For Holly

This is a post for a friend of mine stationed in harm's way. She struggles between Iraq and the hard place of trying to do her job while feeling the futility of the war bearing down on her spirit. She is coming home in December and will begin the tasks of taking her life back from the life-altering experiences of dealing with war casulties.

There has occured an odd confluence of events and emotions for me over the last few weeks. A friend of a friend died tragically young from cancer a few weeks ago and another friend of a friend died in a car accident very recently. I did not know either of the women that passed but I know the people that lost them and it brings up for me feelings of my own losses, and of loss in general.

My friend wrote a lovely post about his friend that was taken by cancer and also has links to her music. Please read this post about Elissa Hadley and check out the links to cancer resources; it is well worth your time. The other friend-of-a-friend told me that the woman friend she lost was, in her words, "The woman I wanted to be..."

I would rather feel sorrow than feel nothing at all. The numbness that comes with feeling overwhelmed either by grief or some other set of circumstances is also a feeling but it is a feeling of separation from that which seems too much to bear. Like when you get novacaine at the dentist and you can bite the inside of your cheek without pain, but eventually the anestetic wears off and you are left with feeling, and a chewed-up cheek.

Difficult situations bring on hard-to-deal-with emotions. It is always seemingly easier to tuck the feelings away until a time we think we can 'handle' them. Many studies have shown that these repressed feelings get expressed in unconscious and often destructive ways, both psychologically and physically. As it turns out these emotions end up handling us.

I have been attempting to express my anger and outrage about the current state of the nation in the productive if not cathartic manner of blogging with political activism as the main topic. It has helped. But the cost of awareness has been high dealing with so many feelings. I often get overwhelmed. So I withdraw a bit and try to fill my inner environment with things that bring me joy. One of those things for me is music.

Where the roads of awareness and healing converge for me of late has been 2 of the songs by Elissa Hadley, the woman who succumbed to cancer on August 27th. She was with the band 'Breathlanes' and the songs are "Day" and "Twirling". Give them a listen and see what you get out of it. Listen to the lyrics, very powerful.

This is the song "Day" featuring Elissa Hadley

powered by ODEO

And "Twirling"

powered by ODEO

Then the web of interconnectedness continues. My friend that's coming home in December will be finished with her service and a Veteran, like me. This video comes courtesy of Nate over at "Get In Their Face"



Listening to this music is bittersweet. The messages, powerful. The vehicle of music easier to absorb oftentimes than a great lecture or the best written article. What I take away from my listening is hope. Hope in myself, hope in the future and hope in you.

Don't let me down.

Citizenship and Community

Citizenship was a part of classroom instruction I remember from the 4th grade. We learned about being neighborly, polite and the ever-popular "Golden Rule". We learned about why it was important to throw trash in a recepticle instead of on the ground. We were educated on the importance of showing up and telling the truth. We began our relationship with common sense and duty. It was the beginning of instilling the import of public service and fairplay. Today Citizenship means scarcely more than voting (maybe, if I have time...) and jury duty (God I hope I can out of it...).

What Citizenship really means is a sense of belonging, participating and caring about the community you live in. A socialization of values and personal responsibility. Citizenship implies working towards the betterment of one's community through participation, volunteer work and efforts directed at improvement of life for all citizens. This to be sure, includes voting, jury duty and picking up trash. But it also means noticing and speaking up when you see basic rights and freedoms of the community you live in slipping away. The responsibilities and tasks it takes to run our homes and do our jobs we tend to take for granted that these same responsibilities and tasks are necessary in the larger public sphere. It hasn't been made easy to show up and do your civic duty. Oh yeah, no free rides, you don't something for nothing, Freedom isn't free.

Over the centuries since our birth as a nation, these rights and responsibilities have been thwarted by the powers that be. A brand of control and domination that has taken the form of no voting rights for African Americans and Women, poll taxes, 'voter tests' and now, the current criminal vote-stealing machines and dirty tricks played by the GOP corruption machine. Certainly this is not a complete list but you get the idea that government thinking has been "What can we get away with?"

Citizenship as defined by the Bush administration demonstrates next-to-nothing of these values we all learned. This White House's policy for Americans is to shut up and do what you're told regardless of what The Constitution says. People that speak up are silenced in any number of ways from false imprisonment and torture to ruining your reputation and infringing upon your ability to pursue your livelihood. If you read the recently posted partial list of BushCo atrocities or you read here or elsewhere in the liberal blogosphere, you have some sense of the depth and breadth this violent right-wing massacre of civil rights has taken.

They treat us like children who haven't the good sense to make a proper decision about our own futures. When we refuse to go to the trouble of voting or speaking out or writing a letter about the injustices or demanding that we have a fair and investigative media not owned by only six mega-conglomerates that use, without charge, the PUBLIC airwaves and depend upon that very government they are lapdogs to, to change laws and let their corporate interests super-flourish like never before, what do we expect? When we can't be bothered because of the time and effort it takes to show up, the inconvenience of it all, the difficulty of access to polling places ("You're polling place is on Jupiter, under a Moose Lodge, behind a donut shop in the basement of a school, good luck" -Kathleen Madigan)and given all we need to do to have a decent life, who can blame anyone for saying, "I just can't do it now, I'm too busy, someone else will do it"? You are someone else. To borrow the slogan from Nike, "Just Do It" No one of us can do this alone without help, that's what citizenship is; a community of people coming together to better the lives of all its members.

Zephyr Teachout, founder of The Sunlight Foundation,says if very succintly, "If we don't have a culture of citizenship, we don't have a Democracy, it's that fundamental"

Jane on Keith! Late Nite Edition

Have to do it. Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com was on 'Countdown With Keith Olbermann' tonight. Woo Hoo! What a blast! If you read here, you know I'm a fdl fan and Jane's website has been my 'coming out' into the Blogosphere. Tonight Jane rocked the house and made a national news show her stage for promoting the influence of liberal blogs on the American political scene. Jane did us proud, watch for yourself.

Diebold Update

This was posted to day: Diebold Voting Machines Opened by Hotel Mini-bar Key

Hegemon Rising

A list (partial) of the things Bush got wrong.

Courtesy of Rising Hegemon.

Chimpy's Bad Behavior

And a commentary by Keith Olbermann about such wrongs. C & L has the video

Get Off Your Ass and Get On My Vote!

Photo credit Cartier Bresson courtesy of Magnum Images
There's a weird vibe in the air lately, its not just Autumn about to fall, its not post-9/11 doldrums, the war, or post-Katrina depression.
Its something like 'impending doom'. That feeling you get just before something bad happens. It seems human nature to try and shush it away, calm what can be interpreted as 'irrational fear'. Just keep keeping on.
I'm a big supporter of the 'gut feeling'. I've always kept faith with my intuition. The trick is learning to be still enough to hear the quiet voice that will tell you, if you listen, the correct path for you. Not the right path for others, just the simple, direct route to your own happiness, and oftentimes, safety.

My gut is telling me that this 'vote fraud debacle' or however you prefer to phrase it, is real. Really, real. Notice how in the American venacular when we say something twice, we mean it? "Are you going shopping?"
"No, I'm going shopping shopping". Ooh hoo.


Thursday September 14th, the Princeton study story broke in the blogosphere. Barely any mention of it elsewhere. When I did a blog search for "Diebold voting machines" I got 1,092 blog posts that spoke specifically, with much detail about the Princeton study and the past successful hacking of Diebold machines. When I searched MSNBC, I got an article from 2004 about vote fraud in Chad. Hello? Is anyone besides the bloggers paying any attention? The answer is an qualified, "No". [Bradblog linked here and here, a must read.]

The blogosphere is an interesting phenomenon. It's dominated by left progressives with a potent posse of wingnuttery bringing up the rear. The Diebold story brought many people like me out trumpeting the charge, "We must do something about our votes being stolen...again". Yet In my reading around the blogosphere, I found many people up in arms as I am. People were debating, making an arguement for why this is an important an issue as war or anything else. The right-wing response was par for the course with their defensiveness and insulting poo-pooing. But the other dynamic I saw was quite a bit of, "Nothing to see here, move along", done by Democrats, Progressives, Liberals, The Left. This shocks me.

I know the Left is constantly complaining about how 'brain-dead'and 'in denial' the bushies are for following their fearless leader like lemmings, but is anyone paying attention to the paralysis on the left when things get too scary? We on the left, and in the MSM (albeit it with a GOP talking point bent), bitch constantly about our elected officials, Democrats, who act like scared puppies too frightened to make a peep even when the American public raises its hackles about the state of the union. Why when we have not only that which is decent about America on our side, but the pulse of the nation beating in sync with what we say we want? Why do we cowtow to what appears to be a force greater than ourselves, namely the conservative, rich, crazy, theocratic, neo-fascist goopers? Why, indeed.

I have no definitive answers, but I have theories as to why we seem to shy away from the obvious conflict of facing up to the criminal, evil, right-wing that rules America and is changing our very way of life unabated. The issue of 'taking on the vote' seems too overwhelming, too much to be able to do anything about. Certainly, those in power must be doing something, right? Wrong. Those with the power to make a stink about the fraudulent activities around the vote tampering are scared of losing their jobs. Better to be a sitting politician with little power than a private citizen with none. The proof in their actions , defined as inaction.

I have found in life, and all its myriad expressions, that it is better to risk making a mistake than to do nothing. For months that have now stretched into years, sitting Democrats have done next to nothing to curb the right's rampant stranglehold and usurpation of power. There exists almont NO checks and balances. Much of the political energy expended by the Left has been in the form of defense against the constantly encroaching tyranny pushed ever-forward by the right. If we do not insist that the sitting politicians, past politicians, the mainstream media and the citizenry of the USA get off their asses, a world of shit will hit us with both barrels. It is inevitable. How bad does it need to get before we do something?

I understand the ennui of overwhelm. When you are so inundated with problems that you feel paralyzed. Many of us find ourselves there now. I haven't posted in a few days because of this low-grade 'depression'. I spent two days crying on and off. Granted, watching Spike Lee's "When The Levees Broke" didn't help but when you can't get a break from the constant horror of the shape our country is taking, it gets to you. The gulf coast residents feel it, though for a different reason. They are trying to survive, while many of us are trying to give our country a fighting chance for survival. The difference of course with Katrina survivors is their energies are used up by trying to find housing, jobs, health care, schools, fairness, not to mention the criminal behavior of the insurace companies. It doesn't leave much left over to fight the government. We take for granted sometimes being grateful to not have to fight for these things on a daily basis.

People will read a small article on page 18 of the local paper or watch a 15 second blurb on the evening news about the voting machines and think," Hmm, well somebody's got to be doing something about that, afterall this is America, we have a free and fair election process." In truth some bodies are doing something but nobody is listening. The clock is ticking. Father Martin Niemoller said it well in his best known statement, "When they came for the Communists, I was silent, because I was not a communist..." If we do not contact our public officials and the media about these vote-stealing machines and raise holy hell there will be no need to "come for us" because we will already be there, trapped in a system of our own design because we did nothing.

When will enough be enough for YOU?

Additionally, if you are up to it, in a slightly off topic post, I direct you to some excellent reading by Christy Hardin Smith of firedoglake. She has posted on the disatisfaction within the republican party as well. If you still haven't had enough, then check out this "Bush Family Connections" site. It looks a little dry but as you click on the Bush pictures you can find the links between the corruption in government, the corporate interests and much, much more. This is worth a post in itself but give it a spin and see if you get a better picture of why we are where I say we are in this country.

The Votes That Won't Count

image courtesy of iflipflop.com

"Diebold, the e-voting-machine maker, has long sworn its systems are secure. Not so, says a new Princeton study. Converting votes from one candidate to another is simple."

-Brad Friedman, Columnist

If you are a Democrat or Black, Hispanic or poor and live in a voting precinct, or in a neighborhood that can be described as any of the above, there is a better than average chance that your vote will not count this November or any other November in the forseeable future. Sasha Abramsky of Mother Jones has written an excellent piece on the disenfrancised voters of the "10 Worst Places To Vote", it was posted on Alternet. This is the conclusion reached by the interpretations of a brand new Princeton University Study on the Diebold voting machines set for use in the upcoming elections.



The 'voting issue' has been covered to some degree but its not getting the 'bounce' it ought to considering it has the potential to change this and all future elections regardless of turn-out. I've heard it commented that what we need to do is have unprecedented turn-out and this will solve the problem of 'vote fraud'. But this study done by Princeton demonstrates succintly how ONE MACHINE can infect many others and change votes, all the while remaining UNTRACEABLE. This means that ONE corrupt person can change the outcome of an entire election. The demonstration video is frightening, but more frightening is that no one but bloggers is covering this breaking story. Brilliant Brad Friedman has done exhaustive research into this issue, please read his post, watch the video and see for yourself if this doesn't need to come to national attention:

Security Analysis od The Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine



The vote fraud problem has existed since the inception of voting but with today's technology it promises to be institutionalized and more far-reaching than ever before. The security on these machines is sorely lacking and they are imminentily, emergently in danger of being tampered with and changing the outcome of all future elections. I cannot state this strongly enough. The few who read at my site can contact a few more and the people who are posting about this many more, but unless the general public, the mainstream media, our elected officials and the rest of the world knows about this diaboldical plan it can and will go forward.

The long-term reprecussions can be devastating. Elections can be voided or postponed and tied up in legalalities for an undetermined period. Any number of 'dirty tricks' will not just pervade our voting futures, but become undetectably permanent. If you have been concerned about the trouncing of your civil liberties or BushCo's stomping of human rights, the shredding of the Constitution, the false flag war in Iraq, the exploding national debt, the decrease in real wages, the price of gas, the gap between the rich and poor, the unsecured borders, the national drop in public education test scores, the lies and corruption in Washington D.C., the unprecedented decline in our national reputation globally, the imbalance of power, the lack of any checks and balances in government, the torture meted out and sanctioned by this president, the rubber-stamp/do-nothing congress, the complicit judiciary, the negative shift in environmental policy, the absolute shame of Katrina and goverment failure to deal with it, the 'cronyism' of appointments to vitually every govermental office, the incompetence of these appointments (think FEMA), the unmitigated hubris of a leader that thinks he is a King, and the fast-asleep mainstream media that doesn't report in a comprehensive way on any of it, then write and call your Senator, Congressperson, the local newspaper, the national media and
do something about it
If this issue comes into the national spotlight, something can be done to change it. If it doesn't change, everything in our lives as we know them, will.

Of that you can be certain.

Posted comments by readers over at firedoglake agree with me:

Since voting machines are liable to malicious intrusion, this means election fraud should be of equal concern to both parties. In theory an election can be stolen by Republicans as easily as it can be stolen by Democrats.

So why are Democrats the only party showing concern about voting machine fraud?

The simple answer is that the Republicans enjoy a virtual monopoly on election fraud and have no fear of retaliation since their goal to become the permanent majority is close to realization. As far as the Republicans are concerned, their goal of there never again being a Democratic majority or president is well within reach.
Permanent one party rule is totalitarian whether you call it fascist, communist, conservative, rightwing, or just Republican. What the Republicans don’t yet realize is that they are on a path to destroying themselves along with the rest of the country.
The United States is all the weaker for being a one-party “democracy” and as such is ill-suited to meet the global challenges of the future.
With the ascendancy of George Bush, the days of the United States being the pre-eminent power in the world is gone, gone, gone.

Back in the spring of 2003, Discover magazine had a lengthy article on the diebold voting machines and how vulnerable they were from a very technical perspective. This article laid out the facts that they could be hacked without a trace, that diebold was a subsidiary of a bush family owned company. I blogged about the article. I yelled about the article. I told everyone I knew about the article and people just looked at me like I was nuts. The outcome of the 2004 election made me sick after having read this very well written analysis of the software and hardware. Why are people in such denial about this?? The information has been out there for a very long time. The facts are clear. This presidency was stolen from 2000 on. It doesn’t act like a democracy because of the means in which it was inacted. Not democratically. This president was not “chosen” by the people. It was hijacked the same way corporations have hostile take overs. Don’t expect this administration to do anything at the will of the people. They do not care.(emphasis mine)

For your viewing pleasure I post this report from Fox News (!)



In fairness, I am posting a link to The Chicago Tribune article where Diebold refutes the Princeton Study.

Mark Crispin Miller wrote a book called, "Fooled Again" about how the 2004 election was stolen by BushCo. Here's an interview with Miller done by Expanded Books.

The Iraq You Won't See

Over at firdoglake guest poster Taylor Marsh has a great post up about the war and its damage. War is bad enough on its good days, with a noble cause to defend but this war is a money/powergrab engineered by BushCo, based on lies and false statements.

This is a film done by a BBC reporter over a year ago but with an unsanitized look at the Iraq they won't show us in the USA. The Media has become a willing player in the propulsion of propaganda that only they, the criminal government, want us to see. Things have gotten worse since this video was recorded. Much worse. Killing is up. Bombings up. And the bullshit continues to rise unabated.

If you watched "Press For Truth", it points out dramatically how no one in the MSM is connecting the dots. 80% of the information is out there buried on page 20 of the newspaper, or in a 15 second blurb on the news. None of the available information is being delivered in a contextual, organized manner. Everything we learn, we learn piecemeal. When it is all in one place, we become angry and ask,"What the fuck is going on...?" And no one is answering.

Iraq: The Hidden Story

9/11 Press For Truth-The Movie

Several days ago I posted the "Truth Remix", a trailer for this film that played yesterday in Austin, TX. Today I post the video. It is outstanding. Please watch and see if your eyes are not opened as well as your heart.

9/11 Press For Truth



There is an excellent review and commmentary on "Press For Truth" by Brad Blog's guest poster Michael Collins. I've linked it here.

Heartsick but Wide Awake

Your country is slipping away. This is not a joke. As surely as houses came off their foundations after the deluge of Katrina. Remember the photos? Remember the shock of seeing a huge ship beached far inland? Houses deposited atop cars? Remember the people chanting, "Help, Help, Help" in front of the convention center? Remember thinking, "This could never happen here, not here in the United States, this looks like a third-world country..." This is what is happening to your country. The 'big storm' were the attacks on 9/11, and our country began on that day, the slow, steady slip off its foundation that today threatens to be, like Katrina, devasting and beyond repair.

Last night ABC played part one of their 'mockumentary'. The drama that rewrites history and basically blames Bill Clinton for the attacks of 9/11. Chimpy's numbers are up. Gas prices are down. The 'shock and awe' dog-and-pony-show is in high gear. The troops dead in this lie called a war have surpassed those killed in the 9/11 attacks. The reconstruction of the Gulf Coast is left hanging for the poor, but rushes forward for the carpetbaggers and the 'people of influence'. And Americans are drinking lattes, talking on cellphones and tuning in to see who killed Jon Benet.

Your government is wire-tapping you without warrants and saying that its "National Security". Anytime asked questions the answers are always swathed in secrecy and "National Security". Do you feel safer? Do you? The Bush Administration is currently trying to pass a bill that will retro-actively insulate those who haven broken existing laws. Corporate interests run the the government. BushCo has begun to gear-up drumbeats to start another war. They cut benefits for Veterans after promising to take care of them. They lied about why we went to war with Iraq. They lied about the connections between Sadaam Hussein and 9/11. They lied about taking care of Katrina survivors. Lousiana, the last blue state in the south, has been stripped of its mostly African American democrat voters. They have outted an undercover CIA operative for political revenge and lied about it. They have installed voting machines manufactured by republican donors that have been proven easy to hack and have already used these blackboxs to steal two elections. They have invaded our privacy and stomped on our civil liberies with the jackboots of the fascist regimes they compare us to; Americans that stand up and want answers about what's going on in America . And the American mainstream media tells us nothing. Well here's something I found over at Nate's, it's called "The Best War Ever"



Sitting Democrats in Washington,D.C. barely say a word in protest about what is going on, afraid of 'alienating' the centrist core of America. Liberals and Progressives fight amongst themselves about the 9/11 conspiracy question, again not wanting to 'offend' anyone. If you believe that 9/11 was an "inside job" you are considered a "conspiracy nut" and are marginalized. It is becoming Nazi Germany all over again, but it is here. If you have doubts, check it out for yourself. Check the evidence for this slow but steady drift, this slide into totalitarianism. Nazi Germany didn't not happen overnight. It took 10 years from the beginning of Hitler's reign until he stormed Poland. Read your history. George Bush has the power of 21st century technology to aid him so its only taken him 6 years. Have you had enough? When is 'enough is enough' for you? I have. I've had more than enough.

Listen fof one minute to a Republican former President in his departing remarks, warning us of this very thing:



Today I post a link to an award winning documentary that is available for viewing at Information Clearinghouse. Please watch it. It can be a powerful antidote to the propaganda. It was in the theaters until recently. I post it in hopes of throwing my voice into the fray for the battle to reclaim my country. It's called

"Why We Fight"

film "Why We Fight"

More 9/11 or Wake Up America!

When I started this blog because of a video I found on the internet about 9/11 called "Loose Change". I had no experience with the blogosphere or how it works. I didn't know where to go or even how to search for like-minded individuals in the blogosphere. I had heard about blogs but I had the impression, like most of America, that it was 19 year-olds in pajamas, blogging in their parents basements. What I've found has been absolutley counter to that assumption. I've tried to set-up my blog to be 'new user friendly', with descriptions of the blogs and links that have here. Everyday is a learning experience. The last few days I've posted videos of 9/11 truth inquiries to spread the information and investigations others are doing that the mainstream media refuses to do. I've posted a few more. I hope it helps in the discourse but my fondest hope is that America wakes up.

Evacuations and Power-downs prior to 9/11



Molton steel in basemet 6 weeks after 9/11



"WTC Collapse Was Planned" as stated on-air by CNBC commentator

What's The Truth?

As you may know ABC Television is planning to show a bastardized version of the truth about 9/11 in a mini-series called "The Path to 9/11". Jennifer Nix, a former MSM reporter, has written a number of articles on this topic over at firdoglake.Please check out her skillful investigative efforts.

More video on the 9/11 truth inquiry.

IED: Interesting Acronyn

IED Attack
Originally uploaded by rodneykeene.

Notice how it spells "DIE"?


The jokers that come up with the nomenclature for military terms and 'operations' have an ironic sense of humor.
minstrelboy is a reader who emailed me after reading my Landstuhl posts. His family are unfortunately"Gold Star" members. I recommend a trip over to his site for a viewing of extraordinary pictures and stories of these horrific weapons and the ingenious way they are being placed and detonated. His posting on this topic is on September 2, 2006. Read his site. He has fascinating posts about 'boots on the ground', news stories and opinion about the policies that enable the horror to continue. My heart goes out to the members of this group of Americans, the Gold Star Families. I salute them and the service given by their loved ones.

Whether supportive of this war/occupation in Iraq or against it, we have all learned invaluable lessons from Vietnam. In all of my posts and comments about what I and most Americans consider an 'illegal war and occupation', I have never seen, heard nor met anyone that does not support the troops in their constant stuggle to show up and 'do their job'. Very few military members signed up for 'WAR'. And the ones that did I believe most of them, did so with the same fierce protectiveness that a mother lioness exhibits in defense of her cubs.

What I would like to see happen in regards to this 'war' is to see our troops re-deployed outside Iraq, with consistant, solid support to the Iraqi government. Logistics, economic support, tactical support and influence, strategic planning, whatever it takes to help them to get on their feet and take care of their own country. I believe along with many others much more knowledgable, that our pressence in-country exasurbates the civil unrest and violence and is unequivocably undermining the Iraqi ability and will to fix their broken country.

Our troops are over-extended and the breakdown has been showing for many, many months. These 3rd and 4th and even 5th tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the shameful veteran care, the unwillingness to provide troops with enough and adequate equipment, the congressional hypocracy (almost exclusively by Republican members) in saying they 'support the troops' then behind closed doors, striking down legislation that provides for them and the list of GOP attrocities goes on and on as does the dying of our soldiers, coalition soldiers, and the many innocents civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. This war must end.

Announcement:Press For Truth Update

The film "Press For Truth" will be screening one night only on Saeptember 11 in Austin, Texas. I will be there. I'm posting the info and if you are anywhere near the Austin area it is a tremendous opportunity to meet and network with others who want the truth about 9/11.





SEPTEMBER 11 – AUSTIN, TX
Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills, 9828 Great Hills Trl.
(Free, Donations accepted. 1 Night Only. 7:30PM)

SEPTEMBER 11 – AUSTIN, TX
University of Texas at Austin, 2400 Inner Campus Dr.
(FREE. 1 Night Only. 8:30PM)

Here's a link for the UT showing to make reservations.

And here's one to find where it will be showing near you.

Investigate 9/11 Now!

This film, "9/11 Eyewitness" by the Blue Star Media Group is a telling and scientific deconstruction of the WTC collapse. It runs 1:44 and drags a bit in the beginning but picks up after the first 20 minutes.



This next video is just one minute long with a message about the Pentagon collapse.

Mike Malloy :Voice from The Wilderness

For those of us who miss his voice, I've dug up some video clips of Mike Malloy.

9/11 Truth Symposium

This is the 9/11 Scholars Symposium presented by C-SPAN and hosted by Alex Jones. In honor of the upcoming anniversary of this tragedy and before there is more hoopla that can be tolerated, I thought I would post something of the truth and the tireless search for it in regards to thos cover-up/conspiracy of epic proportions.

With all of the 9/11 anniversary coverage about to be unleased from everywhere, I wanted to get my thoughts and observations found out before the blitz. If you don't know about the "9/11 Truth Movement" find out about it. Check out the scientists and researchers who out of a desire to know the truth have done extraordinary investigations, raised the questions and spoken truth to power.

9/11 Redux "The Truth Remix"

This is a great video from the "Unclassified Producer". A perfect opening to my 9/11 post.

9/11 is of course where it all begins. There is much evidence to dispute the "official story" of 9/11/2001. If you have not watched "Loose Change", do. If you have not seen "The Power of Nightmares", do. If you haven't read the "Downing Street Memo", do. We were once able to trust the mainstream media to bring us a more or less balanced, within the context of cultural bias, reporting of National and International events. That is no more. The mainstream media has never been a perfect system but during the period of BushCo they have become lazy, indolent and negligent. Robert F.Kennedy Jr. has stated it succintly, "The job of a Journalist is not to 'balance', it's to find the truth and then convey the truth to the American public, and that is not being done..."




9/11 Press for Truth in conjunction with
"The Jersey Girls" produced a film that looks like it may be worth checking out. There are a number of organizations and individuals who for the past five years been digging for the truth about 9/11, with little or no help from OUR government and in many cases, subtrefuge, lies and cover-up. The events of 9/11 demand an independent investigation, which to date we have not recieved and has been blocked at the highest levels of government.

Had Enough? It's time for the truth.

The Power of Nightmares Part Three

This is the last segment in the powerful documentary, "The Power of Nightmares". Please watch parts one and two to get the deep insights and contextual history. These films will change you. If they don't, you're not paying attention.

The Power of Nightmares Part Three, "The Shadows in the Cave"

The Power of Nightmares Part Two

If you haven't seen part one, please drop down and watch it. Powerful.

The Power of Nightmares Part Two, "The Phantom Victory"

The Politics of Fear

An amazing find over at Information Clearinghouse via a reader who's site Palitone Press is a good read and worth a visit.. This documentary by the BBC, "The Power of Nightmares" is done in three parts, and is about the "new strategy of terror". Each part is an hour long and well done.

Clearly, our government is trying to scare us. Everytime Bush has a drop in the polls or Democrats get a positive bump, a 'new' terror alert raises the threat level. I posted a bit on this a a while ago. Keith Olbermann did a terrific piece, "The Nexus of Politics and Terror" on his show about the shocking 'coincidental' correlation between these events since 9/11. I give you 13 minutes of Keith Olbermann. Then watch the BBC film. You will be more informed if not changed by the experience.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror



The Power of Nightmares Part One, "Baby It's Cold Outside"



This is a powerful documentary. Please comment, tell me what you think, what you took away from the viewing. Link this this; spread it around. We only have eachother. In light of the propaganda BushCo is gearing up to trot out before the upcoming election, it is crucial that we counter this undermining of our Democracy.

The latest salvo in this cultural war for world domination, is the new 'docu-drama' that ABC Television is planning on broadcasting next week. According to sources, this propaganda was written by a conservative friend of Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh also serves as narrator for this film that in essence blames Bill Clinton for 9/11. Read all about it over at FireDogLake. There are links aplenty and info to find out what we can do to stop this madness.

I believe this is the most important election of our times. The neo-cons are following a script. A well thought out strategy designed and implemented over more than a generation. The criminal neo-cons in Washington are scared, sick, crazy, men. Men with a tremendous amount of power. What you do about it is up to you.

A True American Patriot UPDATE

I speak of Rocky Anderson, Mayor of Salt lake City, Utah. Utah? Yes, Utah. This guy rocks. He is the true personification of a Leader. What we are so sorely in need of. Share this video. Make copies and leave on your neighbors doorstep. This is the kind of inspiration that will change the course of destruction we are on. The 3 videos i have posted , in order are an interview with Fox News before the demonstration in SLC, during the demonstration, and afterwards. Judge for yourself if this is not the brand of leadership our country is in dire need of. Thank you Rocky. I have linked the text of Rocky's speech fro his website.

UPDATE: I have located the entire speech on video and it is stunning. Rocky gives a vibrant, stinging attack on the President and the criminal adminstration he runs with impunity. Highlights include, "sycophants... oppressive, inhumane regime...treason...worst presidency our nation has had to endure...perhaps those that enabled Sadaam Hussein should be sharing the dock with him while he is on trial for 'Crimes Against Humanity'..." I could go on but I'll let you enjoy it yourself.

http://www.kutv.com/video/?id=18850@kutv.dayport.com/

The link KUTV provides makes you find the right clip, so go to Aug. 30, 2006 video and click on "SLC Mayor Blasts Bush"

Rally For Mike Malloy UPDATED

Air America Radio has fired Mike Malloy.

I am shocked and appalled not only by Air America's bad business decision, but their inherint dishonesty in not addressing the this dismissal in any regard. Air America has made no formal announcement; the only bulletin is on Mike's site where it says, "...for financial reasons...". Mike had recently announced that he negotiated a new two year contract with AAR so the 'financial' reasoning being used by AAR lacks credibility. No one on the network, including longtime friend and colleague Thom Hartman who 'filled-in' for Mike who was filling in for the vactioning Randi Rhodes, said anything about Mike's absence from the slot much less his firing. Peter Werbe has been filling Mike's nightime slot and according to Mike, was unable to address the firing. Mike has also requested that we treat Peter with respect and civility.

I have cancelled my subscription with AAR and I encourage all other subscribers to do the same.

The "Old Sarge", Herb, is a columnist over at Powers and Morrison has posted on this topic and Please, if you have any sense that another link has been forged on the chain of fascist oppression by the powers that be, please go see Herb, sign the petition linked below, and write or call AAR and let your voice be heard in defense of those who have been silenced.

An important factor in this decision by AAR can almost certainly be tracked back to the recent syndication deal Air America Radio has struck with Clear Channel. Clear Channel is one of the six media mega-conglomerates that run virtually all the major media in this country. If you haven't heard that before, please check for yourself. I've included a link to the Columbia School of Journalism's research on the very topic. Thomas Paine said it best over 200 hundred years ago, "If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately".

What you can do:

Please sign the petition to AAR in a united effort to re-instate Mike Malloy:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?Malloy&1

EMail AAR: comments@airamericaradio.com

An alternative to AAR is the Head On Radio Network, tune in and stream live.

More live stream liberal radio:Talk City Live out of My home State, California.

Radio Power has some of the same syndicated shows as HORN.

I can personally recommend The Bob Kincaid Show on the HORN.

Republic Broadcast Live...worth a peek

I will keep adding links here as I find them and listen. I am only adding to this list after listening in to the shows. If you find internet radio you like. please add to comments and I will link here. Thanks. I believe we will hear Mike again soon.


Call AAR (212-871-8290) tell them how you feel about one of the finest FREE talking voices being silenced. The only thing these corporatists understand is money, so withold your contribution to their sickening, spineless contempt for free speech, and the First Amendment to the Constitution of The United States of America.

UPDATE

I'm also including here a link to a resource page for Liberal Progressive Talk. Hopefully these sources will help fill the void that many are experiencing as a result of the loss of Mike Malloy's voice. I believe that we can make a difference. The petition to re-instate Mike has over 5500 signatures so far. Keep the faith and watch your back. Peace.

Lie By Lie

In case you were unsure about the depth and breadth of Bushco frightful incompetence, greed, mendacity, avarice, etc., Mother Jones has posted the first part of a series called "The War Timeline". Check it out.

Also, got this over at Crooks and Liars It is the absolute best rant on Rumsfeld ever given by ever-eloquent, Keith Olberman. Sheer Brilliance.



By the way, how do you as an American feel about the President of The United States making this statement about Patriotic Americans who oppose the war?

“They’re successors to fascists, to Nazis, to communists and other totalitarians of the 20th century, and history shows what the outcome will be.”"

-NYTimes, Aug.31,2006

Inside and Outside of the ICU

Inside the ICU cath lab at LRMC



I found these two articles while hunting around for links to put on my posts for Landstuhl. Funny thing how differently the 'official spin' looks from the inside of the the ICU. I've linked here a 'media' page from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. The source is the media officer for LMRC and the military newspaper the Stars and Stripes. The two stories (8-17-06, 7-31-06 respectively), one about a visiting trauma doctor and the second about a 'doctor and wife team' at LRMC are the most interesting only because I met all of the people in the stories and it looks much different through an anti-war observers eyes. I had the good fortune to be married to a visiting doctor and being former military myself, I was seen as 'one of them', so to speak. I had access someone would normally not recieve on a tightly secured military facility. And I know what really happens in the LRMC ICU. Read the posts, then come back here and I'll tell you some secrets.

Visiting-Trauma-God-Story:

News from the United States Army, Europe & 7th Army

LANDSTUHL, Germany -- If contractors can come to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and work, then why can’t civilian surgeons? Thanks largely in part to trauma guru Dr. Ernest Moore, they now can via the Distinguished Visiting Surgeon Program.

Dubbed by many as the “Godfather of Trauma”, the celebrated surgeon, researcher and teacher arrived recently at LRMC for a two-week volunteer session. On Monday, he lectured to a large group of docs and nurses on multiple organ failure, a leading killer of patients suffering from trauma.

“This man is the godfather of trauma,” said Sgt. Anil Shandil, a nurse in the LRMC Intensive Care Unit. “In the civilian world, you’d pay money to hear him speak. Why do you think I’m here? This was my day off.” -read full story


Husband and Wife Doctor Team:

Husband, wife doctors at Landstuhl give troops their all
Surgeon, pulmonologist put patients' well-being before personal time together

LANDSTUHL, Germany — Apparently, Air Force Dr. (Lt. Col.) Warren Dorlac needs neither food nor rest to fuel his boundless energy and frenetic pace.

Dorlac glanced up while completing paperwork following an operation to amputate an Army specialist’s left arm.

“We gotta get lunch because I missed breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday,” said the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center surgeon and chief of trauma services.

(...)

The married couple of 17 years spent a rare free moment together at lunch recently, munching down salads. Once or twice a week, they’ll have lunch together. Even then, their time together is usually interrupted by phone calls.

“Sometimes that’s the only times we see each other,” said Gina Dorlac. “This week has been a bad week. The night before last, he didn’t come home at all. Last night, he came home late and went to sleep...

Now on to my observations. The first story about Dr. Moore is fawning and differential and while he seems to be a 'nice guy' it was appparent to me that he loves the sound of his own voice. During rounds in the ICU, he talked and talked and talked. He did no hands-on or procedures. The ICU is really busy and it seems to me that no matter how important you are or how high you've risen in your field, that when it's busy and care is emergent, you pitch-in. Apparently there is a different 'ethic' for Dr. Moore. I have never understood the hierarchical nature of medicine. On another day, on my way up the hill to Landstuhl, about 1:30 in the afternoon, I saw Dr. Moore coming down the hill. We both stopped and chatted briefly. I asked, "Anyone new?". He responded, "Yep, always, 3 new guys". Have a nice day.

Walking up the hill to LRMC


What I don't understand is how he can come to Europe, with his family, on the government's dime and not 'work'. Has he paid his dues, earned a certain level of respect? No doubt he has, but is his mere 'presence'in the hospital enough to justify not getting 'his hands dirty' with the task of healing our devasted soldiers?
Others may disagree with me but I think he should pitch-in. Just my opinion.

Now the Drs. Dorlac, is another story entirely. I spent time with Dr. Gina Dorlac who runs the ICU at Landstuhl. I met her husband only once but his dedication is also apparent. Gina is amazing, smart, hands-on, committed. I liked her very much. I watched her do absolutely dazzling work. During rounds, which is when patients status is described and updated for all the doctors on the unit, she gives lucid, clear, detailing of their condition, leaving nothing to 'interpretation' which greatly diminishes the possibility of medical mistakes. Doctors don't like to appear that they don't know, so the more detailed an intro to a patient is the less likely they are to make assumptions.

I observed Dr. D. do difficult procedures effortlessly. The patient was a 32 year old soldier with extensive burns, a broken foot and internal injuries. He was intubated and in distress, he was shivering from pain and cold alternately. I watched one doctor have a difficult time putting in a subclavian line (a catheter below the clavicle), unable to find the hidden vein several times. The succlavian is a difficult line to put in because the vein is not visible as it lies beneath the bone, not to mention this young man was moving around. Dr. D. came in and spoke soothingly to him, "Sweetie I know this hurts, just give me a second." She was able to get the line instantly. Her experience and compassionate bedside manner were inspiring to watch.

To watch the difference between these two medical professionals, Dr. Moore and Dr. Dorlac was an eye-opening experience. Dr. Moore is older, with more 'time' under his belt and while I do not doubt his expertise and professionalism, I do take him to task for not giving what I percieve to be his all. Dr. Dorlac was always available and was always working. Granted it is her ICU, and he was a visitor, but he was there to work. I think he saw himself as too important to get his hands dirty in the actual duty of caring for patients beyond intellectually.

This approach to me is what is mostly wrong with not only medicine but the general public at large. How many of us do 'all that we can' instead of 'what we can get away with'? I experience a high percentage of people in daily life willing to do only the 'bare minimum' at their jobs and even in their lives, to 'get by'. Viewed in the context of our country and its stature in the rest of the world, is it any wonder we are called "Ugly Americans" and are universally despised? People in the rest of the world think we are rude, lazy. greedy and stupid. And considering who runs the country, who can blame them?

Seriously...

I've come down with a nasty virus, The Doctor had to go to a conference in Orlando but I do have 3 posts in the hopper waiting for me to be clearheaded enough to finish them. Meanwhile, someone over at the Lake just passed this on so here it is, my current favorite Bush Ad. Enjoy:

A Message From The Doctor

The following is a 'Guest Post' from "Dr. Turtle", my husband who has just returned from serving at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany. I thank him for his selfless service and thank you all for what we do on behalf of our injured military. I expect a couple more posts from him after he adjusts to being back home.



Hello,

At the request of "Mrs. Turtle," I am sending a guestpost to all of her friends at the Lake regarding my experiences at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center(LRMC). Although I am not blessed with Mrs Turtle's gift of writing prose, hopefully I can convey to you what it is like as an anti-war military physician taking care of wounded soldiers.

As I have told Mrs. Turtle, this experience was very hard for me emotionally. Before arriving at Landstuhl, I had naively expected that the majority of the people
working at LRMC would be opposed to the war, given the everyday horror seen in the intensive care unit. This was not so. There were very few people I encountered
who were as vocal as me regarding their disgust of what we are doing in the Middle East. Perhaps, as Mrs.Turtle says, military people are scared of making
statements such as these, afraid that it will affect their military career, or that they will be "watched."

When a soldier arrives at LRMC, naturally the physicians and nurses would like to contact the soldier's family to let them know what happened to the patient, etc. The rule is that a member of the medical team is not allowed to contact the family until a member of the patient's unit has done so. This did not seem like a big deal at first, until I made efforts to contact the military liaison/casualty affairs to find
out if the family had been contacted by their unit so I in turn could do so. These two offices are extremely disorganized and each tries to "pass the buck" to the
other with regards to initiating contact. There was a soldier admitted to LRMC while I was there whose family found out about their son's condition on myspace.com before the appropriate military offices had called them. This is reprehensible.

There were times when I was fed up and called the patient's family myself, rather than making a dozen phone calls to find out if someone had already done so, and still having no answer. I dreaded those phone calls. I can only imagine the pit in their loved one's stomach when I introduced myself on the phone, and where I was calling from.

One positive thing I can say about LRMC is that everyone there (whether pro- or anti-war) is there for the soldiers. This is a kind of patient care and compassion I have not seen before. Although the hospital in many ways is inefficient, every single
person I encountered in the intensive care unit works hard to make sure the patient/soldier receives excellent and efficient care. I think it may be this way because everyone feels that it is the least they can do.

That's all that I have to say right now. Thanks to all of you at the Lake for being a good friend to Mrs. Turtle. Lastly, thank you for your kind words regarding my service that were relayed to me by Mrs. Turtle. You all make her very happy.

Best regards,

Dr. Turtle

The US Military is Broken

(Note: I transposed this from my handwritten notes on August 21, 2006)


I'm penning this as I sit in the ICU of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC).
My husband has been here over a month, and until I arrived, he hadn't had a good meal nor a good nights sleep. The military has sent him here to LRMC and does not have the decency to provide him with a clean, appropriate place to stay during his deployment.

Germany is an ultra-modern, Western country with all the modern conveniences, yet the military cannot find it fit to supply adequate lodging. He works 12 to 14 hours a day under absolutely tragic circumstances dealing with the never-ending parade of hideously damaged soldiers, and instead of clean, decent housing he has had to sleep in a rat-trap that had no sheets, is filthy, had urine on the floor, bugs, no towels, and broken furniture. There is no maid service. On his fourth day in Germany after returing from a CCAT mission to Iraq, he found a notice on the building that there was to be an 'inspection'. Are you kidding me? 'Food' is provided by the hospital cafeteria, and hospital food needs no explanation, not to mention we are both vegetarians. I could go on but I won't.

The young soldier who I wrote about several days ago that recieved the Purple Heart, I discovered more information about his attack. Two others were killed. They had both recieved Purple Hearts from a previous attack. They recieved their second Purple Hearts posthumously. They were on their 3nd deployment to Iraq. Our military DO NOT HAVE all they require. This is not limited to the soldiers, airmaen, sailors and marines out in the field, but continues to the most basic needs of all the people BushCo has sent to do their bidding in thier greedy quest to secure oil profits.

I attended another Purple Heart ceremony this morning. This soldier is 21 years old. He was hit in the back by an RPG (rocket propelled grenade). He has many pieces of shrapnel the size of a .22 bullet lodged in his spine. When he became conscious in the ICU, his first reaction was quiet tears rolling down his cheek that he was unable to wipe away, as his arms are semi-paralyzed. He is paralyzed from the mid-chest down. He is intubated, sedated and in tremendous pain. The officers moved into his ICU room and stood around his bed. The colonol who presented his medal called the room to attention. A sargent from his unit read the proclaimation from the secretary of the Army. This broken, young man did his best to come to attention and as the colonol thanked him for his service, gave'the speech' and saluted this soldier. This soldier did his best to bring his torture-racked body to attention and lifted his arm several inches off the bed in an attempt to return the salute. Tears began to run down my cheeks as they are now as I write this. I was asked after the ceremony if I was 'with' this soldier and I replied, "We are all with him".

On firedoglake, I've tried to 'check-in' as often as I can. My husband and I recieved have much moral support from the 'Lake'. I was asked by a 'regular' about female patients here at LRMC.
Women injured in combat are more infrequent but not unheard of. During my time here I haven't seen any women patients but I asked the the head of the ICU (Dr. D) about women SHE has seen in her two years at LRMC. She took a moment then told me a story about a female dog handler that lost a leg in an IED attack. This young woman awoke in the ICU without a leg, and her first question was, "How's my dog?" Her dog had died from the explosion of the IED. Dr.D became very somber and and said she wasn't sure if her powerful reaction was because in this young woman she saw herself, or just the mindless tragedy of it all.

I cannot fathom the depth of this topic and my experiences here in Germany adequately. What I know for certain is that too many of the military involved in this occupation and its many branches are either mindlessly compliant, delusionaly supportive, or too fearful and intimidated to speak out. They are reticent to discuss the politics of 'war' or occupation, very hesitant to question their "mission". In some regard who can blame them? They can't 'speak out' and that needs to be understood. They have to show up, if they lose focus they could die. The message I've tried to diseminate can be summed up in a single word, "November".


Post-post note: I have been asked about what we can do to support the soldiers and staff at LRMC. I have linked a website that takes donations of DVD's, CD's, books, clothes, etc. for patients and visiting staff at the hospital. When I arrived in Germany my husband had "There's something About Mary" in his laptop that was a donation to this organization. If you want to help, check them out:

Iraq War Veterans.org

A reader sends me this info as well: http://www.EmailOurMilitary.com/
Check them out and see if you would like to email a military member to cheer them.

"(Do you know of)...some good programs to send cards, books, etc to both staff and patients at Lands…(too tired to spell tonight) … are there any programs you find solid these days, or can we do anything to help the docs and nurses?" -from a regular at firedoglake

Imagine

This is a great new video by The Party Party, the same guy that did "Sunday, Bloody Sunday".

My guy returned from deployment last night. I am still putting my posts from Germany together and will post soon, and the good Doctor has offered to do a guest post. meanwhile I have posted this video and a nice party song to go with it. Click the link and scroll down to "Dick Is A Killer". Great tuneage. Enjoy.

I'm Back

But very tired. I just got home from the airport. I have been traveling for the past 26 hours. Many frustrating delays later I am home. I have much to tell but I must sleep. Be back at it tomorrow. Peace.

A Day In The Life

Life at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, that is.
I spent my morning in the ICU at the largest military medical intensive care unit in Europe. This is the first critical stop for U.S. Military personnel (and coalition forces) injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. They come from the Bagdad ER, Ramadi and all the 'hotspots' in the Middle East. They all come here before going off to Brooke Army Medical Center for burns and/or prosthetics, Bethesda Naval Hospital for brain injury and Walter Reed for rehab.

This morning I saw two Purple Heart ceremonies and thirteen wounded come in. I talked to several brave, young soldiers, unbearably stoic and upbeat for the conditions in which they find themselves. One of the Purple Heart recipients, a 22 year-old soldier who was thrown from a humvee after an IED went off under his vehicle, especially touched me today. He was reintubated this morning after not being able to breathe deeply enough to maintain adequate oxygen content. He suffered blunt force trauma over much of his body, severely bruised his liver, and lost his spleen. He looks beat-up but is remarkably alert and 'talkative', he wrote comments and answered questions on several sheets of paper. He wrote to me in a steady but pained hand, that in the explosion, his driver-buddy had died. He told me that when they came to pick him up off the street where the attack happened that guys from his own unit didn't recognize him. These young guys are so amazing in their display of bravado . I told him that there are many, many Americans hard at work on trying to get all of our people home and that we thank him for his service, bravery and love of Country.

The intensive care wounded ranged from gunshots with shrapnel that had invaded lungs and wreaked carnage over multiple organs to wounds from IEDs that broke so many bones that the count was uncertain. Permanent injuries to the genitalia, limb loss, burns so severe that before being sent to the burn unit, these guys mut be intensively stabilized in order to survive the journey to Texas. It is unending horror and they just keep coming. And I was only in the hospital until noon.

The hospital staff is incredible. Starting outside with the Soldiers and Airmen, Pilots and Doctors, Nurses and support staff that fly these guys in, transport them by bus-ambulance to the hospital and unload them with the gentleness one might expect for an infant. Next in exquisite synchronicity, the begin the process of unloading their precious cargo, beginning a cadenced hand-off, "Got him, got him, got him, got him. Ready? Ready. Lower. And down." Each patient is handed to a ready team, complete with chart, notations and any special instruction specific to his care. Once in the ICU a symphony of care commences. Every new arrival gets complete review of every event from the first contact after attack to every nuance of care received up to that point. From their arrival until they are shipped out or released, a concerted effort to heal exists at the Landstuhl RMC. This facility is the first in a long line of transfers where each patient get the intensivist medical evaluation and treatment needed for the best recovery possible.

I met and spoke with an ICU Nurse today. She is a Reservist with one year left in her Military commitment. She tells me when she entered service she was a "conservative Republican". Now she says she no longer relates as such. She's compassionate, smart and angry. She's worried about "stop-loss", the policy that may not allow her to leave once her commitment is completed. She's concerned about the state of the world and what information she may not be getting in order to make good decisions for her future, but she seems most troubled by her feeling that her vote won't make a difference.

The belief that what we do doesn't matter is the most prevalent attitude I've encountered since being here in Germany. It is the same sense I get from most US citizens I talk to in the States as well. The overwhelming sense of powerlessness that is registering in the American psyche must be stemmed. The mainstream media must be awakened from their stupor and exercise in stenography of 'Rovian talking points'. I can feel change coming. It happens one person at a time, it begins with me and is fueled by you. It is the time to take Our Democracy back. Show up and do your job.

Greetings From Germany

This is the view outside our window at the Hotel Moorbach in Landstuhl

I have so much to tell of my adventure so far but I also have a lot of email and reading to catch up on as I have been incommunicado for several days. I left for Germany on Saturday August 12th. I met my husband in Germany very early Sunday morning. We had a meal and I slept and slept and slept. We next went to Paris for two days and are now back in Germany.
The Eiffel Tower from below
It is 10 AM on Thursday as I write this. I have so much to do before he gets back from his first day back to work at Landstuhl Medical Center. Sorry for the rambling quality of this post, but I did want to "check in", so to speak. After I catch up a little today, I will go to the hospital and talk to some soldiers who were injured in Iraq. I plan on posting photos and hopefully some interesting stories. I hope everyone is well and continuing to do what you can to restore our Democracy.



Here's a little something to chew on just in case you forgot about the president's deficits:

Somebody Tell Joe...

Just a blurb, this is Joe Lieberman on Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman: Foe of Third-Party Politics

“I ask those who are thinking about voting for Ralph Nader to decide how they feel — how George Bush feels — about protecting the environment, protecting consumers, protecting a woman’s right to choose, because all of those may well be in jeopardy if George Bush is elected president.” — Joe Lieberman, October 2000

“For Republicans to be putting Ralph Nader on television in a paid ad, certainly might lead your average observer to be cynical.” –Joe Lieberman rejecting GOP support for spoiler candidates, October 2000

“A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush,” — Joe Lieberman, September 2000

-Rolling Stone Magazine

Well doesn't that mean a vote for "Joe Lieberman, Party of One", is a vote for Republicans? Yes, yes it does. I like your logic Joe. I say you listen to yourself. It could be the first thing you've been right about in quite awhile. Time to ride off into the sunset little buddy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fascism

Now that's a term you hear bantered around a lot these days. Islamofascists, the Fascist Regime of BushCo, etc. I personally subscribe to the latter rather than the former. Below are links to two different documents. The first is a textbook definiton of Fascism. The second link is a point-by-point comparison of BushCo policies and actions over the last few years with a template of Fascism's 14 points. Decide for yourself.


The 14 Points of Fascism

Bush's 14 Points of Fascism

FDL:Why It Matters

Last night was extra ordinary.







I tuned in to what is generally a late night 'chat' at firedoglake. Several of us 'regulars' talk about what a great post TRex has written and have a general shooting of the shit. Not last night.

His post is touching, poignant,compassionate. I got to the lake rather late. I read the post and was floored. This is a must read. Read the whole post and then skip (if you must) down to comment #103. Then #108. Then #116. I think you'll be hooked. It was my first experience with a weird kind of syncronicity I have not experienced on the web. Certainly I've found people in chat rooms that where friends of friends; the 'six-degrees' principle, but this was just plain serendipity.

By-the-way I post at firedoglake as "HopeSpringsATurtle", its my other 'dress'.

If you don't feel after you read this, that this occupation in Iraq should end now, you're not paying attention.

Latest polls today state that 62% of the American People are against this war/occupation. We are not the "Fringe Element". They are.

Bellwether Weather or it's mighty hot in here...

Just a quickie to note that with 19% of Connecticut precints reporting, Ned Lamont is handily beating entrenched incumbent Senator Joe Leiberman 52% Lamont to 44% Leiberman.

This is a bellwether primary. It sends a strong message to 'the spineless, do-nothing, get-along democrats and the rubber-stamp Rethuglicans that it is no longer "business as usual" in the Nation's Capitol. I shall post results as they come in. -Swim 8:30pm CST

52% Lamont 48% Leiberman 55% of precints reporting -Swim 8:58pmCST

53% Lamont 47% Leiberman 86% of precints reporting -Swim 9:42pmCST

Lamont wins Primary!!! the vote is in and Ned Lamont goes on to November. I call for all Democrats of Connecticut to rally behind the majority winner and let's take the House back!

Letter To America

This is an incredible animation done by Ava Lowery, a fifteen year-old artist from Alabama. She runs a website called Peace Takes Courage. Please watch and let yourself feel what truth can do to your psyche.

Letter To America <--Click the link

A quick side note: Tomorrow is the Primary in Connecticut. If you are a connecticut voter, don't forget to vote! Go Ned Lamont!

Sunday Bloody Sunday

This has been around the net for while, but in light of the violence in Lebanon and Chimpy's insistance on not intervening, despite our historical record as brokers of diplomacy with Israel, I give you, "Sunday Bloody Sunday".



Continuing on the Sunday theme, we have Steven Colbert interviewing Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R GA) about why he supports the 10 Commandant in public buildings.



And Last but not least, a funny, a movie trailer parodying "The Ten Commandments"

Who Are You People?

http://www.canstockphoto.com/file_view.php?id=0226734

The title of this post is 'borrowed' from a new book by Sheri Caudron. She examines the passion of people who have developed 'special' communities from Barbie collecting to storm-chasing. Her premise is to try and understand, "What drives these kooks". The Author ends up being tranformed herself by the stories she encounters in her three year exploration of these groups of people. What touched off her change was the personal story of a Barbie collector who after several years of collecting had her son viciously murdered. The people who stepped up and supported her and cared for her through this trying time were her Barbie friends. Her 'real' friends began to drop away after only a few months.

I was touched by this story because it mirrored the new shift in my life and some of what has come before. In 1998 I had a terrible year. I had so many traumas happen almost simultaneously that to recount them all here, you would think I was lying. Although Hurricane Katrina sure opened some eyes as to the on-going devastation a person can go through. Suffice to say, my spirit was in shambles and I nearly crumbled under the burden. After a few months my good friends started to drift away. Supports I had depended on turned out to rather shaky. I stumbled through the next few years barely keeping it together. What ultimately got me re-engaged with the world turned out to be the Internet.

In the last three months the Internet has percolated another epiphany for me, The Blogosphere. I addressed this a bit several posts back (June Archives) but it has taken a turn since then. I've mentioned here that I comment regularly over at firedoglake, an excellent site devoted to politics mostly, but with the most human of interactions anywhere. This group of people are passionate about politics yes, but they care about eachothers well-being and the well-being of the world. FDler's come from all walks of life and are drawn together at FDL by their interest in Progressive Politics. Since my husband has been away, I have had more support and caring from the people at fdl and other bloggers whom I've gotten to know a bit, than all the people I know here in San Antonio.

I guess the common denominator is interests. But more than that, the thing we explore in blogs besides interests is passion. Passion for something that on a personal level enriches your life. If you go to a cocktail party, presumably you will meet new people who share your interests, because you have things in common; your host, a job, something. But how many times have you been to a party and come away with the feeling that you met a room full of people you agree with and would want to be friends with? Not often, at least in my experience, and I have been to alot of cocktail parties.

FireDogLake has been a revolutionary kind of experience for me. I have 'met' people who are kind, supportive, smart, caring, funny, politically savvy, charming, engaged, angry at what's happening to Our Country and many more qualities that I demand in my friendships and more importantly my life partner.

I cannot compare this Blogosphere experience to any other in my life, except possibly taking ecstasy in my early twenties. The bonding and 'huggy feelings' you get from that drug are incredible, but of course, drug-induced and short-lived, not to mention illegal. Though I will point out that when I took that particular drug it had not yet been classified as a 'Class One" substance. Anyway. FDL "does it for me".

I suppose the Blogosphere is a giant cocktail party, something like the Mall of America . So many stores, so little time. The difference with the Blogosphere of course, is it's people we find, not material objects, but flesh and well, silicon I guess, people. People who are passionate about whatever it is you're passionate about. People that share their ideas and listen to yours. All the while backing up not only their opinions but supporting yours not in the way some friends would, but the way real friends do--they tell you the truth. The truth from their perspective and experience. Dialog is open and real work for change happens. Change from within as well as from without. It is a community I want very much to be part of, and for this I am grateful.

When The President Talks To God

A stunning quickie, this song by Bright Eyes with floor you. I wish he'd open for the Dixie Chicks on tour. Now that would be a great show.

A Good Reason To Travel Now...

I am on my way in several days, to Germany. I am so glad to be going back to not only the beautiful country where I spent my young adulthood, but the place where my deployed husband currently resides. I've been over to Nate's Get In Their Face and late to arrive to the party as usual, I found this over at his site. A good Bon Voyage.

Back in Business

This has been a terrible time. Not only is my loved one away and in harms way, but a few days ago, my computer crashed. Hard crash. This is the first access I have had to this blog.

I have recently been invited to become a columnist at another site called Powers & Morrison. I have accepted their offer and now my post will appear here as always, and at Powers & Morrison. I posted over at P&M when this crash happened and will try to get that posted over here as well. As I said, this is my first access to this blog since the crash. Many passwords had been changed once I got back online and a number of other 'anomalies' have occured in past days. So to let you know, I am still working on my piece about the authoritarian bastards that run the country but have been understandably distracted and somewhat sidelined until now. Thanks to everyone over at firedoglake who sent emails and lent moral support. Also my thanks goes out to Nathan over at P&M for providing me not only a place to speak out but enormous help in the technical arena. I shall post tomorrow and update on all the goings-on here at the Poodle Palace.