Astroworld

Three clear lines of attack are necessary to defeat the onslaught of propaganda, fear-mongering, and character assassination oozing out of the cesspool of the White House campaign headquarters. The first is to debunk the treacherous myth that America is safer under George Bush. A simple, oft-repeated review of the well-documented facts is all that is necessary:

* The number of terrorists worldwide has grown exponentially as a result of our invasion of Iraq;

* The United States, since the advent of the presidency of George Bush, is more disliked and more disrespected than ever in its history. The preemptive war doctrine and the bullying foreign policy of this administration have infuriated the world and lost us the support of allies;

* Our military forces are stretched very thin and under tremendous strain, leaving us little flexibility in the event of an emergency;

* Our increasing debt and weak economy go hand in hand with decreasing economic clout which could be used in successful diplomacy.

The truth is that George Bush has made the world far more threatening and dangerous for Americans due to his reckless, irresponsible, and belligerent policies. That truth must be told.

Secondly, the theme of Bush’s dishonesty must be pushed until the word liar and Bush become synonymous. Bush has lied repeatedly about his National Guard service, about the effect of his economic policies and who will benefit, about the existence of WMD’s in Iraq, about Saddam’s purported connection to al Qaida, about why we really went to Iraq, about the cost of his Medicare program, about the destructive impact on the environment of his deregulation, and about John Kerry. Every time Bush opens his mouth, all of our spokespeople and our candidates should be saying: “There he goes again!”

And finally, the issue of Bush’s loyalty is ripe for plundering. To whom is this man in the Oval Office loyal? All of his policies benefit the corporate elite and the richest 1% at the expense of the American people. His biggest campaign contributors - the pharmaceutical companies, the insurance industry, the logging industry, the defense industry, the coal, oil, and gas industries - receive huge windfalls from Bush’s relaxation of regulations and manipulation of legislation. The rest of us get to pay higher prices and be poisoned by an increasingly noxious environment. Global corporations have no loyalty to an individual country. They are loyal to the bottom line. Are these Bush’s constituents?

At the moment, John Kerry is struggling to get his message across the airwaves, above the deafening screeches of Bush’s media-savvy Storm Troopers. According to my calculations, the current planetary aspect plaguing Kerry is his converse Moon square to natal Saturn. Due to a natal Saturn/Moon conjunction, any progressed or transiting aspect between these two planets tends to cause the Democratic candidate significant grief and painful difficulties. If we use the 8:03 AM chart currently accepted for Kerry, this month-long progression will peak around October 5. If we use the previously accepted one that gives 7:10 AM as the birth time, this progression will peak around September 18. In either case, it waxes and then recedes well before the election, but it will continue to cause severe strain for the candidate during its time of impact. We may see particular evidence of this on September 14 and 15 when the Sun and Mars will both be square to Kerry’s natal Saturn. Unfortunately, any strong Saturn energy in Kerry’s chart magnifies his tendency to be stiff and aloof, and this may become more of an issue in the coming days until this progression passes.

In October, much of the dust seems to clear from the Kerry campaign. Kerry’s progressed MC will move into a year-long trine with natal Pluto by mid-month and will be strongly triggered by the Jupiter/Venus conjunction of November 1 - 4. In addition, tertiary Venus will oppose Uranus for the month of October, and Jupiter will cross Kerry’s MC later in the month. Moreover, progressed Moon will be sextile natal Venus beginning in late September through much of October. These aspects imply a smooth and beneficial period that can do much to heal the wounds of the previous month. November will bring Uranus, stationary and then direct, back into its trine with Kerry’s Venus and the US Venus, unencumbered by any of the Saturn/Moon energy in Kerry’s chart that was noticeable during the aspect’s first pass in September. There is nothing from October 6 through January to suggest the dismay or disappointment that would surely be indicated if this election were tragically lost to the bullying and power-hungry Bushistas.

Despite the recent improvement in presidential poll numbers for George Bush, early September brought the first crossing of Saturn square to his MC. This aspect reignited the story of Bush’s missed time in the Texas Air National Guard and brought charges that the administration was well aware of the widespread prison abuse issue as early as 2002 and did nothing to stop it. This period also brought an increase in violence and carnage in Iraq, where US military casualties reached the significant 1000 mark. None of these issues is likely to go away any time soon, and they may well become increasingly burdensome for Bush over the next few months.

It would seem that difficulties will mount for the Resident–in-Chief as of late September 2004, continuing through January 2005 and beyond. From late September through mid-December, Saturn will return to Bush’s natal Saturn position, conjunct the Bush/US composite Venus, conjunct the Inaugural chart IC, square the Bush/Cheney composite Sun, and opposite Jeb Bush’s Moon and square his natal Saturn. Every one of these positions will sustain the intensity of the lengthy Saturn station, implying a period of sorrow, burden, and difficulty. A loss of warm feeling and harmony is indicated in the Bush/US relationship (Venus), and thwarted or frustrated goals may develop in the Bush/Cheney relationship (Sun), with both positions receiving an extended hard aspect from Saturn. Jeb Bush, the heir apparent in the Bush Dynasty, looks very upset by the events of October and November. I find it very hard to read a victory for Bush in these aspects and very easy to read this period as one of loss, disappointment, and regrouping.

The final planetary aspect worth mentioning is the return of the potent Pluto transit opposing US Mars, reenergized in the beginning of September with Pluto’s return to direct motion. The increasingly vicious domestic partisan war, as well as the escalation of intensive battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, are both manifestations of this energy. November will be the final month of the Pluto/Mars transit, and we are likely to see the malicious and rancorous mood of the campaign continue for about four weeks after the actual election. Our soldiers struggling in the war zone may also see some fierce battles during that month.

As this nail-biter of an election continues, devotees of the political process are becoming increasingly agitated. Fear and loathing of the opposition are creating an increasingly volatile situation in both camps. If George Bush loses this race as I am predicting, he and his minions are not likely to concede gracefully. Unfortunately, the post-election aspects suggest some nasty outbursts from the fascist wing of the American electorate. Bullies don’t take kindly to defeat.