Susan Sontag Remembered

As the world mourns the loss of a wonderfully gifted writer who really felt
the pain of others, she shows us how to be and what to do in a world that
needs to be more accepting of differences and more empathetic of humans.

We are connected by our humanity--the natural disaster and our feelings for
the those who are there is evidence of that--we do need to stop this
war--and we do ned to be more compassionate.

Thank you, Susan Sontag. Thank you for
teaching, thank you for sharing.

Paul Begala today on Crossfire, after watching and listening to James
Gilmore, R., former Governor of Virginia, tap dance and defend President
Bush's apparent lack of compassion and unwillingness to send more monetary
aid to tsunami victims in Asia, said, "What would Jesus do?" Then, after
watching and listening to Mr. Gilmore tap dance some more, Begala asked:
"Do you lie to Christian organizations like this?"

I was tickled.

Perhaps we should shame the Evangelical Minsiters with letters deploring
their silence and inhumanity regarding this tragedy. I want to hear Pat
Robertson belly ache that of course big govt can't solve all problems.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,15671,1380838,00.html

Asian blogs with first person reports

US government is nearly bankrupt - that's one problem.

Posted by: DiAnne at December 29, 2004 10:23 PM

DiAnne

We may be nearly bankrupt but Florida and surrounding areas got 13.6 billion for hurricane relief and all we can do is $35 million? Something is sorely wrong with this picture -
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=175

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/tsunamirelief.htm

OK, this is a test of the DCP late nite FUBAR system.

Determining degree of FUBAR.

FUBAR rating: 5 out of 10

Members of Congress already began sizing up where the next U.S. disaster funds will come from in a budget already stretched by the war on terror and Iraq. ``I would recommend rescinding some of the many billions of dollars for Iraq, which remain unspent, in order to help finance the relief operations in South Asia,'' offered Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a frequent Bush critic.

The administration has spent little of the $18.4 billion approved by Congress last year for Iraq reconstruction. It says spending has been slowed by security problems.

I'm reading about the Russia/China/Europe stuff, and about the tsunami, and I'm thinking that the rest of the world has quietly decided to leave America behind. We refused to work on environmental protection at Kyoto, we are pushing forward with American imperialism, we spend more money on killing innocent people than any country in history, we give less per capita and per our GNI than any other developed country, we have been named the number one threat to world peace, we scorned the UN, insulted our neighbors and European allies, and have rolled back the enironmental protections that were saving the Great Lakes. Yes, the Great Lakes are now dying again, thanks to Bush.

Bush may be teflon now, he may be getting a pass at every gate by this media, but the world will not let this president get away with destroying their world. Bush has given the rest of the world the opportunity to mend their fences, and to get along without America. And they can you know. The world can get along without America. And they will.

Amy
On top of it, I think we're going broke.
Think of the loss of the dollar against the euro, more each day, & the trade deficit.

China is buying oil from Canada & natural gas from Australia. They have had joint military exercises with France.

&American now imports more food than it exports.
We used to have a food surplus! We used to sell grain to the Soviet Union! Bob Dole went to Iraq before the Gulf War to work on selling more grain to Saddam. Before that, we sold food all over the globe & it helped keep good relations going.

Now - no surplus. We have a domestic food deficit. We have to import. In 2001 we had an agricultural trade surplus. Where did it go under Bush? No one at the Agriculture Dept. is able to explain.

The dollar is rock bottom against most currencies. No one seems to want our stuff. It seems to be getting worse. & the Chinese are helping the Brazilians build bridges & roads in exchange for buying China's soy. The Chinese will also buy Brazilian beef. Brazil is taking our place.

We are importing so much food that Homeland Security will have no way to protect it from terrorist contamination. Even inspection has been privatized by the Bush government.

Posted by: DiAnne at December 30, 2004 12:54 AM

Head to the nearest community garden if you don't have land and grow your own!

Bleak picture ahead DiAnne.

About swiping and tracking with national identity cards:

Single Government ID Moves Closer to Reality
High-Tech Cards Are Designed to Bolster Security

By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page A25

Federal officials are developing government-wide identification card standards for federal employees and contractors to prevent terrorists, criminals and other unauthorized people from getting into government buildings and computer systems.

...

Some federal employees have concerns about the new cards.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents more than 150,000 federal workers in 30 agencies, said the proposed standard would permit agencies to print employees' pay grade and rank on the new cards, which many workers would consider an invasion of privacy.

"For example, an agency might seize upon this technology as a means to track employees as they move throughout a building," Kelley said in written comments to NIST last week. "That is troubling, standing alone. It would be particularly objectionable if the agency tried to track visits to particular sites such as the union office, Employee Assistance Program offices and the inspector general's office."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35071-2004Dec29.html

Bob in Co,

I posted another part of the story on LUTD Blog last night.

snip: from "You can't blame 'Uncle Sam' for what Bush does"

Recently, the NPR program "The Connection" invited me to debate my Dec. 8 Globe column arguing the case for a national identity card. I had written, playing against type, that a national ID card with proper safeguards would be an improvement on the mess we have now, where citizens' personal information reposes in dozens of government and commercial data bases, with far too few prohibitions against its misuse.

With a national ID card, approved by Congress in return for stringent safeguards, we could have instant voter registration, better protections against teen binge-drinking, clarity about who is entitled to legally work, as well as more effective control against terrorism. In exchange, we could pull back some of the real abuses in the USA Patriot Act, and strengthen privacy in other respects.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/12/29/you_cant_blame_uncle_sam_for_what_bush_does/

Sorry Pamela, I don’t buy it.

You are mixing together two separate functions: identification and access to personal information. I don’t need a national identity card to provide someone access to some of my personal information. You argue that you would like a simple, single key to all your personal information. Yet privacy can only be protected by keeping it in several different places with different keys. Ever see a movie where several keys are needed before the bomb can be launched? That’s what is needed to protect one’s privacy.

Right now, although its not complete, a SS no gives access to almost everything. So whenever you write a check and the clerk asks for your SS no you just gave away the key. No, its not just Bush or Uncle Sam, its every tom, dick and harry. Bush isn’t the only scam artist I worry about. I don’t like getting letters from 15 different mortgage brokers whom I have never met, telling me how much my loan payments, principle and interest rate are and how much I can save (and you know, he probably already has checked my credit score). How’d he get that info? Somehow found my SS no. When the doctor asks for my SS no so he can get past medical records, why should I also give him the key to my credit info? When my employer asks for my SS no as a tax id, why should I give her the key to my credit info and medical records. And when a cop pulls me over and wants my driver license --- [audience, fill in the words]. At least here in Colorado, my drivers license no is NOT my SS no. I want more control over who sees my private info, not less. I want several keys. I want my information compartmentalized, so no one gets access to more than he/she needs.

What’s this got to do with a national id card? Nothing really. We don’t need one. And we certainly don’t need to give the government -- benevolent Uncle Sam or malevolent George Bush -- the ability to easily track every airplane I board, every government or other public building I enter for which there is some very slight chance that a terrorist might gain access. Maybe there is a need for a card that identifies my face and name. But it doesn’t have to be issued nationally, and most certainly doesn’t need a magnetic strip to easily record where I have been or the key to all my private info.

Amy and Dianne:

The whole idea of the world against the U.S. and George Bush really only ties into the republican's "frame" of "strict daddy" over michevious children.

I have been reading Lakoff and am seeing their actions with a much clearer eye.

I really recommend reading the book.

Sparrow

Bush is the mischievous child and the world is the daddy. As usual, the propaganda is Orwellian.

There is a huge difference between the American public perception (that he is big Daddy) & the world perception (that he is a fool).

I'm with the world on this one.

Dianne:

I'm with YOU and THE WORLD--but the republican frame of mind is that the U.S. is daddy--needing to be strict (hense their 'it's my way or the highway' mentality.)

So to the republicans the rest of the world is acting like spoiled little children and need the firm hand of daddy, "who knows best..."

Problem is--the world is behaving with more maturity than "daddy" is. (YUCK--to anyone who thinks of bush/cheney as "daddy". I'm gagging at the thought!)

http://www.blogpac.org

Promotes Lakoff CD

The Republicans in power don't care what the Republicans who voted want. It's all about the corporations. & there is still potential for alliances that in effect form competing superpowers.

US is the Empire but so is China & so is the EU after its 3rd expansion. The demographics favor China.

Having control of all 3 branches of government in the US is not going to buy that much in the world arena.

Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at December 29, 2004 05:33 PM

I'm not a political genious, but perhaps everytime the Bush supporters lie, cheat, steal, behave corruptly, kill women/children, men in this biggest LIE of the Iraq War, we need to say, "Is that what Jesus would do?"

Everytime an elderly person dies of starvation, or from lack of medicine, we need to say, "Is that what Jesus would do?"

Everytime a child can't read, write, or spell becuase Bush has cut education funding to give money to the rich (who can afford private schools), we should say, "Is that what Jesus would do?"

Let that be OUR MANTRA--"Is that what Jesus would do."

Or conversely--"We're trying to do what Jesus would do."

Off topic, but interesting nonetheless. Here's an article from The Guardian that hasn't seemed to make the mainstream news here yet...

A state of chaos

George Bush has purged the last of his father's senior advisers, handing over control to his neocon allies

The transition to President Bush's second term, filled with backstage betrayals, plots and pathologies, would make for an excellent chapter of I, Claudius. To begin with, Bush has unceremoniously and without public acknowledgement dumped Brent Scowcroft, his father's closest associate and friend, as chairman of the foreign intelligence advisory board. The elder Bush's national security adviser was the last remnant of traditional Republican realism permitted to exist within the administration.

At the same time the vice president, Dick Cheney, has imposed his authority over secretary of state designate Condoleezza Rice, in order to blackball Arnold Kanter, former under secretary of state to James Baker and partner in the Scowcroft Group, as a candidate for deputy secretary of state.

Read more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1380713,00.html

Yay, we are up and running again. Karen, too funny. FUBAR, we no longer are. Thank you Dick and Karen, good job.

Bob-in-CO,

Any word on your family? Any idea how far
inland they were living or staying that morning?
Or what time their first flight was?

Hopes and prayers,

Posted by: bob-in-co at December 30, 2004 05:37 AM

Bob in Co

What Robert Kuttner is saying in that article that I posted the quote from is that we need stringent safeguards on this. Granted Bush and others are not to be trusted. But the fact is they passed this through and now it is up to us and others to see that safeguards are put in place.

Kuttner has made sense in both of the pieces he wrote on this subject (I missed the NPR interview). He's no conservative, he's a respected liberal, progressive.

I don't know if you read the entire article, but what he says rings true in my eyes, the government has done a lot of good and it's Bush and his minions who have torn down that good.

First, I would like to thank Dick, Karen, and all of the others who are working behind the scenes to make the transition that we are looking forward to.
Secondly, It gives me great pleasure to see the posts continuing to come in despite the transition. That the posts are continuing is a testiment to our dedication.
Third, I couldn't agree more with the comments about the world perceptions about America's role in the world. It has become clear that foreign governments don't trust the security of the dollar. We wont be able to rely on foreign governments to bail us out of our huge defecits. A spiral into economic destitution for the middle class is starting. Never the less our leaders are determined to make their plight even worse by encouraging private investment of funds for social security. Greed is the operative word.

Fourth. I think it would be best leaving Jesus out of the equation. Asking what Jesus might do in a particular situation is sure to cause anger and resentment with bitter recriminations. Maybe the question should be, "are these choices based on the morals we have been taught to live by?"

Any word on your family? Any idea how far
inland they were living or staying that morning?
Or what time their first flight was?

Hopes and prayers,

Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at December 30, 2004 12:31 PM

My brother and his family live in Duri which is protected from the west bylow mountains, and is fairly far inland from the north east coast at about the same latitude as Singapore. I think Duri might have shook a bit (a 9 is no small temblor), but probably survived intact. But they were headed out that morning for an island hopping trip to the islands off the northern tip of Sulawesi. That area is also safe from the tsunamis, which probably did not reach beyond Singapore. But no contact, no answer on the house phone, his boss at the Chevron facility in Duri hasn't heard from him. For all I know, they drove to the nearby airport (an hour's drive) got on a plane before the quake and flew to Singapore or Jakarta where they changed planes for Sulawesi. May never have heard about the tsunamis, or how destructive they were, before they got dumped on some small tropical island. Knowing him, he wouldn't have taken anything that would allow someone to cantact him or get news. On the other hand, if they didn't get off, I'm sure they would want to assist in the relief effort. Death toll in Indonesia alone is now expected to be 80,000. Just comforting the indigeneous people in Duri who lost relatives would occupy Chris and Audrey if they were there.

So thanks for your concern. I may have made it seem more dire than it is. But you know you'd like to hear that call telling us that all is well. I will be a bit nervous for the next 10 days until they are due back.

Pamela,

I fear that Uncle Sam is not as careful about our rights to privacy and other civil rights as he used to be. We just let slip through, in a general apropriations bill, the ability of congressional committee staff to see our tax returns. There doesn't seem to be anyone that is either willing or able to assure me that other items like this national identity card will slip through without even debate. With one party in control, a party that deos not seemed inclined to challenge their leader, Bush and the neocons, I no longer trust Uncle Sam to be vigilant. We seem to have lost our checks and balances. I'd rather there was no national card. Good luck in trying to stay on top of the issue. Bush and Rove's strategy is to divert our attention, with social security and tax reform, and push through a lot of anti-civil rights regulations under the radar.

does anyone know how long we are going to look like this for posting? it's very hard on the eyes, at least to me. just wondering.....

Democrat Declared Wash. Governor-Elect
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20041230/ap_on_el_gu/washington_governor
"OLYMPIA, Wash. - After three vote tallies and 58 days of waiting, Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's governor-elect on Thursday. But her Republican rival did not concede and wants a new election."
"Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified Gregoire, the three-term attorney general, as the winner of the closest governor's race in state history. She won a statewide hand recount by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast."

Good news for the WA state election: Gregoire is the governor! However, Rossi has not conceded and is planning on asking that state's Democratic-controlled congress for a special election. Can you imagine what would happen if we had a Democrat with enough balls to do that on a national level? Apparently repukes think it's okay for them to ask for special elections (echoes of Ukraine), but if a Democrat asks for EVERY vote to be counted, then Democrats are making much ado about nothing and we're supposed to take whatever's crammed down our throats as their version of a just and fair election process (which includes criminal actions on their part).

My wish for the New Year: a mainstream media that reports all of this, and responsible journalists who will do some investigative reporting and blow the lid off the fraud and lies on the part of the repukes at the highest offices in this nation.... which will then prompt the kool-aiders to maybe ask a few logical questions.... Ah, but I have sweet daydreams of a free press again.....

In the midst of a stupid illegal, unjust, and unethical war, and a horrible disaster half a world away, one ray of sunshine.... :-)

Posted by: tutterfly at December 30, 2004 03:29 PM

The techies are working on it as fast as they can. Do you have sunglasses you can wear in the meantime? (Also, you can change your background color via your browser, if that helps.)

thank you dear madame d.

its just old age creeping up on me. i can wait till the geeks and techies make it all pretty again. heaven knows i could not do half of what others do in the wonderful world of computers. i am the original know nothing. i am amazed that i ever got this far to be with all of you. i will do what i can to cope till things are all purdy and perfect.

Posted by: bob-in-co at December 30, 2004 03:25 PM

Bob-in-Co

We can't give up hope and we can't give up fighting. There are still those in the Senate, Congress and Judicial branches of the government who will continue to fight this madness of the Bush administration and the GOP's hold on our government!

Desmond Tutu Speaks about Bush, God and America

In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, discussed the re-election Bush, America "as the bastion of true freedom" and Bush being chosen by God. Tutu, known as a “voice of conscience,” during the South African apartheid “faced down dirty tricks, arrests and assassination threats to lead protest marches and highlight racial injustice in his native South Africa .”

In this revealing and frank interview, Tutu, describes the invasion of Iraq as "immoral" and expresses his astonishment over Bush’s re-election. No doubt, there are many who will agree with his assessment. Here are some excerpts from the interview…

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=176

Here we go again Pamela -

As for the National ID cards, what we have are standardized driver's licenses across states. No more. No less. We are NOT handing out a brand-new federal card overnight.

And for reasons I mentioned in another thread, I would NEVER want the feds to hand out my ID card. They have NO concept - or concern - for my privacy. I can't say it enough when I say that a federal national ID would force me to move to Canada or Europe, where they also would force me to carry similar cards but with much greater concern for my privacy.

Besides, if a national ID card can let doctors access medical information handily (as you suggested previously) then it'd be more information the government can use against you. I'd rather carry a separate insurance card for that purpose, unless we have a nationalized healthcare system, which NO ONE in this country seems to want anyway.

SkinnyLawyer

I totally get what your objections are, and other's objections as well. Bob-in-Co mentioned a piece he read about the subject, I offered an alternative view from a respected liberal, progressive on the same subject.

Yes, I happen to agree with some of Robert Kuttner's views on this subject. Others do as well. We are ALL entitled to our opinions on this and other things in the world.

No one said we were "handing out a brand-new federal card overnight" or that we should.

I did not respond to Bob-in-Co's post to go through round 2 of this discussion. And on that note, I'm done discussing this here, today and in the future.

Oncall is right. Best leave Jesus out of this.
The intention to expose could be misunderstood as an intention to convert. And does leave the door open to all kinds of misunderstanding, resentment, and attack.

My own purpose here is to expose and warn.
I hate the hypocrisy of using religion in
a culture to obtain and retain power. And I called Rove brilliant? He is just doing what
has been done for centuries. The pity is that
the American people are too gullible. Especially people in churches who want to be told what to do
to absolve themselves from being human. These
same people were raised on apple pie, and taught
that America and her leaders are nothing less
than honorable.

When did America cease to be a nation of truth?
When did she start to indoctrinate her children?
When did America become more about Greed than
Compassion?

I think we need to be more vocal about the values
of the Democratic party. Spell it out for them.
The American people need to be educated on a grass roots level as well as through the media.
If Americans are all greedy and selfish and cruel,
then she deserves the fate she is headed toward.
If we are not, and I believe we are not, then it is our responsibility to do what we can in a peaceful way to reeducate and redirect the momentum. A new direction shall be established, one of true moral values, true compassion, true MOTIVES.

It is my belief that the worst of people and the best of people exist in all societies. I have
traveled some, and I have seen people of every
culture I visited exhibit love of family and compassion for their fellow man. However, and this is just my opinion after observation, the richer a country is monitarily, the poorer it becomes in compassion and caring for it's own and others.

While I was a visitor to a family in a poor country, I was fed cake as a visitor that
took the entire family's monthly flour and sugar rations. I saw the joy and love that went into that kind, simple act.

A nation as rich as ours should have affordable health care for it's citizens. It should have outreach and care programs for all the needy. There should not be ANY homeless. There should be rehabilitation for everyone who needs it. There should not be poverty. There should not be any hungry. Not in this great nation. The middle class, whose backs were nearly broken supporting Corporate America, should not be forced now into poverty. Am I for government doing everything for people? Absolutely not. It is not about that. That is a smokescreen. The rich have robbed resources from the middle class and the poor in this country for far too long. They can afford to do with one less bathroom in their vacation home to see that no one in America is
treated on a sub-human level.

We CAN do better.

I'm posting the entire piece from the truthout e-newsletter because I think it's important. Time to contact our legislators to stand with Conyers to protest the electoral vote. They should all be back from Xmas break next week....

Conyers to Object to Ohio Electors, Requests Senate Allies
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/123104W.shtml

Conyers to Object to Ohio Electors, Requests Senate Allies
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Report
Thursday 30 December 2004

Representative John Conyers, ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, will object to the counting of the Ohio Electors from the 2004 Presidential election when Congress convenes to ratify those votes on January 6th. In a letter dispatched to every Senator, which will be officially published by his office shortly, Conyers declares that he will be joined in this by several other members of the House. Rep. Conyers is taking this dramatic step because he believes the allegations and evidence of election tampering and fraud render the current slate of Ohio Electors illegitimate.

"As you know," writes Rep. Conyers in his letter, "on January 6, 2005, at 1:00 P.M, the electoral votes for the election of the president are to be opened and counted in a joint session of Congress. I and a number of House Members are planning to object to the counting of the Ohio votes, due to numerous unexplained irregularities in the Ohio presidential vote, many of which appear to violate both federal and state law."

The letter goes on to ask the Senators who receive this letter to join Conyers in objecting to the Ohio Electors. "I am hoping that you will consider joining us in this important effort," writes Conyers, "to debate and highlight the problems in Ohio which disenfranchised innumerable voters. I will shortly forward you a draft report itemizing and analyzing the many irregularities we have come across as part of our hearings and investigation into the Ohio presidential election."

There are expected to be high level meetings with high ranking Democratic officials next week to coordinate a concerted lobbying effort to convince Senators to challenge the vote. The Green Party and David Cobb, as has been true all along, will be centrally involved in this process, as will Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The remainder of the Conyers letter reads:

3 U.S.C. §15 provides when the results from each of the states are announced, that "the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any." Any objection must be presented in writing and "signed by at least one Senator and one Member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received." The objection must "state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof." When an objection has been properly made in writing and endorsed by a member of each body the Senate withdraws from the House chamber, and each body meets separately to consider the objection. "No votes...from any other State shall be acted upon until the (pending) objection...(is) finally disposed of." 3 U.S.C. §17 limits debate on the objections in each body to two hours, during which time no member may speak more than once and not for more than five minutes. Both the Senate and the House must separately agree to the objection; otherwise, the challenged vote or votes are counted.

Historically, there appears to be three general grounds for objecting to the counting of electoral votes. The language of 3 U.S.C. §15 suggests that objection may be made on the grounds that (1) a vote was not "regularly given" by the challenged elector(s); and/or (2) the elector(s) was not "lawfully certified" under state law; or (3) two slates of electors have been presented to Congress from the same State.

Since the Electoral Count Act of 1887, no objection meeting the requirements of the Act have been made against an entire slate of state electors. In the 2000 election several Members of the House of Representatives attempted to challenge the electoral votes from the State of Florida. However, no Senator joined in the objection, and therefore, the objection was not "received." In addition, there was no determination whether the objection constituted an appropriate basis under the 1887 Act. However, if a State - in this case Ohio - has not followed its own procedures and met its obligation to conduct a free and fair election, a valid objection -if endorsed by at least one Senator and a Member of the House of Representatives- should be debated by each body separately until "disposed of".

A key legal aspect of this is the second clause referenced in the letter. Rep. Conyers and the other House members involved do not believe the electors have been lawfully certified. They believe that there has been too much illegal activity on the part of Blackwell, other election officials, and Republican operatives on the ground and therefore, as stated in the letter, the electors were not "lawfully certified" under state law. Next week, the House Judiciary Committee Democratic staff will release the report referenced in the letter, which is now still in draft form, and which led Mr. Conyers to this decision.

The Senators who shall receive the greatest focus from Conyers in this matter are Biden, Bingaman, Boxer, Byrd, Clinton, Conrad, Corzine, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Feingold, Harkin, Inyoue, Jeffords, Kennedy, Kerry, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Lieberman, Mikulski, Nelson (FL), Jack Reed, Harry Reid, Rockefeller, Sarbanes, Stabenow, Wyden and Obama.

Posted by: oncall at December 30, 2004 02:40 PM

Oncall:

You're right about the "WWJD" thing...but nontheless, from someone who has "fundies" as relatives...Well, I'd love to make them LOOK at wwjd vs what Bush does. There is a definate split between words and actions!

ok...now that that dream is gone, time for a new one!

Actually, Lakoff has a huge point about the devaluation of the middle class, healtcare, pharmacuetical care, and social security--and even tort reform.

I'm shocked by how much I am agreeing with him. He beleives that these cuts serve dual purposes: 1. to spread democrat's money thin...in order to privitize taking care of people-which is clearly a democrat's moral code, but while we're busy spreading the dough thin and trying to take care of the under-privaleged we're not able to donate to our own political causes (like the dnc) and thus make it even easier for the rich republican's to keep supporting their causes.

Devalueing our dollar makes no difference to the RICH republicans who can put their money in foreign banks and currency anyway.

So the more hard up we are--the happier the republicans are.

READ LAKOFF, PLEASE!!!

Truth Shall Prevail, I enjoy your posts.

Your last one brought to mind a conversation I had with a local tree cutter this morning - he is going to selectively clear our property so that the view is more open- it's already beautiful- because we are selling (and moving to Canada) and the 340 degree view is what people will pay for.

This guy could almost have written your post, with one exception: he voted for Bush.

He thinks that large corporations are ruining the world, and our economy. He's fighting the WalMart that is set to open in our area. He thinks we as a country are too greedy. He feels that we should value education more. He says we are headed for economic doom. He is an environmentalist and appreciates the importance of preserving nature in all it's forms. He likes bear and cougar and wolves and coyote, and thinks they're important in our ecosystem. He is against chemical fertilizers, outsourcing, and messing with SS. He believes in unions and thinks we should be giving more aid to south Asia.

So why did he vote for Bush? Because he is also a forest firefighter, and he says that the selective thinning of forests is a must. Bush supports it.

It's impossible to cover every issue and please everyone. That is why it is so important to simply say the truth and forget about winning over Christians, Republicans, Naderites, gun lovers, moderates, etc. None of the old divisions apply anymore. You are right, education is the answer.

The Democratic party simply has to tell the truth about the facts in every issue. That was Clinton's strength, still is. Whatever his faults, whatever he did to the Democratic Party, his way of simply stating facts is what we need in a leader.

"They can afford to do with one less bathroom in their vacation home..." Well said.

To illustrate:

While in New York City last month I saw a
poor elderly homeless lady pushing her
shopping cart with a skyscraper representing
a large American corporation as her backdrop.
Do you know how SICK that made me feel inside?

And in case you are wondering: I do practice
what I preach. I have lived as the wealthy
live. The best of everything. (And, having been poor and rich in my life, rich is better, in alot of ways.) But not at the price of others. Not at the price of scheming, robbing, turning a blind eye and having a deaf ear to the needs of others.

I left corporate America and gave money and goods to the goal of ministry. Then I turned my life's direction to people oriented goals. My current lifestyle is by choice. That may be why I am so passionate about religious hypocrisy. I do not
lump people with money in a seperate category than people without it. We have the same responsibilities either way.

Madam D...

Bush is still experiencing his teenage rebellion from his father. He is therefore taking any rational thing Bush senior did and is doing the opposite. Hense--republicans have elected a teenager for the president.

Well, since teenagers appeal to them, I have two who could be more capable of doing it, and of course there so many more too!

Posted by: Amy at December 30, 2004 05:50 PM

Amy:

Truth is not enough. KERRY spoke the truth but the media and the republicans had the dem's chasing their own tales.

What we need is to be PROACTIVE--create our cells, accept people of many different ideas instead of assuming we know all--and then we need to make them REACT to us.

Because right now, the dem's are feeling like they've been mugged and are simply reacting to whatever pops up around the next corner.

That's why we need to become cells and bring people into the fold...little by little and we need to stop splitting our own "liberal base"!

NO we're not all alike-we have many different views, but often we splinter off our own support.

But some people are going to pick one issue--that's their issue--and the truth will not matter!

To all the above, without media reform, our honest take will not affect unless we can deliver it, facts unfiltered, and bond with the viewing public. Even dems didn't know our guys and relied on media, preferring the worst. Such unity. Still beating up eachother, like it's the first cause they've ever fought for and didn't get their way. Also teenagers.

I really think the fear thing short-circuited reasoned, caring thought in this election, holding on to what they have, greedily, and short-term.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/30/opinion/30thu4.html?oref=login&th

The above links to an interesting op/ed piece about the changes that Bush has made in the legal offices of the executive branch and the military.
Important reading.

"To get around the inconvenience of the Geneva Conventions, the administration twisted the roles of the legal counsels of the White House, the Pentagon and the Justice Department beyond recognition. Once charged with giving unvarnished advice about whether political policies remained within the law, the Bush administration's legal counsels have been turned into the sort of cynical corporate lawyers who figure out how to make something illegal seem kosher - or at least how to minimize the danger of being held to account."

Bush is very good at making profound changes to our country without even consulting elected officials of any kind.

Regarding identity cards, Canada has nothing like that, Skinny. Privacy is much more protected in Canada than it is here. I've been shocked since moving here at the number of people who have the right to my SS number. Also, medical records are not as well protected here.

For those who are not sure about the cards - I suggest a research into the historical use of national identity cards - where they have been used, by whom, why, and whether and how they were misused. Some people get around safeguards and checks and balances. See "Bush Administration" for examples.
Those who are ignorant of history are bound to repeat it.

Marjorie,

Agreed and what is so distressing is that even after 2000 and the knowledge that too many people voted their ids instead of their super-egos, we were not able to address the need to speak to the heart-minds and human interests of so many voters.

Those of us who cared so deeply about the issues and the needs of the country and the planet found it hard to believe that otheres did not care or did not attend to the information that WAS available.

Well, we will NOT make those mistakes again. We will hammer the truth home to the media, we will BE the media, and we will speak truth to power every day.

We will support each other, share information and resources, and we will never ever give up.

(Even if we all take ocasional breaks to visit Amy in Canada!)

An AP story yesterday quoted Bush on the stakes involved in the upcoming Iraqi election:

"It's the difference between the ability for individuals to express themselves and the willingness of an individual to try to impose his dark vision on the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere.”

Bush Says Iraqi Election Marks Crossroads
http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/ap_stories/a/w/1151/12-29-2004/20041229080004_28.html

How ironic to hear THIS president speak of “the willingness of an individual to try to impose his dark vision on the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere.” (!)

If you want to believe there’s still some rationality in the world, check out the Desmond Tutu interview cited upthread by Pamela:

Desmond Tutu Speaks about Bush, God and America
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=176

Sparrow, no one is a bigger Kerry fan than I am. I didn't mean to suggest that he didn't tell the truth. However, he did try to please a wide variety of people of differing opinions, through emphasis, photo ops, etc. I think those efforts were largely wasted.

What I am referring to is all the talk about "moving to the left" and "moving to the right" that is going on on the blogs, etc. Dems seem to be arguing over what our message should be regarding all sorts of individual issues, and whether we should be wooing progressives or conservatives to our cause.

I am saying that our message should be "these are the pertinent facts" for each issue. The Republicans consistently present their audience with a very select set of facts, some not even true facts. IMHO, Democrats should present Americans with all the true facts surrounding each of a select set of issues. That should be our mantra. America has a right to the facts.

For example, wrt abortion - oh oh, here goes! - we need to start talking about the economics of abortion. The increased costs in social services that would result from banning abortion are astronomical, yet "liberals" continue to harp on the "women's rights" aspect of the issue. The rights of women and fetuses are conflicting principles open to debate; the economic reality of making abortion available only to the rich (the new wording in the appropriations bill will eventually do that)is a set of facts that need to be disclosed to Americans. Once they see how much it would cost them personally in increased taxes to ban abortion, you will see a lot of one-issue voters deciding to look at other issues as well.

Bush's record on the environment, IMHO his most vulnerable issue, never reached the consciousness of the average voter. If Americans knew the facts about Bush's actions at the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, they might question whether he really was the "guy next door" they thought he was, or whether he was part of a corporate conspiracy, which of course he is.

By the way, Jesus, the liberal revolutionary who said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" was the first proponent of the strict separation of church and state. Never did he try to manipulate the political process with his spiritual message. His life and death were an example of his beliefs in this area.

Everyone is welcome to visit me on the Sunshine Coast in Beautiful British Columbia!! I'll be there in about two years.

My daughter is moving to the US, though, so it's sort of an even trade. And she's smarter, more qualified, better educated for the job and has a lot more youthful energy than I do - the US wins this trade!

I on the other hand am thinking about retirement...

Marjorie:

Fear was the clear way Bush was able to use the media to his advantage. They did this knowing they might take a few knocks from those brave enough to "call em out on it" but they knew that so many people when scared would rather keep the devil they know than try someone new.

That was an incredible hurdle for anyone who would have competed against Bush to overcome. The office holder always has the advantage of status and media, but never before has a whole election campaign run upon the motto of fear: (we'll keep you safe--he won't!), memories of 9-11, alert warnings, and then the fear or gays.

My daughter was talking about "coat-tailing" in politics. As she was told, "it means one candidate gets elected on the coat-tails of another" but she didn't understand when I said Bush coat-tailed into "re-election" on the coat tails of anti-gay ammendments.

So Fear played a huge role in the dynamics of the campaign. And for many who are reading Lakoff and talking about frames, protecting your loved ones is a frame which both "parties" instinctively feel. They used FEAR to get democrats to protect their children by voting for Bush, instead of leaping into the unknown and voting their for their usual candidate.

(Of course, fraud, suppression and intimidation (FEAR) was also a nice part of their tool chest too!

Marjorie, you are so right about the media and the short circuiting.

I'm imagining national newspaper ads, with charts, fact based. Ads that lay out the truth about various issues. Just facts, no opinions. Include research from other countries, and experiences of other countries. (eg abortion again - there are more abortions per capita in countries where it it illegal. Abortions have gone up under Bush. Etc.) Paid for by the DNC, or other groups of those who know the facts.

Starting yesterday. Continuing through the next century.

Sparrow,

This was substantial, real fear, not the hyped, conjured what-ifs of policy issues. That it resonated to soccer fields away from any vulnerable point of geography or commerce, shows just how successful and irrational the effects.

Most were knowing accomplices, but some of the mainstream media would be surprised to get called on it. Arousing the public daily on other kinds of violence and manipulation, I think they were de-sensitized to the extent to what they were doing, in the gamesmanship.

My sister just called me outraged at this little piece of news that played at the end of the BBC broadcast. Does this strike anyone else as a venal power play? - an example of political maneuvering? Obviously Dubya is queing up his little brother Jebbie for election 2008. How absolutely disgusting.

Please, please, please Dems - make a huge issue of this political posturing while millions of people are suffering loss of life, livelihood, homes and community.

Just when I think the Bush political machine can't disgust me anymore - they always manage to pull something out of their butts. Congratulations - this one takes the cake.

*****************************

Bush to send delegation to region affected by tsunamis

WASHINGTON (AP) - President George W. Bush announced Thursday that a delegation of experts led by Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to Asia on Sunday to assess the need for further U.S. assistance.

The Bush administration also lent its support to a European-hosted international conference designed to accelerate pledges of assistance to victims of the Asian and African tsunamis and added the United Nations to a four-nation coalition organizing humanitarian relief.

"All Americans are shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of life and the destruction around the Indian Ocean,'' Bush said in a statement read by White House deputy press secretary Trent Duffy in Crawford, Texas, where the president is staying.

"To coordinate this massive relief effort, first-hand assessments are needed by individuals on the ground.''

To further assess the need for U.S. support, Bush said, the delegation of experts, including his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will travel to the region.

Duffy said including the president's brother, who has experience with extensive hurricane damage in Florida, "signifies the high level of importance that the president puts on this delegation.''

snip

http://thestar.com.my/services/printerfriendly.asp?file=/2004/12/31/latest/20472Bushtose.asp&sec=latest

Amy, I only wish people read newspapers. Remember how glowing our endorsements were, and at the very least, how scathing, or damning of faint praise of Bush. People believe people, hypnotically, papers appeal to reason.

However, for lack of other media, and we can do it locally, I think you have a good point. I think we talked for a year and a half about putting the IWR in print, first as comparisons during primaries, then because TV refused to present what Kerry said, by his press team, his own words, our own LTEs. But local, grassroots neighborhood media is a good start, even provided by us. Maybe even the deli give-aways, why not.

Resolute, Bush gets to avoid the recounts, and now even lack of generosity criticisms. Does nayone really think people would allow for another Bush, one who isn't even Jesus?

If Jeb wants to go, he can personally deliver some of the billions from the citizens of FL, and maybe he will.

Resolute:

Bush is sending his own "commission" there because it works on two different fronts.

1. They are trying to increase Jeb Bush's national identity--possibly for 2008.

2. They are trying to marginalize and eliminate the U.N. This is a long term goal of theirs which began when Bush essentially ignored the U.N. and attacked Iraq despite the U.N.'s evidence.

If you look at Lakoff, that is because Bush considers the U.S. (and Bush) to be the strict parent, while other entities which can usurp any power are being starved off by both underfunding and by duplicating the efforts so he can say, "We don't need to fund the U.N., we are already doing this on our own."

hello...is this this on...testing...can you hear me in the back....hello...

Hopefully, this fix will last.

Everybody breathe now!

Karen--

Looking good! Glad to see things are coming right along--moving forward. We can handle the minor inconveniences involved in building the site. Keep up the good work!

Posted by: Amy at December 30, 2004 06:43 PM

Amy:

I understood what you were saying. Truth and staying true to a moral code is important.

And frankly this moving to the left or to the right sounds too much like a waltz to me. I hate waltzing!

We just have to embrace and better articulate the values of what we've always been. All this repositioning of liberal, then progressive. Just the facts, ma'am. Feels like Sgt Friday.

All this high tech stuff is amazing to me,

Many thanks.

Congrats to us--to Dick in particular. This has not been an easy road to hoe. There is no manual, but, here we are! Now, to the tasks at hand--to the Democracy Cells across the land.

Looking good. Congratulations.

LISTEN UP!!!

As spoken by a voice that will be heard...LISTEN TO THE TRUTH! Be the TRUTH!

Hello friends, family, comrades, rebels, insurgents, refugees, exiles, expatriates, people in hiding and all the ships at sea…I debated whether or not I should say this…I wondered if it would do any good.

I have profound fears for the future…deep anger and sadness for my country…our country…our country that has been stolen away from us, captured by those who traffic in fear and hatred and bigotry and poison…I feel like we are lost in the forest right now…we're down the rabbit hole and there is no end in sight.

I know you all feel the same sentiments…the rage against the unanswerable abyss, the terror of what lies ahead…the confusion of what this Nation has become…I will not attempt to glide over the monumental disaster that was this election…there is no silver lining. There is no redemption. The illusion of hope in this last year has been mercilessly stripped away…the monster we face is now unleashed and free to reek havoc and spill the blood of innocents.

We are in a dark place…perhaps the darkest place…unable to even conceive of the idea of light, but we have been in such midnight moments before…

We have been in the pits of Viet Nam and the hanging trees of Jim Crow…we have despaired on the cotton fields of Mississippi and the bread lines of the Depression. We have been beaten down by crooked cops, pushed around by factory bosses, terrorized by the Klan and the fascists and the Nazis and know-nothings and the fat cats and the robber-barons and the corrupt politicians and wicked masters, but we have never surrendered.

We have never weakened or wavered.

Did we surrender at Kent State? Jackson State? No! Did we surrender at Selma, Alabama? No! Did we surrender at Hay Market? No! On the lettuce fields of California? In the textile mills of Massachusetts? In the coal mines of Colorado? In the meat packing plants of Chicago? At the Stonewall riots? At the pro-choice rallies? At the equal rights for women marches? At the anti-war demonstrations? At the strikes and the walk-outs? At the bus boycotts? No, no, no!

Remember, we have history on our side. We have the march of progress…the struggle for what is right and good and pure and free and equal and just and beautiful. We have the raised fist of EVERY FIGHTER! We have the righteous scale of anyone who has ever been wronged by the system anywhere at any time. We have the power of the powerless…we have the moral clarity of the dispossessed …we are the heart and soul of the struggle of the battle that never ends!

Look to our heroes.

We are the inheritors of a proud past populated by giants, heroes, artists, revolutionaries, thinkers, believers in mankind, defenders of the oppressed. We have the pen of Walt Whitman and Hemingway…the determination of Cesar Chavez, Margaret Sanger and Sojourner Truth…the faith of Martin and Malcolm…the beauty of Billie Holliday and Duke Ellington…the strength of Roosevelt and Kennedy…the joy of Mark Twain.

The history of America has been written by us…it does not belong to demagogues, the fear mongers, the war profiteers, the rich, the greedy, theocrats and the moulongs. They twist the Constitution but WE make it straight. They wrap themselves in the flag, but we fight for the freedoms…not the fabric. They shout out their pledges of allegiance but WE do the dirty work of democracy! They claim to represent the real America but WE are the keepers of the Tree of Liberty!

It ain't over yet folks…not by a long shot! So cry a few tears, bang against the walls, scream into the wind…then collect yourself and get back to work…its time to punch the clock…the Battle for America has begun.

Benson welcomes in the New Year.

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

Techies who have struggled to get the M.T. up--Thanks for all your hard work.

Awesome post, Indy!

The future would not frighten me so much if I thought history, and I'm speaking here of recent history, had even begun to teach us anything. I came on here a few days ago, hoping to find some of the connections that I felt from the old Kerry blog, and to see how the recovery was going from the horror of what happened to this country at the beginning of November. I found a lot of depression, which is what I expected, but I also found a lot of anger at anyone who expressed the opinion that our party's candidates had made any mistakes whatsoever in the run-up to the election. Mentioning any mistakes that Kerry might have made brought about nothing but a lot of angry accusations of "Kerry Bashing," and even more responses that we really won and "we were robbed." I do feel that this election was manipulated by Karl Rove and his minions, but I also KNOW that, without the mistakes on our own side, this manipulation would not have been successful. It truly frightens me that so many are not willing to learn from our failure to take this country back- they want to blame the DLC, which had very little to do with the running of this campaign. They want to say that moving a bit closer to the center is a huge mistake, and that it's somehow immoral to be a centrist and not a "liberal or progressive" as they are. They believe they are the ultimate messengers of truth, and anyone who makes an effort to compromise with voters in the red states on any issue is not a true Democrat. I honestly believed that Bill Clinton had united the Democratic party, and had brought it back to it's senses. He was the only two term Democratic president of the last 50 years because he knew that the politics of compromise are necessary - and that a purist in any sense cannot win a national election in this country. Our party's loss in this election was brought about because voters in the red states felt that the Democratic candidates were out of touch with their feelings- they didn't want George Bush to be returned to office again, all the polls showed that. But they also didn't want someone in office who did not share their values. The Republicans were very successful in convincing the public that John Kerry did not share their values, and the only way that could have been overcome would have been with a candidate who could speak to them on their level- someone they could relate to and come to understand. Kerry, for all his good qualities, simply was not that person. Al Gore, for all his good qualities, was also not that person. I've often said that the American people are stupid, but I'm not sure that they're as stupid as the leadership of our own party. Without compromise,and without putting forward a candidate who can relate to the common people of this country, you cannot win an election. Without winning an election, you cannot govern. And without governing, you cannot change this country for our children and our children's children. At this point in time, I'm losing hope that any lessons were learned from this election. Perhaps it's too soon- perhaps it's like the grieving process, and we are all still in some state between denial and anger. I honestly hope that that's all it is. Because repeating the mistakes of the past will not help heal this country- that is going to take a successful changeover in government. And that change cannot take place if we steadfastly cling to the mistaken policies of our past. For now, I'm going to take awhile off. I'm sure I've made everyone on here angry, but I honestly feel I know what I'm talking about. I'm a red stater from the very heart of the red states. And I'm just trying to explain what went wrong, and that denying it is not an option. It's not an option because America has to survive. And it's still within our power to help it survive. But it takes accepting reality for what it is. I hope the Democratic party will be able to do that in the future.

Linda:

It sounds like you have some good ideas when thinking about the last election. You're right. There is a lot of anger, depression, etc; however, there is also a lot of determination too. We are determined to learn what we can and to create cells and get the personal contact we need to spread the ethics and ideas for getting more democrats elected. Frankly, some here are swing voters and have voted moderate republican or democrat; however, we all know we do not agree with the direction the current republicans are taking us.

So I understand, taking time off is important, but while you do, read some books. I recommend Lakoff, Zinn, and others so that when you join us back here at the dcp you can help us learn from what you've learned.

We will have so much more to this website than what you currently see. We will be able to have forthright discussions in separate forums: book discussions, actions, resources, networking, etc.

The dcp will bring together information out their, and ideas, and we will be able to organize ourselves by learning from others--people like you and me.

(I also heard a hint about ipod too!)

So hang tough Linda. What all of us have experienced after this election is the normal process of grieving. But at the dcp, we're trying to bring activism and education to a whole new level.

Linda, if you must go, please come back. I remember those conversations, and your opinions of who should have been on the ticket, bottom or top, were met with our own that any candidate would not have gotten a fair airing, of needing better Dem branding, and thinking more to the future. No one is perfect. All would have been demolished, even Clark or Edwards.

I believe Kerry did connect, in his own cerebral, authentic, if not back-slapping way. That is a regional preference, with Clinton's televangelist as more negative for me, and maybe more tolerable for you, preferring Edwards.

If we can just agree that whatever undid, if it did, our candidate, as would have any other Dem candidate, we can concentrate on media or election reform, and strategies for grassroots building. For the future.

"Without compromise,and without putting forward a candidate who can relate to the common people of this country, you cannot win an election."

Posted by Linda.

Linda, I'm in complete agreement with you on this, among other things. It's one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of Ed Schultz. He seems to be the lone voice for the average, fact-seeking, non-partisan American.

Pointing out the mistakes we've made is not the same as Kerry bashing. Some people want to "blame" Kerry, want to trash everything about the Dem party, and want to make personal attacks on Kerry and others, because we lost. That's not only unkind and beneath intelligent people, it's counter productive. I know this from a lifetime of teaching - constructive criticism is a whole different thing from "dissing."

Constructive criticism doesn't blame. It looks at the way things went, and the way things are, and then uses that knowledge to make positive recommendations.

Kerry was an excellent candidate and did the best job he could given the millions of decisions he had to make. That doesn't mean that we as a party can't learn from the mistakes of OUR campaign. IT does no good to trash and blame people who worked so hard for us.

Kerry would have made an excellent president, but only if he was elected. The only candidate we had that might have appealed more to the southern folk was Edwards; however, I personally feel that he was too young, and too inexperienced to be president, as much as I love him. And his appeal would have had more to do with his accent than anything else. We don't need a Southerner, we need someone who is accessible to the average joe. Again, I urge all Democrats to start listening to Ed Schultz NOW.

All of the other notable rising stars in the Dem party have the same problem you point out - inability to talk to the common people. It is not level of education that is the issue. It is attitude. We need to keep looking for the right person.

Again, words from my daughter. She and many other Cdn/US citizens came down to work for the Dems, and she told me that all in her group agree: the Dems ARE elitist, and it IS a big problem.

In my view, blogs like dailykos and DU make this problem much worse. If you read them regularly, you can see the progressive/liberal elitism clearly. We think we're better than they are.

We need you, Linda. You have unique gifts and insight. Please don't stay away too long.
----------------
PS to Indy: Thanks!! Hope it's okay that I passed your post around.

Justice Dept. 'Rewrites' Torture Memo
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/010105Z.shtml

[Don't know if hyperlinks work on this section, or not, yet....]

One more point before I go to COSTCO and my local farmer's market for my groceries -

We often talk about how we can get our message out to those who didn't side with us in this election. I have another thought - how can we get these average folks to come and speak to us, so that we may listen and hear?

The right wing media has obscured their message as well, so that we can't truly hear them, and we have demonized them. Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly do not speak for most of them. The damage done by these people has as much to do with the shaping of our attitude toward Republicans and conservatives as it does about shaping their attitude toward us.

We need to invite these average working Americans into our world and ask them to speak to us, unfiltered by crazies like Limbaugh and Hannity.

Amy at 12:54 PM

Amy,

That is an excellent idea. Truly is. I've been trying to think of what I can suggest addressing our group's red state fixation, although we have the same problems. A get-together for sensitivity training and better awareness is a something concrete. Ground rules are that we are respectful, aiming for discussion, and trying for common ground in understanding. Not necessarily changing the others' minds in an evening, or at all.

Sometimes writing to Sinclair or about the fairness in media doctrine, while important, feels less impactful.

Marjorie and Amy:

I just talk to people when I'm out doing my chores--at the grocery store or gas station at restaurants, etc. I try to talk to them about the election or about the media. I talk to them about the stories the media doesn't tell us. I talk to them about how the media spins lies.

sparrow:

But while we're on the subject, winter time is a great time to have a neighborhood gathering. And of course, a great chance to have sledding parties and to talk to parents about all our issues. It would be a nice time to frame light conversations and to get to know each other better.

We were talking about Fear before--well one thing that alleviates fear is having a protective neighborhood.

Linda,

My praise for Kerry was in no way a rebuttal.
I don't know the negative things that have been said about him. I haven't been to KOS or DU.
I was giving my opinion. I don't know what
observations and suggestions you have made.
I do know I have enjoyed your posts this week.
I didn't have much time to get in here until then.
I know he isn't perfect. But I do have enormous respect for his effort. I am not a seasoned
political analyst. Just a person who knew what was being presented in mainstream media didn't jive with what I saw and sensed. As time goes by I am sure we will all see more angles of it all. Let's just say I think we are all in it for the same cause. I don't think you thought my comments were aimed at anyone who offered constructive criticism regarding a past or potential candidate. There is a difference between trying to be constructive and trying to lay blame on someone or something to make yourself feel better. I think, after reading your posts this week, that you are a person who offers constructive criticism and doesn't have the intention of tearing a person down. I think we all have some fear, and are trying to piece together a solution. And together I think we can.
Frustrating it is.

I am with sparrow on this--we just came back from an afternoon of running errands and ran into a colleague and neighbor I have not seen since last spring. She was with her daughter, newly home from college (just graduated). Barb knew we had worked hard on this campaign and she hugged me and said how sorry and disappointed everyone was; including her husband who had traveled to Ohio to help out the Kerry Campaign.

She and her daughter asked the same question every single person we have met has asked: What do we do about the situtation?

They also asked the usual questions: Why didn't the Democrats help more? Why didn't the campaign emphasize the environment, or education? Was there fraud? etc.

The fact is, whatever mistakes the campaign, the DNC, or the canddate made are lessons learned, and therefore worth reviewing objectively. But we need to keep in mind that everyone, EVERYONE worked very very hard and tried to do exactly the right thing.

My friend's husband worked in Cleveland, as did another friend from NYC. Both found the experience really wonderful and both were sure they had participated in a victory.

On the way home, Dick and I talked about how to help people re-find that sense of empowerment and ownership of actions. The DCP is here to do exactly that.

But what do I do and how? is the cry we keep hearing.

First of all, to borrow from the 12-step programs: Keep coming back. It works if you work it, they say.

That makes me think of Howard Zinn's book, YOU CAN'T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN. Read it for inspiration.

Then share your experiences here. Together we can do so much more than we can alone.

Second: Recognize where one is powerful and where one is powerless. We didn't cause it, we can't cure it, we can't control it, but we can contribute to it. Passivity is a contribution to powerlessness. But the only thing we really have control over is--ourselves.

Therefore, every action we take on behalf of our own interests and the future of this country and planet is a positive step, because it is a step toward our own agency, as well as having an impact on the situtation. Remember the starfish story?

Thirdly, when you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what we are trying to do, stop by and just talk with friends here. We don't always have to be fixing the world; sometimes we can swap recipes! (I want all of Andree's, DiAnne's, and Fe's!)

And, just for today, stop and look around at what you HAVE accomplished, what we all have learned, all the wonderful folks we have met here, and breathe in the sense of future possibilities.

And I will revel in all that, plus the fact that WE MOVED THE SITE!! Be still my heart!

Love to all, a happy NEW year!

(p.s. Indy--loved the post, as usual!)

I have not read the entire thread for today. I did read several posts up thread. I juxtaposed Indy's post with Linda's. Two very sincere, concerned and honest individuals. In my view, they are not saying much that is actually that different.

Linda commented about a post I made the other night. I mentioned that I felt JK could have better handled his comments at the Grand Canyon. There were some who were put off by my observation, but not Linda. Who is right? I don't care. The fact is the media spun the whole thing to Bush's advantage.

I hope Linda, that you decide to contribute regularly to our conversations. Don't stay away. If you feel more comfortable taking a breather, by all means take a break. Your insights and comments are valuable to all of us-me especially.

At the same time we all have a responsibility to engage our respective community's in these important issues. Some of us have just gotten started. Some of us have been doing this for years. No matter where any of us are in the process, I can tell you that people are hungry and excited for the mission we are embarking on. They want change. They are worried about our country's future. They are apprehensive about a defacto theocracy taking control. This is where I see LInda's and Indy's posts blending to one message. Two different posts declaring concern and taking a stand for truth. Whose truth? The truth of honesty and reality.

My recent visit with my son and daughter-in-law lent itself to the opportunity for some very good talks.

My son said, "You used to be the most republican person I know. Yet you saw it." (I wasn't, by the way, am an Indy.)

The people and posts on this site have come to mean a great deal to me. When I was so angry during the campaign at the "spin", and the deceit, I went to the Kerry for Pres. blog.
The people there, many who are now here, met my differences with respect, and patiently listened to my fears and opinions, and gave me answers. And information. And support. I personally would not be comfortable in a blog environment where there was no diversity. So, I hope this will be an encouragement and a statement to the effectiveness of this blog and the people who post here. Thank all of you. Before I found you I thought I was alone in media hell.

BONNE ANNEE

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

I had little little time to drop by in the last week, because I was hired by my daughter. Her best friend is the niece of one of the "Doctors Without Boarders"'s founders, so we all went packing and packing drugs and medical stuff for the countries hit by that terrible drama.

Have a loving and peaceful evening.

There's still hope on the way.

you have to look back. it's human nature to look back and think 'if only' if you look at all the 'if only's' in your life you will find they were directed at being in a place or a space to stop someting terrible from happening. we do not look back at a good thing and try to 'if only' it into a change. we accept the good in our lives as right, deserved, or lucky.

we know that both good and bad things happen to good people. one thing i have had to remind myself, is that the outcome of the election did not happen to me exclusively. it is a public hurt, not a private one. there is no hint of the lonely spirit, struggling in single despair. being one of many is comforting.

i spent the day today thinking, thinking back beyond the year we are retiring today. i will not hold on to this one with wistfulness. this year joins others that i would gladly put away. but we will be forced to open and re-open this year for old facts, contacts, and sentiments. how can we escape it? it has to travel with me, with us into 2005, in order to build a frame for change.

it seems amazing, the amount of tears one year can hold. personal, political, private tears. tears for others. tears for myself. the well of 2004 tears is empty, and i do not want to cry another year like this one ever again. 2005 comes to us, and like all new births, we look forward with hope for good things. i do not know about others of you, but i ask myself every year on this day, where am i headed on this leg of the journey? who am i taking with me? have i set goals? will i face down everything that comes my way?

another year older. hopefully wiser. a friend to new friends, blessed with new friends. the journey is set. onward to secure democracy. taking with me people who gathered me in and held me up, with energy to hold them up as we move forward. the goals of reform will be painful, most things worth having do have a price. and face it, yes, i will. i am looking full face, open-eyed to the coming year.

we are not afraid, nor are we worried about how we will be perceived. we are not silent and we do not quit. we have not yet reached the summit of what we will be. tomorrow is not owned only by the people in power. it is also a promise to us.
we will not squander it. it is a new time for us too, and i wish you all the feeling of rebirth and renewal of spirit that i feel today.

happy new year, my very dear friends

HI All,

I have been in and out during the holidays--glad to see so much action here even with all of the festivities. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your commitment to our country and our democracy--I feel a kinship of spirit with all of you, even though we have not met in person--you are all such fantastic thinkers and so commited to the ideals of this nation.

I wish all of you a Safe and Prosperous New Year. I am sure we will all be together in 05--continuing the fight for our country, our democracy, and our rights.

Posted by: Indy at December 31, 2004 03:33 AM

Indy, you never cease to amaze me and inspire me to keep up the fight and keep it going--we shall prevail--the human condition always prevails.

Posted by: Karen at December 31, 2004 04:28 PM

Karen, by your actions and deeds, you are truly an inspriationg to us all--you and Dick have shown us a better way. Thanks

Posted by: Amy at December 31, 2004 12:47 PM

Amy, so true about DU, KOS and others--I think as we find our voices here and make them heard there, we can have an impact--a very positive impact on that group also.

Being somewhere between denial and anger myself, I can understand the frustration of many on this forum. I think we need to say what's on our minds and let it all out, but we need to be mindful of other's feelings and hurt. Part of the denial and anger process is blame, and blame isn't always pointed in the right direction. Grieving takes time and we have major grief here. I've never felt this way, except perhaps in the aftermath of my mother's death. A big hole was left and it's very difficult to fill it in positively.

This election was worse in many ways because so many of us feel helpless and cna't stop wondering what went wrong. I believe many, many things went right and we need to focus on them. So many people became active in the campaign--young and old together. We got out the vote--more than ever cast before. Many of us made hundreds of calls during the campaign and on election day. Here in Ohio, I felt we were going to win based on what I was hearing as I made call after call, and also the positive exit polls. Good democrats turned out in record numbers and stood in the rain for hours to vote for Kerry. My major denial is in this place, because I believe in my gut that we didn't lose. That's why I feel helpless, because I believe the electronic machines were tampered with and what can you do about that if you aren't in charge of the machines?

Now, I'm not suggesting that we should cheat like they did, but we need to figure out how we can get the truth out. One of my major disappointments is trying to understand how the world turned upside down. They deified incompetance and demonized a truly good, patriotic man (and his Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian wife). Their lies and smears were louder and more believable than our truth. That's hard to combat, but there must be a way and we need to find it. There are plenty of honest and truth-seeking journalists out there, and we need to help them find a media outlet where they can be heard. It won't be easy, and it won't be instant because they are still hiding their conservative propaganda "news" behind the label of liberal bias. Every day I read more and more insanity coming from republican leaders, and I have to think that people will slowly wake up and say, "They want to do what?" Just today, all the talk about further lowering ethics rules in the House of Representatives makes me want to scream, "This is their idea of moral values?" I don't know how the media can report it with a straight face.

I truly believe the election in 2006 is our last hope, if we have any hope at all. We must take back the House of Representatives and we can't do it alone. We need the help of good, moderate republicans who must be starting to see the light themselves. I plan to be as active (or more so) as I was in this election and give money to oust these awful people who have no regard for our Constitution and Bill of Rights, not to mention ethics.

Just my two cents.

Chersey,
I hear you, loud and clear. And so does everyone reading this. We have a lot of work to do--in some ways, it is good just to know how very high the mountain is.

We will work together.

And we will prevail.

Was 2004 a washout? No no no. We found each other. We found this blog. We have become pioneers, boys and girls, pioneers of the Plains of Information in Cyberspace. And that gives us better, faster, stronger communication skills and access to knowledge;and that gives us Power. I firmly believe that all of us have a right to grieve and piss and moan and be crabby and difficult if that is what we need right now. Just realise that we all want a hero. And we are so bereft because we felt that a hero was on the horizon, only to see him felled most fouly. The Hero is deeply ingrained in our collective mind and I believe that we will make it real. Dig deep within and find the warrior.
Despair if you must, but only rent that space, don't buy it. One often needs to take a trip through the underground, that nasty, smelly pit of hell, before one can arise again renewed, refreshed and mad as hell itself, ready to take on the battle. If you are not ready yet, no big whoop. We'll be here for you when you are ready. The Kerry bashing is ,indeed, sad but understandable as this kind of all-encompassing anger we feel needs a hook to hang it on. As we are imperfect creatures, some will project that anger onto him. It is human nature to try to understand calamity by dissecting and assigning 'blame'. We are hard wired to do this. And there is some value in all the speculation, what-ifs, shoulda-dones etc. It is forcing us to self-reflect and accept our load. The sadness will lift in time and we will be ready again to kick it. Rent, don't buy.
There is a mantra in improv comedy which is apropos for our lives too: "YES, AND... not NO,BUT..." The first entails taking what life lays on you and rolling with it, embellishing it, adding to it, making it work for you; the second is like roaring down life's highway with someone stomping on the brakes every few feet. In comedy lingo, the 'yes,and'approach will make your material "kill" while the 'no,but' approach will make you "die" on stage. The Kerry bashing is kind of a 'no,but' activity if it persists. The DCP is definitely a "yes, and" gig. Yes, the rat bastard weasels attacked our camp and made off with our hero AND we are gonna go after them where they live and learn their language and their battle plans and ...We will all be writing the rest of the story in 2005. Happy New Year dear ones! Let's raise our glasses and toast the Good Old Way of Democracy!

My sister just called me outraged at this little piece of news that played at the end of the BBC broadcast. Does this strike anyone else as a venal power play? - an example of political maneuvering? Obviously Dubya is queing up his little brother Jebbie for election 2008. How absolutely disgusting.
Posted by: resolute at December 30, 2004 07:18 PM

I had the same reaction when I heard the statement on the box, sick to my stomach, but I have been saying that this is what they where planning from day one, people did not seem to agree with me, but I say again Jeb will be set up to be the next President of the USA. how sick can that be and he will probably be elected the same way sicko was this time, because nothing has changed since the 2000 election, I am sorry to say, I wish it were different, but it is not. FRAUD LIES AND MORE FRAUD AND MORE LIES. nothing any different, nothing is changing now after this election the votes still have not been counted except for Washington.

Kangaroo Brisbane Australia

Thank you all for talking out the feelings we all share. I want to go forward, and look and sound like I'm doing all the research, meetings, attending conferences. But there is a sadness sometimes, that I'm not in the moment, fully positive, or meaning all the rallying words I'm saying.

Remember the thread about all the stages of grief, letters making nice words, but I'm left with all these misspelled words because there is back-sliding and stages out of sequence.

The RNC protest up 7th Avenue was inspiring to be a part of, and hot, but to no avail. Think about how long the march, upwards to 500K for hours to disagree with this adminstration.

This has been a long haul of changing perceptions. I remember discussing over a year ago, how, if we won the primaries, the general would be a cake walk. Kucinich had an easier time getting on our primary slate. We had our stand-up guy, and all would be self-evident. Now we find we don't have much of an organization to deliver votes, and eats it own rather than onto the business of winning. I never anticipated an election system this rigged or media this irresponsible.

We do listen on this blog, apart from a few cranky times, like all good, slightly dysfunctional families. Partly because we represent different backgrounds, ages, geography, and of course, life experience. All of that is for the better, when we try to work out ideas that will or won't be universally true.

This is a kind of life line, opportunity for the future, as I try to think positively past the anger and despair of others. Let's regroup our energies, and give again when we can, because we must.