Friday, April 28, 2006

Bush Approves NUKE TEST IN NEVADA & Takeover of Military Plants by Dubai

BREAKING STORIES: So all these years you've been listening to Rush Limbaugh spout off his hatred and and assinine remarks -- and the whole time he's been STONED. When you're sober you know you're dealing with a clear head, no longer puffed up by EGO. Ego = Edging God Out. The first thing that happens when you lift the veil of anesthesia from booze or drugs or Vicodin or Percodan is to see clearly, and gain humility. MORE BELOW on how the 12-steps are the quickest route to inner peace, world peace...and saving lives.


Despite this headline, I have a very good feeling that the world will NOT annihilate itself. Bush "The Decider" will not get away with his primitive, misguided agenda, or his bad grammar. At our lowest moment, when all else fails, where else can we turn? ANSWER BELOW AT THE END OF THIS COLUMN.

WASHINGTON (April 28) - President Bush on Friday approved a deal for a Dubai-owned company to take control of some U.S. plants that manufacture parts for American military contractors.

Initial reactions from Congress indicated that there would not be the opposition to the deal that prevented another Dubai-based company from taking over operations of several U.S. ports.

"This was a transaction that was thoroughly reviewed and closely scrutinized," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in confirming the deal. "In the view of the committee, it does not compromise our national security."The White House says the deal to allow a Dubai-owned company take control of some U.S. military plants has been reviewed and poses no security threats. For rest of article go to: aol.com news

MORE ON RUSH ... IF Rush is an unrecovered drug addict, I wish he'd apologize to his listeners for leading them astray. He should get off the air, and stop squandering his gifts by catering to an antiquated audience of haters. For an addict to find release (from the demoralizing obsession of drugs) he first needs to admit he is powerless and needs help. This is very difficult for people who are puffed up with pride. This first step activates humility. No HUMAN power, no doctors, no drugs can heal this disease. It really takes humility to admit you are licked by drugs or alcohol. After admitting defeat, that's when he go to Step 2: "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." And Step 3: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a Higher Power (God) as we understand him"

Wonderful people would help Rush in a heartbeat if he would stop posturing like a buffoon and stop trying to buy his way out. Alcoholism is the great leveler; it killed many great people. It doesn't matter who smart you are or how much money you have: it is no "respecter" of persons, intellect or money. Harvard and MIT geniuses are sometimes less able to get sober than homeless people are.

I know a cop, 28 years sober whose best friend is a coke addict he busted and sent to prison. Guess what? The coke addict got sober before the cop did and the coke addict has 30 years sobriety; he is the cop's sponsor and they are among the happiest, most content people I know. They are each happily married to great women, and they help others stay sober -- and they glow with humility.

So all these years Rush has been speaking from the drug-addled mind of a huge self-serving ego, and all you neocons bought it. Same as George Bush. A dry drunk who believes he was chosen. Sounds like delusions of grandeur of a madman. Or possibly the antichrist, but the antichrist is supposed to be someone appealing...

I feel sad that there are still good Americans so full of pride, they cannot see the light. What would happen if you just let down your pride and said you were wrong about voting for the worst and leader EVER IN UNITED STATES HISTORY?

There are none so blind as those who WILL not see.
********************************************************
EVER WONDER WHY BOTH JOHN WAYNE & STEVE McQUEEN and SO MANY OTHERS DIED OF CANCER AFTER DOING MOVIES IN THE DESERT OF NEVADA? IS THIS SAFE NEAR FAULT LINES? WHY ARE WE HAVING SO MANY EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS EVERYWHERE - could it be underground nuclear testing?

Clif, former Desert Storm commander says the test in the desert Bush set for June 2 is an Amonium nitrate- fuel bomb with 700 tons of explosives. It is to test the results of a huge underground explosion in order to determine what size nuclear bomb is required to destroy underground bunkers by causing collapse. They are doing a simulated nuke test by exploding a comparable amount of conventional explosive: this story explain it: NATIONWORLD

Basically they are building a .7 kiloton weapon and for actual deliverly status only a nuke can posses that power, 700 tons of explosive power would require 14 RR hoppers of 50 ton capacity each, and can you imagine a plane able to carry that load...it does not exist.

ALSO: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO ABOUT THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR? Do we really care about children; have you seen their faces? These are innocent children, and they are ALREADY BORN! For the Christians who seem to only care about the unborn, search inside your hearts and ask "What is our duty toward protecting the LEAST AMONG US?"

ANSWER: Where can we turn? All this strife in the world is just God's way of getting our attention. God is the Power of Love. There is no doubt in my mind that God exists; I have tangible, spine-tingling proof of the existence of this loving power. You won't believe how many supernatural prayer miracles I've had -- things that boggle the mind and seem impossible to comprehend, and the force of prayer is absolute. It's the natural order of the universe, metaphysics. We are supposed to be experiencing healings and "miracles" on a daily basis. Mainstream churches do not use the healing power of the Christ truth, but that's exactly what we're supposed to be doing: healing the sick (both mentally & physically; raising the dead, both metaphorically & physically.) The purpose of suffering is to bring us closer to God, to our true spiritual nature, which is LOVE. We must all come together and pray by seeing the good in each other, SEEING harmony where there is hate. Replace your view of the world as destroying itself, and start SEEING the beauty. This is true prayer: replacing your thought with the good. See the world healing right now. "Ask as if you have already received" and do not doubt the power of love to melt away hatred & fear. All our doubts arrests God's work through us. We are waking up. All the bad things that have happened can be turned around; inevitably something good comes out of them. Even the Holocaust taught us how to care about our fellow man, and showed us our own inhumanity. And we rejected this part of ourselves. We must stay outraged at Love's opposite while focusing on love. What we focus on GROWS.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

NO NUCLEAR WAR * FREEDOM FROM FEAR

What did the Great Peacemaker teach? A good Christian would never consider a preemptive strike, or using nuclear weapons to prevent nuclear war.

Rumsfield committed war crimes; Bush supports him. Typical. Good soldiers have a moral & legal obligation to speak out. Worfeus said: I am not an expert on military laws, but as I understand them, in the end, any and every soldier is expected to voice his opposition if he believes his commanding officer is commiting crimes or demonstrating that he is unfit to lead.

Ran into Cenk from the Young Turks and met KPFK's inimitable Ian Masters at Lila Garrett's fundraiser for Marcy Winograd on Saturday. Check out Ian Master's show 'Background Briefing." By Bernard Chazelle: Ah, the ease with which George W. Bush attracts superlatives! Jonathan Chait ranks him "among the worst presidents in US history." Paul Berman, who brands him "the worst president the US has ever had." Nobel Laureate George Akerlof rates his government as the "worst ever." Even Bushie du jour, Christopher Hitchens, calls the man "unusually incurious, abnormally unintelligent, amazingly inarticulate, fantastically uncultured, extraordinarily uneducated, and apparently quite proud of all these things." Only Fidel Castro, it would appear, has had kind words for our 43rd President. "Hopefully, he is not as stupid as he seems, nor as Mafia-like as his predecessors were."...

A Great Lesson: It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with US. If somebody hurts us and we are angry, even if justified, we cannot carry this anger or retaliate. It is not right to "hate deeply". The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody, has to be abandoned. If only a little at a time. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand them. Courtesy, kindness, justice and love are keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically ANYBODY. When in doubt we can pause and say "Not my will, but Thine, be done." And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me -- today?" (The Tenth Step of 12 steps.)

If we have "constructively" criticized someone, thinking they really needed it - when our real motive was to win a useless argument, we are wrong... This odd trait of mind and emotion, this perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character-building and good living. An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better attitude tomorrow will what we seek.

MARCY WINOGRAD FOR CONGRESS! Progressive Democrat Marcy Winograd is putting Jane Harmon (who voted for the war, and for the Patriot Act again) to shame. The hope for the future of America is absolutely in the hands of the progressive, enlightened thinkers. We will break free from this sluggish, archaic materialism which has a stranglehold on us today. Winograd is an amazingly optimistic spirit and her campaign is truly grass-roots. With more people like her in Congress, we stand a chance to become the great country our forefathers created. WAKE UP! The time for great thinkers has come.

The mainstream media should be ashamed for not revolting and telling the truth. Everyone seems unconscious -- they care more about American Idol and Brangelina than preventing nuclear war or civil liberties. The poverty rate has gone up; there are more children going to bed hungry today than there were 7 years ago. We have to stop this bizarre theocracy Bush Crime family is allowing to permeate the hearts of good Americans.




'DEPRIVED WIVES": DESTINY and I will be at THE RIVIERA COMEDY CLUB IN VEGAS June 5 - 11

Hope everyone had a great Easter and Passover...Went to the Hollywood Bowl Sunday for Easter service. We brought 2 extra kids (4 boys ages 10-12) and met our favorite living artist Steve Kaufman (Warhol's protege) and his girlfriend Sarah. Steve is one of those amazing people who helps everyone. He's a living example of "spiritual abundance." He rehabilitates gang kids by putting them to work in his art studio with his charity "Give Kids A Break." Anyway, at the Hollywood Bowl the other day, I felt the presence of both my father and my brother, who passed away. My father played violin at the Bowl when he first came to California. Couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Then amazingly, as the minister talked about forgiveness, several people I have never made peace with came into my heart. I mean these are people who caused such betrayal in our lives: one man put us through a 5-year fraudulent lawsuit, and suddenly I was able to see him in a different light. I felt overwhelming compassion for him as if they were never an enemy. (This is the second time I've had to forgive him; he stabbed us in the back after the first time.) But I also forgave a certain woman who acts so mean, but obviously is really so insecure and vulnerable..but she covers it like a gladiator would; she wears heavy-metal armor. Anyway, I let all the anger go, and forgave them all. Now Dems have to stop whining and stabilize the Middle East. xoxo PEACE

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?
1681 days
—"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." President Bush, 9/13/01
—"I want justice...There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive,'" President Bush, 9/17/01, UPI
—"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." President Bush, 3/13/02
—"I am truly not that concerned about him." President Bush, responding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts, 3/13/02
—"Because he's hiding…" Bush, explaining why Osama bin Laden has yet to be captured. (Washington Post interview, Jan. 16, 2005)

MORE PICTURES FROM SPRING BREAK!! SEDONA and GRAND CANYON

Got back last week from Sedona, Arizona for Spring Break and just left the Grand Canyon. These are among the most beautiful places in America. We'll be back after Easter. We spent one whole day at the Crescent Moon Vortex with the kids, where the Indians found a source of spiritual energy. For our family, it was life-transforming. We picked up long Gandalf-sized staffs to walk with, and hiked along a creek until we reached a red rock plateau, a lake and a mysterious beach full of rocks stacked into pyramid-towers. People come from all over the world and silently stack rocks in temple formation. We made several towers and prayed for harmony in our family and peace for the world. There are no cell phone waves in the air and you can't believe how soothing and regenerative the energy is. We spent the day in silence; there was no need to speak to each other. Especially since I was so angry at my husband for cutting our dog's beard off without consulting us first. Now Chazzie has a pointed chin and doesn't look like a Shitzu anymore. I was so upset I thought of getting a fake beard to put on him, but realized this was kind of petty. I am probably just trying to put my anger at Bush onto my husband. The kids hopped across rocks in the rapids and found their own island where they made a raft. There was a hanging rope swing for jumping into the water. Our dog Chazzie was a wimp until he saw another dog, leaped into the water, suddenly realized he was in the water and panicked. It was such a funny example of how fear is an illusion. The Grand Canyon was too unbelievable to comprehend. So majestic, it doesn't look real. If there existed an anthropomorphic God (which sadly certain wingnuts secretly believe) the Grand Canyon looks like God left his knuckle and fingerprints here, as he rested his hand on the earth. My son walked out to a dangerous ledge and I almost fainted. We got up close to wild elk and visited the historic lodge El Tovar. It's amazing that the government owns all this land and runs the lodges so well. They even serve gourmet food at very low prices, so middle class families can actually afford a vacation! More later.

SPRING BREAK! * SEDONA and GRAND CANYON

Had the most beautiful time with the kids on Spring Break. Even though they're preteens. At any moment we can start over, put on a new pair of glasses and see the world from differently. Stop wallowing in guilt, shame, anger, worry and pride. It's time to move forward.

Clif, I am deeply sorry for the sudden shock of your father's passing. We are holding you and your family in our prayers. Everyone on the blog sends you love. May peace be with you and God Bless you. Please Let me know if I can do anything. (Both my father and my younger brother each passed away suddenly, but they are alive more than ever now in my heart.)



We're in Sedona, Arizona for Spring Break and just left the Grand Canyon. These are among the most beautiful places in America. We'll be back after Easter. We spent one whole day at the Crescent Moon Vortex with the kids, where the Indians found a source of spiritual energy. For our family, it was life-transforming. We picked up long Gandalf-sized staffs to walk with, and hiked along a creek until we reached a red rock plateau, a lake and a mysterious beach full of rocks stacked into pyramid-towers. People come from all over the world and silently stack rocks in temple formation. We made several towers and prayed for harmony in our family and peace for the world. There are no cell phone waves in the air and you can't believe how soothing and regenerative the energy is. We spent the day in silence; there was no need to speak to each other. Especially since I was so angry at my husband for cutting our dog's beard off without consulting us first. Now Chazzie has a pointed chin and doesn't look like a Shitzu anymore. I was so upset I thought of getting a fake beard to put on him, but realized this was kind of petty. I am probably just trying to put my anger at Bush onto my husband. The kids hopped across rocks in the rapids and found their own island where they made a raft. There was a hanging rope swing for jumping into the water. Our dog Chazzie was a wimp until he saw another dog, leaped into the water, suddenly realized he was in the water and panicked. It was such a funny example of how fear is an illusion. The Grand Canyon was too unbelievable to comprehend. So majestic, it doesn't look real. If there existed an anthropomorphic God (which sadly certain wingnuts secretly believe) the Grand Canyon looks like God left his knuckle and fingerprints here, as he rested his hand on the earth. My son walked out to a dangerous ledge and I almost fainted. We got up close to wild elk and visited the historic lodge El Tovar. It's amazing that the government owns all this land and runs the lodges so well. They even serve gourmet food at very low prices, so middle class families can actually afford a vacation! More later.


'DEPRIVED WIVES": DESTINY and I will be at THE RIVIERA COMEDY CLUB IN VEGAS June 5 - 11

I'm paraphrasing but Tall Texan implied that there is no internal "knowing" or truth, that one's gut intuition, which I call the voice of truth, doesn't exist without outside verification. But I beg to differ, for when you follow the law of love (the Golden rule) -- by expressing compassion and understanding instead of self-serving interests -- when you quiet all external defenses that clamor for position (pride, racial chauvinism, self-centered fear, worry, greed, one-upmanship, elitism, machismo) you find there is nothing left to fight about. There is nothing left but love, and we are commanded to love one another. How can there be hatred or fear when you empty yourself of all these material contrivances? Wars are fought over territory, resources, religious righteousness, fear of an "enemy". But everything is based on FEAR: fear of not getting what we want or fear of losing what we have. Love is what we're made of. And from this place, it's quite clear, that if we were to actually try to see our enemies as human and AT LEAST try to understand why they hate us, they would have less reason to fight us. This may sound naive, but if Israel gave land to the Palestinians and graciously treat them as fellow humans, maybe, just maybe, peace would begin. Each tribe feels so persecuted by others. But no one will let their pride down and just listen to each other. Christ said that if someone sues you, give him your cloak, give him what you have, make peace with your adversary quickly. Did Bush, who claims to be a Christian, ever read a single word Christ said? How can he call himself a Christian? And by the way, it's up to the more evolved civilized nations to set an example. Israel needs to go first. The U.S. needs to show the world the way of advanced peacemakers. I read Cenk from Young Turks' new post "If You Like the Iraq War you'll Love the Iran War" at HuffPo; it's brilliant. Guess what? The insurgents can wait us out BECAUSE THEY LIVE THERE! They have all the time in the world and nothing to lose. But these "insurgents" which we consider our worst "enemy" don't view themselves as evil; they veiw us as evil invaders and consider themselves Freedom Fighters. Wouldn't you, if an army blew up your home? Everyone needs to feel "heard" and understood -- not categorized as an "evil-doer"; it gets us nowhere in this day and age but dead. We would have had Sadaam like putty in our hands if we had just flattered his ego a little. I mean when you build mega statues of yourself all over town, it's not hard to figure out your Achilles heel. If we had been clever and come with an oil deal or golden i-pods, Hummers and diplomacy....while being "wise as a serpent..." I'm being somewhat satirical but everyone knows you get more flies with honey than with vinegar. We could have handled Hitler in this way early on too -- before it was too late. (Think Trojan Horse.) Megalomaniacs all have a weakness, which is usually a preening ego. Trouble with the head honcho in this country is that we don't know what drives him. Sociopaths in sheep's clothing are the most dangerous of all. Also, those who have never suffered in life and have no idea what it feels like to be the "common man" should never be leaders. Unless by their fruits you can tell their character, meaning this: what good have they done for mankind? Have they created clean air, prolonged the earth's life, fed the poor, given tax breaks to the most needy, raised the abominablly low minimum wage so families can survive? Or have they given the rich all the advantages, including "corporate welfare", making it impossible for the little man to set up shop next to a CostCo or Home Depot? As governor of Texas, Bush had a shameful record of casually signing death warrants without examining each case carefully for mistakes. By their fruits you'll know them.

Tall Texan, regarding Iraq: how can anyone deny the truth? It's no accident that most people looked into our president's eyes and knew he was lying. No one, not even Bush, believed that we were in imminent danger of nuclear attack, and that invading Iraq was a last resort! There was no imminent threat of being annihilated by Saddaam Hussein. We were hovering over him! There was plenty of time to just wait him out. Why did Congress go against their gut and vote for a war they knew in their hearts was NOT VITALLY NECESSARY! This is the truth I'm talking about. It's our duty to know these things internally. Facts and statistics are now twisted and manipulated so there is no other truth but the truth inside ourselves....IF we come from love.

"It's easier to wear slippers than to carpet the whole world." - Stuart Smalley (This is one of my favorite quotes. Guess who said it?)

Elaine Boosler: "Gay marriage should be outlawed...to Liza Minelli." - Where has Boosler been? She's one of the best! Heard her sit in for Stephanie Miller on Progressive Talk recently.

Really think about the "slippers" quote above. The only thing we have control over is our own attitude. It's the essence of Alanon of course; take care of your own side of the street before you start fixing other people's problems. If you are pointing a finger at someone, take a look at your hand: you have 3 fingers pointing back at yourself. But when there is so much corruption that our children's lives are endangered, we must balance this by shining a light on bad behavior and corruption -- especially in our own leader. Only then can we clearly see what our hearts have been aching to change. Silence in this case, is complicity. To me, taking from the poor and leaking an undercover CIA agent's name for political purposes is a thousand times worse than what a person does with another consenting adult.

God Bless Ellen Degeneres for her amazing spirit in raising over 10 MILLION DOLLARS for KATRINA VICTIMS from her fans! Ellen says that real Americans, both Republicans and Democrats, are really not against gays, are not tainted by the loud-mouthpieces of the haters. Never thought I would say that certain "religious right-wingers" would be the most feared people in America. But the death threats and hate mail I got for simply pointing out Ann Coulter's hate-speak came from "CHRISTIANS"! It is too insane to grasp. Of course there are actual Christians that would never do this sort of thing. We have to be wary of the bizarre religious cults such as the "Dominionists."

After watching Scott McClellan squirm and try to get out of lies this morning at the White House Press Briefing, I realized I had a choice: laugh or cry. Freedom Fan will be glad to hear I didn't say, "Love or Fear". Although the analogy fits. Mort Sahl said the other night, that you have to turn everything into comedy or you'll go crazy. And laughter opens people's hearts so they can hear you. Of course non of us are perfect, but hasn't the Bush team learned by now (after Clinton) that it's the LIE that gets you in trouble? I guess since there are so many lies they don't know where to start being honest -- and since stonewalling has worked so far, that's what we're going to get. I loved it when the redheaded woman White House reporter tried to get the truth out of McClellan, but he just talked right over her. Her face said it all.

This will go down in history as the shame decade. But worse is the powerlessness we all feel. In a few years we are going to kick ourselves for not stopping the train wreck. I feel sorry for Democrats who are still paralyzed with anger. We have to raise our consciousness now and find solutions. But we must change our attitude: it's going to take HOPEFULNESS instead of cynicism. We have to stop our constant carping, and go forward with imagination and VISION.

"Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation so difficult that it seems like a long drawn-out crisis; we cannot solve it; there is no way to escape. Such a problem will occupy our thoughts continually...until we are engulfed in despair. This is the moment to get very quiet and try to hear the still small voice within. Look around: the sky is not falling. Breathe deeply in gratitude for the good in life, and it will appear to you. "Thank you God, I can now see that thorns have roses." (From "One Day at a Time in Alanon, April 7)

John Stewart is doing his job, but now its time for the peacemakers and other great thinkers to unite and put aside party politics. It's time to stop fighting and bickering. We will never be defeated by an EXTERNAL enemy. I've noticed on this blog that the minute I offered peaceful solutions and forgiveness, the fighters backed off. The ratings weren't as high, and it wasn't as sexy, but maybe it's a good lesson in peacemaking. A DIVIDED AMERICA WILL NOT STAND.

Monday, April 03, 2006

HOW TO GET RICH? GIVE TO THE POOR! ...and Bless the Children of Iraq * What No One will Speak Of













Saw Mort Sahl last night at the Writer's Guild Theater. He was interviewed for 2 hours by my brilliant friend Robert B. Weide, who directs/produces "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (and directed my episode, "The Christ Nail") Bob is the creator/exec producer of so many award-winning documentaries about The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Kurt Vonnegut, Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl. Sahl was not only the most risk-taking, political comedian of his day, but he is still so sharp and quick-witted, faster with a pun than any current comedian working. He says comics play it too safe these days: they're not dreamers, have no real point of view. Saying Bush is bad" is not complex enough. Everything is too homogenized and they're all scared of losing their corporate gigs, incomes and audiences. Mort is not so liberal as he used to be on some issues. He was a speech writer for JFK, Bobby, Reagan and both Bushes! He also wrote the Garrison Report, the actual Garrison Report -- and he says that both JFK and Bobby were assassinated by government officials who couldn't stand a peacemaker in the White House. Kennedy threatened the military/industrial complex. Sahl is passionately pro-American, but sees the war as a horrific mistake. He is also against illegal immigrants waving the Mexican flag on our streets. He will absolutely not fit into anyone's preconceived box. As an artist, one must always tell the truth, and there is only one truth -- sometimes hidden under the gauze of anesthesia or self-will. Going with "conventional wisdom" IS NEVER WISE! I agree wholeheartedly. All we have is our own truth, no matter who unpopular it is.

If the American people could meet the Iraqi PEOPLE face-to-face, we'd realize we all have the same heart, we are all brothers and sisters, and want the same things: peace, prosperity, clean water & air and a future for our children. The Iraqi people have expressed great affection, even love, for the American civilians, but we are not hearing any of this. Our government is not the same as the American people, and thank God they know that; after all they lived through a dictatorship, so they don't blame the people of America. There is hope if we can see each other clearly -- and not view them as the enemy. But we never hear of the people, the civilians. Our government refers to the enemy in dehumanizing terms: "an infestation of insurgents," but according to the Iraqis, most of these are just "freedom fighters" who are Iraqi civilians fighting back against the American bombings and the invasion. We never hear about the PEOPLE!!


Had an eye-opening experience on Saturday night. I attended a showing of the most amazing film "The Road to Fallujah" at the Malibu home of Earthways founder Andrew Beath. The film maker is Mark Manning — a man of great humility and NO politics. He was an unembedded journalist (and a scuba-diver) who just happened to be in Iraq right before Operation Phantom Fury, our U.S. carpet-bombing of Falluja in 2004. He was there to make a different film, and was suddenly shocked into telling this story first. Now to really understand this, Manning has no political agenda, no liberal bias. He is one of those really good people in the world. His main point is to show how much the actual people, and mainly CHILDREN, are suffering as a result of our bombings — and to show how much the Iraqi people love American PEOPLE. Manning wants to bridge the communication gap between Iraqis and American people: to show that we all have the same heart, we are all humans with the same drives, and love for our children.

He became friends with an Iraqi woman and a wonderful man named Salaam (means 'peace') who helped him bring medicine after the bombings; these refugees have no help from the U.S. at all! Right before the U.S. bombed Fallujah, our military ordered the people to evacuate, but didn't give them any place to go, and no transportation. Many people, holding hands with their children, walked out of town, over the bridge and had to find shelter. There was no shelter. Tiny children became ill with kidney and liver disease from bacteria in the water; they are still using clothing as a strainer to sift the larger particles out of the water. Many are still living in abandoned cars. After the U.S. destroyed these poor people's homes, schools, shops and schools -- it was discovered that over 50,000 families did not make it out of the city in time. The lucky ones walked back across the desert heat to come home, but first they were each given a bar-code, and strip searched. They walked in lines to get back into their town, not knowing it was totally destroyed by U.S. forces. *** One of the networks, CNN I believe, used footage of the people walking in a line, and said it was a "line to vote!" The people were on foot trying to get back in to their devastated city, with no sewage system, no food, no electricity, no running water. In the film footage, children are hiding behind walls, thirsty, dying, living in abandoned vehicles. People were sobbing as they discovered the dead and buried their families in mass graves. There is footage of people crying for their children with shrapnel wounds in their mouths and legs. A mother nursing a newborn, surrounded by her toddlers, sits in the middle of the sandy desert with no shelter, no home to go to. All because of our military strike on Fallujah. Killing an entire city of innocent civilians, to get at a few "insurgents" we believed were hiding in one or two buildings. After seeing this footage, it is obvious who the evil-doers are. It's too bad our "Christian" president isn't a Buddhist; the Buddhist philosophy is always to "cause the least harm." The U.S. has systematically been bombing other villages without the U.S. NEWS OR MAINSTREAM MEDIA reporting a single civilian casualty.

AMERICANS DID THIS, BUT YOU NEVER READ OR HEAR A THING ABOUT CIVILIAN CASUALTIES!!! Instead they keep it white-washed, antiseptic, with terms like "an infestation of insurgents". No one in our mainstream news media ever mentions the civilian lives we destroyed. Is this what a "Christian" president and a "Christian" nation would do?

The people of Iraq need our help, the help of the American people. Somehow we need to get the word out that our U.S. government is killing civilians, carpet bombing whole cities, just to get a few "insurgents" who are really just people fighting back at the U.S. to protect their own homes. On film, women and children were saying these kinds of things, between their wails and sobs: "We only fight back to save our villages; the U.S. calls our freedom fighters "insurgents" or terrorists, but wouldn't you fight back if a man with a gun was standing in front of your house, ordering you to evacuate or threatening to bomb your children?" There is nothing left of Fallujah. And we are not helping the people at all.

Manning's basic message is this: the people of Iraq love the American people; they know what it's like to live under a corrupt leader. They do not blame the people for the sins of George Bush. But the American people are not hearing anything of the truth of what the U.S. military has done to the poor souls, mainly children. This is a holocaust, and we are the guilty ones.

Mark Manning needs to raise just $50,000 to finish his documentary, so it's ready for August, before the Congressional elections. If the American people can see what the Iraqi PEOPLE are going through, we can help heal the wounds of war. Please help send any amount. Here is his website http://www.conceptionmedia.net/projects/falluja/index.html

From his website: "Falluja, an ancient city comparable to the size of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been largely destroyed by the November 2004 military action called Operation Phantom Fury. According to conservative estimates, there were 250,000 civilians living in the city of Falluja who were forced to leave their homes during the fighting, most without being given a place to go. The Pentagon has stated that up to 20% of the civilians of Falluja were left in the city during the fighting, yet there are no accounts of what happened to these people or how many survived. To this date, the majority of the city is in rubble; very little infrastructure has survived, and almost no aid is getting within the city walls.

The American attack on Falluja, and the subsequent costs to the people there, has been a humanitarian, social, moral and ethical disaster; yet the American government and media, and in turn the American public, has largely ignored the plight of the innocent victims.

The Film: The Road to Falluja is a journey from the back roads of the United States to the hard and bloody streets of Falluja, Iraq. It is the journey of one man, an average American, in his quest for the truth. It is a journey from ignorance and apathy to the essence of the human soul.

The Road to Falluja begins in the streets of America. After the attacks of 9/11, the United States was at a crossroads and when there was an opening for introspection, awakening and diplomacy; collectively this nation chose war. For 2 years following 9/11, through interviews with thousands of Americans from all walks of life and every region of the country, a picture emerges of a nation whose citizens are fearful, apathetic, and without any real facts. The film investigates the media complicity in the failure of Americans to be informed and active citizens. It shows that humanitarian and policy disasters like Falluja are a direct result of an uninformed and disengaged American public. It inspires the audience to get more educated and involved, and to understand their personal responsibilities as citizens of this world.

Great Words from Great Writer E.L. Doctorow: "I fault this president (George W. Bush) for not knowing what death is. He does not suffer the death of our twenty-one year olds who wanted to be what they could be. On the eve of D-day in 1944 General Eisenhower prayed to God for the lives of the young soldiers he knew were going to die. He knew what death was. Even in a justifiable war, a war not of choice but of necessity, a war of survival, the cost was almost more than Eisenhower could bear.

But this president does not know what death is. He hasn't the mind for it. You see him joking with the press, peering under the table for the WMDs he can't seem to find, you see him at rallies strutting up to the stage in shirt sleeves to the roar of the
carefully screened crowd, smiling and waving, triumphal, a he-man. He does not mourn. He doesn't understand why he should mourn. He is satisfied during the course of a speech written for him to look solemn for a moment and speak of the brave young Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country."

“ To learn that not only you suffer, but the other person also suffers, the other group of people also suffers… when you touch the suffering in other people you want to help, and when you want to help, compassion is born in you… you don’t suffer anymore, and you are motivated by the desire to do something, to be something for other people…and that is Peace. ”
~ Thich Nhat Hahn Zen Buddhist monk, nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless work to end the Vietnam War