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"What If..."
My husband is a scientist. He one of those brainiac types who solves the problems that other scientists have.
He tells the story of a new manager at his laboratory who came into his office one day to find my husband sitting with his feet on his desk, hands behind his head, staring out of the window. Again. The new guy asked him, "Dr. Morris, I come in here a couple of times a week and find you daydreaming. How come you have the time to daydream instead of working?" My husband looked at this man, at least twenty years his junior, and said, "I am working." And went back to work, staring out of the window, daydreaming.
I was thinking of this story this morning when I noticed the same behavior in our three-year-old son. I had just gotten off of the phone with the notoriously late snow plow guy who called to say he wouldn't be over for another half hour.
Sipping my coffee and wondering if I would be able to get out of the driveway to take my son to preschool, I looked over at the bundle of barely contained energy in size 4T clothing. I noticed the steady pace of raisin bran being spooned into his face and the accompanying chomp, chomp, chomping of open-mouthed chewing had stopped. He had stopped eating for a few minutes and was staring out of the window at our snowy driveway. When he went back to eating, he turned to me and said, "You know, Mom, you could take a rope and put it on the ends of a long piece of wood from the garage and drag it behind you and make a snow plow."
Okay, well, I think we can agree that Mom is never going to strap on the homemade snow plow to clear the driveway anytime soon. But I was struck by the fact that, in his mind, the solution to any problem is always possible. You just need to stop, and think, and think.
I know that there are a seemingly infinite number of problems in this country to be solved. And at times, the very thought can be so overwhelming, it seems paralyzingly hopeless, moving us to apathy instead of action.
Maybe what we need is to try a new way of thinking, a new way of looking at things. Maybe we can't apply old ways of problem solving to the myriad of multi-layered issues facing us today.
Maybe we need to start daydreaming again. Maybe we need to let our minds fly out of the window for a while and see where they take us. Maybe we will go to places of new insight, new discovery, new approaches and new solutions.
So much promise stretches before us. Americans have always reached for the impossible, looked to the next horizon and asked, "What if?"
Two young bicycle mechanics from Dayton asked, "What if this airplane could take off at Kitty Hawk?" It did that, and it changed the world forever.
A young president asked, "What if we could go to the moon in 10 years?" And now we're exploring the stars and the solar systems themselves.
A young generation of entrepreneurs asked, "What if we could take all the information in a library and put it on a chip the size of a fingernail?" We did, and that, too, changed the world. And now it's our time to ask, "What if?"
What if we find a breakthrough to cure Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's and AIDS?
What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem-cell research and treat illness for millions of lives?
[...]
Never has there been a moment more urgent for Americans to step up and define ourselves.
[...]
It is time to reach for the next dream. It is time to look to the next horizon. For America, the hope is there. The sun is rising. Our best days are still to come.
John Kerry, 2004
What if we all start looking out of the window again and begin to ask ourselves once again, "What if..."?
Black Thursday
Brothers and Sisters…I would ask all of you to on this dark day in our Nation's history in your own voice……within your own creed and in your own way to open your hearts to send blessings and compassion to our People, our Nation and indeed the World as we witness this unprecedented subjugation of our Democracy. We are the proud children of every civilization which has risen and fallen since the dawn of time, and as such, we must have a decent respect for the opinions of mankind and for the fate of the world in which we live once again being held hostage by the unpredictable and despotic actions of the current leaders of our Government.
Let us reach out with our feelings to the victims of the Tsunami, a great sea of humanity swallowed up in a matter of moments by the overwhelming forces of Nature…to the victims of homicide bombings in the Middle East, to those sold into slavery across every ocean, to the innocent victims of war throughout the world by our own hands and at the hands of the enemies of all of humanity the despots, dictators and oppressors, to our very own inner cities…the forgotten, the forsaken, the homeless, the hungry and destitute…who every day struggle for sanity, for warmth, for shelter, for sustenance, for a kind word or a shoulder to comfort…to our own brave Brethren in Arms who so valiantly and willingly give their service knowing they may be called upon to give the ultimate sacrifice…their very lives…in the belief that WE as a Nation shall eternally carry the Torch of Liberty through the ages.
May we be blessed with the foresight to forever have the wisdom to remember them…the dignity to preserve their memory and the courage to protect their heroism, for they have divinely honored us…the undeserving…by their selfless acts to secure our Freedom, even when unjustly sent to do battle with those who are not the enemies of our People by the desperate, dishonorable greed and lust for power and domination of the world and Her resources by the current and continuing Administration.
Finally…let us focus our strength, anger, dignity, honor, sorrow, pain, suffering and courage so that we may all vow to proudly stand United as Americans with infinite passion and undying hope so that one day soon We the People will once again regain control of our Heritage, our Natural Rights and our Manifest Destiny to restore our Nation to Her once proud stature as the Light of Liberty, Freedom and Justice and set out henceforth to create a brighter future for all of mankind.
Amen.
Nicely done, Indy.
Thank you.
Out of Many...One
"We The People of these United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
So begins the Preamble to The Constitution of The United States of America…One Nation…Our Nation. We are one people…Americans. We are the proud children of every civilization which has risen and fallen since the dawn of time and as such, we must have a decent respect for the opinions of mankind.
We are a free people, whether born within the borders of this Nation or upon the shores of distant lands, we have the natural right to live within our society under the principles and doctrines of The Constitution, The Bill of Rights and the current Amendments to The Constitution unencumbered by the personal values of those who wish to change the very core of our Government for transient causes, partisan political gain, corporate interests or theocratic ideologies in their desire for us all to live within the confines of their limited systems of belief or thought.
Our democratic principles were created for the common good of all Americans therefore we are all equal in stature and status upon the scales of law. Within the law, and bestowed upon us all by our natural rights, resoundingly exists our freedom to make our own individual decisions based on conscience without ideological, cultural or theocratic burden of any other person or people within our society and without suppression of these natural rights by our government.
As Americans, it is not only our right, but indeed our responsibility and duty as citizens to educate and enlighten ourselves and our fellow Americans as to the inner workings of our democracy, to question those who We the People have entrusted to govern in our stead and to protest when our elected officials attempt to degrade, subjugate, deny or subvert the rights of even one American within our diverse society or any foreign nation around the world.
Knowledge is power.
The Founding Fathers of this great Nation understood all too well that if tyranny and oppression are to be defeated from beyond our borders or from within our own Government, it is the We the People who will be the last line of defense in securing, protecting and preserving our Democracy.
The greatest challenge we as citizens face is to maintain our voice, and indeed the voices of all Americans by insuring free and fair elections so that the will of the people can be honorably and honestly recorded and enacted.
We all possess the strength within ourselves to speak up for our rights. To do so, we must find our individual voices and the words to express our insights and concerns in a simple, clear and concise language so that it may be understood by our fellow Americans. In expressing ourselves using this language within our communities, we create an environment of understanding, tolerance and inclusion within our democratic system of government and when we share our insights, learn from each other and work together with our fellow Americans we shall once again be united and empowered to restore our Nation to a democracy of the people, for the people and by the people as was intended.
Vive la Revolution!!!
Written by a young and newly elected City Councilman in Washington D.C., this says it all...
The Battle For America
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 wreak 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 Ceasar Chavez, Margaret Sanger and Sojourner Truth…the faith of Martin and Malcolm…the beauty of Billy 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.
Words of Wisdom from An Immigrant:
"Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be a spirit of tolerance in the entire population."
"The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure."
"Great Spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"
~From one of the greatest minds in our world's history...Albert Einstein
Dare to Create a Better World
And, they're off... (their rockers)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he overestimated the pace of Iraq's recovery from the U.S.-led invasion because he didn't realize the lasting devastation wrought by Saddam Hussein on his people after the first Gulf War.
Asked to name his mistakes in planning the war in Iraq, Cheney said he had not anticipated how long it would take the Iraqis to begin running their own country. Not until after Saddam was ousted did the United States realize the extent of the Iraqi leader's brutality in putting down revolt in 1991, Cheney said.
"I think the hundreds of thousands of people who were slaughtered at the time, including anybody who had the gumption to stand up and challenge him, made the situation tougher than I would have thought," he said on "The Don Imus Show" on the radio.
"I would chalk that one up as a miscalculation, where I thought things would have recovered more quickly," Cheney said.
Cheney, interviewed hours before he was to take the oath of office for his second term, also said that Iran now tops the list of "the world's potential trouble spots."
Iran is pursuing "a fairly robust nuclear program" and has a history of sponsoring terrorism, he said. "That combination is of great concern."
Cheney said the Bush administration might seek U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program if necessary. The administration prefers to address the problem with diplomacy and doesn't want more war in the Middle East, he said.
Eve Of Destruction
by Barry McGuire
The eastern world, it is explodin’.
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’
But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
Take a look around you boy
It’s bound to scare you boy
And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’
And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace
And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE
Animals (Weil/Mann)
In this dirty old part of the city
Where the sun refused to shine
People tell me there ain't no use in tryin'
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
Oh yes I know it
(Yeah!) He's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every night and day
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you
Now my girl you're so young and pretty
And one thing I know is true, yeah
You'll be dead before your time is due, I know it
Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin'
Watched his hair been turnin' grey, yeah
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away
I know he's been workin' so hard
(Yeah!) I've been workin' too, baby
(Yeah!) Every day baby
(Yeah!) Whoa!
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Somewhere baby, somehow I know it
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
Girl, there's a better life for me and you
Believe me baby
I know it baby
You know it too
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!
Posted by: Indy at January 20, 2005 12:58 PM
Indy - this is great, thank you for sharing. I'm sending it out to my dem cell members.
By the way, do you have the name of the councilman? He's almost as eloquent as Obama.
Once the President’s Day is Over, The Battle Will Begin Anew
Before John Kerry and other Senators from both parties took their places on President Bush’s inaugural stage, Kerry offered a statement of defiance:
“Democracy means working together for the good of our country; it also means keeping faith with your ideals, never retreating from core convictions even as you work to find common ground,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement released earlier Thursday.
“We have strong differences and we argue and fight with all our hearts and energy, and our system endures because we Americans expect nothing less,” he said.
Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, had no plans to attend any other inaugural festivities. Former President Clinton met with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid in his office before the inaugural ceremony. Other Democrats including Nancy Pelosi were of the same frame of mind, to avoid the festivities…
More: http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=251
I'm at work in a rather sheltered pro-Bush environment today and was wondering how the "general strike" and the protests were going. Anybody seen anything?
My Fantasy For the Day:
Picture a dark gray sky. Throngs of people on the stands for the inauguration. Suddenly and slowly the winds start to get stronger. Flags stand straight out in the breeze. Everybody smiles and nods to each other believing that the hand of God is working to demonstrate that God has chosen the American President to lead the world in a crusade for freedom and liberty.
But the winds continue to grow stronger. Hats are blown away, papers are lifted in a swirl of confusion, television cameras are blown over, satellite transmissions are disrupted. Suddenly a large bolt of lightening bursts from the sky. This large bolt is as wide as the Mississippi River. It splits into countless tongues of impassioned fire and flame, and destroys President Bush his entire cabinet, including Dick Cheney, the House Majority Leader, and The Senate Majority Leader. Remarkably John Kerry is left standing.
The gray skies fade away and are replaced by a beautiful sunny blue sky with gentle breezes.
All the while the American Flags have remained on their masts and now are gently flapping with a sound which sounds as if they are clapping in appreciation.
AH Fantasy.
so, oncall, started that birthday celebrating a bit early in the day did you? please send some of that blue joy juice around to the rest of us will ya?
and have a very happy birthday!!!!!
and a happy one to cari also
oncall...
I'm not sure I can post my fantasy for the day, but imagine the Hindenburg footage, and you'll be on the "right" track.
Oh, the humanity.
Resolute,
The young politician's name is Max Skolnik a newly elected city commisioner in DC who wrote "The Battle for America" to his family and friends.
Share it far and wide...
Share the Rage!
Share the Hope!
Be the Truth!!!
Just Gimme Some Truth
by John Lennon
I’m sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
I’ve had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of hope
Money for dope
Money for rope
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
Money for dope
Money for rope
I’m sick to death of seeing things
From tight-lipped, condescending, mama’s little chauvinists
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth now
I’ve had enough of watching scenes
Of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima-donnas
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
Is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocketful of soap
It’s money for dope
Money for rope
Ah, I’m sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
I’ve had enough of reading things
By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
All I want is the truth now
Just gimme some truth now
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
Posted by: Indy at January 20, 2005 02:16 PM
Thanks Indy. He's definitely an up-and-coming star.
The piece has helped me get through the day. I found this section particularly searing...
"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 wreak havoc and spill the blood of innocents."
****************************
The illusion of hope has been stripped away. Indeed. I had hoped against hope that Kerry would be triumphant. And he came so very close.
Anyway, I'll have my day of mourning today - and then, as Scarlett O'Hara would say - "tomorrow is another day."
NO SURRENDER!
William Pitt's Inaugural Blog
It's pretty interesting, for anyone who wants an up-to-the-minute account of activities in D.C. Actually, he's hanging out with the protesters.
http://truthout.org/fyi/
His experience of trying to converse with the Bushies reminds me of a few of my encounters when I was there to protest the first Inaugural. Some guy in a racoon coat with cowboy hat came up to me (I had a sign about what a moron Bush was) and asked me how I could call him a moron if he graduated from Yale and Harvard (especially Harvard B school). I just started laughing and pointed out the nature of Bush's legacy admission to Yale, and the advantages of having a congressman father twisting arms to get you into Harvard B school and out of the National Guard.
He just turned on his heels and walked away. So much for brilliant repartee.
Dick is there too, on his bike, taking photos--we will have them up here soon. It is quite eerie here today--maybe it feels like a conquered city--but we are defiant.
More to follow...
Wonkette blogging the coronation-pretty funny!!
http://www.wonkette.com
Karen - yes - that's how Julia described it - a conquered city. Where the citizens - e.g. working people and students, can't get where they need to go because of all the limos and ridiculous security.
nancyjane
Thanks, I needed a really good laugh. Wonkette is on fire - I'm still wiping away the tears of laughter.
What a bunch of clowns.
Stuck at work but will head downtown (Seattle) right after. I have a friend who's a bike courrier in DC & he's wearing a suit with Burberry scarf so maybe he can blend in - he's out there somewhere & sympathetic to the progressive cause.
DiAnne, check your email before you leave TX
Just saw the coverage of the coronation through the news sources. Bush called for spreading freedom throughout the world.
Excuse me, but if his definition of freedom is Abu Ghraib, no thanks. Moreover, isn't this the same guy who said "there ought to be limits to freedom" just because someone had the guts to parody his campaign website?
I'm so damn sick of "protecting freedom" being used as euphemism for American imperialism.
On a more personal note, I am wearing a blue shirt today at work. Later on I will change into black - a brand-new J. Crew suit to be exact. It just makes me feel a bit better about wearing something from a 100% Democratic merchant.
DiAnne, founf it, thanks.
Top Stories Today:
Paris Hilton says the F Word
Britney Shops for Baby Clothes
Let stupidity reign!
Britney Shops for Baby Clothes
Let stupidity reign!
Posted by: DiAnne at January 20, 2005 03:54 PM
Britney, Britney, Britney...
I can't stand that pro-Bush, "pro-moral values" sl*t anymore. Hasn't she corrupted our Generation Y enough already?
Great to read these posts. Posts of friends.
Glad to know that the next generation includes kids like Casey's son.
By the way, I've not spent one damn dime today, as the protests calls it. Not one.
It's a snow day here, so I'm at home with the kids. Instead of spending damn dimes I wrote much belated letters to friends (I hope sending mail with already purchased stamps doesn't count as spending). I worte letters of mourning. I wrote a letter to friends who moved back to Holland. Oh, how much different this must all look from there.
Speaking of JK, Casey, I have to say that I am SO PROUD of him for voting against Condi Rice. He's standing with Barbara Boxer. Gotta love it. What if....What if he keeps this up and really leads the best darn opposition the Senate's ever seen?
Beth, I have always seen Kerry as deliberate but never morally conflicted, ever. Decisive. How to get elected in with a misinformed and propagandized public was another thing.
I know we can count on him to be his own drummer, which to me was always pretty impressive.
Is History Repeating Itself?
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our Nation an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Where is this list from?
The full text of the Declaration of Independence drafted over 200 years ago which Bush visited yesterday...I doubt he read it.
Dare to Create a Better World!!!
Our Anscestors did...
Margorie: Yes, I'm looking forward to watching him in the senate. I was pretty disappointed with the other democratic senators. Biden, even, voted for her. Get a grip, guys!
Biden, even, voted for her. Get a grip, guys!
Posted by: Beth C. at January 20, 2005 04:11 PM
I know - whassup with Biden. He grilled Gonzalez for 30 minutes - then smiled and called him "the real deal."
Huhhh?
There were about 50 of us on the overpass; most fellow patriots from here plan to be over the river in the big city, participating in today's rituals of mourning over there. But we 50 braved the cold of the early morning rush hour to share our sadness and our hope with our own neighbors.
We all wore black. My black sign said "SAD DAY FOR AMERICA" in white letters. Many signs were about wanting peace, not world domination. Most importantly, every one of us carried the American flag, OUR American flag. We are Americans. Our flags represent not nationalism, but patriotism. We mourn for our country, but we also hope for our country, and we will fight for our country. We are patriots.
I am a patriot, and I love my country.
This was in my in box...
Open Letter to Terry McAuliffe
Wed Jan 19th, 2005 at 20:59:33 PDT
Dear Mr. McAuliffe,
The first thing that became apparent upon receipt of your letter dated Jan 19 asking for contributions was that the DNC learned nothing from their netroots efforts of the 2004 campaign.>
more
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/19/225933/083
>You said, "When President Bush tries to dismantle Social Security, the Democratic Party will be there to stop him. When he tries to make his disastrous tax cuts permanent, we'll be there to stop him. When he tries to stack the Supreme Court with right-wing judges who don't share our values, we'll be there to stop him."
And just how do you propose to do that, Mr. McAuliffe? Perhaps the same way Senate Democrats stood up last week and this week to "stop him" from making disastrous cabinet appointments? How will the money I send you help with the problem of impotent Senators like Joe Biden, who publicly announced he would vote to confirm Condaleeza Rice before the hearings had even really started? What about Diane Feinstein, who, if she had gotten her nose any further up Rice's butt, could have said what she had for breakfast? >
more
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/19/225933/083
I like this response from the comments to the above letter.
While not as eloquent or powerful as this diary, here was my somewhat snarky response:
Dear Terry,
Here are your words: "Now is the time to send a clear signal to the Washington Republicans that Democrats will not falter or fall back -- we will stand up and fight for our values."
I respectfully disagree. I strongly believe that now is the time to send a clear signal to us Democrats that Washington Democrats will not falter or fall back -- they will stand up and fight for our values!
When there are unanimous "no" votes by the Dem Caucus for Rice's and Gonzales's confirmations, then I'll open up my checkbook.
Thank you for your support,
BB, what do you think about the letter you just posted? I'm not sure how I feel.... I'm sending money to individual PACs every time that senator votes like a Democrat should, representing the principles of democracy. Today, Kerry and Boxer got paypal donations.
What are others doing about this? I can't get over Biden, frankly. What more clear message of weakness could one send than to object to all Rice stands for and then vote for her? No wonder so many average Americans don't think Democrats are strong enough to run the country in time of war. Where are our entrails? Where were we when god handed out intestinal fortitude?
BB, saw your second post. Thanks.
I am a patriot, and I love my country.
Posted by: Amy at January 20, 2005 04:38 PM
Amy,
Thank you. I'm heartened that according to William Pitt, there were many of you out there protesting this travesty of "democracy" today.
I can't believe how heartsick I've been all day. I guess subconsiously I've held out some sort of fantasy that the results of November 2nd would be overturned and truth and justice would triumph. Of course today dashed that dream to little pieces.
Now - onward and upward.
The coward
Thursday 20 January 2005 @ 04:41
It occurs to me that all this security, all these cops and soldiers and guns and fences, are not really to keep the terra'ists at bay, but to protect Bush from the citizens of his own country. His limo was pelted with fruit, and the Cheney limo got battered by snowballs. There were tens of thousands of people here to shout him down.
The battery on my machine is just about gone, so I am going to find someplace warm. It was a privilege to be here. Anyone despairing for their country can feel a sense of pride today. Whatever else happens from here on out, know that thousands of people of good conscience carried the flag today in fine style.
This is William Rivers Pitt, signing off from America's protest capitol.
http://truthout.org/fyi/
The others were views of others - although I do tend to agree with them.
My view is
We rolled over like trained dogs to approve those who architected two of the things we and the world hate the most:
Abu Graib and the Iraq war.
We are telling the world that we will yell, scream, make speeches and waggle our fingers at Bush but when a chance to actually do something, we won’t.
We gave up a chance to speak for all the dead, wounded and for all those who are about to die and be wounded.
Senate Dems essentially validated Iraq.
All those who look to Dems for leadership must be thinking about looking elsewhere or not participating at all. The old adage “it doesn’t matter” is hard to disprove when we give up.
This is what I am talking about....
Indict Gonzales for war crimes...
http://www.alternet.org/rights/21029/
Thank you Williams River Pitts for doing what so many of us wish we would have had the opportunity to do.Where were the pretzels?
Posted by: resolute at January 20, 2005 05:25 PM
I have read Mr. Pitts article at least 10 times.
Each time I am grateful to all those protesting..
Oh for a chance to stick my size 12's up Bush's ass.
Oh for a chance to stick my size 12's up Bush's ass.
Posted by: battlebob at January 20, 2005 06:15 PM
Protesting four years ago was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Even if it's only for a few hours it's wonderfully empowering to stand up and say NO! I'm not with Stupid! - as Marc so aptly put it.
Living in suburban Washington for 20 years, I saw many inaugurations - Repub and Dem - starting with Carter. They used to be happy festive affairs - the opposition pretty much stays away - the candidate and their families, starting with Carter, take a stroll up Penn Avenue soaking in the adulation and cheering crowds from the sidelines.
But not Bush's two inaugurations - both clearly have been full of anger and disgust - both have been disrupted - negatively impacting Bush and his followers. Amazing.
And the sad thing is - the press refuses to give an accurate picture. They know the contrast - they know what the Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton inaugurations looked like. They know how very different the Bush II inaugurations have been.
I think it would make a tremendous difference if the MSM would only be honest about how Americans really feel about the two bloodless coups.
Posted by: resolute at January 20, 2005 06:26 PM
I was in DC on business for Carter's Innaugeration. It was a happy time for a happy event. The Repubs stayed peaceful and respectfully let Dems celebrate.
Dems did the same for Repub celebrations - until now. That is great. Bush must not have a free pass on anything.
My youngest brother was at both Clinton innaugerations and he said all was peaceful. Everyone was partying and having a good time.
Posted by: battlebob at January 20, 2005 06:33 PM
BB - you are so right. Regardless of hard fought and sometimes even ugly campaigns (Bush the first comes to mind) I don't think anyone questioned the legitimacy of the the win. I think the feeling, on either side, was you accepted the loss, let the winning side have their day(s) of celebration - and then move on.
I remember the excitement rippling through the crowd when Carter & his family got out of the limo and walked - it was the first time a President had done that - at least in modern times (it was so bitterly cold). I had bleacher seats for both Clinton Inaugurations - there were some anti-abortion protestors in clusters - but few and far between.
Dubya's inauguration events have been totally different in mood and tone. The media can deny it all they want, but Bush "won" both elections under a cloud of doubt - first in Florida and now in Ohio. And the Bush administration can call it a mandate - but 57 million Americans (and probably millions more) know his presidency is anything but.
Congressional Dems should take a page from the "we the people's" notebook. We're not taking the perversion of our democracy lying down. We will fight and we will make ourselves heard.
In Arizona, we do things a bit differently. During the MLK parade in Phoenix, over 25k people walked two miles in peace to honor a great man of peace. After the parade, there were lunches with and speeches by important civil rights activists. To close out the day, there was a concert for high school kids. After the concert, series of fights broke out between various schools and gangs totaling about 25 kids. There was more MSM coverage on the fights then on the parade activities.
Rice nix
Just a thought that maybe the senators were allowing Kerry some well-deserved street cred after enduring the questionable election, not being able to go forward, more, with the recount (not finding anything big and potentially overturning, or the CBC maybe wanting to go forward and beyond the election for reform)?
My penchant for finding excuses, I guess.
I think it would make a tremendous difference if the MSM would only be honest about how Americans really feel about the two bloodless coups.
Posted by: resolute at January 20, 2005 06:26 PM
Resolute,
We don't have a mainstream media. We have a Bushco Propogana machine (BP). DiAnne and I had several posts this past weekend discussing this particular issue. I would like to humbly request that we refrain from using the term MSM. It is not media and it is not mainstream. It is propoganda. So let's all use the term Bushco Propoganda-BP.
Posted by: oncall at January 20, 2005 06:48 PM
good point....you have my humble apology..
While watching the Rice Lovefest, I felt that our Senators were representing the Eunuched States of America. I hypothesized that there was something in the frequency of that Mary Richard's MTM quaver in Rice's voice (Mr. Graaaant!) that reduced men to groveling sycophants. The picture was completed for me today upon hearing Trent Lott's statements in the opening ceremonies about this "EUNUCH MOMENT IN HISTORY" LOL! I assume he meant "unique" but one never knows given the recent Senate demonstration.
Denise, I thought it was dodge ball, and the not saying anything as irritating to them as us. Probably voted her in so they didn't have to listen anymore.
Now, BP, is also British Petroleum, and a tip of the oil hat a few fold. Think Blair had some designs on that, too, if I remember.
My message to the DNC:
I keep getting solicitations for contributions from you.
You should know that I gave approximately xxx.xx dollars to the DNC during the presidential campaign. I swear to God that I will not give a penny more until I see Democrats like Joe Biden vote for or against issues based on what they say. His performance during the Rice hearings was good television, but when the rubber hit the road, he crapped in his pants. I expect to see a democratic party unified in its opposition to the ultra right wing theocratic policies. Will the democrats vote unanimously against torturers and war mongers? I expect so. If not forget about me.
as to us-gosh
Well i didnt spend one damn dime today. ...and i didnt say one damn word to a repug i know who kept waving the American flag around today like it belonged to him and only him... and his hero, bush. Ugh. I just thought of what John Kerry said in his acceptance speech about our flag not belonging to any one president, or any one ideology...
I did see something funny, though. Posted in our work room: a picture of Napolean crowning himself and the words "January 20, 2005." lol
By the way, i really love the "what if..." That was my favorite part of Kerry's speach, and really, my favorite part of the campagin; the fact that we were not about to settle for less, but rather always asked "what if?"
"Some men see things as they are and say why. I deam things that never were and say why not."
~RFK
Posted by: Marjorie G at January 20, 2005 07:11 PM
Marjorie,
Blair Propoganda (BP), Bush Propoganda (BP). Take your pick.
Marjorie G- yes BP is British Petroleum, but MSM is an herbal remedy for joint pain that I take every day. And it's a good thing, not a bad thing. Every time I read the letters MSM on here I'm taken aback. We need to call it something, but maybe the initials need to go :-)
You could call it BM for Bush Media?
This covers both uses of the acronym.
Posted by: oncall at January 20, 2005 06:48 PM
Believe me, I realize the over-riding need for media reform and the role corporate media (or whatever you want to call it) plays in keeping Bush and the oligarchy in power.
But I can wish that our "free press" would do the job it's supposed to do - can't I?
All I can say is "pissant pollywanker posers." That's the kindest thought I can find for the neoconartists and their world-building hubris.
And, fyi, "Eve of Destruction" was the very first song we downloaded from the internet. It seemed fitting at the time, it seems fitting today.
NO FUCKING SURRENDER
You could call it BM for Bush Media?
This covers both uses of the acronym.
Posted by: battlebob at January 20, 2005 07:38 PM
Last Sunday, that was my original suggestion and the scatalogical reference was intended. The more I thought about that, I became more uncomfortable with the word media. Media implies informative and thereby beneficial. Our press can not be accused of being either of those.
But I can wish that our "free press" would do the job it's supposed to do - can't I?
Posted by: resolute at January 20, 2005 08:20 PM
Resolute,
I hope you know that I meant no offense to you.
I agree with Linda. People should refer to our disgrace of a press in whatever form they prefer. Personally I see it as propoganda. Propoganda that is attempting to further the cause of Bushco. Hence my preference for Buschco Propoganda. In the interest of saving space and reducing typing I use BP.
Apologies for the above, my self-edit function malfunctioned.
Posted by: Amy at January 20, 2005 04:59 PM
Just catching up on the blog. I felt the same way about Joe Biden yesterday. I could not believe the way he hogged the spotlight, blathered on about injustice, then gave Condi a yes in confirmation. I don't think I have EVER seen anything quite like it in all my years on this planet.
I hope you know that I meant no offense to you.
Posted by: oncall at January 20, 2005 09:07 PM
Of course, oncall, and none was taken.
I really did used to have so much respect for the press when, at their very best, they were the truth tellers who uncovered lies and corruption. I grew up revering journalists like Sinclair Lewis, broadcasters like Edward R. Murrow, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Walter Chronkite, and in the 70's, Woodward and Bernstein. The thing is, the journalists today have to know better, they know they should be the watchguards of our democracy.
Perhaps the balance will shift with the second term. As Jon Stewart said tonight - this is the midway point in Bush's presidency - each day is one day less. And second terms have a way of unravelling.
The Daily Show counted up the number of times Bush said freedom and liberty in his speech today. He actually said freedom 24 times - and liberty 15 times. All this in 20 minutes.
you all give me a smile, no matter what kind of day i'm having. renaming the media. MSM becomes BP becomes BM. i call it aural distortion, brought on by an excess of oral copulation performed by the prostitutes of journalism. however, i have not yet been able to give this entire process a good anacronym.
the only thing that fits is KSSR (kneel, suck, swallow, regurgitate)its vile to picture, but even viler that its exactly what they do.
hope i didn't ruin anyones day.