Tuesday, May 05, 2009

WE LOVE MEXICO! plus THE POWER OF COMPASSION *

Rest in peace, Dom Deluise. You're probably flipping tortillas in heaven on Cinco de Mayo! My friend Sumi Lee says: "Met Dom Deluise once at Koo Koo Roo. He was very sweet and we discussed chicken." This makes me laugh, and I know Dom would appreciate us laughing! When people pass, we should celebrate them.

We extend our love, and prayers to Mexico. HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!! My favorite food EVER is Mexican food, and I love the Mexican people.

Yesterday, May 4th was Star Wars Day: May the Fourth be with you!


THE POWER OF COMPASSION

Buddhists believe strongly that people must immerse themselves in feeling other’s pain in order to gain the compassion that heals the world. When your heart is full of love for your fellow man, you can reach out and actually change people’s lives.

"The only response to hatred is love." - Wayne Dyer

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance; that principle is CONTEMPT PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION." - Herbert Spencer

One day when my son was 8 years old, in third grade, he came home from school with a notice from the principal that a 10-year-old boy had died overnight from a high fever. My own son had also been home from school that week, suffering from a similar fever. We had never met this boy or his family, but I instantly felt the mother’s pain so deeply it shattered me and I couldn't stop crying. I looked up the family name in the school directory to see if they had any other children, which they did: one other son in ninth grade at our local high school.

I prayed deeply for this mother — pouring compassion out to her, holding her in my heart and communing with the divine love that passes all understanding. I asked God to comfort her, to fill her with peace. And then the tears stopped. It was four o’clock in the afternoon. I felt an urgent need to get in my car and find this woman. All I knew was that she lived in a large apartment building on Rexford Drive, a few blocks away. The car seemed to drive itself down the street, and at the end of the block, I saw a tall woman in a bathrobe, pacing the sidewalk, bleary-eyed. She looked at me with a sadness I will never forget. I parked in a driveway and rolled down the window. “Are you Benjamin’s mother?” I asked, getting out of the car. The woman ran towards me — literally rushing into my arms, sobbing. We held each other, both of us crying and she said “Did God send you?”

The woman was Korean-American, and explained in broken English that she had just come outside to search for her husband, who had disappeared in grief earlier that day. She asked if I would come in and look at pictures of her son. We went inside and she showed me her son’s “room,” which was just a corner of the living room. Though this was Beverly Hills, they lived in a modest one-bedroom apartment. Both sons slept in the living room. She showed me Benjamin’s report card, schoolwork, baseball trophies, Yugioh cards — which were just like my son’s. She poured tea and told me all the wonderful things about Benjamin.

I silently asked God to give me the right words to say, and out of my mouth came some memories formed into words I could not take credit for. I told her about my precious brother Paul and how he had come to me in a vision a few days after his death. I’ll never forget this because I was driving my car and literally had to pull over and stop. On the radio they were playing the song from the Disney movie “Pocahontas” with the lyric “Who knows how high the Sycamore grows... if you cut it down you’ll never know.” This struck me because we had Paul’s memorial service underneath a giant Sycamore tree. My head collapsed onto the steering wheel I was crying uncontrollably. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a surge of warmth and light filled my body and I bolted upright in my seat. I saw my brother’s face beaming at me so broadly I had never seen him this radiant. He told me to stop crying, that he'd “see me later,” that “there is no death.” He even said “I love you Lydia; you really helped me.” This was in 1995, on the third day after I had found his body. I felt completely at peace about him from then on.

I kept a picture of Paul by my bedside that week, with a candle burning next to it. One morning three days after his death, my toddler Jack, who was a year and a half old, woke up, giggled, pointed to the picture and said, “Paul happy!” This gives me goose bumps even now when I remember it. Now I’m going to sound completely loony, but on the day we scattered his ashes at sea, before we left for the boat, three white doves alighted on our lawn, and these were not doves for hire. What is it with the number three?

As I sat with the woman, I told her that her son Benjamin was a gift that she was blessed with for ten years and now God needed him back home for bigger things. I told her “our children are on loan to us.” I don't know where these words came from. As she walked me out she said she felt an enormous wave of peace come over her. “I was so depressed and now I feel I was visited by an angel.” It dawned on me that we can all be comforters or ‘human angels’ for each other when we open up and begin to really care about others.

Our entire school attended Benjamin’s funeral. During the eulogy, the minister read a letter written by the mother, in which she said: “Benjamin was a gift to us for ten years, and now God called him back home for more important things…"

It’s amazing how Love uses us when we make ourselves available. I've had full-blown miracles and healings from prayer -- and I’ve come to rely on ceaseless prayer for every problem in life including overcoming "genetic" diseases. But the best kind is praying for others with compassion.

After my crash and burn, I began to transcend my ego in fits and starts. It did not succumb willingly. Sometimes the ego is so big it needs an apartment of its own.

But the most important change was when I began to have more compassion for others. I believe that’s the main idea: to transcend our demanding egos and put others first. There’s no time to waste; we all need to get over ourselves and branch out. As Christ said, “you have to lose your life to save it,” and the St. Francis Prayer,“It is by self-forgetting that one finds.”

I always tell my children, “No matter how much you acquire or accomplish in life, if you’re not kind to others, you’ve missed the whole point.”

It's really hard to get out of my self-centeredness and actually do it. There are so many times I’ve received a nudge to extend myself to help someone, but out of laziness or fear, I’ve ignored the call.

Einstein said it beautifully here: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

It took years to smash my ego, gain some humility, stop forcing things my way, let go of fear and begin to deeply care about others. As I’ve become more enlightened, I’ve become more generous, more “liberal”, but I don’t mean this politically.

I believe "good conservatives are really liberals at heart."

Why are so many fundamentalist Christians stuck in the Old Testament with its eye-for-an-eye mentality — which is the exact opposite of Christian? Maybe they don’t realize the word “Christ” is the root of the word “Christian” because the vowel sounds are different! Christ brought the new law, in the new testament -- which brought the law of love. Christ talks about how we must take care of the “least among us,” we must be peacemakers and take care of the poor, the meek, and the outcasts. Perhaps this doesn’t fit their worldview of the downtrodden as “victims.”

I heard Gay Talese talk about his interest in the common man, the humble underdog who struggles through life without fame, fanfare or charisma – and how important it is to celebrate everyday heroes rather than superstars, gorgeous models and million-dollar athletes. In other words, we should value substance over style.

212 comments:

  1. Hi Lydia!

    Enjoy your day with your kids! ;)

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  2. Lydia thats amazing powerful piece straight from the heart.

    Have a great vacation with the kids!

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  3. Interesting Story Worf.........Wofowitz and Feith along with trolls like TT are Neo Con trash!

    They destyroy EVERYTHING they touch they are a pack of immoral imcompetent ctreasonous criminal fools!

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  4. You got that right Mike!

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  5. Spring? What's that?

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  6. There's some good coming out of the Bush administration.

    Francis Fukayawa, one of the architects of the neo-conservative movement, suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and said "What the f*ck have I done to the land I love?!?!?!?!?"

    He's turned 180 and is now a die-hard leftist.

    I don't trust people like this, because they ought to have been smart enough from the get-go, but I welcome his help.

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  7. It's summertime here... between 85 - 90 already! ;)

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  8. Worf:

    I wouldn't vote Hillary..no way! I do believe Edwards and Obama are for the American people. We don't need any more big business buddies running this country! ;)

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  9. Lydia - What a moving post. Who can make a middle aged Man cry and smile from 3,000 miles away? Why Lydia can of course!

    Peace.

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  10. Its ok to disagree with me.
    ----------

    Worf:

    Oh, don't worry, I don't have a problem with civil debate/disagreement...especially when I am right! *kidding*

    LOLMAO

    I like Edwards as far as his ability to communicate important issues with the American people. Also, I like his ideas and where he stands with various issues at present. ;)

    Yes, he and several others voted for the invasion in Iraq, however, they were lied to and presented with false intelligence. They didn't know it was false when they voted though.
    The deceivers knew but Edwards was not one of the deceivers! ;)

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. Peek-a-boo!

    Hello All!

    Nice Blog..

    I'm just gonna rummage around here...

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  13. Hi GEF!

    About time you check out this nice blog! :)

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  14. Worf:

    I really like Gore but he isn't running...as far as I know.
    So, Edwards is my next choice. ;)

    4:23 PM

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  15. Obama joins John Edwards and turn down the Fox News debate.

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  16. Worf:

    I sent the Dems an email and told them not to lower themselves to the Kool-Aid drinking standards!! I really did!

    LOLMAO

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  17. Hillary is still doing the debate.

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  18. How about you Suzy, or you Evildoer?
    ---------------

    Worf:

    I read that quickly and thought you asked me if I was an Evildoer? We call him GEF.. :)

    LOLMAO

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  19. I WORFEUS said...
    If you guys want to know why Obama is a better choice than Clinton, besides the fact that she voted for the war and he didn't, try this.


    Of course he didn't: he wasn't a Senator.

    However, if you look at their records while they were both Senators, Obama's votes are identical to Hillary's, including approving the surge...

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  20. I WORFEUS said...
    Sorry if I'm rambling. We're having a wake for the McCain campaign and I'm getting tipsy from the Manishevit


    How many Jews they counted so far, iWorf?

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  21. Hey Carl!

    Why don't you guys check out my article about Jack Abramoff on my blog..it's a repeat but worth reading again. ;)

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  22. Worfeus I see the Fox debated differently.

    With the crap they and reichwingnut radio has spewn for the last decade, why give them anything at all?

    Why allow them the ability to trash the democrats again, or legitimize them at all?

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  23. I WORFEUS said...
    What do you think Mike? You think they ought to do the Fox thing?"

    Well i'm all for a debate if its a fair and honest one I'm just about positive our guys provided they are reasonably intelligent would clean their clocks because the truth and facts are on our side.

    That said I dont know if they can get an honest fair debate on Fox and even if the Totally cleaned the repugs clock and kicked their asses the brainwashed blindly loyal goosesteppers wpould declare victory anyway regardless of what actually happed their command of the truth and facts is based on what they want it to be rather than reality.

    Again I dont think our guys would or should be AFRAID of going onto Fox for a debate but I say whats the point if its not a fair and honest debate?

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  24. Hey GEF, welcome, I know Lydia will be glad to have you and SQ here!

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  25. I WORFEUS said...
    Sorry, but I just can't bring myself to support someone who voted for the war.

    I knew the war was wrong back then, and I want someone smarter than me to be president."

    Well I agree with MOST of what you just said I think I could support Edwards if it came down to him against a repug........because with the exception of voting for the war, that it would be difficult but not impossible to get past I really like Edwards.

    If it came down to Hillary agasinst a repug that would be MUCH more difficult because I really dont care for Hillary but I could never vote for a repug unless he were clearly a non parisan who was CLEARLY the best candidate........then it would come down to the lesser of two evils which would very likely be Hillary!

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  26. I WORFEUS said...
    I am sure they are worried Chris Wallace or whoever they get to host it will cut off their mic if they get too truthful, but honestly I don't think they would.

    Maybe they would, who knows? But if they did then everyone watching the debate would see what a propaganda wing of the right that Fox is."

    You sure you dont want to rethink that one buddy..........they could get pounded beyond belief and the brainwashed goosesteppers would dec;are victory just like they do in this blog or in Iraq.

    No matter what cheating went on or no matter how much foul play or how badly the repugs lost the trolls and all Fox's viewers would defend them and declare victory!

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  27. I WORFEUS said...
    Yea, I really don't blame them on the Fox thing I guess, but I think it would look better to be willing to visit their turf and show their stuff. It would depend on the specifics and rules and such, but they should be able to moderate it appropriatley.

    I would have went on if I was Obama, and showed I had some big ones."

    oops didnt see this post when I answered...........if it were moderated fairly and appropriately then I would say Hell Yeah they should go on Fox.........but i'd have to be sure it would be a fair fight so to speak.

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  28. Hillary won't drop out of Fox. She loves the neocon spotlight.

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  29. Well if it is Hillary the only one on the fox debates she can argue her three sided opinions on every issue with her self.

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  30. Hillary and Dennis and Dodd and Biden will be the only ones there.

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  31. Thats what I dont like about Hillary...........she is like repug lite!

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  32. Maybe Hillary will tour Baghdad.

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  33. Worf:

    Oh come on Worf, Edwards is a good guy! He is for the people of this country! ;)

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  34. Like I said last night on SQ's blog, I kinda like Feingold just like I do Edwards.....But I have dificulty getting past Feingold saying we should just rubberstamp Bush's illegal unconstitutional warrantless spying on Americans program.

    For me that is just like Edwards voting for the war........it shows he has bad judgement and would rather take the easy way or path of least resistance than question things and make tough decisions.............for me thats pretty close to a deal breaker but not quite.

    I also want a president that is Smarter than me or at the worst equalllly smart........and I saw through the war deceptions and that the spy program was wrong........I expect no less from my elected representatives or President........especially the president.

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  35. Mike,

    One of SQ's team posted something last night of the Senate hearings that Feingold was critical of spying on Americans.

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  36. Larry & Mike:

    That's right, Geezer found something on Feingold's site that said he was against the taps! ;)

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  37. Worf said he criticized it then said we should just have Congrss make it legal...........to me anyone who could say something like that has questionable judgement.

    Maybe Worf could elaborate on this topic though?

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  38. I knew it didn't make sense to be against the war but for spying on Americans.

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  39. S-Q said...
    Worf:

    Oh come on Worf, Edwards is a good guy! He is for the people of this country! ;)


    Tell him to quit playing with his hair.

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  40. Tell him to quit playing with his hair.
    -----------

    Worf:

    Lol Silly! Why do men not like other men with nice hair?

    hehe

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  41. Yeah, Guliani looks like a female when dressed in drag, heck, he kinda looks like a female when he isn't dressed in drag! LOL

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  42. Giuliani is a good chameleon ain't he, he pretends to be much, which he ain't.

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  43. John McCain said Monday that he didn't need any security as he walked the streets of Baghdad.

    McCain claims he was perfectly safe without them.

    Why didn't the powerful Senator tell them to leave?

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  44. Good poll numbers for Edwards and the other democratic front runners;

    Here's the latest Rasmussen results in match-ups of Edwards
    and Republican candidates

    Edwards (49%) Giuliani (43%)
    Edwards (50%) Huckabee (41%)
    Edwards (47%) McCain (38%)
    Edwards (55%) Romney (29%)
    Edwards (50%) Thompson (36%)

    Here are Hillary's numbers:

    Clinton (46%) Brownback (41%)
    Clinton (50%) Gingrich (43%)
    Clinton (47%) Giuliani (48%)
    Clinton (48%) Hagel (40%)
    Clinton (47%) McCain (46%)
    Clinton (50%) Romney (41%)
    Clinton (43%) Thompson (44%)

    And Obama's numbers:

    Obama (49%) Brownback (34%)
    Obama (48%) Gingrich (38%)
    Obama (43%) Giuliani (44%)
    Obama (50%) Hagel (34%)
    Obama (52%) Huckabee (32%)
    Obama (44%) McCain (44% )
    Obama (51%) Romney (36%)
    Obama (49%) Thompson (37%)

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  45. The Pentagon is extending the tours of another 115,000 troops as many have had little time at home as they were promised.

    Another Bush promise broken to the troops.

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  46. Larry said...
    John McCain said Monday that he didn't need any security as he walked the streets of Baghdad.

    McCain claims he was perfectly safe without them.

    Why didn't the powerful Senator tell them to leave?"

    Yeah larry thats kinda like saying you didnt need a condom after you take it off and are through with it...........and as for McCain.......he's about as useful as a condom with a hole in it as far as i'm concerned :D

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  47. Clif, that Democratic lead is only gonna widen as the year goes on and the election gets closer!

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  48. AP:

    Approval for Congress is at its highest level in over two years.

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  49. Larry think about the demographics of this war............the biggest generation since the BabyBoomers, Gen Y are the main group fighting this war and getting screwed by Bush, and they are turning to the Dems as fast as they can run...........between the demographics, the war and the corruption, GWB has doomed the GOP for at least a generation!

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  50. Obama is on Letterman.

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  51. Mike:

    Bush the big war President, the one who claims he prays for their safety on Easter, is once again lying to the troops.

    What a pathetic soul.

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  52. I'll say Good Night here too!

    Good Night Mike, Worf, Larry, Clif and Lydia!

    :)

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  53. Good Night to Carl & Tomcat too! :)

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  54. TOO SWEET

    Republicans may be forced to filibuster Bush's Swift Boat nominee

    If Senate Democrats succeed in invoking an obscure law on recess appointees, Republicans may be forced to filibuster nominee Sam Fox, the controversial pick for Ambassador to Belgium that President George W. Bush appointed last week during the Senate's easter break. If they don't, the president could face a significant defeat in the Senate chamber.

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

    As a certain senator from California said; "elections have consequences"

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  55. Poor Bush. His Repugs have to try and rescue him from another slide in the night.

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  56. Hey Worf:

    Wolfowitz is defending hiring his lover and getting her a plush job, and he upheld staffing rules, and "acted on the advice of the banks ethics committee."

    Of course he did!

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  57. The democrats are sticking it to Bush, and since he never had to work compromises with a congress which operated properly, he is clueless,

    well he is clueless anyway, but he is more isolated then even Nixon was.

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  58. Larry the raise he gave his personal friend who works under him in more ways then one, was in violations of world Bank rules.....

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  59. Booman ties a lot together with this post;

    Imus, the media insect routine, the slow collapse of the media-GOP mutual admiration society, and the increasing irrelevance of Fox noise machine.

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  60. Clif:

    I think she got raises when the other employees didn't, which must have been the violation.

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  61. Sounds to me she got raises for raises she caused in him.

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  62. Good article Clif. Fox especially is crumbling and I hope Bush completely breaks it to pieces.

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  63. They all could go off to Paraguay and lie to each other....

    and if the reality based world left them alone, they all would be happy down there.....

    at least till they realized who they were stuck with.

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  64. I hope the world of Bush will completely crumble before he leaves office.

    If not they will let it all go.

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  65. Larry at the rate it is falling apart this will be the year with Bush hating his last year on office more than we dislike his policies.

    too bad for him eh?

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  66. Clif, you couldn't wish it on a more deserving person.

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  67. That was a great article Clif.........how true!

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  68. Clif said...
    They all could go off to Paraguay and lie to each other....

    and if the reality based world left them alone, they all would be happy down there.....

    at least till they realized who they were stuck with."

    Just like the Nazi war crininals fled to South America!

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  69. Larry said...
    Hey Worf:

    Wolfowitz is defending hiring his lover and getting her a plush job, and he upheld staffing rules, and "acted on the advice of the banks ethics committee."

    Of course he did!


    Well I guess its possible.

    Assuming the advice that the bank ethics committee gave him was to wear a condom.

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  70. I cant see how these idiots keep getting jobs although Wofowitz does seem to fit nicely at The World Bank as all they do is suck the lifeblood out of and exploit 3rd world countries for their own interests and self serving agendas.

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  71. Four U.S soldiers were killed in bombings in Iraq.

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  72. At least 20 were killed today by a female suicide bomber near Baghdad.

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  73. Larry except for the initial invasion no Month has had the daily average of deaths of US troops.


    date....total..avg ..days

    3-2003...92...7.67...12
    4-2007...51...5.1....10






    This surge is not good for the troops at all.

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  74. Bush is increasing the "surge" force much more than he initially announced.

    Many are being redeployed and more are having their already extended stays, entended yet another year.

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  75. Death toll in Iraq has risen to thirty two today as another suicide bomber struck near Baghdad.

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  76. Looks like oil, copper and other commodities are spiking while the dollar is falling...........more of the Bush smke and mirrors economy where inflation makes it appear far better than it really is.

    Ignorant trolls like Rusty crow that the Dow is at an all time high, when in reality it would have to me at about 17,500 to be at an all time high when adjusted for inflation........the truth is we are well below our inflation adjusted 2000 peak and anyone invested in the index for the last seven year would have lost purchasing power.

    We are in a political and economic climate just like the 1970's with Nixon as president only worse..........high oil, inflation, war, declining dollar, stagnant stock markets.......etc......

    Why are repugs such war mongers, enemies of the Constitution and such poison for the economy?...............enjoy your last days of power repugs it may be anothe 30 years to you incompetent clowns get another chance.........if at all!

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  77. Good Morning/Afternoon Lydia and Boyz! ;)

    Worldbank is very nervous over the Wolfowitz girlfriend scandal...they've been on my blog early this morning!

    Another evildoer about to see Justice?

    LOLMAO

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  78. S-Q said...
    Good Morning/Afternoon Lydia and Boyz! ;)

    Worldbank is very nervous over the Wolfowitz girlfriend scandal...they've been on my blog early this morning!


    You sure it wasn't Paul looking for a new girlfriend?

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  79. Clif,

    One thing I dislike about Raw Story (and therefore, equate them on about a par with Newsmax) is their insistence in not giving specifics.

    What obscure Senate rule could they invoke? Yes, I read the description. I'd like the quotation or at least the "cf" so I can read it myself.

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  80. I WORFEUS said...
    Right but he was a vocal opponent of the war and he said he would have voted against it.


    Yes, and I would have played basetball for USC...

    ...if I knew that baseball would suddenly blossom into a multibillion dollar business and that my back would hold out long enough that I could just now be retiring from the sport and owning a small Caribbean island, and that I wouldn't have to spend winters doing something like digging ditches.

    People can say what they want. Obama has proven that his words are meaningless. That's not to say I wouldn't support him (it's between him, Hillary and Al Gore), but I go into it with my eyes open.

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  81. You sure it wasn't Paul looking for a new girlfriend?
    -----------------

    Hi Carl!

    Ewwww...please don't make me lose my lunch! That guy makes me ill!!

    Besides, he wears socks with holes in them!

    LOLMAO

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  82. check out this book:

    'The War in Iraq And Why the Media Failed Us'

    by David Dadge / Danny Schechter

    Also author of Casualty of War: The Bush Administration's Assault on a Free Press (CH, Sep'02, 41-0601), Dadge (International Press Institute, Vienna) here faults US media for failure to report the facts of the Iraq war. Supporting his argument with an imposing array of data, the author cites as mitigating reasons for this inept performance jingoistic patriotism, self-censorship, "subtle" pressures from the Bush administration, and an inability to confirm intelligence information. The bottom line: the Fourth Estate failed in its fundamental role to inform the American people fully and fairly of the facts of the nation's venture into invasion and war. Dadge points out that the press has been derelict before--in the Spanish-American War, WW I, and Korea--but he argues that never before has an administration managed to control news on such a scale. The efforts of the Bush ideologues were abetted by the press itself, which was muted by self-inflicted credibility problems and timidity to voice dissent and criticism. The author's prescription for improvement: the media must adopt a "new skepticism for government" and return to journalism's basic tenets, independence and accountability. Otherwise, a growing "public apathy" will further erode First Amendment rights in the US.

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  83. Hi Mike!

    How come you don't have a blog? You and Clif both have such an incredible amount of facts and truth! ;)

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  84. S-Q said...
    Besides, he wears socks with holes in them!


    And sucks his comb.

    Well, someone has to!

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  85. soldier said...
    Some people here maybe offended by womens breasts, but there is nothing wrong with showing off what God gave you.


    The only breasts I'm offended by are Ann Coulter's.

    And I'm not sure she has them.

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  86. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  87. Lydia, a lovely post, as usual, and one with which I identify fully. Before I learned to reach out and help, I first had to hit bottom and learn from the example of those who reached out and helped me.

    Thank you, S-Q. Good afternoon.

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  88. Mike said We are in a political and economic climate just like the 1970s with Nixon as president only worse..........high oil, inflation, war, declining dollar, stagnant stock markets.......etc......

    To a large extent I agree, but in one respect, we are more like the late 1920s, because the inequity in the distribution of wealth in this nation is at an all time high, and the last time it was even close to what it is now was in 1929.

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  89. Tomcat we are in a 1974 political situation with a 1929 financial situation as a backdrop, with Bush acting like the middle east needs more 1914 style diplomacy.

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  90. TomCat said...
    Mike said We are in a political and economic climate just like the 1970s with Nixon as president only worse..........high oil, inflation, war, declining dollar, stagnant stock markets.......etc......

    To a large extent I agree, but in one respect, we are more like the late 1920s, because the inequity in the distribution of wealth in this nation is at an all time high, and the last time it was even close to what it is now was in 1929."

    Tomcat and Clif................I couldnt agree more with what you guys just said............the two leading causes of Depressions are

    1) Excessive debt

    2) unequal distribution of wealth, were the ultra rich seize more and more of the oue while the middle class and poor have a declining standard of living.

    Right now we have both in place................plus a dumb as dirt v"Might Makes Right" war mongering bully as president who wouldnt know diplomacy if it bit him on the ass.

    all we need is aq catalyst like a war with Iran that could trigger an oil spike or dollar decline and we have a Depression probably worse than 1929.

    BTW why7 is it always repugs in the White house when these Depressions, Recessions, stagflation and wars are going on................Coincidence.........I DONT THINK SO.

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  91. S-Q said...
    Hi Mike!

    How come you don't have a blog? You and Clif both have such an incredible amount of facts and truth! ;)"

    Thanks SQ, like Clif I prefer to get the truth out there by helping others build and promote their blogs.

    I may start writing more articles and guest blogging soon..........but right know i'm happy popping in and comkmenting on the few blogs I frequent................of course this blog is my home turf LOL :D

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  92. soldier said...
    SQ is a very young and attractive woman, that's what we need more of.


    Dude, you realize that's Jessica Simpson's photo she's using as her avatar, right?

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  93. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  94. BTW, Lydia i'll say it again, that was another great post........it was heart wrenching yet warm and touching at the same time perfect for this time of year.

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  95. Hey troll its YOU who better keep your mouth shut............or i'll shut it FOR YOU, GOT IT!

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  96. your days of polluting and spamming this blog are OVER..............your just an impotent pathetic loser and you have No power here anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Gonzales documents subpoenaed
    Conyers calls effort last resort after weeks of negotiations with Justice.

    AP Updated: 2 hours ago
    WASHINGTON - The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed new documents Tuesday from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as part of its investigation into the firings of federal prosecutors, with the panel chairman saying he had run out of patience.

    "We have been patient in allowing the department to work through its concerns regarding the sensitive nature of some of these materials," Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., wrote Gonzales in a letter accompanying the subpoena. "Unfortunately, the department has not indicated any meaningful willingness to find a way to meet our legitimate needs.,"

    "At this point further delay in receiving these materials will not serve any constructive purpose," Conyers said. He characterized the subpoena as a last resort after weeks of negotiations with Justice over documents and e-mails the committee wants.

    The Justice Department did not have an immediate comment.

    Political motivation questioned
    One Justice official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the House request included the full text of all documents that had been partially or completely blacked out in the Justice Department's initial release of more than 3,000 pages last month. The Justice official said some U.S. attorney evaluations were included in these documents.

    The official said the request also included an unredacted list ranking the performance and standing of each of the 93 U.S. attorneys. Government officials have previously confirmed that Chicago-based prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, one of the Justice Department's premier U.S. attorneys, was ranked as "not distinguished."

    Democrats who control Congress say statements by Gonzales and his lieutenants, three of whom have resigned in the aftermath of the dismissals, have raised questions over whether the ousters were politically motivated.

    The Justice Department denies that and President Bush has stood behind Gonzales, but calls for a new attorney general have continued. Gonzales, Bush's longtime friend, is scheduled before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week.

    Along with the subpoenas, Conyers released letters of negotiation between his committee and the Justice Department dating to March 8, when the panel's Democrats requested follow-up interviews with Gonzales' top aides and any documents between the agency and the White House about the firings.

    Preserving privacy and professional viability
    The Justice Department responded by releasing more than 3,000 documents, including internal communications between agency officials, White House aides and some of the fired prosecutors. But substantial portions of the documents released were blacked out, or redacted.

    Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling wrote that the agency blocked information that raised privacy concerns, including the names of prosecutors who were considered for removal but ultimately retained, as well as candidates for judicial appointments.

    "We are seeking to preserve the privacy and professional viability of those who are continuing to serve," Hertling wrote.

    White House spokeswoman Dana Perino had no immediate information about the latest request.

    "I think the Justice Department has been working very hard to be fully responsive to the request, as the president asked them to do," Perino said, describing the administration's release of documents. "So I don't know what's new here. We'll have to check it out."

    Meanwhile, Gonzales on Tuesday named Kevin J. O'Connor, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, his new chief of staff to replace Kyle Sampson, who had orchestrating the firings for the department and had resigned last month. O'Connor has served since January, 2006, in Washington as an associate deputy attorney general, the department said.

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  98. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  99. Democrats postpone Gonzales' chance to testify
    White House is frustrated by delays in allowing attorney general to speak

    Updated: 6:08 a.m. MT April 6, 2007
    WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats have postponed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' first chance to testify in his own defense over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

    The decision to shelve next week's Senate Appropriations hearing frustrated the White House, which wants Gonzales to quickly give lawmakers his side of the story amid calls for his resignation.

    But Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md, said the political firestorm should be resolved before Gonzales talks about the Justice Department's spending plan for next year.

    "It would be very difficult in this environment to give the department's budget request the attention it deserves until the Senate has examined the department's leadership failures," said Mikulski, who heads the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that had planned to hear from Gonzales on April 12.

    The delay means Gonzales won't appear publicly on Capitol Hill until April 17 — which even Republicans are calling a "make or break" performance — to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into the firings.

    Administration disappointed
    White House spokesman Tony Fratto called the delay disappointing. Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said it was regrettable.

    "The attorney general has said that he would testify in hearings regarding Department of Justice appropriations, U.S. attorneys, or other issues of interest to the Senate whenever they could be scheduled," Fratto said.

    Gonzales has been forced to clarify his role in the firings after first saying, on March 13, he "was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on." That statement was later contradicted by documents and testimony by Kyle Sampson, formerly the attorney general's top aide.

    Sampson told the Senate Judiciary committee that Gonzales was briefed regularly about the firings and "this process of asking certain U.S. attorneys to resign."

    Gonzales says he was not involved in selecting which prosecutors to dismiss and largely relied on Sampson to orchestrate the firings.

    "With the attorney general's credibility hanging in doubt, he cannot talk about the funding and functioning of the Justice Department until he clears the air on U.S. attorneys," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.

    Leahy's demands
    The delay came as Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., demanded that Gonzales produce "a full and complete account of the development of the plan to replace United States attorneys and all the specifics of your role in connection with that matter."

    The records sought by Leahy include several hundred documents that Senate investigators have been allowed to view but not to obtain copies of or to take notes on, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing an unnamed Senate aide. The material concerns U.S. attorneys who were ousted and some who were retained and was withheld from previous releases for privacy reasons, according to an unnamed Justice official cited by the newspaper.

    He also asked for the information at least two days before the hearing, but added that "nothing prevents you from providing" it earlier. And Leahy criticized Gonzales for failing to answer about 200 written questions following his January appearance before the committee. At the time, he was asked about the firings; a secret court's oversight of spying on suspected terrorists, and FBI leaks in corruption investigations.

    "You would not tolerate this kind of response time in a Justice Department investigation where months go by without answers and when those answers are finally provided they are outdated or superseded by events," Leahy wrote. "That is not conducive to effective oversight."

    Roehrkasse, the Justice spokesman, said the department submitted nearly 200 responses to Leahy's committee on Thursday. "We are working as quickly as possible on completing the questions-for-the-record," Roehrkasse said.

    Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Gonzales "will have to answer some important questions" at the hearing. "He's going to have to explain what appears to be inconsistent statements which he made when he said he was not involved in discussions when e-mails showed that he was at meetings," Specter said in Pittsburgh.

    The senator said the attorney general also will have to address the FBI's illegal and improper use of national security letters to get personal data from telephone, financial and Internet companies about their American and foreign clients.

    Meanwhile, the former U.S. attorney in New Mexico, David Iglesias, said he is talking with the government's independent personnel counsel about whether department officials violated federal law when they included him among the fired prosecutors.

    The Office of Special Counsel, which protects government whistleblowers, is looking into whether Iglesias' firing may have violated a law that prohibits discrimination against military reservists. It is also is examining possible violations of laws designed to protect whistleblowers and prohibit political activity by government employees, Iglesias said in an interview this week.

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  100. Looks like you dont have anything worthwhile to say Do ya little troll.

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  101. Such a hateful pathetic little man you are troll!

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  102. Sounds like the Checks and balances are functioning again and megalomaniacs like the self proclaimed "DECIDER", Cheney and all the little trolls dont like it very much.

    What smart men our Founding Fathers were building checks and balances and oversight to tie little wannabe dictators hands.

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  103. BTW isnt it intersting how you blindly loyal goosestepping partisan repugs "CLAIM you support the troops and those in the military yet you fire Iglesias for doing that which you cowardly keyboard commandos are to gutless to do and thats serve your country.

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  104. The Big Lie of Richard Cohen

    by
    Brent Budowsky

    Richard Cohen repeats the big lie in todays Washington Post--i.e., Patrick Fitzgerald knew "that no law had been violated" when Valerie Plame's identity was exposed.

    The truth: Fitzgerald believed and has stated publicly that it has been impossible to know the full truth about what laws have been violated, because Scooter Libby's lies threw sand into the legal procedures that search for truth.

    First, Senator Lloyd Bentsen was the original sponsor of the Identities Law; I spent years of my life working on it; I worked on a related bill that provided death benefits to families of those killed in the line of duty, in part for identities exposures; and I was thanked and commended in writing, along with Senator Bentsen, at the level of Director of Central Intelligence.

    So: unlike Mr. Cohen, I know what I am talking about, and unlike Mr. Cohen, when the lives of our covert officers are involved I have a sacred respect for truth, integrity and honor.

    I will hold Mr. Cohen to the standard of being literate enough to read the news pages of the Washington Post. And I would assume that Mr. Cohen lowered himself to see or read the transcript of what Mr. Fitzerald publicly said.

    Enough delusion, enough dishonesty, enough spin, enough waterboy for the defense of the perjurer, enough obsession and damn right, enough lies.

    Here is another lie often told by the promoters of perjurers:

    They parrot Cheney and say that Valeria Plame got her husband Joe Wilson the trip to Niger as a junket.

    This is a lie. Valerie Plame did not suggest Wilson, others at the Agency did. She did not authorize the trip. She had no authority to authorize the trip. She did not provide money for the trip. She had no authority to provide money for the trip.

    This argument, too, is a lie. Those who repeat it know it is a lie. Yet they persist in telling the lie nevetheless.

    For the record, when Victoria Toensing wrote her fictional piece bannered in the Outlook section of the Post, as the case went to jury, and this lie intended to smear the wife, to smear the husband was repeated I was the only person permitted to answer her on the pages of the Post as the jury got the case.

    I tried to set the record straight on this slander of Valerie Plame, but the truth was censored by the editor, while the lie was allowed to stand.

    It is still said by some, that Valerie Plame was not covert. This, too, is a lie.

    It is said by some that Valerie Plame did not do covert action abroad within the five years covered by the law. This, too, is a lie.

    That these are lies, is not my personal opinion, it is verified, public, official, formally stated fact.

    Yet they continue to lie.

    As some continue to lie about WMD in Iraq.

    As some continue to lie about Saddam having ties to Al Qaeda.

    Again, this are public, verified, indisputable, clear, absolute facts from those who have the authority to know them, and have said them.

    Again and again, it is public record of fact, versus the public attempt to propagate the lie.

    Year after year, lie after lie, blunder after blunder, death after death, failure after failure, lie after lie.

    The President publicly stated that he "decided" to surge and escalate after the commanders urged him to.

    In this, the President lied.

    The Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously urged him not to escalate. The Iraq commanders urged him not to escalate. He ignored them, disrespected them, demeaned them, pressured them, tried to intimidate them, but they still opposed the surge.

    Then the President lied about them, then the President replaced them.

    Those who so obsessively and compulsively promoted this war have propagated lie after lie, year after year, from the initial lies about 9-11 and WMD to the latest lie on the editorial pages of the Washington Post today.

    To Richard Cohen, I say this: the reason that the obsessive, compulsive security risks who call themselves neoconservatives, who reach the highest levels of our government, are so desperately pushing for a pardon is their deep, mortal fear that Scooter Libby will cop a plea before sentencing, and then we will know the truth, about whether a crime was truly committed.

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

    seems lying is all they really ever had......

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  105. You chickenhawk clowns dont support the troops or veterans your liars and hippocrites.

    Hell on veterans day of all days not even 30 seconds after claiming how you support the soldiers and vets you wished a soldier currently fighting in Iraq and a Veteran dead right on this very blog.

    What have you EVER donr to support the troops little troll besides wanting to send more to their deaths while you cheer on the war from your keyboard safe at home like a gutless cowardly punk.

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  106. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  107. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  108. Oops gone like the fart in the wind he really is.

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  109. Was someone being naughty?

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  110. Just ignorant as usual, which is no longer tolerated here it seems, much to the good of the blog.

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  111. White House Deputy Liar Dana Perino says the reason Bush went with the "surge" is because Americans wanted it.

    She can't lie as good as worthless liar Tony Snow.

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  112. Heres another interesting book:

    The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
    by Phillip Zimbardo,

    Psychologist Zimbardo masterminded the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, in which college students randomly assigned to be guards or inmates found themselves enacting sadistic abuse or abject submissiveness. In this penetrating investigation, he revisits?at great length and with much hand-wringing?the SPE study and applies it to historical examples of injustice and atrocity, especially the Abu Ghraib outrages by the U.S. military. His troubling finding is that almost anyone, given the right "situational" influences, can be made to abandon moral scruples and cooperate in violence and oppression. (He tacks on a feel-good chapter about "the banality of heroism," with tips on how to resist malign situational pressures.) The author, who was an expert defense witness at the court-martial of an Abu Ghraib guard, argues against focusing on the dispositions of perpetrators of abuse; he insists that we blame the situation and the "system" that constructed it, and mounts an extended indictment of the architects of the Abu Ghraib system, including President Bush. Combining a dense but readable and often engrossing exposition of social psychology research with an impassioned moral seriousness, Zimbardo challenges readers to look beyond glib denunciations of evil-doers and ponder our collective responsibility for the world's ills.

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  113. She can't lie as good as worthless liar Tony Snow.
    ----

    Hi Larry!

    I heard that and thought she is worse than Snowjob! LOL

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  114. Jack Abramoff may get a reduced sentence for cooperating with U.S attorneys.

    What has come from his "cooperating?"

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  115. SQ,

    Every replacement they find for White House liar just gets worse.

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  116. actually quite a bit so far Larry, a few congressmen no longer in congress, ands quite a few corrupt government officials and congressional staffers looking for deals and hoping to stay out of the showers with soap on a rope......

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  117. Sixteen U.S soldiers were injured in yet another sniper attack in Iraq.

    Are you happy Bush?

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  118. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  119. I was hoping for Rove or Delay to get a noose.

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  120. The author, who was an expert defense witness at the court-martial of an Abu Ghraib guard, argues against focusing on the dispositions of perpetrators of abuse; he insists that we blame the situation and the "system" that constructed it, and mounts an extended indictment of the architects of the Abu Ghraib system, including President Bush.
    ---------------

    Hi Mike!

    Yes the system that created it and the evildoers who are in that system!!

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  121. Larry:

    Abramoff must be telling things that we haven't heard about yet...more than likely certain people are under investigation. :)

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  122. SQ,

    I hope Abramoff is spilling his guts. Rove and Delay are still walking around.

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  123. Henry Kissinger has endorsed John McCain.

    Another old dragon crawling out of the woodwork.

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  124. Sixteen U.S soldiers were injured in yet another sniper attack in Iraq.
    -------------

    Larry:

    That absolutely breaks my heart and it p*sses me off!!

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  125. SQ,

    I just saw on the news that 4 U.S soldiers were killed today.

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  126. Larry:

    And, they want to send a surge so that more can die for this senseless war!

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  127. SQ,

    The death tolls will rise like the tide until Bush is out of office.

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  128. Larry:

    Yes that is sad and I wish Bush were out tonight!

    He and Cheney need to be impeached asap!

    ReplyDelete
  129. Henry Kissinger has endorsed John McCain.
    -----------

    Larry:

    Two peas in a pod...they're both old dragons!

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  130. More people are killed everyday over there and Bush's answer is send more in.

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  131. SQ,

    Both are old dragons that love war.

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  132. Yes they are warmongers from way back Larry! Same people...different time! Bleh!

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  133. congressional staffers looking for deals and hoping to stay out of the showers with soap on a rope......
    ----------------

    Cliff:

    So true!!

    LOLMAO

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  134. Larry:

    Rove and DeLay will have their day... as all evildoers will!


    Abramoff made a smart decision to give up the goods and keep his butt out of prison for the rest of his life!

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  135. I hope Rove is carted out in cuffs and watch him tell all he knows to save his hide.

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  136. Larry:

    I hope he gets put away for a long time.. unless he gives up something really good! hehe

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  137. SQ,

    Rove would make someone a fine jail house mate.

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  138. Larry:

    A fine wife? LOLMAO

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  139. SQ,

    A lasting relationship.

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  140. actually Rove would be the cell block party butt.

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  141. Rove has a big enough butt to cover that area Clif.

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  142. Larry & Clif:

    You guys crack me up! LOL

    Give that Rove some soap on a rope, will ya? LMAO

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  143. No s-q rove gets the soap with OUT the rope so he has to bend over to reach it if he drops it, that is when he is the most exposed if you know what I mean.

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  144. Rove will look good to the other prisoners in his fluffy skirt.

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  145. 53% of Americans want Gonzales gone.

    Only 53%?

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  146. LOL I meant soap w/o a rope! I wrote on instead of w/o.. Well, anyway that would be some ugly butt!

    LOLMAO

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  147. Any rope that connects to that has to be ugly.

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  148. Larry said...
    53% of Americans want Gonzales gone.

    Only 53%?"

    Where did you hear that Larry..........all the polls i've seemn have been like 70%-80% want him gone.............Must be a Fox "NEWS" poll.

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  149. Mike I saw it on Huffingtonpost.

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  150. Well, guys I am gonna hit the hay soon! I've been up since 4:30 am...and now about 10:00 pm here..

    So, Good Night Friends! ;)

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  151. Bush's search for a "war czar" has met with resistance as three 4 star generals have turned the job offer down.

    Who in their right minds would want to be Bush's "war czar?"

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  152. Twenty four are dead and sixteen U.S soldiers were wounded in another day near Baghdad.

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  153. Who in their right minds would want to be Bush's "war czar?"
    -------------

    Good Morning/Afternoon Larry and Everyone!

    To answer your question Larry, nobody in their right mind would want that job!

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  154. Hi Lydia!

    I hope you're having a nice day with your kids! ;)

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  155. Twenty four are dead and sixteen U.S soldiers were wounded in another day near Baghdad.
    -------------

    Larry:

    We need to get our troops out of there asap and bring them home!

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  156. Mike said...
    Such a hateful pathetic little man you are troll!


    Damn. I never get invited to the cool parties...

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  157. Hi Carl!

    You can visit my party! ;)

    http://sq-sq.blogspot.com/

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  158. Mademoiselle, I frequent your blog...well...frequently.

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  159. In fact, I just left you a comment.

    See if you can find it :-)

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  160. Pentagon will extend the tour in Iraq to another 15 months for 145,000 troops.

    The move is because the military is understaffed, and enlistments are very low.

    Looks like that "surge" thing is really working Bush.

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  161. Rudy Guiliani flubs a question about Terry Schiavo, flip flops on the confederate flag issue, and is confused about the price of bread and milk.

    Those Repugs sure know the issues!

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  162. Larry said...
    Pentagon will extend the tour in Iraq to another 15 months for 145,000 troops.


    Sorta saw this one coming.

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  163. CitiBank the nations largest financial institution will eliminate 17,000 jobs.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  164. Is the Reich Wing OWNED MSM utterlly useless and irrelevant.....................a BIG YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Bush and the Pentagon extend Soldiers tour in Iraq to 15 months and all the useless MSM spoonfeeds down our throat is Donny Imus, Anna Nicole, some Lacrosse players from Duke University and a phony confession to Jon Benet's murder where the alleged murder is fed Champaign and caviar and relesased ....................Who the hell cares about this BS.

    I'm tired of the Right Wing owned Corporate fascist media distracting from real news with irrelevant BS thaqt virually NO ONE want to hear about 24/7

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  165. The more Anna Nicole talk the less talk about extending U.S troops stay in Iraq another 15 months.

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  166. I mean I have friends and co workers and their children who have had children killed over there or who have done 4 tours and/or had their tours extended for this senseless war of choice..............now there isnt even a purpose its all about the arrogant ibecile BUSH TRYING to save face.

    Its about time the Media starting covering real issues that Americans care about instead of BS!

    And its about time Congress served the American people and Ended this illegal war of choice.......thyey need to cut funding, pass new laws to tie Bush's hands so he cant just extend tours or redeploy the troops............whatever......but its about time they smacked the idiot on the snout and said "enough" this wanna be dictator" needs to be slapped back to reality and taken down a few pegs.

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  167. I sorta saw it coming as well Carl, but that doesnt make it any more tolerable or lessen the outrage.

    people are dying, getting maimed, missing their children grow up, take their first steps, say their first words for what.............So the Idiot "DECIDER" can "TRY" to save face.....i'm sorry thats not acceptible to me Congress has to show this idiot that there are 3 branches of government and he is NOT a dictator and end this riddiculous senseless war ASAP!

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  168. Bush can't even get a talking head former general to be his "war czar."

    Who wants to be associated with that?

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  169. I'm sick and tired of Bush getting up on his Bully Pulpit and demanding what Congress must do in front of the nation like he is a dictator................its about time Congress did the same to him and demanded he end the war and take care of and do right by the soldiers and veterans.

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  170. Larry said...
    Bush can't even get a talking head former general to be his "war czar."

    Who wants to be associated with that?"

    GOOD!!!!!

    Anyone with half a brain would run as far away from this idiot as fast as possible.

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  171. Pentagon claims Iran has been training Iraqi's to make bombs.

    Another Bush excuse to start a war.

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  172. Federal Reserve considers raising interest rates as they say inflation is still problem.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  173. BTW, Clif and Larry if you guys are home tonight watch CNBC at 7PM Eastern Time.........T Boone Pickens will be on he is an old oil man and corporate raider who has been right about absolutely everything he has said the last 5 years about oil and natural gas he recently made over a billion dollars just in the last year trading oil and natural gas futures, he also made a fortune in the last oil and commodity spike in the 1970's.

    This guy has been right about everything I have EVER heard him say if you want to learn about what's going on with oil and natural gas and what the trends are in Energy..........THIS IS THE GUY TO LISTEN TO!

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  174. Larry said...
    Pentagon claims Iran has been training Iraqi's to make bombs.


    Larry, what's really weird about this story is that Iran has been training Sunni Iraqis to make bombs...

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  175. Carl, they will not use the Sunni's getting trained to make bombs when they start a war.

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  176. Larry said...
    Federal Reserve considers raising interest rates as they say inflation is still problem.

    More of the Bush economy."

    I saw that as well Larry........the Fed is trying to defend the dollar.......verbally at first but they may just raise interest rates if need be.....i think they would prefer to leave rates alone for the rest of the year.......but they seem willing to let the air out of the stock and housing market a little to keep the dollar from plummeting.

    that said they are balancing on a tightrope and if the Market or housing cool to much too fast they may pull a surprise rate cut to prop up stocks and housing and let the and let the dollar slowly decline.

    they have dagers on both sides so they may lean one way temporarly then lean the other way to prevent a disaster.

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  177. National Association of Realtors say Housing Price measures will fall for the first time in 40 years.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  178. The Fed is faced with a choice between defending and propping up the dollar by raising rates and defending and propping up the stock market and housing by cutting rates.

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  179. T Boone Pickens was the one predicting the soon to be economic collapse.

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  180. If the dollar declinrs slowly and orderly thats kind of what the fed wants but if there is a dollar panic and it plummets that could causr a economic depression and/or break down of our economic system.

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  181. See if you can find it :-)
    ---------------

    Carl:

    I found it and responded! LOLMAO

    Also, I linked your blog to mine..

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  182. He's brilliant Larry.........he called $40 oil, $50 oil, $60 oil, $70 oil..........then he called for oil to fall to $55-$60 same for natural gas.......this guy is REAL SMART and knows what is going on in the energy markets and the world.

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  183. Looks like that "surge" thing is really working Bush.
    -----------

    Hi Larry!

    Working like a firecracker about to go off!

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  184. Military will spend nearly $1 billion to entice troops to stay in the service.

    More money for blood by Bush.

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  185. Hey SQ,

    Just watching a storm brewing.

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  186. Bush and the repugs had their chance and they screwed up EVERY way possible............its time for Congress to end this war, clean up the mess and make Bush and his cronnies sit in the corner with pointy dunce caps on for another 30 years or so...........prefferably the corner of their cellblocks!!!

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  187. Stocks tumble after Federal Reserve says they may raise interest rates.

    More of the Bush economy.

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  188. BTW, Clif and Larry if you guys are home tonight watch CNBC at 7PM Eastern Time.........T Boone Pickens will be on
    --------------

    Hi Mike!

    Thanks for that info! ;)

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  189. Just watching a storm brewing.
    -----------

    Larry:

    Oh, it's that time of the year there, huh?

    Our monsoon starts here in July and usually lasts through August. We get huge dust storms like you see in the old westerns!

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  190. Deranged McCain attacking Democrats becuase they want an end to the war.

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  191. SQ,

    There are always thunderstorms this time of year in most areas except parts of the southwest and west.

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  192. Larry;

    the fact that Gen Keane doesn’t want the job of overseeing the “surge” after he hawked for it last winter is telling. Even he does not think it will turn out very well and he does not want his ‘reputation” tarnished as the person who was in charge of day to day operations when everything went “sour” and the plans for redeployment had to be implemented.

    I can understand why, but it shows the total hypocrisy of these neo-cons at this point, they want a lot, but ain’t willing to step up and do it themselves.

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  193. I just posted a new thread that explains our anger at Bush. A lot of people have no idea.

    Hi S-Q! You are so beautiful. All I see is your spirit.

    And welcome Global Evildoer Fighter!! Thank youf for visiting. (The best articles are in the archives, not the ones listed in the sidebar. Can't figure out how to post to the template.)

    Sorry everyone, I've been unable to hang out much this week, but I am reading your comments as much as possible.

    My middle-schooler was not feeling well yesterday -- and we have tons of school stuff going on this week.

    I'll jump in when possible. Thank you SO Much for all your wisdom. People are really beginning to wake up.

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  194. S-Q, what I meant was, I love your avatar (and I know the guys do) but your spirit speaks louder.

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