UN Speeches

Transcript of Ahmadinajad's Speech

What afflicts humanity today is certainly not compatible with human dignity; the Almighty has not created human beings so that they could transgress against others and oppress them.

By causing war and conflict, some are fast expanding their domination, accumulating greater wealth and usurping all the resources, while others endure the resulting poverty, suffering and misery.

Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats, while others live in perpetual insecurity and danger.

Some occupy the homeland of others, thousands of kilometers away from their borders, interfere in their affairs and control their oil and other resources and strategic routes, while others are bombarded daily in their own homes; their children murdered in the streets and alleys of their own country and their homes reduced to rubble.

Hugo Chavez calls Bush 'Devil'

Chavez Address to UN Transcript

Speaking through an interpreter, Chavez called on nations
to rise up against what he called America's hegemony. He
even had some recommended reading for his colleagues:
Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest
for Global Dominance.

"It's an excellent book to help us understand what's been happening in the world throughout the 20th century," Chavez said, "and what's happening now."

Transcript of Bush's Speech

To the people of Syria, your land is home to a great people with a proud tradition of learning and commerce. Today, your rulers have allowed your country to become a crossroad for terrorism.

In your midst, Hamas and Hezbollah are working to destabilize the region, and your government is turning your country into a tool of Iran. This is increasing your country's isolation from the world.

Your government must choose a better way forward by ending its support for terror and living at peace with your neighbors and opening the way to a better life for you and your families.

Ted Turner: Iraq war among history's "dumbest"

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters)

The U.S. invasion of Iraq was among the "dumbest moves of all time" that ranks with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the German invasion of Russia, billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner said on Tuesday.

The founder of CNN and unabashed internationalist also defended the right of Iran to have nuclear weapons and the effectiveness of the United Nations and, in a jocular mood, advocated banning men from elective office worldwide in a Reuters Newsmaker appearance.

Alternately combative and humorous, Turner spoke nine years after his pledge to donate $1 billion to the United Nations over 10 years and on the same day President Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly a mile away.

The U.S. invasion of Iraq has caused "incalculable damage" that will take 20 years to overcome "if we just act reasonably intelligently."

The article goes on to say:

One way to reduce such dangers in the world would be to leave women in charge, said the former husband of Jane Fonda.

"Men should be barred from public office for 100 years in every part of the world. ... It would be a much kinder, gentler, more intelligently run world. The men have had millions of years where we've been running things. We've screwed it up hopelessly. Let's give it to the women."

In the meantime, the United Nations represents the best hope, Turner said.

me in the EE

Fire Rainbow

This was sent via email by a friend:

THIS IS A FIRE RAINBOW — THE RAREST OF ALL NATURALLY OCCURING ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA.
THE PICTURE WAS CAPTURED ON THE IDAHO/WASHINGTON BORDER. THE EVENT LASTED ABOUT 1 HOUR. CLOUDS HAVE TO BE CIRRUS, AT LEAST 20K FEET IN THE AIR, WITH JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ICE CRYSTALS AND THE SUN HAS TO HIT THE CLOUDS AT PRCEISELY 58 DEGREES.




This is a real photograph of an atmospheric phenomenon known as a circumhorizon(tal) arc, the example shown above was captured on camera as it hung for about an hour across a several-hundred square mile area of sky above northern Idaho (near the Washington border) on 3 June 2006.

In general, a circumhorizontal arc (or "fire rainbow") appears when the sun is high in the sky (i.e., higher than 58° above the horizon), and its light passes through diaphanous, high-altitude cirrus clouds made up of hexagonal plate crystals. Sunlight entering the crystals' vertical side faces and leaving through their bottom faces is refracted (as through a prism) and separated into an array of visible colors. When the plate crystals in cirrus clouds are aligned optimally (i.e., with their faces parallel to the ground), the resulting display is a brilliant spectrum of colors reminiscent of a rainbow.

From: Urban Legend Reference Pages
They have great links and another picture.

This one I've seen more than once: Sundog, parhelia, mock suns. I called them "Trinity of light, Circle of love." Not knowing the name at the time. The sun is in the middle between two small rainbows. My first sighting was in Prescott Valley, Arizona. My artist friend Yvonne called them sundogs.





me in the EE

No "War on Terror" ( But you knew that... didn't you?)

I have spoken for a long time about this insanity called the "War on Terror." So, once again, it's nice to see others speaking about this, others who are much more learned on the details of these matters. Here's a great article I saw at TruthOut first. The Original is here.

"There is no War on Terror" by Richard Dreyfuss

President George W. Bush, Vice President Cheney and the entire Republican election team are scrambling to make their so-called war on terror the focus of the next seven weeks. As in 2002 and 2004, they’re counting on their ability to scare Americans with the al-Qaida bogeyman. And while the trauma of 9/11 has begun to dissipate and American voters seem less susceptible than ever to the scare tactics used by the White House, for the past five years the Democrats have been singularly unable to develop an effective counter to the Bush administration on terrorism. So, for that reason, here are 10 important facts about terrorism that opponents of President Bush should understand.

Part of what follows is derived from a series of some two dozen interviews I conducted over the summer with leading U.S. counterterrorism officials, many of whom served in top posts during the Bush administration. Not all of them agree with each other, nor with all of my conclusions, which can be found in the Sept. 21 issue of Rolling Stone . But most of them served on the front lines of the so-called "war on terror." If U.S. counterterrorism efforts were run by these officials, instead of Bush and Cheney, those efforts would look radically different than they do today.

The article goes into detail on these topics:

I. The threat of terrorism is wildly exaggerated.
II. Al-Qaida barely exists at all as a threat.
III. There is no Terrorist International.
IV. Iraq will not, and could not, fall to al-Qaida.
V. The Taliban is not al-Qaida.
VI. Neither Iran nor Syria sponsor anti-U.S. terrorism.*
VII. It is not a “war.”
VIII. There were never any al-Qaida sleeper cells in the United States.
IX. Vulnerabilities are not threats.
X. No one is in charge.



*See article about the Canadian citizen, Syrian-born Maher Arar, that the US sent to Syria to be tortured because of suspected al-Qaida links which turned out to be false. Sent to a secret prison which until recently the White House denied having, denied the practice of rendition and the practice of torture. Lies, lies, and more lies. Mr Arar's case was dismissed by an American court, but this ruling has been appealed.

"I have waited a long time to have my name cleared. I was tortured and lost a year of my life. I will never be the same," Arar said. "The United States must take responsibility for what it did to me and must stop destroying more innocent lives with its unlawful actions."


Sad days for the (un-as in not)United States, indeed. Lawlessness by the lawless, while too many people cheer on the false bravado of an administration that is pure politics with no regard for, or gross misinterpretation of great ideals and ideas that are the foundation of our country and the basis of world-wide agreements.

Yet, all is well, really, for those who choose peace this day. Remember, record their deeds, as they have chosen responsibility in your name, hold those in positions of responsibility responsible, and go about your day living your concepts of truth to the best of your response-- ability.



me in the EE

Willie Nelson Arrested in St. Martin Parish

Wille Nelson and his band caught with a pound and a half of weed and some mushrooms by Louisiana State trooper.

A country music legend famous for the song, "On the Road Again" found trouble on the road in south Louisiana. Willie Nelson's tour bus was pulled over Monday morning on I-10 in St. Martin Parish and now the 73-year-old singer faces misdemeanor drug charges.

A trooper pulled over a gold tour bus near Breaux Bridge. He ordered a search of the vehicle after talking to the driver.

During the search, investigators report finding one and a half pounds of marijuana and two-tenths of a pound of mushrooms on the bus. It wasn't until later that police realized the bus belonged to Willie Nelson.

Good to see some folks living their dreams. Legalise the stuff, really.

Related article by Bill Maher: On the Rope Again


me in the EE

Lindsey Graham takes a stand

It's good to see a South Carolina Senator, Lindsey Graham take a stand for sanity in these insane times. Our President seems to love torture and tough action although it has never been proven effective and may be illegal in a court of law if evidence is based on it. More legal wranglings that this administration is fond of getting into, not liking laws created by wiser men who saw these potential problems. Take for instance the writers and signers of the Constitution!

It's also good to see Colin Powell speak out on this matter. In a letter to John McCain who sponsored a no-torture bill to which Bush had to add one of over 700 sighing statements, he said, "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism..."

Now that may be a nominee for the understatement of the year but at least he's saying something and my hope is that he will redeem himself after his nightmarish WMD proclamations in deference to White House pressure (?), and become a great leader. I believe he can be.

Mr Bush responded: "It is very important for the American people to understand that in order to protect this country, we must be able to interrogate people who have information about future attacks."

This may be true but he's not saying everything he means, as usual. It would be more important for this country's protection that we be led by competent, restrained, and thoughtful men and women, who are not apt to lead us into unending wars and the deterioration of our Constitution. Also, why does he think that the American people don't understand what needs to be done in order to protect our country? My, we are a patient lot.

Senator Lindsey Graham said, "We are not going to win the war by killing every terrorist with a bomb or bullet," according to Bloomberg News. "You win the war by persuading those people in the Mideast to reject terrorism." Mr. Graham is an authority on military law. He also expressed concerns for our troops if and when captured by enemy forces how they might be treated.

Mr Graham was also the one of the main driving forces in the waste of time and money in the Clinton sex-scandal impeachment process.

I heard this on npr this morning on the route and then saw it here:

Senate Panel Defies Bush on Detainee Bill by David Stout The New York Times

Let's hope people are watching these events and are ready to use their power at the ballet box, and free speech while we have it!


Other news of interest:
Ten Big News Stories You Aren't Hearing

IAEA Protests "Erroneous" US Report on Iran

Are Political Blogs Swinging Elections?

Moazzam Begg: From Pakistan to Guantanamo
Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg has published a memoir called Enemy Combatant. Begg says he was arrested in Pakistan without ever being charged with a crime, beaten and psychologically tortured at prison camps in Afghanistan and kept in isolation for nearly two years at Guantanamo Bay.



me in the EE

The World is too much with us; late and soon

"THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US; LATE AND SOON"

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; 10
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.


William Wordsworth 1806.

Wordsworth was a defining member of the English Romantic Movement. Like other Romantics, Wordsworth’s personality and poetry were deeply influenced by his love of nature, especially by the sights and scenes of the Lake Country, in which he spent most of his mature life. A profoundly earnest and sincere thinker, he displayed a high seriousness tempered with tenderness and a love of simplicity.

I have written music to two Wordsworth poems, "She was a Phantom of Delight" and "Daffodils." You can hear them at my dmusic sight.

me in the EE

House of Ill Repute

On npr this morning:

House of Ill Repute by Robert Reich

"The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has ballooned to the point there are over 60 of them for every single member of Congress. They spent $2.4 billion last year. What do you think the lobbyists bought with that money?

A lot of it was for earmarks, obviously -- specific morsels of bacon designed to pay off some big donors back home. Most folks back home don't see a penny of it. It goes into the pockets of conduits like Jack Abramoff. And taxpayers foot the bill for all the earmarks for every specially-favored interest all over the country. Ten years ago there were about 3,000 earmarks. Last year there were over 14,000, costing taxpayers over $47 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service."

To show voters they've at least done something, the House leadership is set to require by House rules that legislation containing earmarks list members of Congress who sponsored them. But that’s not reform. That’s advertising. There’s no mystery about who sponsors what earmark. Just look at whose district the earmarked money will go to.

Read all at link above.

Evading Reality

We should remember the warning of Ayn Rand: "We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality."

Slipped His Moorings by Charley Reese

"The two most dangerous leaders in the world are George W. Bush and North Korea's Kim Jong Il. The lights seem to be out upstairs in both men. Neither man can see the world as it really exists.

I wish to stress that. It's not a question of having a difference of opinion. Rational people can easily disagree on what is the right policy. When people see things that are not there, however, reasoning and debate are useless. It's like a demented person who believes someone is hiding in the trunk of the car. No amount of explanation will convince that person otherwise.

For the president to compare Osama bin Laden, a crank with maybe a thousand followers scattered around the globe, with Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin is preposterous, absurd, and even laughable. To suggest bin Laden could take over Iraq is even more so. We have 140,000 troops, a Navy, and an Air Force, and we can't "take over" Iraq. How in the name of heaven could bin Laden do it with no soldiers at all? He is, after all, a Sunni with only a small following among Sunnis, and the majority in Iraq is Shi'ite."

Read all at link above.


What motivates George Bush and company to say what they do, to do what they do?

If everyone says and does from a foundation of how they see their inner self and their relation to what appears to be out there in the world, we can understand the principles, ideals, ideas, illusions, beliefs, assumptions that give rise to our words and actions. Where there is conflict within one's idea of one's self there is usually that same conflict projected outward in the world, however unconciously. With so much destructive power one would hope that our leaders would have a good grasp of their psychological makeup in order to avoid injury to themselves and others.

One would also hope that in a free society, and a responsible society, that it's members would rein in those who are so readily willing to drag the entire society into years of conflict where the enemy could be anywhere and anyone.

In order to be "great" in the world, one must be at peace with himself and with that world, project that inward peace out into the world. This is how one serves humanity, by serving with compassion and peace. Warmongers, who would achieve greatness through conflict are only fighting themselves...unless we join them in their illusion of war which then becomes our illusion.

me in the EE

Wisconsin Marriage Amendment

My home state will vote this fall on their "Marriage" Amendment. Saw this article at Raw Story.


Just Say No Katie McKy - Raw Story Columnist

There's a fight scheduled in Wisconsin on November 7th, 2006. On that day, we Wisconsinites will square off, Left versus Right, decency versus tradition. We will decide if all citizens are equal, or if some citizens are more equal than others. Yeah, we're going to vote on a marriage amendment...and more. Here's the amendment:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

In the Left corner, looking cool in blue, is Mike Tate. Tate is the campaign manager for Fair Wisconsin.

Tate says, "I've always felt that this is a state where everyone gets a fair shake. This is too important to not become involved. If you'd told me 2 years ago that this is what I'd be doing, I wouldn't have believed you, but I believe that it's the civil rights fight of my generation."

As Tate is straight, young, and male, it might not seem to be his fight, but he knows something about Wisconsin history, which leads to the historical context.

"There's a strong Libertarian streak in Wisconsin. People make sure that government isn't inhibiting people from living their lives. Over 20 percent of Wisconsin has been represented by an openly gay representative. Steve Gunderson and Tammy Baldwin were both reelected as gay people. A lot don't know anyone that's gay and they might be uncomfortable with gay people, but they still believe that everyone deserves a fair shake and if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve a good life in our state."

Read all at link above.

More links:

A Fair Wisconsin Votes No

South Carolina Equality Coalition

Another 9/11 Anniversary

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing, would suffice to solve most of the world's problems...” ~M.K.Gandhi


September 11th marks more than one anniversary.
100 years ago to the day, Mohandas Gandhi made an
historic speech. On September 11th 1906, he launched his non-violence movement.

Poem:
The Meaning of God

There is an indefinable mysterious Power that pervades everything.
I feel It, though I do not see It.
It is this unseen Power which makes Itself felt and yet defies all proof,
because It is so unlike all that I perceive through my senses.
It transcends the senses....
That informing Power or Spirit is God....
For I can see that in the midst of death life persists, in the midst of untruth, truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.
Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Light. He is love.
He is supreme good.
But he is no God who merely satisfies the intellect
If He ever does.
God to be God must rule the heart and transform it.

– M. K. Gandhi
(Young India, October 11, 1928)


Gandhi Institute for Non-violence

Read what other newspapers around the world are saying about the US response to 9/11 attacks and the state of world terrorism today.



Two interesting stories today on npr:

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Afghanistan expert Barnett Rubin about the resurgent Taliban five years after the September 11th attacks.


Today is the one-hundredth anniversary of the launching of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence movement in South Africa. The World's Jeb Sharp explores the relevance of non-violent tactics in an age of terrorism.

Here's to that day when war will be a thing of the past. And the accepted way will be non-violent, even in reaction to terror. In that day we will seek to end what causes terrorism instead of only seeking to destroy terrorists wherein we only continue the seemingly endless cycle of violence and hate and fear. We will choose peace. Choose peace for yourself today.

Prayer of Jeshua ben Josef

Therefore, precious friend, choose this one day to be at perfect peace
Bless all that you see and see it as being within you
Look out upon the innocence of the world
And Bless it with the radiance of Christ
You are as you are created to be and cannot be apart from your Creator
And your Creator is but love
Therefore you are the thought of love in form
Peace be unto you always.
Amen

"This Hole in the Ground" by Keith Olbermann


me in the EE

Two Excellent Anti-war Articles

I am and always have been anti-war. I don't know any more than most people about war's history and reasons. It pleases me to find articles that support anti-war views, many by people with greater knowledge of the whys and wherefores of that which offends me on a very deep level.

Here are two that, for no other reason, I'm linking to for myself and for anyone inerested in seeing more than what the national main stream media offers about our current woeful warring ways:


The Law of Opposites by Rep. Ron Paul

Everyone is aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences. Most members of Congress understand that government actions can have unintended consequences, yet few quit voting for government "solutions" – always hoping there won't be any particular unintended consequences this time. They keep hoping there will be less harmful complications from the "solution" that they currently support. Economics teaches that for every government action to solve an economic problem, others are created. The same unwanted results occur with foreign policy meddling.

The Law of Opposites is just a variation of the Law of Unintended Consequences. When we attempt to achieve a certain goal – like, "make the world safe for democracy," a grandiose scheme of World War I – one can be sure the world will become less safe and less democratic regardless of the motivation.

War-Mongering America Terrorizes the World by Howard Zinn

Beyond the futility of armed force, and ultimately more important, is the fact that war in our time inevitably results in the indiscriminate killing of large numbers of people. To put it more bluntly, war is terrorism. That is why a "war on terrorism" is a contradiction in terms. Wars waged by nations, whether by the United States or Israel, are a hundred times more deadly for innocent people than the attacks by terrorists, vicious as they are.

Here's hoping that our 'kick-their-ass" policies in dealing with perceived enemies will give way to the seldom practiced but often proclaimed "love thy enemy," purportedly first uttered by that religious philosophical radical extremist: Jesus*, who when asked why he couldn't work for change within the Jewish religion said, "One does not put new wine in old wine skins."

hmmm........ what a funny dude!!

*not the name he went by, by the way...but who cares...it's not in his name anything, any. thing. at. all...it's in "his", truth's , WHAT IS's IDENTITY.....IDENTITY. Change "in his name" to "in his identity" then you GET IT. Whatsoever you do to the least of these you do unto me.

me and JC, one/all in the EE

Feingold to the Rescue

A while back I heard a story on npr about how Arlen Spector, once outraged by Bush's secret domestic spying program, was putting up a good show about standing up to the White House, like he's done before but then later caves-in. I was wondering what became of all this as the latest I heard was of course Spector had caved-in again and actually did a complete turn-around and was going to push legislation retro-actively exonerating the President for any illegalities concerning this matter and allow the warrantless spying to continue unmonitored by either Congress or the FISA court.

Enter my hero, Russ Feingold.

Russ Feingold Stands Up Again by Dave Lindorff

"It looked like this atrocity of Specter’s was going to pass into law, but Sen. Feingold, with the help of, not Democrats, but three Republican senators he rounded up who still respect the Bill of Rights and rule of law, managed to fend it off by way of a filibuster threat.

Feingold deserves all of our thanks for this move--so uncharacteristic of his feckless Democratic colleagues, who continue to cower at the thought of an attack by Karl Rove and his media minions.

The amazing thing is that when Feingold introduced a censure motion against Bush late last year, his approval rating among Democrats and among the general population soared--a clear indication that he has the political positions that American voters are looking for. It is likely that Feingold’s numbers will jump again as news of his latest action in the Senate spreads. And yet most Democrats in Congress still remain supine when it comes to standing up to the Bush administration."

Mr Feingold, Wisconsin, Democratic Senator, has my continued admiration and support. He's from my home state and that makes me smile! Too few politicians are in his league. Let's hope for great things from this genuine American Statesman. My partner Buck has a blog called South Carolina for Feingold. Since he's been ill it's been neglected, but I'm leaving a link to it on the sidebar.

Bush Aims to Kill War Crimes Act

The US War Crimes Act of 1996 makes it a felony to commit grave violations of the Geneva Conventions. The Washington Post recently reported that the Bush administration is quietly circulating draft legislation to eliminate crucial parts of the War Crimes Act. Observers on The Hill say the Administration plans to slip it through Congress this fall while there still is a guaranteed Republican majority--perhaps as part of the military appropriations bill, the proposals for Guantánamo tribunals or a new catch-all "anti-terrorism" package. Why are they doing it, and how can they be stopped?

This is from an article titled:
Bush Aims to Kill War Crimes Act by Jeremy Brecher & Brendan Smith

A link to a previous post here.

And another here in which I write about the story on npr being completely overshadowed by the London Terrorist Arrests.

Who's winning in the" War on Terror?" It ain't you.

Here's a list of the ten biggest war profiteers other than the biggest one, Haliburton, from an article at Alternet by Charlie Cray:

The 10 Most Brazen War Profiteers

Halliburton has become synonymous with war profiteering, but there are lots of other greedy fingers in the pie. We name names on 10 of the worst.


The history of American war profiteering is rife with egregious examples of incompetence, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, bribery and misconduct. As war historian Stuart Brandes has suggested, each new war is infected with new forms of war profiteering. Iraq is no exception. From criminal mismanagement of Iraq's oil revenues to armed private security contractors operating with virtual impunity, this war has created opportunities for an appalling amount of corruption. What follows is a list of some of the worst Iraq war profiteers who have bilked American taxpayers and undermined the military's mission.

No. 1 and No. 2: CACI and Titan
No. 3: Bechtel: precast profits
No. 4: Aegis Defense Services
No. 5: Custer Battles
No. 6: General Dynamics
No. 7: Nour USA Ltd.
No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10: Chevron, ExxonMobil and the Petro-imperialists

Should war profiteering be criminal? Would you profit financially from war? Do you?

Peace to all in all ways, always.

me in the EE

On the Route

I have heard the 4th movement, Adagietto, from Mahler's Fifth, a few times recently on npr. It almost makes me want to stop and bathe in the glory of the sound. How profound and yet simple and breathtaking. Speaking to the very depths of my soul, every emotion, every pain and joy. I would say it speaks as does Brahms in his most sublime, and also as does Dvorak's song that was previously mentioned here at EE. Of course there are many other pieces of music that are in this class. The very best of Classical Music, in my opinion.

From Wikipedia:

The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was written in 1901 and 1902 mostly during the summer months at Mahler's cottage at Maiernigg. It is arguably the most well known Mahler symphony to the general public.

The musical canvas and emotional scope of the work is huge. Herbert von Karajan said once that when you hear Mahler's Fifth, “you forget that time has passed. A great performance of the Fifth is a transforming experience. The fantastic finale almost forces you to hold your breath.” After its premiere, Mahler is reported to have said, “Nobody understood it. I wish I could conduct the first performance fifty years after my death.”

Another link HERE.
And listen to a sample here.

Also the Constellations easily seen in the Eastern and NE Sky at 5:oo am, in order from the NE to E, are: Cassiopeia, Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, and Orion. It's great to see some old favorites again. Check the sidebar for links to Constellations.



me in the EE

Hemp, good for Economy

From Raw Story

Hemp bill some see as potential windfall for California farmers
waits for Gov. Schwarzenegger's signature or veto

An industrial hemp bill that some see as "potential windfall for California farmers" waits for Governor Schwarzenegger's signature or veto, reports The New York Times on Monday.

"The bill, known as AB 1147 or the California Industrial Hemp Farming Act, is headed for the governor's desk, where it will be vetoed or signed by late September, the governor's press office said Thursday," The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported a few days ago.

"Demand for hemp products such as clothing, food, body care, paper and even auto parts has been growing rapidly in recent years, with the U.S. hemp market now exceeding an estimated $270 million in annual retail sales," the press release continues. "The new law would give farmers the ability to legally supply U.S. manufacturers with hemp seed, oil and fiber and would not weaken anti-drug laws."

Charles Meyer’s politics are as steady and unswerving as the rows of pima cotton on his Central Valley farm. With his work-shirt blue eyes and flinty Clint Eastwood demeanor, he is staunchly in favor of the war in Iraq, against gun control and believes people unwilling to recite the Pledge of Allegiance should be kicked out of America, and fast.

But what gets him excited is the crop he sees as a potential windfall for California farmers: industrial hemp, or Cannabis sativa. The rapidly growing plant with a seemingly infinite variety of uses is against federal law to grow because of its association with its evil twin, marijuana.

“Industrial hemp is a wholesome product,” said Mr. Meyer, 65, who says he has never worn tie-dye and professes a deep disdain for “dope.”

“The fact we’re not growing it is asinine,” Mr. Meyer said.

Links: Hemp Car

Hemp Nation

Hemp.com


me in the hEEmp

Star-like mingles with the stars

The painting above is American artist Frederick Judd Waugh's "Knight of the Holy Grail" (1912)

Sometime on lonely mountain-meres
I find a magic bark;
I leap on board: no helmsman steers:
I float till all is dark.
A gentle sound, an awful light!
Three angels bear the holy Grail:
With folded feet, in stoles of white,
On sleeping wings they sail.
Ah, blessed vision! blood of God!
My spirit beats her mortal bars,
As down dark tides the glory slides,
And star-like mingles with the stars.

This is a verse in Tennyson's "Sir Galahad"

Star-like mingles with the stars by Michael Emmanuel

Reefer Madness? NOT

Found this at RawStory:


America's drug warriors" need to take a trip to Amsterdam to see that there is no "reefer madness," argues New York Times columnist John Tierney in his Saturday column, RAW STORY has found.

"Arjan Roskam, the creator of the award-winning marijuana blend named 'Arjan's Haze,' has dozens of pictures of celebrity visitors on the wall of his coffee shop in Amsterdam," writes Tierney. "He's got Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Mike Tyson -- but so far, unfortunately, not a single White House drug czar."

"But if America's drug warriors came here, they would learn something even if they didn't sample any of the dozens of varieties of marijuana sold legally in specially licensed coffee shops," Tierney writes. "They could see that the patrons puffing on joints generally don't look any more zombielike than the crowd at an American bar -- or, for that matter, a congressional subcommittee listening to a lecture on evils of marijuana."

"Even though marijuana has been widely available since the 1970s, enough to corrupt a couple of generations, the Netherlands has not succumbed to reefer madness," Tierney writes.


Excerpts from the Tierney's column:

The Dutch generally use drugs less than Americans do, according to national surveys in both countries (and these surveys might understate Americans' drug usage, since respondents are less likely to admit illegal behavior). More Americans than Dutch reported having tried marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Among teenagers who'd tried marijuana, Americans were more likely to be regular users.

On the Route

This morning had a few highlights on the route. First in the music department. I had never heard this aria before and it was so wonderful, as good as they get, sung by Renée Fleming. Seems like she's the only singer npr plays, while there are so may good ones, but it is rare to hear any singers on what is otherwise filled with a variety of classical works. Well, the last time I mentioned Renée Fleming was just amazed at her beautiful singing. This was also so very beautiful and moved me deeply, turned out to be an aria from Antonin Dvorak's "Rusalka".

The other note worthy music was the FOUR SHORT PIECES FOR CLASSICAL GUITAR by David Hahn. He has a great website with audio samples that work! Check him out.

Finally, in the "Night Sky" department.

We are now seeing Orion rising in the East, 5:15am. His belt points to Taurus above him. And to the north is Perseus and Auriga and Cassiopeia. Here's a chart list to see how they are placed in the sky. When I first started looking at the Constellations in November last year these guys were in the western sky. All the Constellations circle counterclock-wise around Polaris, the North Star and each night get a little further until we lose them to the horizon. Remember I only take a few minutes on a clear night when the moon is not too bright or not there at all. Last night was perfect, at least for those few minutes.

The other part of "On the Route" series is "At the Beaver Pond", or "Beaver Pond Tales". It's been too dark lately in the early morning. Sometimes on my afternoon route I'll stop by and see the turtles. The last post was about the Great Egret I saw in the afternoon. I have a video of that in a previous post. I've been seeing him lately at one of my stops.

Hope you're enjoying the natural world around you, if only briefly, it can renew a sense of awe. It does for me anyway.

me in the EE

My Home Town

Two Rivers, Wisconsin, my home town

Tonight I was delighted to see my home town on CBS news, Assignment America. There's a fight on as to where the real birthplace of the ice cream sundae is. Two Rivers, Wisconsin, claims it and so does Ithaca, New York, among others. It was fun to see a few people I know on the show. It was amusing to watch the two towns go at it. I think it's being done for fun and they sure have gotten alot of publicity.

It's nice to go back to Two Rivers in the summer and enjoy Lake Michigan at Neshotah Park, where I have many, many happy memories. All the fun stuff growing up in the 60's and 70's. The picture is of the Community "House" as we called it then. It had a basketball court and a bowling ally and locker rooms in the basement. Last thing I remember doing there was playing city league basketball with my old buddies from TR.

Yes, there are two rivers, the East Twin and the West Twin, but I like the Native American names, Neshotah and Mishicot.


At the link above you can read the 2006 City of Two Rivers Council Resolution:
RESOLUTION FORMALLY CHALLENGING THE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK’S CLAIM TO BE “BIRTHPLACE OF THE ICE CREAM SUNDAE”

Here's the Ithica proclamation and an editorial titled: Sundae Wars: Tell Two Rivers We All Surrender

Bush's Arrogance

Where Bush's Arrogance Has Taken Us
By Jim Hightower, Hightower Lowdown. Posted August 23, 2006.

An illegal war, a long list of eroded rights, and a country run by and for the benefit of corporate campaign donors -- all courtesy of the imperial presidency.


During his gubernatorial days in Texas, George W let slip a one-sentence thought that unintentionally gave us a peek into his political soul. In hindsight, it should've been loudly broadcast all across our land so people could've absorbed it, contemplated its portent?and roundly rejected the guy's bid for the presidency. On May 21, 1999, reacting to some satirical criticism of him, Bush snapped: "There ought to be limits to freedom."

Gosh, so many freedoms to limit, so little time! But in five short years, the BushCheneyRummy regime has made remarkable strides toward dismembering the genius of the Founders, going at our Constitution and Bill of Rights like famished alligators chasing a couple of poodles.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
-George W., August 2004


Read all at link above.

How to Deal with Al-Qaida? Declare Victory

James Fallows offers a modest proposal in the war against terrorism in the September issue of The Atlantic Monthly. His article, "Declaring Victory," calls for the U.S. to resist being provoked by terrorist acts.

Heard this on npr this morning.

"The same people that told me that Al-Qaida was battered and on the run said that the only thing that has gone well for Al-Qaida in the last 5 years had been America's decision to invade Iraq."

"[The london terrorists plot] had nothing to do with declaring war on terror, you're either with us or against us, but on old fashioned surveillance, police work, cultivating allies, ...informers inside the cell."

"The real harm terrorists cause a society is not so much the direct damage..... but the [self-destructive] reaction that it provokes." (Meaning an over-reaction)(Iraq)

Can you imagine George Bush declaring victory in his "war on terror"?
I thought Mr. Fallows made some good, if not obvious points. Maybe not so obvious to the fear-mongering, war-loving folks. Which reminds me of what John McCain said on "Meet the Press" this morning. He admitted that mistakes were made in Iraq, but that mistakes are made in all wars and that is why we try to AVOID them. (Avoid them, hmmm... right)

And speaking of Iraq: Baghdad out of gas

Saw this first at BlondSense

me in the EE (even while commenting and dwelling on the human condition)

Gently rowing down the stream...

A Lawless Administration

"One judge in Michigan has done what 535 members of Congress have so abysmally failed to do. She has reasserted the rule of law over a lawless administration and shown why issues of this kind belong within the constitutional process created more than two centuries ago to handle them."

Ruling for the Law
The New York Times | Editorial

Friday 18 August 2006

Ever since President Bush was forced to admit that he was spying on Americans' telephone calls and email without warrants, his lawyers have fought to keep challenges to the program out of the courts. Yesterday, that plan failed. A federal judge in Detroit declared the eavesdropping program to be illegal and unconstitutional. She also offered a scathing condemnation of what lies behind the wiretapping - Mr. Bush's attempt to expand his powers to the point that he can place himself beyond the reach of Congress, judges or the Constitution.

"There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution," wrote Judge Anna Diggs Taylor of the United States District Court in Detroit. Her decision was based on a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

She said Mr. Bush violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act when he ordered the National Security Agency to spy without a warrant on international phone calls and e-mail by Americans and foreign residents of the United States. She noted that the surveillance law was passed to prohibit just this sort of presidential abuse of power and provided ample flexibility for gathering vital intelligence. She also said that the program violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as the rights of free speech and association granted by the First Amendment.

President Bush has violated his oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land. He did so in secret all the while having a Congress that would allow him to do just about anything including go to war based on faulty intelligence, now known as lies. He and his administration have commited serious offenses against our country either through lack of understanding or deliberation for political purposes. Sooner or later he, as we, will pay a price for these foibles as we can either keep going down this path or return to principles established by the founder fathers, who in their wisdom foresaw these devestating possibilities to the very core of what the United States stands for. The use of state secrets is an abomination and should not be allowed to go any further. President Bush and Richard Cheney, step down. Senator Lindsey Graham, step down. You have been and continue to be a greater threat to the United States than any terrorist has been or could be. With you terrorism wins everyday. The evil you perceive as being out there wins everyday.


In this case, the administration told Judge Taylor that merely arguing its case would expose top secret information. Judge Taylor said she had reviewed the secret material and concluded it was not relevant. The secrecy claim, she said, was "disingenuous and without merit."

Peace to all. There is a better way.

me in the EE

South Carolina NOT lovin' the Bush

Just when I thought everyone in South Carolina loves George Bush, because of the few people I talked to here's someone to show me how wrong I am. As of August 14, 2006 59% disapprove of Bush's job performance. I found this information after reading an article called Lieberman's party of one by Tim Kelly, a Columbia public consultant and blogger, (Crack the Bell) in the State Newspaper, which I deliver to 400 plus customers.

Kelly has the article on his blog as Lieberman for Kingmaker.

From it:

"But tearing off his party label doesn’t so much make Lieberman a principled crusader determined to reinvent truth, justice and the American way, as it proves him to be that most familiar of Beltway creatures: a politician desperate to hang onto personal power."

"The self-important Lieberman followed suit a day later, declaring ''I'm worried that too many people, both in politics and out, don't appreciate the seriousness of the threat to American security and the evil of the enemy that faces us -- more evil or as evil as Nazism and probably more dangerous than the Soviet communists we fought during the long Cold War.''

"While the prospect of Osama hunkering down in his cave in Pakistan, poring over American election returns and exit polls, clearly sends shivers down the spines of Cheney and Lieberman, I can’t help but think there may be a bit of political calculation in their otherwise noble decisions to air such concerns."

Good to see this in the State Newspaper. Thank you, Tim Kelly.

Judge rules NSA wiretaps illegal

DOJ appeals after Judge rules NSA wiretaps illegal

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday August 17, 2006

The US Department of Justice is appealing a ruling today by a A US district court today that the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretap program is unconstitutional, RAW STORY has learned.

In an injunction ordered an immediate halt to the program, US District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor tore into warrantless surveillance, which she found "violates the Separation of Powers doctrine, the Administrative Procedures Act, the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the FISA and Title III."

Read all at link above.

Also:
Federal court finds warrantless eavesdropping unconstitutional, enjoins the program

None of this need be happening if our leaders followed the laws, the Constitution, or had never been elected to uphold and protect our Constitution and then decided they did not have to do so.


Bless us all. me in the EE

In the Spin Zone

One of my favorite political writers Robert Scheer has a good article called:

Spinning Old Threats Into New Fears

Investigators have known for a decade about terrorist plots to bring down passenger jets with liquid explosives. So why, all of a sudden, did Bush ban most liquids on flights?

Government-induced hysteria thrives on public ignorance, which is why President Bush is so confident of turning the British bomb plot to his partisan purposes. Otherwise, how could he dare claim that his policies have made the nation safer?


...With Saddam Hussein three years gone, yet Iraq still a disaster, Bush is now emphasizing the boogeyman of “Islamo-fascism.” This concept completely ignores the fact that U.S. enemies such as Syria’s Baathist regime and many Sunni insurgents in Iraq are secular, while religious fanatics on both sides of the Sunni-Shiite split are slaughtering each other in Baghdad every day in an insane sectarian conflict for control of what’s left of Iraq.

Nor are these divides anything new. Arab (and Persian) nationalism and Islamic fanaticism have for decades competed for adherents in a post-colonial region still bullied by the West and suffering from an inferiority complex. According to the 9/11 Commission, Sept. 11 lead hijacker Mohamed Atta hated the neo-fascist Iraqi dictator Hussein as “an American stooge set up to give Washington an excuse to intervene in the Middle East.”

Read all at link above.

Fear and Smear

An article at The Nation by William Greider.

An evil symbiosis does exist between Muslim terrorists and American politicians, but it is not the one Republicans describe. The jihadists need George W. Bush to sustain their cause. His bloody crusade in the Middle East bolsters their accusation that America is out to destroy Islam. The president has unwittingly made himself the lead recruiter of willing young martyrs.

More to the point, it is equally true that Bush desperately needs the terrorists. They are his last frail hope for political survival. They divert public attention, at least momentarily, from his disastrous war in Iraq and his shameful abuses of the Constitution. The "news" of terror--whether real or fantasized--reduces American politics to its most primitive impulses, the realm of fear-and-smear where George Bush is at his best.

So, once again in the run-up to a national election, we are visited with alarming news. A monstrous plot, red alert, high drama playing on all channels and extreme measures taken to tighten security. (all at link above)

Interesting how the latest terror plot affords our VP a chance to come out from hiding,to make outrages statements about the so-called "war on terror" and things political. Senator Edward Kennedy wrote an interesting article about this called, "Demeaning Democracy."

"The comments he, [Cheney], made on the result of the Connecticut Democratic primary - that it might encourage "the al-Qaida types" who want to "break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task" - are an attack not just on Democrats, but on democracy itself."

Will there be enough people in the US who see through this kind of fear and smear and vote accordingly? When will there be a movement to change this destructive political practice? Here's hoping, soon.

me in the EE

Letter from Congressman Ron Paul

The latest letter from Congressman Ron Paul

Your Taxes Subsidize China

Each year the people of the United States write a check to subsidize China, one of the most brutal, anti-American regimes in the world. Lately it has been in vogue for everyone in Washington to eagerly denounce the egregious abuses of the Chinese people at the hands of their communist dictators. Yet no one in our federal government has been willing to take China on in any meaningful way.

Very few people realize that China is one of the biggest beneficiaries of American taxpayer subsidies. Thanks to the largesse of Congress and the President, China enjoys subsidized trade and the flow of US tax dollars into Beijing's coffers.

I offered an amendment before the House of Representatives last month that would have ended the $4 billion subsidy our nation quietly gives China through the US government's Export-Import Bank. The bank underwrites the purchases of goods and services by the Chinese government and others around the world. Unfortunately, only a minority of Democrats or Republicans supported my measure. Apparently, many members of Congress are happy to bash China, but don’t mind lending her U.S. taxpayer money at sweetheart interest rates.

Read all here.

On the Route

This morning on the route I heard three great pieces of music on npr. Renee Fleming singing an aria from Bellini's Norma. How beautiful the phrasing, dynamics, coluratura. It was Ms Fleming at her very best. Then the Saint-Saens 5th Piano Concerto. There had been a long silent pause after the Bellini, or I might have turned the radio off to savor that wonderful aria. I'm glad I didn't. The concerto is marvelous. What a workout for the pianist. Then after the news, the Brahms First Symphony, Leonard Berstein and the New York Philharmonic. What ecstasy gushing forth, one melody after another. It may be nicknamed Beethoven's Tenth, as Beethoven wrote 9, but Brahms is so fantastic even with his nod to Beethoven's 9th so obvious in the last movement, but not before he ends with such ecstasy and power of his own! If Beethoven crashed the gates of heaven, Brahms answered.

In the sky: Orion is back! He's rising in the early morning hours in the southeast sky. Between him and Cassiopeia, in the northeast but higher now, is Perseus the Medusa killer, and now Auriga, the Chariot Driver. Here's a chart to see what I mean.

Enchanting Learning has some great info about the Consellations here.



The daylight hours waning, it's dark when I get top the beaver pond now. I did, however, see a fox this morning.

Stealthy messenger of the gods,
Cunning and wise, reliable friend,
Guide my steps through this maze of deception
And see this problem to its end.

me in the EE

Dark Wraith Graphics

Alive...It's Alive! It's Alive!

me in the EE

Bush's, America's War Crimes

Could Bush Be Prosecuted for War Crimes? By Jan Frel, AlterNet. Posted July 10, 2006.

A Nuremberg chief prosecutor says there is a case for trying Bush for the 'supreme crime against humanity, an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation.'

While the United States is a country like any other, its citizens no more special than any others on the planet, Americans still react with surprise at the suggestion that their country could be held responsible for something as heinous as a war crime.

Perhaps no person on the planet is better equipped to identify and describe our crimes in Iraq than Benjamin Ferenccz, a former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials who successfully convicted 22 Nazi officers for their work in orchestrating death squads that killed more than one million people in the famous Einsatzgruppen Case. Ferencz, now 87, has gone on to become a founding father of the basis behind international law regarding war crimes, and his essays and legal work drawing from the Nuremberg trials and later the commission that established the International Criminal Court remain a lasting influence in that realm.

Ferencz called the invasion a "clear breach of law," and dismissed the Bush administration's legal defense that previous U.N. Security Council resolutions dating back to the first Gulf War justified an invasion in 2003. Ferencz notes that the first Bush president believed that the United States didn't have a U.N. mandate to go into Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein; that authorization was simply to eject Hussein from Kuwait. Ferencz asked, "So how do we get authorization more than a decade later to finish the job? The arguments made to defend this are not persuasive."

Read all at links above.

I see Israel's attacks on Lebanon in the same light. What justification do they possibly have to be THAT aggressive in attacking Lebanon? NONE. Defend itself, yes, AGRESSION, NO.

Benjamin Ferencz's wesite header reads: Law. Not War.

Constitution in Crises

The minority staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Congressman John Conyers (D., Mich.) has produced over the past many months a staggering report, just released, which documents the hard evidence of crimes and abuses committed by President Bush and his administration (breaking 26 specific laws). This report, "The Constitution in Crisis," should provide the raw material for numerous news reports and point reporters toward fertile ground for additional investigations.

See it all here.

And you wanted lasting peace?

So our current Administration, seeking peace through war and freedom and democracy on a global scale by destruction and killing, so we can all be ever so free and democratic and all, yet sparks another deepening disaster in what could have been and should be a friendly relationship with Venezuela.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, has said his country is likely to sever ties with Israel in protest at its military offensive in Lebanon.

"Israel has gone mad. It's attacking, doing the same thing to the Palestinian and Lebanese people that they have criticised - and with reason - the Holocaust. But this is a new Holocaust."

The Venezuelan president has also angered Israel by showing support for Iran, which backs Hezbollah and has said the answer to the crisis in Lebanon is the elimination of Israel.

Remember, Chavez sees Bush in a very bad light and for good reason. He does not see the American people or the United States that way.

Great strategy by Bush and company, ever creating more perceived evil, more potential disaster, where none need exist. The glorification of little minds and little ideas blown out of proportion by righteous indignation, which here is more indignant than righteous. Sad days for the United States until we can begin to awaken from the hypnotic state and illusions that so seem to dominate our minds and hearts.


Here's hoping in the EE.

Quote for Peace

"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear." —General Douglas MacArthur, Speech, May 15, 1951

History repeating itself?


Stole this from BlondeSense this morning. Check out some more here.



Thanks, Liz.

Overshadowed news story

The news about the justice department's drafting laws to undermine the Geneva Convention to protect retroactively those in our government who violated those laws and also seek to changed them allowing degrading and humiliating abuse of prisoners was overshadowed by the thwarted terrorist plot in England to blow up comercial airlines in flight. We heard in the early morning hours one story give way to another until there was no more mention of the first.

Yes, the terrorist thing is important, another story months in the making. Let's see if npr will return to the other story in the days to come. I think it is of major importance. The Bush policies recently been handed a major blow by the Supreme Court in the recent verdict concerning a Guantanamo Bay Prisoner, (Enemy Combatant).
Hamdan vs Rumsfeld

Here's a link to Congressman Edward Makey's recent letter to the President that begins:

We are writing to you to express our deep concern over press reports that your administration may be considering introducing legislation that could result in an increased threat of inhumane treatment of our troops abroad should they become prisoners of war.

Markey, a senior member of the House, has introduced H.R. 952, a bill to end the abhorrent practice of extraordinary rendition, in which prisoners captured or held by the U.S. are transferred to countries known to practice torture and other forms of cruel treatment. That was over a year ago. See it here.

Another article by Pete Yost at Truthout here.

Praying Mantis in my home

Spotted this little bugger today. Here's a little info on Praying Mantids.


Camouflage is very important for the praying mantis' survival. Because they have so many enemies such as birds, they must blend in with their habitat to avoid being eaten. They have a triangular-shaped head with a large compound eye on each side. Praying mantids are the only insect that turn from side to side in a full 180-degree angle. Their eyes are sensitive to the slightest movement up to 60 feet away. They have straight, leathery forewings and very powerful jaws used for devouring its prey. They have ultrasound ears on their Metathoraxes. The Metathorax is located on the thorax. Also, the males' genitalia are asymmetrical. They have a long prothorax and strong, spiny front legs held together in a praying manner. In the bodies of some species of mantis, there is a hollow chamber. Recently it has been discovered that these hollow chambers provide the mantis with a means of detecting bats, one of their most feared predators. Apparently, the mantis in flight will drastically change its flight pattern (often hurling to the ground in a spiral) when the mantis hears certain frequencies of sound.

Version 02 of "not an untouched photo"

With the addition of John Bolton, embarrassment, Ambassadork, sorry, Ambassador to the UN, I think the picture is complete. Diplomacy, it's a hard job, even when you're trying to agree with your allies. We don't diplomatize with bad guys! How lame would that be!

Hey boys and girl, you missed the boat! But how you love carnage. Yummy. The wiping out of evil, at all costs, the perpetuity of evil at all costs. Groovy. The insanity runs wild. How many more will die terrible deaths at your hands because of sheer unadulterated ignorance. Good thing, it's all an illusion in the light of what IS.

Peace to all, me in the EE

Update story: Lebanese Direct Growing Anger at US

Beirut, Lebanon - With his arm raised and fist clenched, Sheikh Hussein furiously expressed a sentiment rapidly taking hold here.

"We know who our first enemy is: America," he shouted before tearful mourners at a funeral Wednesday for 30 civilians killed by an Israeli airstrike on Monday. The white-turbaned sheikh led the crowd in a militant chant: "Death to America! Death to America!"

Even as Israel continues to pound Beirut's southern suburbs, and agreed Wednesday on plans to expand its four-week-old offensive as far as 18 miles into southern Lebanon, many here increasingly blame the US for its extensive military and political support for the Jewish state.

me in the EE

This is not an untouched photo (butthead)

Are George Bush and company sending mixed signals, smoke signals, or is someone blowing smoke up someone's ass? As usual politics comes before lives. We see it over and over again. It is sad that so many people are blinded by party loyalty, an inherent weakness of a democracy, wherein priciple is laid waste to opportunity. I apologise to the Lebanese and to the Israeli's who cannot see what harm they do in perpetuating violence. We should have said from day one,

"STOP the VIOLENCE!"

George Bush does not represent me, nor do my Senator or Congressman who choose not to speak out against this madness.

I was reminded of the story about the altered photos at BlondeSense. The pictures were on Yahoo news, but only one day. The differences are insignificant.(That's my opinion as a former artist.)

Penis Tree in the News

On npr today: A medieval mural in the town of Massa Marittima in Tucany, Italy, is causing controversy and amusement: the 12th century fresco, first uncovered only a few years ago, depicts a tree whose "fruits" are very unusual: its branches are filled with phalluses; below, a group of women are stretching their arms up to pick them.


The nonist has an interesting article about it here.


"...there is a theory, proposed by dr. george ferzoco, director of the center for tuscan studies, that the image in fact represents “by far the earliest depiction of in art of women acting as witches.” more than that though he believes it was intended as a warning from the guelphs, supporters of the papacy, of the anarchy and licentiousness that would befall the town if it fell into the hands of it’s political rivals the ghibellines."

Very interesting stuff!

Deepak Chopra

From the latest article by Deepak Chopra titled, "Where is peace in a time of war."

Change doesn't start on the surface. It's generated from consciousness. This has been true throughout history. If Buddhism can begin with one person and Christianity with twelve, let us not think in terms of numbers and odds. It may sound grandiose to compare ourselves to great spiritual guides, but we act collectively, as an alliance. Our strength comes from critical mass.

We aren't here to make the world evolve. We are here to evolve as individuals and then to spread that influence. In the wisdom tradition of Vedanta, the stream of evolution is known in Sanskrit as Dharma, from a root verb that means 'to uphold.' This gives us a clue how to live: the easiest way for us to grow is to align ourselves with Dharma. We don't have to struggle to grow--that would be unproductive, in fact. The Dharma has always favored non-violence. If we can bring ourselves to a state of non-violence, and connect with others who are doing the same thing, we have done a huge thing to reinforce Dharma.

Read it here.

What I am, what I might be

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”


Lao Tzu, Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BC

Biggest thing yet

If you're into size here's something for you. A newly discovered blob is the biggest thing in the universe. (Excluding the universe itself, which is the biggest thing in the universe! O.K. I take that back)

According to an article in USATODAY.com:

An enormous amoeba-like structure 200 million light-years wide and made up of galaxies and large bubbles of gas is the largest known object in the universe, scientists say.

The galaxies and gas bubbles, called Lyman alpha blobs, are aligned along three curvy filaments that formed about 2 billion years after the universe exploded into existence after the theoretical Big Bang. The filaments were recently seen using the Subaru and Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea.

So how long will it take for people to start saying, "you're the blob" or " you're my blob, baby."
"To me you are the biggest blob, yet I am but a little glob." me in the EE

On the Route/Great Egret

I was very excited to see a Great Egret flying across the sky while out on the route. It's a real joy to be able to see so many creatures cross my path. I had many videos and pictures on the old blog that I'll be posting here soon. Also part of the "On the Route" series was the spotting of Constellations in the night sky. They'll be here also.

Here's some links to Great Egret:

Enchanting Learning.com

Wikipedia

Heron Totem

Featured Music by Michael Emmanuel

Who are the Children?

Ode on a Grecian Urn/Keats

Daffodils/Wordsworth

Brahms Intermezzo Op118, No.2




CDs and other stuff at Cafepress

Beaver Pond Tales

I've been very fortunate to observe many creatures at a beaver pond at the end of my routes. I'll be transfering video and pictures to this site as time goes by. There have been many surprises including seeing a Little Green Heron. I'd never even heard of it before and didn't know what it was until after a lot of researching. The most exotic wild bird I have ever seen and about 15 feet away on the log that stretches across the pond. Hope you are enjoying nature wherever you are.

Picture perfect

When I was 5 I drew this picture of a robin. I had not seen it for many, many years and my memory of it was in reverse! I remember thinking when I was younger that it was pretty realistic. No one told me it wasn't and I became quite good at drawing, especially portraits. In high school I made cartoons in lectures and folks made copies to pass around. I had quite a reputation, but thank goodness didn't get in trouble. (Well,not for that, hehe)


This is a drawing I did some years ago when I started experimenting with colored pencil and geometric design. I guess I wasn't concerned about realism any longer! The original is brighter and no glare. Art work, whether drawing or painting is very meditative. I haven't done any lately as I've been working on music. (Excuses)

Consciousness

"Consciousness does not need physical form. But physical form needs Consciousness. And Consciousness enjoys physical form, because physical form is the leading edge of thought. So, Consciousness expands through the physical form. It’s not one or the other."

A quote from the Abraham teachings at Abraham-Hicks Journal. One of two times that I saw an aura was at an Abraham conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Others I talked to saw it too. Much food for thought at their website.

Bamboo, I love you

NPR had a story yesterday about bamboo. What a great renewable resource! So many things can be made from it besides being a beautiful plant to have in your yard. Here's some links to more info about bamboo. I love saying bamboo!

Bamboo Garden Nursery

American Bamboo Society

Bamboo Wikipedia

npr's Bamboo Story

Funny?

Actually, it could also be a boiled egg. I have an eggcellent sense of humour.

Call for Cease-fire Now

The Bush Administration Refuses to Call for the End to Innocents Dying in Lebanon and Israel

Once again the Bush Administration has refused to call for an unconditional cease-fire to stop the killing of innocents on both sides of this war. Condi Rice, when directly asked for such a declaration by the Lebanese Prime Minister, refused again to do so. It's an amazing sight to see an American Secretary of State in a War Zone refusing to call for a cease-fire that would save innocent lives on both sides.

Go here to take action.

Photographs

These are some of the things I've stopped to photograph while out on the routes. My favorite place is the beaver pond, where I took the berry picture and the turtle picture. I'll be transferring pictures and videos of the creatures I've seen there.

Pencil Drawings

Untitled pencil drawing by Michael Emmanuel Koch, circa 2000.

The Music of Michael Emmanuel

I'm moving here to a new home. Soon I'll have music and art and all kinds of goodies for you. For now, you can go here to hear my songs. Thanks for your support.


me in the EE

Independence Day Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA officials lauded the July 4th launch of the space shuttle Discovery Tuesday but added that much work remains ahead, not the least of which are evaluations of several pieces of foam debris that popped loose from the orbiter's fuel tank.



Happy Independence Day!