Thank you Sally. I am in Jiangyin now with broken right arm so can not write back much. I want to describe the city here. But I must write in short little posts. bjt

Sally,

Have you noticed that some of today's prominent leaders of the world are all the product of massive national movements in their youth that changed their countries? Two such leaders stand out for me.

Hu Jintao grew up steeped in the Communist Chinese revolution and personifies the New China of the 21st Century (the seemingly natural evolution as capitalism is integrated into their society in a relatively peaceful way) which in my mind is evolutionary rather than regressive like the neo cons are doing to us.

And Ahmadenijad of Iran. Ahmadenijad was 19 when the Ayatolla Komeini returned and deposed the Sha and started the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadenijad was among the students who took over the American Embassy in Tehran. And Ahmadenijad is also trying to lead his country into capitalism and an equal player on the world stage.

As for Bush and the neo cons, I don't think they have gone through any comparable trial by fire. Others of their generation did though. A whole generation went to Vietnam at the same time that the children of the 60s changed our social structure in profound ways. Civil rights movements really took hold during this time, leading to revolutionary evolution of our society. Except for the bunch in the Whitehouse. Clinton and Gore are examples of people who spent their youth steeped in the revolutionary 60s and who evolved because of it and who set their goals on a future that would have evolved naturally out of what we had as a foundation in our country.

Can anyone think of any other set of leaders in any country of world significance who have done their dead level best to regress back in time to a period half a century in the past (and to "golden age" that never existed to boot)?

Bit of fun from Steve Bell of the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/archive/0,,1284265,00.html

This is thick with thought, Sally. The first standout was the pissing contest. The other meaty tidbit -- and something i've been thinking about for the past week -- is this: "They are afraid of us folks and we are afraid of them, what a ridiculous circle." We have given "leaders" permission to "lead." This is something Bush doesn't understand. The "decider" comment was one of many reflective of his aristocratic delusion.

The "people" on the other hand, will continue to be marginalized until they know that this arrangement is merely temporary.

As you have said over and over again: "Energy is energy, and it's all energy."

Thank you very much for the article on China, Cap'n Sally. I know the brutal invasion of Tibet happened a generation and a half ago, but I am leary of China for that reason. Couple that with their terrible repression of their own people and befoulment of their environment . . .. Well, we can hope. Anyway, very nice article and thank you again.

And dear Betsy (and you are even dearer for letting us hear from you), do heal quickly and let us know more about how you are doing. I'd love, of course, to also read your assessment of the situation with China, if you care to share.

Sally what a fabulous insight into Hu and our baby Huey. With Hu's Pluto coming just into his royal nibs 1st, rather reminds me of the Coyote and Roadrunner, el presidente is not an intellectual match, not a chance. All that gemini energy Hu has confounds our boyz Libra stellium tagging Neptune hard, our boy is easily snookered. Alas no one is paying attention in Washington, oh oops they're still on Holy Weeks break... meanwhile the fox is enjoying the henhouse and is winging his way home with his goods.

btw Hu looks like one cold hearted, heartless type. shudder. All he has is Jupiter in Cancer rx...has a feel of never ending brackish water..hmmm. Wow again thanks Sally, he's one interesting player and probably George's worst nightmare, or worse yet a hidden partner.

Sally thanks for the most interesting article. I always look forward to your latest thoughts, but remember no modern form of Chinese government brought us Acupuncture and Confucius. They lack that kind of wisdom and only wish to be like western civilization but bigger, and more wasteful, if that's possible.

Those people who have sold out this country to the east and middle east were very unwise.

Thank you so much for this article and for taking China seriously.
The China revolution was a brutal ugly thing that has changed Tibet irrevocably and which caused the death and suffering of millions. I know also that the conditions that led up to the revolution were equally horrible.
The China of today may not be the China that produced the I Ching ,acupuncture, Confucius—likewise we are not the civilization that created Jesus, the Greek philosphers or Rome, but we are all humans on this planet whirling into the age of Aquarius and we all have experiences and histories that we all need.
Without going into the amount of possibly irrevocable pollution we in the west are responsible for, I would like to say that in China, as here, people want a refrigerator and a car. They want hot showers, radio and television. The challenge before us is how to provide for everyone.

"FEMA Wants $4.7M Back From Katrina Victims Apr 21 8:00 PM US/Eastern Email this story

By RON HARRIST Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss.

Thousands of Gulf Coast residents have been told they must repay millions of dollars in federal Hurricane Katrina benefits that were excessive or, in some cases, fraudulent.

In Mississippi alone, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is seeking $4.7 million from 2,044 people, telling them in a form letter that they have four months to repay or set up a payment plan.

Some storm victims got duplicate or extra benefits because of FEMA errors, FEMA spokesman Eugene Brezany said, and others might have received benefits for expenses that later were reimbursed by insurance settlements.

Some others benefited "by intentional misrepresentation" or the mistaken belief that secondary residences qualified for payments, he said.

More people could get repayment notices as more applications are reviewed, Brezany said. Recipients could have received $2,000 to $26,200.

People who get the form letter have 30 days to respond. If they don't meet the four-month deadline, the U.S. Treasury will attempt to collect the money, Brezany said.

http://tinyurl.com/jpbdu

All the while Exxon Mobile is gutting the American people, thaking record profits.

very interesting. over 5 yrs ago, before Sept 11-01, I had a powerful dream-it was so vivid.
I dreamed I was in a huge university auditorium, it was filled with people (Americans)and we were sitting at long picnic benches waiting to hear a major announcement...then a man walks up to the stage with several other men and maybe 2 women and he takes the podium-he looks very stern/serious. He looks into the crowd of faces and states that "America no longer exists-it has been taken over by China". He was not sympathetic, nor did he explain alot. He stated that we would all be receiving a document to fill out with our personal information, work, address, occupation, etc. - at the end of the doc we would have to sign stating we are longer Americans...after we would be taken by handlers for 'a new history lesson', then, if we cooperated we could be reinstated into some kind of work force. The dream seemed so real-I woke up right after.

Just got an email with this information. Anybody know anything about this?

" That's what the audience is saying as they walk out of Aaron
Russo's new film, America: From Freedom to Fascism. Their voices
are hushed. Some faces are pale and wet with tears, sick at what
they've discovered. Many are red, angry to learn for the first time
that they have been robbed -- their country, their rights, and their
very future have been stolen from them and their children.

But it may all end right there - all Aaron's work, all his
sacrifice, all his vision, all the possibilities to make a real
change in America, unless we pitch in and help him. Let me explain.

Everything in the world was stacked against this movie. What
major studio would back a movie this controversial? A movie that
exposes the entire Federal Reserve scam the income tax fraud, and
the IRS? A movie that catches a former IRS commissioner boasting
that the IRS isn't subject to Supreme Court decisions? A movie that
publicizes government brutality against protestors? A movie that
reveals how America was swindled out of her gold reserve? A movie
that pulls back the curtain on the coming police state in the US,
with its plans to tag everyone with a national ID card and implant
an RFID chip in every man, woman, and child? A movie that lays bare
the whole New World Order?

Warner Brothers and MGM and Fox wouldn't touch that project
with a thirty foot pole, let alone put up money to make the movie.
Those giant corporations - already in bed with big government -
would never produce or release that movie.

So without asking for anybody's help, Aaron Russo set out to
make this film, because he knew it had to be made. He put up 100%
of the money to make the film. He invested two years of his life.
He laid his name and his reputation on the line. Not just for the
sake of his own freedom, but for yours, too, and your children's,
and for millions of Americans who don't know sic 'em from come here
about what their government really does, or the tyranny that
government has already mapped out for them. Aaron made this movie
so everyone in America would understand, so people would really get
it. And when they see the movie, they do. (You can view a trailer
for the movie at www.freedomtofascism.com
)

Let me make something plain. This is not a movie that
divides, but a movie that unites. Aaron does not work like Michael
Moore, who plays to the Left to increase polarization. Aaron's
movie plays to the whole country. It doesn't take sides. It's not
Democrat or Republican, it's not left, not right, but dead on.

Now Aaron Russo needs our help. The money and the years
have been spent, the movie has been made, the test audiences are
raving about it, distribution has been arranged, but Aaron still
needs our help.

The movie must still be marketed and advertised. It must be
promoted and supported by TV, newspaper, and radio advertising to
get it out to the largest audience possible, to every nook and
cranny in America, every city, every town, every hamlet, every
corner of America.

How could a single movie be that important?

Because it will change forever Americans' false perception
of how things work here. Everybody has to see this movie. This is
the tool we've been waiting for. It's non-violent, it's ruthlessly
honest, and it can change America. Everybody who sees this movie
gets it. The light goes on. Nobody has ever explained so much in
one place before.

Without your help, Aaron has only enough steam to open in
New York City on July fourth. After that, nothing will happen
unless every one of us helps him."

Thank you, Sally, for your post on China. Lot's to think about.

Devin, I sure hope you were dreaming of possibilites and not probabilities!

I'll spread this around Beasley.

Condoleezza Rice Implicated in New Leak Scandal

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042106Y.shtml

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaked national defense information to a pro-Israel lobbyist in the same manner that landed a lower-level Pentagon official a 12-year prison sentence, the lobbyist's lawyer said Friday.

Sally, very interesting piece... China is one of our oldest countries and is our oldest civilization... many ups and downs with various dynasties --- patterns that for mundane astrology provide an interesting opportunity to plot the charts and examine the events.

Before the 15th century, China was one of the most powerful countries in the world, occupying a leading position in the development of productivity and technology. Ancient China enjoyed a developed agriculture and advanced irrigation system, an independent tradition of medicine and advanced botanical knowledge. China's four great inventions, namely, the compass, gunpowder, movable type printing and papermaking, not only changed the world but also accelerated the evolution of world history. Besides, China was rich in ceramics and silk textiles which were great inventions that exerted a great impact worldwide. China also kept the world's most detailed and earliest astronomical records. The first people to take note of such astronomical phenomena as comets, sunspots and new stars were all Chinese.

When we say 'China is on the rise' we misspeak... for China is rising AGAIN...

Chronologically America is very young, certainly not a teenager, more a toddler or infant compared to the sage, wise old Chinaman.

Yes, there are blights, as Shy has so wisely pointed out... the invasion of Tibet however, is no worse than the USA invasion and occupation of Iraq... imo. Human rights issues? Looking at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, one can hardly point a finger at China.

Devin, when all is said and done, I don't think the Chinese have any interest in 'taking over' this country. They do have an interest in raising their own status and economy, and American corporations have been more than helpful in that regard since Nixon opened the door. We would be foolish indeed to blame our own mistakes and the demise of America on China. Their rising economy necessitates the consumption of greater amounts of energy... our 5% of the world's population still consumes more energy than their 20% to 25%... in fact, more than the rest of the world.

The entire world has witnessed the strutting of the idiot from Texas upon the world stage and his determination to extend control across the planet. Any country would be wise to heed that message and obviously China does, along with India and Russia and many others.

Sally, I am especially interested in your comments about Hu and his sag Sun. It's my observation that transiting Pluto conjuncting the natal Sun does not bode well for health, for vitality. I am looking at it now in my husband and my sister. It is nearly exact now, though it is Rx, and in the past two years has been close, and closer... has been rough for both of them.

Might that not be the case for Hu also?

* Towards a Post-Modern Astrology by Robert Hand

The following article is the (edited) transcript of a talk Robert Hand gave at the Astrological Conference 2005 of the British Astrological Association in York, UK. http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_postmodern_e.htm

* AstroFutureTrends Astrology - The astrology of world events, cultural trends, and politics. http://www.astrofuturetrends.com/index.html

Jo, Hu's Sun is in a trine to his North Node and Chiron in Leo, that's a very strong life force and Pluto would only strength it. "Taking over" a country doesn't necessarily mean occupying that country and China's chart doesn't suggest a desire to occupy any country, however China's chart does suggest an ownership of sorts, much as the US has "owned" and influenced many countries the last hundred years. But China has much to go through over the next two years as their own country goes through some upheaval. Nothing in China has changed much since Mao and as one Chinese journalist said, "it won't until the giant portrait of Mao in Tiananmen Square comes down, nothing much will really change."

Goldensilence, I have noticed how all these people were brought up in a repressive society, and to your point about this group, they were in the "duck and cover" generation. There were pockets such as Texas, Montana, most of the south that took all that Cold War fear very seriously.

Thank you, Sally for helping us get to know this chap Hu????? better. Good idea.

I think we'll do well with China. The Neptune exactly conjunct our Saturn in Libra tells the story. Progressed Mars is headed right back there. Pluto will be activating the whole setup for a long time. A lot to learn.

Such good posts tonite. Goldensilence, good thoughts about the trials by fire. The neocons are just doing cookbook attempts at age old techniques of power. A little Stalin, a pinch of Hitler, a whole lot of Machiavelli. Their practical experience is almost nil and it doesn't look like they will get the chance to develop expertise. They're very transparent and unable to compete with the Big Guys.... the real charismatic figures of history. I don't think our democratic republic is too good at creating dictators.

Clymela...
"The China of today may not be the China that produced the I Ching, acupuncture, Confucius—likewise we are not the civilization that created Jesus, the Greek philosphers or Rome, but we are all humans on this planet whirling into the age of Aquarius and we all have experiences and histories that we all need."

Oh how I love your comment. I completely agree. All of the past is part of where we are and where we are going. Nothing could be deleted. All that is happening now is necessary to propel us through the digestive tract of history.

China has been a mixed bag like all societies of good times and brutal times. I know, Shy, how upsetting the Tibetan occupation was but it is complicated. Tibet was a theocratic as it ever gets and the people were oppressed by the religious stranglehold. It was as corrupt as any government and took the wealth from the people and kept them down. When the Chinese took over they forbade the practice of the religion and the people were at a huge loss since they were so steeped in the totalitarian Buddhist tradition. Every aspect of their lives was unquestionably governed by it. Very very strict and authoritarian. Now they are allowed to practice again and the Dalai Lama has met with the Chinese and might be going back.
The Tibetans are mixed in their feelings. Some are doing much better under Chinese rule and don't have complaints. Others do. It is changing.

I am most closely aligned in my spiritual philosophy with Taoism, which flourished in China along with Confucianism. Those two are native to China, while Buddhism arrived a little later from India. Taoists didn't worship a supreme being, but tried to follow "tao", meaning, "the way". Taoists see cycles of nature and the constant change in the natural world as earthly signs of a universal force. They believe in "not doing" as much as doing and they often retreated from society to try an connect with this spiritual energy. Confucianists were much more social and political. When Taoists were out of favor, it was all right with them, unless they were attacked and murdered. They just hung out in the mountains. I differ from them in that I think I'll have to be more engaged with society than the average Taoist.
They believe in health, exercise, longevity, and contemplating nature, harmony, and beauty, so they were responsible for developing Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, and T'ai chi. You can see how powerful an influence they have been on us no matter what these current leaders do.

No one likes the evil that societies' governments commit, but that's what they do, and always have done, until we learn better as a whole. They are an outgrowth of the human race at this time. But all through history, these have occurred together with the highest, most inspired acts imaginable, as history has also proven. We're stuck with the whole thing and have to make our choices. I do hope that the choice will be to develop some accord with China in the coming years.

Tonight I saw an Iranian movie called Baran. It was stunningly beautiful and unusual. While the Persian leaders were plundering and empire building years ago, the people were creating some of the finest art and literature known to man. I can see why. This movie was so poetic.

On April 22, 1971, John Kerry made his plea for leadership and an exit from Viet Nam before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It went down in history. Tomorrow on April 22, he is making a second plea at Faneuil Hall in Boston. For leadership and an exit from Iraq. Saturn direct is just about to cross his North Node and Pluto and the USA North at 6 and 7 degrees Leo.
I hope he is successful.

I hear what you're saying, jm, but any suffering the Tibetan people experienced under the Dalai Lamas does not excuse the Chinese government from stomping into their country and subduing them using horrendous means.

They were vicious killers and exterminators of peaceful, mostly unarmed people.

No to Power Democrats

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060508/nichols

We hear from Austrilia a sampling...

* Tide turns on dubya's wreck

SYDNEY, NSW, is a long way from Wash DC but, even at this distance, it is clear that [rezie regime] is falling to pieces. In recent weeks, scanning the political coverage in the mainstream US media & sampling the blogs has been to watch a flood tide ebbing to reveal a rotting, skeletal hulk. It is the gwbush ship of fools, stuck in the mud for the world to see in all its mendacity, its incompetence, its faith-based stupidity.

It is possible, at this late stage, that even bush himself has begun to realise something is wrong. That oddly simian face is ashen, the eyes leaden. The voice is shrill & its tone defensive. "I'm the decider & I decide what's best," he squawked to reporters in the WH rose garden the other day, as the screws turned tighter on his disastrous [rummy]. Can you imagine Roosevelt, Eisenhower or Kennedy blurting something like that?

Rummy is looking knackered too, with 6 retired generals going public to agree that he is "incompetent strategically, operationally & tactically", to quote one of them. These men would have been jr officers in Vietnam, vets of the all-[ameriCO] nightmare they now see replicated in Iraq. They don't want the mad old war[geezer] doing it over again in Iran. As former Marine Corps Lt-Gen Gregory Newbold wrote in Time mag: "… we must never again stand by quietly while those ignorant of & casual about war lead us into another one & then mismanage the conduct of it". ... con't http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/tide-turns-on-dubyas-wreck/2006/04/21/1145344276318.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Such a heartening article Joanna!

Larry C. Johnson | The Firing of Mary McCarthy

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042206A.shtml

The case against the CIA Intelligence Officer, Mary McCarthy, fired for her alleged role in leaking information about secret prisons to the Washington Post's Dana Priest smells a little fishy to Larry Johnson. He argues that, from his experience of working with Ms. McCarthy, she never was in a position where she would have had first-hand operational knowledge about secret prisons.

Everybody, I have enjoyed the thought provoking comments on the last thread and on this one--and Sally's essay, of course. Been too busy to post--cleaning out the basement (as T Pluto retros closer to my natal Venus in 8th House). Got rid of some junk and found a couple of forgotten treasures.

Anyhow, tomorrow night Sunday Apr 23 catch 60 Minutes on CBS. They are featuring a CIA agent talking about how Bush&Co was totally uninterested in whether Iraq had WMD--"it's all about regime change" is the quote that is cited.

Of course, we know all that. The news is that it is on the news.

Well, His Highness has heard about small businesses in Maine. VERY SMALL. 1 - 5 people. He met with Snowe, Collins, and the head if the Small Business Center. My question? "Did he listen?" The answer was yes.
I atttended the Govener's Business Conferece today, with an aress by the Gov. & workshops about varius kinds of funding available, and market trends.
The Govenor remembered me from 4 years ago, when he came to our town hakll to see the Sp/Eng mural being dedicated. ( He was a Congressman at the time)
When he came throiugh the door, nobody paid any attention to him, so I went up shook his hand, & introduced myself as an AmeriCoporps VISTGA, then took him over to meet the artists, and my friend & b-day sharer who started Mano en Mano.
He really listened to what I had to say. I feel a sense of accomplishment!
PQ

I just "GOT IT" myself!.Everytime pRez starts blathering about 'small business" on TV I pick up the phone and call the Senators. Guess they're tired of listening to me!
PQ

I was thinking about pluto in sag indicating movements of huge groups of people… it’s seemed more like a bizarre mix of leo/cap to me rather than sag which is most interested in personal freedom. Made me nervous about what a Pluto in cap would produce with its love of patriarchal structure & hierarchy (bleah...I can't breathe!!). There’s certainly the religiosity & a type of govt emphasis but that doesn’t cut it enuf. There’s Mark Twain, an excellent biting Sagittarian homespun philosopher, a fave of mine… then there’s Oklahoma’s Cherokee sag, Will Rogers, who could’ve easily sung “Give me room, lots of room, with the starry skies above… don’t fence me in…” I thot where’s Will & Mark when you desperately need them?

Then I thot of all the uprisings by the People against leo/cap (dark side mind you) govts in country after country… including this one tho its full force has yet to show itself & I think it’s coming & how!

I had a long time sagittarian friend who, about 15 years ago, got married in a whirlwind & finished it about a year later in a whirlwind… the middle was not so good. Anyway, she had rented her home just before the wedding, & needed to wait a bit before she could move back in. A realtor friend of hers let her have a quick condo. It was nighttime but she managed to set up a cot in the bedroom deciding she would finish moving next day. As was her wont, she set it up where her head was at a window so that the first thing she saw in the morning would be... well, the sky, trees, neighborhood. The first thing she actually saw next morning was a dark brown privacy fence about 12” from her window. Hahahaaa… she inwardly screamed & decided it was another evil omen, & moved her bed again without delay. She had a real claustrophobic thing about being “fenced in.”

I’m thinking that the People of the world are feeling real claustrophobic with these idiot brat govts. Bushaholic types want to hide in caves with bouts of leo-on-the-ascendant dancin’ n’ prancin’, but that’s not Sagittarian. ;O)

* Nepal breaks power of the god-king

POWER appeared to be slipping away fast last night from Nepal’s god-king Gyanendra, whose family has ruled the Himalayan kingdom since the late 18th C, after police opened fire on protesters only yards from the palace where he was under siege.

Police fired tear gas/rubber bullets as several 100,000 demonstrators yesterday took to the streets of Kathmandu, the capital, ignoring a shoot-to-kill curfew, breaking thru security cordons & demanding an end to the monarchy... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2147821,00.html

Nice article Sally. Much to reflect upon.

Last week I was showing the film "Kundun" in my eastern philosophy class. For those of you who haven't seen it, it is the story about the Dalai Lama, chronicling his life from when he was discoverd (2yrs old) to when he was finally forced to flee Tibet. There is one scene where a Chinese general is lecturing him and saying "We are here to liberate you" and the Dalai Lama responds by saying "No, no one can liberate us, General," and then adding the Buddhist point "I can only liberate myself." Afterwards one of my sharper students commented on how the Bush rhetoric about Iraq echoes that of the Chinese general in Tibet. Interesting how both of these superpowers, as different as they are, have the same lesson to learn in the 21st century.

We all know about Tibet, but probably few understand the scale of it. I think something like a fifth of the population were killed by the Chinese. Of 6,000 and some monasteries, only 30 or so have survived, and about 60% of their texts were incinerated. I recently heard that the Chinese are planning to erect a giant statue of Mao in Lhasa next to the Potala.

When one realizes all the suffering of the Tibetan people in his lifetime it makes one all the more moved by the Dalai Lama's commitment to non-violence and compassion for all living beings.

By the way the Dalai Lama's chart is worth checking out (July 6, 1935 11:45 AM Takster, Tibet 101:12E 36:32N). He's got the Sun at the apex, and close to the Midheaven, of a powerful Grand Trine: the Sun in the 10th at 13:13 Cancer (same day as you know who), trine to Jupiter in the 2nd at 13:28R Scorpio and trine to Saturn in the 6th at10:03R Taurus. Moon conjunct Neptune in the 12th at 13:16 and 12:17 respectively complete a kite with that Grand Trine. Is that the chart of a spiritual leader or what?

If you haven't seen "Kundun" you gotta do yourself a favor and check it out. The directing by Martin Scorsese, soundtrack by Philip Glass, the acting, the cinematography are all superb, and what I like best is that it really does powerfully convey what the whole point of Mahayana Buddhism and the way of the bodhisattva is.

Thanks so much for reminding us about "Kundun," Timothy. Here's a link that summarizes (in words) the Chinese government's unprovoked aggression, violent suppression and continued occupation of Tibet:
http://www.freetibet.org/info/facts/fact1.html

Timothey yes, it's such an excellent film.

Trusting the Chinese to be charitable and foster spiritual freedom is for anyone is inadvisable, as it is with you know who, but the Chinese are patient until they're ready.

............

Excellent video here on net neutrality and fairly urgent:

http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/307

............

Sorry for the extra "is" in my prior post.

shy, what a wonderful link! Thank you.

Pat, you are a wonderful asset to your neighborhood.

Yep, Pat QOP continues to knock their socks off!

This is an EXCELLENT petition!

From John Edwards:

"Over the past few weeks, the investigation into the leak of CIA secrets on Iraq has produced disturbing new information. Court filings in the Scooter Libby case have connected both President Bush and Vice President Cheney with an effort to selectively disclose classified and highly flawed intelligence to the media in order to discredit people who were asking legitimate questions about the Iraq invasion. The White House even admitted that President Bush himself authorized the disclosure.

Now that he is firmly linked to this deepening scandal, it's time for President Bush to level with the American people about his role in this egregious manipulation of sensitive intelligence. But you and I know he's not going to do it. And we know that the Republican-controlled Congress will not hold him accountable either.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald may very well be the only person who can shed light on what really happened and ensure accountability. What he needs now is our support to expand the scope of his investigation to specifically include whether the President broke the law. Let's put our online community to work and together demand that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allow Mr. Fitzgerald to get to the bottom of this. No one should be above the law. It's time we demand real accountability. Please sign the letter now.

Sign the letter now. http://oneamericacommittee.com/action/sign-petitions/email/realaccountability/

Clearly, there is precedent for a special prosecutor's mandate to be expanded when he comes across further wrongdoing in the course of an investigation. I can think of no better time for doing this than right now. This case has all the elements of becoming one of the most serious breaches of the public trust in our nation's history - with consequences that we are all too familiar with.

The facts of President Bush's involvement, and the extent to which he manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq, are not going to come out unless his actions are subject to an independent investigation. Remember, this is a President who at first said that he didn't know of anyone in his Administration who had leaked anything. Then he had his spokesman say that anyone found to have leaked classified information would be fired. Now it turns out it was President Bush himself who authorized the leaks.

But it is clear this Administration will go to any length to prevent the facts from being known. We can't let them get away with it. And they won't if we speak up and make the Attorney General understand that the American people will accept nothing less than the truth. Please sign the letter and tell Attorney General Gonzales that we want no stone left unturned in this important investigation.

Here's the letter

Dear Attorney General Gonzales:

President Bush initially told the American people that he did not know of anyone in his Administration who leaked CIA secrets to the media in an attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq and discredit those who raised legitimate questions. Now, confronted with new court evidence, the White House has admitted that it was President Bush himself who authorized the disclosures. Clearly, the President has no intention of coming clean and telling us the truth about the use of classified intelligence for political gain.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has a mandate to find out who blew the cover of a CIA agent in order to punish her husband for telling the truth about Saddam Hussein’s nuclear ambitions. But the new evidence has made it clear that this scandal goes far beyond that incident, and may even include the President’s own words and actions.

Mr. Fitzgerald has famously said: “The truth is the engine of our judicial system. Mr. Fitzgerald has famously said: “The truth is the engine of our judicial system. If you compromise the truth, the whole process is lost.” For too long, there has been too much compromising and not enough truth from this White House. It’s time for those responsible to be held accountable. I urge you to extend Mr. Fitzgerald’s charter to include the behavior of the President in this disgraceful affair.

Signed by, [your name]"

This is an EXCELLENT petition!

Betsy, you may already be doing this--but if not--be sure to take vitamin E everyday. It accelerates healing. Hope your arm is soon like new.

Tomorrow and Monday Moon is in Pisces, and I'll be planting, planting.

Saving seeds and small farming seem to me to be a very efficient reaction to global foolishness.

I know this sounds very tinfoil hat, but a day or two ago heard on CNN that the US government has proclaimed it has the right to kill fowl just on the suspicion of bird flu. AND, the news story added, those fowl most at risk were small flocks of "backyard free range chickens."

Hmm. Wouldn't you think that large colonies of corporate-caged fowl would be more at risk? I would.

Anyhow, if you want to raise meat in a small space chickens are good--and rabbits are also. If you need to be quiet it is best to not have a rooster-- you will still have eggs but not so much noise.

If you want to raise chicks, talk with your neighbors and work out a swap deal in exchange for no complaints about pre-dawn clarion calls.

Good points, Barbara. Have you also followed the "rumor" that they want to put identifying chips inside ALL animals that humans keep here in the US of A? That one's a mind-boggler to me (and I'm so old and have been aware for so long that you'd think nuttin' could boggle my old mind enny more).

If the following is indeed true, then we may not have to wait for a Democratic victory in the House this November to see Impeachment charges brought against Bush and Co. In fact, it may not matter who holds the majority, and the Republicans will be totally helpless to stop it!

---

Bush Impeachment - The Illinois State Legislature is Preparing to Drop a Bombshell
Utilizing a little known rule of the US House to bring Impeachment charges

by Steven Leser

http://www.opednews.com

The Illinois General Assembly is about to rock the nation. Members of state legislatures are normally not considered as having the ability to decide issues with a massive impact to the nation as a whole. Representative Karen A. Yarbrough of Illinois' 7th District is about to shatter that perception forever. Representative Yarbrough stumbled on a little known and never utlitized rule of the US House of Representatives, Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature. From there, Illinois House Joint Resolution 125 (hereafter to be referred to as HJR0125) was born.

Detailing five specific charges against President Bush including one that is specified to be a felony, the complete text of HJR0125 is copied below at the end of this article. One of the interesting points is that one of the items, the one specified as a felony, that the NSA was directed by the President to spy on American citizens without warrant, is not in dispute. That fact should prove an interesting dilemma for a Republican controlled US House that clearly is not only loathe to initiate impeachment proceedings, but does not even want to thoroughly investigate any of the five items brought up by the Illinois Assembly as high crimes and/or misdemeanors. Should HJR0125 be passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the US House will be forced by House Rules to take up the issue of impeachment as a privileged bill, meaning it will take precedence over other House business.

The Illinois General Assembly joins a growing chorus of voices calling for censure or impeachment of President Bush including Democratic state committees in Vermont, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Nevada and North Carolina as well as the residents themselves of seven towns in Vermont, seventy Vermont state legislators and Congressman John Conyers. The call for impeachment is starting to grow well beyond what could be considered a fringe movement. An ABC News/Washington Post Poll Conducted April 6-9 showed that 33% of Americans currently support Impeaching President Bush, coincidentally, only a similar amount supported impeaching Nixon at the start of the Watergate investigation. If and when Illinois HJR0125 hits the capitol and the individual charges are publicly investigated, that number is likely to grow rapidly. Combined with the very real likelihood that Rove is about to be indicted in the LeakGate investigation, and Bush is in real trouble beyond his plummeting poll numbers. His cronies in the Republican dominated congress will probably save him from the embarassment of an impeachment conviction, for now, but his Presidency will be all but finished.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_060422_bush_impeachment___t.htm

Ahh... "So Moot It Be", NEO. ;O)

Joanna O

I agree with you. Sagittarius is definitely 'don't fence me in'. But isn't that just what's been happening? We have no functioning government so we've all had to wing it. Some of us are playing uproariously on the Internet, some are making millions, some are losing thousands, gambling everywhere, nothing in control, free-for-all, overseas sex parlors, free fire war zones, gargantuan waves of water, all out wildness, and the almighty surveillance hasn't seem to really take off. People acting crazy and no one stops them.
It's been kind of like an explosion of energy that hasn't found a channel or harness.

The Leo/Cap is an intersting one. That can swing both ways. Leo is expressive and loose, Cap, repressive and tight. That's going on too with the Saturn in Leo trying to rein things in.

But the teacher with the ruler is coming. The Sagittarius fun house will close up shop temporarily. But first, just wait till Jupiter goes into Sagittarius and with that Pluto coming right up. That should be something.

Shy,
That was no rumor. The Goat Farmer I did the sign for,
a devout Repug. is battling the attempt to "chip" all domestic animals.
Not sure what progress they are making.
A belated thank you Sally for the thought provoking article on China. It co-oincided so neatly with the arrival of the 2 books on Chinese and Japanese brush painting, I ordered from Amazon.com.
Hoorah for Illinois!!!!!
PQ

I'm glad you brought this up. It just occurred to me. Jupiter is going into Sadge Nov. 25, just in time for the new Congress. It does look lively. Wonder what king of Sagittarius holiday season we'll be having. Some are going to be celebrating in a big way.

Well, & I do think Sag is about ethics, too, jm... I don't think that Sag is about hedonism. Mark Twain & Will Rogers had HUGE ethical principles by which they lived, & they didn't mind talking about them either. ;O)

jm, please answer, your buddies have spoken.

Please provide a link to Tibet's 'totalitarian buddhism' under Dalai Lama and how the people were repressed under his strict authority.
Wha??????????? Flippity-Floppity!

The Cappy Cop-ity, but never a Cop-Out, which is the vibe I got.

Charles Dickens, who had a Sag moon, wrote in his "A Christmas Carol," a quintessential image of Sag as the ghost of xmas present I thot... a huge very generous jovial figure with plenty to Give (GIVING generously was what he was all about) to "cappy dark-side scrooge," who had no moral ethics, to get the Flow Going... also exposed to scrooge two figures beneath his robes... the starving allegorical twins, Ignorance and Want. The Jovial Ghost didn't laugh much when exposing these two.

Chart of Chas Dickens http://www.khaldea.com/charts/charlesdickens.shtml

* ...Ignorance and Want

One major theme in A Christmas Carol was rooted in Dickens' observations of the plight of the children of London's poor. It has been said of the times that sex was the only affordable pleasure for the poor; the result was thousands of children living in unimaginable poverty, filth, & disease. In 1839 it was estimated that nearly half of all funerals in London were for children under the age of ten. Those who survived grew up without education or resource & virtually no chance to escape the cycle of poverty. Dickens felt that this cycle of poverty could only be broken through education & became interested in the Ragged Schools in London.

Ragged Schools were free schools, run through charity, in which the poorest children received religious instruction & a rudimentary education. Dickens generally applauded the work of these schools altho he disapproved of introducing religious doctrine at the expense of a practical education which would help the pupil become a self-sufficient member of society. Despite the availability of these schools, most poor children remained uneducated due to the demand for child labor & the apathy of parents, wretchedly poor & uneducated themselves.

Dickens introduces these children in A Christmas Carol through the allegorical twins, Ignorance and Want. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows them, wretched and almost animal in appearance, to Scrooge with the warning: "This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, & all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."

Dickens continued to support education for the poor through his works but compulsory education for all did not come about until 1870, the year of Dickens' death. ... http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/carol.html

JoannaOregon, you are right Sagittarius' as their pure energy is very ethical and honesty is a god to them. One of the problems in this country and with our government is both Neptune and Mars squares and opposes (respectively) the US Asc. (Not by degree but by sign)So we have a tendency as part of the collective to make up things and deliver that hubris with gusto.

Whenever Pluto enters a sign or hits a planet it always starts by showing you in a dramatic way, where a person or country needs to clean up their act. After Pluto strips away the old facade and you are left with the mess, you get the chance to make something better of your life (be it individual or country) Several astrologers, including myself said in 2000 that when this Pluto transit was over, the people would demand honesty of their government and probably get it. Pluto is now in a sextile with the US Moon (the people) sextiles are "opportunities" and "we the people" have a unique period of time during this transit to really make our voices heard. When Mars gets to 26/27 Cancer I think you will hear some very loud protests. The US progressed North Node is already at that point and Mars crossing over it signals the potential of a new day coming.

The post Neobuckeye put up regarding the Illinois legislature's call for action on impeachment is a very important moment in time for the US as Mars is already in Cancer and will be coming to the 26/27 degrees in a few weeks, write Illinois and support them in this action, let them know the people are behind them. And Neo I hope you saw the article about Ohio being rocked by voter anger.

Cap'n Sally, if I may be so rude as to quote myself from several days ago, remember how sad and frustrated we all were even a year or so ago? We spoke of ourselves as being each alone in a little boat on a vast, turbulent ocean. I tried to inject some comfort by noting we should just look around and we'd see thousands of little boats bobbing up and down amongst those huge, frightening waves, that we were not alone. And here we are now looking forward to "a new day is coming" a la Crystal Blue Persuasion. La la la.
http://www.lyrics007.com/Tommy%20James%20And%20The%20Shondells%20Lyrics/Crystal%20Blue%20Persuasion,%201969%20Lyrics.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-na-contractor23apr23,0,5890330.story?coll=la-home-headlines

VA Contracts Go to Ex-Chief’s Company
Anthony J. Principi has held key positions at the Diamond Bar medical firm before and after heading the agency. Fees could exceed $1 billion.

LA Times April 23, 2006

A Diamond Bar company headed by former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony J. Principi could get fees exceeding $1 billion from the VA, much of it on contracts approved and amended while he ran the agency, records show.

Principi was president of the medical services company QTC Management Inc. before he joined President Bush’s Cabinet in 2001. He ran the VA for four years, then returned to the firm as chairman of the board.

While he was VA secretary, Principi’s past and future corporate home collected about $246 million in fees, according to VA records. Congressional Budget Office projections show the contracts could be worth as much as $1.2 billion through 2008.

More…

Yea, verily, Miss Sally... US has a Sag ascendant. I'm trying to obtain a better understanding of the Big Picture & trying to deal with severe disappointment in the pluto/leo ba'boom "leaders" NOW "in power"... they're not even leonine CREATIVE for crying out loud... they're just nasty copiers... copiers of some of the worst in past "leaders". It certainly seems to be that it is We, The People, (who allowed these freaks into power) & who are manifesting Sag energy (pluto/GC in Sag sextile leo)... that's actually very hopeful perhaps & an insight I hadn't thot about before now.

Ignorance and Want are names of the ego shadow.
The ego lures us into thinking we need it so much.
The bigger the ego the more fragile it really is.

Thanks for that interesting post JoO and I'll be hanging with Dickens.

Me, too, bhakti. I'm sick of crying. ;O)

The most interesting thing to me about Dickins chart JoannaO is his Mars/Saturn square. Mars/Saturn can be cruelity for the sake of cruelity and Dikins certainly saw and understood the Cruelity of his time. His Sag Moon and Venus/Pluto in Pisces enabled him to draw a picture of what he saw and with his Aquarius Sun he was able to create images that could be applied to all mankind. He could see clearly the desent of mankind into hell and the Sag/Aquarius gave him the picture out. A beautiful use of all his energies in a positive manner. Certainly his vivid understanding of the underbelly of life came from his own childhood spent in squalor and he put that knowledge to excellent use and a brilliant understanding of the causes of poverty.

Bleak House, Oliver Twist, a Tale of Two Cities and of course A Christmas Carol, what a voice he had for what needed to be changed within the human spirit to change the world. The truth of what he saw and his ability to put that into words is genius and compassion multiple times over.

hmm . . . amature astrologer here (at best!), and as such i find discussion of US sag ascendent very interesting. I can only see basics and not the finer points most of you can make (dont know any better !!) With sag rising, this country and its people want freedom, honesty and candidness; its our life blood. I dont think the people are just "sheeple" . . . that even if they knew better they would still just be following along. They are for the most part, over worked, under paid, financially over-extended (not because of Prada, Manolos, hermes, BMW's, mansions, etc, but because of medical emergencies, natural disasters, layoffs, outsourcing, taxation, etc.) and living day to day by taking one step after the next, concentrating on that and just believing that usa and the reps they sent to congress will do the right thing. Why wouldnt they do the right thing?!? Why wouldnt they think that what they hear in MSM is fair and balanced?? Who among us really has the time to scrutinize the motives and objectives of government and the media?!!!!. Americans are just not tuned in to the nuances and the endless analyses and logical applications needed to figure out what is really going on. Living in an evil govt like hitler's is just not within the american mind set. Many on this board seem to have a lot more time to think about what is going on than is the case for most Americans. On this i think i can speak from experience. As a partner in a prestigious law firm for more than 20 years, i decided to get out of the rat race recently and go into practice for myself. One, among so many, of the best things that happened is that i have time to read and digest things i took for granted, no differenent than the vast majority of Americans. It is a luxury most of our fellow americans just dont have. But once the word gets around and more and more individuals become informed, as it now appears to be happening, the people just will not allow this admin, or its ideals, to survive (sag rising). It is just a matter of getting the word out. I was totally blown away this morning reading an article in Parade magazine that has wide national distribution with the Sunday papers. In an article describing how difficult it is for so many Americans to experience the "American Dream" it ended the article by exhorting its readers to stop being distracted by bogus issues (without coming out and actually saying but suggesting, to me any way, gay marriage rights, "christian" rights, evolution vs. intelligent design etc) and to hold their representative's feet to the fire regarding issues that really count - - like cost of gas, quality of education, cost of prescription drugs, local and national securty - - and exhorting the readers not to leave the decision making to "zealots." My husband and i couldnt believe we saw this in that sort of "pablum" publication. The tide does in fact seem to be turning. After all we are, as a nation, a Sag ascendant!! And if my experience with having a grown daughter with Sag Sun, Jupiter, mercury and neptune placements has any credential, the american people arent going to take any of this sitting down once they find the time to know what is really going on. Not Alice

Hello to the eloquent last poster on Sag and a hearty welcome, if this is your first time. You express exactly what sagittarius is... optimism and a belief that things will work out. And a view of the big picture and a lotlotlot of understanding. They do work out for the Sag since she views life that way and believes in a grand orchestration. And that there is infinite power beyond humans. We're all players in a bigger game we don't control.
With Sagittarius comes the first awakening of infinite power in the universe, and thus, it rules religions. It's where we leave the personal to some extent and enter the transpersonal.

Another thing Sag does is seize opportunity in every experience.
I have a Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius at the tip of a kite formation in the 9th house, only thing above the horizon, and I have lived the Sag experience from second one. I've had the same horrible experiences as everyone else, but I've always seen the reasons for them and have seen the opportunity for knowledge gained. In ALL of them. I don't argue with life and death. Life does what it does, people do what they do, and I do what I do with trust in the universe. I've always felt protected and that life is not against me. It's miraculous, to me, this thing called life, and I want to get the most out of the brief time I'm here. Sagittarius is after huge dimension and as full of an experience as possible, good or bad.

All signs are dual. The downside of Sag's honesty is the conman. At first. the "Neocons" took over and started the exaggerated lying process. Clinton, also, was impeached for lying. Then lying became equated with death(Pluto) I've always thought that by the end, as Sally pointed out, that we would be in the mood for honesty from our politicians. Quite a tall order.
Ethics are not really Sag's domain. The philosophical questions around it are, but the application is Capricorn. We shall see.
I also agree that the people of this country have a lot to contend with and are not as bad as some say. I refuse to call them stupid. I don't believe it.

Bhakti

Michael Palin made a film of a journey into the Himalayas which was enlightening since he had no political agenda. There is some valuable perspective on the situation, different from what a biased tale will tell. It's not Buddhism, but the usual power trappings of people in government. Tibet was no different.

The best link I have is my own experience. I lived in Nepal for nine months and still have a lot to learn about life and the truth in this magical part of the world. I do know that unquestioning obedience to any religious hierarchy will eventually cause weakening of will and trouble. And even the seeker with the best intentions will succumb to the lure of power over others.

It's true about the love of freedom in this country. We are worshipped for it around the world. This threat has made us value it more.

William Rivers Pitt | Deadlines and Dissent
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042306A.shtml
William Rivers Pitt interviews former presidential candidate John Kerry, one of the most prominent Democrats to join the call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and analyzes Kerry's speech from Saturday in Boston.

Zbigniew Brzezinski | Been There, Done That
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042306B.shtml
Iran's announcement that it has enriched a small amount of uranium has unleashed urgent calls for a preventive US airstrike from the same sources that earlier urged war on Iraq. If there is another terrorist attack in the United States, according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, you can bet your bottom dollar that there also will be immediate charges that Iran was responsible in order to generate public hysteria in favor of military action.

Criticism of Rumsfeld Widens to Young Officers
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042306C.shtml
The revolt by retired generals who publicly criticized Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has opened an extraordinary debate among younger officers, in military academies, in the armed services' staff colleges and even in command posts and mess halls in Iraq.

Colleagues Say Fired CIA Officer Played by Rules
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042306D.shtml
In 1998, when President Bill Clinton ordered military strikes against a suspected chemical weapons factory in Sudan, Mary O. McCarthy, a senior intelligence officer assigned to the White House, warned the president that the plan relied on inconclusive intelligence, two former government officials said.

Dean Says Bush "Cut and Run" on Katrina
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042306E.shtml
Democratic Party chief Howard Dean said on Saturday that the Bush administration had "cut and run" on Gulf Coast hurricane recovery and created a political legacy of deficits, divisiveness and deceit.

Former German Minister Says Building 7 Used To Run 9/11 Attack Guide the planes in, then destroy the crime scene

Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones/Prison Planet.com | April 21 2006

Former Helmut Schmidt cabinet member, 25-year German Parliamentarian and global intelligence expert Andreas Von Bülow says that the 9/11 attack was run by the highest levels of the US intelligence apparatus using WTC Building 7 as a command bunker which was later demolished in order to destroy the crime scene.

Speaking to The Alex Jones Show on the GCN Radio Network, Von Bülow said that "the official story is so wrong, it must be an inside job."

Von Bülow discussed the special software programs that allow the CIA to track suspicious stock market movements in real time. Record put options placed on United and American Airlines in the week before 9/11, a speculation that the stock would crash, clearly indicated inside foreknowledge of the impending attack.

"If the stock market has very strange movements immediately they take care of this and they had a lot of tapes and the lawyers told the people destroy these tapes."

"The Bush administration is in a deep defensive [mode] and probably they would like to come out with a new offensive," said Von Bülow as he considered whether a new staged false flag terror attack could be launched to further an interventionist agenda.

"I would hope that one 'new Pearl Harbor' is enough," said Von Bülow, "but I cannot be sure."

Von Bülow commented on the disputed identities of the named hijackers.

"The names of these nineteen [hijackers] never came up in the official passenger list, until now there's no proof they were on the planes."

Von Bülow also pointed out how the alleged hijacker's flight instructors told investigators that they couldn't even fly Cessna's, never mind complex large commercial airliners.

Von Bülow also touched upon the implausible collapse of the buildings.

"The towers came down in the velocity of free fall which is totally impossible, they fall down in 8, 9, or 10 seconds, the pancake theory is ridiculous," he said.

Von Bülow also highlighted the fact that there were 67 successful intercepts of errant aircraft in the year of 2001 before 9/11 and yet four planes were allowed to veer wildly off course without any being intercepted on that one day.

Rudolph Giuliani opened a $13 million emergency Command Center (pictured) on the 23rd floor of World Trade Center Building 7 in June 1999 in part to respond to and manage terrorist attacks.

Von Bülow referenced the command bunker in Building 7, calling it the "optimal place" to run the attacks using remote control technology to guide the planes in and then destroying the crime scene by imploding the building.

"There were two procedures, one was flying in the aircraft the second was the explosions," he said.

When asked precisely which parties carried out the attack Von Bülow said it must have been a "very small group" within the CIA with the help of Saudi Arabian and Pakistani secret service intelligence.

Von Bülow outlined his view that one reason for the execution of 9/11 was to provide the justification for US military bases in the near and Middle East to be built in anticipation for a future confrontation with China, whom the Neo-Cons believe have grown too powerful and need to have their geopolitical wings clipped.

Click here to listen to Von Bülow's interview.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/210406runattack.htm

Read the 4:58 pm post (4/23) and the one immediately prior to it. Things are getting very serious for them. What'll they do? Brrrrrrr.

http://www.talkingpoinsmemo.com

Here's the link to shy's great find.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/008270.php

Unbelievable! An ambassador involved in international sex trade??????
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060421-101527-7145r

Thanks for posting the accurate link to the TPM articles, Pat. I'll try and improve my skills. Sigh.

My pleasure shy! It's a maze out there, really.

The thing I don't understand and perhaps someone can help me out here, if they went to the trouble to blow up building 7 to cover their tracks, why would they keep any material key to an investigation of 9/11, including documents. I would think they would have destroyed any and all of the information they might have that would potentially implicate them. If they kept incrimminating evidence it would have to be on the grounds or assumption that they would continue to rule and no one could ever investigate them. If they knew in 2001 or believed they would have forever control then nothing we do is going to matter. It won't matter if the Dems get in because the Dems would have been part of it all. I just cannot believe they would keep records of their part in the dirty deed, unless other involved countries have information but that seems unlikely too.

* URANUS SQUARES THE ASCENDANT OF THE US CHART (APRIL & AUGUST 2006, JANUARY 2007)

Clearly the (1st pass of the) Uranus transit of the American asc by a square has made its mark & we are not yet past the half-way mark of this month of April. (USA: July 4, 1776, "late afternoon," according to Thos Jefferson recalling it in his age-- 5:10PM gives the US chart to 13 deg of Fervently Religious & Often Exaggeratedly Large Statements; Sagittarius, Philadelphia PA)

THE BIRTH OF A NATION

I have to comment for all the others who like the other charts for the USA, those of the Republic & other events of a govt well-established & authorizing its 1st major decrees. I disagree with these later choices for the "Birth of a Nation," altho they do make an informative statement in the hands of a good astrologer. But, taking any other chart than that of July 4, 1776, does not match up by metaphor to the event of the Declaration of Independence. We astrologers are counted upon by our readership & clients for metaphors of the events; narratives that find a tight resonance between the deeply symbolic & the street reality of the experience. I hope always that this discussion around the Water Cooler (membership required) gives us space to link these experiences to one & the other.

The metaphor of a birth is very much like a revolution which spawns with cries & hollers, where one body becomes two, individual & fully distinct identities. In the case of the Old King George's colonies in the Americas, there was certainly a Uranian awakening for "his empire." It was no longer his. Like a mother who gives birth, His Lordship had the post-partum blues. However, unlike the mothers who eventually recover to love their child again, the king's insanity persisted the rest of his days. ... http://www.ancientsky.com/President-Prediction.htm

Posted on Salon by a few wonderful posters:

REID CALLS ON BUSH TO DELIVER ON HIS PROMISE TO 'JAWBONE' OPEC

http://democrats.senate.gov/~dpc/press/05/2005428841.html April 25, 2005

Democratic Leader Harry Reid released the following statement in response to the President's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah:

"When it comes to energy, the American people are still waiting for President Bush to keep his promises. Over five years ago, he pledged to 'jawbone' OPEC nations like Saudi Arabia to bring down the price of gas. As Americans continue to pay dearly at the pump, today's meeting with the Saudi Prince would be a good time for the President to start delivering on this pledge.

"And following the meeting, I hope President Bush will join Senate Democrats in finding real solutions to America's energy crisis. It is in our economic interest, our security interest and our national interest to recognize the energy challenges before us and work together towards energy independence."

Bush Claims High Gas Prices are Out of His Control. Bush: "I wish I could simply wave a magic wand and lower gas prices tomorrow. I'd do that. Unfortunately, however, gas prices are a problem that has been years in the making." [Remarks to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Marketplace, 4/20/05]

Yet Candidate Bush Called on Clinton to "Jawbone OPEC" to "Open the Spigots." Bush on how to handle OPEC: "What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it's driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." [The New York Times, 9/29/00; George Bush, Republican Primary Debate, Manchester, NH, 1/26/00]

More....

...........

2000
Candidate Bush Called on Clinton to "Jawbone OPEC" to "Open the Spigots." Bush on how to handle OPEC: "What I think the president ought to do is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together, and it's driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." [The New York Times, 9/29/00; George Bush, Republican Primary Debate, Manchester, NH, 1/26/00]
===

2004
A spokesman for the president reportedly said in March [2004] that Mr. Bush will not personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds.
===

2005
At a meeting Monday at his Texas ranch, Bush is promising to press Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, to do more to help ease global oil prices. [4/23/2005]
===============

Flexibility

.............

http://signs-of-the-times.org/signs/images/bush%20holds%20hand.jpg

Sally, There is only one reason to keep documents of secret events. Ego. The glorification of who done what and when they done it. The Nazi death camps kept records. Dr. Mengele kept records.

If you have an ego that is so inflated that you are convinced you are so special that you're called upon by GOD HIMSELF to do his bidding, or that you have what it takes to change the course of history for the entire world, you have an ego thing.

Big ego people want proof of their greatness, and of their clever minds and brilliant plans and how they had THE POWER TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN!

They're not great if no one knows about it. They have to have everyone know who the big enchilada is. Their ego demands obeysance, awe, adoration, and fear. Deep, deep fear of their power. They aren't going to get it unless their worst deeds are catalogued.

And isn't that a mind-blower, though, Goldensilence? Records are kept documenting all kinds of horrible stuff--and then they have to go to all kinds of lengths to keep the things hidden, and to even greater lengths to punish those who find them and reveal them? Nutz, folks, just nutz!

That's the best I can figure Golden, much as a serial killer keeps some kind of record of their victims, a record or memento, something that will tie them to the deaths, prove they did it. I remember John Dean saying that Pat Nixon begged her husband to take the Watergate tapes out on the lawn and burn them, but he wouldn't do it. I think that kind of ego is hard for women to understand.

Boy, stuff is just oozing out all over the place, Cap'n Sally. Look at this:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/008284.php

One thing to remember also is the psychosis of the criminal. I think these people's survival depends on this verification of their actions. Without the tangible evidence, they cease to exist, so strong is their need for validation of power.

And the inexplicable fact of criminal behavior in that they always leave clues. As if they intend to be caught, which they usually are.

Sally, I think the answer is in Pat C's link to Brzezinski's (God, that name is tough!) article above. My antennae went up awhile back when he started to publically criticize Iraq, stating the Trilateral Commission's position... and called for a change in foreign policy. Now Iran. I think this is a good indicator that the cons are out.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/cold_turkey/

Cold Turkey

Many years ago, I was so innocent I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America so many members of my generation used to dream of. We dreamed of such an America during the Great Depression, when there were no jobs. And then we fought and often died for that dream during the Second World War, when there was no peace.

But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.

————————————-

When you get to my age, if you get to my age, which is 81, and if you have reproduced, you will find yourself asking your own children, who are themselves middle-aged, what life is all about. I have seven kids, four of them adopted.

Many of you reading this are probably the same age as my grandchildren. They, like you, are being royally shafted and lied to by our Baby Boomer corporations and government.

More....

.............

http://donkeyod.blogspot.com/2006/04/great-chinese-fake-out-by-maureen-dowd.html

The Great Chinese Fake-Out By MAUREEN DOWD

Dick and Rummy are in Karl's old office, eating Chinese leftovers.

"Serves Karl right, by golly," Rummy says. "He's so arrogant. Won't listen to anybody about anything. Goodness gracious, imagine having somebody in such an important job who doesn't take any advice or pay attention to dissenting opinions. An autocrat ruthlessly ruling over his own little kingdom. Even Laura can't stand his peacock-preening."

Dick grunts his assent, his mouth full of ginger-scented dumplings.

The Bush mandarins are feeling more sweet than sour. It's been a fun week, sidelining Rove, firing the C.I.A. officer who was a source for reporters (including for The Washington Post's Pulitzer-winning articles) on the agency's overseas gulag, plotting against Iran, messing with China's head, rolling like a Tiananmen tank over the retired generals who tried to lead a democratic uprising against Rummy.

"Here's to winning the Battle of the Potomac," Rummy said with a wolfish grin, clinking Scotch glasses with Dick. "Another tactical mistake by the military."

The Kid whizzes down the West Wing hall on his Razor scooter. "Hey, dudes, listen to my fortune cookie," he calls out. " 'Though effective, appear to be ineffective.' " Dick and Rummy exchange knowing looks.

"Hu's on first?" Rummy howls, and cracks up, as he does every time he makes the joke. "Those Commies got what was coming to them. They're still trying to figure out how we could ruin Hu's trip by letting some woman with a press pass from The Falun Gong Gazette onto the White House lawn to heckle him.

It's spreading: California joins Illinois in legislative maneuver to force Impeacment of Bush!

---

California Becomes Second State to Introduce Bush Impeachment

By David Swanson

Joining Illinois, California has become the second state in which a proposal to impeach President Bush has been introduced in the state legislature. And this one includes Cheney as well.

California Assemblyman Paul Koretz of Los Angeles (where the LA Times has now called for Cheney's resignation) has submitted amendments to Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39, calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. The amendments reference Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature.

The resolution, in the words of Koretz's press release, "bases the call for impeachment upon the Bush Administration intentionally misleading the Congress and the American people regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify an unnecessary war that has cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives and casualties; exceeding constitutional authority to wage war by invading Iraq; exceeding constitutional authority by Federalizing the National Guard; conspiring to torture prisoners in violation of the 'Federal Torture Act' and indicating intent to continue such actions; spying on American citizens in violation of the 1978 Foreign Agency Surveillance Act; leaking and covering up the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, and holding American citizens without charge or trial."

Koretz submitted amendments gutting AJR No. 39, a resolution unrelated to impeachment, to the Assembly Rules Committee. The Rules Committee may take up the bill this week for referral, allowing him to formally introduce the amended resolution.

AJR 39 is a bill introduced in January by Koretz calling for a moratorium on depleted uranium:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ajr_39_bill_20060104_introduced.html

"At both the state and national levels," Koretz said, "we will be paying for the Bush Administration's illegal actions and terrible lack of judgment and competence for decades—not only in the billions of dollars wasted on the war and welfare for the rich, but in the worldwide loss of respect for America and Americans. Bush and Cheney must be impeached and removed from office before they undertake even deadlier misdeeds, such as the use of nuclear weapons. There are no bounds to their willingness to ignore the Constitution and world opinion—we can't afford to wait for the next disaster and hope that we can survive it."

For more inormation and to thank this American hero, contact Paul Michael Neuman in Koretz's District Office: (310) 285-5490 paul.neuman@asm.ca.gov or go here:
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a42/Contact.htm

Here is a kit to help with promoting this resolution and with passing others in your towns and cities and states. Also on this page is information on activities in other states and localities:
http://www.impeachpac.org/resolutions

Get organized in California to pass this bill!
http://pdamerica.org/statecaucus.php?s=CA

--For Illinois:

The text of the Illinois bill and information on its status are available here:
http://tinyurl.com/nhs3r

The bill takes up the issues of illegal spying, torture, detentions without charge or trial, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, and the leaking of classified information.

Please thank these sponsors of the bill:

Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough, phone (217) 782-8120 or (708) 615-1747; fax (708) 615-1745

Rep Sara Feigenholtz , phone (217) 782-8062 or (773) 296-4141; fax (217) 557-7203 or (773) 296-0993

Rep. Eddie Washington phone (217) 558-1012 or (847) 623-0060, fax (847) 623-6078

Here is a kit to help with promoting this resolution and with passing others in your towns and cities. Also on this page is information on activities in other states and localities:
http://www.impeachpac.org/resolutions

Get organized in Illinois to pass this bill!
http://pdamerica.org/statecaucus.php?s=IL

This article:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/9249

California joining Illinois just added a tremendous amount of fuel to the Bush-Cheney impeachment fire. Hopefully, more states will soon follow the jump onto this bandwagon. How about Oregon? Vermont? Rhode Island? Maine? Massachusetts? Maybe even North Carolina?

I wonder if we can finally bring about a decisive end to the madness of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the NeoCONS before they wreak even more grievious harm upon our world in Iran? I'm sure that Bush and Co. will now do everything they can to shift our attention away from the heroic efforts of the Illinois and California state legislatures, to supposed threats to our national security in Iran. Witness the apparent resurrection (yet again) of Osama bin Laden: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/bin_laden_tape;_ylt=Au_FXSgLHZTumK2RN7imSbis0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

All I can say is, thank you, Thomas Jefferson, for having the foresight to leave an opening for us to collectively right so many horrific wrongs.

Sally, I did see the article about simmering Ohio voter anger. I'm still amazed by how long it took people here to finally wake up and realize how badly the Greedy Oil Party has been screwing them and the state out of a future.

A decade and a half of uninterrupted Republican dominance of our politics here has almost completely trashed our K-12 schools, driven away numerous businesses, jobs and new technological development, left our once thriving urban cores in ruins and our countryside a spawling, untenable suburban wasteland in the making. Our college tuition is also now among the most expensive in the nation. This state's population of ambitious youth and creative intellectuals are rather understandably fleeing for greener pastures in droves.

I just hope that it's all enough to drive people here to the polls this November and send the likes of Senator Mike DeWine, Mean Jean Schmidt and the increasingly odious and delusional J. Kenneth Blackwell packing in favor of progressive and liberal Dems. I pray that enough Ohioans don't drink the Kool-Aid that Blackwell and the "Big Box Church" fundie movement here is offering.

I just heard today that some sort of provision was passed by the state legislature that will allow Ohioans to vote by absentee ballot without giving a reason for doing so, beginning with our primaries in May. I'll definitely be using one when I relocate to Arizona this fall, as I too have decided to leave Ohio for a place where tuition is actually affordable and people aren't competing with each other for jobs at Taco Bell and Wal-Mart.

Let me be the first to welcome you to the West, Neo. This is wonderful. Wonderful news. You'll be close to Montana, too, where the governor is said to be one of the big up and coming figures in American politics.

Your information verifies what I thought might happen. States taking things into their own hands. Living in a place we like is so important. Where we can participate in local politics and feel effective. In Colorado, they love to take the issues directly to the people and we really do decide a lot of them. Just put it on the ballot, they say. It certainly feels like a democracy. I think this all is exactly what the progressives needed. Now a renewed desire for them is forming. And it seems as though labor is organizing again in preparation for the economic restructuring ahead. There's a lot to do. I'm so glad people like you are involved.

Looked up Michael Palin on Google and he claims to share Dalai Lama's view on human life "it is the only way to move forward" agrees Mr. Palin.
www.tibet.com/NewsRoom/photoexhibit2.htm

Visiting in Nepal is not living in Tibet. The link of one's mind is not acceptable after making such inflammatory remarks. And not the first time either.
Back them up with facts or links.

Bhakti

Agreed. I will do as you say.

Good morning! Could I interest you in an argument that Ahhhhhhhhhhhhnold is an illegal alien?
http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/23/105447/322

WhaddaHOOT!! shy... thanks for the good laugh this morning. That pink aaaaanie face is sooo attractive. ;O)

* As Congress reconvenes, GOP remains under siege

Just when it looked like the political climate could not get worse for [booosh] & the [necroporn] Party, more storms have gathered. This mo's abrupt spike in gas prices is fueling new worries about the party's prospects in the fall elections, which have already been roiled by controversy over GOP policies on immigration, the federal budget & Iraq.

So when Congress returns today from a spring recess, [necro]s face a political landscape even more challenging than when they left town two weeks ago after failing to pass lege to crack down on illegal immigration & to curb domestic spending. Since then, gas prices have shot up, to more than $3/gal in many places. Demonstrations against GOP immigration proposals have continued around the country. A new poll shows [booosh]'s approval ratings at new lows — & congressional [necro]s' even lower.

"I don't see panic setting in yet [really!?!? why not?], but there's certainly increasing concern when [rez] is in the 30s [in approval polls] & we're in the 20s," said Rep Peter King, R-NY. Even [necro]s who still believe the GOP will retain control of Congress are resigned to losing many seats.

"There's not any margin for error here," said Rep Fred Upton, R-MI. "But I also think things aren't going to get much worse politically." They may not, if only because [necro]s' fortunes have already sunk so low. A recent poll by the Pew Research Ctr for the People & the Press found anti-incumbent sentiment running stronger than at any time since 1994, when [necro]s gained control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

GOP leaders in the House & the Senate hope to counter that complaint by racking up lege accomplishments in the coming mos. It won't be easy, because many of the problems before them, such as high gas prices & continuing instability in Iraq, are largely out of their control. Other issues, such as immigration & the budget, divide the [necro] Party deeply. ... con't http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002949677_congress24.html

jm,
it's not what *I* say. That puts me into a place that triangulates me and causes division. It's: Do The Right Thing. Words posted are what tell the world someone's truth, not my making mention to back the words up if they are from out of left field.

Stickin' with Dickens.
The ghost lifted his robe, the veils of ego, to expose what ego is comprised of. Hurt childish behaviors.

BTW, on that note I've been thinking about Mr MuMan of Extra Testosterone. When the confrontation went into passive-aggressive behavior such as lalala can't hear you and talking over it about the scenery, that fed his ego which feasts on fear. When someone said get lost in an angry honest way, it fled. So think about why we have all allowed creeps like *Co get away with what they do. LALALALALALALA ain't working anymore. I also talked about the new wave of energy. Glub, glub the old ways of dealing are over.

Do the Right Thing.

April 24, 2006 | This Week's Astrology Eric Francis

I REALIZE we've been going through one of those "What on Earth is next?" phases of astrology, and the action of the nodes, Mars and Mercury in the cardinal signs (Cancer and Aries) has been stirring the pot from the bottom up. Currently the Moon is sweeping through sensitive Pisces and has been making plenty of aspects to other planets in the water signs: Mars, Juno and Vesta in Cancer; Jupiter in Scorpio; and Uranus and Venus in Pisces.

This is a lot of water, and that means that emotionally we may need to tread water. The important thing is to stay above your emotions and keep breathing. Mercury has just crossed the lunar node and the degree of the 3/29 solar eclipse; Mars has squared the node and is getting ready to square the degree of the eclipse. That is why everything feels so incredibly important, and why all decisions feel so life-altering.

Is it true, or is it just a feeling? Ah well that is one of the mysteries of the nodes. They are there to guide us, but not to compel us. There is an extraordinary amount of individualistic energy in the air, and many people are finding this is tough on relationships. Will this help? Well, one of the things our relationships struggle from is a combination of overcooked individuality and undercooked insecurity.

The lunar nodes in Aries and Libra are underscoring just this issue. Where is the line between I and We? How much investment can you expect people to have in your sense of safety? How much are you willing to do to make them feel safe? And the kicker of course -- is all of that really just a ruse? If nothing else, the nodes in Aries in Libra -- an 18 month transit that comes to a peak this spring -- are saying that we need to be fully conscious of our own security needs and our own identity as apart from any relationship we may be in.

This does not preclude the possibility of love, and in fact it leaves our loved ones breathing easier because we send the message that we don't need them to feel safe. One of the most precious gifts we can offer another is our own sense of security. http://planetwaves.net/

http://donkeyod.blogspot.com/2006/04/csi-trade-deficit-by-paul-krugman.html

CSI: Trade Deficit By PAUL KRUGMAN

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=917053

The Never-Ending Emergency

Mary McCarthy's Choice

With officials refusing to fulfill their oversight duties, the CIA officer was likely forced to choose between silence and speaking out.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/04/24/mary_mccarthys_choice.php

Goldensilence, I believe that the "story" about Ahmadnijad being one of the students to be involved in the taking of the US Embassy in Iran was discredited. It was a faked picture and was being used in the US press to "drum up" support and justification for the war against Iran. Our government uses every chance to demonize their leaders in order to convince the american public that we need to go to war to "protect" ourselves.

There is so much "disinformation" going on about Iran that I thought I might be forgiven for bringing this to everybody's attention.

Your post:

And Ahmadenijad of Iran. Ahmadenijad was 19 when the Ayatolla Komeini returned and deposed the Sha and started the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadenijad was among the students who took over the American Embassy in Tehran. And Ahmadenijad is also trying to lead his country into capitalism and an equal player on the world stage.

All the best to all, Marta

O, NeoBuckeye, bringer of joy! TWO states? Good for Illinois and California, and yes, by all means let's send them our support. I'm going to do that next.

Been thinking about what the anon poster on this thread said about we the people not being stupid--just being so overwhelmed trying to pay the rent/mortgage (increasingly the same thing) and put the food on the table that there is no time for reflection. (And you sure can't get an accurate news summary from the MSM.) So whatever sociopathy the neoCons are up to has to hit home personally before most Americans really take notice.

This is in line with the astute comments made on last thread by Goldensilence, jm, and Marta, about how keeping women burdened with childcard prevents their participating in political life.

Although the phrase "barefoot and pregant" is one I've heard from any early age, for some reason I never made the connection before. I know that when my only child (I was a single parent) was a minor, I was working and didn't have any time at all for politics. A couple of days before election I'd visit my mother-in-law and say, "Tell me who to vote for," and write it down. (She kept up and was progressive.)

WOO-WOO, it's the house is rockin' :)

I'd like to add to Marta's post with the following: http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12805.htm

snip) STEPHEN KINZER: It’s hard to believe today that we could even use the word “Iran” and “democracy” in the same sentence, but the fact is Iran was a functioning, thriving democracy in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Because Iran nationalized its oil industry, rather than allow it to continue being exploited by foreigners, Iran became a target for foreign intervention, and the U.S. did overthrow the democracy of Iran in the summer of 1953.

We placed on the throne the Shah. He ruled for 25 years with increasing repression. His repression produced the explosion of the late 1970s, the Islamic revolution. That revolution brought to power a fanatically anti-American clique of mullahs who began their regime by taking American diplomats as hostage, has then spent 25 years oppressing its own people and doing whatever it could, sometimes very violently, to undermine American interests in the world, and that is the regime with which we are now approaching a very serious world crisis regarding the nuclear issue.

Now, had we not intervened in 1953 and crushed Iranian democracy, we might have had a thriving democracy in the heart of the Muslim Middle East all these 50 years. I can hardly wrap my mind around how different the Middle East might be now. This regime that’s now in power in Iran would never have come to power, and the current nuclear crisis would never have emerged. This is a great example of how our intervention ultimately leads us to regimes much worse than the ones we originally set out to overthrow.

Now, how do you think that people in Iran react when Americans point a finger at them and say, “You’re a tyranny over there. You’re a brutal dictatorship. You should have a democracy. You should have a free regime”? Well, they say, “We had a democracy here, until you came in and overthrew it.”

Well, I've just vowed to review my comments before posting them. Sorry for all the typos--but you get the drift.

Marta,

Thanks for giving that information. I think bringing it up is good because, as you say there's so much missinformtion as well as deliberate dissinformation going around now that's it's truly prudent to try to make sure of the facts. You may be right, but although I've run across speculation as to his involvement I haven't read anything yet that debunks his official biography (mentioned in the article below). The young man in the photograph in dispute may or may not be him, but he was involved as the representative of the OSU (Office of Strenghthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries) which played a central role in the takeover of the US Embassy.

(note: further down there is another link with his biography detailing his role in the Islamic Revolution)

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/01/MNGHRDHP4V1.DTL&hw=iran+hostage+link&sn=002&sc=782

Supporters, detractors deny U.S. hostage link
Some ex-detainees say they remember Iran's new leader
Mike Weiss, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, July 1, 2005

The controversy over whether Iran's new hard-line president-elect was involved in the 1979 hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran took a new turn Thursday as both supporters and opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied that he had taken part in the operation.

[snip]

Six former American hostages have said they recognized Ahmadinejad.

"As soon as I saw the face, it rang a lot of bells to me," Don Sharer of Bedford, Ind., told CNN. The former naval attache at the Tehran embassy said he was 99 percent sure of his identification. "When you're placed in a life- threatening situation of that nature, you just remember those things," he said.

Another former hostage, William J. Daugherty, a former CIA officer who now lives in Savannah, Ga., said he remembered Ahmadinejad "acting in a supervisory or leadership capacity" during the early weeks of his captivity.

Retired Col. David Roeder, 66, who was deputy Air Force attache at the embassy in 1979, has told reporters that Ahmadinejad watched as interrogators threatened to kidnap Roeder's handicapped son in the United States and mutilate him "if I didn't start to cooperate."

However, at least one former hostage, Air Force Col. Thomas E. Schaefer, has said he does not believe it is the man in photos of the hostage crisis is Ahmadinejad.

A close aide to the president-elect, Kaveh Eshtehardi, refused to look at photographs the former hostages said resembled Ahmadinejad.

"We won't enter a media game,'' he said. "We won't heed such allegations. "

Ahmadinejad's official biography says that while he was a student at Tehran's University of Science and Technology, he was a member of the Office for Strengthening Unity, a radical student organization whose members included the organizers of the embassy takeover.

*************

The following is from a website called Iran Focus

http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2605

[snip]

In 1979, he became the representative of Elm-o Sanaat students in the Office for Strengthening of Unity Between Universities and Theological Seminaries, which later became known as the OSU. The OSU was set up by Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, who was at the time Khomeini’s top confidant and a key figure in the clerical leadership. Beheshti wanted the OSU to organise Islamist students to counter the rapidly rising influence of the opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK) among university students.

The OSU played a central role in the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran in November 1979. Members of the OSU central council, who included Ahmadinejad as well as Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, Mohsen (Mahmoud) Mirdamadi, Mohsen Kadivar, Mohsen Aghajari, and Abbas Abdi, were regularly received by Khomeini himself.

According to other OSU officials, when the idea of storming the U.S. embassy in Tehran was raised in the OSU central committee by Mirdamadi and Abdi, Ahmadinejad suggested storming the Soviet embassy at the same time. A decade later, most OSU leaders re-grouped around Khatami but Ahmadinejad remained loyal to the ultra-conservatives

There is hope, folks! There is hope:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/14415363.htm

* pollnumber at a NEW LOW! 32%!!!!!!!!
PQ

And that's "officially released", right, Pat QOP? Heh heh.

Shylurker,

I live in Alameda County! It's the San Francisco Bay Area!

OK, now I know I'm jaded. It's official. I read an article about Joshua Bolten, Bush's new Chief of Staff and the following sentence jumped out at me.

"Mr. Bolten, who is single, keeps long investment banker hours, and is well known for staying at the office until 11 p.m."

1. Another homophobic homosexual like Mehlman?
2. Another man who worships Bush?
3. Mr. Gannon comes to mind, or am really sick in the head?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/24/washington/24letter.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

White House Letter
Not 'the Decider,' but Stirring Anxiety

By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: April 24, 2006
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — There is fear and moaning in the West Wing these days as Andrew H. Card Jr., the genial father figure who promoted a family-friendly White House, has been succeeded as chief of staff by Joshua B. Bolten, a Goldman Sachs-trained workaholic who is exposing President Bush's aides to market forces.

more...

Barbara....typos?
You'd be amazed at how many people don't even notice them. And if they do, they are completely forgiving. I used to be horribly embarrassed at mine, but I'm improving. I'm only moderately embarrassed now.

The 'barefoot and pregnant' one was powerful for me, too. Especially the barefoot part. From Chinese footbinding to ill-fitting high heels, women's feet have been a source of crippling and restriction of power. For years I have been crusading for comfortable shoes for women, and there has been some progress. The high heels continue to make women a sex object, not to be taken seriously in other ways, besides curtailing her ability to move well and defend herself. Only if she, perhaps, stabbed an assailant with her stiletto heel.
The added height is only an illusion of power. I see so many women having trouble letting go of this entrapment, regardless of bunions, shortened achilles tendons, and spinal imbalance. They work for special occasions. maybe being chauffeured to the ball.

Isn't it unbelievable? So little is known about Ahmadinejad and yet, nuclear warfare against him was taken seriously. It's absolutelty absurd. I think people quickly landed on their feet, though, and saw this absurdity.

And here is some Leo catfighting going on...

"It appears that Bush will have to settle for lesser accomodations when he visit’s Vienna, Austria in June. Mick Jagger beat Bush to the punch in reserving the luxury Royal Suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, and Jagger has refused to give it up for Bush."

This verifies my view of the loss of credibility in our WH, which is less than pop star status at this point.

Lawrence Wilkerson | Is US Being Transformed Into a Radical Republic?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042406A.shtml
Lawrence Wilkerson quotes Alexis de Tocqueville: "America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Wilkerson goes on to say, "In January 2001, with the inauguration of George W. Bush as president, America set on a path to cease being good; America became a revolutionary nation, a radical republic. If our country continues on this path, it will cease to be great - as happened to all great powers before it, without exception."

The Bush Impeachment Bombshell From Illinois
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042406B.shtml
The Illinois General Assembly is about to rock the nation. Members of state legislatures are normally not considered as having the ability to decide issues with a massive impact to the nation as a whole. Representative Karen A. Yarbrough of Illinois's 7th District is about to shatter that perception forever.

Brecher and Smith | Attack Iran, Ignore the Constitution
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042406C.shtml
During the 2004 election, George W. Bush famously proclaimed that he didn't have to ask anyone's permission to defend America. Does that mean he can attack Iran without having to ask Congress? A new Congressional resolution being drafted by Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon, can be a vehicle to remind Bush that he can't.

Golden, thanks for the links about Iran's President ... the jury is out on it ... and as some of the links say, it's not conclusive that it was him.

On another note, while the Iranian hostage crisis whipped americans into a frenzy (or perhaps more accurately our govt. whipped us into a frenzy) it was a frenzy induced to try to maintain our "interests" in Iran's oil fields. Reagan's people (Kissinger?) made a deal to keep the hostages until after the elections were over which apparently tipped the balance and made him president and then he became a "hero" once the hostages were brought home. It's all in the game. In the end, whether or not he (Iran's President) participated as a student in the hostage taking (i.e. young, idealistic, etc.) does not mean that he's a demon. It's the old adage, one man's freedom fighter is another mans "terrist". Depends on which side of the fence you're on.

As Karen and may other AW's have noted ... In the end the US has overthrown more elected democracies and installed more strongmen and dictators than you can shake a stick at. And we do it by using misinformation and fooling the american people into believing in "demons" and "dragons" that need to be slain by the knight in shining armor (us or US (as in U.S.) since we think so highly of ourselves and our messianic vision to "save" people). The truth of the matter is that Iran is probably the only country to have shaken off the US yoke and done so publicly through the Iran hostage taking. It showed the world that it was possible to "stand up to us" and for that they, and the government that they installed will never be forgiven and from the US perspective they must be crushed. It's the same players too ... Cheney, Rumsfeld ... my gosh, Ollie North ... unbelievable! The worst thing was that the true nature of Iran-Contra never got aired (as usual, swept under the rug - that's how we do things in this country) and nobody of consequence went to jail. Drugs for guns ... anybody wonder why we have a rampant drug problem in this country ... SOMA! If you keep enough of the people, as in Dickins novels ... uneducated, desperate,poor, with bad education, drugs, etc. you can CONTROL them.

Anyway, I digress. For those former US embassy employees who categorically state it's him ... hhuummmm. Do we really believe them? Should we? I mean, they haven't seen him for over 30 years ... isn't it a bit convenient to "finger" Iran's president just now ... aren't we "Sadaam Huseeining - i.e. turning him into a demon" him, perhaps? I remain highly skeptical concerning anything this government pushes forth, and at this point, unless Iran's president himself states that it was him, I don't trust the US press or government or former employees to tell the truth about this at all.

Marta,

I am not falling into the neo con agenda of buying into demonizing our so-called enemies. My original post in which I stated that Ahmadinejad was part of the US Embassy takeover was about the fact that he is part of the Islamic Revolution, and I also stated that China's President Hu Jintao is a product of Communist China yet both of them are leaders who're making attempts to make some sort of evolutionary changes to their governments. That they are taking what they grew up in and moving in a direction rather than staying stagnant. That in a strange and kind of terrible way they are trying something new and therefore have their sites on a future.

My point also includes that the present Bush Administration is the one that is trying their best to take us backwards to a golden age that never existed. I then stated that the present administration are basically chickenhawks who have never gone through a trial by fire personally. They never came near Vietnam, nor did they get involved in the peace movement, both of which I consider to be trials by fire, because they are both revolutionary in the sense that they created profound changes in us and the country.

I was trying to point out the irony of how repressive countries seem to be going in the direction we should - evolving rather than de-evolving, or backsliding and we are going backwards into repression and theocracy.

I have a report from my radio station and the folks around the country.

Last night the talk was predictably about gas prices. The phony Bin Laden tapes aren't registering and it goes without saying that there is no defense of Bush left. It's starting to hit home.

Many people are calling in to say that they have changed their registration from Repub to Independent, and will now vote for the individual.
The intersting thing is that most of them are not simply blaming the Repubs, but are disenchanted with the whole bunch. They want new politicians, most of all.
I think people are truly beginning to understand the Washington clique that is leaving the people shortchanged.
It will unfold. We'll see if there is any possibility that with lack of representation and this hole in leadership, the people will be able to move in and influence. Even the tiniest amount will seed something new. It will take a lot of time, of course, but the cracks in the establishment are already appearing.

TAHAAA!! I just knew Mick Jagger would come in handy one day!

Nutcase-in-Chief!

[snip]
Bush also explained, in unusually stark terms, how his belief in God influences his foreign policy. "I base a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true," he said. "One, I believe there's an Almighty. And, secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free.

"I believe liberty is universal. I believe people want to be free. And I know that democracies do not war with each other."

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002385210

Bush Says He Tried to Avoid War 'To The Max,' Explains How God Shapes His Foreign Policy

By E&P Staff

Published: April 24, 2006 4:45 PM ET
NEW YORK President Bush today said he had tried to avoid war with Iraq "diplomatically to the max."

Speaking to a business group in Irvine, Ca., he admitted mistakes were made in planning for the Iraq invasion, but he defended the troop level, saying "it was the troop level necessary to do the job," and he would commit the same number if given a second chance.

The remarks came as another former general joined seven others who in recent days have called for the resignation of Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld, saying he had mismanaged the planning and execution of the war.

more...

I hope you all don't mind, but this is an article I wrote for my website in January. AFter Bush's comments today, let me know if my predictions have come to fruition.

From Astroaustin.com:

The Coming Constitutional Crisis

Astrology can show trends, however, only the most sophisticated and most intuitive of astrologers can predict exactly what will happen - including the who’s, when’s, and where’s. That would be more like a psychic of the strain of Jean Dixon and her Kennedy predictions. Someday, I would like to get to that level of proficiency. For now, I can talk of trends that will unfold and effect the life of our nation.

As I have mentioned in previous articles, the Bush administration will not finish it’s term in office. There are too many aspects with the malefic planets - Mars and Saturn. These two planets are weighing heavy on Bush’s natal chart. Likewise, The US’ Sagittarius chart is showing signs of stress and a breakup of the old order - in this case, the end of Republican dominance in the White House. Coming into February, Bush will find himself weary, isolated, irritated, and more than willing to lash out at his detractors. This will continue as I see Bush having to deal with legal and political issues. These issues, if unresolved, will culminate into a full blown constitutional crisis in late 2006 or early 2007. This could be impeachment or some kind of legal battle between the Bush and his inner circle against the People.

To deal with this, Bush will become more and more religious in his tone and outlook. This is because of his
progressed Moon in Sagittarius making a trine to his loaded first house in his natal chart. This trend of extreme
religiosity is also indicated in transits to his natal chart with transiting Neptune opposite Pluto, Venus, and Mercury all in the first house. The issue here is a false sense of martyrdom. Neptune, the “Christ” planet is making a hard aspect
to the often malefic Pluto.

The Power of the People

Most importantly, this will be caused by the People taking a lead in a revolt against the “sins” of the Bush
Administration and the Republican party. Three or four years ago, such a statement would have been considered
ridiculous or even unpatriotic. Well, how times do change, and likewise the mood of the people. Coming into the
summer of 2006, the people more and more will find dissatisfaction with the current administration. Most likely, the Democrats will win one or both houses in the 2006 election.

Coming into mid 2006, the US’ progressed Moon will enter the sign of Leo in the eighth house. In traditional
astrology, the Moon is the symbol of the People. Leo is a generous sign, however, it is a sign that yearns for the constant attention and the approval of others. But always, Leo is the king of the jungle and it loves to take charge. In this case, US’ progessed Moon is the People taking more and more of a role in their own political affairs. Watch for states, city governments, and municipalities taking on the Bush administration and forming their own policies regarding the environment, civil rights, and education. This will be necessary as we see the breakdown in th role of the federal government.

A Crisis is Coming

The culminating effect of the coming impeachment, or “dethroning” of Bush, will lead to a huge constitutional crisis. In it’s wake, it will lead a “governmental” void as the government seems more astray from its duties to the People and more concerned with legal and political battles between the two parties. Again, the People will look to local and state governments to fulfill the necessities such as education, medical, and other functions.

The US progressed chart shows a progressed Mars conjunct Saturn in the 10th house, indicating a break up of the existing government. I feel that we are in the beginning of this unraveling of the dominate government. Though the
Republican party may be the dominate party now, however in the end, they maybe the biggest losers. More and
more, the People will see it as the party of corruption, waste, and mismanagement.

Travis Rogers
January 23, 2006

Children have written some speeches for you-know-who:
http://www.helenakeeffe.com/archives/000029.html

Well, look at you, Travieso! Bravo!

Thanks Skylarker. I value your opinion.

*Blush*.

Hi Everyone :-)

Very interesting, Travieso.

I happened to notice that on election day (the first Tues. in Nov., am I correct?) Jupiter will be at about 26 degrees Scorpio, where the Republicans have their moon, while the Democrats have the Sun & Mercury from 23 to 26 Taurus, for whatever that's worth. I am sure there are all kinds of aspects that will weigh in here.

Well, let's hope Travieso continues to be right!

I can already sense the gradual emergence of a widespread, grassroots, brand new liberal-progressive movement. And I forsee that this movement now possesses the power to deliver unto the Republican Party of the NeoCons and TheoCons, a crushing and devestating blow this November. Perhaps even a fatal one for the Reactionary Conservative movement that spawned in the wake of Barry Goldwater's 1964 defeat.

The bad news is, there is still a significant chance that the Greedy Oil Party will stave off defeat. However, such a feat can now only be successfully accomplished by thoroughly deceptive means at the ballot box, rather than by pure propaganda. And at this point, with Saturn coming to confront our Neptunian illusions, the people will no longer be fooled by the results.

If not now, then when? I predict that if not in 2006, 2008 will see sweeping landslide losses against Republicans on every level as the public anger reaches a broil over gas prices, gas shortages, possible rolling power outages, economic recession/depression, and outright government and corporate corruption.

What initially replaces the GOP in power will be a combination of moderate/centrist DLC/Corporate Dems (who too, will eventually be shown the door by the people) and a brand new, progressive/liberal breed, some of whom will have been among Howard Dean's Dozens during the 2004 Campaign.

The coming breakdown of the US federal government, and the total overhaul and reorganization of state and local governments into more efficient state and regional-level entities is now on the horizon. It will kick into full swing once Pluto moves into Capricorn for good in late 2008/early 2009.

Though I don't anticipate a Soviet-style collapse of the United States government (yet), the US government has been so dramatically weakened by Bush and Company that it will prove to be largely ineffectual and useless once Pluto begins it's ruthless rot of all things structural.

For this reason, I believe there may be very little if anything much the next presidential administration will be able to do to address the nation's dire myriad of problems and issues, regardless as to which candidate and party claims the office, even as much as it would seem timely for another Lincoln or FDR to emerge. Even a possible resurgent President Gore may find his hands have been severely tied by the previous actions of an extremely reckless Bush.

I believe that the leaders this time around will emerge as State Governors, among State Legislatures and perhaps even as coalitions of Mayors in and around our urban/suburban regions who put aside the petty squabbling of their fifedoms out of necessity for economic and civil survival. But we the people, shall also have our time and our say in all matters political.

Progressed Mars will be retrograding back from 18 degrees Libra to the US Saturn at 14 degrees Libra, it will be years before it makes it all the way back to the US Saturn so cannot be considered a conjunction until it's within one degree (15) of the US Saturn since it's a progression and that won't be until 2030 creating a serious crisis for the US. There is a huge problem coming the end of August to the end of September this year affecting the entire Bush cabinet, based on an extremely complicated declination of the Lunar Return in Bush's chart and the charts of his entire cabinet. Bob (one of our posters) and a true astrological genius has worked it all out. He has researched thousands of charts and is positive this administration and the US has a crisis coming during that Aug. through Sept. timeline. I've studied his work and cannot find a flaw in it, he identifies it as a worse shock for the US than 9/11.

You know Neo, that's as close to what astrologically seems to be happening in the immediate future of this country as anything I've seen. There is an interesting note (to me) on the 2008 elections. In 2000 as we remember Mercury was retrograde and we know what a mess that was. In 2008 Mercury is direct but on the exact same degree as it was retrograde in 2000 (29 degrees Libra.) What that says to me is what should have happened (a Gore/Democrat win) will be returned to the people. The outer planets set up the culture or period of time and the inner planets are the timing device, Mercury particularly is the messenger and should be watched very carefully for the message it brings. Mercury is the only planet without an ax to grind, it's neither masculine or feminine and casts no light except what is picked up from the planet it passes over. It's a really interesting planet to watch. As an example, on 9/11 Mercury was at 14 degrees Libra conjuncting the US Saturn and squaring the US Sun bringing the message of restriction for the people because of the event and that's exactly what happened. I've watched it for years and everytime Mercury goes over the US Saturn there is always a new law or an attempt at a new law that takes away some little thing from the people, I don't know, a new driving law, a new tax law, new filing laws, something.

I would say however that if Gore runs, he wins, at the very least it will be a liberal President, however you're right Neo there is every possibility of the structure of the US breaking up and throwing power back to the states.

I think Mercury is possibly the most underestimated planet in astroloy, maybe by design to ensure freedom of movement. In mythology, he was the only god allowed to go into the underworld and return.

Maybe the 29 Libra in '08 will be the start of a balancing of these last years, including the Democratic control previously. Soon after, Saturn will be returning to USA Libra, while the Mars progression will be spending many, many years there. It might be time to develop the skills inherent in the Saturn in Libra placement. The 29 kind of feels like a last chance stop. Now is the time.

I hope the Saturn in Libra will bring discipline, and reality to the way people relate to each other. There's been way too much misassumption and missed opportunities for connection, these past years.
How would that relate to being able to earn income? ( Or conduct barter?) In what field?

Travieso, Very good assessment of the situation, I particularly like your definition of Moon in Leo ( for the People)And Neo Buckeye I like your assessment too.
Re: State Government............When talking to Governor Baldacci, I asked him when we would ( Maine) succeed.
He grinned a broad but compllcite, secretive, grin that I read as: that option is very much in the center of his table , if needed!
Last night on the 7 pm segment of The Situation Room, Wolfe B had news about the LATimes article on firing Cheney. I found it on Buzz Flash last night & was too tired to post it. Now I can't find it.
My Mother had called from Fla. and was describing the jet trails ( chemtrails) catching the sunset in Gainesville Fla. At 91 she is forgetting her language and was trying to tell me how they were swooping down into dives and up again.........I guessed that there was an airshow in progress; ( verified by a friend who said they have a big one there) & joked that we were being invaded by aliens.
All the while I had the sound muted on Blitzer........
Really interesting contributions all..............
PQ

hey all, check out this info, posted as a crawl on cloakanddagger.ca:

"Tom Heneghan's April 24th briefing exposes proof of electronic manipulation of Florida election results six months before 2000 election by Karen Hughes. Partners in crime include Katherine Harris and her Attorney Joe Cloch and British Minister for E-Commerce Doug Alexander and U.S. Ambassador To Italy, Mel Sembler...."

http://www.pollkatz.homestead.com/files/pollkatzmainGRAPHICS_8911_image001.gif

Finished, just finished.

YIKES! Truth or not, another must read......

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=4425

Poll (you'll like what you see!): Will Smirky's proposed "investigation" help with the price of oil?
http://www.cnn.com/

You have to scroll down a bit to find the poll. It's on the rightside of your screen.

Good on you on cloakanddagger, Garry! I'm passing that on...

Gary, in your 2:20 post, the attorney's name is Joe "Klock." If you google Joe Klock and Jeff Fisher, you will find some interesting info (Brad's blog, Rense etc.) that Fisher has been trying to get out since before the 2004 election re: election fraud in Florida. For the most part everyone Fisher has tried to talk to has treated him like a kook. Fisher was running for office here in Fla when he got a whiff of this stuff. Sad to google and see that he is now at Berkely and homeless.

New Moon in Taurus
Thursday, April 27, 2006
12:44pm PDT
7º 24'

Taurus rules our commitment to providing for our families, our communities and our Mother Earth. With Sun/Moon in Taurus squaring Saturn in Leo and Chiron in Aquarius, our sense of personal responsibility may highlight the tension between our own personal needs and those of the larger world. Saturn asks us to become responsible and Chiron forces us to consider what part each of us play in contributing to the world's problems. Though Venus and Uranus in Pisces (interconnectivity of all things) can open our hearts to the impact our greed and selfish desires have upon the mounting degradation of our environment, Saturn and Chiron are relentlessly forcing each of us to recognize the coming global economic catastrophe. Neptune rules oil, and while in Aquarius, Neptune acts as a shared delusion that we can continue to use oil as we always have. Four years ago, I wrote

http://www.astrowisdom.com/thisnewmoon.htm

Saturn in Libra will be about being forced to restore balance in our badly skewed country and in the world on every level from resources, population needs, to global warming. Especially timely will be the restoration of balance on the planet's crisis of global warming.

I can't think of anyone more qualified for that job than Al Gore. It will take years, but just because it will be extremely hard doesn't mean it can't be done. Just imagine the reaction if President Gore asked us to work together on a national level and he put forth initiatives that gave tax cuts to car companies and people for converting their automobile engines to being able to run on non-polluting vegetable oil or on electricity. What if we didn't have to buy a new car, but we could invest a few dollars to convert our current cars?

If you take into account how much you pay for gasoline in a year, wouldn't you be willing to use that money to convert your car?

* [boooosh] Sinks To 24% In State Poll - Approval Rating Reflects Iraq & Other Issues

bush's job approval rating in Connecticut plunged to a record-low 24% this mo, one of the most dismal showings in the nation - & a number [rez] could find difficult to reverse anytime soon. "I think he's in real trouble, at least until the Nov election," said Samuel Best, dir of the U of CT's Center for Survey Research & Analysis. ...
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-bushpoll0425.artapr25,0,2212469.story?coll=hc-headlines-nationworld

Oh... but by election time, it'll all magically turn around & "All Hat, No Cattle" will be in great shape! ;O)

Hey all! The articles and comments have been fantastic lately. That is, when I have time to do some lurking. The job is exhausting right now, but I am glad to be working and collecting a paycheck.

Anyway, lately I have been having this vision on a regular basis. The scene is black and white, mobs of people with pitchforks, clubs and other various weapons are chasing someone though a darkened city. Then the one being chased turns around just before the mob attacks and it's junior. The scene turns black, grey and blood red, then it is over. The city is modern and there are no guns, just angry mobs of people beating on a bloodied corpse.

It's just a matter of time before the fury is unleashed upon the criminals that have taken over this country. The people are talking, the media is turning and the end is nearing for Fiendco and Friends.

Thing is, what will be the catalyst for their demise? Gasoline prices? Another staged "terrorist" attack? Natural disasters? Because it sure doesn't look like anyone is coming to rescue us. We're on our own now.

Don't post much anymore but I do have two comments to make related to the fascinating posts above. #1 - Bush can promise all kinds of investigations he wants. If they happen, they will be designed only to shut us up. #2 - regarding the "worse than 9/11" prediction above - I do not believe that it is beyond this administration to stage an "incident" as happened in Poland at the beginning of WWII.

I'm feeling very pessimistic today and it's coloring everything I say.

WV great post, that is exactly right regarding Saturn in Leo opposing Chiron and astrowisdom said it so well. Neptune is still at the critical middle degrees of the "fixed" sign of Aquarius, those degrees have always been critical to US Presidents, as well as critical to the Aug. 1999 fixed sign Eclipse. With Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Mars all hitting those critical degrees this year, Jupiter and Neptune absolutely took up residence at the 18 degrees through Feb. and March. 18 degrees Leo was the position of the Sun/Moon at the 1999 Eclipse. It will be a hot time in the ole country.

Sad boooosh, Cybear... that'll be his folks' cue for an extra day of golf.

Yesterday was quite a day on our campus as Cindy Sheehan came to speak. She spoke to a lunctime crowd of about 1000 people (great for our campus). She is indeed an excellent speaker and a very gracious person. For me the most moving part was when she talked about the death of her son. Some people, she noted, tried to comfort her by telling her that "time heals all wounds." In response she said that this is completely wrong, and that some wounds never heal, and that the challenge is rather to learn to live with the pain. I think she is a model for all of us on how to live in this critical time in human history--how we must all rise above our pain (whatever it is) and find a way to give back and make a difference. I was very inspired by her words and thought I would pass this on to all you beautiful people at AW.

* Black holes generate ‘green’ energy - Galactic gobblers are super-fuel-efficient, scientists say. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12465712/

Sally,
Could Bob's crisis for the public be about the nuking of Iran? I wouldn't put it pass this clueless administration to do something like that for a pre-election "October surprise", especially with such low approval ratings for Repugs. But on Thom Hartmann this a.m. a caller said that her military friends are getting ready for a big event in September. So with the nuke pre-test on June 2 in Nevada, they could get the math done and have it ready to go in 3 months!? It's all too frightening to connect the dots.
Bunker Buster
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/nuclear_weapons/nuclear-bunker-buster-rnep-animation.html
US backs first strikes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4812562.stm

That was beautiful Timothy!

Could it be that "worse than 9/11," might be an internal event rather than an "other generated"?
Unless you lost loved ones, or were directly involved;
The rest of the population, got to indulge in an orgy of self righteous, retribution and plaster "support our troops" ribbons all over their cars, cheer on, and defend the corrupt Lord of the FLIES,...............................like so many Romans watching the Christians being fed to the lions.
When their bloated bodies are punctured and the Koolaide runs into the gutter, as the REAL STORY is revealed, they will be directly and personally affected,
feeling the shame and horror of what they have condoned?
JUST ASKING?
PQ

I don't think it's an internal shock Pat, nor do I think it's Iran (because we half expect that) it could be Mother Nature taking her shot, it could be the collapse of this government, it could be the imposition of Martial Law or the collapse of our economic system. I do think however it will guide us to a more understanding and loving way of being with each other.

This was on DU and should be taught again in all Civics classes if we still have those. It's not hard to tell where we are on this scale today. You have to play it through once and then restart to have a smooth video. It was filmed in 1946

http://www.simbaud.blogspot.com/2006/04/for-some-reason-theyve-stopped-showing.html

Timothy, I wish I could have been there. I have the greatest respect for Cindy Sheehan. I am so happy she is attracting sizable crowds.

.......

http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

Molly Ivins "Compare and contrast" Moussaoui & Enron

HOUSTON -- "Compare and contrast," read the directions for essay exams in the old college blue books. Compare and contrast the trials of Zacarias Moussaoui and Jeffrey Skilling.

Moussaoui appears to be headed for the death penalty, despite having an alibi of the lead-pipe-cinch variety. He was in jail on Sept. 11, 2001, so we know he wasn't out hijacking jets and killing people. He also appears to be seriously crazy, or at the very least a chronic liar, but that's a separate argument. Although Moussaoui is a member of al-Qaida, there is evidence that they thought he was a crazy screw-up, too. Peter Bergen, author of two books about Osama bin Laden, told The Washington Post, "Even al-Qaida tried to cut this guy loose."

In Texas, we are quite accustomed to seeing people who haven't actually hurt anyone sentenced to death. One classic case featured a kid whose entire contribution to the annals of crime consisted of holding open a screen window. Another kid crawled through said window to burgle a house, surprised the householder, and shot and killed her. The perp then rolled on the screen-holder, who bought the death penalty for abetting in the commission of a felony with firearm.

Nor would Moussaoui's mental state draw much note here. Where's Dr. Death when you need him? Dr. James Grigson testified in hundreds of capital murder cases in Texas and was always certain that the defendants were going to commit more violent crimes and should be executed -- even though he never met with some of them before testifying.

If I were to make an argument against the death penalty for Moussaoui, it would be on grounds of practical public relations. Why let this guy have martyrdom and world fame when we could just put him away?

Meanwhile, back in Houston, we have our laughs, too. Jeff Skilling was testifying along about the great rip-off that almost pushed California into bankruptcy when he observed that the state formerly called "Golden" had a regulatory environment like that of Brazil.

Prosecutor Sean Berkowitz stared at him. "Do you think it was funny what happened in California? You're smiling."

Skilling backtracked and said he regretted joking about it. But isn't it almost funny, what happened in California? Remember the Enron energy traders who thought it was so funny they joked about ripping off "Grandma Millie," the citizens of California, and how unfair it was that they wanted their money back? All that madness when California was caught in this hopeless bind, having to buy energy at grossly inflated prices?

If the California legislators had been stupid enough to deregulate electricity in such a disastrous way on their own, they would deserve being laughed at. But they had help -- from Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. Enron spent more than $345,000 lobbying in California.

More....

Sally, Pat...I'm wondering if the bunkerbuster bomb will cause massive earth changes along the west coast. It is the biggest bomb to ever be set off and even "they" do not know what it will do.

More and more songs are coming out in honor of our great nonleader. This was posted over on Starlight News by Johanathan. It is Pink's new song, "Dear Mr. President". It's a video with sound.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9eDJ3cuXKV4&search=Mr.%20President

It's impossible for the individual to prevent acts of nature or collective events. We want to be prepared and to protect ourselves, but how can we when we don't know what it is that's coming?
That's where the Sagittarius faith in the future comes in handy. You can watch the archetypical Sagittarius take the most outrageous risks with that trust. Most people survive well as the robust population of the earth proves. Most catastrophes are selective. Although anything can happen up to total annihilation there isn't much we can do but expect to get through it successfully.

I've noticed since Mars has gone into Cancer, an escalation of emotional upset and a return of the fear we've been battling since 9/11. The Mars is quincunxing the Pluto in Sag. It's a good opportunity to draw on confidence. We have as much of that in the chip as we do dismal expectation. Even when the worst arrives, the best has to follow for balancing purposes.

Another thing I've noticed is that when horror arrives, it's almost like we become different people as differnet skills immediately come to the forefront to enable us to cope. We often can't imagine that before, but we so often miraculously get through, due to innate abilities.

What I'm interested in, is since we have so much of this powerful emotion called fear for some reason, what is it and how can we put it to good use? How much should we comfort one another to allay them and how much should we stimulate them for protection? What to do. A Cancer question.

Golden, I totally agree with you and your last post. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I was only responding to the links you so graciously posted with more information.

For jm, a Cancer answer: I go live under the bed.

Shy!

You're funny.

How 'bout I bring my dolls and we can have a tea party there?

It really is something. The dance we can't escape. Mars goes into Cancer, the gasoline scam comes, Cancer president says he will help the people and lower gas prices. Poll numbers go up. And we are cozy and safe again. Gee.

Marta, Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't sure if I had made myself clear in my first post. But I also agree with your point about demonizing the perceived enemy. I believe the terrorists do the same thing, but then they and the Bush bunch are mirror images of each other, though they are thoroughly blind to that fact. As are the Conservative Right Wing Christians. They spew hatred every bit as intense as Osama's,

jm, I've noticed the escalation of fear recently too. I attribute it to the millions of newly awakened people who are suddenly confronted with Bush's nuclear plans. Not too long ago they were happily or miserably living their lives in what they thought was a reality that would go on forever only to look up and see the Sword of Damocles over their heads. The shock for them is double. First the shock that they have been lied to, but then suddenly to find we are on the brink of a nuclear war when they didn't have any idea. It's more than fear. There's a terror there. It's the neo con terrorism ratchetted up to it's highest pitch.

What to do? Your advice is good. Dig deep for that Sag faith that the Creator won't let it happen, or that if it does that we can continue to be.

I've been a 'lurker' here for some time and want say how much I enjoy the superb articles and comments all of you contribute.

Though I've 'studied' astrology for many years, I can not begin to match the expertise shown on this site.

Thanks to everyone for all the invaluable info.

I think the fear is based on the price at the pump... goddess forbid that the average ameriCO must change its prolific & wasteful driving habits in wasteful vehicles... even if it means the mass murder of other peoples' children. A pox on all of 'em.

Cybear, that is a brilliant observation about the "bunker busters" I am simply amazed at the utter stupidity we are seeing now, it's overwhelming to me

Cybear it wouldn't suprise me in the least. These guys are idiots. Not like the San Andreas isn't primed to pop, no siree, nor the Hayward, not to mention what it might do to the Yellowstone Caldera. The Shoshone I believe have petitioned the UN to stop the test on their land since their request has fallen on deaf ears in Washington. I doubt the UN can do thing one other then tell them yes you are screwed.

[REZ] EXCHANGES TOASTS WITH SNEAKY, UNCOOPERATIVE HEAD OF COMMUNIST NATION WHICH OWNS AMERICA LOCK, STOCK, & BARREL

Statement by [rez]

[REZ]: Mr President Jintao, Madame Hu-San, Laura & me is real honored to have you Chineses here at the WH. You know it's not often we get to hold these big shindigs for foreign leaders – mainly on account of I've done such a shockin' awesome job getting the rest of world to hate our guts. (Laughter.)

We're glad you're here. Thank you for the lovely set of porcelain panda bears. We were afraid you might bring real ones, & honestly, between Barney & Miss Beazley, the groundskeepers have enough critter fudge to scoop off the South Lawn. (Laughs.)

We've been doing our best to show Pres Hu a great time today. First we put on a big show about FREEDOM® with lots of fellas dressed in those fruity Revolutionary War getups, after which we played a little practical joke by having the band say that China's national anthem was actually Taiwan's. Honestly, I didn't really get the joke, but my crackerjack team of foreign relations experts say the Chinese aren't big on that stodgy diplomatic protocol nonsense.

Unfortunately, the whole event was almost ruined when some screaming chinkatronic broad had the gall to use that free speech stuff before she was violently tackled & dragged away in handcuffs. Of course I apologized profusely to Pres Hu for exposing him to such a vulgar display, & assured him she'll be charged with a felony & locked up for a very long time. My only regret was that we could not riddle her with bullets on the spot – Tiannemen Square style. (Thumbs up.)

Anyway, let's toast to all the issues me & Pres Jintao made concrete progress on while dick cheney was napping during our Oval Office meeting:

To China's embrace of Democracy & FREEDOM® OF SPEE– oh, wait. Ummm...

To China's respect for INTELLECTUAL PROPER– Oopsie. How about:

To China's people having FREEDOM® OF RELIGI– No, not that one neither...

To China helping level the TRADE DEFI– Hmmmm... What did we agree to again? Oh yeah, I got it now:

To China flooding Wal-Mart with slavery-subsidized goods, & my [regime] continuing to give them carte blanche on currency manipulation since they now practically own us on account of we're borrowed up to our eyeballs!

(A toast is offered.)

(Applause.)

PRESIDENT HU: (As translated.) Sank you, Sank you. It very nice be here America. I come see Bill Gates. Tell him China govt want stuff in Windows Vista for spy on, arrest Chinese people. He say OK, no problem, he already secretly doing that for USA Patriot Act.

I plan go home after see Bill Gates, but george bush beg me come Wash DC. He ask for much things from China. I no give him any. (Laughs.) He no realize yet America going to be China's bitch. (Laughs.) OK, toast now.

To America people: only 300 million of them, but think own world. Forget they only political & religious minority. They too dumb do basic math; live on Visa card, take giant loans from China. China laugh all way to bank! In 100 years, America be like other failed round-eye empires: France, England, Romans. China great, powerful culure survive 1000s of years; will lead world again soon. Yes, to America people, who making Communist China world's richest superpower by spending USA into poorhouse!

(A toast is offered.)

(Applause.)

[REZ]: Thank you, President Jintao. What an interesting sounding language that is. Too bad I just had to fire my Chinese interpreter on account of he was a homo.

Thank you all for coming, & God Bless America.

http://whitehouse.org/news/2006/042006.asp

Great article as always Sally.. This is my first stop when I open the computer. It's the most interesting one on line to me.
Has anyone heard about this on truthout.com...
about the cd that will be available on line at neilyoung.com on Friday.. no charge? One song is about impeachment.

Keep up the great work Sally and Morgana.

Blessings to all

Sally

   Neil Young Lets Loose a War Cry
    By Robert Everett-Green
    The Globe and Mail

    Wednesday 26 April 2006

The world awaits Young's most powerful album in years, a disc fuelled by outrage at Washington.

Sorry.. the address is truthout.org.. not com...

I just think it is so FINE that Morgana and Sally have written these articles at this time....I was trying to remember the name of famous pamphleteer of the American Revolution (Thomas Paine) and googled that, and noticed that historians are calling bloggers the pamphleteers of our time...Thomas Paines, all of you.

Having been felled by flu, dentist, and work, I hadn't had much to add to this discussion (the physical problems included a spike in blood pressure WAY high and a racing pulse....as if I had mainlined expresso....but found today that perhaps it is something going along with that stomach virus...so back to the dentist in SF, and while killing time, ran into some young guys down from Seattle....handing out pampletts of course....and they were part of Lindon LaRouches's Youth Movement...on their way to the Democratic convention is Sacramento. This guy gave me a pile of LaRouche's latest pamplete (actually 4 of them) and I was flabberghasted....it is all there in black and white. Read for yourself....http://www.larouchepac.com

Sally, if you haven't seen this LaRouche publication, How To Capitalize A Recovery...well....it is pretty good reading. And of course, he does bring up the East India Company, etc. It really has been almost 250 years since the Treaty of Paris (1763) and the beginning of our modern day economic model. Almost time for it to GO. AND, this young man on the street corner says LaRouche predicts the collapse of the economy in September. Kind of dovetails with Bob's predictions....and in this case, it will be the collapse of the housing market. That would certainly dovetail with what happened 15 years ago under #41, when the same thing happened. As Yogi Berra said, It is de ja vu all over again.

Has anyone read the reports from this astrologer....? Her new Moon report is one of the most interesting of all I've read on her site. Also you might read the solstice report.

Sally

http://handclow2012.com/astroflash.htm#New%20Moon

erevolutionaries maty not fulfill all their promises , but , it goes without saying that they nevertheless do initiate the process of social and political change in acountry. the latest example is that of deng xiaopeng , the architect of new china.

I really hope you all aren't rooting for China and Iran. I would urge you to check their human rights records. USA is far from perfect, but these countries take the cake when it comes to the deat penalty and torture. China has a particular habit of kicking people out of ancient neighborhoods so they can build luxury offices and apartment buildings.

http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-tipps02.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-tipps03.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-tipps04.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-anal-tipps.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-girls-tipps.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-sexchat-tipps.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/telefonsex-gaysex-tipps.html

http://www.llogin.com/special/livecams.html
http://www.llogin.com/special/private-livecam01.php
http://www.llogin.com/special/livecam01.php
http://www.llogin.com/special/girls-livecam01.php
http://www.llogin.com/special/fetisch-livecam01.php
http://www.llogin.com/special/analsex-livecam01.php
http://www.llogin.com/special/livecam-all.html

thank you for the entertainment.