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.
GOD help the world. Lydia, thank you for changing my view. We need to get together and pray. Thank you for putting the truth out there. We need people to stop this mad dictator Bush from ruining our planet and our world. He's the "decider, and he gets to decide." Bush needs to be impeached.
ReplyDeleteIf he had diplomatic skills he would have the finesse to talk to Iran and Korea and avert the destruction of our planet.
Jesus would tell us to help the people of Darfur and to leave the bombs at home.
God Bless you,
Dave G. an old friend
The self-proclaimed religious elite, and those illustrious conservatives, care nothing about a genocide of innocent children, they can't stir up voters about that.
ReplyDeleteThe self-proclaimed elite care nothing about the devastation of any kind of nuclear bomb, or any repurcusions from testing in Nevada or anywhere else that they do not live.
Bush obviously feels that since Americans became outraged over the Dubai ports deal, that it is out of their system, and as always Congress, will look the other way.
This is another example that if Falwell and Robertson cared so much about the people, they would get their buddy Bush and his new buddy McCain to do something about all of this.
Bush says he won't allow Congress to impose a tax on the oil profits from his buddies.
ReplyDeleteJust another example it is all about the agenda and benefit of the elite.
F#@K'm,anyone wearing a friggin towel on their head and dressed in a dirty nightshirt is fair game.
ReplyDeleteWhat would Jesus do is the same as WHAT WOULD LOVE DO?
ReplyDeleteTry turning the other cheek. just try it. Try sending loving thoughts toward Iran. Until we try it we will never know.
WWJD said...
ReplyDeleteWhat would Jesus do is the same as WHAT WOULD LOVE DO?
Try turning the other cheek. just try it. Try sending loving thoughts toward Iran.
UNLESS WE TRY LOVING OUR ENEMY WE WILL NEVER KNOW HOW WAR COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.
How many elections will they hold, and how many supposed governments will they set up, until it becomes obvious, even to the war-mongers, that things will continue to worsen?
ReplyDeleteThey have been reporting on Hardball, that Rove is privately telling whatever close friends he has that he is very worried.
ReplyDeleteYou nitwit bleeding hearts want a jolt of reality go see "United 93." I saw it today,you want a dose of the damn animals we're dealing with see the movie.The religion of peace my ass.
ReplyDeleteDid you hear about the Republican sex scandal, with hookers? It is about to break wide open. Porter Goss, et al...
ReplyDeleteI think they said "male" hookers.
JUST IN: Rush Limbaugh arrested
ReplyDeleteWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. AP -- The Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriff's Office says Rush Limbaugh has been arrested on prescription fraud charges.
Limbaugh turned himself into authorities on a warrant issued by the state attorney's office, said agency spokesperson Teri Barbera.
The warrant was for fraud to conceal information to obtain prescription. Barbera said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Sex, drugs and nuclear war....what's next for the repugs?
ReplyDeletePoor wufuss/dufuss,you're the only one who has "caught on." What a twit.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, what does 'caught on' mean? What do you mean "poor wufus dufus."
ReplyDeleteTwo anonymous sources leaked the Dubai information that Bush was hoping to keep secret.
Also, Bush is being sued by several House congressmen who says Bush tried to sneak a bill past that both houses did not approve.
What a moron Bush is.
Anonymous, please answer this: why are you defending Bush?
ReplyDeletePlease answer.
The bad thing about the Limbaugh arrest is his sweet deal he obviously bought his way into.
ReplyDeleteAfter 18 months of supposedly staying "clean" the charges will disappear from his record.
Wonder how much the Prosecutor made off of that one?
Wufuss,did you hit the fantasy dojo today?
ReplyDeleteYou fruit cakes,two hours ago you pick up a tidbit of information the media put out about "Rush Limbaugh's arrest" and you idiots run with it like a dog with a scalded ass,then it turns out to be the sweetest deal possible for the Rushmeister.You guys are like Chris Matthews....this story is going to be huge! Than nothing.
ReplyDeleteI just guessin here,but I'd bet a few bucks that a couple of you flakes have already loaded the new spanish version of our National Anthem on you i-pods.
ReplyDeleteHey conspiracy Larry,the prosecutor in the Limbaugh case is an elected Democrat.Get you facts straight twit.
ReplyDeleteSo 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.
ReplyDeleteWhen 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. But first you have to admit you have a problem and humbly seek help from a higher power, because no human power can heal this disease. It really takes humility to admit this.
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.
IF YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC OR DRUG ADDICT AS RUSH LIMBAUGH IS, all you need to do is admit it and humbly ask for help.
So all these years he has been speaking from the drug-addled mind of a person behind 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 the delusions of grandeur of a wannabe antichrist.
I feel so ashamed of the fact 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.
We exist in a world where the fear of
ReplyDeleteillusion is real
And we cling to the past to deny and confuse the ideal
Once inside, we can conceive and believe in a god we can't feel
I can't feel it
I can't feel it
I can't feel
Destined by a fate so cruel
And drugged to delight
Laughing as these lies unfold
I've lost all control
Temptation
Tea Party
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteHe's baaaaaaaack.Hey Clif I had a wonderful time in Kentucky.The horse my buddy own's a peice of won the Blue Grass Stakes.We spent two great days at Keenland.Hey,you know what you can do for your daughters birthday,take her and your family down to the Seelbach Hotel at about 9:00 pm,let them take a peek into the Oak Room resturant,they will be able to see how the other half lives.Just may create some ambition in someone.Cant hurt.
Yo troll boy since her uncle is a VERY sucessful plastic surgeun in Florida with tyhree seperate clinics, and one Brother is a Lawyer working for DOD she knows, I would rather teach her some values and morals that count, not ther HOLLOW life style yoyu espouse while shrilling for criminals and psychopants like Richard Mellon Scaife, and the first complete failure of a president in our nations history.
Besides since she lives in Lexington she gets to alot of places but the most important at this stage for her is a good grounding in moral values like the ones Christ espouted, not the self serving greedy ones you do......
Why Rove Testified For A Fifth Time
ReplyDeleteAppearing for a fifth time before the federal grand jury in the CIA leak case, White House adviser Karl Rove on Wednesday was questioned extensively about contradictions between his sworn testimony and that of Time magazine writer Matthew Cooper on the substance of their July 2003 conversation regarding then-agency operative Valerie Plame, according to attorneys involved in the case.
In several hours of testimony, Rove was again asked how he learned three years ago that Plame worked for the CIA, and the circumstances of how he relayed that information to Cooper, according to people familiar with his testimony.
Rove also testified to the grand jury that when he told Cooper that Plame worked at the agency, he was only passing along unverified gossip.
In contrast, Cooper has testified that Rove told him in a phone conversation on July 11, 2003, that Plame worked for the CIA and played a role in having the agency select her husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, to make a fact-finding trip to Niger in 2002.
Cooper has also testified that Rove, as well as a second source -- I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, then-chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney -- portrayed the information about Plame as accurate and authoritative. Cooper has testified that based on his conversations with Rove and Libby, he felt confident enough about the information to identify Plame as a CIA officer in a July 17 Time story.
It has been widely reported that Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fizgerald has been trying to determine whether Rove tried to mislead the FBI and the grand jury in the early stages of the leak probe when he failed to disclose that he had talked to Cooper about Plame three days before she was outed as a CIA officer. But it has not been previously known that much of the questioning of Rove on Wednesday also focused on the contradictions between Cooper's and Rove's accounts of their crucial July 11 conversation.
Rove did not disclose the conversation with Cooper when he was first interviewed in the early stages of the leak probe by the FBI in October 2003, and again during his first appearance before the grand jury in February 2004. Later, Rove voluntarily returned to the grand jury and testified about the Cooper conversation, saying he had forgotten about it in his earlier statements to the FBI and in his first grand jury appearance.
http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0428nj1.htm
Karl Rove “now more worried, not less, that he is going to get indicted,” MSNBC reports.
ReplyDeleteFULL TRANSCRIPT FROM DAVID SHUSTER'S REPORT:
WHILE HIS SUPPORTERS CONTINUE TO PUT ON A GOOD FACE, SOURCES CLOSE TO KARL ROVE SAY THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR IS NOW MORE WORRIED, NOT LESS, THAT HE IS GOING TO GET INDICTED. THE SOURCES SAY ROVE WAS SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE QUESTIONS HE WAS ASKED AND BY THE FACT THE SESSION STRETCHED ON FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS.
MINUTES AFTER ROVE LEFT THE GRAND JURY, HIS LEGAL TEAM ISSUED A WRITTEN STATEMENT SAYING PROSECUTORS HAD, QUOTE, "WANTED TO EXPLORE A MATTER RAISED SINCE MR. ROVE'S LAST APPEARANCE IN OCTOBER 2005."
BUT THE GRAND JURY, ACCORDING TO SOURCES, ALSO PRESSED ROVE ABOUT HIS TESTIMONY IN 2004 WHEN HE FAILED TO REVEAL HE SPOKE TO TIME MAGAZINE'S MATT COOPER ABOUT VALERIE PLAME -- THE FORMER CIA OPERATIVE AT THE HEART OF THE INVESTIGATION.
Scott Fredericksen, former independent counsel: "Grand jurors asking about why he didn't recall his conversation in the original grand jury means they are focusing on the charge itself: Did he perjure himself? And they are not yet convinced of his explanations, that's why they are asking those questions."
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/MSNBC_reports_Rove_believes_he_in_0427.html
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/MSNBC_
reports_Rove_believes_he_in_0427.html
And you wonder why they call him Fitzmas the procecutor who keeps on giving the repug crooks indictments.............and those of us who want a clean government hope.
Lydia said
ReplyDelete"The purpose of suffering is to bring us closer to God,"
I wonder who invented this wonderful metaphor.......probably a guy who's toaster broke down?
Prayer is an illusion by those seeking release from an intoxicating life! God/Jesus does not answer or hear prayers....never has, never will.
He create's an ant farm, lazily tells us we have free will so as to avoid investing any genuine effort, thereby allowing us to run amok, simply says love each other, and then takes off.
What a joke!
Hope everyone doesnt treat their children this way.
Mr. Coward is always welcome in my home for beer and a warm slice of pork pie to debate this civily.
Additionally, only a meglomaniac feels the need to be praised and thanked daily. LOL
P.S.
Lydia makes love sound simple.....its not! Even the best love is complicated, hard work......period!
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"You fruit cakes,two hours ago you pick up a tidbit of information the media put out about "Rush Limbaugh's arrest" and you idiots run with it like a dog with a scalded ass,then it turns out to be the sweetest deal possible for the Rushmeister.You guys are like Chris Matthews....this story is going to be huge! Than nothing."
Yo Anonymous:
WHY do you condone a known/admitted drug addict??? Is that who you really want to take advice from? Frankly Jim Morrison had much better things to say!
I should think if you sought out any GOOD advice it should be from someone who is really sober and rational minded. Plus, if you're so pro-repub and pro-right wing tell me where in the Bible that it says it's okay to be selfish and out for yourselfs the way YOUR chosen leaders and mentors are.
What supposed bible are you all following because it is NOT the HOLY BIBLE, or is it that you right-wingers simply do not believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior - because if you do - you could have fooled us with all the hate and negativity you spew as well as the selfishness, greed, and judgement the lot of you dishes out.
You seem so unbelievably miserable here on Lydia's blog site too. Did you ever even consider to make yourself at least a wee bit happier - all you have to do is no longer log onto this site?
Yes, really - it's that simple.
W-O-R-F-E-U-S and the rest of us are all up for a friendly debate but for you to come in here with immature antics is really pathetic. Why don't you get a grip before you sit down to write any of us in here and have a debate (if that is what you wish to do) like a civilized human being. Otherwise, go to Coulter's site and spew your juvenile negativity there where your misery can find kindred company.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"I just guessin here,but I'd bet a few bucks that a couple of you flakes have already loaded the new spanish version of our National Anthem on you i-pods."
Here is a history lesson for you:
The Americas once belonged to the American Indians AND the Mexicans!
“During the period of Mexican rule, American sailing companies maintained trade with Native Americans and gathered pelts, and in 1840 young Richard Henry Dana wrote of his own experiences aboard ship off California in the 1830s. Mexico paid little attention to its far-flung northern possession until June 1846, when American settlers in the Sacramento Valley revolted and raised the "Bear Flag" over Sonoma, establishing the California Republic. Thus ended the 22-year existence of the Territory of Alta California recognized by the 1824 Constitution of Mexico.”
With that said here is a philosophy lesson for you:
Where would YOU be today if your ancestors never came here? If your ancestors were never allowed to come here - do you think you would even exist? If so, are you sure about that - think again…at some point within your family tree two or more of your ancestors had to meet each other before getting married while residing as “citizens” in America, so if none of your past ancestors would've been allowed to come here - how do you figure - you would exist?
Oh and by the way here's one more lesson for you - a current events lesson: Bush turned down signing the Spanish version of our National Anthem.
But hey, let’s get your chosen government to hurry up and spend money on building fences across the border! That will really help deter anyone coming in illegally through the tunnels! Quick, light your bong and follow suit by popping a couple more oxicodones with a 7&7 chaser to dream up more tax money expendable pitfalls.
Granted there was a war back in the 1840’s, but to your genius’ border fence idea of today is too little too late. Other than the idea of beefing up home land security (hopefully they won’t hire anymore pedophiles or thieves).
The money the senate took from the Iraq war to put toward the "border" fence should have gone to stabilizing the levees, rebuilding the oil refineries in Louisiana and Texas as well as rebuilding bridges and homes for the homeless in those areas!
I find it absurd how some well off Christians believe God answers some of their trivial prayers, however, ignores the prayers of a little girl whose mother chopped her little arms off in Texas.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell this kid, who is physically and emotionally scarred for life, and doomed to a futile existence of therapy, that God/Jesus just wants to be closer to her.
Kids lucky enough to have Mike & Carol Brady as parents go to heaven as they grow up to be productive and civil members of society.
However, kids unlucky enough to be born to parents that physically & emotionally abused them, grow up feeling unloved, angry, and hateful, thus possibly commiting suicide or turning to a life of crime thereby almost ensuring themselves a spot in the fish fry.
Jesus, who insists we forgive one another endlessly, has a Father who has created the ultimate place of torture & infinite revenge.......HELL!
ReplyDeleteSeems like God has a bit of an anger problem and needs to triple his dose of prozac!
Gee......sorry I cant be the perfect human being while on this overpopulated ant farm.
Even my associate Worf, a Bible Scholar, says he is going to the fish fry and is hoping for the top grill at best.
Spending a little quality time with your children has nothing to do with free will.
ReplyDeleteEspecially when you vehemently claim to love them.
Lydia wrote: "IF YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC OR DRUG ADDICT AS RUSH LIMBAUGH IS, all you need to do is admit it and humbly ask for help."
ReplyDeleteNewsflash to Lydia Cornell: Rush did exactly that THREE years ago. He even asked for everyone's prayers. As an admitted alcoholic yourself, you seem to be pretty judgemental about a problem you faced that was not terribly different.
Here are the remarks he made in October of 2003:
"You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life. So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication.
"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat post surgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.
"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps.
"Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me. The show will continue during this time, of course, with an array of guest hosts you have come to know and respect.
"I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes. They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem.
"At the present time, the authorities are conducting an investigation, and I have been asked to limit my public comments until this investigation is complete. So I will only say that the stories you have read and heard contain inaccuracies and distortions, which I will clear up when I am free to speak about them.
"I deeply appreciate all your support over this last tumultuous week. It has sustained me. I ask now for your prayers. I look forward to resuming our excursion into broadcast excellence together."
Lydia wrote: "IF YOU'RE AN ALCOHOLIC OR DRUG ADDICT AS RUSH LIMBAUGH IS, all you need to do is admit it and humbly ask for help."
ReplyDeleteNewsflash to Lydia Cornell: Rush did exactly that THREE years ago. He even asked for everyone's prayers. As an admitted alcoholic yourself, you seem to be pretty judgemental about a problem you faced that was not terribly different.
Here are the remarks he made in October of 2003:
"You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life. So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication.
"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat post surgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.
"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps.
"Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me. The show will continue during this time, of course, with an array of guest hosts you have come to know and respect.
"I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes. They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem.
"At the present time, the authorities are conducting an investigation, and I have been asked to limit my public comments until this investigation is complete. So I will only say that the stories you have read and heard contain inaccuracies and distortions, which I will clear up when I am free to speak about them.
"I deeply appreciate all your support over this last tumultuous week. It has sustained me. I ask now for your prayers. I look forward to resuming our excursion into broadcast excellence together."
Sorry for the double post.
ReplyDeleteTT - you are missing the point. Why do people believe the rantings of an alcoholic still in his cups, and I heard him just the other day, BASHING Democrats in a very hateful way...
ReplyDeleteTrue humility doesn't mean checking into a treatment center and being cured in 30 days. It is consistently humbling oneself by going to meetings, being of "love and service" and the first sign of this is a more compassionate heart.
I'm angry that unrecovered people, with deep demons like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh -- and Bush -- are allowed to sway people to believe what they are spouting, based on their own misguided agendas.
Do you think Hitler's followers would have been so quick to follow him if they'd known up front he was a speed-addicted megalomaniac?
What the hell is this boycot thing on Monday.Whose is going to mow my lawn?
ReplyDeleteLydia,are you comparing Coulter and Limbaugh to Hitler? Shame on you.
ReplyDeleteRene,is that really true,the indians owned our land and the Mexicans also had a piece of it.My goodness you are one smart fella knowing all that stuff.You must have a constant headache with all that knowledge tumbling around in your head.
ReplyDeleteJohnny, I'm sorry to say, but this life is simply all about one thing: your soul's growth, overcoming material dependence -- and getting closer to God. I'm not talking about the kind of God you must be thinking of, as defined by certain religions. And by the way there is no Devil and no eternal fiery hell. All this is a fiction devised by people who don't have the spiritual key to the Bible or to life. But whatever you believe in will absolutely be real for you. For this is a "thought universe" and we create our own heaven or hell; we create our own reality. And sometimes we are put in terrible places or families in order for our soul to get back to its source. Some children survive a mother who chops off their arms, and become amazing people for it. Look at Helen Keller. My kids did a school presentation yesterday of one of their heroes. Three girls chose Helen Keller, and I had tears in my eyes. I know of children who are victims of child abuse, and they have grown up to be the best people on earth. And there have been good people, human angels, taking up their cause and guiding them.
ReplyDeleteThe only real power is GOOD, love. It has no opposite, no opposing force. When we stop dwelling on the evil we create by our constant thoughts and attention to it, it will diminish. This is what the parables tell us. This is why Christ healed the sick, the blind and the lame and raised the dead. Mary Baker Eddy did it too: Christian Science. Don't scoff at great healers or something you know nothing about.
"Nothing will keep a man in everlasting ignorance as much as CONTEMPT PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION."
God is love, God is not at all religious; in fact Jesus preached no theology whatsoever. He was against rituals, and he couldn't have cared less if you wear a hat and take 600 steps to the left (as the Rabbis insisted; there were so many rules...)
When you realize one day that we are spirit, this is a spiritual journey and we are all offshoots of God, God works through us -- and you stop your disbelief in LOVE, then you'll see the wondrous beauty and heaven on earth. And no death. I heard a woman who was in an explosion say that she felt no pain at the moment of impact. She was lifted out of it. Then in the hospital she came back to life, back into her body. But the body is not life. You have to lose your "life" to save it. THIS IS A SPIRITUAL CODE.
I know of a man who was paralyzed in a wheelchair, then later burned and had to have skin grafts, and he made the best of each moment. He ran for political office, flew across the world, had another accident, his wife left him, he lost the election, he kept making mistakes, he lost all his money.... but he gained a new love, had children, started a new company -- looked like a monster, but he never lost his love of life and he said he had a great life. (I'll find more about this man.)
Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be answered.
Go ahead and bark at me Lydia and claim I know nothing when it is you who is quite unable to define how far one goes to express love.
ReplyDeleteAnd please, do tell me how you know for certain there is no heaven and hell?
I dont exactly see our Bible Scholar transmitting his " loving thoughts" towards anonypussy! No, he prefers to squash him under his foot.
Worf bends towards my views much more than yours.
Gosh.....Im starting to feel a little guilty, maybe I should have left my offspring with her mother to kick her in the stomach and call her a bitch so she would have grown up to be a better person.
Are you actually suggesting Lyd that child abuse may be positive?
Silly me, I thought teenage suicide was rampant, but really there is good in having your mother cut off your arms.
I was married longer than you Lyd and know more about love than you ever will!!!!
Worf
ReplyDeleteAre you trasmitting your loving thoughts towards anonypussy?
Please do not exceed his bandwidth with your powerful, all saving love.
Why does everyone have to see everything in black and white where people are either good or evil, or right or wrong, so many people follow the letter of the law instead of the spirit, almost NOTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE, there are shades of grey in life Johnny, what makes you think Lydia or worf are saying its a good thing to be abused as a child, "I THINK" what they are saying is its our job to learn and grow from those experiences and become better people, we have to play the cards we are dealt in life as best we can.
ReplyDeleteAs for love, I think we could just as easily say dont hate, like dont hate all Muslims or dont hate people who dont agree with us, that doesnt mean dont oppose or challenge them though, TT for example, I think he is severely deluded and misguided and he could quite possibly be a blog troll strictly out to deceive people, but while I may become angry with his twisted views or hippocrissy I dont hate him as a person, anonopussy is a different story though, Lydia is obviously a much better person than me, as that gate is way to narrow for me, as i might entertain the thought of squahing him under my foot as well. no one is perfect Johnny we are all flawed.
Mike
ReplyDeleteIf you tell TT and anonypussy you love them, then I will shut-up and have hope?
Ohhhhhhhhhhh...........noooooooooo!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone please rescue me from loving Worf. LOL
We're space dust and you know it Worf!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, Mike?
ReplyDeleteWorf
ReplyDeleteIf you promise to loive anonypussy, I promise to read your suggested book?
re read my post johnny, I said I did not hate TT, as for Anonopussy, i'm with worf, i'd like to squah it under my foot. but that does not make what lydia is saying wrong. we need to stop seeing the world as black and white and hating people who dont agree with us, we need to be more open minded.
ReplyDeleteProzac Mike,you want to squah me under your foot?What the hell is that? You talking sandskrit? You need to vist the "fantasy" dojo with your buddy wufuss.
ReplyDeleteMike
ReplyDeleteI never said you hated TT or anonypussy, but, are you willing to send them your loving thoughts?
Be open minded!
I'm still learning Johnny, I dont have that much love to go around, so for now i'll concentrate on loving the people I like, not hating TT and not Squashing that anonyofool under my foot because it isnt worth it. see i'm working on becoming a better person and I obviously still have room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteJohnny, I think not hating them and accepting their right to hold differing opinions from me is being open minded.
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT! Truthful answers by both Mike and Worf.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt be more impressed!!!
Worf said:
"And as for feeling love for someone, I don't love many people."
Of course you dont Worf, thats what the world is about!!
Thanx for the help :D
Worf said "Maybe I don't love people, but I got the message from Jesus not to HURT people.
ReplyDeleteWhen all the Christian Right figures out that before you can love people, you have to stop killing them, then maybe we'll all be a little closer to what Christ envisioned, ay? "
exactly right worf.
Cool Worf!!
ReplyDeleteYour alright!
Worf what should we do about Iran?
ReplyDeleteThe only way the right wingers will admit the war is a failure is when Bush is run out of office, and a Democrat is ending the war.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said
ReplyDelete"Worf what should we do about Iran?"
Although I am no fan of Iran possessing nuclear arms, it does seem they are willing to allow full uranium enrichment inspections.
This could be worth a try.
Thousands of war protesters march in Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteCool!
I wonder why Bush trusts Iran less than Korea.
ReplyDeleteEven if Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, they most likely are doing so in order to deter an attack. History has proven - quite well, I might add - that mutual deterrence works quite well.
ReplyDeleteIf any of us were in their shoes and we were worried that we might be attacked, we will rationally take action to deter such an attack. This doesn't mean we would launch a pre-emptive strike, but we would arm ourselves such that the opposing party knew the potential consequences of an unprovoked attack. Israel, unofficially, has nukes. It's no surprise that their opponents would feel they are at a disadvantage.
That all said, Iran is still well under the supervision of the IAEA and have stated that they are willing to continue as a member in good standing of nuclear non-proliferation groups.
And, more than likely, their interest in nuclear energy is related to domestic electricity production. With the high cost of natural gas, even energy producers in the U.S. are moving away from natural gas and building new coal-fired plants (see TXU Corp. in Texas). If nuclear energy were a more politically-correct alternative in the U.S., we'd be building new nuclear plants like they're going out of style!
Iran is being demonized by the same cabal that led us into an unfounded, irrational war in Iraq. The entire thing is another psy-ops charade being perpetrated to justify what they already plan to do. Fool us once, shame on them. Fool us twice, shame on us! Don't get fooled again.
With George Bush as president we have:
ReplyDeleteThe 23rd Qualm
Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war, I will find
no
exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all
the days of thy term, and my jobless child shall dwell in my basement
forever
http://www.ostroyreport.blogspot.com/#42806
I think I glimpsed something on tv yesterday that said Russias foreign minister wants Iran to stop enriching uranium?
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong?
Havent seen or heard anything since.
Your a very sweet, kind, thoughtful, and loving human being Lydia with a good heart.
ReplyDeleteMay all your prayers be answered.
P.S.
I would miss you too if you ever took the blog away.
PEACE
I still believe Heaven is the place where we get to explain our intentions and actions to GOD. When he accepts our explanation we are free to enjoy heaven, but he has infinite patience, thus some will be sitting there explaining for eons and eons.....(might look like hell to some)
ReplyDeleteGAO Says Government Pesters Wounded Soldiers Over Debts
ReplyDeleteNearly 900 soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have been saddled with government debts as they have recovered from war, according to a report that describes collection notices going out to veterans with brain damage, paralysis, lost limbs and shrapnel wounds.
"We found that hundreds of separated battle-injured soldiers were pursued for collection of military debts incurred through no fault of their own," the report said.
The computer system is so broken that 400 soldiers killed in action were listed as owing money to the government, although no debt notices were sent, the report said.
A total of $1.5 million in debts has been linked to the 400 fallen soldiers and 900 wounded troops. Of the total, $124,000 has been repaid. The government has waived $959,000, and the remainder of $420,000 is still owed.
House Government Reform Committee Chairman Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who is holding the hearing, has called the phenomenon "financial friendly fire." Yesterday, his spokesman, Robert White, reacted to the report, saying: "Literally adding insult to injury, the systems that are supposed to nurture and support returning warriors too often inflict additional wounds to their financial health."
In one case cited in the GAO report, the debts meant that a soldier's family had no money to pay bills and had to send an 11-year-old daughter to live out of state.
Yes Bush and Rumsfeld support the troops Right, just like other repug lies...
Most pertinent comment:
"It's a complete leadership failure," he said. "We can't expect the soldiers to notice mistakes in their pay that the paid professionals have failed to notice and correct."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/26/AR2006042602512.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
content/article/2006/04/26/
AR2006042602512.html
Mike you write very intelligently, and have a hell of a lot of information to give.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be the brightest one here.
Turkish Armed Forces Strike PKK Camps in N. Iraq
ReplyDeleteThe Turkish armed forces have launched their first military operation along the Iraqi border where Turkish troops have concentrated for days.
The Northern Iraqi cities of Amedi and Zaho, sheltering Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants, were hit with mortar attacks in “Operation Crescent.”
First reports say that locations where militants were lodged in the regions of Geliye, Pisaxa, Pirbela, Sheshdara, Sheranish and Elanish were demolished.
The "Burgundy Beret" units performed a recognizance mission in the area a while ago as part of the Special Forces Command.
Troop deployment to the region from different parts of the country continues.
Along with the transfer of commandos, heavy construction equipment is also being brought to the border for use during a possible cross-border operation.
So now Turkey as well as Iran(acording to Rumsfeld) are meddling in Iraq, wonder if we are about to bomb Turkey next?
Forgot the link;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&hn=32593
http://www.zaman.com
/?bl=national&alt=&hn=32593
This guy must be Mike's drug supplier.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said "Mike you write very intelligently, and have a hell of a lot of information to give."
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the complement, but Lydia, Clif, Worf, and many others post a lot of great information and key discussion points as well, we can all learn a lot from each other.
i'll try to be on tonight, as there has been a lot of posts I wanted to reply to and have just been too busy the last several days.
ReplyDeleteBy listening to the Sunday talk shows, it sounds like Colin Powell is finally talking similar to the 7 retired generals, who criticize the war and the handling of it as well.
ReplyDeletePoor Condi says she wants to look forward instead of in the past. Doesn't she know that the look forward is worse than looking back, since her hero Bush has been in charge?
But Worfeus it saddly is true just the same.....
ReplyDeletehi Worf.
ReplyDeleteClif, you here yet?
Grim but true Worf.
ReplyDeleteWorf, great new piccie! I've popped in to show Clif (and yourself if you're interested) my essay on Farenheit 9/11 (the book Clif recommended to me) following on from our long conversation about curtailing US freedom of speech a bit.
ReplyDeleteClif, I've got a fragile old PC and it's just uploaded your comments so I can see your here. Ready for my essay?
Always BG always
ReplyDeleteWhen I cite page numbers add ten to obtain the actual page number as I'm not including the introduction.
ReplyDeleteThe book 'Farenheit 451' opens with a fireman, Guy Montag, 'it was a pleasure to burn' and there followed nasty overtones associated with the character e.g. 'venomous kerosene', 'grinned the fierce grin', 'feel the fiery smile gripped by his face muscles' and we're still on page 1. Next enters a perfect Clarisse McClellan e.g. 'in [her face] was a kind of gentle hunger that touched over everything with tireless curiosity', 'eyes so dark and shining and alive', and we're on page 3. By now I'm thinking, nice prose, extreme dualism. Guy Montag admits on page 5 that he doesn't read any of the books he burns and by the first sentence on page 6 reveals his ignorance.
Clarisse is content and her contentment is strongly inferred by page 7 as a result of her freedom, curiosity and observations, by page 10 Montag has admitted he 'was not happy' (twice) and his wife, Mildred, has just attempted suicide. We are hardly beginning the book and look at the forceful agenda. By now I'm thinking propaganda designed to reinforce a cultural stereotype. E.g. if the book were written by Karl Marx, he would have cast Guy Montag as bourgeois and Clarisse as a peasant.
Please stop and think about that for a moment. Objectively.
Mildred is saved by 'strangers [who] come and violate you. Strangers come and cut your heart out. Strangers come and take your blood' using machines that are ''like a black cobra' and 'it had an eye'. Now I'm thinking powerful, dark, compassionless representation of the establishment.
Earlier cultural stereotypes are reinforced immediately after this by strong word association 'laughter blew across the moon-coloured lawn from the house of Clarisse and her father and mother and the uncle who smiled so quietly and so earnestly……Montag heard the[ir] voices talking, talking, talking, giving, talking, weaving, reweaving their hypnotic web.'
It's page 14 and now I'm thinking Jesus, just how much propaganda are you poor guys exposed to regarding the values of free speech? The bombardment must be relentless from cradle to grave. No wonder free speech is so emotive and totalitarian.
This book is a superb example of how terrible propaganda can be – the pinnacle of irony given it's intended message of anti-conformity. Even your books which attack limits on free speech are themselves propaganda reinforcing cultural stereotypes. This book is intellectual obfuscation. It could have been a fictional story interpolated within realistic consequences (good and bad) of restricting free speech. I was hoping this book would be to such politics what 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder is to philosophy. Sadly, far from it.
I'm citing only a few examples here or I'd be writing the book. It's full of them. It's made from them and it's relentless. Looking at this book from 'the outside', I enjoyed the story and the moral of the book (it's better not to conform) but I didn't enjoy the propaganda - a set of ever-increasing, incredibly extreme social maladies. Situations that are depressive, black and melancholic at best. This propaganda is as intense as it is idiocy because it is immensely unrealistic. In the book, Beatty said 'fun is everything' meaning a 'consequence' of what society values most if some fool/bad guy dares to challenge free speech. No it's not, I argue 'peace is everything'. But then, I'm a pacifist not a propagandist because that's the purpose of propaganda: to deceive.
There's also a lot of stuff that comes out of Hollywood that reinforces this cultural stereotype (and others I've noted for a long time, e.g. use of aggression to resolve conflict). How many posts on this website from FF have been aggressive towards me? How many films or stories can you think of with dire and terrible consequences (incredible extremes) that (inevitably) arise when some fool/bad guy tinkers with freedom of speech or choice? The catastrophes are always averted at the 11th hour by a wise/good-guy who stops the fool/bad guy usually with violence. Total free speech/choices restored, everything returns to utopia and the wise/good-guy gets his reward, he gets laid. Characters are strongly associated with cultural beliefs. I say strongly because spoken words, characters, morals and storylines are unified and constant.
This book has helped me to learn a lot as I now realise for the first time just how much propaganda you are exposed to, how clever and insidious it is, to reinforce cultural stereotypes. One of your main cultural stereotypes is 'freedom of speech in totality'. And I think it's wrong 'in totality' because it is responsible for the merry-go-round of war as explained in earlier posts. As you effectively demonstrated Clif, I think the Devil's in the detail regarding restricting the spread of fascism and evangelism while encouraging a majority of free speech in America.
This is the big question: Is there a way to restrict the spread of fascism and evangelism while encouraging free speech in totality in America?
If there is, I've learned over the past few days it's a much better way to go because total free speech is such an important part of your culture, why this part of your culture is embedded and how it remains so.
I think, however, this is an impossibility because of inherent antagonism in the question itself - which is why I continue to argue there needs to be a sensible, limited reduction in free speech in America.
I do agree with the book on page 83 where Faber states books must have, 'quality…..of information'. How does this tenet of Farenheit 451 meet today's standards? Depends if you're reading Lydia Cornell or Ann Coulter. I argue that Lydia wouldn't have to write such a book if fascism wasn't allowed in America, thus preventing Coulter from spewing her fascist filth to the emotional and gullible in the first place. Lydia could/should be writing an interesting novel/biography instead. Feeding people misinformation is what dumbs them down, not denying them misinformation in the first place. Why? Because you fill the void with quality of information.
Hey British Gary, how have you been.
ReplyDeletehi Mike, good to see you're still here too.
ReplyDeletethings across the sea are pretty interesting, it seems half the cabinet here are in deep doo-doo.
ReplyDeleteYou can choose from the following;
1. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt heckled by Nurses for so long and so loudly she wasn't able to give her speech due to her lies (Hewitt announced recently that our health system, the NHS, has just had it's best year ever - complete codswallop). Local elections are coming up in a few days now hence the lie and a backlash never seen at such intensity from nurses before.
2. Deputy PM John Prescott admitted he's had an affair with his secretary for 2 years, his wife is 'devastated' and he screwed his mistress in official Govt. buildings during official work hours and did so MANY times. Yup guys, our Deputy Prime Minister has one-upped Bill Clinton BIG TIME.
3. I'm so mad about this 3rd Govt. incompetent idiot that I won't type his name - he's ignored advice from last June regarding foreign prisoners being released back into the community when they should have been deported. Over a thousand of them. So far it seems there have been 2 rapes and vicious GBH on innocents by those released and not deported. We still dont know what hundreds of them were originally arrested for and >100 have yet to be found.
Good old Tony is backing all three of them and none have resigned.
Did anyone see Stephen Colbert at the White House Corrospondents dinner last night?
ReplyDeleteWorf, Michael Moore has a great piece on this on his website
BG the basic tenent of the book is not to stifile anyones speech...the firedepartment in the book is to destroy anything(book) that might contain anything that might upset anyone else....I advocate an openness where each individual must decide for themselves what they want to believe. In the moral of the book the people whoi memorise the works save them for the future, Bradburg could see the problems with the religious call for banning books here in this country because they violate some religious sensibility, books like Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Of Mice and Men, Slaughterhouse-Five, Animal Farm , The Grapes of Wrath , The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin , Black Boy, The Canterbury Tales, Civil Disobedience (Thoreau), A Clockwork Orange , Cujo ,
ReplyDeleteFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Copies used in school literature classes were edited to omit the words "hell," "damn," and "abortion," which is ironic because the central theme is censorship.)
Frankenstein , Gone with the Wind , Hamlet, The Harry Potter series , James and the Giant Peach , Johnny Got His Gun, Kama Sutra, King Lear , The Last Temptation of Christ, Macbeth , Nineteen Eighty-Four, Oliver Twist, The Prince, The Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird , Uncle Tom's Cabin, # United States Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967 U.S. Department of Defense aka the Pentagon Papers, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
As you can see from this partial list of books that have been bannes at one time or another many you probably wouldn't but SOMEBODY did want them banned and the book Farienheit 451 decried the banning of any book, your essay read too much into a simople story.....Ray Bradbury was a science fiction writer and he wrote many good books and short stories, one of the best to me was The Illustrated Man.
Just watching Bill Clinton speak, its amazing how intelligent Clinton always sounds, bush doesnt even sound intelligent with a hand picked audience pitching him softballs.
ReplyDeleteBritish Gary, what do people in your country think of all the hawkish talk from the Bush Administration regarding Iran, i'm just curious as to what the perspective is over there.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to restrict the spread of fascism and evangelism while encouraging free speech in totality in America?
ReplyDeleteNo better way has been found over time than the bill of rights and the rule of law.......the speech of fascism where it rears it's ugly head does not last long in the light of open politicall discussions, but when limits begin to appear as they had in Germany in the 30'S or even to a lesser extent in the 50'S here, itstiffles those who might be ableto oppose fascism in the first place.
You either trust the people as a whole to do the right thing or you do not it really is that simple.
Worf said
ReplyDelete"He blasted Bush with a little tape he made. Bush was visibly angry, and the audience, friendly to the pres was not real impressed but I thought it was great."
What a high powered bummer man! Id give anything to see that. LOL
Worf said "Colbert also made biting cracks about missing WMDs, “photo ops” on aircraft carriers and at hurricane disasters, melting glaciers and Vice President Cheney shooting people in the face.
ReplyDeleteHe advised the crowd, "if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail. ""
Good, the more people that speak out against these buffoons and tell them how we feel about their failed policies and power mad tactics the better, the tyrant isnt used to people standing up to him and opposing him openly but he better get used to it, because the truth is coming out more and more everyday and his lies and rhetoric cant hold up in the light of truth in broad daylight when people are wide awake and consciously aware of what is going on and focused on the real issues instead of their fear mongering diversionary tactics.
I think, however, this is an impossibility because of inherent antagonism in the question itself - which is why I continue to argue there needs to be a sensible, limited reduction in free speech in America.
ReplyDeleteBG the only "legal" limits on free speech is where the speech can be shown to actualkly place others in perial, like crying Fire in a crowded theater, or inciting people to riot, or openly slandering another, the first and last actually untruths, (if the fire was real you could not be procecuted) and the second the inciting is usually based on falsehoods....other wise the founders and most citizens still profess to the collective wisdom of all instead of the brillance of a select few.....
Clif said 'You either trust the people as a whole to do the right thing or you do not it really is that simple'
ReplyDeleteI certainly don't with all the corruption etc. around which is why I'm looking for solutions. I don't know if I'll ever get any but I know for sure I won't if I don't try.
Mike said 'what do people in your country think of all the hawkish talk from the Bush Administration regarding Iran'
Mike - our petrol has shot up in price to an equivalent of $6.50 a gallon here. Most people I speak to think Iran posturing and the mess in Iraq are responsible for this. People here are so against the war that Blair is still refusing to pick up his Congressional Medal for fear of an enormous backlash and justifiably so. Our Secretary of Defense, John Reid, has announced there are no military options for Iran, so has Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. If poodle tries to ally the UK with an American strike on Iran there will be riots, I'm certain of it. When British troops come home they are derided and labelled as warmongers (I think that's a bit unfair as many join up to 'see the world' or for the money. Footsoldiers don't join up to kill someone).
Iran posturing by Bush is leaving you guys more isolated than ever before - you won't have a 'coalition of the bribed' next time around as the so-called pay-off from the Iraq war hasn't materialised and that's what's really stopping the EU politicians.
Clif said, 'BG the only "legal" limits on free speech is where the speech can be shown to actually place others in peril'
ReplyDeletethis is my point too Clif - I don't want to see 104 British guys killed, 2,400 Americans killed, >140,000 Iraqis killed. We all know it is the free speech of the neocons and PNAC that led to all this. Fascism pure and simple.
As for Colbert my favorite jokes(truthiness statements) were;
ReplyDeleteSo, Mr. President, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash.
Bush supporters are the backwash of the society
Jesse Jackson is here, the Reverend. Haven't heard from the Reverend in a little while. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants, at the pace that he wants. It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.
Bush on Global warming....
Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
That one rocks, reality is liberal because it does not bend to the neo-con agenda....
If poodle tries to ally the UK with an American strike on Iran there will be riots
ReplyDeleteBG I reinterate trust the people your statement belies that fact.....
Clif wrote 'other wise the founders and most citizens still profess to the collective wisdom of all instead of the brillance of a select few'
ReplyDeleteI know, I know........ but this hasn't worked. Look at the real peril our world is in right now. Not just global warmongering and war posturing but individual societies steeped in crime and littered with the refuse of broken families. It's a mess from top to bottom and the causes are spreading: fascism, extremism, terrorism because of the former and irresponsibility and arrogance due to the latter (an oversimplification I know but I'm typing)
Worfeus Colberts appearance reminds me of Jon Stewarts appearance on Crossfire, that individual show is priceless...he actually killed the show by calling both sides out on live TV, and calling both sides in the faux debate silly and destructive to the country....
ReplyDeleteClif wrote 'BG I reinterate trust the people your statement belies that fact..... '
ReplyDeleteClif, I really have no idea what you mean by this, type again?
but this hasn't worked.
ReplyDeleteBut is does work, just not as quickly or cleanly as you would like....even you state Bush basically has no coolition of the bribed...and the UN will not go along this time, now it is up to those of us who actually Live inside the US to place enough political pressure on congress that they won't dare go along with bush one more time... it is not surgically clean or quick but the only hope if democracy is to be preserved. If Bush does try to push for attacks on Iran then we have to make sure the congress that goes along they will pay a price in November, where a lot of the right is actually shaking in their boots even if they will not admit it....
Clif, my Pc's too old for media clips and I'm on dial-up anyway so takes too long. Have you got a link to somewhere the Colbert speech is typed out in full?
ReplyDeleteLOL very amusing guy.
BG, I restate, trust the people, your statement belies that fact.....
ReplyDeleteYou state that if Blair attempts to follow Bush people will riot in the streets, thus at some level you acknowledge that they still rule the country and seem tom acknowledge that blair does too, thus trust the citizenry of briton to do the right thing in the end...otherwise you will set up a situation for the elites to control the media and distort thr truth to get their way at the costs to everyone else...
Worf - I was just about to write something along those lines - Bush admits he's broken 750 laws already!
ReplyDeleteYes here BG;
ReplyDeletehttp://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/30/1441/59811
in case the link breaks...
http://dailykos.com/
storyonly/2006/4/30/1441/59811
Clif, thanks for the elucidation, what you describe (otherwise you will set up a situation for the elites to control the media and distort thr truth to get their way at the costs to everyone else) is what already exists so what I postulate is no worse. But it may be a lot better. Worth a try?
ReplyDeleteC-Span is supposed to show the correspondents dinner 2 more times this week, but I don't know the days.
ReplyDeleteI think the first time is Monday or Tuesday.
thanks for the link Clif, I'll check it out then go to bed. It's 2.30am here..yawn......
ReplyDeleteI'll check back tomorrow for any other replies and to read through more thoroughly what you've already written (when I'm more awake!)
is what already exists so what I postulate is no worse.
ReplyDeleteNo what I invision would be a brave new world...1984 style of society and we are no where near it yet, because of things like Stephen Colberts appearance, shows like the daily show or the colbert report, blogs like this one, Think Progress, Brads Blog, Daily Kros, and others, we may have some problems with the ministers of the right who are in power right now but each of us has a belief that things could change if we can convince enough people of the truth as we see it. In 1984 ther is no hope no place for Winston to hide or go..... an that is the difference. 1984 is the society that I see would result from laws to control SPEECH to control outrageous elements, the outrageous would come to be defined as anti-corporate anti-government and the combination of the corporation and government would end up in a 1984 style society where everyone is scared to openly talk and no one has any hope any more.
Steve and Johnny,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words.
Great posts everyone.
I wish I had seen Cobert. I still can't get "the DECIDER" out of my mind. It's infuriatingly moronic!!! Not just inflicting bad grammar on our kids, but the arrogance!
Love,
Lyd
The arrogance of not realizing we have 3 branches of government!
ReplyDeleteOr he actually works for the real decision makers the voters.....
ReplyDeleteClif said "Or he actually works for the real decision makers the voters....."
ReplyDeleteClif, i've said this many times as well, and its an excellent point, Bush just doesnt get the fact that he is a civil servant that works for the people, he views us as his chattel, his loyal subjects ort servants aqnd sees himself as a dictator (although he would never have the courage to admit that)
Lydia, you've made some e4xcellent posts both on the main blog and in here as well, unfortunately I have been extremely busy and havent had the time to reswpond as much as I would like.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm glad you differentiated between opposing and speaking out against tyrants and poor policicies and and hating people who hold different views, because there is a huge difference.
I hate that "decider" comment as well just another repug wanna be tough guy trying to sound like the terminator or something, replace "decider" with dictator and it would be more accurate.
Worfeus i was listening to CNN about 6PM eastern and when one of the reporters mentioned Colbert right after the reairing of GWB actually showing the world how stupid he is the anchor cut the reporter right off quick, it seemed that saying Colbert on CNN is like saying Olbermann on Fox.
ReplyDeleteBush has claimed he is all for free speech and Colbert just called him out on it, see we have a right to criticize our government and speak our mind and any type of retaliation by Bush will show his true colors and where he stands on freedom of speech, it was a brilliant move by Colbert.
ReplyDeleteGiven Colberts show on comedy central and the low Bush numbers the suits at comedy central know that very few if any of Bush's base even turn to their channel when Colbert or Stewert are on. There is little they can actually do if they do not want more bad press than they can handle, the MSM would sit up and notice if the repug neo-cons actually overtly went after somebody like Colbert for what he said....
ReplyDeleteWorfeus, Mike , Kirk, Lydia I posted a LONG article on my blog, it is an interesting look at the history of our foriegn policy approach to threats. It is listed as;
ReplyDeleteSunday, April 30, 2006
This was published in the NYT magazine, really interesting ideas that worked for Europe.
Worfeus Steven was showing the fools in the audience that calling bush a buffoon to his fact does not invite the rath of God, but unfortunately they will not even do it now....
ReplyDeleteWorfeus Steven was showing the fools in the audience that calling bush a buffoon to his fact does not invite the rath of God, but unfortunately they will not even do it now....
ReplyDeleteIt is $3.42/gal. for 87 Octane at an Ultramar gas station not too far from my house!
ReplyDelete"Halliburton is one of the largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. Last month the company announced that new documents accuse Houston-based Halliburton Co. of repeatedly overcharging the government under its $1.2 billion contract to restore oil services in Iraq. The internal documents were cited in a report by the staff of U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., says The Washington Post.
The Post reported the papers referred to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root, where the problems included sliding schedules, multiplying costs and not providing accurate cost estimates which led to threats from contract overseers to terminate the deal.
Among instances cited, officials in the documents had noted that KBR tried to inflate its cost estimates by paying a supplier more than it was due. In another instance, KBR reportedly cut its cost estimates in half after it was pressed on its true expenses. Defending the company's performance, Halliburton spokeswoman Melissa Norcross told the Post that Waxman's report used old issues that have already been resolved. She said the Waxman report did not take into account the numerous changes the government requested once work was already under way.
Constellation Energy is one of the nation's largest competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation Energy recently stated that a scheduled refuelling outage at Unit 2 of its Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station in Scriba, N.Y., has been completed. The outage was completed in 25 days.
EGPI Firecreek, Inc., through its Firecreek unit, is focused on oil production with an emphasis on acquiring existing oil fields with proven reserves. EGPI Firecreek, Inc. announced last month that gas well 1-16 in the company's Ten Mile Draw, Wyoming Coal Bed Methane project is on-line and producing at a greater rate than previously anticipated.
Nord Oil International Inc. is a reporting publicly traded Oil & Gas junior producer. Nord Oil International Inc. recently announced that it is in the process of having its stock listed on the NASD OTC Bulletin Board.
Commentary: "In its weekly report, the Energy Department said that supplies of gasoline in the U.S. declined by 5.4 million barrels last week and this was the 7th straight drop. April is traditional a time of low supplies for gasoline as refineries shift from heating oil production and shut down some for annual repairs. Wal-Mart warned that the company's lower-income customers will likely curtail discretionary spending this year because of higher fuel costs," Stated Sonja Rudd in Wall Street News Alert's daily commentary continued at: http://www.WallStreetNewsAlert.com."
This is all I can post for now - all this knowledge floating around in my head has given me a slight headache! LOL. :D
OMG! What balls Colbert has....LOL! The skit of Colbert running away from the frail Thomas was priceless! LOL
ReplyDeleteNot enough close-ups of Bush's face though :|
A big salute to the mighty Colbert :D
Long live "Freedom of Speech."
Thanx Worf
Oil, Death And The Dollar
ReplyDeleteCliff Droke
In the previous commentary entitled "A new age of perpetually high oil/gas prices?" we examined some of the factors behind the fuel price spike and how it is being carefully managed by the oil oligopoly. In this installment we'll look at how violence in the Middle East and elsewhere is contributing to the rising oil price trend and also the connection between oil and the U.S. dollar.
A gentleman responding to my previous commentary made this very thoughtful observation: "It seems to me that higher oil prices are offsetting reduced Asian support for the US bond market. Windfall profits of the OPEC, especially Mid-East producers, are turning up as Treasury purchases via U.K. and offshore intermediaries (to avoid potential asset seizure in the event of hostilities, I presume). Thus, a tax (higher oil prices) on U.S. consumers, gets recycled back into the bond market, which in turn supports the dollar. A corollary effect is that higher prices force more spending of Asian dollar reserves, which would also feed into this petro-dollar recycling scheme."
The above comments are definitely worth investigating and I think we'll find an answer to them as the year progresses. We'll all be able to observe the dollar/oil/bond connection and get some sense of where the links are further down the road. Food for thought to be sure.
Apparently there is still quite a bit of resistance out there to the idea of the oil oligopoly managing petroleum output and thereby controlling the price trend. Is it so hard to believe that oil companies have conspired to create artificial shortages for the purpose of driving up prices at the pump? An anonymous observer made waves back in late 2004 when he published photographs he had taken out in California of a gasoline tanker truck unloading its contents into the desert sands. The concerned citizen promptly sent copies of the photos to the oil company from whose truck the gas was being purposely dumped. He later received this response: "You didn't see what you thought you saw...what you thought you saw was something you didn't actually see."
A Shell refinery in Bakersfield, Calif., made headlines in back in '04 when it closing down despite having the biggest refiner margins of any Shell refinery in the nation and despite a dire need for more gasoline supplies in the state. "Only an oil company that wants to short the market and artificially drive up the price of gasoline would demolish a highly profitable refinery rather than sell it," said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in response to the move at that time. Truly, the motives of the erstwhile "seven sisters" (which have now been further consolidated through industry intermarriage) can be clearly seen through actions such as these.
In reference to the above headline, there is of course a connection between the price of oil and violence in the Middle East. The violence is both a consequence of the oil and a contributor to the higher oil price. As one commentator asked rhetorically, "Would the U.S. be in the Middle East if there wasn't oil there?" Indeed, U.S. military occupation of Iraq and, before long, Iran, is primarily an economic motivation as are most things in this world.
AP Updated: 1:51 p.m. ET May 1, 2006
ReplyDeleteLA PAZ, Bolivia - President Evo Morales nationalized Bolivia’’s natural gas industry and oil
Monday, ordering foreign energy companies to send their supplies to a state company for sales
and industrialization.
Speaking at the San Alberto gas and oil field in the south of the country, Morales warned that
companies that reject the decree will have to leave Bolivia within six months.
““The time has come, the awaited day, a historic day in which Bolivia retakes absolute control of
our natural resources,”” Morales said from the facility, which is operated by Petrobras in
association with Repsol.
After the president spoke, a soldier unfurled a Bolivian flag from atop the installation.
Morales also said the state would retake control of Bolivian hydrocarbons companies that were
privatized in the 1990s, with the state taking over shares in the hands of foreign companies and of
semipublic Bolivian entities.
He said all the companies must turn their production over to the state’’s Yacimientos Petroliferos
Fiscales Bolivianos, which was privatized in 1996 and 1997.
©© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Looks like the resource wars have begun, now does it make sense why there was/is such a push to invade Iran and Iraq, two countries extremely rich in oil and natural gas, iran's natural gas reserves are the second richest in the world and are relatively untapped., while Iraq's oil reserves are relatively untapped these are virtually the only countries currently able to substantially increase production of oil and natural gas, and both countries attempted to move away from the petrodollar, so essentially the administration is killing two birds with one stone by overthrowing their anti american governments.
ReplyDelete1) they are defending the petrodollar
2) alowing american companies access to develop their enormous reserves, the profits from this will be immense.
Published on Monday, April 11, 2005 by TomDispatch.com
ReplyDeleteOil, Geopolitics, and the Coming War with Iran
by Michael T. Klare
As the United States gears up for an attack on Iran, one thing is certain: the Bush administration will never mention oil as a reason for going to war. As in the case of Iraq, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will be cited as the principal justification for an American assault. "We will not tolerate the construction of a nuclear weapon [by Iran]," is the way President Bush put it in a much-quoted 2003 statement. But just as the failure to discover illicit weapons in Iraq undermined the administration's use of WMD as the paramount reason for its invasion, so its claim that an attack on Iran would be justified because of its alleged nuclear potential should invite widespread skepticism. More important, any serious assessment of Iran's strategic importance to the United States should focus on its role in the global energy equation.
Just exactly how much weight the oil factor carries in the administration's decision-making is not something that we can determine with absolute assurance at this time, but given the importance energy has played in the careers and thinking of various high officials of this administration, and given Iran's immense resources, it would be ludicrous not to take the oil factor into account -- and yet you can rest assured that, as relations with Iran worsen, American media reports and analysis of the situation will generally steer a course well clear of the subject (as they did in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq).
One further caveat: When talking about oil's importance in American strategic thinking about Iran, it is important to go beyond the obvious question of Iran's potential role in satisfying our country's future energy requirements. Because Iran occupies a strategic location on the north side of the Persian Gulf, it is in a position to threaten oil fields in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, which together possess more than half of the world's known oil reserves. Iran also sits athwart the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which, daily, 40% of the world's oil exports pass. In addition, Iran is becoming a major supplier of oil and natural gas to China, India, and Japan, thereby giving Tehran additional clout in world affairs. It is these geopolitical dimensions of energy, as much as Iran's potential to export significant quantities of oil to the United States, that undoubtedly govern the administration's strategic calculations.
Having said this, let me proceed to an assessment of Iran's future energy potential. According to the most recent tally by Oil and Gas Journal, Iran houses the second-largest pool of untapped petroleum in the world, an estimated 125.8 billion barrels. Only Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 260 billion barrels, possesses more; Iraq, the third in line, has an estimated 115 billion barrels. With this much oil -- about one-tenth of the world's estimated total supply -- Iran is certain to play a key role in the global energy equation, no matter what else occurs.
It is not, however, just sheer quantity that matters in Iran's case; no less important is its future productive capacity. Although Saudi Arabia possesses larger reserves, it is now producing oil at close to its maximum sustainable rate (about 10 million barrels per day). It will probably be unable to raise its output significantly over the next 20 years while global demand, pushed by significantly higher consumption in the United States, China, and India, is expected to rise by 50%. Iran, on the other hand, has considerable growth potential: it is now producing about 4 million barrels per day, but is thought to be capable of boosting its output by another 3 million barrels or so. Few, if any, other countries possess this potential, so Iran's importance as a producer, already significant, is bound to grow in the years ahead.
And it is not just oil that Iran possesses in great abundance, but also natural gas. According to Oil and Gas Journal, Iran has an estimated 940 trillion cubic feet of gas, or approximately 16% of total world reserves. (Only Russia, with 1,680 trillion cubic feet, has a larger supply.) As it takes approximately 6,000 cubic feet of gas to equal the energy content of 1 barrel of oil, Iran's gas reserves represent the equivalent of about 155 billion barrels of oil. This, in turn, means that its combined hydrocarbon reserves are the equivalent of some 280 billion barrels of oil, just slightly behind Saudi Arabia's combined supply. At present, Iran is producing only a small share of its gas reserves, about 2.7 trillion cubic feet per year. This means that Iran is one of the few countries capable of supplying much larger amounts of natural gas in the future.
What all this means is that Iran will play a critical role in the world's future energy equation. This is especially true because the global demand for natural gas is growing faster than that for any other source of energy, including oil. While the world currently consumes more oil than gas, the supply of petroleum is expected to contract in the not-too-distant future as global production approaches its peak sustainable level -- perhaps as soon as 2010 -- and then begins a gradual but irreversible decline. The production of natural gas, on the other hand, is not likely to peak until several decades from now, and so is expected to take up much of the slack when oil supplies become less abundant. Natural gas is also considered a more attractive fuel than oil in many applications, especially because when consumed it releases less carbon dioxide (a major contributor to the greenhouse effect).
When considering Iran's role in the global energy equation, therefore, Bush administration officials have two key strategic aims: a desire to open up Iranian oil and gas fields to exploitation by American firms, and concern over Iran's growing ties to America's competitors in the global energy market. Under U.S. law, the first of these aims can only be achieved after the President lifts EO 12959, and this is not likely to occur as long as Iran is controlled by anti-American mullahs and refuses to abandon its uranium enrichment activities with potential bomb-making applications. Likewise, the ban on U.S. involvement in Iranian energy production and export gives Tehran no choice but to pursue ties with other consuming nations. From the Bush administration's point of view, there is only one obvious and immediate way to alter this unappetizing landscape -- by inducing "regime change" in Iran and replacing the existing leadership with one far friendlier to U.S. strategic interests.
In this sense, more than any other, the current planning for an attack on Iran is fundamentally driven by concern over the safety of U.S. energy supplies, as was the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Here we go, yet another BIG deal for you guys,a dinner.Two days from now its history.Dont go all Chris Matthews girls.
ReplyDeleteWorf, when will it be shown on TV again, i'm dying to see it, I cant get video or sound on my computer anymore, so i'll have to watch it on tv.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I know exactly how significant it is he got in Bush's face for a reason to show him and the press that people are no longer afraid of the clown in chief and its ok to speak out and challenge his riddiculous lies.
I was just emailed this today and thought I'd share it with you. It seemed fitting considering all going on in the US these days:
ReplyDelete"The weather is like the government, always in the wrong."
Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)
Your website has a useful information for beginners like me.
ReplyDelete»
Hi Lydia
ReplyDeleteThese archives are really frickin intersting.
ReplyDeleteThese frickin goons have like no lives.
ReplyDeleteUhh, looks like the frickin goon squad has like shrunk, wtf happened to Johnny moo moo and Tall Texan?
ReplyDelete