A Gathering Together

firsties

Hope it's not onlies
(being Thanksgiving)

Happy Thanksgiving to you all from Paris.

Share, enjoy and take care.

Bon Appétit!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!

I am headed out to the Ranch, so Happy Turkey Day to you and yours, and remember, there is much to be grateful for...though we take a well deserved break in the action, the battle will be here when we return...

May this message find you and find you well...and in good spirits.

Vive le Revolution!!!

Indy =]

I had hoped that I would have alot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but now I realize that I still do. Of course, I am still greatful for John Kerry and John Edwards, because they changed my life, but mostly I am greatful for this blog and for all of you! "What golden friends I have!"

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Another post-election report... this time, Halliburton (again):
________
Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said based on his "limited audit work," he supported military auditors' proposals last August for the Army to implement a 15 percent withholding on future Iraq invoices from Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown and Root.

"We agree with U.S. Army Materiel Command and DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) positions (on the withholding issue)," said Bowen in the memorandum.

The U.S. Army did not follow the recommendations last August and opted instead to give Halliburton more time to resolve the ongoing billing dispute, fearing such punitive action could disrupt supplies to U.S. troops...
__________
& other offenses
__________
Halliburton's Iraq Payments Should Be Cut -Auditor
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VO5PQGDMRO3ZECRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=6911397

Its me again,

I thought I posted the whole thing but I did not, so here is the whole thing

Please Read!!!!

Subject: A special letter from a NEW YORKER

Subj: Fwd: An explanation of a vote for Kerry

This letter that was written by a fellow NY'er is so close to my feelings that I
thought I'd share it with you guys.
Anna

======================================

I am writing this letter to the people in the red states in the middle

of the country -- the people who voted for George W. Bush. I am writing this
letter because I don't think we know each other.

So I'll make an introduction. I am a New Yorker who voted for John Kerry. I used
to live in California, and if I still lived there, I would vote for Kerry. I
used to live in Washington, DC, and if I still lived there, I would vote for
Kerry. Kerry won in all three of those regions.

Maybe you want to know more about me. Or maybe not; maybe you think you know me
already. You think I am some anti-American anarchist because I dislike George W.
Bush. You think that I am immoral and anti-family, because I support women's
reproductive freedom and gay rights. You think that I am dangerous, and even
evil, because I do not abide by your religious beliefs.

Maybe you are content to think that, to write me off as a “liberal” - - the
dreaded “L” word - - and rejoice that your candidate has triumphed over evil,
immoral, anti-American, anti-family people like me. But maybe you are still
curious. So here goes: this is who I am.

I am a New Yorker. I was here, in my apartment downtown, on September 11th. I
watched the Towers burn from the roof of my building. I went inside so that I
couldn't see them when they fell. I had friends who were inside. I have a friend
who still has nightmares about watching people jump and fall from the Towers. He
will never be the same. How many people like him do you know? People that can't
sit in a restaurant without plotting an escape route, in case it blows up?

I am a worker. I work across the street from the Citigroup Center, which the
government told us is a “target” of terrorism. Later, we found out they were
relaying very old information, but it was already too late. They had given me
bad dreams again. The subway stop near my office was crowded with bomb-sniffing
dogs, policemen in heavy protective gear, soldiers. Now, every time I enter or
exit my office, all of my possessions are X-rayed to make sure I don't have any
weapons. How often are you stopped by a soldier with a bomb-sniffing dog outside
your office?

I am a neighbor. I have a neighbor who is a 9/11 widow. She has two children. My
husband does odd jobs for her now, like building bookshelves. Things her husband
should do. He uses her husband's tools, and the two little girls tell him,
“Those are our daddy's tools.” How many 9/11 widows and orphans do you know? How
often do you fill in for their dead loved ones?

I am a taxpayer. I worked my butt off to get where I did, and so did my parents.
My parents saved and borrowed and sent me to college. I worked my way through
graduate school. I won a full tuition scholarship to law school. All for the
privilege of working 2,600 hours last year. That works out to a 50 hour week,
every week, without any vacation days at all. I get to work by 9 am and rarely
leave before 9 p.m. I eat dinner at my office much more often than I eat dinner
at home. My husband and I paid over $70,000 in federal income tax last year. At
some point in the future, we will have to pay much more - - once this country
faces its deficit and the impossible burden of Social Security. In fact, the
areas of the country that supported Kerry - - New York, California, Illinois,
Massachusetts - - they are the financial centers of the nation. They are the tax
base of this country. How much did you pay, Kansas? How much did you contribute
to this government you support, Alabama? How much of this war in Iraq did you
pay for?

I am a liberal. The funny part is, liberals have this reputation for living in
Never-Neverland, being idealists, not being sensible. But let me tell you how I
see the world: I see America as one nation in a world of nations. Therefore, I
think we should try to get along with other nations. I see that gay people
exist. Therefore, I think they should be allowed to exist, and be treated the
same as other people. I see ways in which women are not allowed to control their
own bodies. Therefore, I think we should give women more control over their
bodies. I see that people have awful diseases.

Therefore, I think we should enable scientists to try to cure them. I see that
we have a Constitution. Therefore, I think it should be upheld. I see that there
were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Therefore, I think that Iraq was not an imminent danger to me. It seems so
pragmatic to me. How do you see the world? Do you really think voting against
gay marriage will keep people from being gay? Would you really prefer that
people continue to die from Parkinson's disease? Do you really not care about
the Constitutional rights of political detainees? Would you really have
supported the war if you knew the truth, or would you have wanted to spend more
of our money on health care, job training, terrorism preparedness?

I am an American. I have an American flag flying outside my home. I love my home
more than anything. I love that I grew up right outside New York City. I first
went to the Statue of Liberty with my 5th grade class, and my mom and dad took
me to the Empire State Building when I was 8. I love taking the subway to Yankee
Stadium. I loved living in Washington DC and going on dates to the Lincoln
Memorial. It is because I love this country so much that I argue with my
political opponents as much I do.

I am not safe. I never feel safe. My in-laws live in a small town in Ohio, and
that town has received more federal funding, per capita, for terrorism
preparedness than New York City has. I take subways and buses every day. I work
in a skyscraper across the street from a “target.” I have emergency supplies and
a spare pair of sneakers in my desk, in case something happens while I'm at
work. Do you? How many times a month do you worry that your subway is going to
blow up? When you hear sirens on the street, do you run to the window to make
sure everything is okay? When you hear an airplane, do you flinch? Do you dread
beautiful, blue-skied September days? I don't know a single New Yorker who
doesn't spend the month of September on tip-toes, superstitiously praying for
rain so we don't have to relive that beautiful, blue-skied day.

I am lonely. I feel that we, as a nation, have alienated all our friends and
further provoked our enemies. I feel unprotected. Most of all I feel alienated
from my fellow citizens, because I don't understand what you are thinking. You
voted for a man who started a war in Iraq for no reason, against the wishes of
the entire world. You voted for a man whose lack of foresight and inability to
plan has led to massive insurgencies in Iraq, where weapons are disappearing
into the hands of terrorists. You voted for a man who let Osama Bin Laden escape
into the hills of Afghanistan so that he could start that war in Iraq. You voted
for a man who doesn't want to let people love who they want to love; doesn't
want to let doctors cure their patients; doesn't want to let women rule their
destinies. I don't understand why you voted for this man. For me, it is not
enough that he is personable; it is not enough that he seems like one of the
guys. Why did you vote for him? Why did you elect a man that lied to us in order
to persuade us to go to war? (Ten years ago you were incensed when our president
lied about his sex life; you thought it was an impeachable offense.) Why did you
elect a leader who thinks that strength cannot include diplomacy or
international cooperation? Why did you elect a man who did nothing except run
away and hide on September 11?

Most of all, I am terrified. I mean daily, I am afraid that I will not survive
this. I am afraid that I will lose my husband, that I will never have children,
that I will never grow old and watch the sunset in a backyard of my own. I am
afraid that my career -- which should end with a triumphant and good-natured
roast at a retirement party in 2035 -- will be cut short by an attack on me and
my colleagues, as we sit sending emails and making phone calls one ordinary
afternoon. Is your life at stake? Are you terrified?

I don't think you are. I don't think you realize what you have done. And if
anything happens to me or the people I love, I blame you. I wanted you to know
that.

Tomorrow we head out to the beach. A northeast gray, cold, with intermittent rain. Just the the way we like it!

Nothing is as calming and regenerating as sitting quietly by the water. We have all pushed so much these last couple years, but I know we can't stop and take anything for granted, ever again.

Let us all stay involved and in touch.

Published on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 by TomDispatch.com

How to Create a WIA -- Worthless
Intelligence Agency

by Chalmers Johnson

Two weeks after George Bush's reelection, Porter J. Goss, the newly appointed Director of Central Intelligence, wrote an internal memorandum to all employees of his agency telling them, "[Our job is to] support the administration and its policies in our work. As agency employees, we do not identify with, support, or champion opposition to the administration or its policies." Translated from bureaucrat-speak, this directive says, "You now work for the Republican Party. The intelligence you produce must first and foremost protect the President from being held accountable for the delusions he has concerning Iraq, Osama bin Laden, preventive war, torturing captives, democracy growing from the barrel of a gun, and the 'war on terror.'"

Full article
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1124-10.htm

Thank You
by Led Zeppelin

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more.

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by.
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong,
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my.
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see.

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles,
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one.
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad.
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

Wishing you all a happy and safe thanksgiving day have a ball

Kangaroo Brisbane Australia

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hadn't checked in a couple of days so I've missed this new site. I want you all to know that I greatly admire you--your commitment, strength, talent, and values. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to be part of this.

Happy Thanksgiving Dick & Karen... and everyone here at Democracy Cell Project!

Pamela aka Kerrygoddess

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Now, on to my festive holiday (okay, political) rant! Good stuff.

Voting for Bush based on his policies (or worse, just because you "liked" him) hasn't made us safer but less so. Or that's what a Pentagon report says. I repeat, before my conservative friends explode with a Limbaugh-incensed harumph, this is a PENTAGON report. The war in Iraq hasn't limited Muslim terrorists and terrorism, it's elevated them from being crazies on the fringe into an international movement. It's the exact opposite of the rationale that was used to invade Iraq (if you still believe an honest rationale was ever in place). We could have worked with our own patriotic Arab Americans (there are millions of them) to reach out to the specific Muslim areas that they came from (and who still have friends and relatives living there) to boost relations (while engaging in covert intelligence in the process, thus increasing BETTER CIA ties in trouble spots around the world with culturally and language-fluent "ground" personnel). This administration, according to the Pentagon report, is failing to create a more secure America and world by its lack of understanding of the complexities of the dangerous problems confronting it and how to deal with such in a responsible manner. Engaging the Muslim world less while blowing up more of it, acting like an insensitive asses along with supporting the most hated of the Muslim tyrannies (Why? Oil) only creates the hatreds that caused the 9/11 attacks. (I know, I know. So what the #@$% else is new?)

Meanwhile as the war rages our military branches are experiencing a drop in enlistment. Even the nation's various military academies have seen a drop in enrollment. Add in the fact the economy is now officially TANKING (seen the report on the decline of the dollar? The increase in public debt over the last four years -- some 1 trillion dollars -- has been almost all financed by foreigners) and it's looking like an exceptionally bleak four more years.

Reuters
Panel Sees U.S. Losing 'War of Ideas' Among Muslims

Wed Nov 24, 3:33 PM ET

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is losing the war of ideas in the Islamic world, failing to elucidate its policies to Muslims wary of American intentions and "self-serving hypocrisy," a Pentagon advisory panel has found.

The Defense Science Board, in a report made available on Wednesday, urged the creation of a "strategic communication" apparatus within the White House and an overhaul of public diplomacy, public affairs and information dissemination efforts by the Pentagon and State Department.

"If we really want to see the Muslim world as a whole and the Arabic-speaking world in particular move more toward our understanding of 'moderation' and 'tolerance,' we must reassure Muslims that this does not mean that they must submit to the American way," the report stated.

The toughly worded report said that while America's efforts to explain its policies have failed, improved public relations efforts cannot sell faulty policies. "Muslims do not hate our freedom, but rather they hate our policies," the panel stated.

"The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing, even increasing, support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and the Gulf states." (Sam note: Just remember our support of the infamous Iranian despot, the Shah, our ignorance of the realities in that world at that times, and look what THAT led to.)

"Thus, when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy," the report stated.

The Bush administration has portrayed the war in Iraq launched last year as a mission to bring democracy to that country in the hope that it could serve as a model to others in the Middle East.

U.S. intervention in the Muslim world, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had actually elevated the stature of radical enemies of America, the report stated.

"In the eyes of Muslims, American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has not led to democracy there, but only more chaos and suffering. U.S. actions appear in contrast to be motivated by ulterior motives, and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination," the report stated.

The Defense Science Board is made up of civilian experts appointed by the Pentagon, and offers the department advice on scientific, technical and other matters.

WHAT IS PERMISSIBLE?

There has been a debate inside the U.S. government on what actions are permissible in providing information intended to influence allies and foes alike.

In 2002, the Defense Department shut down its new Office of Strategic Influence after critics accused the department of creating a propaganda office to spread lies around the world under the premise of misleading U.S. enemies.

"The information campaign -- or as some still would have it, 'the war of ideas' or the struggle for 'hearts and minds' -- is important to every war effort," but was crucial in the U.S.-declared global war on terrorism, the report said.

"In this war, it is an essential objective because the larger goals of U.S. strategy depend on separating the vast majority of nonviolent Muslims from the radical-militant Islamist-Jihadists," it said.

"But American efforts have not only failed in this respect. They may also have achieved the opposite of what they intended," the report added.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said no decisions have been made on the report's recommendations, but added that "the Pentagon will not deviate from its guiding principle of making information available in a timely and accurate manner."

Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=9&u=/nm/mideast_usa_ideas_dc

For more on the economy and consumer debt:

Debtor Nation
by Robert B. Reich

November 24, 2004

Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, Stephen Roach. All say the economy is tanking. Not might tank. Not eventually tank. It's happening. Here, Robert Reich sketches out the sources of our self-made economic hole. Debt—both consumer and federal. This is the real deal, folks.

Robert B. Reich is the Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy at Brandeis University, and was the secretary of labor under former President Bill Clinton.

The holiday buying season is upon us. You might as well spend your cash now because the dollar is dropping like a stone in international currency markets. It’s dropped nearly 30 percent since 2001, and is now at a record low. Even without the recent dour pronouncements of Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary John Snow, the greenback is likely to fall further. And the reason is simple: We’re living beyond our means. American consumers are deep in debt. The nation is importing more than we’re exporting. Most importantly, the federal budget deficit is out of control.

Nearly all of the increase in public debt over the last four years -- some 1 trillion dollars -- has been financed by foreigners, lending us the money. But who wants to lend more and more to a drunken sailor? Foreigners are bailing out of dollars. Even the Chinese and Japanese, who have kept lending so we’ll keep buying their exports, are starting to wise up.

American exporters are cheering because a lower dollar makes everything they sell abroad cheaper. But it’s bad for the rest of us because as the dollar drops everything we buy from abroad -- including oil -- becomes that much more expensive. And these higher prices will ripple through the economy, threatening inflation and higher interest rates -- and, ultimately, reducing our living standards.

It’s one of the oldest of economic laws: When you’re living too high on the hog, eventually you’re gonna fall off and find yourself in pig slop...

http://www.tompaine.com/print/debtor_nation.php

I'm starting up my blog again and you can find the above at:

http://howardbealesghost.blogspot.com/

And just in time to raise your holiday spirits!

THE RONNIE HORROR SHOW

I thought you'd enjoy this. I did when it was aired live in 1981. I still can't believe they did it (but can believe that it's never been aired since). Look at the cast (and who played Nixon!).

http://ca.geocities.com/fridaysalways/ronnyhorror.htm

You won't see this on TV ever again...unless you know someone that taped it (like the guy who created this site).

Sam

Want to say that I like the list of links under the heading "Around the Net" - all information/action oriented sites, all professional in approach, and a good sampling. I am trying not to say excellent, LOL, but I think the choices say a lot about the intended direction of the blog, and point to vigilance, hard work and cooperation as the keys to success. I applaud that.

I think staying informed about current issues and focusing on action will help us to keep our eye on the real enemy and stop bashing our own good people. This administration intends to move fast - we don't have time for insisting that our own favorite personalities enjoy the limelight or for findding someone to blame for every mistake made. We must be a team and focus on inspiring all of our leaders to be the best they can be. It's an oldie but goodie - united we stand, divided we fall.

Thanks for a great start to the DCP.

Watched "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (is that the name?) with Fe from Berkeley. Tomorrow will have Thanksgiving with her & her nephew, Henry from Thailand, Ben from Indonesia, & friends from US & England, using wine suggestions from Andree of France!! & it's all thanks to the Kerry campaign & the internet!!! Love to all!! DiAnne

This is what happens when you're doing all the night-before prep for thanksgiving, and waiting for things to cook before going to bed....

http://www.democrats.org/about/history.html

A little inspiration for us - our roots, the distance we've come, and a reminder of the principles we all share.

A joke courtesy of this blog:

http://seetheforest.blogspot.com/

After numerous rounds of "We don't even know if Osama is still alive," Osama himself decided to send George W. a letter in his own handwriting to let him know he was still in the game.

Bush opened the letter and it appeared to contain a coded message:
370HSSV-0773H

Bush was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Colin Powell. Colin and his aides had no clue either so they sent it to the FBI. No one could solve it so it went to the CIA, and then to the NSA, then to the Secret Service. With no clue as to its meaning, they eventually asked Canada's RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) for help.

The RCMP e-mailed the White House. "Tell the President he is looking at the message upside down."

Happy Thanksgiving to all - even if with Bush as President for another four years, it seems that all we have to be thankful for is our health, and our loved ones. I guess our America is like a drunk who needs to hit bottom, and I can think of no more sure formula for hitting that bottom than four more years of Dubya's economic policies.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us--so wonderful to see all the messages here--our deep gratitude and love to all of you!

I wish you all deep quiet today, without ruminations, and the knowledge that every one of you made a difference. We are about to do even more.

So rest up and surround yourself with people who believe in you. Tell them about your journey and your passion and your hopes--and invite them to join you.

We are hearing from so many via e-mail as well--our boundaries are expanding and we are ready for the future.

Let the real dance begin...

Happy thanks giving to all of you

Happy Thanksgiving All!!!

I am off to have thanks giving with friends but I will stop in to talk with my other friend later

Again HAPPY THANKSGIVING and enjoy yourselves!!

Hello!

I just wanted to invite everyone to a new forum that, with your help, with continue to grow into a community working for a common cause -- bringing back the democracy we once knew.

I invite you to come join us so the work may begin.

We are located at:
http://forums.bringbackdemocracy.com

Hope to see you there!

Scott

And now for something completely different! I have caught a comedian named Mitch or Mitchell something on Comedy Central, but only in little segments, never from start to finish. He is terrifically funny, but I don't know his last name. Maybe you do. He wears sunglasses and has dark hair just above shoulder length. A sample:

"I have to wear a V-neck shirt....can't stand a tight collar. Turtlenecks are the worst...it's like a really weak guy is trying to strangle you to death...all day long. And if you wear a backpack, it's like a weak monkey is on your back, trying to strangle you to death..."

This I find hilarious. If you know this guy, please post. And Happy Thanksgiving!

I give thanks for our future. One day we will be living in an America where tolerance of differing opinions is the normal way of life.

I give thanks for the progress that all of us will make in helping others to live in a better America

I give thanks for a community of people who aren't afraid to tell the truth.

The Unofficial Blog never rests.

Posts today include an update on the recount, and a Swift Boat type exposee on Ann Coulter.

http://kerryblog.blogspot.com/

Abq Linda and I want to wish each and everyone of our blogging brothers and sisters a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful to have another Thanksgiving together, and very thankful to have this forum for all of us to share knowledge and our political ups and downs. Thanks Dick Bell!
We are having a Southwest turkey this year–turkey breast smothered in green chile salsa and cooked in the crock pot, cranberry sauce, homemade cornbread sage dressin’, scalloped potatoes, candied yams, and gingerbread cake with bourbon pecan topping. What’s on your menu for today?

Test

Dear All:

So good to see so many still so involved! Thanks to SC Kitty for steering me this way! We've got a lot of work to do, folks, be we are the "can do" people. I hope to be back permanently sateside from here in Baku soon and I intend not only to stay involved but really start to get involved.

God Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Chuck in Baku

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL !!!

Hi Chuck in Baku, good to see you again. ABQ, that sounds delicious, hope you all have a wonderful day, rest up, we do have a lot of work to do.

KerryDem (aka CarolforKerry)

NO SURRENDER !!!

Fe is here & we're totally cooking!
I think they're showing short movies made by her nephew downstairs - I hear the soundtrack (James Brown - "Super Bad")

& here is my Thanksgiving Contribution:

Alert: Things to do before Bush's Second Inaugural

1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.

2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.

3. Cash your Social Security check.

4. See a doctor of your own choosing.

5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.

6. Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.

7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.

8. Hoard gasoline.

10. Borrow books from library before banned Constitutional law books,
Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc.

11. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix - do it
now.

12. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!

13. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.

14. Stay out late before the curfews start.

16. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident".

17. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.

18. Use the phrase - "you can't do that - this is America".

19. If you're white - marry a black person, if you're black - marry
white person.

21. Take a walk in Yosemite, without being hit by a snowmobile
base-jumper.

22. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.

23. Start your school day without a prayer.

24. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.

26. Learn French.

28. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.

29. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.

30. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.

31. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.

32. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.

33. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill".

34. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a State.

From The Unofficial Kerry Blog - http://kerryblog.blogspot.com:

Alice's Restaurant

WBCN in Boston, used to make it an annual tradition to play Alice's Restaurant on Thanksgiving. For nearly 15 years now, I have lived in L.A., but I always think of Alice's Restaurant each year on Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving to all. It's been a tough year for so many, but there is still much to be thankful for.

Alice's Restaurant
By Arlo Guthrie

This song is called Alice's Restaurant, and it's about Alice, and the
restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant,
that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Alice's
Restaurant.

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant

Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the
church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of
room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room,
seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't
have to take out their garbage for a long time.

We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be
a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So
we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW
microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed
on toward the city dump.

Well we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the
dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving." And we had never heard of a dump
closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off
into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage.

We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the
side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the
cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile
is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we
decided to throw our's down.

That's what we did, and drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving
dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the
next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie. He said, "Kid,
we found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of
garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it." And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
under that garbage."

After speaking to Obie for about fourty-five minutes on the telephone we
finally arrived at the truth of the matter and said that we had to go down
and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and speak to him at the
police officer's station. So we got in the red VW microbus with the
shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the
police officer's station.

Now friends, there was only one or two things that Obie coulda done at
the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for
being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn't very likely, and
we didn't expect it, and the other thing was he could have bawled us out
and told us never to be see driving garbage around the vicinity again,
which is what we expected, but when we got to the police officer's station
there was a third possibility that we hadn't even counted upon, and we was
both immediately arrested. Handcuffed. And I said "Obie, I don't think I
can pick up the garbage with these handcuffs on." He said, "Shut up, kid.
Get in the back of the patrol car."

And that's what we did, sat in the back of the patrol car and drove to the
quote Scene of the Crime unquote. I want tell you about the town of
Stockbridge, Massachusets, where this happened here, they got three stop
signs, two police officers, and one police car, but when we got to the
Scene of the Crime there was five police officers and three police cars,
being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, and everybody wanted to
get in the newspaper story about it. And they was using up all kinds of
cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer's station.
They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and
they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each
one was to be used as evidence against us. Took pictures of the approach,
the getaway, the northwest corner the southwest corner and that's not to
mention the aerial photography.

After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. Obie said he was going to put
us in the cell. Said, "Kid, I'm going to put you in the cell, I want your
wallet and your belt." And I said, "Obie, I can understand you wanting my
wallet so I don't have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you
want my belt for?" And he said, "Kid, we don't want any hangings." I
said, "Obie, did you think I was going to hang myself for littering?"
Obie said he was making sure, and friends Obie was, cause he took out the
toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself over the head and drown, and he took
out the toilet paper so I couldn't bend the bars roll out the - roll the
toilet paper out the window, slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie
was making sure, and it was about four or five hours later that Alice
(remember Alice? It's a song about Alice), Alice came by and with a few
nasty words to Obie on the side, bailed us out of jail, and we went back
to the church, had a another thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat,
and didn't get up until the next morning, when we all had to go to court.

We walked in, sat down, Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back
of each one, sat down. Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up,
and Obie stood up with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures, and the judge walked in sat down with a seeing eye dog, and he
sat down, we sat down. Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the
twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows
and a paragraph on the back of each one, and looked at the seeing eye dog.
And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry,
'cause Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American
blind justice, and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the
judge wasn't going to look at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each
one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. And
we was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but thats not
what I came to tell you about.

Came to talk about the draft.

They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street,
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,
neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one
day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to
look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted
to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all
kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave
me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."

And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and
guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and
he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down
yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me,
sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."

Didn't feel too good about it.

Proceeded on down the hall gettin more injections, inspections,
detections, neglections and all kinds of stuff that they was doin' to me
at the thing there, and I was there for two hours, three hours, four
hours, I was there for a long time going through all kinds of mean nasty
ugly things and I was just having a tough time there, and they was
inspecting, injecting every single part of me, and they was leaving no
part untouched. Proceeded through, and when I finally came to the see the
last man, I walked in, walked in sat down after a whole big thing there,
and I walked up and said, "What do you want?" He said, "Kid, we only got
one question. Have you ever been arrested?"

And I proceeded to tell him the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre,
with full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and all
the phenome... - and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, did you ever
go to court?"

And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on
the back of each one, and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want
you to go and sit down on that bench that says Group W .... NOW kid!!"

And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, and there is, Group W's
where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after
committing your special crime, and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly
looking people on the bench there. Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father
rapers! Father rapers sitting right there on the bench next to me! And
they was mean and nasty and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the
bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one, the meanest
father raper of them all, was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly
'n' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things and he sat down next to me
and said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay
$50 and pick up the garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?"
And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench
there, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I
said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand,
and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing,
father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the
bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of
things, until the Sargeant came over, had some paper in his hand, held it
up and said.

"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna-
know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-
you-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting-
officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for
forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had
fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there,
and I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it
down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the
pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the
other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on
the other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the
following words:

("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?")

I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to
ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm
sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench
'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women,
kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug." He looked at me and
said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints
off to Washington."

And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a
study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm
singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar
situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a
situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into
the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get
anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and
all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the
guitar.

With feeling. So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and
sing it when it does. Here it comes.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

That was horrible. If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
for another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired.

So we'll wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part
harmony and feeling.

We're just waitin' for it to come around is what we're doing.

All right now.

You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Excepting Alice
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant

Da da da da da da da dum
At Alice's Restaurant

©1966,1967 (Renewed) by Appleseed Music Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Pamela aka Kerrygoddess

PAMELA!

Get going to your sister's! Thanks for the citation tho'. Have caffeine?

JOHN--what time is dinner? I think we can make it if we leave now...

Chuck in Baku--great to see you and we can't wait to have you involved more...

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/112604B.shtml

Even for a Liberal, There's Comfort to be Found
By Susan Lenfestey
The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Wednesday 24 November 2004

Andree,

Thanks for the wine suggestions!

Bon Appetit from Seattle!!

DiAnne,

You're welcome!

Say hello to Fe and everybody at your big party....

Love to you all.

Good message from Harvey Fierstein:

http://www.inthelifetv.org/1402_player.html

Happy Thanksgiving - I am celebrating with Catholics, Buddhists & Pagans today.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

White House Thanksgiving Turkey Detained Without Counsel

WASHINGTON, DC–Cousin Wattle, the official National Thanksgiving Turkey who was to have been pardoned by President Bush in an annual White House ceremony that dates back to the Truman administration, is currently being held without formal charges or access to legal counsel, White House press secretary Scott McClellan confirmed Tuesday.

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4047&n=1&ref=myy

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Have any of you read the new info
posted on Democratic Underground today
under "2004 election results and discussion"
called "Technicians leak info about voter
rigging" by Wayne Madsen?
Very intriging stuff. Not sure if anything
will come out of it though.

Lots to be thankful for. We have blogs, and we will be able to turn this around. Thank GOD for the internet which will build the revolution in spite of Bush.

The world is talking to one anothter in spite of thier leaders.

Happy Thanks Giving all you lovely Dems!

A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVENING......

the dinner is over. the dishes are done. my kitchen has survived once again. because no day in my life will ever be complete without a note to my "net" family, i just wanted to stop in and say hello to all.

hoping that everyone managed to get some rest and relaxation today. a little parade, a little dog show, a little football.

much love to all. stay safe this weekend you travelling types. and don't go crazy at those day after sales!!!

until tomorrow

This was just sent to me

TEACHER ARRESTED

At New York’s Kennedy airport today, an individual, later discovered to be a public school teacher, was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft said the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.
“Al-gebra is a fearsome cult,” Ashcroft said. “They desire average solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value. They use code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns,’ but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, ‘There are three sides to every triangle’”.
When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.”

From today’s emails
HEAVIEST ELEMENT DISCOVERED

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical element yet known to science. The new element has been named “Governmentium”.
Governmentium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons and 11 assistant deputy neutrons giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.
Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less then a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of two to six years; it does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium mass actually increases over time, since every reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed wherever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as “Critical Morass”.
You will know it when you see it.

Happy Thanksgiving every one!

I'm grateful that I got to meet and work w/ many of you through the Kerry blog and know that we will eventually be vindicated and put this county back on a proper and hopeful course!

http://www.arlo.net/massacree/

For Pam and everyone else

An audio of the 30 anniversary performance of Alice's Restaurant held in Great Barrington Mass. (just down the road in the Berkshires from the scene of the crime)!

http://www.arlo.net/massacree/set2_56k.ram

directly to the song (Real Player)

Benson has a different view of the budget deficit

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/benson/

There is a very weird article circulating the Net right now by a person named Wayne Madsen.

The headline reads,

Saudis, Enron money helped pay for US rigged election

The link for this "story" is:

http://onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/112504Madsen/112504madsen.html

I would be very cautious about embracing this story. It is an out and out conspiracy theory, along the lines of "the US government knew about 9/11 ahead of time". But sometimes, these things have a kernel of truth to them. For example, the August 6 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing is factual. Bush's reaction in the Florida classroom on the day of is factual. And other "conspiracies" like Watergate, Iran-Contra, and even Abu Ghraib have turned out to be real.

But also keep in mind that Wayne wrote an article a few weeks ago that some bloggers passed on, with the headline:

A Bush Pre-Election Strike on Iran: White House Insiders Report "October Surprise" Imminent

Of course there was no pre-election strike on Iran.

So please everyone, it's a minefield of misinformation out there. I really, really want to know who Wayne Madsen's sources are that told him Bush paid $29 million to rig his own election and had Diebold employees pose as Homeland Security. My mind is spinning from theories abound, but as a proud member of the strictly reality based community, so far this story seems to be from the realm of Weekly World News's Bat Boy.

Diane, thanks for your list of things to do. LOL!! I hope it's okay that I pass it around.

"If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
for another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired."

Now there's something to be grateful for. All those voices, all those loud voices, all those people who didn't get tired, who weren't too proud to take a stand, make a sacrifice, lose face.

Let's emulate them.

Thank you Arlo, and thank you Pamela.

I hope I'm wrong, but the Online Journal article looks like unsubstantiated information.

Marcus,

Thank You! I just got home and I am joyfully listening to Arlo! What a treat, I never thought to look for a link to the audio.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving, full of old friends and family, and are headed home. More to follow!

How do we deal with this?! Read the whole thing!!

"In the centre of Belgrade, there is a dingy office staffed by computer-literate youngsters who call themselves the Centre for Non-violent Resistance. If you want to know how to beat a regime that controls the mass media, the judges, the courts, the security apparatus and the voting stations, the young Belgrade activists are for hire."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1360236,00.html

US campaign behind the turmoil in Kiev

With their websites and stickers, their pranks and
slogans aimed at banishing widespread fear of a
corrupt regime, the democracy guerrillas of the
Ukrainian Pora youth movement have already notched up a famous victory - whatever the outcome of the
dangerous stand-off in Kiev.

Ukraine, traditionally passive in its politics, has been mobilised by the young democracy activists and will never be the same again.

But while the gains of the orange-bedecked "chestnut revolution" are Ukraine's, the campaign is an American creation, a sophisticated and brilliantly conceived exercise in western branding and mass marketing that, in four countries in four years, has been used to try to salvage rigged elections and topple unsavoury regimes.

Funded and organised by the US government, deploying US consultancies, pollsters, diplomats, the two big American parties and US non-government organisations, the campaign was first used in Europe in Belgrade in 2000 to beat Slobodan Milosevic at the ballot box.

- keep reading -

I am also reading "Colossus: The Price of Empire" - when B*** talks of "spreading freedom," it means, of course, spread of Empire.

Thanks Andrew - for the info on the story r/t Saudis/election etc.

The article I posted about US/Ukraine is from the Guardian, which is usually as credible as anything.

Someone has just sent me one about how religious fundamentalists spread lies to Hawaiians about what was going on on the mainland - I don't doubt it as Hawaii (usually true blue) did become a minor threat!

Neither article on this has a link - he sent in their entirety. The idea is that a porn addict became a born-again & then crusaded against all the things he used to indulge in. He then played a role in organizing fundies for the Repubs in places such as Ohio & Hawaii.

Here are some Ukraine blogs.
Is there for a country to have a democracy without B*** somehow exploiting said country?!

http://kinja.com/user/ukraineblogs/default/top/

I guess we do have to be careful about conspiracy theories -- because we don't want to end up like Dan Rather with egg on our faces.

But it does make you wonder about the son of the Director of the CIA. When Carter came in after Nixon and Ford, the CIA was purged of much of its clandestine operations which were known to be deeply involved in the Bay of Pigs, San Salvador, Guatamala and Honduras as well as the coups that overthrew democracies when they chose leaders too far to the left -- Chile & Nicaragua. These spooks lost power as a result of getting caught interfering in one US election (Watergate). With post watergate legislation barring them from regrouping in the CIA when Reagan came in, they found it more expedient to set up shop in the Whitehouse (Oliver North -- Iran-Contra) and the Defense Intelligence Agencies where they were more isolated from the public. Bush's Dad barely escaped from being caught up in the Iran Contra & BCCI scandals, exposed by none other than Bush jr's opponent in the past election, John Kerry.

Conspiracy theory or reality? - we do need some asnwers to a few questions.

Why did the Shrub choose as his first action as president to declare presidential records (his & his Dad's) as exempt from freedom of information inquires? I don't think it was to hide lectures from his Dad about DWI's.

What motivated the Shrub in bringing in the PNAC and other neo-cons (many of whom were involved in Iran-Contra) into the DIA?

Why did he rely on their tainted view of WMD reality in invading Iraq, ignoring the caveats from the CIA and from the leftovers from Clinton's counter-terrorrism group in the Whitehouse (Clarke).

Why is there now a purging of the CIA with a return to power of the old clandestine services guard?

Certainly, these would be the guys who have the experience and inclination to control the world by manipulating intrigue and democratic institutions going at least as far back as the the Shah.

Would they manipulate the US election in 2004 to retain the power they had just recently regained? I am convinced that if there was a way, they would have no qualms about doing it.

bob-in-co

Bob-in-co,
I totally agree with your statement.
I put "nothing" past these neo-cons!

bob-in-co:
Interesting that you bring this up. I was watching Unsolved Mysteries today and there was a story about the mysterious death of a Virginia-based investigative supporter in 1991. Apparently the official word is that he killed himself but there are alot of folks who doubt this including his family, news colleagues (one who is now a CNBC producer) and a man named Richardson who was the U.S. AG for Nixon. Apparently Richardson quit the Nixon admin because he didn't want to take part in the Watergate shenanigans. Anyway, apparently this reporter was working on a story about the illegal selling and use of software by various clandestine agencies in the U.S. govt. and this scandal somehow grew to involve high-ups in the federal judiciary branch and according to the reporter's investigation, also had links to BCCI, Iran Contra and some other bad Reagan-Bush era scandals. Apparently the reporter was dealing with government informants as well as shadowy underworld figures including arms and drug dealers to gather info. The reporter's brother said that the week before he died, his brother said he had been receiving death threats and if anything happened to him it wasn't an accident. When they found the reporter's body they said all his papers detailing this scandal which he called "The Octopus" were gone and they've never been found.

When I saw this I immediately thought of JKs BCCI investigation and how the campaign never mentioned it and how even at the time when the BCCI scandal leaked JK was pretty much told to get off the case or else. All this is pretty scary to me. Like you said bob-in-co, this Reagan-Bush crowd is still around and they are evil, cold people. And they truly believe in winning by any means necessary. This, by the way, is probably why alot of the media are scared to go up against this crew. They are evil bullies bent on dragging America down with them. Scary, scary stuff.

The only thing scarier than a conspiracy to steal the election, is that people in the numbers of 60 million would choose to vote for B*** despite outright lies in the State of the Union, regarding Iraq's WMD capabilities, and in the highly immoral actions and coverup at Abu Ghraib. So either way, something is very wrong with this picture. Fortunately by concentrating on 1. media reform and 2. election reform we can hope to turn this thing around so the next generation doesn't inherit a 1984-style society.

One more thing....
I also find it interesting that in the last three decades, it is the Repubs who have had the major seedy govt. scandals. Carter and Clinton ran pretty clean admins. Compared to Watergate, BCCI and Iran Contra, and the list too long to name of other Ray-gun, Shrub I and Shrub 2 misdeeds, Travel-gate and the Monica deal seem quite tame.

And they are the party of values? PUHLEEZE.

From Molly Ivins (I think of her as, "The Most Trusted Name in News")

http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

AUSTIN, Texas -- Dan Green of New York City says of the election results, "You can't be depressed now, the worst is yet to come." Following that good advice, I intended to keep my indignation dry and save the outrage for when it is really needed, kind of like saving room for the pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner. If we're going to get through the next four years, we have to pace ourselves, I concluded.

But here it is, not even three weeks into the new Bush regime, and already I'm jaw-dropped, you've-got-to-be-kidding mad. Here's the record so far...

http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

Cute cartoon from a month ago:

http://www.buzzflash.com/anderson/04/10/and04053.html

"Cats are Democrats, Dogs are Republicans"

Saw This Coming A Thousand Miles Away...

Stiff trade sanctions against U.S. approved
Apples, textiles, mobile homes among affected items

The Associated Press
Updated: 1:02 p.m. ET Nov. 26, 2004

GENEVA - The World Trade Organization gave the go-ahead Friday for punitive sanctions on U.S. exports from lobsters to industrial equipment because Washington has yet to comply with a two-year-old order to repeal a trade law that uses penalties collected from foreign manufacturers to aid their domestic rivals.

“It’s been approved,” said Amina C. Mohamed, Kenyan ambassador to the WTO, who is chairwoman of the organization’s dispute settlement body.
__________________snip______________________

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6589448/

Donations?

Ran into this on the web and appears to be legit...

Kerry clutches to hopes of recount victory
White House calls on nation to 'come together'

http://www.northcountynews.com/view.asp?s=11-24-04/news5.htm

We're discussing something in chat right now - the idea of flooding the Ukraine and Russian news media with information - ie links - about the US elections fraud perpetrated by the socially conservative neocons against liberal, moderate and progressive Americans. What do you folks think about that idea?

Should have explained reasons for the above idea. The media here is only covering the Ukraine story. We need to get OUR story into the Ukraine story.

Amy - I like the idea. For one thing, I wonder if these Ukrainians who don't trust the Putin-inspired are also so crazy about the B***-inspired? My understanding was that people in that part of the world were not too keen on the Iraq war, speaking of the rank & rile, not "puppets" or members of the Coalition-of-the-Bribed.

If B*** & Co. are going to encourage pro-democracy movements, theyhad better start looking in their own back yard. They speak of "spreading freedom" but there is one true word for it - Empire.

Amazing graphic - Red v Blue All Over Again

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1023721&mesg_id=1024063&page=

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1023721&mesg_id=1023721&page=

The state run media in the Ukraine has put their foot down!

We need to shame our conglomerate media into doing the same.

Perhaps our letters might be heard now! Particularly when we applaud the democracy of their press in the Ukraine while pointing out the comparison to their behavior here.

Now is our chance. My suggestions are:

write our letters and make our calls to the media.

Send the information out to all our email contacts.

Do a neighborhood canvass--and tell your neighbors about the Ukrainian's Thanksgiving surprise and ask for their help in media reform here.

Go the mall and do some holiday shopping. While you're there, put a note on every windshield and speak to everyone you see.

Remember--this issue is not about RED and BLUE! It's about the media doing what our founding fathers intended! The media is our watchdog for government corruption and we need to hold their feet to the fire! And demcracy is about keeping the balance of power; the Ukrainian media clearly understands their job in bringing forth a democratic state. Our media hasn't realized that they impeed democracy when they become the bullhorn for the republican party.

Hi again: Great to see so many familiar blogger names.
Canada is planning an 'unwelcome' party for Bush when he comes to Canada!
He isn't going to address Parliament because he is scared of being boooooooed, but is heading East to visit Halifax to continue to exploit the Cnd connection to 9/11
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=d3ccffe4-d4cf-4c90-8462-31e26a8b173f

Hi Canadianview, so good to see you here. Have you read the open letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin from the Lawyers Against The War? I would so love it if these lawyers were able on legal grounds to keep Bush from entering Canada.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I have had a very relaxing time with my family and I enjoyed the holiday--I hope many of you did the same.

I liked the article posted by Indy--we need to stay on top of this voting thing to ensure that every vote is counted. Rove will be starting his slander machine pretty soon, and we need to be ready--We should not unite in favor of this regime--regardless of the outcome.

Happy Thanksgiving! Glad I found the new blog.

Just wanted to say that I am proud of all of you and glad that Kerry/Edwards brought us together -- my fire, the torch of Liberty, will never quench. I look forward to working with you all.

Keep it up .. there's a lot to do .. more later.

- Edo