Rest in Peace, Mr Ford

I believe, all in all, Mr Gerald Ford was the right man for our country at the right time. Why he recently withheld his opinion about the Iraq war I do not know. I believe we needed that point of view especially from someone of his stature. But I believe we needed that point of view from everyone. Another thing I didn't know about him was his inclusiveness towards gays and lesbians.

He may not have sought the Presidency, but performed well in office, all things considered. I believe anyone who wants to be president should be suspect at the get go. We need great leaders, not ego trippers, war mongers, and corporate hacks.

We need someone who serves all the American people and so doing, the world at large. Someone who will be a peacemaker by making peace. Someone who will uphold the constitution at all costs. Someone who will govern and not merely act politically.

Someone who is inclusive and fair minded. Someone who will reverse the current spiral of negativity and disrespect for truth.

Notice the war mongers coming forward and those opposed to it. Didn't work well for Republicans in the midterms.

Quote for Peace

"Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: he only adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder."

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Walk for Change, for Peace

"Walk the halls of Congress with Gold Star Families for Peace. Lets let the 110th congress know what is expected of them from Day 1. We will be insisting that an immediate exit strategy from Iraq be implemented. We will insist that all funding for the War stop and the money spent on rebuilding Iraq. We will be insisting that hearings begin immediately into Bushco's crimes against humanity and the lies told to the American people. We will demand IMPEACHMENT."

On the Route/Blue Heron

Today I had the honor of seeing a Great Blue Heron at one of the many ponds in and around Newberry, SC where I live. I ran home and got my camera after I had finished my route, of course! (I don't always finish my route before I video stuff!) So here it is. Sorry it's shakey, no tripod and very windy. Hope you find nature at least as fascinating as I do. If you have been to this blog before or to my YouTube site you have possibly seen other videos I've made. They include: Great Egret, Beaver Pond with turtles, muskrat, beavers, red-tailed hawk. One of the most unusual creatures I've seen so far is a Little Green Heron. Really odd and awesome. However, I did not have my camera that day! Here's another link for Great Blue Heron.

Quote for Peace

"Where is the justice of political power if it...marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?"

Kahlil Gibran

From The Prophet:

And an old priest said, "Speak to us of Religion."
And he said:
Have I spoken this day of aught else?
Is not religion all deeds and all reflection,

And that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom?
Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?
Who can spread his hours before him, saying, "This for God and this for myself; This for my soul, and this other for my body?"

All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.
He who wears his morality but as his best garment were better naked.
The wind and the sun will tear no holes in his skin.

And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage.
The freest song comes not through bars and wires.
And he to whom worshipping is a window, to open but also to shut, has not yet visited the house of his soul whose windows are from dawn to dawn.

Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
Whenever you enter into it take with you your all.
Take the plough and the forge and the mallet and the lute,
The things you have fashioned in necessity or for delight.
For in revery you cannot rise above your achievements nor fall lower than your failures.

And take with you all men:
For in adoration you cannot fly higher than their hopes nor humble yourself lower than their despair.
And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children.
And look into space; you shall see Him walking in the cloud, outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see Him smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His hands in trees.



me in the trEEs

In the Midst of Madness

"When once a republic is corrupted there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption . . . every other correction is either useless or a new evil."
Thomas Jefferson

How long shall we go before we wake up to the madness that is being wrought by the idiocy, desperation and lies of our president and administration. The corruption and destruction and mayhem, there are so many words to describe it, is multiplied by more corruption as Jefferson says above, being useless or a new evil.

But when you are so convinced of your righteousness and the evil in the world that only you can irradicate, or die trying, actually allow others to die for you and your madness, there is only one thing to do. Admit no wrong and go full steam ahead with failed policies until something or someone stops you. Are you ready for Iran?

My question to my fellow Americans: How much longer do we suffer the idiocy of fools? As Robert Scheer points out:

The convenient lie behind all of this is that U.S. military occupation is the indispensable agent of Mideast enlightenment. No, we have become the enablers of Iraqi madness, be it in the form of torture or the ascendancy of religious tyranny in Iraq, where daily life has been reduced to an unmitigated horror.

Yet, like a junkie who needs one more hit to get his life in order, Bush is hooked on the drug of military might. If the Democrats continue to feed his dangerous habit they will only help Bush visit greater mayhem upon Iraq while undermining the core values of our own country.

God Bless us everyone, indeed! End this disaster now. End war now.


me in the EE

Christmas Greetings from my sister

This cracked me up. Have you seen it. A Screaming Banshee Holiday.




me in the banshEE

Get those tips out for the Holiday

Rhea at The Boomer Chronicles has a very good post about tipping people for the holidays. I deliver early morning papers, and have for over eight years. I've seen my tips grow through the years, but it's still mostly the same people tipping, around 25% of my customers or less. This year I tried to guilt them a little by saying something about my over 8 years of service. I think it work as some folks tipped for the first time ever. Rhea links to Eons (I'll check that out too). Some of the list:

* Barber: Cost of one haircut, plus possibly a small gift.
* Beauty salon staff: $10 to $60 each, giving the most to those who provide the most for you, plus possibly a small gift.
* Child’s teacher: Gift certificate for a coffee shop or bookstore; a book; fruit basket or gourmet food item; or joint gift with other parents and children. Not cash. Check the school’s policy.
* Letter carrier: Postal regulations allow carriers to accept gifts worth up to $20, but not cash.
* Newspaper carrier: $10 to $30.
* Nursing home employees: Gift, not cash.
* Building superintendent: $20 to $80
* Handyman: $15 to $40

my bold!


me in the EE

Winter Solstice Today !!! (for me anyway)

For those of us in the Northern Hemiphere, and the USA, we shall have our Winter Solstice this afternoon of evening depending on where you are in the country. For us here in South Carolina it will occur at 7:22 pm. Of course for the southerners, the REAL southerners, as in Southern Hemisphere, it's their Summer Solstice, the beginning of summer. Our days will start to get longer now, more sunlight, yeh!

"Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. The lowest elevation occurs about DEC-21 and is the winter solstice -- the first day of winter, when the night time hours are maximum.

Here's some links to sites about the Solstice:

Winter Solstice

Ancient Origins: Solstice
from this site:

The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS:
a.k.a. Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, the Long Night, etc. at Religious Tolerance.org

from this site which has many forms of celebrations and history:

INCA RELIGION: The ancient Incas celebrated a festival if Inti Raymi at the time of the Winter Solstice. It celebrates "the Festival of the Sun where the god of the Sun, Wiracocha, is honored." 16 Ceremonies were banned by the Roman Catholic conquistadores in the 16th century as part of their forced conversions of the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru revived the festival about 1950. It is now a major festival which begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient amphitheater a few miles away.

me in the solsticEE

Coca in your tummy

Peru President, Alan Garcia, has suggested the use of coca in salads. The coca plant is used widely by indigenous peoples who live in high altitude areas. We drank coca tea when we visited to help boost our energy levels in those high altitudes.

From the article:

"I insist that it can be consumed directly and elegantly in salad," Garcia told foreign correspondents at the Government Palace.

Garcia's comments put him in the company of leftist presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who have publicly promoted mixing the high-calcium leaf into everything from toothpaste to soft drinks.

Coca has for centuries been considered a medicinal and ceremonial plant in Andean culture, and Garcia said it should not be vilified as useful solely for producing the illegal narcotic.

The Q'ero shamans used coca, chewed it all the time. They also used it for divining purposes and in special ceremonies of which we were allowed to take part.

The picture shows me with some of the many village kids in the high Andes, ok, not SO high Andes at Salka Wasi, home of Don Americo Yabar, advocate for the indiginous people and Shaman/healer. We were playing guess which hand with pieces of candy. The kids loved it. I did too. Notice the band in the background.

Now is the time of change say the Q'ero Elders.

The prophecies are optimistic. They refer to the end of time as we know it - the death of a way of thinking and a way of being, the end of a way of relating to nature and to the earth. In the coming years, the Incas expect us to emerge into a golden age, a golden millennium of peace. The prophecies also speak of tumultuous changes happening in the earth, and in our psyche, redefining our relationships and spirituality.

The next pachacuti, or great change, has already begun and it promises the emergence of a new human after this period of turmoil. The chaos and upheaval characteristic of this period will last another four years, according to the Q'ero. The paradigm of European civilization will continue to collapse and the way of the Earth people will return. Even more importantly, the shamanic elders speak about a tear in the fabric of time itself. This presents an opportunity for us to describe ourselves not as who we have been in the past, both personally and collectively, but as who we are becoming.

One morning while waiting for our bus I overheard the school children singing before class. Many of them stood in front of the rest and sang traditional Q'ero songs. I went over and filmed them and sang for them.

In school they learn the Spanish language. One day Marilyn Markham and I played with some of the children who had made a kite out of a plastic bag. The terrain is very steep in most places around this area several miles outside Cuzco.

On the Route

Sometimes a news item catches my attention while I'm out on the paper routes in the early morning listening to npr. This afternoon I saw a similar story at BlondeSense. It's a story about the "evil weed", marijuana and how it is the boggest cash crop in the US. (Duh) however illegal. What a waste of manpower, and money, (keeping it illegal). There's been a ten-fold increase in production since the war on drugs was initiated.

Another story I heard recently was about "Laughter" Hasya Yoga. I know this to be true as Sunday I was out and about and listening to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me also on npr. I get such a giggle out of those guys and I always feel so much better. Reminds me of my old friends. One is Deede, who always made me laugh and vice-versa. Then there was John, oh my god we laughed. Also Michael M and I had some very good times.

And while I'm at it, all those hilarious times in high school and college, with friends smoking pot, many times, just having fun.


me in the hEe hEe

Six brutal truths about Iraq

General William Odom, one of the earliest advocates of an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, attacks some of the mythologies that are interfering with an honest debate about how to proceed in the Middle East and says the media have failed to recognize dramatic changes in the region.

Truth No. 1: No "deal" of any kind can be made among the warring parties in Iraq that will bring stability and order, even temporarily.


Truth No. 2: There was no way to have "done it right" in Iraq so that U.S. war aims could have been achieved.

Read all here. Highly recommended. SAw this first at Antiwar.com.

Winning Hearts and Minds?

A powerful article by Glenn Greenwald at Unclaimed Territory, "Winning Hearts and Minds"

As you may recall, one of the primary "justifications" for invading Iraq was that we were going to reduce anti-American resentment in the Middle East -- which fuels terrorist recruitment -- and therefore make the world safer for our country. They were going to so appreciate everything we did for Iraq and Afghanistan that they would realize how great we were, like us much more, and therefore not want to attack us anymore. How is that going?


Attitudes toward the U.S. from those in the Arab world have suffered greatly as a result of American foreign policy in the region, according to an Arab American Institute/Zogby International poll released today . . .


In 2002, the favorability rating of the U.S. among Moroccans was 38%. Now it's 7%.

In 2002, the favorability rating of the U.S. among Jordanians was 34%. Now it's 5%.

Read all including many excellent comments at link above.

Why the Warmongering?

An interesting article by Ralph R Reiland titled Warmonger Rationale quotes from Lawrence H Keeley's book, War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage.

From it:

"Essentially states are class-stratified political units that maintain a monopoly of deadly force – a monopoly institutionalized as permanent police and military forces," writes anthropologist Lawrence H. Keeley in his book, War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage.

For a minority ruling group that's coercively siphoning off resources and lowering the take-home pay and living standards of the majority of the population, war, argues Salerno, has the advantage of directing the attention of the majority to an outside enemy, a foreign state, a foreign ideology.

"Convinced that their lives and property are being secured against a foreign threat, the exploited taxpayers develop a 'false consciousness' of political and economic solidarity with their domestic rulers," writes Salerno. Persistent war making by a nation's governing elite against allegedly threatening aggressors becomes "a perfect way to disguise the naked clash of interests between the taxpaying and tax-consuming classes."

War, rather than being a mistake or an aberration, is as unavoidable as death and taxes because it serves the interests of the governing class, according to Salerno's analysis: "A permanent state of war or preparedness for war is optimal from the point of view of the ruling elite, especially one that controls a large and powerful state."

My thought about war isfrom that book called the bible: "there shall be wars and rumors of wars but it shall not come nigh thee." Maybe I'm paraphrasing? There have always been plenty of conflict for those seeking it, for whatever reason. Ego, the little ego of man's separation psychosis may be fearful, may be glory seeking or both. How many deaths does it take? How many lives spent in madness? Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.

May you be at peace in your knowledge of what Is and has always been. One thing, that being perfect, perfect being, not the seeming to be, which can never be.

Peace.

P.S. Did a spell check for nigh and look what I found.

Spirited away: why the end is nigh for religion by Carol Midgley

Christianity will be eclipsed by spirituality in 30 years, startling new research predicts. Our correspondent reports on the collapse of traditional religion and the rise of mysticism....


...Those who think they can find the god within are swiftly put right. “To try to find the solution in oneself is bound to fail because human nature is fallen,” says Maiden. “Christianity isn’t about us trying to make ourselves better people. It is about God trying to do something for us 2,000 years ago which redeemed people.”

Perhaps he is right, but some of those losing their religion were brought up with just the kind of dogmatic beliefs that Maiden is describing. Take Julie Wise, 44 and a mother of two, who was raised on a Lancashire farm in the Church of England tradition. Three decades of religion failed to touch her, she says, and it was only in her thirties, when she went to an exhibition in Manchester and saw a man performing Infinite T’ai Chi, that she felt truly spiritually touched. “It was like divine intervention,” she says. “It was one of the most beautiful, meaningful things I had ever seen.” She is now an Infinite T’ai Chi practitioner and performs “soul readings”, a way, she says, of seeing life patterns and energies that haven’t been released in the past.

I lost my religion,
don't want it back anymore
Going to go on from here
through love's open door.

me in he EE

Defeating Terrorism

An interesting idea from actor Alec Baldwin titled: Defeating Terrorism: An Oddly First Step

There is a way to defeat terrorism while building new and better alliances in the Arab world. It will be an enormously complex and difficult diplomatic puzzle. But the first step might be oddly simple. Get rid of the CIA, which has outlived its usefulness and is an embarrassment to this great country, and rebuild and reform US intelligence capabilities to fight this new type of threat.

Read the short article and then the comments also at link above.

From Catholicism to Atheism to Divine Science to Isness

My spiritual quest has taken a few, fascinating turns. As I sought truth, or to know if truth even existed I came to outpicture that which I was being awakened to internally. I remember thinking in high school that I wanted to know the "truth" and that no one I knew knew it. Those were the end of my Catholic years and for a brief time my atheist years which really were a cleaning out of the old concepts of God and religion. My strengths were and are in philosophy, art, logic, and spacial perception, which is to say I have a pretty good idea when something is what it "is" or when something "seems" to be. This has to be done with concepts as well as physical things if one is to master essential ideas and ideals.

One of the most unlikely of many unlikely teachers that came my way was Irene. She was/is a Religious Science Practitioner. She was also attuned to all the new thought churches including Divine Science and Unity. Now in spirit, having left the physical experience some years ago. She is doing healing work for me, with me, through me now. What is, the ISNESS, as I had come to call it, awaits all to come "home" to itself, to become conscious of it, the you of you, the Is of what Is. There is only one thing. It is simple, but easily discarded by us with our many dramas, and fears, and ego trips. We are not what we seem to be because seeming cannot be. I had at one time sought out my spiritual family. I have found so many beautiful souls in so doing. We are one thing, that which IS. At any moment in time and space we may accept that and seeming miracles follow. Why seeming? Because what is always was and will always be. It's amazing that we have forgotten that and in our forgetting have created such chaos and despair. So the miracle is simply returning to what IS, who we really are in consciousness, and all else fades away to the nothingness it is, the seeming to be.

I am relearning that everything we experience, we experience for our growth towards greater consciousness. Whether we grow or not in any particular experience is up to us. But until we do we tend to have the same lessons repeated over and over. Since we are eternal there is no rush to "get it right." "Getting it right" is simply understanding one thing: who and what we really are to a greater and greater extent. The more inclusive and expansive your concepts, the closer you get to consciously knowing what Is. Isness always is. There is no changing it. It is the Alpha and the Omega all at once and eternally so, not having restrictions of time or space. So we are connected eternally to it, we are it's extension IN the physical world, but not OF the world.

Healing is being One, being whole. Thus conflict is no more, dis-ease is no more. Seen for the illusions that they are, the nothingness that they are, outpictured by us because of our misconception if what IS.

My cancer is now one of my teachers. When I stray away from my conscious connection with what IS, I put off healing. But healing comes fast and sure as I remember my connection to what IS and to all those who are part of me and I a part of them in the all encompassing ISness, the One thing that truely IS and has always been and will always be. In that am I healed and whole and Holy. In the embracing with love all that IS, and the laughing away of all that seems to be. In my seeking for real answers I found this. As I have said at some very pivotal times in my life: I expect great things from this relationship and in so saying I did get that which I set forth.

May all those who love come together with those willing to form a "Coalition of the Loving" and awaken to the Aquarian Age of Love.

Let the Church say "Amen."


Peace to all.

me in the EE

Opera

I've studied singing for many years, as well as classical piano. My teachers of voice include Rico Serbo and Giorgio Tozzi. I sang with the Arizona Opera Chorus for several seasons, and one time got to step in for a missing tenor and soing a solo part. I also sang as soloist in many recitals, in oratorio including Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem. I have been looking at the role of Lohengrin lately. There is so much beautiful music for the tenor. Here's what the Metropolitan Opera has on the web--pretty cool.

Quote for Peace

How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!
Samuel Adams






saw this at antiwar.com

Stephen Covey

An interesting quote I saw last night:

"We are not human beings on a spiritual
journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey."
I like that! That's Stephen on the left over there and me on the right! Two bald heads are better than one.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey's most famous book, was extremely successful and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide since first publication in 1989. The audio version was also the first non-fiction audio book in U.S. history to sell more than one million copies. In this book, Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic", which is about aligning one’s values with so called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey is adamant about not confusing principles and values. Principles are external natural laws; values are internal and subjective. Covey proclaims values govern people’s behaviour but it's principles that ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits - a progression from dependence, to independence, to interdependence.

Quote for Peace

I abhor war and view it as the greatest scourge of mankind.
Thomas Jefferson

Ten Reasons Congress Must Investigate Bush Administration Crimes

By Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor

Tuesday 14 November 2006

Few elections in history have provided so clear a mandate. As the New York Times put it, Democrats were "largely elected on the promise to act as a strong check on [Bush's] administration." (1) But the first response of the new Congressional leadership has been to proclaim a new era of civility and seek accommodation with the very people who need to be held accountable for war crimes and subversion of the Constitution.

Democratic strategists who argue for this kind of bipartisanship maintain that the American people want their political leaders to address the problems of the future, not pursue recriminations about the past. They therefore oppose the kind of penetrating investigation that a White House strategist told Time would lead to a "cataclysmic fight to the death" (2) if Democrats start issuing subpoenas. If such "peace at any price" Democrats prevail, the result will be a catastrophe, not only for the Democratic party but for American democracy.

Establishing accountability will require a thorough investigation of the actions of the Bush administration and, if they have included crimes or abuses, ensuring that these are properly addressed by Congress and the courts. The purpose of such action is not to play "gotcha" based on hearsay and newspaper clippings. Investigation, exposure, and even prosecution or select committee proceedings, should they become necessary, are primarily means for re-establishing the rule of law. But such investigations may be blocked by the Democratic leadership unless American citizens and progressive Democrats in particular demand them. Here are ten reasons why they should:

You an read the ten reasons at link above. This one, number two is somethingI was tinkng about as soon as Bush changed his tune to a new era of "working together."

The Democrats are in danger of walking into a death trap the Bush administration and the Republican leadership are setting for them. The Democrats won the election on ending the Iraq war and holding the president accountable. In the current courtship, they are being invited to come up onto the bridge of the Titanic and share responsibility for the catastrophe. If they do that, they will end up at the 2008 election with a disillusioned public (especially their own base) who give them equal blame for the war and its catastrophic consequences. As The Nation recently editorialized, "Democrats must not forget the voters' message. If they collaborate in allowing continued bloodletting in Iraq, they will pay the price themselves in future elections."

Veteran's Day

On that day when the country has turned from war to peaceful solutions, and only on that day, will we honor the veterans that have served our country. Until then we shall surely do but one thing, add to their ranks, and sadly.

Redefining our world

Each year The Washington Post has a contest where readers are
asked to supply alternate meanings for various words.
And winners are...


1. Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you
have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat
stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you
absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash.



For more go to comments.

Rumsfeld resigns as Bush seeks "Fresh Perspective"

I heard again how Rumsfeld thinks that the average citizen doesn't understand the complexities of this war he has been blundering about in for the last 5 years. He has said the most unintelligable things that any person in leadership has uttered possibly in the history of mankind. My favorite is the unknown knowns, and the unknown unknowns. Good God.

One less crackpot leading young men to meaningless deaths, and countless thousands of innocent Iraqis killed by flawed policy and incompetence. War is obsolete. When will we get it? Although he has served many years and perhaps has done some good, he leaves in disgrace and with Iraq and the "war on terror" in chaos, although the president who has infaliblity, in his own mind anyway, lets him go with high regard. Heck of a job, Rummy.

I saw this cartoon in the USA Today. It's by Mike Smith

Update: A little history of Rumsfeld and Saddam and the sovereign Iraqi nation and biological weapons of mass destruction and mass distraction. Written by Robert Scheer at Truthdig.

Update:Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse
A lawsuit in Germany will seek a criminal prosecution of the outgoing Defense Secretary and other U.S. officials for their alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo.

Just days after his resignation, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to face more repercussions for his involvement in the troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New legal documents, to be filed next week with Germany's top prosecutor, will seek a criminal investigation and prosecution of Rumsfeld, along with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet and other senior U.S. civilian and military officers, for their alleged roles in abuses committed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Is this the you know what hitting the proverbial fan?


me in the EE

Deer Medicine

Early this morning. Glad to have new break discs and front-end alignment as I came upon the most beautiful buck in the middle of the road. Less than 15 feet apart, we stared eye to eye for over 10 seconds before he turned and ran away. So let's see what the deer medicine is:

Woodland dreams of intuition come with the graceful deer. I greet you, brothers of the forest. Your gift of magic will brighten my life. Transformation will come to me. Like you, I stand listening to the drum beat of life, Poised to follow my guiding spirits. Gentleness and Innocence

Deer teaches us to use the power of gentleness to touch the hearts and minds of
wounded beings who are in our lives.

Don't push towards change in others, rather gently nudge them in right direction
with the love that comes from a Deer totem.

When a Deer totem shows up in your life, a new innocence and freshness is about to be awakened. There is going to be a gentle lure of new adventures. There will be an opportunity
to express the gentle love that will open new doors for you.

This afternoon after a visit to the hospital for pre-op, Buck, my partner and I, stopped at Lake Greenwood. For just a few minutes soaking in the beauty of the water and the fall colors. Yum.


me in the dEEr

Busheleon talk*

Some of the lastest from dear leader ... the president has called [for] a "new era of cooperation," Bush is already looking for areas of common ground with Democrats.

So why was it that he was the most uncooperative president up till now? Puhleeze!

There are just way too many serious problems that have been created by this man and his administration, (Lies about why we went to war, outing of CIA agent, Valerie Plame, Secret meetings with oil execs, Constituional threats, like the discarding of FISA, incompetence like Katrina), the list goes on and on and some that were narrowly avoided(Social Security Reform, for one). But now we have Bush saying in the face of defeat, "new era of cooperation" like he thought of it.


GET REAL.

Would I condemn him? No. I don't condemn anyone. I forgive. But that is not to say that we should disregard laws of the land. We must bring truth to light or suffer the consequences of further atrocities in the future. If laws have been broken, we need to hold people who took on responsibility responsible. No one has power, but responsibility, yes. The people, regardless of how divided we are, no matter how ignorant we are, no matter how biased we are, have the power and the responsibility to demand the very best we know for all Americans. We hand over the responsibility, not the power. No one in office should ever forget that.

Politics for some is equivilent to manipulation. Manipulation of anyone for any reason. Service, true service is so much better. Service to all, not just your party, your friends, your interests.
Here's hoping for service from our new leadership in the two houses. Honest and loyal to the ideals of the United States of America.


*as a chameleon changes color to protect itself from predators, Bush changes his language, his talking points, to adapt to criticism and defeat to seem to be ahead of the "game", which is way ahead of him.

Rep. John Murtha's response to Bush's press conference.

Coming attractions

me in the EE

Outlaw Empire Meets the Wave

A new book by Tom Engelhart: "Mission Unaccomplished"

The wave – and make no mistake, it's a global one – has just crashed on our shores, soaking our imperial masters. It's a sight for sore eyes.

It's been a long time since we've seen an election like midterm 2006. After all, it's a truism of our politics that Americans are almost never driven to the polls by foreign-policy issues, much less by a single one that dominates everything else, no less by a catastrophic war (and the presidential approval ratings that go with it). This strange phenomenon has been building since the moment, in May 2003, that George W. Bush stood under that White-House-prepared "Mission Accomplished" banner on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared "major combat operations have ended."

That "Top Gun" stunt – when a cocky president helped pilot an S-3B Viking sub reconnaissance Navy jet onto a carrier deck and emerged into the golden glow of "magic hour light" (as his handlers then called it) – was meant to give him the necessary victory photos to launch his 2004 presidential reelection campaign. As it turned out, that moment was but the first "milestone" on the path to Iraqi, and finally electoral, hell. Within mere months, those photos would prove useless for anyone but liberal bloggers. By now, they seem like artifacts from another age. On the way to the present "precipice" (or are we already over the edge?), there have been other memorable "milestones" – from the president's July 2003 petulant "bring 'em on" taunt to Iraq's then forming insurgency to the vice president's June 2005 "last throes" gaffe. All such statements have, by now, turned to dust in American mouths.

Click on book image to read full article at Antiwar.com.

Orion the Hunter

Constellations

What's up with Orion, now very clear in the western sky around 5:00-6:ooam? I got a good look at Betelgeuse , (60,000 times brighter than our sun! One of two first magnitude Super-Giants) this morning in the upper left of the constellation- (Orion's right shoulder) But there's something more and it's on Orion's Sword!

Orion (the Hunter) climbs the sky. Orion's belt, Mintaka at right, Alnilam in the center, and Alnitak at left, runs through the middle of the picture. Betelgeuse is the bright reddish star at upper left, Rigel the bright star at lower right, Bellatrix the star to the right of center above the belt. Saiph is centered near the lower edge of the picture below the belt. Orion's head is marked by the trio of stars at the top of the picture just left of center, the brightest of which is Meissa. The the red glow in the middle of Orion's Sword is the Orion Nebula, which is lit by Theta-1 Ori.
The pink circle in the image is of a star with two circling planets.

THE ORION NEBULA

The Orion Nebula, which appears to surround the central star in
Orion's Sword , is a vast cloud of interstellar gas and dust some
20 light years across that is lit by a quartet of hot stars (the Trapezium) at its apparent center. Some 1500 light years away, the Trapezium and Nebula lie in front of a cold, dusty "giant molecular cloud" that hosts regions of intense star formation. The stars of the Trapezium electrify a blister on the front edge of the molecular cloud, which makes it glow.

More technically, energetic ultraviolet starlight (most of which
comes from Theta-1 Orionis C) ionizes a portion of the molecular
cloud, that is, it strips electrons from the nebula's atoms, which
are mostly hydrogen. When the charged ions recapture the free electrons, the energy is given back up as (in part) optical light in the form of emission lines.


This image of the Orion nebula, taken by NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and released November 7, 2006, shows an infrared and visible-light composite that indicates that a 'gang' of four monstrously massive stars at the center of the
cloud may be the main culprits of mayhem in the
familiar Orion constellation. The stars are collectively
called the 'Trapezium' and can be communally identified
as the yellow smudge near the center of the
image. Swirls of green in Hubble's ultraviolet and
visible-light view reveal hydrogen and sulfur gas that have been heated and ionized by intense ultraviolet radiation from the Trapezium's stars.



Great stuff in the Cosmos!

Close view of Betelgeuse

Here's a close up of Betelgeuse. I never noticed how it pulsed before this morning. I've been looking at Orion for a long time now, Even the picture pulsates!

On the Rumsfeld Resignation

There are still alot of unknown knowns about Rumsfeld as well as unknown unknowns which we seem to learn each new day. But who will be nominated to replace the superlocutious super pooper pants is now a known unknown (Robert Gates)where as Bush's busheleon brain, (stay the course- neverbeenstaythecourse-capturethedynamisim- constantlyadjustingthestrategy-freshperspectiveand finally let's work together) is still in the unknown unknowns always the last to get it but preaching as if he always knew, as if he is the new knew of unnew unknew. Whew.



Please quote me on that.

Update on Bush's new "bipartisan tact" from Unclaimed Territory

"It is vital to remember that we already have a constitutional crisis in our government. The choice is not whether to create one (since it already exists), but whether to confront and battle it, or acquiesce to it (as the Republican Congress has done). While it is nice that Democrats have taken over the Congress, it is vital to remember that we have a President who has repeatedly made clear that Congress is irrelevant in our system of government and cannot limit the President in any way. Re-establishing the rule of law -- and the principle that the President is not above it -- is still the most compelling priority for our country."

Update article by Chris Floyd: The Deeper Reality Behind Rumsfeld's Resignation

As Don Rumsfeld is tossed overboard by the panicky Bushes (who value loyalty to themselves above all other virtues but never, ever, practice it toward others; there will be many more bodies left behind as the Family rallies to clean up Junior's mess again), Steve Gilliard steps in below to remind us that what we are actually dealing with here is not politics, not some Beltway horse race, or some idiotic media game of "who's up, who's down." The issue is mass murder -- thousands of Americans, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis -- and human suffering beyond imagining for millions more.

This is the reality. This is what really matters about Rumsfeld and the other architects of the war crime in Iraq. And although all the talk about the election's political ramifications for the Bush Administration is entertaining and diverting, as most gossip is, and not without some importance, on the most essential level it is a moral obscenity.

me in the rumEE

Election Results

List of news about yesterday's elections:

Resurgent Democrats win control of House

Gay Marriage Ban Rejected ion Arizona

Democrats take majority of governorships


Bush disappointed at Republicans' Losses

South Dakota voters axa restrictive abortion law


Update:
Concessions give Democrats control of Senate

Quick, get the door, but it ain't Pizza

Pot Users Relying on Home Delivery by Tom Hays, Associated Press Writer



NEW YORK (AP) -- In a city where you can get just about anything delivered to your door - groceries, dry cleaning, Chinese food - pot smokers are increasingly ordering takeout marijuana from drug rings that operate with remarkable corporate-style attention to customer satisfaction.

An untold number of otherwise law-abiding professionals in New York are having their pot delivered to their homes instead of visiting drug dens or hanging out on street corners.

Among the legions of home delivery customers is Chris, a 37-year-old salesman in Manhattan. He dials a pager number and gets a return call from a cheery dispatcher who takes his order for potent strains of marijuana.

Within a couple of hours, a well-groomed delivery man - sometimes a moonlighting actor or chef - arrives at the doorstep of his Manhattan apartment carrying weed neatly packaged in small plastic containers.

"These are very nice, discreet people," said Chris, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition only his first name be used. "There's an unspoken trust. It's better than going to some street corner and getting ripped off or killed."

Read all at link above.

Saw this at The Raw Story



me in the wEEd

Quotes

"Force is the weapon of the weak."
Ammon Hennacy


(July 24, 1893 - January 14, 1970) was an American pacifist, Christian anarchist, vegetarian, social activist, member of the Catholic Worker Movement and a Wobbly, and was known for establishing the "Joe Hill House of Hospitality" in Salt Lake City, Utah and never paying taxes.


saw this quote at antiwar.com

On Saddam's Sentence

No joy for humanity is felt here for yet another killing in the name of "justice". I have no elation to witness the "good" killing the "bad". It is a deception to point one's finger to another and say, see we are rid of him, he who was evil, he who had harmed so many, while all the while setting aside one's own aggressions and multitudes of "sin." See here , here , here, here. I was pleased to find this article by Mike Whitney at the Smirking Chimp titled."Bush's Carnival of Blood". From it:

This is a dark day for Americans and Iraqis alike.

Killing Saddam Hussein isn’t justice; its vengeance. Only Bush believes the two are the same.

How are we supposed to feel now that we know that Saddam will be hanged for his crimes?

Elated? Energized? Jubilant?

Will it wash away the oceans of blood that Bush generated with his misguided and tragic war?

The administration clings to the foolish notion that killing Saddam will somehow justify their unprovoked invasion and slaughter of 650,000 Iraqis....

....After the verdict was announced, Saddam issued brief a statement to his people which made him appear reflective and patriotic. He said:

“Pardon and do not take revenge on the invading nations and their people…and unify in the face of sectarian strife.”

Saddam's message of forgiveness and reconciliation won't be warmly received in Washington where they were hoping that he would fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness. That was another miscalculation. Saddam may be a brutal tyrant but he was never a coward. His courtroom performance will only strengthen the resolve of the resistance and make life that much more difficult for occupation forces.

The whole charade has been costly blunder for the Bush team; nothing was gained.

Saddam’s death will have the same effect as the appalling photos of the hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib which offended the sensibilities of decent people everywhere. It's just another addition to the long list of transgressions against the Iraqi people.

This isn’t justice. It's an example of a nation’s dark shame.

Oh, dear humanity, when will we come to see that there is a better way? As Bush bloats about vindication for invading Iraq, he and his followers are simply unaware of the damage being done and remain ignorant and uncaring. If anyone would have asked if killing over 600,00 people to get rid of one dictator would be the right thing to do would you have said yes? If anyone had lied and then caused so many deaths for this purpose would you congratulate him and hold him in high regard? Is there anything that you would trust this person to do honestly after that?

Bush claims it to be a milestone in Iraq's young democracy. There is no milestone or democracy, only a sad and sorry state of affairs, made worse by ignorance in high pleaces and supported by unthinking, unfeeling and UNchristian neochristian americans and all those who are vindicated by man's inhumanity, man's separation from his divinity, from love for each other.


“Although Saddam and his allies carried out those crimes, it should not be forgotten that Saddam’s Western supporters also paved the way for him to carry out those oppressive acts and crimes.”
Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman


more here: Rumsfeld and Hussein: Partners in Crime

So, by all means, let's talk about Saddam Hussein's guilt and how much fun it will be to kill him. But let's remember who supported him for decades. And let's ask ourselves what the 650,000 Iraqis we've killed already were guilty of. Wasn't the plan to liberate them, not murder them? Here is guilt aplenty for Rumsfeld, Bush, and Cheney, and the corporate interests they serve.

Peace to all.


me in the EE

Barber's Adagio for Strings

All Things Considered, November 4, 2006 · In November 1938, conductor Arturo Toscanini led the NBC Symphony Orchestra in the premiere performance of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The concert was broadcast from New York to a radio audience of millions across America.

Celebrated for its fragile simplicity and emotion, the "Adagio" might have seemed an odd match for Toscanini, known for his power and drama as a conductor. But according to Mortimer Frank, author of Arturo Toscanini: The NBC Years, despite the director's force and intensity, he was capable of "wonderful delicacy and tenderness and gentleness."

The year 1938 was a time of tumult. America was still recovering from the Depression and Hitler's Germany was pushing the world towards war. Toscanini himself had only recently settled in America after fleeing fascist Italy. The importance of the broadcast performance during this time is noted by Joe Horowitz, author of Understanding Toscanini: "Toscanini's concerts in New York... once he was so closely identified with the opposition to Mussolini, the opposition to Hitler -- these were the peak public performances in the history of classical music in America. I don't think any concerts before or since excited such an intense emotional response, and I don't think any concerts before or since evoked such an intense sense of moral mission."

Read all at link above. You can also listen to the piece there.

Feeling a depth of sadness I have not felt in along time I sought out my friend Kahlil Gibran and he said: "Sadness is but a wall between two gardens." So is this Adagio a most beautiful wall and perhaps not so solid, not so insurmountable, perhaps more like a veil. Oh thank you, sweet friend. Thank you.

me in my sadness in the gardens of the EE with Barber, Toscanini, Gibran, John, Jesse, and you...

A little bit about my day

Today. Things I did, am doing.

Music: Beethoven, "Moonlight" Sonata, some vocalizing, William Blake's Songs of Innocence for guitar and voice and other instruments. I have a cut on the tip of my left index finger (!) So not much playing.

Also: creating a new CD of the Eternal Ecstasies through my d-music site. I have 3 CDs there now. One is solo piano, "Shaman's Hand",which is the edited version of the background music for The EEs, "Morning Sun", which is songs for voice and guitar and other instruments, and then "The Eternal Ecstasies", which are the readings of Mystic John Suter.

Food: Yummy, Golden Butternut Squash Soup. Campbells has it in a box. Something I discovered in Taos, New Mexico, on a little vacation where I met a lady from Mad Town, Madison Wisconsin, my home state. We had a great time for a few days doing different things in the area.

Health challenges: Squamos cell carcinoma. Anal/rectal tumors are not fun. But I've lost a lot of wieght, not that I wanted to, and have an opportunity to do some healing work which involves watching what I think, what I feel at all times. Every time anger, frustration, anxiety rears it's ugly head the pain increases. Every situation is an opportunity for kindness, patience, love, healing, laughter, remembering the EE.

This morning's featured Constellation: Canis Major. Do you know it?

War Crimes, Quotes

August 14, 2006 | Puppets pose inside a Veterans for Peace convention in Seattle this summer. On November 14 a group of lawyers and other experts will come before the German federal prosecutor and ask him to open a criminal investigation targeting Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales and other key Bush administration figures for war crimes.

Saw this at truthout.org



"Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle."
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

found at Antiwar.com and:

"Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop participating in it."
Noam Chomsky



War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. from??? you tell me...


Me in the italicized EE (he he)

EE talk

There are two things to the unenlightened mind, that which is and that which seems to be. Not knowing which is which leads to many systems of beliefs, whether secular or religious or spiritual, or whatever label one uses.

We tend to test our perceptions out on or with or against others as a way of validating our beliefs and temporarily claiming the "this is what is and all else is not" authority. It's the little ego making claim to something that it cannot grasp in limited concepts. It is the proverbial cart before the horse.

Those claiming secularism over religion are doing so with limited understanding of both and vice versa, those claiming religion(their concept of it) over secularism seem to have an even greater limitation of understanding and indignation to boot when challenged.

Jesus, (not his name, as you may know), the "man of God" or the beholder and extension of, (I am the vine ye are the branches), what IS, is as scientific philosophically as anyone has ever been and more so than most.

What limited minds make of religion and the "Big J", by their belief and some by disbelief changes not what really IS. We muck about in the seeming claiming what we percieve to be is what IS. But perception cannot grasp being, always perceiving as if detached and separate-a false premise, so what follows is false.

Law, reason, truth, permeate all things and not limited by what seems to be. We all fall short in our awareness of what is. Knowing that we do not know is the doorway as "Jesus said: I am the open door which no man can shut. I am, the being which IS, I am and no limited concept, (perception, misperception) can imprison what IS- not even and especially my own, no matter how good these concepts make me feel temporarily or how horrible they make me feel so that I might attain something greater as if seeming ever leads to being- as if illusion is real.

Peace to all here.


me in the EE

Star-like mingles with the Stars

Keith Olbermann's special comment on Kerry's Joke Part 2

Keith Olbermann's special comment on Kerry's Joke Part 1

Quotes

I learned nothing from war. War is not an activity for human beings; war is for criminals—rape, robbery and murder.


Roman Podabedov (Russian anti-tank gunner)





thanks to Antiwar.com

Seymour Hersh slams Bush at McGill address

Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh slams Bush at McGill address By Martin Lukacs The McGill Daily

“There has never been an American army as violent and murderous as the one in Iraq”

“The bad news,” investigative reporter Seymour Hersh told a Montreal audience last Wednesday, “is that there are 816 days left in the reign of King George II of America.”
The good news? “When we wake up tomorrow morning, there will be one less day.”

“There’s no reason to see a change in policy about Iraq. [Bush] thinks that, in twenty years, he’s going to be recognized for the leader he was – the analogy he uses is Churchill,” Hersh said. “If you read the public statements of the leadership, they’re so confident and so calm…. It’s pretty scary.”

An interesting comment by Conservative Andrew Sullivan: the president was "so in denial," comparing the Rumsfeld endorsement to applauding the job FEMA's Michael Brown did on Katrina: "It's unhinged. It suggests this man has lost his mind. No one objectively could look at the way this war has been conducted, whether you were for it, as I was, or against it, and say that it has been done well. It's a disaster. Other pro-war reconsiderations here.

When speaking of the devil...During an interview with conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh, US President George Bush expressed deep concerns about the possibility of the United States leaving the Middle East, raising fears that extremists could topple governments to "control oil resources."

ISN'T THAT A GOOD DISCRIPTION OF WHAT THE U.S. HAS DONE AND IS DOING? Forget about bringing peace and democracy and freedom and stories of WMDs, regime change, mushroom clouds, yada, yada, yada.

Add to the Discumbobulation of this administration and these times for the USA: "Horrific Irony" of an award given to Michael Chertoff, presider over the abomination that was Katrina and other Home-land insecurities.

Discernment is not required in the EE, but does come in handy when so many seem to be caught up in illusion. Peace to all. A peace that passeth understanding. We would not judge, only record their deeds, and enter not further into a world percieved and acted out by others for their own purposes. In the end we are all learning, all part of a greater whole, all part of the perfection which simply IS- concious of it or not.

me still in the EE

Bush and Kerry -Bad pokes and bad jokes

I've decided not to give up very much time , effort and attention to what the President's been saying lately during his political tour, using fearmongering and deception to stir up the Republican base. I saw this article at the Smirking Chimp. Bob Geiger has some good points about Bush and Kerry, whose 'flopped joke' has kindled a wild-fire. Take it away Bob:

Our President is a Lying Scumbag

It's difficult to pick any one day when George W. Bush is [worse] than another. He's clearly the sorriest excuse for a president in our country's history and yet, amazingly, he still finds ways to be even worse almost every day. *

He hit another low on Monday when, while speaking at a Republican rally in Texas, he spent the majority of the speech saying that if people vote for Democrats the terrorists win.

"Some say, immediate redeployment. Some say they wouldn't spend another dime on our troops in Iraq," said Bush. "Some say that the idea that we're going to win this war is an idea that unfortunately is just plain wrong. Well, however they put it, their approach comes down to this: The terrorists win and America loses."


Update: Keith Olbermann's commentary: Bush owes Troops Apology, Not Kerry


*When I recently heard him, (Bush) on the radio I thought he same thing.

Graphic is also from Smirking Chimp.

me in the EE, where are you?????

How to Scare a Bee

Heard this on NPR this morning after a story about the sequencing of the bee genome:

Renee Montagne: Steve, do you know how to scare a bee?
Steve Inskeep: How?
Renee: Boo, Bee

Can you Bee-lieve it?

me in the (B)EE

So who supports the Troops?

A complete list of the IAVA Congressional Ratings is here on their website. The IAVA is the Iraq and Afganistan Veterans of America. I saw this posted at Daily-Kos here where Bob Geiger has made a list by grades, "A" being the best and "F" the worst. From the Daily-Kos website:

As you'll note, based on the over 300 votes the IAVA used in its calculation, all Senate Democrats have been more supportive of the troops -- when it comes to their actual votes, over the past five years -- than any of the Senate Republicans.

For those of you in South Carolina, where I am, our two dear Senators scored as follows: Lindsey Graham, "D-" and Jim DeMint, "F". Lindsey Graham has recently made a statement to the press saying the Iraq war was a mess, I believe he said "quagmire"and that we need a new policy, which now we have because Bush isn't using the phrase "stay the course" any more. That solved alot of problems right there. He also spoke out against Bush's new "torture" bill, but gave in, in the end. This from an article by William Rivers Pitt tiltled, "A Study in Constant Motion."

"What you have is not 'stay the course,'" said
Snow, "but, in fact, a study in constant motion
by the administration and by the Iraqi
government, and, frankly, also by the enemy, because there are constant shifts, and you
constantly have to adjust to what the other
side is doing."

Was that Tony Snow or Tony Snowjob???

Click on picture for link to another artice by Bob Geiger called, "It's Stay-the-Course Wednesday" at
The Smirking Chimp.

Long-time South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, D, scored an "A." Even though his last letter to me was pretty vague, (it was about supporting a Department of Peace, which he said when or if it ever did come up for a vote he would "consider" my opinion), I guess has my vote still, after all he is NOT a Republican, not that all republicans are bad. Mostly the ones in office.

Another Senator I watch is Russ Feingold from my home state Wisconsin. He scored a "B."

Thanks to Daily-Kos and IAVA for this information. How did your Senators and Congresspeople do?


me in the EE

The "Goodwill" of Frank W. Benson

From Yahoo News Photo:



This is a handout photo provided by Goodwill Industries of the Columbia-Willamette showing the 1923 watercolor by the American impressionist Frank Weston Benson Friday, Oct. 20, 2006. The painting dropped off at Goodwill by an anonymous donor sold for $165,002 Thursday during an auction on the organization's Web site. (AP Photo/Goodwill Industries of the Columbia-Willamette)





Frank Weston Benson's masterpiece paintings of American society at the turn of the century are some of America's most popular works of art. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, a descendant of a long line of sea captains, Benson first studied art at Boston's Museum School where he became editor of the student magazine.

Another Great Wagnerian Singer

I've been studying the role of Lohengrin lately and found this on the web.

At a Lauritz Melchior, (the Greatest Heldontenor) site:

Franz Völker

The German tenor Franz Völker was born 1899 and died 1965. After short studies he made his debut 1926 as Florestan at the opera of Frankfurt/Main, where he stayed until 1931. Later on he sang at the Vienna State Opera and at the Berlin State Opera. To his rôles belonged lyrical Wagner parts as well as Mozart and italian opera. After World War II he sang at Munich until 1952. Franz Völker's voice had a noble, well-focused quality, highly musical control and an exemplary cultivated legato. His greatest successes were at the Bayreuth festivals from 1933 until 1942, where Völker sang Lohengrin, Parsifal, Siegmund and Eric. Franz Völker was considered to be the best lyrical Heldentenor in his best time. His performance of Lohengrin was world-famous. His vocal art is preserved as an opera singer and song recitalist, his recordings of light music can hardly be counted. Especially his Wagner records are on the highest level we can think of. Hear him with Lohengrin's grail narration In fernem Land from Wagner's Lohengrin, recorded in 1927.

For something on the lighter side check out my d-music site for some older songs I just posted there. Try "Only LoveComes." There's lots more.

Pat Tillman's Legacy

In an article by brother Kevin:

It is Pat Tillman's birthday November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice.... until we get out.

Somehow the more soldiers who die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Read all at link above.

Blind leading the blind

from By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

(my comments)

WASHINGTON -

President Bush signed legislation Tuesday authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions, calling it a "vital tool" in the war against terrorism.

Another inane law inacted because of perceived evil which is only one's own evil projected outward in the "world." The United States falling deeper into the insanity of fear, and doing all it can to maintain that fear disguised as strength.

Bush's plan for treatment of the terror suspects became law just six weeks after he acknowledged that the CIA had been secretly interrogating suspected terrorists overseas and pressed Congress to quickly give authority to try them in military commissions.

Admission of lies, but no repercussions for doing so. Quick, pass a law so that we look like we're doing the right thing when all along violating our own and international law. Who cares, as long as it looks like we're getting terrorists off the streets? I mean "suspected" terrorists. Maybe YOU?

"With the bill I'm about to sign, the men our intelligence officials believe orchestrated the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people will face justice," Bush said.

Look in the mirror if you'd like the orchestrators of the murders of 10's of thousands of innocent people to face justice. Oh I forgot, evil is only projected outward. I'ts not that I think you are evil, only ignorant, and a perfect child of God, however unknowing.

A coalition of religious groups staged a protest against the bill outside the White House, shouting "Bush is the terrorist" and "Torture is a crime." About 15 of the protesters, standing in a light rain, refused orders to move. Police arrested them one by one.

That's because we live in a "free" society and have the right to speak opposing views, then be arrested.

"It is a rare occasion when a president can sign a bill that he knows will save American lives," Bush said. "I have that privilege this morning."

The only "bill" this president could sign that will save American lives is his own admission of incompetence, resignation, and apology to all the people of the world.

"We will answer brutal murder with patient justice," Bush said. "Those who kill the innocent will be held to account."

O.K. What about shock and awe? Brutal murder times infinity. Justice is patient, also karma and the Law of Compensation, and let's add the Law of Attraction, too. Are you saying that killing innocents when killing terrorists, (perceived as they may be, without court of law) is honky- dory?

The law protects detainees from blatant abuses during questioning — such as rape, torture and "cruel and inhuman" treatment — but does not require that any of them be granted legal counsel. Also, it specifically bars detainees from filing habeas corpus petitions challenging their detentions in federal courts. Bush said the process is "fair, lawful and necessary."

When insanity utters WHAT IS, as in "the process is fair, lawful and necessary," one can expect to find that their assessment is insane and now we have what is "unfair, unlawful, and unnecessary."

"The bill I sign today helps secure this country and it sends a clear message: This nation is patient and decent and fair and we will never back down from threats to our freedom," Bush said. "We are as determined today as we were on the morning of Sept. 12, 2001."

So before Sept.12,2001 there was a lack of determination, a lack of responsibility, awareness when there were reports scuh as Bin Laden (Al Queda) intends to use aircraft as weopons to attack inside U.S? And if we "shall never back down from threats to our freedom", why are you so intent on taking those freedoms away in the name of security which you boast about but have also failed so miserably?

"Over the past few months, the debate over this bill has been heated and the questions raised can seem complex," he said. "Yet, with the distance of history, the questions will be narrowed and few. Did this generation of Americans take the threat seriously? And did we do what it takes to defeat that threat?"

When incompetence and insanity take things seriously one is in for quite a ride as we are on now. With the distance of history, as Bush says but knows nothing of, will he be seen as a war criminal and our Legislatiors as accomplices? Reacting to 9/11 as a bully would to being pushed is no serious action. Killing 10's if not 100's of thousands of people for one act of violence is not serious action. It is bumbling insanity, brute and blind force, only because we have it to wield, but not without devastating consequences. We did not do what it takes to defeat the "threat" and still are not, even though big talk and bigger action seems to sway alot of people to thinking we have and are.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the new law is "one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history."

"The president can now, with the approval of Congress, indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorize trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.

And surely to be withdrawn when wiser minds prevail. The national and international outrage will rise eventually. You can't drop a rock in the pond without creating waves and those waves come back soon enough.

The swift implementation of the law is a rare bit of good news for Bush as casualties mount in Iraq in daily violence. Lawmakers are increasingly calling for a change of strategy and political anxieties are jeopardizing Republican's chances of hanging onto control of Congress.

A rare bit of good news for Bush? Let's draw attention away from one debacle to what seems to be some progress in this delusional war on terror in order to get some good news before the masses. And if these great new interrogation laws help in the war in Iraq that'll be super.

Bush needed the legislation because the Supreme Court in June said the administration's plan for trying detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. and international law.

It's not that I hate George Bush. It's just that I'm not fond of insanity, incompetence, and deception, not to mention arrogance, used in positions of responsibility. Don't tell me that if and when January, 2008 rolls around and George Bush and company leaves office the whole world, if not annihilated, will not breath a collective sigh of relief.

Peace, yes, to even GWB and the GOP and the American people, too

me in the EE

Also (October21,2006) here: Bush's Absolute Power Grab by Carla Binion

"On October 17, George W. Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006. This new law gives Bush power similar to that possessed by Stalin or Hitler, and grants agencies within the Executive Branch powers similar to those of the KGB or Gestapo."

"Bush justifies this act by claiming he needs it to fight the "war on terror," but a number of critics, including former counterterrorism officials, have said the administration has greatly exaggerated the threat and used illogical methods to combat terrorism."

..."The war on terror is bogus. Terrorism shouldn't be treated as if it were a nation to be battled with the military, but should instead be fought with police work and intelligence agencies."

"Terrorism is not an enemy, but a method. Even if the United States were to wipe out every terrorist cell in the world today, terrorism would be back tomorrow."

Read all at link above.