some help from jupiter... it passed into 0 degrees Sag today. ;O) Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 04:14 AMOhps! Make that "passed into Libra"... either one would do imo. Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 21, 2004 04:17 AMVery prophetic words. I find the description of the world as being in the middle of a nervous breakdown very true. In thinking about how to break out of this spiral of descent, think about when your life was in crisis, and what it took for you to transform your life and move in a more positive direction. That's what this country needs. That's what this world needs. Posted by: Dave on September 21, 2004 04:30 AMok, i'm calm now. guido talked me down. i went to b/n for a few minutes and read the article about royalty in the us. it is so silly, it's sad...truly sad. i think she actually believes it. she's british so it might make sense to her (although the scots and welch are ready to leave GB just as soon as they can). in the same issue, the article on vedic astrology by a ms. sutton, also from britain was great. in the *vedic* system, kerry's jupiter is conjunct his natal MH in Virgo (within a few minutes) on the day of the election. that's easy enough for even shylurker and me - expansive possibilities for service and enlightenment of others related to career...happening in a really big way related to career (MH). wonder what that could be for a really positive person running for president. morganna, great story, loved the end. the donkey will prevail! Posted by: mike on September 21, 2004 04:30 AMIt's Tuesday again. James Carroll speaks!!! --- JAMES CARROLL By James Carroll, Globe Columnist | September 21, 2004 THE WAR IN IRAQ goes from worse to catastrophic. Hundreds of Iraqis were killed last week, as were two dozen US soldiers. Planned elections in January point less to democracy than civil war. Kidnapping has become a weapon of terror on the ground, matching the terror of US air attacks. An American "take-back" offensive threatens to escalate the violence immeasurably. The secretary general of the United Nations pronounced the American war illegal. In the United States, an uneasy electorate keeps its distance from all of this. Polls show that most Americans maintain faith in the Bush administration's handling of the war, while others greet reports of the disasters more with resignation than passionate opposition. To the mounting horror of the world, the United States of America is relentlessly bringing about the systematic destruction of a small, unthreatening nation for no good reason. Why has this not gripped the conscience of this country? The answer goes beyond Bush to the 60-year history of an accidental readiness to destroy the earth, a legacy with which we Americans have yet to reckon. The punitive terror bombing that marked the end of World War II hardly registered with us. Then we passively accepted our government's mad embrace of thermonuclear weapons. While we demonized our Soviet enemy, we hardly noticed that almost every major escalation of the arms race was initiated by our side -- a race that would still be running if Mikhail Gorbachev had not dropped out of it. In 1968, we elected Richard Nixon to end the war in Vietnam, then blithely acquiesced when he kept it going for years more. When Ronald Reagan made a joke of wiping out Moscow, we gathered a million strong to demand a nuclear "freeze," but then accepted the promise of "reduction," and took no offense when the promise was broken. We did not think it odd that America's immediate response to the nonviolent fall of the Berlin Wall was an invasion of Panama. We celebrated the first Gulf War uncritically, even though that display of unchecked American power made Iran and North Korea redouble efforts to build a nuclear weapon, while prompting Osama bin Laden's jihad. The Clinton administration affirmed the permanence of American nukes as a "hedge" against unnamed fears, and we accepted it. We shrugged when the US Senate refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, with predictable results in India and Pakistan. We bought the expansion of NATO, the abrogation of the ABM Treaty, the embrace of National Missile Defense -- all measures that inevitably pushed other nations toward defensive escalation. The war policy of George W. Bush -- "preventive war," unilateralism, contempt for Geneva -- breaks with tradition, but there is nothing new about the American population's refusal to face what is being done in our name. This is a sad, old story. It leaves us ill-equipped to deal with a pointless, illegal war. The Bush war in Iraq, in fact, is only the latest in a chain of irresponsible acts of a warrior government, going back to the firebombing of Tokyo. In comparison to that, the fire from our helicopter gunships above the cities of Iraq this week is benign. Is that why we take no offense? Something deeply shameful has us in its grip. We carefully nurture a spirit of detachment toward the wars we pay for. But that means we cloak ourselves in cold indifference to the unnecessary suffering of others -- even when we cause it. We don't look at any of this directly because the consequent guilt would violate our sense of ourselves as nice people. Meaning no harm, how could we inflict such harm? In this political season, the momentous issue of American-sponsored death is an inch below the surface, not quite hidden -- making the election a matter of transcendent importance. George W. Bush is proud of the disgraceful history that has paralyzed the national conscience on the question of war. He does not recognize it for what it is -- an American Tragedy. The American tragedy. John Kerry, by contrast, is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative. We see that reflected in the complexity not only of his responses, but of his character -- and no wonder it puts people off. Kerry's problem, so far unresolved, is how to tell us what we cannot bear to know about ourselves. How to tell us the truth of our great moral squandering. The truth of what we are doing today in Iraq. James Carroll's column appears regularly in the Globe. His most recent book is "Crusade: Chronicles of an Unjust War." Posted by: Dave on September 21, 2004 05:30 AMJupiter: Not quite there Joanna, the Sun moves into Libra on the 22, Jupiter on the 24, and Mars on the 25. Right now Jupiter and Sun are hovering around the 29 degrees of Virgo opposite the Iraq war chart Sun at 29 degrees of Pisces. This is not going to be a good week for Iraq or for the hostages they've taken. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 05:40 AMKerry making a comeback???? http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=9474 Posted by: Lawrence the LEO on September 21, 2004 06:11 AMMorgana, I am in So San Francisco, not Colma....although maybe I should contemplate it. Colma gives free broadband cable service to ALL of its residents....thanks to all the taxes paid by the cemetery residents! I'm closer to the new Tanforan/San Bruno station ..... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 06:42 AMI posted earlier, and it is, of course, all over the news, that an American hostage was beheaded. Same way as the others. Sally, looks to me like the energy of Mars,Sun, Jupiter at 26,27,28 Virgo and (most likely) the Moon conjuncting Pluto in that evil degree 19 Sag in an applying square (although I don't know the exact time this happened) and of course with the aspect of opposition to the Iraqi Sun at 29 Pisces set up a nasty energy indeed. And in spite of all my current dislike of our Pravda, I turn on the tv and every spin is about how Kerry is playing the weak man in the political playground....or as Aaron Brown said, playing right into Bush's wheelhouse on Iraq.....and right after that I flip the channel and whatever news show was on the next channel has a guest! The wife of the OTHER American hostage! Is EVERYTHING for sale now ? I do believe that I live in a parallel universe (don't know about the rest of you...I might be just talking to myself !)...because THAT universe is where Alice fell down the rabbit hole. Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 06:58 AMI am also wondering what difference it makes to any of us, really, if it looks like one or the other of the candidates is winning....it ain't over until the fat lady sings on Nov 2....I don't think it matters a bit what we THINK about it.... So, as Bakhti said, send lots of good blue light out to our candidate....the Fates are weaving the story, so lets give them lots of good light to see their work by..... And send blessings to all the victims here and abroad who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for being at the effect of a country so disconnected from its real higher purpose that, as James Carroll so correctly wrote, we shrug off all the evil we have endorsed.... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 07:14 AMI have had a migraine headache for two days and tonight I turned on Letterman, Kerry was on and my headache completely left. He was great and the audience gave him thunderous applause, seemed to even surprise Letterman. Kerry was articulate, credible, on target, he was great. Then I turned on CNN and felt the headache coming back decided to bask in the glow Letterman's show left Kerry. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 07:15 AMSally, did you get my question about the headaches? I got 3 big ones (I NEVER get headaches) over the last 10 days....but I am so pleased that you got at least a LITTLE relieft! I can see the testimonial commercial now: Prominent Astrologer testifys that candidate Kerry COMPLETELY cured her migraine headache! You, too, can be migraine free if you vote for Kerry! However, if you vote that other candidate in again, you will ALL have severe migraines which will last for the next 4 years.... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 07:21 AM
Poppycock alert!!! I stand corrected. Just a silly personal thing. The Libra stellium is about to bump my Mars in Libra, and I have been known to jump the gun. Peace...... ..for the moment Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 12:34 PMToday is the official opening of The Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC at 1:00 pm EDT. Because of space, it is the last museum to have a place on the Mall in Washington. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 01:21 PMSally- Thank you Dave for the James Carroll piece. I've been really staying away from the tv set. What I hear about it, I read, from this site, from the DU. That's enough. Guess I am missing the attempted 'take down' of CBS and Dan Rather. I only hope the coming full moon will somehow reconcile/redeem what this new moon in Virgo symbolized. I am flabbergasted that the attention went to the documents and not the story. Totally amazing. I think back to when I was 12 yrs old and becoming aware of the world at large. One of the ways I was doing this, was by reading and looking at the photos in Life and Look magazines. As a child, you begin to realize that this wasn't a safe world. In Jr Hi, we had a teacher that showed us the films of the Nazi concentration camps. That was an eye opener which I never forgot. Through it all Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite provided a sane and calming voice. The media now is a strange place. Not to revel in the 'gory' facts of life, but when it is a crime to even show a flag draped casket, something is majorly askew. Trans Pluto now in the USA (Sibley) first house and opposing USA Mars. Sigh, one sees the clamp down, the resistance to all that Pluto is relentlessly dredging up. Thing is, it will go on dredging it up, and on and on til this country is turned inside out. Anyone who has ever gone thru a major Pluto transit on a personal level knows what I mean. In case anyone missed this and is interested, William Rivers Pitt has a wonderful piece over on the DU, called, "Your Media is Killing You." Posted by: Shade on September 21, 2004 01:54 PMKerry's Top Ten List from "Late Show" last night....... http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KERRY_LETTERMAN?SITE=PAPIT&TEMPLATE=home.htm Posted by: Garry on September 21, 2004 02:01 PMBetter link to Pitt piece here. http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/092104A.shtml Posted by: Shade on September 21, 2004 02:11 PMhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37081-2004Sep20.html What Is Bush Hiding? It is to be welcomed that President Bush wants to clear up questions about his National Guard service. He wants more details out there, and good for him. This story should be laid to rest, and the one person who can do it is named George W. Bush. Up to now, Bush has been interested in a rather narrow aspect of the story. He wanted Dan Rather and CBS News to come clean about whether they used fake documents in reporting on the president's Guard service back in the 1970s. "There are a lot of questions and they need to be answered," Bush told the Union Leader in Manchester, N.H., last week. "I think what needs to happen is people need to take a look at the documents, how they were created, and let the truth come out." I couldn't agree more. And apparently CBS came to the same view. CBS messed up, and yesterday, Rather fessed up. He said the network could no longer stand behind the documents. There will be much hand-wringing about the media in the coming days, and properly so. But what's good for Dan Rather, who is not running for president, ought to be good for George Bush, who is. "There are a lot of questions and they need to be answered." Surely that presidential sentiment applies as much to Bush's Guard service as to Rather's journalistic methods. The New York Times put the relevant questions on the table yesterday in a lengthy review of Bush's life in 1972, "the year George W. Bush dropped off the radar screen," as the Times called it. The issues about Bush's National Guard service, the Times wrote, include "why he failed to take his pilot's physical and whether he fulfilled his commitment to the guard." Oh, I can hear the groaning: "But why are we still talking about Vietnam?" A fair question that has several compelling answers. First, except for John McCain, Republicans were conspicuously happy to have a front group spread untruths about John Kerry's Vietnam service in August and watch as the misleading claims were amplified by the supposedly liberal media. The Vietnam era was relevant as long as it could be used to raise character questions about Kerry. But as soon as the questioning turned to Bush's character, we were supposed to call the whole thing off. Why? Because the media were supposed to question Kerry's character but not Bush's. And, please, none of this nonsense about how Kerry "opened the door" to the assault on his Vietnam years by highlighting his service at the Democratic National Convention. Nothing any candidate does should ever be seen as "opening the door" to lies about his past. Besides, Vietnam veterans with Republican ties were going after Kerry's war record long before the Democratic convention. But, most important, there is only one reason the story about Bush's choices during the Vietnam years persists. It's because the president won't give detailed answers to the direct questions posed by the Times story and other responsible media organizations, including the Boston Globe. Their questions never depended on the discredited CBS documents. Bush could end this story now so we could get to the real issues of 2004. It would require only that the president take an hour or so with reporters to make clear what he did and did not do in the Guard. He may have had good reasons for ducking that physical exam. Surely he can explain the gaps in his service and tell us honestly whether any pull was used to get him into the Guard. More.... Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 02:38 PMDont know if anyone noticed it yesterday but Kerry gave a huge speech attacking Bush over his policys on the war in Iraq.check this out at I submit that this speech was and is as important a watershed in american political debate as was his speech to congress in 1971. Once again he has given voice to what we all know to be wrong about American foreign policy when we try to conquer and make war to satisfy our own disoriented world view. Has anoyne noticed that at the time he will be inauguratted the moon will be at nine degrees Gemini? Why is this important? it is the degree his progressed mars is in and just off his natal mars at ten degrees Gemini. It is odd but providence has given us John kerry to help wake Americans up about their own war like nature and how that needs to mature.As Kerrys progressed mars returns to his natal mars in 2005 he will be completing his myth like saga with mars as the archtype that leads to his being able to change the consciouness of this country and to some extent the world as well. On another topic important to us all on At his convention speech it was conjunct his natal Pluto North node postion and trine his progressed midheaven. Mercruy and Jupiter will be almost on his midheaven and conjunct his natal Neptune. It might be added that Sun Mercury Jupiter and Mars are all going to be in a trine to his Mars Uranus conjunction indicating that this is the time for him to bring about the Uranian change of consciousness that his chart indicates he will be involved with in this life time. This is a time when people and especially the US will start to feel more hopeful and I think it will be beecause they are begining to see in him as the leader that can lead then out of our current morass. If I have the time right for the begining of the debtae on Septmber 30th the ascendent at 26 aries will be within one degree of ttine to kerrys natal Jupiter, and Venus at 26 Leo will be within one degree of being conjunct his natal Jupiter. As the debate will be about foreign policy and his natal Jupiter is in the ninth house of foreign policy his message of how to bring about peace should be given traction by the favor able aspects of venus and his natal Jupiter to the the ascendent of the debate chart. I have done the chart for 8:00p EDT time Coral Gables Florida. With Venus and kerrys Jupiter trine the ascendent as the debate begins it is hard to see how what he said in his yesterdays speech that I have linked via the NYtimes article should not resonate with the American public. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_09/004718.php The Ownership Society Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 02:48 PMTitie of article you should click on at http://nytimes.com Correction, the Museum will officially open at Noon according to C-Span. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 03:02 PMI really think the tide is shifting! On http://www.electoral-vote.com Bush has been over the needed 270 for quite a while. Yesterday the score was: Bush 327 Kerry 239. Today the score is Bush 256 and Kerry 239 with 43 electoral votes in an exact tie. Pennsylvania is back in the Kerry column. The new numbers may be due to the fact the battleground states are mostly Zogby polls, which from what I understand don't overweight Republicians. However - the polls are coming in quickly - and the numbers seem really volatile. Personally - I think even a lot of established Republicians don't want Bush for another 4 years. You hear more middle-of-the-road Republicians complaining about how the party has been hijacked by the neo-cons and super-right wing fanatics. I think of lot of that change can be attributed to the media and people like Rush Limbaugh, etc. I recently read an article (posted here?) that famous Republicians like Lincoln and Teddy Rooselvelt warned against the growing power of corporations and how it could ruin the goverment of the US. Basically warning against the facism we have now. In my mind - this country is so much better than Bush. I lived in Europe for 2 years, and I think we have a much stronger sense of freedom of speech, and certain other freedoms over here. In my mind we are much more individualistic in the US. Of course - freedom of speech has eroded quite a bit in the last few years. Which is why we have to fight to get our country back! Our founding fathers were so bright and forward thinking. The constitution is such a great plan for goverment. This is the country of Henry David Thoreau and (my favorite - Steve Jobs) and so many other great thinkers. I know the US has always had BIG flaws. But - this is still a fantastic country - and it is so much better than Bush! I don't want to let the neo-cons redefine patriotism. I am a HUGE patriot. My ancestors fought for this country against the British. I've had many chances to leave the US - and I choose to live here. The current admisistration is facist, certainly not American, and they may even be a bad example of Republicans!! We need a leader to show the world America's good side. I'm done with my rant now. Posted by: SuzieLiberal on September 21, 2004 03:10 PMChas, very uplifting astrology, and Susie, rant on. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 03:37 PMSuzie, Eisenhower spoke out against the military-industrial complex very strongly in the '50s. Posted by: shylurker on September 21, 2004 03:39 PMA little something for those worried about the polls: __Right Wing Poll Skewing: The Same Thing Happened in France in 2002 Back in the run up to the final election in which Chirac faced rightwing warmonger Le Pen, polls proved to be so far off that the polling companies were taken to court, "The polls were such a massive turnoff, so consistently certain that the second round run-off would be between Mr Chirac and Mr Jospin, that few bothered to vote," a result that allowed a near-Neo Nazi to make it to the final run off. And even before the final run off, the polls were off, with some showing Le Pen with 25% on the eve of the vote - he actually got 17.9%, with Chirac wining 82% - thanks to the massive turnout of young people. But in France, as in the US, the rightwingers, for whatever reason, end up being overrepresented in polls - by hook or by crook http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,709718,00.html. Posted by: Lucy on September 21, 2004 03:46 PMDon't miss Joshua Micah Marshall on David Brooks' (read: Smirky's) attempt to subvert Kerry's speech of yesterday. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com Posted by: shylurker on September 21, 2004 03:55 PMgreat talking points, this is well worth the read: A Day in the Life of Joe Republican Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His meds are safe because some stupid commie liberal fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry decades before. In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside & takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor. Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays, vacation and an 8 hour day because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. It's noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoyed throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have." The House has approved the nomination of Porter Goss as new CIA director. It now goes the the Senate for the final vote. Sigh. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 04:24 PMAt times, I am capable of being a stubborn, hard-headed individual, and this is not always a negative trait. Claudia’s article included a checklist of 14 marks of Fascism, which I found to be valuable information. For the most part though, the article, to my mind, was cast in a net of hopelessness, a state which this being finds unacceptable. John Kerry has said that ‘hope is on the way’ — that is a good thing, for those without ‘hope’... but my being carries ‘hope’ with it, always... as it is of a stubborn nature. Moreover, as I study astrology and have a high regard for it as a tool, I do not see it as a means of ‘prediction’... only as a tool to discern opportunities and obstacles... in search of awareness. Furthermore, my being subscribes to the notion we are indeed all One... al-One or all One... therefore, if such is the case, any action no matter how minuscule, by no matter how few, will affect the whole or the One... life is not a static process... we are in constant movement, flux. No one can tell us what Nov. 2 or 3 will bring. If indeed it does not bring the result I ‘hope’ for... I will nonetheless, continue to ‘hope’ for the resolution of this dis-ease moving within the people of this country identified by some as ‘fascism’... [certainly not the only dis-ease we as a country have, but a fatal one insofar as democracy and our way of life is concerned]... and I will continue to work to eradicate this cancer in whatever way presents itself. Meanwhile, I choose not to accept any fore-telling of the outcome of Nov. 2 or 3, whether it be for President Kerry or Mr. Bush... but I will instead continue to send light, to meditate and to take action and ‘hope’ and ‘hope’ and ‘hope’ that President Kerry will raise his hand on January 20 and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States... and thereafter begin the process of restoration of our democracy. Claudia’s words should send a signal to those ‘who have ears to hear’ that this dis-ease, this fascism is growing. Awareness, being conscious... is critical... imho. Those wishing to gain more knowledge about fascism might want to take a look at the following. http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Society/Fascism_WLaquer.html Excerpt from lengthy read: “Terror has been used as a political instrument from time immemorial. The terror of fascism differs from that of other dictatorships not just because it applied terror on such a massive scale, but because it combined the use of terror with widespread, all-pervasive propaganda... Propaganda, as Hitler envisioned it, consisted of making a few points exclusively for mass consumption and then endlessly repeating them. The masses as Hitler and Goebbels his most gifted assistant, saw it, were slow and lazy; their memories were weak; and they reacted only to the thousand-fold repetition of the simplest ideas. Furthermore, they were "feminine" in their activities and thought and were motivated by emotion rather than by reason. There was no room for NUANCE or interpretation. Propaganda had to be positive or negative, based on love or hatred. There could be only right or wrong; and so the ability to see two sides of a question was the very ANTITHESIS of propaganda.” [upper case is my edit... Jo] Mike, Thank you thank you thank you for posting that Joe Republican piece. So true and so well said! Got to go now so I can forward it far and wide. Posted by: Barbara on September 21, 2004 05:04 PMI agree, Chas, about Kerry's speech. The antiwarrior has arrived. I think the fact that he has experienced war firsthand is crucial. Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 05:16 PMJo, thank you for such a wonderful post. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 05:19 PMhttp://www.tompaine.com/opinion/#001955 Time For A Checkup How is it that the richest nation in the world can barely meet the health benchmarks set by former Soviet Union countries? It's all about averages, says Merrill Goozner of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. There's a huge race- and class-based health care disparity in the United States. And it's a problem that's going to take more than promises of universal health care to solve.
The Department of Justice has detained more than 5,000 individuals since 9/11. With the reversal of the convictions in Detroit of three men improperly prosecuted for terrorism, Ashcroft has shown his tactics have been less than precise. Perhaps the attorney general might read Senator Bob Graham's new book, which points to some more promising suspects: Saudis.
Krugman writes that Iyad Allawi is earning his title this week, carrying water for the Bush administration by trying to turn attention away from the burning wreck that is Iraq. With strategic failure all but assured, Krugman begins the turn towards accepting a future that includes disintegration. Will this be the last UN Assembly in which Iraq participates? [Free, one-time reg. req'd]
Bernie Sanders, the nation's only Independent congressman, explains where he's directing his vote this year. It seems our progressive Green Mountaineer is aghast at the corporate takeover of America and the massive divide between the wealthy and everyone else. Go figure. Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 05:36 PMThis poll is being freeped. Should Dan Rather be fired over those documents? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/ Posted by: shylurker on September 21, 2004 05:38 PMJo, I heartily agree with PatC, it was a great post. While this period of time in America does show that fascism has been rising, it's important to note that it's been an energy that's been around for 100 years. From an astrological perspective one could say this is the "take over" by fascists, or one could see it as fascism reaching its 100 year culmination to be looked at and given the opportunity to dispose of in this generation so we can go on to something new over the next eight years at the end of the Venus Transit (this is my view) I don't think it's hopeless, light follows dark as day follows night. The cycling planets tells us when it's day or night, but even at that it's still the same coin just a different view. Some of the human race operate better under the cover of darkness, and fascism is a part of the group who operates better under cover. Others operate better in the light of day, and the light of day is coming. Not as fast as we want but sooner than we thing. Posted by: Sally on September 21, 2004 05:40 PM40 percent of Army reservists fail to report to Fort Jackson As of Tuesday, 186 of the 309 members of the Individual Ready Reserve ordered to report to the Columbia base had arrived, said Lt. Col. Burton L. Masters, spokesman for the Army's Human Resources Command. http://www.charleston.net/stories/091104/sta_11reserve.shtml ------------- I expect reports soon of increases in the Canadian population numbers... shades of Viet Nam... Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 05:41 PMI know a seventeen year old young man, too young to vote this year, of course, but who is working with the Kerry campaign, anyway. I can't see anything but a huge youth vote for Kerry, under the circumstances. Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 05:46 PMThank you Pat C., Sally, And Sally, thank you for your post at 5:40... Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 05:48 PMBush Taunts Kerry I just heard President Bush taunt John Kerry for suggesting that the US was not safer because Saddam Hussein was deposed, and for saying that the US was in fact less safe because of the chaos in Iraq. Bush attempted to turn this statement around and suggest that Kerry was preferring dictatorship to democracy. Iraq, however, does not have a democracy, and cannot possibly have a democracy any time soon because of events such as those described below (and they are only 24 hours' worth)-- that is, because of a failed state and a hot guerrilla war. More... Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 06:07 PMIn hindsight, was it a mistake for the U.S. to invade Iraq without the backing of the U.N. Security Council? Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 06:26 PMI was watching our local news this morning and there was a big discussion about the debates and the thirty pages of "rules" both sides have agreed too ... seems one of the rules is "no height aiding devices" ...tee hee! Looks like Bush can't stand on anything to make himself look taller! I'm now wondering if he will agree to even stand next to Kerry at all?! Posted by: Siobhan on September 21, 2004 06:26 PMWow, new definition of "brain-fog" is tPluto opposite nMercury and nMars. And today the tMoon and tPluto are conj too! I'm happy and I don't know why, haha. "Those who seek to bestow legitimacy must themselves embody it, and those who invoke international law must themselves submit to it." -- Koffi Anan speaking today to the UN Assembly before Bush's speech. I could not have said it better myself. Kinda sums BelzeeBush up, doesn't it? Posted by: Jonathan on September 21, 2004 06:31 PMBlack holes, White holes, in the sky Jill, here are some sites. http://www.google.com/search?q=yods&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Posted by: Pat C on September 21, 2004 06:46 PMNo wonder CNN's ratings and profits are plunging... their money page has as much doublespeak as their news --- seems Housing Report is out and it's good because --- housing starts are higher than predicted... but, hold on... building permits are lowerer than predicted. Don't know what to make of that creating good news on housing, unless some contractors are building without permits, or the increase in starts is for treehouses, outhouses, etc., that fall under the total expenditure requiring a permit... Yep, our economy is soaring. And about 2:15 EDT the Feds are expected to announce increase in interest rates by 1/4 percent... and Wall Street remains quiet, awaiting the news... which should also portend additional increases in rapid succession (as far beyond Nov 1 as they can extend them? right, the election is much more important than the crippled economy! at least to aWol) Posted by: Jo on September 21, 2004 06:59 PMThat rat bastard Bush had the nerve to recommend to the UN the esablishment of a "democracy fund" to promote democracy in the world, while he is ravaging ours! Yaay Jo! treehouses, outhouses! Ilove it! Posted by: teresa b on September 21, 2004 07:05 PMJust wanted to add this: Back a year or so ago, I saw NOW with Bill Moyers doing an interview with a fellow from DC who just retired from his job as a financial specialist (he was pointing out how totally out of whack Bush's numbers for the budget were) and he mentioned the real phraze which Ike used...part of which "disappeared" .....Beware the Military, Industrial AND CONGRESSIONAL complex.... And Mike, thanks for Joe Republican....couldn't get a better picture in my head than that one! Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 07:09 PMThis gives a chilling example of GWB's idea of Democracy: After Abu Ghraib Huda Alazawi was one of the few women held in solitary in the notorious Iraqi prison. Following her release, she talks for the first time to Luke Harding about her ordeal Monday September 20, 2004 It began with a phone call. In November last year 39-year-old Huda Alazawi, a wealthy Baghdad businesswoman, received a demand from an more...... Every week from Harper's Monthly I get this weekly update on the news....it is mind boggling when read all together like this...enjoy! WEEKLY REVIEW [Image: A burning plain] The United Nations Security Council passed another Republicans in West Virginia told voters that Democrats will The World Health Organization reported that suicide kills --Roger D. Hodge Again, here I'm bringing you the NEWS without spin Yaay Joe Republican and James Carroll. Jo, I just noticed what you said about not fore-telling, whether it be for "President Kerry" or "Mr. Bush". Yeah. Posted by: Teresa b on September 21, 2004 07:33 PMSpeaking of fascism.... When Fascism Comes to America I. When Fascism Comes to America, It Will Be Embraced by FOX News "The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public. . ."- Former Vice President Henry A. Wallace, the New York Times, April 9, 1944 "Fox is not objective. Fox is a Republican propaganda machine." - Roger more... Posted by: Shade on September 21, 2004 07:41 PMJo http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/Structure3.htm Posted by: Jill G on September 21, 2004 07:41 PM
Posted by: Shade on September 21, 2004 07:52 PM
This is quite good for the big picture.
Since I don't have tee-vee service, I had to "watch" the Kerry press conference today through the eyes of DUers. Apparently, he was hard-hitting, to the point, forceful, thoughtful and blah-blah-blah. Hooray!!! At long, long last. Posted by: shylurker on September 21, 2004 08:19 PMMike, I loved the "A Day in the Life of Joe Republican." I can't for the life of me understand how so many "average" Americans don't get this. I heard a great PRI radio piece on Ira Glass's "This American Life" last Saturday on just this subject. One undaunted liberal who works on the Chicago Board of Trade was profiled, and his experiences as about the only liberal there was a sad encounter with the realities on the ground. Over and over I was stunned by the ignorance of his working peers, most of them dyed in the wool Republicans - without realizing what embracing what it really means to be a Republican. In each case, these guys would say 'nobody ever game me anything - everything I have I've earned', etc., etc. They all vilified taxes, yet couldn't answer simple questions about how their elderly parents would live without social security or medicare in the absence of huge retirement savings? Where would their kids go to school without public education? On and on. These guys would get really quiet, but would turn back to their staunch support of Bush and the rethugs. I think people in this country have lost an understanding of what it was once like in America when there wasn't a middle class - when citizens were either rich, or lived in poverty in industrialized cities or on farms ekeing out an existence. There is no longer any collective memory of what is was like when people didn't have the paltry benefits they do now, and when the average kid never got out of high school. Everything is taken for granted here and people resent the taxes they pay to support the systems that benefit them or -- will in the future. Perhaps people need to have these supports stripped from them to learn a very hard lesson in solidarity and gratitude for what "liberals" have made possible for the majority. Well, four more years of the rethugs and the cartel will give them some very real and very ugly firsthand experiences. Posted by: Susan on September 21, 2004 09:16 PMWhat impressed me last night in the Kerry appearance on Letterman was just a subtle thing that Kerry did...he mentioned something about 9/11 and what came after...and first made a comment similar to: in case you don't remember(or something along these lines)...then he corrected himself emphatically and said to Letterman...no, of course you remember, you were the one that held it all together that week here on your program and what a job you did(or something to this effect). I think Letterman was surprised, but grateful, that this was acknowledged. Also...don't know if you've seen it or not, but I received a piece from truthout last night from a CO friend. The piece is about one of Bush's Harvard Business School's former professors. It is about Yoshi Tsurumi and is written by Mary Jacoby. Titled "The Dunce". It is a very timely, I believe, insight into Bush's character. Yes, we have all had this brought home to us again and again, but this article spells it out, in no uncertain terms. Sorry, I do not have a link. Posted by: old granny on September 21, 2004 09:18 PMOld Granny, I was sending that piece my Yoshi Tsurumi around last year....before I was on this board. Here is one site...http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/071904WilliamHughes.shtml Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 09:39 PMAnother beheading...the second American. The energy of the day is pretty bad. My daughter has Pluto 25 Virgo, and is sick with this tansit (I would say, also, of lots of things besides that) with fever, severe chills, bad stomache cramps and now the runs and a bad headache, as the body starts clearing. I went over this morning to get the 3 year old to preschool.....I also went online to try and find some online classes in Photoshop and Illustrator, and my computer kept crashing....I just feel as if the bad energy is everywhere, no? Well, at least Kerry is hitting the high notes....if he charmed Letterman, then terrific....what a gift. The story on the stockbrokers....these are the people handling your money, folks...it is how I lost everything, too....my good cloth coat rethuglican accountant....buying into all the promises of the pyramid scheme.... Old Granny, the link I posted was for a different writer of the Bush story...I will try to find yours.... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 09:47 PMWow...apologies for the typos...for some reason it happens alot to me here! Perhaps because I never preview my answers.... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 09:55 PMSpocko's Brain: After reading Spocko's Brain, I am hoping that every media outlet does an interview with Yoshi Tsurmi! I spit upon B**hboy.... Posted by: judi on September 21, 2004 10:15 PMThe link for the Jacoby piece, which was dated yesterday(Salon.com): http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/091704I.shtml
Lisa Patesel, explaining why God wants us in the Iraqi quagmire
by-Anna Badkhen, Chronicle Staff Writer
"I know Bush has done things that aren't perfect," Patesel said. "But Bush said that he's accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. I believe that the way he tries to take the United States is more toward God." {the Jacoby piece, which was dated yesterday(Salon.com):} [actually...the Jacoby piece was dated Sept 16] all my Virgo-ness won't let that one go by uncorrected... Posted by: old granny on September 21, 2004 10:49 PMBushfatigued - Do I have this straight? Patesel agrees with Kerry's politics but will vote for dimson because he's a bornagain? And I need a reality check. Do I have this straight: there is to be a special board to investigate the CBS bogus documents? It took 3 years to get the 9/11 Commission formed, and in less than a week, there's to be a special commission to investigate CBS? OMG! Bush lied us into war. Bush's entire sorry ass life is a lie and NO. ONE. IN. THE. NATIONAL. MEDIA. HAS. EVER. CALLED. HIM. ON. ANY. OF. IT! What are the odds that this entire Roveian flytrap blows up in KERRY'S face? Better than even, I'd guess. This is probably what Sally and Nancy have been talking about all summer. Travis County Grand Jury in Texas has issued 32 felony indictments against the top people DeLay had in his various schemes and scams. Oh, I hope those guys sing and sing! democrats.com has the story right now. Posted by: shylurker on September 21, 2004 11:38 PMSusan, Doesn't it just make you want to holler! There's a big part of this country that just plain ole lost their minds. . . . Posted by: Bushfatigued on September 21, 2004 11:47 PMBushfatigued....... I AM HOLLERIN! That Patesel story left me dumbfounded. Agape and aghast! More toward God? I feel really ill Somebody send Mike's post to that Patesel person. I HATE stupidity. Makes me madder than anything! That's why George carlin and Bill Maher are two of my most favorite people on the whoile planet. And Bush is on the bottom with Santorum and suchlike. Such bloody asses! Posted by: Teg on September 22, 2004 01:05 AMDo you think today's TV news is librul, conservative or balanced? (I guess 'balanced' will soon go the way of 'fair and'.) Go vote, please. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/ Posted by: shylurker on September 22, 2004 01:28 AMMoving Words by E. L. Doctorow I fault this president for not knowing what death is. He does not suffer the death of our twenty-one year-olds who wanted to be what they could be. On the eve of D-day in 1944 General Eisenhower prayed to God for the lives of the young soldiers he knew were going to die. He knew what death was. Even in a justifiable war, a war not of choice but of necessity, a war of survival, the cost was almost more than Eisenhower could bear. But this president does not know what death is. He hasn't the mind for it. You see him joking with the press, peering under the table for the WMDs he can't seem to find, you see him at rallies strutting up to the stage in shirt sleeves to the roar of the carefully screened crowd, smiling and waving, triumphal, a he-man. He does not mourn. He doesn't understand why he should mourn. He is satisfied during the course of a speech written for him to look solemn for a moment and speak of the brave young Americans who made the How then can he mourn? To mourn is to express regret and he regrets nothing. He does not regret that his reason for going to war was, as he He wanted to go to war and he did. He has not the mind to perceive the costs of war, or to listen to those who knew those costs. He did not understand that you do not go to war when it is one of the options but when it is the only option; you go not because you want to but because you have to. Yet this president knew it would be difficult for Americans not to cheer the overthrow of a foreign dictator. He knew that much. This president and his supporters would seem to have a mind for only one thing - to take power, to remain in power, and to use that power for the sake of But he will dissemble feeling. He will say in all sincerity he is relieving the wealthiest one percent of the population of their tax burden for the sake of the rest of us, and that he is polluting the air we breathe for the sake of our economy, and that he is decreasing the safety regulations for coal mines to save the coal But there is one more terribly sad thing about all of this. I remember the millions of people here and around the world who marched against the war. It was extraordinary, that spontaneous aroused oversoul of alarm and protest that transcended national borders. Why did it The president we get is the country we get. With each president the nation is conformed spiritually. He is the artificer of our malleable Finally the media amplify his character into our moral weather report. He becomes the face of our sky, the conditions that prevail: How can E.L. Doctorow Posted by: Shade on September 22, 2004 02:10 AMShade, very powerful words from Doctorow. Could you source it, please? Posted by: shylurker on September 22, 2004 02:18 AMShade, thank you for Dr. Doctorow's moving essay. Everyday I picture the young victims of this war, both American and Iraqi. The men, women and children and I say the word "dead" outloud. I try to picture their faces in life, I imagine them breathing and the joys they might have experienced. I imagine the lives they might have led, how their families would have felt seeing them coming around the corner to come home. I imagine their clothes what their last hours might have been and like a like a crash of thunder on my heart I hear the word "dead." So final, so absolute, no coming back to the people who love them, need them, want them. Just over, the door slammed shut and everything inside of me screams for an end to this war, any war. I want to dump the bodies of them all on the White House lawn with a thousand voices thundering "dead." It's important for every name spoken, every face published to stop just for a moment and mark the passing of a soul thrown out of our midst. Posted by: Sally on September 22, 2004 02:49 AMFor some strange reason I can't vote at CNN... used to be able to and then I sent quite a few emails about different "unbalanced" anchors and then one or two about their polls, which are pathetic... the questions are ambiguous and often irrelevant... I can vote at MSNBC and other sites so don't believe it is a setting on my computer or my firewall restrictions... paranoid me, I think they have blocked my votes! [what an ego, right?!] Shylurker, regarding tonight's Anderson vote --- I didn't see the category I was looking for if they had allowed me to vote --- "Do you think TV news media is 1) liberal, 2) conservative 3) balanced. You continue with your work of beating the Freepers as this seems to be the only outlet available, at the moment... Posted by: Jo on September 22, 2004 02:51 AMJo, I voted TOO CONSERVATIVE Overall, how do you view the TV news media? Hey, Judi and Morgana, I'm in Menlo Park/Stanford area - wanna boogie the next time Morgana has to come north? baraka Posted by: Baraka on September 22, 2004 03:03 AMI particularly noticed Kerry's gracious comment to Letterman about Letterman's response to 9/11, OG, because I thought of the exact thing myself before Kerry brought it up. Letterman conducted the show on 9/11 and the week after with such respect and dignity. I remember his speech that night. Jay Leno did the same thing but it was Letterman who had a most impressive response. I thought Kerry came across well. Letterman gave him the chance to clear up the incongruencies in his Iraq declarations, and he did that nicely. Most people think giving the President "authorization" to go to war is the same thing as approving an immediate declaration of war (or something like that). Well, it's not. I thought, in all honesty, that Kerry seemed a little nervous and tired, but he articulated his positions well and he had some light moments. It seemed to be a balancing act - the humor and the serious dialogue. He was good. I really like him and I sense that when he's president and is finally able to stop campaigning, he will become that much more centered and will grow into the presidency very quickly. Posted by: Sharon on September 22, 2004 03:09 AM
Thank you so much for Doctorow's essay. Beautiful and horrible.
Who was it? CAT STEVENS Get on the Peace Trainnnnnn, People Posted by: Teg on September 22, 2004 03:23 AMI particularly noticed Kerry's gracious comment to Letterman about Letterman's response to 9/11, OG, because I thought of the exact thing myself before Kerry brought it up. Letterman conducted the show on 9/11 and the week after with such respect and dignity. I remember his speech that night. Jay Leno did the same thing but it was Letterman who had a most impressive response. I thought Kerry came across well. Letterman gave him the chance to clear up the incongruencies in his Iraq declarations, and he did that nicely. Most people think giving the President "authorization" to go to war is the same thing as approving an immediate declaration of war (or something like that). Well, it's not. I thought, in all honesty, that Kerry seemed a little nervous and tired, but he articulated his positions well and he had some light moments. It seemed to be a balancing act - the humor and the serious dialogue. He was good. I really like him and I sense that when he's president and is finally able to stop campaigning, he will become that much more centered and will grow into the presidency very quickly. May G-d give him strength to fulfill his purpose. Posted by: Sharon on September 22, 2004 03:36 AMJo, Bless yo' heart, honey! Of course, these polls mean almost nothing (I put the "almost" in there because sometimes, apparently, results are mentioned very briefly on some news "show"). But, I figure we've gotta give whatever we can no matter how trivial it might seem. BTW, over at DU someone has invented a new word, as in "If Smirky is restolected" or some such. I liked it. (Gotta find the humor where you can, too. Ouida May keeps telling me that. Even more frequently now that her little interlude with Guido is over. ??) Posted by: shylurker on September 22, 2004 03:43 AMIsn't it amazing how the chicken hawks have cut draft deferments out of the new bill? Going to college won't excuse you, nor will being the parent of a couple of children... didn't Cheney use both of those? Nor will being female, or over 30... And Canada and the US have apparently entered into an agreement already, whereby Canada will return 'draft-evaders' back to the US... better get your passports updated... just in case the 12% who think TV news media is balanced are the same folks the pollsters are callling 'undecideds' --- Posted by: Jo on September 22, 2004 03:45 AMShylurker, Quida May has been... dare I say it? tossed aside? No... say it isn't so!.. Mike? Posted by: Jo on September 22, 2004 03:55 AMTeg, just talking to my husband about Cat Stevens, and he recalls that Cat Stevens played a couple of weeks ago at a John Kerry gathering. Ok back to writing Fall Ingress. Posted by: Morgana on September 22, 2004 04:01 AM Shylurker, my appologies, the Doctorow piece came to me via email fwd with no source other than his name. I just did the ole cut & paste. Glad you liked it though. I found a great quote by him thru 'google.' "Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." -- E.L. Doctorow Posted by: Shade on September 22, 2004 04:22 AMJo, CNN most certainly has been know to delete posts they don't like, and block normal people who have another opinion. You aren't parinoid. This is an interesting site. http://www.iamthegovernment.org/ Posted by: Pat C on September 22, 2004 04:27 AM
guess what! John Stewart is a Scorpio. I knew I liked that guy! Posted by: Teg on September 22, 2004 04:30 AMglad people liked 'joe republican.' lest any of you think that was my work, let me alert you to the cute signature at the bottom ..."Linda >^..^<" jo, ouida may decided her 'walk on the wild side' was a little too much and is seeking comfort somewhere near weed, california (on the oregon border). The Republicans have learned all to well how to manipulate the idiots of this nation---and its been working---Read and Weep The Average Voter Is An Idiot
Baraka, Morgana, anyone else in SF Bay Area, certainly, lets boogey ..... or at least have a soothing glass of something expensive and fizzy.... Your elequent and moving cry of pain for all the dead in this war makes me all the more aware of how art can focus our feelings....you are seeing Guernica again ( as I did in my dream, and Claudia Dinkins used on her StarCats page). I would wish for a huge sculpture, perhaps in fiberglass resin and in horrifying detail to suddenly appear in the Oval Office.... but after reading what Yoshi Tsurumi had to say about our illbegotten occupant of said office, I doubt he would be affected much....(Spocko's Brain, also the link Old Granny posted) Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 06:26 AMTeg, just read the piece on Cat Stevens....he was denied entrance to the US and put on the next plane back to England....he had recently condemned the US Military bombing and shelling of a school in which 300, half of whom were children, died....(at least, that is what the article said.) Boy....the CBS crap is deep, too - I also read that the freepers brought about this downfall of news reporting by inundating CBS with email....although the Chronicle poll on whether or not Danny boy should resign is running 32% for, 61% against, and the 7% really morally superior among us have voted to say that Dan must now retire in shame, never to achieve Walter Cronkite status...EVER! Barf on these people.....I detest the finger waggers more than than the repugs! Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 06:37 AMJudi, they are worse than finger waggers. They are an organized gang with an agenda...complete take-over. Posted by: Pat C on September 22, 2004 06:40 AMI figure the weather was what brought on my migaine and it is weird weather here. It snowed in the foothills for god's sake. Course it has snowed on Labor day in past years, you can never count on Colorado weather to be consistent from day to day much less from year to year. The article posted by Bushfatigued above your post is a good one even if discouraging. I did see something encouraging. Letterman pulled the highest ratings of any talk show EVER and a full point higher than Leno when Letterman had Kerry on last night. Now that's encouraging. Posted by: Sally on September 22, 2004 06:42 AMok, if they're banning cat stevens (god i feel, uh mature) then i nominate ABBA for the watch list as well. not just the group, all the songs, films, music videos. Posted by: mike on September 22, 2004 07:00 AMMike, did you ever see the Toni Collette movie where she played a girl obsessed with ABBA? Rachel Griffith (6 Feet Under) also stars...it's pretty great....Muriel's Wedding. Sally, how are you doing now? The Letterman ratings are really good news.... Pat C...you bet...did you read Tsurumi's stuff on Bush's days as his student at Harvard? I almost posted some of the stuff where he says Bush is another McKinley and how Bushbubba wants to take us back to the Gilded Age....gosh...ALL of McKinley, including assassination? Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 07:19 AMDon't know if anyone here posted on Kofi Annan's words about US in Iraq or not, but this came from a Canadian guy who writes good stuff...Paul Jamieson Kofi Annan’s interview with the BBC last week might have disappeared into the morass of daily media, if not for a few sentences which now can be nailed into the pages of history for all eternity.
In answering the BBC interviewer’s question about the US led invasion of Iraq, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan replied, “ I have stated clearly that it was not in conformity with the Security Council - with the UN Charter.” Q: It was illegal? Annan: Yes, if you wish. Q: It was illegal? Annan: Yes, I have indicated it is not in conformity with the UN Charter, from our point of view and from the Charter point of view it was illegal.
There it is then. Sally, Sally....from Zogby Kerry leads in Oregon - Survey shows state may be less close than candidates thought Sen. John Kerry leads President Bush 51 percent to 44 percent in Oregon, according to a new poll conducted for the Portland Tribune and KOIN (6). The survey, taken Sept. 13-16, also showed Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden with a comfortable lead over Republican challenger Al King. re-election. Oregon, with its modest seven electoral votes, has attracted more attention from the presidential candidates than usual this year because Bush lost here in 2000 by only 6,765 votes. The competition reached a peak Aug. 13 when both Kerry and Bush were in town at the same time. Most recent polls have shown Kerry leading Bush in Oregon. One, conducted by Riley Research from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, showed the candidates in a dead heat. But a Sept. 2 survey by Zogby International showed Kerry leading 53 percent to 43 percent. “Given the tough three weeks Kerry’s had nationally with the Swift boat controversy and the reorganization of his top staff, this has got to be good news for the Kerry folks here in the state,” said Russell Dondero, a professor of political science at Pacific University in Forest Grove. “The most important thing to me from the Kerry perspective is his lead in the metro area,” where the poll showed Kerry comfortably ahead. Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 07:53 AMJudi! Thank heavens! Glad you posted that info on the Oregon polls. I knew that stupid poll last week was wrong when they said Bush was edging out Kerry in Oregon. Although I just moved to Oregon from California last year, everyone I've talked to here has been horrified by Shrub and is pro-Kerry. On top of that, all the previous polls indicated that Oregon was heavily tilted in Kerry's favor. I had a hard time with that rather sudden shift...figured there was some shenanigan there. In my little microcosm of the planet, last week when I went to the Kerry headquarters in the mall so I could registered to vote in Oregon, I noticed more people coming and going out of the Kerry headquarters than Shrub's place just several stores down. Every time I've gone by Kerry's hdqts, people have been going in and out....while I noticed only one person in Shrub's place. Another interesting thing while I was registering and talking to the two gentlemen working that day, I was surprised at the number of young men that came in and asked for a Kerry button -- I mean they looked so darn YOUNG! (Oh, sigh... this is a sign that I'm really getting old that when a 21 year old comes in I think he's a youngster!!) Anyway, seemed rather interesting to me and nice to know that the young people are jumping in to make a difference! Maybe this is very bad of me but this incident really bothered me: On the way into the mall a few days ago some guy walked by with a bunch of Shrub posters and I sensed such a haughty attitude from him as he walked by. (One of my "gifts" is being able to read body language and sense people quite accurately). When the energy emanating from this guy hit me, I felt like weeping -- it was such a defiant and "I'm so superior to you" energy. Smirk sure has tapped into that dark side of the male ego... Of course, to be on the fair side, maybe someone made an anti-Shrub remark to him and he had to get all huffy and macho about it... Geez!!! We really need to channel more female energy into the world ASAP! It is time! I even heard Ted Turner say on TV last month that the men had screwed things up and they need to turn things over to the women! .... War.... http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/090604A.shtml Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 09:32 AMRegarding the Young Vote: if any of you watch MTV or VH1 (and, I must admit, that I only occasionally will tune in when I feel like my head is going to explode from the banality which has become CNN), every single commercial break -- and there are A LOT of them -- it seems has a Get Out The Vote commercial geared directly to that Young Audience. And a lot of them are very witty and quite memorable. So, I think with the Iraq War and the looming possibility of a Draft should he get restolected (I like that word), the Youth Vote will be MUCH stronger -- for Kerry -- this Voting Season than it was in 2000. Add to that that the military vote appears to be skewing much more toward Kerry than BelzeeBush as is the ex-patriat vote and I don't know that this race will be close enough for Bush to steal! Posted by: Jonathan on September 22, 2004 09:44 AMplease read the scrolling headline at this link(admittedly, this site is a little "out there" sometimes): it says Kerry to resign due to terminal cancer? discuss..... Posted by: Garry on September 22, 2004 01:53 PMI like that, too: "restolected". Mixed with my joy in the knowledge that Kerry will be our 44th President is the sorrow about the horrible fear of so many of our people, and their utter ability to be mind controlled and misled. Whatever are we to do? Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 02:00 PM* Why We Cannot Win Before I begin, let me state that I am a soldier currently deployed in Iraq, I am not an armchair quarterback. Nor am I some politically idealistic and naďve young soldier, I am an old and seasoned Non-Commissioned Officer with nearly 20 years under my belt. Additionally, I am not just a soldier with a muds-eye view of the war, I am in Civil Affairs and as such, it is my job to be aware of all the events occurring in this country and specifically in my region. I have come to the conclusion that we cannot win here for a number of reasons. Ideology and idealism will never trump history and reality. When we were preparing to deploy, I told my young soldiers to beware of the "political solution." Just when you think you have the situation on the ground in hand, someone will come along with a political directive that throws you off the tracks. I believe that we could have won this un-Constitutional invasion of Iraq and possibly pulled off the even more un-Constitutional occupation and subjugation of this sovereign nation. It might have even been possible to foist democracy on these people who seem to have no desire, understanding or respect for such an institution. True the possibility of pulling all this off was a long shot and would have required several hundred billion dollars and even more casualties than we’ve seen to date but again it would have been possible, not realistic or necessary but possible. Here are the specific reasons why we cannot win in Iraq. First, we refuse to deal in reality. We are in a guerilla war, but because of politics, we are not allowed to declare it a guerilla war and must label the increasingly effective guerilla forces arrayed against us as "terrorists, criminals and dead-enders." ... http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/lorentz1.html Mr. Nucular Weapons bombed at the UN. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 03:05 PMTeresa B, he bombed allright!! He's such an idiot, really. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/22/opinion/22wed1.html?hp President Bush's Lead Balloon Published: September 22, 2004 Even when he talked about issues of common agreement, like the global fight against AIDS and easing the crushing third-world debt, Mr. Bush seemed more interested in praising his own policies than in assuming the leadership of an international effort. The speech would have drawn cheers at an adoring Republican National Convention, but it seemed to fall flat in a room full of stony-faced world leaders. -more!- Posted by: Laurie on September 22, 2004 03:15 PMLike I said... "Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Sept. 17, 2004 -------------- In J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' mythology, a 'sorting hat' determines to which of the four 'houses' each new entrant should be assigned... one merely places the hat on one's head, and 'it' assesses the energy of the being and then 'speaks' --- assigning the being to the house and group it will be associated with throughout the duration... I don't know what kind of 'hat' aWol is listening to... but it's for sure if he donned 'sorting hat' he'd be back in Crawford in a New York minute... Y'all have a good day... equinox... send light to all... we sure do need it! Namaste Posted by: Jo on September 22, 2004 03:24 PMHats off to you, Jo! Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 03:31 PMHope from Michael Moore: http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=9498 Posted by: Lawrence the LEO on September 22, 2004 03:42 PMDang!! I wanna "wim hat!!!!" Posted by: JoannaOregon on September 22, 2004 03:45 PMMore hope.... Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 03:46 PMFYI, Juan Cole is Pulitzer-prize-winning eloquent today:http://www.juancole.com/ Posted by: Peg on September 22, 2004 04:06 PMDid the US overact in its treatment of Cat Stevens? Sigh: http://www.cnsnews.com/viewerpoll.asp Posted by: shylurker on September 22, 2004 04:14 PMWas streaming Mike Malloy on Air Am radio last night and he was playing bits of GWB's speech at the UN. OMFG! I mean, this guy is so difficult to even listen to, let alone make sense of what he says. This is a true American Tragedy. I don't know what will happen in Nov. I know what I want to happen, and if enough people just "wake up," then it will. I am a Ferdinand, smell the flowers, sun in taurus type bull, and yet GWB gets me fantasizing about AK47's. I end up resenting myself for letting him do this to me. All I want to do is stop the madness, stop that voice, that fake folksy accent. Being able to turn off the source suffices. Sadly tho' I reconcile a possible GWB win this fall with prayers to Tecumseh. It would be interesting perhaps to actually feel/percieve his vibe, other than from a TV, etc. To get a sense of it, from a human/humane level. Would I be able to tap in to whatever it is he is? Or would it be emptyness? I don't care for hate, hating, most of all from within myself. I just want GWB to go away, to a new dimension, the Crawford dimension. Crawford has a nice crab sounding ring to it, no offence to any other Sun/Cancers out there. Happy Equinox everybody. As the celestial bodies leave the earth sign and enter air, may more clarity and light shine through. Shift, wake up, see thru the manufactured realities America. I'll put Tecumseh on hold. Posted by: Shade on September 22, 2004 04:40 PMJo, Shade, Is Iraq growing worse? Go vote: "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434" Posted by: shylurker on September 22, 2004 06:20 PMComebacks: Hey Ladies, To the freepers who claim they want to vote for the monster because 'he's a nice guy'. Asked them if they were laying on an operating table for surgery would they want a competant doctor or a 'nice guy'? I say this to all the people who approach me to illustrate 'their story' and get them a publishing job (without all the hardwork it truly entails)coz children's books are 'cool'. I ask them if they would ever ask a surgeon if they could help perform a surgery with them coz it seems cool. Or, I charge alot of money to critique their 'story' and they run away :) Don't worry guys... from this Sun in Cancer. The harder the lesson, the harder the struggle. Many, many, many people are aroused and on their feet, now. We almost lost it, and we are all responsible. Just imagine the moment of joy after all this suffering. We WILL slay the dragon The universe knows how genuine our effort is. The dead weight if those who do not want to move forward in our evolution will not stop us now. I see a united effort that I have not seen in many, many, many years. I am excited. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 06:41 PMBhakti, Don't forget the Vote for Change music tour coming up. The gods have always loved music. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 06:48 PMForgive them... They know not. Maybe if we stop the hysterics around those who are behind in evolution, if we embrace them, pick them up, and carry them with us... we are sure to succeed. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 06:54 PMYou've got to see the Onion headlines: or as my ex said, who sent the url to me: the truth at last: Also... With every lie....a truth is attached. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 06:58 PMHey Raj, I noticed that. Merriman was saying that if Market gets up past 10,450 points, GWB is pulling the Reagan thing, from the 1980 election, so ever since I read that I've been hoping the market goes down. It fell 120 pts today, just on the ingress. But, who knows? The only connection I can make to Reagan from GWB is the killing of the babies who were born during that administration, 1981-1988. I am feeling lighter though. You all may know this web site all ready, but it helps to check in from time to time and see what the freeway blogger is up to. http://www.freewayblogger.com/index.htm "John Kerry purple heart" All right, my writer friend in central CA wrote the most recent column and sent it to me, and my ISP bounced it....saying I was a blacklisted host....whew! I wondered how long it would take them to figure out I was dangerous...but anyway, Ann resent it. Since there is no url, I will post it. This is for all of you guys in Oregon who need a laugh....and you KNOW who you are...and you too, TEG, you need a laugh right now too... Calhoun’s Can(n)ons Reptile Time I anticipated that the Presidential race would be hideous, but I didn’t expect it would be, well, so, entertaining. I mean, who could have invented Zell Miller ranting like some demented John Brown at the Republican Convention? I kept waiting for the old vaudevillian hook to come snaking out from behind the curtains to – ka-ZWOT! – yank him off. He then told TV pundit Chris Mathews to get out of his face (after showing up in Mathews’ press section for a post speech interview), and then opined that it was too bad dueling had been outlawed when Mathews persisted in trying to make sense out of Zell’s nationally televised rant. Then there were the delegates running around with little “purple-heart” band-aids covering nonexistent wounds, an attempt to make mock of John Kerry’s Purple Hearts. It was a glorious tin-ear moment --mock Kerry, who actually served in combat, ignore their own guys, who didn’t, and in trashing Kerry, end up trashing the Purple Hearts earned by every wounded veteran for every war. A two-for-one sort of deal. And who can do anything but marvel at the Slow Swift Boat Guys For Truth, Lies, and Political Expediency? They were matched by 60 Minutes hauling out further “evidence” to show that while Kerry and his swift boats were getting shot at, Bush was a privileged shirker who got special treatment to get his cushy “champagne duty” position with the Texas Air National Guard. (No, wait, there was no Vietnam War, no swift boats, it was all staged by Kerry and filmed for TV on the back lots of MGM after closing time. No, wait, yourself, those documents were forged to fool 60 Minutes by the same guys who filmed the phony Vietnam war on the MGM back lot.) And then, in case we needed even more irrelevant distractions, Kitty Kelly shows up with a new book about the Bush family that will shock some and bore others who already know that Tolstoy’s quote – “Behind every great fortune is a great crime” – is always pertinent. And that for-public-consumption, politically spun fairy-stories about “family values” kinda families never bear up under any scrutiny at all. But what astonishes me the most is that Bush’s poll ratings are both as high as they are and as low. As an incumbent, self-styled “War President,” Bush’s ratings should have been off the charts. As a President who’s bungled so much, made a hash of Iraq, angered conservatives by cranking up the deficit to sky-high levels, angered the liberals by selling out seniors to Big Pharma with the appalling Medicare drug bill, and on and on, his ratings should have been in the minus digits. Which raises a question: Is it possible that half of the country is starting to engage the cerebral cortex, while half are still operating on lizard brain time? Since 9/11, this nation has been in fight mode-- angry, frightened, ready to strike back in a game of Whack-A-Mole – never mind who we bash – Iraq, Iran, Saddam, Osama, Oh, like, whatever. To the enraged lizard brain, fighting is fighting, and fighting a nearby stick is the same as fighting the Gila Monster who actually took off your tail. Such impulses might work for lizards, but for nations armed with Weapons of Mass Destruction, engaged in a world also armed with Weapons of Mass Destruction and filled with a great many cool-eyed, cerebral cortex terrorists, keeping the enraged lizard brain switched on for longer than a few moments is utter folly. But that’s what I think we’ve done. Even Defense Secretary Rumsfeld can’t keep his enemies separate. In a speech before the National Press Club, he kept mixing up Osama and Saddam, like the two are interchangeable. They’re not. But as long as our lizard brain is in control, that subtext of fear and anger is what this Presidential election is all about: My Gun Is Bigger Than Your Gun, Neener-Neener. Which is what made Vice President Cheney’s finally spilling those unspoken beans so refreshing: Vote for us or you’ll die. Well, delicious. We’re scared and whupass angry, so ill-informed that we don’t know an Osama from an O’Grady, and now that Congress and President Bush let the ban on certain assault weapons lapse, look out, world: This lizard is blind, enraged, thinks a stick is a Gila Monster, and is armed even more to the teeth. So, Bring us on! That’ll show ‘em.
teresa b., That's a noble thought, but can you really 'take' someone to consciousness? they must awaken on their own path, in their own time... must they not? Psychology teaches that we must continue our own growth, even if the person we are relating to does not want to grow... we must choose to grow, else we will get stuck or pulled down to their level... Jill G., Thank you for the tip! Netscape just might be the answer! Namaste Posted by: Jo on September 22, 2004 07:05 PMShade, I laughed out loud....thanks! Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 07:08 PMI feel like we are trying to get through a ten centimeter hole into the next dimension. What's a few labor pains, kids? Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 07:08 PMYou're right, Jo. It's just the old Cancer in me. Not to mention my moon/ Jupiter conjunction. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 07:11 PMShade, Peg...good Juan Cole piece...I think it is important that people "turn things around" for the sake of learning empathy....but I am sure the piece won't be seriously read by any of the evil bushters.... Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 07:41 PMRaj, it has been 30 years since my decade in LA....and I guess it is still which part of LA you are talking about....Orange County ain't LA....OC being where you could expect the signs to be torn down. My LA was Hollywood and West LA....don't know what the leanings are now....but we were ultra liberal then....the 1960's. Except at the border of Bev. Hills, where they would arrest you for WALKING while young and liberal. Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 07:45 PMHere's a dilemma... With all your honor and dignity, what would you do? Please don't answer without giving it serious thought. By giving an honest answer you will be able to test where you stand morally. The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation, where you will have to make a decision one way or another. Please consider each line... this is important for the test to work accurately. You're in Florida... in Miami, to be exact. There is great chaos going on around you, caused by a hurricane and severe floods. There are huge masses of water all over you. You are a news photographer and you are in the middle of this great disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot a very impressive photo. There are houses and people floating around you, disappearing into the water. Nature is showing all it's destructive power. Suddenly you see someone: it is GEORGE W. BUSH. At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him away forever. You have two options. You can save him, or you can take the best photo of your life. So you can save the life of George W. Bush, or you can shoot a Pulitzer Prize winning photo, a unique photo depicting the death of one of the world's most destructive men. And here's the question (please give an honest answer). Would you select color film, or rather go with the simplicity of black and white? Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 08:02 PMJudi, I've always been partial to the simplicity of Black & White, teresa b. Is it wrong to say that shot would grace my Christmas Cards that year? (I'm not sure I really mean that, but ... it DID cross my mind!) Posted by: Jonathan on September 22, 2004 08:18 PM
Raj........did you read Merriman's last column? I've noticed a steady erosion in his previously held conviction that Bush would win. Last column he said there was a 79% probability of a 400 pt swing on the Dow within 4 trading days of today. And if the Dow goes down, so does Bush. I'm really glad to make the sacrifice . (Besides, we can always play puts! lol) Posted by: Teg on September 22, 2004 08:20 PMRaj....that's a nice area where you live....I literally lived in Hollywood....not far off the Ave. Sunset Strip, Hancock Park (where Art Center used to be before moving to Pasadena)....glad the demographics have changed! And Bob the Bomber got bombed by Dem Loretta Sanchez, I think, right? ..... in my day we used to have the OC rightwing John Birchers, and BBob was the last of those pols.... Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 08:32 PMMerry Christmas, Jonathan. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 08:36 PMCheney! If subject to migraines, do not look at his current pronouncements on Kerry. If you're not, you will be! Kerry will triumph. All of this is a reaction to his extraordinary speech at NYU. THat was REAL power. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 09:14 PMThat's a tough question, teresa b. I think I would go with whatever film was in the camera. But if I had shot the last roll (assuming I'm not digital) and didn't have time to reload--I'd pull out a pen and try to do a quick sketch. Posted by: Barbara on September 22, 2004 09:30 PMTeg...thanks...I'll send Ann your comment.. Stock market down, huh? Well...still another 5 weeks to go .... and all that finger pointing by Cheney, et al....it WILL come back on them big time. Keep John Kerry in your light.... Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 09:32 PMDow was done 135 pts. today.....some ingress alright! Posted by: judi on September 22, 2004 09:39 PMWell, this came from the Guardian, UK In 2000 Al Gore would have beaten Mr Bush by 11 points if the only voters had been women. Mr Kerry's advantage is now much slimmer, and some polls have even shown Mr Bush winning the female vote. The Bush campaign has particularly targeted the female electorate, under the banner "W is for women", derived from his middle initial. He has stressed that Afghan women have benefited particularly from the fall of the Taliban, and emphasised the impor tance of the "war on terror" to keeping American families safe. The tactic appears to have been so successful that commentators are now talking about the pivotal role of "security moms", replacing the "soccer moms" of the 1990s whose support won Bill Clinton two elections. Some Foreign Office (British) controversy brewing: Ewen MacAskill At a recent dinner in London attended mainly by Arab ambassadors and Foreign Office diplomats, there was discussion over lamb and rice of whether the Middle East would be better off under a George Bush or John Kerry presidency. Some of the Arab ambassadors, surprisingly, came out for Mr Bush. Less surprising, perhaps, the Foreign Office diplomats were unanimous in favour of Mr Kerry. Hadn't thought of that, Barbara. Posted by: teresa b on September 22, 2004 10:12 PMA quick sketch? Hmmmm ... I might be laughing too hard to hold the pen steady enough. Would a stick figure drawing do? :-) Posted by: Jonathan on September 23, 2004 12:49 AMFrom my best friend in college (who has re-entered my life happily): A popular bar had a new robotic bartender installed. It could not only A man enters the bar, orders a drink. The robot serves him a perfectly The customer is very impressed and thinks, "This is really cool." He Really impressed, the man leaves the bar and decides to give the robot one http://www.allinclusivepass.biz/ ***********
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