Tonight's the night in America when all sorts of strangeness hits the neighborhoods. The show in Rockwood is usually well over the top and was a stunner to me when I emigrated to Roane County 19 years ago. I knew you folks were wondering where the craziness originated so I did some looking.
In small town Georgia, my parents put a mask on me and took me around to the prominent houses around Dublin, Ga. My grandmother didn't understand why, since it was unheard of when she was a kid. I got candy, so what else does a four year old need to embrace a program?
Here's a little history for what's about to happen:
The earliest reference to ritual begging on Halloween in English speaking America occurs in 915, with another isolated reference in Chicago in 1920.[9] The thousands of Halloween postcards produced between the turn of the 20th century and the 1920s commonly show children but do ot depict trick-or-treating.[10] Ruth Edna Kelley, in her 1919 history of the holiday, The Book of Hallowe'en, makes no mention of such a custom in the chapter "Hallowe'en in America."[11] It does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s, with the earliest known uses in print of the term "trick or treat" appearing in 1934,[12] and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939...
...Trick-or-treating spread from the western United States eastward, stalled by sugar rationing that began in April 1942 during World War II and did not end until June 1947. Early national attention to trick-or-treating was given in October 1947 issues of the children's magazines Jack and Jill and Children's Activities,[16] and by Halloween episodes of the network radio programs the Baby Snooks Show in 1946 and The Jack Benny Show and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1948.[17] The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat, Ozzie and Harriet were besieged by trick-or-treaters on an episode of their television show,[18] and UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick-or-treating...
Wikipedia
And Kids...Let's be careful out there!
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Forward
Do you ever wonder where those anecdotal emails come from?
You know the ones..They tell some totally insightful story about this or that candidate that either paints him as an unheralded low key saint...or the devil. I'll tell you in just a minute.
The emails will almost never ever have any link to a reputable source. If they do have a link, it might be to Limbaugh or Drudge, or some similarly untrustworthy source of manufactured propaganda. The Swift Boaters were the source of any number of now discredited attacks on John Kerry but there were other false emails that balanced the attacks on the opponent with glowing "You'll never read this in the Liberal media" emails that painted George W. Bush as a kind caring saintly President who cares deeply for the troops and prays for them every day.
Where did it come from? Tennessee voters might want to know:
http://www.snopes.com/ is the Urban Legend site that checks these things out and publishes their findings, let the chips fall where they may.
Dirty tricks would have no place in a just world, but as long as we have the modern virulent strain of conservative loose in the world, we have to challenge every one of these emails.
Personally, I won't stand for it. When someone forwards something to me, they better have it checked out and know that it's true, or they get a rant about passing on a lie.
Wouldn't it be really nice if everyone who claimed to be a Christian would give the same breathless attention to those who break the "Thy shalt not bear false witness" commandment as they do the "They shalt not commit adultery" one?
For people who forward these nasty and destruction emails that are in fact, nothing more than character assassination, I would point out that by forwarding these lies...They themselves are the bearers of "False Witness".
Those who are throwing these stones are the sinners here.
Fight them with honesty, please.
Peace,
Steve
You know the ones..They tell some totally insightful story about this or that candidate that either paints him as an unheralded low key saint...or the devil. I'll tell you in just a minute.
The emails will almost never ever have any link to a reputable source. If they do have a link, it might be to Limbaugh or Drudge, or some similarly untrustworthy source of manufactured propaganda. The Swift Boaters were the source of any number of now discredited attacks on John Kerry but there were other false emails that balanced the attacks on the opponent with glowing "You'll never read this in the Liberal media" emails that painted George W. Bush as a kind caring saintly President who cares deeply for the troops and prays for them every day.
Where did it come from? Tennessee voters might want to know:
"Snopes determined that a gushing pro-Bush e-mail from 2004 about watching theThe email was false.
President worship in the pews of St. John's Church in Washington was actually
written by the press spokeswoman for Republican Senator Lamar Alexander. Her
name is Laura Lefler, and she now works for Senator Bob Corker.
"
...Christopher Hayes, The
Nation (subscription required until the next issue comes out)
http://www.snopes.com/ is the Urban Legend site that checks these things out and publishes their findings, let the chips fall where they may.
Dirty tricks would have no place in a just world, but as long as we have the modern virulent strain of conservative loose in the world, we have to challenge every one of these emails.
Personally, I won't stand for it. When someone forwards something to me, they better have it checked out and know that it's true, or they get a rant about passing on a lie.
Wouldn't it be really nice if everyone who claimed to be a Christian would give the same breathless attention to those who break the "Thy shalt not bear false witness" commandment as they do the "They shalt not commit adultery" one?
For people who forward these nasty and destruction emails that are in fact, nothing more than character assassination, I would point out that by forwarding these lies...They themselves are the bearers of "False Witness".
Those who are throwing these stones are the sinners here.
Fight them with honesty, please.
Peace,
Steve
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sunday Sermon
The Sunday Sermon at WhitesCreek enlightens the stark differences between Islam and Christianity:
Well of course...All Christians know that. But that is a description of Jesus, not from the New Testament, but from Islam.
Link and Learn...
Peace,
Steve
"Jesus lived a perfect life of nonviolence, showing kindness to humans and animals, without material possessions, and abstaining from sin."
Well of course...All Christians know that. But that is a description of Jesus, not from the New Testament, but from Islam.
"One of only 8 chapters (out of 144) named after a person, the Sura Maryam tells the story of a woman called Maryam, Umm Isa.
Maryam is a Semitic name which means Mary in English.
Christians know her as Mary, Mother of Jesus."
Link and Learn...
Peace,
Steve
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fake Fake News?
Fox News, among very few others, carried the live news conference from FEMA 's Southwest D.C. office with only 15 minutes notice.
So what's the big deal? It was a FAKE news conference! The "reporters" were FEMA employees. No risking an actual question about actual things that FEMA is actually not doing that could ACTUALLY embarrass this FAKE Government agency.
The ACTUAL story
Via KOS:
Turns out that one of the FAKE news people was also an advisor to Mike Brown, the famous "You're doin' a Heckuva job, Brownie" Mike Brown who presided over the destruction of New Orleans.
If you really want an inside view of a tragedy, check out this link to the actual emails in and out of Brownie's office at the very moment New Orleans was dying. Fascinating, enlightening...and sickening!
So what's the big deal? It was a FAKE news conference! The "reporters" were FEMA employees. No risking an actual question about actual things that FEMA is actually not doing that could ACTUALLY embarrass this FAKE Government agency.
The ACTUAL story
Via KOS:
Turns out that one of the FAKE news people was also an advisor to Mike Brown, the famous "You're doin' a Heckuva job, Brownie" Mike Brown who presided over the destruction of New Orleans.
If you really want an inside view of a tragedy, check out this link to the actual emails in and out of Brownie's office at the very moment New Orleans was dying. Fascinating, enlightening...and sickening!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Vast Right-Wing Crazy People
Here's your morning reading assignment, only this time you can have a perverse enjoyment of the crazy person behind that "Vast Right-wing Conspiracy" that Hillary spoke about.
Apparently, his hatred of Bill Clinton is exceeded only by his hatred of one thing...Ex Wives
No screed about Richard Mellon Scaife, who shares more spoiled frat boy character traits with George W. Bush than I can recount here, would be fair without showcasing his counterpart on the other side, George Soros, who actually earned his money instead of inheriting it.
Soros actually had more to do with bringing down the Soviet Union than the idiotic policies of Ronald Reagan, but asks and receives no credit for it. His family life is a bit more discreet, but he certainly is no one woman man. What sets him apart is his dedication to creating open and honest societies across the world.
For that I honor him!
Peace,
Steve
Apparently, his hatred of Bill Clinton is exceeded only by his hatred of one thing...Ex Wives
No screed about Richard Mellon Scaife, who shares more spoiled frat boy character traits with George W. Bush than I can recount here, would be fair without showcasing his counterpart on the other side, George Soros, who actually earned his money instead of inheriting it.
Soros actually had more to do with bringing down the Soviet Union than the idiotic policies of Ronald Reagan, but asks and receives no credit for it. His family life is a bit more discreet, but he certainly is no one woman man. What sets him apart is his dedication to creating open and honest societies across the world.
For that I honor him!
Peace,
Steve
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Blogs are writ..
Evolutionary theory is fairly well misunderstood by most folks. It's fairly obvious really, but there are those who study ignorance, and those who prefer ignorance to knowing. I prefer knowing.
I was thinking about this while leaning on the deck rail in a break in our long delayed rain and looking at the various trees that have survived our record drought...And also looking at the trees that didn't. Every living thing is different from every other living thing...different, even, from those other living things it is most alike: Mother, Father, siblings, and various cousins. Taller, shorter, weaker, stronger...strong in ways that aren't obvious, like the ability to stand a shortage of life sustaining water.
I thought about that because some of my trees aren't looking too good. Ok, some of them are dead. But now that the rains have finally come, some of them have perked up and look fine. Some are toast, and some others are indeterminate. This is one of those evolutionary filters that take certain members of the gene pool...out of the gene pool. They have a combination of genetic materials that are unsuited for survival in years like this one. "Filtered out" they are.
Two of my native azaleas and a rhododendron or two got "filtered out". The ones that are left will have to take over and fill some gaps. So will some oaks and pines and cherry trees up on the ridge. Their roomates got filtered.
Whether this is an aberration or the new rule of climate for our area, we don't know. I think we're screwing it up and I also think we won't stop doing it anytime soon, so the trees better get with it.
It's filter time ...And while Blogs are writ by fools like me...
Only trees can make a tree.
Peace,
Steve
I was thinking about this while leaning on the deck rail in a break in our long delayed rain and looking at the various trees that have survived our record drought...And also looking at the trees that didn't. Every living thing is different from every other living thing...different, even, from those other living things it is most alike: Mother, Father, siblings, and various cousins. Taller, shorter, weaker, stronger...strong in ways that aren't obvious, like the ability to stand a shortage of life sustaining water.
I thought about that because some of my trees aren't looking too good. Ok, some of them are dead. But now that the rains have finally come, some of them have perked up and look fine. Some are toast, and some others are indeterminate. This is one of those evolutionary filters that take certain members of the gene pool...out of the gene pool. They have a combination of genetic materials that are unsuited for survival in years like this one. "Filtered out" they are.
Two of my native azaleas and a rhododendron or two got "filtered out". The ones that are left will have to take over and fill some gaps. So will some oaks and pines and cherry trees up on the ridge. Their roomates got filtered.
Whether this is an aberration or the new rule of climate for our area, we don't know. I think we're screwing it up and I also think we won't stop doing it anytime soon, so the trees better get with it.
It's filter time ...And while Blogs are writ by fools like me...
Only trees can make a tree.
Peace,
Steve
Old Green Teeth is an Expert now?
Charlie Daniels is pretty much the brain dead fat white right wing nut job you thought he was...And now he's a FOX NEWS expert on domestic spying. I think it was that pot he smoked in his early years. Did he ingest way too much? Or not enough?
I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.
Chris Dodd does what he can to protect the Constitution from Bush and his buddies.
It appears that every military leader with any fortitude is working as hard as they can, behind the scenes, to stop the Bush administration from starting another war, this time in Iran. These are the real heroes of our time. If they speak out, they'll be fired...If they refuse..they'll be Court Marshalled.
And lastly but not leastly, Ecuador says very simply that is Bush wants to keep the American Military base in Ecuador, all they have to do is allow Ecuador to build an Ecuadoran Military Base in Miami.
Seems fair to me.
I have decided to place a "hold" on the latest FISA bill that would have included amnesty for telecommunications companies that enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by illegally providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.
Chris Dodd does what he can to protect the Constitution from Bush and his buddies.
It appears that every military leader with any fortitude is working as hard as they can, behind the scenes, to stop the Bush administration from starting another war, this time in Iran. These are the real heroes of our time. If they speak out, they'll be fired...If they refuse..they'll be Court Marshalled.
And lastly but not leastly, Ecuador says very simply that is Bush wants to keep the American Military base in Ecuador, all they have to do is allow Ecuador to build an Ecuadoran Military Base in Miami.
Seems fair to me.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Masters of Illusion
The great illusionists of the Republican party are at it again...Well actually they never stopped. There are so many red herring being flung around at the Republican debate it was fishier than a cat food factory. All they seemed to talk about was how bad it was going to be when Hillary got to be President.
They are blaming her for bad Military morale and raising taxes and having the Federal Government actually concern itself with the health of its citizens. Of course it is the Republican war in Iraq and their massive incompetence which might have had some effect on lowering morale, or maybe firing every General who dares to question the latest stupid plan from men who never served.
And ask yourself what health insurance corporations care about your health? Suppose a cure for cancer were discovered this afternoon...They'd do everything in their power to destroy it, obviously. They'd be out of business if people got healthy. Same thing with preventing illness...Bad for business...Can't have it. Hillary must be stopped.
So what do they talk about in a debate? Do they have ideas? Something new to show us the way out of this mess they got us into?
Ummm...No!
"...what masters of deflection Republicans have become. A debate about whether to invade Iraq becomes a debate about whether Joe Wilson's undercover CIA wife hooked him up with a sweet junket overseas. A debate on stem cell research becomes a debate about whether Michael J. Fox exaggerates his symptoms. A debate about the right to privacy becomes a debate about whether Terri's blinks were voluntary. A debate on Iraq policy becomes a debate about how mean people are to General Petraeus. A debate about health care becomes a full-blown investigation into the lifestyles of 12 year old Graeme Frost and 2 year old Bethany Wilkerson. A debate about curbing global climate change becomes a debate about how many compact fluorescent light bulbs Al Gore has in his house. A debate about the shameful level of poverty in this country becomes a debate about how much money John Edwards spent on a haircut. A debate about who's qualified to be president becomes a debate about who does or does not wear a lapel pin. A debate about executive accountability becomes a debate about whether Representative Stark hurt Mr. Bush's feelings..."
Georgia10
They are blaming her for bad Military morale and raising taxes and having the Federal Government actually concern itself with the health of its citizens. Of course it is the Republican war in Iraq and their massive incompetence which might have had some effect on lowering morale, or maybe firing every General who dares to question the latest stupid plan from men who never served.
And ask yourself what health insurance corporations care about your health? Suppose a cure for cancer were discovered this afternoon...They'd do everything in their power to destroy it, obviously. They'd be out of business if people got healthy. Same thing with preventing illness...Bad for business...Can't have it. Hillary must be stopped.
So what do they talk about in a debate? Do they have ideas? Something new to show us the way out of this mess they got us into?
Ummm...No!
"...what masters of deflection Republicans have become. A debate about whether to invade Iraq becomes a debate about whether Joe Wilson's undercover CIA wife hooked him up with a sweet junket overseas. A debate on stem cell research becomes a debate about whether Michael J. Fox exaggerates his symptoms. A debate about the right to privacy becomes a debate about whether Terri's blinks were voluntary. A debate on Iraq policy becomes a debate about how mean people are to General Petraeus. A debate about health care becomes a full-blown investigation into the lifestyles of 12 year old Graeme Frost and 2 year old Bethany Wilkerson. A debate about curbing global climate change becomes a debate about how many compact fluorescent light bulbs Al Gore has in his house. A debate about the shameful level of poverty in this country becomes a debate about how much money John Edwards spent on a haircut. A debate about who's qualified to be president becomes a debate about who does or does not wear a lapel pin. A debate about executive accountability becomes a debate about whether Representative Stark hurt Mr. Bush's feelings..."
Georgia10
Sunday, October 21, 2007
It's God's Fault
People so totally mistunderstand the Endangered Species act. These lesser children of creation are the canaries in our mine shaft. If we let them die, we'll not be able to recognize that our own lives are threatened with extinction.
I wonder what conservation measures were put in place to prevent the necessity of destroying the diversity of life in this river?
Idiots
I wonder what conservation measures were put in place to prevent the necessity of destroying the diversity of life in this river?
Idiots
Friday, October 19, 2007
The Ghost of Freedom Past
"What were we thinking?" said Jefferson.
"Boy, did we screw up" said Adams.
"Really" said Monroe.
"Here we were trying to make sure Americans would have and retain their democracy and freedom... and they didn't want that after all...They wanted an authoritarian fascism...Duh!" said all the ghosts of America in unison.
"Why did we write that thing about "Protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic? It's just like President Bush said, I guess...The Constitution is just a piece of paper."
P.M. Carpenter:
...And President Scrooge, who laughed at the Tiny Tims of America as he took their healthcare away, lit a fire with the signatures of the founders of America, but with much difficulty. In America today, the Constitution does not burn brightly.
Peace,
Steve
"Boy, did we screw up" said Adams.
"Really" said Monroe.
"Here we were trying to make sure Americans would have and retain their democracy and freedom... and they didn't want that after all...They wanted an authoritarian fascism...Duh!" said all the ghosts of America in unison.
"Why did we write that thing about "Protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic? It's just like President Bush said, I guess...The Constitution is just a piece of paper."
P.M. Carpenter:
"Meanwhile, back to the Senate, where sits and testifies a Holocaust-citing
Constitution Denier... Retired federal judge Michael Mukawsey, batting for Alberto Gonzales...
"Technically and legally speaking, in any real constitutional environment the good judge would be handed his walking papers after that. But, to cite yet one more video scene, this one from "Patton," his confirmation no doubt will go through the Senate "like crap through a goose." Said crap will then sit over at Justice, and the crap will just keep flowing downhill. "
...And President Scrooge, who laughed at the Tiny Tims of America as he took their healthcare away, lit a fire with the signatures of the founders of America, but with much difficulty. In America today, the Constitution does not burn brightly.
Peace,
Steve
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Gore's Challenge
Speaking in Norway today, Al Gore said he had a greater challenge on his plate than running for President of the United States...Fighting Climate Change and global warming. I think he's downplaying the challenge. I think he's not just fighting climate change, I think he's fighting a deep abiding ignorance generated by the lackeys hired by Exxon Mobile Corporation and others. .
This is starkly illustrated by the Scripps Howard published Knoxville News Sentinel which published this local editorial lead:
But then there it was on the opposite page...this nasty bit of fraud by a bit player in the war on truth:
Had there been errors of any sort in Al Gore's Oscar winning movie, it would have been front page news all over the world. In fact, a court of examination in Great Brittain found that out of hundreds of statements of fact contained in the movie, a scientific panel was able to only quibble with the language and not the underlying claims in nine sentences in the whole movie.
And yet, the Knoxville News still allows venomous attacks such as this one to appear in its pages even though its claims are lies. How in Hell can burning fewer fossil fuels be "a precursor to devastation"?
This is horse shit on the face of it, and yet there it is...in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
So...Al Gore does in fact face a greater challenge than running for President. He faces a greater challenge, even, than global warming. In reality, Al Gore is waging a war for Truth...for Science...and for the very salvation of this planet.
Peace,
Steve
This is starkly illustrated by the Scripps Howard published Knoxville News Sentinel which published this local editorial lead:
"It's not often that we're able to hail a native son for winning the Nobel Peace
Prize. So we take great pleasure in saluting former vice president Al Gore as the
recipient of the prestigious award."
But then there it was on the opposite page...this nasty bit of fraud by a bit player in the war on truth:
Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize for his error-filled, shrill campaign to instigate responses to global warming is not just a kind of ideological fraud worthy of a chuckle or two but, quite possibly, a very real danger, a precursor to devastation.
Had there been errors of any sort in Al Gore's Oscar winning movie, it would have been front page news all over the world. In fact, a court of examination in Great Brittain found that out of hundreds of statements of fact contained in the movie, a scientific panel was able to only quibble with the language and not the underlying claims in nine sentences in the whole movie.
And yet, the Knoxville News still allows venomous attacks such as this one to appear in its pages even though its claims are lies. How in Hell can burning fewer fossil fuels be "a precursor to devastation"?
This is horse shit on the face of it, and yet there it is...in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
So...Al Gore does in fact face a greater challenge than running for President. He faces a greater challenge, even, than global warming. In reality, Al Gore is waging a war for Truth...for Science...and for the very salvation of this planet.
Peace,
Steve
Protecting America
Warning...This is not for the faint of heart. These people act in our name and this is what they do:
Blackwater
Blackwater
Last Evening
Finally! We actually had a sprinkle of rain in October.
It wasn't much but it did kill some of the dust and bring the fall singers out in full voice last evening.
The Katydids have given up their heavy metal thumping and we're left with a softer trill in the night. I like to sit on the deck with a glass of something and listen for the harmonies of the night.
Sometimes I think it's just my tinnitus from playing in a bad rock band that makes the harmony but then who cares, right? Music is where you find it.
There are other sounds that I can identify and some I can't. I have to wonder what beast makes the sound that momentarily overpowers the crickets, but it comes once and no more. I can't even describe it, except to say I've heard it before.
From time to time something pulls their chain and the barred owls bark at each other and make other calls with amazing power, even though they are a fairly big bird it is still impressive how loud they are. I'm still waiting for the screech owls. They are my favorites, with trills and coos and sounds that used to evoke ghost stories in days when humans were still connected with the real world instead of sitting inside in front of a liquid crystal display feeding them fantastical impossibilities.
Why invest yourself in other people's realized hallucinations? Isn't reality strange enough?
I'll take the owls and crickets and true mysteries of a Fall night.
Peace,
Steve
It wasn't much but it did kill some of the dust and bring the fall singers out in full voice last evening.
The Katydids have given up their heavy metal thumping and we're left with a softer trill in the night. I like to sit on the deck with a glass of something and listen for the harmonies of the night.
Sometimes I think it's just my tinnitus from playing in a bad rock band that makes the harmony but then who cares, right? Music is where you find it.
There are other sounds that I can identify and some I can't. I have to wonder what beast makes the sound that momentarily overpowers the crickets, but it comes once and no more. I can't even describe it, except to say I've heard it before.
From time to time something pulls their chain and the barred owls bark at each other and make other calls with amazing power, even though they are a fairly big bird it is still impressive how loud they are. I'm still waiting for the screech owls. They are my favorites, with trills and coos and sounds that used to evoke ghost stories in days when humans were still connected with the real world instead of sitting inside in front of a liquid crystal display feeding them fantastical impossibilities.
Why invest yourself in other people's realized hallucinations? Isn't reality strange enough?
I'll take the owls and crickets and true mysteries of a Fall night.
Peace,
Steve
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Welcome to the New American Century
Update:
Air America talk show host was NOT attacked while walking her dog yesterday. A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Randi says she just doesn't remember what happened, but appears to have fallen down stairs. She's in a lot of pain but will be back on the air Thursday at last report.
The rest of this is quite true...Sorry for accepting other source's hysteria.
Thom Hartman, another Air America talk show host had three bullet holes found in his car when a broken windshield was replaced.
Michelle Malkin savagely lies about a 12 year old brain injury victim over an insurance debate.
Welcome to the America envisioned by Bill Kristol, Dick Cheney, and Paul Bremer.
I'm not sure we're going to like it here.
Peace,
Steve
Air America talk show host was NOT attacked while walking her dog yesterday. A police source said Rhodes never filed a report and never claimed to be the victim of a mugging. Randi says she just doesn't remember what happened, but appears to have fallen down stairs. She's in a lot of pain but will be back on the air Thursday at last report.
The rest of this is quite true...Sorry for accepting other source's hysteria.
Thom Hartman, another Air America talk show host had three bullet holes found in his car when a broken windshield was replaced.
Michelle Malkin savagely lies about a 12 year old brain injury victim over an insurance debate.
Welcome to the America envisioned by Bill Kristol, Dick Cheney, and Paul Bremer.
I'm not sure we're going to like it here.
Peace,
Steve
Monday, October 15, 2007
Gore = Current TV = current.com
Al Gore's startup TV and Internet Network is CurrentTV.
These videos were uploaded Sunday. Do they look like campaign videos to you?
http://current.com/items/84987281_health_care_is_a_right
http://current.com/items/84986911_americans_deserve_more_protection#
http://current.com/items/84986481_get_the_troops_home
Hmmm??? Very suspicious...
These videos were uploaded Sunday. Do they look like campaign videos to you?
http://current.com/items/84987281_health_care_is_a_right
http://current.com/items/84986911_americans_deserve_more_protection#
http://current.com/items/84986481_get_the_troops_home
Hmmm??? Very suspicious...
Are we "Good Germans"?
Laura Bush has suddenly discovered Myanmar and the horrible human rights violations occurring there...Should someone mention to her...say...Iraq?
Are the Americans who continue to support the Iraq war simply the "Good Germans" of this generation?
Absolutely!
Frank Rich
Are the Americans who continue to support the Iraq war simply the "Good Germans" of this generation?
Absolutely!
Frank Rich
Friday, October 12, 2007
Peace
A friend called and asked how what Al Gore does to fight climate change is related to Peace? "Why the Peace Prize?" he asked. Reasonable question and simply answered.
The militant disruption of the African continent is due to economic reasons...Essentially that there is not enough arable land to go around to the populations and armed tribal conflict is the result.
(You should all understand that "armed tribal conflict" is also what is going on in Iraq but for slightly different reasons, but anyway...)
Without economic stability there will be no possibility of relative World Peace. With global warming there will be no economic stability. The human disruptions will be massive and have already started. They will involve wars at every level.
Happy sane people don't start wars. So I hope that clears that up for everyone...
Then there's George W. Bush.
Josh Marshall has a meaningful take on Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize:
Don't miss the rest, including his question at the end:
Josh Marshall
Peace (prize),
Steve
The militant disruption of the African continent is due to economic reasons...Essentially that there is not enough arable land to go around to the populations and armed tribal conflict is the result.
(You should all understand that "armed tribal conflict" is also what is going on in Iraq but for slightly different reasons, but anyway...)
Without economic stability there will be no possibility of relative World Peace. With global warming there will be no economic stability. The human disruptions will be massive and have already started. They will involve wars at every level.
Happy sane people don't start wars. So I hope that clears that up for everyone...
Then there's George W. Bush.
Josh Marshall has a meaningful take on Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize:
By every just measure, Gore won the presidency in 2000 only to have George
W. Bush steal it from him with the critical assistance of the US Supreme Court.
It's worth taking a few moments today to consider where the country and world
would be without that original sin of this corrupt presidency.
And yet this is a fitting bookend, with Gore receiving this accolade
while the sitting president grows daily an object of greater disapproval,
disapprobation and collective shame.
Don't miss the rest, including his question at the end:
Josh Marshall
Peace (prize),
Steve
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Odds are 4-1 in Seden
Where's he going?
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced late Thursday night... actually at 2am Friday morning, Pacific time.
Hmmmm??
... five minutes ago I received an email from Barbara Boxer, saying that
Gore asked to reschedule at the last minute so that he could "travel abroad
tomorrow for an exciting and urgent mission that could result in a major
breakthrough in the fight against global warming".
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced late Thursday night... actually at 2am Friday morning, Pacific time.
Hmmmm??
...must... stop... laughing...
Trouble typing...two fingers...shaking...laughing hard....must...stop...actual recipe from US Senator:
This delicacy is apparently to be enjoyed in airport restrooms across the country.
Super Tuber is a great snack that uses one of my favorite vegetables: The
Idaho Potato. Of course, I suppose any type of potato could be used, but I
cannot guarantee that a Super Tuber made with anything but a true Idaho potato
would taste as good.
Sincerely,Larry E.
Craig, United States Senator
This delicacy is apparently to be enjoyed in airport restrooms across the country.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Kingston girls VS Oliver Springs
Kingston was ahead 4-0 when I left but Oliver Springs is much improved and will be a good team down the road.
Gore-Nobel-President?
The Gore movement is gaining a lot of momentum --- if he does indeed win
the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, can anyone honestly deny that this is the most qualified man to be our next great President?
I have a different take on this...Al Gore is the most qualified person to be our next great President whether he wins a Nobel prize or not.
Al Gore
Oct. 8, 2007 - Al Gore is not running for president. But might the publicity and
sheen of a Nobel Peace Prize change his mind? Some Democratic activists sure
hope so.
NewsWeek
Help People?
The terms "Liberal" and "Progressive" are not the same thing. One could actually be a progressive conservative, even though that is highly unlikely, since Progressives tend to have a conscience and have difficulty in attempting to live in an alternate reality, which seems to come naturally to the brand of conservative loosed on the world today.
Saint Paul has something to say about this.
Paul Krugman:
Peace,
Steve
Saint Paul has something to say about this.
Paul Krugman:
Hmm...A government that "Helps people"...The conservative nightmare putting the lie to the conservative philosophy.
For now, in other words, being an active liberal means being a progressive.
And being a progressive means being partisan. But the end goal isn't one-party
rule. It's the re-establishment of a truly vital, competitive democracy. For in
the end, democracy is what being liberal is all about...(Conscience of a Liberal)
The reason that Bush is so opposed to SCHIP, is the same reason he
was so determined to privatize Social Security, which is that they're both
programs that work. You have to understand, that is the point of view of
somebody who really wants to undo the New Deal -- and if possible -- I quote
Grover Norquist in the book -- get things back to the way they were before Teddy
Roosevelt and the "Socialists" came in. The worst thing is a government program
that actually does help people...(Buzzflash Interview )
Peace,
Steve
Monday, October 08, 2007
Random Political
Let's see...
Hillary is slightly ahead of John Edwards in Iowa, but she made a gaff that may have some effect there. She refused to admit that her recent Senate vote allows George W. Bush to start moving down a greased slope into war in Iran, and then told the questioner he had been told to say that...Well...NO, Actually.
It's interesting (and tragic, at the same time) to see the Democrats tear each other up so the Republicans don't have to, while at the same time the Republicans simply attack Hillary, who in reality is nothing more than a moderate Republican who just isn't batshit crazy.
Oddly, the Republican attack on John Edwards centers around the claim that he's just too attractive to be President.
The other leading Democratic candidate is being whispered about in Republican quarters because he's black, of course, and his Daddy slept with a White woman. Why is it that the person with half Japanese and half white parents is "half Japanese" but since Obama's Mother was White and her husband was Black, Obama is Black?
That's not fair. I'm not exactly sure who it's unfair to, but I'm pretty sure I should be aggrieved about something. I'll let you know when I figure it out.
Peace,
Steve
Hillary is slightly ahead of John Edwards in Iowa, but she made a gaff that may have some effect there. She refused to admit that her recent Senate vote allows George W. Bush to start moving down a greased slope into war in Iran, and then told the questioner he had been told to say that...Well...NO, Actually.
It's interesting (and tragic, at the same time) to see the Democrats tear each other up so the Republicans don't have to, while at the same time the Republicans simply attack Hillary, who in reality is nothing more than a moderate Republican who just isn't batshit crazy.
Oddly, the Republican attack on John Edwards centers around the claim that he's just too attractive to be President.
The other leading Democratic candidate is being whispered about in Republican quarters because he's black, of course, and his Daddy slept with a White woman. Why is it that the person with half Japanese and half white parents is "half Japanese" but since Obama's Mother was White and her husband was Black, Obama is Black?
That's not fair. I'm not exactly sure who it's unfair to, but I'm pretty sure I should be aggrieved about something. I'll let you know when I figure it out.
Peace,
Steve
Friday, October 05, 2007
Jepardy, or 110,000 new Jobs...78,000 of them bad
This United States President created the most jobs during his Presidency...
Reagan
Ford
Carter
Clinton
Bush41
Bush43
(doodahdoodahdoodahdump...doopdahdoopdahdoopdoopdump...brdadeep!)
Ok, times up...(Even though he only had a Four year Presidency) Who was President
James Earl Carter
Here's a look at the current numbers and why they are so freakin' miserable!
Reagan
Ford
Carter
Clinton
Bush41
Bush43
(doodahdoodahdoodahdump...doopdahdoopdahdoopdoopdump...brdadeep!)
Ok, times up...(Even though he only had a Four year Presidency) Who was President
James Earl Carter
Here's a look at the current numbers and why they are so freakin' miserable!
Watching the Dog
Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper wants to take away the President's power to fire Federal Agency watchdogs (OK... Federal Inspectors) and give it to Congress.
Gee, I wonder why? Just because President Bush has made a mockery of what a Federal Inspector is supposed to do? Aren't they supposed to fire anybody who causes problems for Republicans and hire political hacks as replacements?
Geez, Cooper!
Gee, I wonder why? Just because President Bush has made a mockery of what a Federal Inspector is supposed to do? Aren't they supposed to fire anybody who causes problems for Republicans and hire political hacks as replacements?
Geez, Cooper!
A Butterfly
Robert Byrd has metamorphosized from a small time petty local politician worm into one of America's great statesmen. Here he warns his colleagues about being led by the nose down a path they should absolutely be wary of:
Senator Robert Byrd
"Every foreign adversary is not the devil incarnate. We know now that Saddam Hussein was militarily a paper tiger. The intelligence that suggested he was an imminent threat was flat wrong. Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein had not attacked our country. Saddam Hussein was a ruthless tyrant, but he was not an imminent threat to U.S. national security. And now we hear the same scare tactics and simple analogies trotted out again,this time with Iran. Analogies can be dangerous things; they risk oversimplifying complicated situations, and can lead to erroneous conclusions. While there may be some superficial similarities between Hitler and Ahmadinejad, it does not mean that our only option is to start World War III.
We are now more than four years into a war that was launched by false fears and scary hyperbole, and here we are again, being led down a path by chest-pounding rhetoric, without a clear idea of where that path is taking us.
As the philosopher George Santayana once said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
"Are we condemned...?"
Senator Robert Byrd
Easy Pickings
Last week GOP Senator from my home state of Georgia ranted and railed against an ad run by MoveOn.org that asked a question. about whether General Betreaus was lying in his testimony before Congress. These ads were shameful and a disgrace, said Senator Chambliss.
How dare they besmirch the character of the only general Bush could find who would lie for him! A dozen or so United States Generals have resigned rather than serve George Bush in Iraq, by the way. General Petreaus makes me think about an old saying I just invented..."Turn over enough compost and eventually you'll find a worm big enough to fish with."
Senator Saxby avoided military service, claiming an old football injury, and he ran the most disgusting ads ever against a true war hero, Max Cleland, who had lost an arm and both legs to a grenade dropped by one of his fellow soldiers as they got out of a helicopter.
Saxby's ads said Senator Cleland was drunk and fell on his own grenade, which later testimonials proved to be totally fabricated by Saxby and his people. Senator Saxby Chanmbliss is a prominent example of why folks should detest the current leaders of the GOP.
Nearly everything they say is a lie...And did I mention what bigots they are?
...Saxby Chandliss... An easy pick for Hypocrite of the week.
How dare they besmirch the character of the only general Bush could find who would lie for him! A dozen or so United States Generals have resigned rather than serve George Bush in Iraq, by the way. General Petreaus makes me think about an old saying I just invented..."Turn over enough compost and eventually you'll find a worm big enough to fish with."
Senator Saxby avoided military service, claiming an old football injury, and he ran the most disgusting ads ever against a true war hero, Max Cleland, who had lost an arm and both legs to a grenade dropped by one of his fellow soldiers as they got out of a helicopter.
Saxby's ads said Senator Cleland was drunk and fell on his own grenade, which later testimonials proved to be totally fabricated by Saxby and his people. Senator Saxby Chanmbliss is a prominent example of why folks should detest the current leaders of the GOP.
Nearly everything they say is a lie...And did I mention what bigots they are?
"We need better intelligence. If we had better intelligence in the Civil War
we'd be quoting Jefferson Davis, not Lincoln."
...Saxby Chandliss... An easy pick for Hypocrite of the week.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Now or Never date is soon
Millions of people in the USA are trying their best to get Al Gore to run for President.
The current polls show a strange mix in the electorate that makes a Gore run viable but will he, or won't he? We've been asking ourselves that same question for years now.
In nationwide polls Hillary is ahead of the othe Democratic candidates until you throw Al Gore into the mix. Another strange quirk of this years race is that, while Hillary leads the other Dems, in a head to head match up against any of the Republicans, John Edwards does the best, Obama, second, and Hillary third, although EVERY Dem frontrunner beats ALL of the Republican frontrunners by a handy margin at this point.
It appears that even in spite of owning the American Corporate media, America just doesn't like what Republicans have done to their country. Now all we need is for Democrats to take over their own political party again.
Howard Dean...Please tell Al Gore... The time is NOW!
The current polls show a strange mix in the electorate that makes a Gore run viable but will he, or won't he? We've been asking ourselves that same question for years now.
In nationwide polls Hillary is ahead of the othe Democratic candidates until you throw Al Gore into the mix. Another strange quirk of this years race is that, while Hillary leads the other Dems, in a head to head match up against any of the Republicans, John Edwards does the best, Obama, second, and Hillary third, although EVERY Dem frontrunner beats ALL of the Republican frontrunners by a handy margin at this point.
It appears that even in spite of owning the American Corporate media, America just doesn't like what Republicans have done to their country. Now all we need is for Democrats to take over their own political party again.
Howard Dean...Please tell Al Gore... The time is NOW!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
A "Phony Soldier" Calls out Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh said any soldier who disagrees with the Iraq War is a "phony soldier."
In order to hide this monumental travesty from the American public, Rush has altered the transcripts of his show and removed the podcast. Then he claims Liberals are lying about what he said. Unlike the Democrats who are too cowardly to support their best ally, MoveOn.org, Republicans have circled the wagons around Rush in what may become Rush's Little Bighorn.
I think it won't be enough. Republicans know that Rush is an important ally in spreading misinformation but that may come to an end.
Wesley Clark has called for Rush's removal from Armed Forces Radio, as have a lot of "phony soldiers". I agree with this move. Rush is a documented liar and a foaming shill for the worst of the Republican party.
Digby has it:
So Rush is a coward who avoided military service but still feels the right to criticize anyone who dares to speak the truth about Iraq.
I hope he gets what he deserves but in order for that to happen, National Democrats will have to grow a spine.
Peace,
Steve
In order to hide this monumental travesty from the American public, Rush has altered the transcripts of his show and removed the podcast. Then he claims Liberals are lying about what he said. Unlike the Democrats who are too cowardly to support their best ally, MoveOn.org, Republicans have circled the wagons around Rush in what may become Rush's Little Bighorn.
I think it won't be enough. Republicans know that Rush is an important ally in spreading misinformation but that may come to an end.
Wesley Clark has called for Rush's removal from Armed Forces Radio, as have a lot of "phony soldiers". I agree with this move. Rush is a documented liar and a foaming shill for the worst of the Republican party.
Digby has it:
"You're a pompous coward and it's about time someone called you out on it and
that someone is me...My name is Eric Massa
...and you know where to find me."
I stood in the sand, snow, dirt, mud and dust of both Afghanistan and Iraq.
I spent over a week on a side of a mountain in Afghanistan during Operation
Anaconda. I received The Bronze Star medal for my actions during that battle. I
crossed the border into Iraq with the first wave of the 101st Airborne. I
sustained an open head injury on the streets of Mosul after a vehicle borne IED
exploded next to the vehicle I was riding in. I have seen the aftermath of a
real suicide bomber. I had loved ones who died in the 9/11 attacks.I have friends and colleagues who returned from the war in body bags.How dare you call someone like me a phony soldier and a suicide bomber?
In the commercial I just taped, I told you unless you had the guts to say something to my face, stop telling lies about my service. Well you haven’t had the guts to say it to my face, but I am waiting and the offer is still on the table...
So Rush is a coward who avoided military service but still feels the right to criticize anyone who dares to speak the truth about Iraq.
I hope he gets what he deserves but in order for that to happen, National Democrats will have to grow a spine.
Peace,
Steve
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Peace, Love, and Understanding the Terms of Service
Will Al Gore win the Nobel Peace Prize? The winner will be announced October 12 and we will soon know. If that happens...What next?
Just so you guys know...Al Gore is a consummate gentleman and would never say so out loud, but he's just not a Hillary fan.
The "Draft Gore" movement is picking up steam. Will he run?
AT&T's New Logo
Just so you guys know...Al Gore is a consummate gentleman and would never say so out loud, but he's just not a Hillary fan.
The "Draft Gore" movement is picking up steam. Will he run?
AT&T's New Logo
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