HAPPY NEW YEAR * PEACE ON EARTH and in GAZA

May you have a year filled with LOVE, joy, peace, health, wealth, happiness and success!

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

There's a lot of news to report. Hope you are tuning in to the Basham and Cornell show. This week we are replaying some of our best broadcasts - with MSNBC's Pat Buchanan, PBS Emmy Award Winner, Christopher Cerf and CNN's Paul Begala.

Obama Should Engage Now for Middle East Peace
Please read this article below by John Nichols at The Nation

An Israeli air assault on Palestinian targets in Gaza has taken an estimated 300 lives over the course of the past several days, and the death toll is mounting rapidly. Dozens of children have been killed, confirming that there is nothing "surgical" about these strikes.

Most U.S. media coverage portrays a simple struggle between Israelis on the one side and Gaza's Hamas militants on the other. This is the line that is being advanced aggressively by the Bush administration and that has effectively been accepted by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, which is maintaining its "Bush speaks for the U.S. until January 20" line even as the crisis mounts. Following Bush's lead, Obama has refused to call for a more nuanced and effective U.S. response to an escalation of the Middle East conflict that Palestinian parliamentarian Mustafa Barghouti on Sunday described as the worst since the 1967 war in the region.

Obama and his aides should be openly counseling the Bush administration to use every diplomatic avenue to promote a ceasefire and, above all, to urge against an Israeli invasion and occupation of Gaza.
Read more at TheNation.com

TOYS FOR TOTS * CANDY CANE LANE

Hi Jolly Roger, MCH, trolls, Volt and JP!!

My husband and I are sitting in Barney's Beanery right now watching the Packers game. Steeler fans are stomping on the floor above me. We have 39 TV screens surrounding us.

Will -- I have not posted an opinion on Rick Warren but my sister (who is gay) filled me in on how truly homophobic he is. I thought he was one of the more enlightened preachers, but I hear he won't allow gays in his church. If this is true and I have yet to investigate this-- then it is HORRIBLE and he is not fit to be Obama's inauguration-giver.

Why didn't Obama pick Jim Wallis? Sojourners???

We had a houseload of kids over every day since Christmas and a party before Christmas. Mom sent us a Costco Card for tons of food and we had 90 people.

I have been baking, scrubbing and cleaning forever!! Then on Christmas eve, stayed up with hubby and wrapped gifts until 3 AM for the kids, stuffed stockings.. and put out cookies for Santa.






Okay I admit it, I'm actually Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I really wanted a lighted sleigh on our roof with some reindeer, but even the kids thought it would be too gawdy for our neighborhood.

Here is a photo of Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills. I force the family to drive through it every year so I can ooh! and aah over the holiday lights.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Channukah, Happy Kwanza and Happy New Year! I love Christmas more than any other time of year. I love seeing the kids' faces when they wake up (in 2 hours!)




God Bless you!
Love,
Lydia and Family
We couldn't get Chazzie to sit still for the camera and you can see he threw off his reindeer antlers.

CAROLINE KENNEDY vs. HILLARY SUPPORTERS

Please give us your opinion on whether Caroline should be given the New York Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.

And please give us your opinion on the economic crisis, the "ponzai" scheme in Florida - and how you think people who have lost everything will survive in retirement. Should we set up free senior housing centers and free kitchens for retirees who have lost their life savings? What is the solution to massive unemployment — if millions more jobs are lost? I am interested in hearing inspiring, workable solutions to saving lives and sanity.

And please give us ideas on what you are doing to save money for the holidays. Is everyone cutting back? We are more excited about Christmas than ever because the spirit of giving is in the air.

BUSH'S SHOE HIT * SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE BEST MOVIE

"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!”

Everyone is talking about Bush being hit with the size ten shoes. But what I want to know is WHERE WAS THE SECRET SERVICE??? Normally, if anyone merely twitches in the audience of a presidential speech, the secret service pounces. But this Iraqi journalist had time to throw not only one shoe, but he had time to throw a second shoe!! And here is what he said: "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!”

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush ducked two shoes thrown at him by a man during a press conference in the Iraqi prime minister’s office to mark the signing of a security agreement.

Bush wasn’t hit by the shoes, which both sailed over his head after they were thrown one after the other. The president shrugged and said “I’m OK” after the incident in Baghdad today. “All I can report is it is a size 10,” Bush said afterwards.

In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. “This is the farewell kiss, you dog,” the man shouted in Arabic.

After U.S. troops pulled down a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi bystanders tossed shoes at it, according to news reports at the time. Bush said today’s incident was an example of free speech in a democracy.

The man threw the shoes from about 25 feet away as Bush, standing with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, made formal remarks before the signing of the Iraqi-U.S. agreement. Maliki tried to block the second thrown shoe as it flew toward Bush, according to video of the incident shown on television.

Wrestled to Ground

The shoe-thrower, who was in a group of journalists, was wrestled to the ground and taken away. “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq,” shouted the man, later identified by the Associated Press as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi- owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

I have seen a couple of great films recently. One of the BEST films I've ever seen is "Slumdog Millionaire" by the great Irish director Danny Boyle, who did "Trainspotting."





The other film I cannot get over is "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and the ending will absolutely shock you. No one who has seen it will reveal the ending — and I was totally unprepared for it. We took the kids on Thanksgiving evening, and I can't think of a better way to realize how grateful we all should be for our lives.



We also saw "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which we loved. The kids loved it almost as much as I did, but they are bit more mature than I am, so that makes sense.

Tonight we watched the Video Game Awards with Jack Black in his underwear. My 14-year-old raves about Unchartered and can't wait for Unchartered 2. The kids argued over which is better: the PS3 or XBOX 360.

Here are some review excerpts of my current favorite movie:

Slumdog Millionaire" is an emotional roller coaster, a "ticking clock" thriller, a tragic-comic blend of the modern and the ancient. Like opera and soap opera, it tugs at the heart and flings obstacles in the way of our star-crossed kids. Like many an ancient tale from the Far East, it embraces fate. And never has the phrase "It is written" taken us on a more thrilling ride. - Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

For six months, Boyle and about a dozen colleagues traveled to Mumbai, India, to create "Slumdog Millionaire," a sometimes intense but ultimately buoyant account of an orphan's remarkable performance on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," where the top prize is actually closer to $4 million.

"They are the fourth largest nuclear power in the world and yet they don't have working toilets," Boyle says of the startling disparity between India's haves and have-nots. "It has all of this emerging technology and no clean drinking water."

Those dramatic juxtapositions form the backdrop of Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy's ("The Full Monty") adaptation of Vikas Swarup's novel "Q and A." Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) may be enjoying an incredible run on the quiz show but the question he most wants answered is: What has become of his one true love, Latika (Freida Pinto)?

Boyle says the movie's message is not unlike the spirit of the people he encountered making it. "They have this amazing belief in faith and the organic nature of life," Boyle says. "That things will happen." -- John Horn, L.A. Times

•SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a Fox Searchlight release directed by Danny Boyle with Loveleen Tandan from a script by Simon Beaufoy based on the novel Vikas Swarup. Running time: 118 minutes. Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

LOU GOSSETT'S ERACISM FOUNDATION

Our guest Wednesday on the Basham and Cornell show will be Academy Award Winner Louis Gossett, Jr.

INSPIRATION

Pain is the touchstone of all spiritual progress. - Anonymous

Photo: In memory of my sweet brother Paul at the Grand Canyon, who passed away December 1, 1995. Photo of our boys a couple of years ago.

"We aren't simply an isolated collection of atoms and molecules, but are an inseparable part of the infinite field of intelligence." David Simon, M.D.

"When you know that you are an inseparable part of the field of all possibilities, you can easily fulfill your desires. You no longer worry about money — getting it, losing it, or not having enough — because you know hte supply is inexhaustible. This understanding is the source of all abundance." - Deepak Chopra, M.D.

"Within you rests the universal answer to every question that you could ever ask yourself. It's been said that prayer is talking to God... meditation is listening. Can you hear the universe whispering to you?" - Davidji

"Love is the unified field" - me

"You'll SEE it when you BELIEVE it." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

"All boundaries melt in the warmth of love and we know that we are part of an indivisible whole — an expression of the eternal Divine." - Deepak Chopra, M.D.

"I think there needs to be a change of consciousness with the news ... to try to seek a higher ground. Why can't it be more representative of the way the world really is? I think we don't know what the bombardment of crime and violence does to our minds, I think we're in denial about it." - Oprah Winfrey

Your life is right now. It's not later. It's not in that time of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here. It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it's not ever going to get better than right now — until it gets better right now! -
Jerry and Esther, Abraham-Hicks

"All the strife in the world is happening to bring us closer to our spirit, our humanity. For years we've been snowballing toward excess, chaos, materialism, violence and porn. There will never be enough perversions to satisfy us. There is never enough sex, drugs, i-pods, plasma screens or edge-of-death experiences to fill us up. You can't paste fulfillment on like a bandaid from the outside. It's an inside job. Sometimes you have to lose everything to become free. There is only one way to go: toward healing, toward love which is the spiritual kingdom within us. The more we focus on the good in others, even our enemies, the more the good increases. This is a law of the universe, and it's the only real way to pray." - Me

But on that note, it is okay to point out dishonesty when you see it. For example:

Milwaukee's Dan Shelley Exposes How 'Conservative' Talkers Create Their Phony Narrative on the Publicly-Owned Airwaves...

The former news director/program manager at one of Milwaukee's largest and most powerful radio stations offers some remarkable inside skinny on how Rightwing Radio chooses its slanted topics, marches in lockstep with GOP talking points, sets up its "conservative" listeners as victims, and shuts out all but the most artfully selected opposing viewpoints.

I'll take this moment to mention, yet again, that this is all being done on the publicly owned airwaves, which we grant license to out of the kindness of our public hearts, and which the wingnuts enjoy as public welfare queens to bludgeon Americans into voting against their own self-interest...

FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6708
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Quote of the Day
"We have a great life here in Alaska, and we're never going back to America again!" - Homer Simpson

Bush, the self-proclaimed "War President" says: "I Was Unprepared For War," "I'm Sorry" For The Economic Crisis. ABC News/AP/CNN | December 1, 2008 at 11:32 AM

President Bush let it all out today during an interview with ABC News' Charlie Gibson. Bush delivered a mea culpa on Iraq, the economic crisis and the 2008 election outcome for Republicans.

My take: He passes the buck and doesn't apologize for cooking the books and cherry-picking the intelligence. Bush and Cheney did everything in their power to silence Ambassador Joe Wilson, destroy the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame and keep the National Intelligence Estimate quiet. By the way, who leaked the NIE report which said Sadaam DID NOT have WMD? I think it was Gates. And it was sinister the way the Bush- Cheney cabal painted everyone as unpatriotic who wore a Peace T-shirt or was against the 'shock and awe' bombing of the ancient Babylonian lands, innocent Iraqi civilians who could not flee Falluja in time -- including children. Bush and Cheney destroyed hospitals, colleges, schools, Mosques and infrastructure. They claimed Sadaam had WMD when clearly he did not. And they knew it. To pretend that now he didn't know the intelligence was cooked, is a crime.

I agree with Chris Matthews, who says that WMD was not the actual reason Bush drove this war fever. He had other imperialistic motives, so the whole thing is an unconscionable lie -- or rewriting of history — even this apology.

More below.... but first, some funny pictures from HUFFPO:

Big Three CEOs Drive Hybrids To Washington



Doctor Zhivago

GIVING THANKS * HELP IS ON THE WAY

Think about this tomorrow as you sit down to your Thanksgiving Feast! And remember your local Food Bank!

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.

If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation .... you are ahead of over 700 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare.

If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.

And if you can't seem to rev yourself up and out of depression, just quietly say "thank you." Just find ONE SMALL THING to be grateful for. Then go outside, look up and breathe. The more you are grateful, the more you get out of yourself. "It's by self-forgetting that we find..." - Lydia

If you can read this you are very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, and count your blessings!!- Anonymous

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Obama: 'HELP IS ON THE WAY' .... and 'Change will come from me' (despite keeping Gates on as Secretary of Defense)

Designates Former Fed Chair Volcker As Head Of New "President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board"... Third Straight Economic Conference This Week...

President-elect Barack Obama said today that "people should understand that help is on the way" for the nation's ailing economy. Obama held his third press conference in three days on the economy. He named former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to lead a new economic recovery board. developing story... Obama stresses patience

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New link to my cover story: http://www.retroality.tv/retrohotLydiaCornell.html

GIRLS LIKE EROTIC TWILIGHT

I have to admit I'm obsessed with "Twilight," which I saw this weekend. Maybe I'm 14 years old — oh yeah, that's right I am. I'm very interested in vampires that hold back, and in the erotics of abstinence. Teenage girls are my cause lately. Girls are in a lot of pain, with the highest suicide rate of any other group. I blame a culture of materialism, but it's an "inside job" and we each have to work out our own dark forces. According to the CDC, suicide attempts tripled in the past three years for girls ages 10-14. I really want to help them navigate life better than I did.

As a Harry Potter freak, Lord of the Rings fanatic and a lifelong Trekkie, I think films like this are great for girls. We need our own Harry Potter.


"We are in the business of love. Put "love" into what you do for a living."

By 2010 the number two form of disability will be depression. What goes on inside you is the cause of your outside experience."

"No one can be successful alone."

"The purpose of marriage is to learn how to be a compassionate human being." - Bob Lancer

Remember, if the time should come, when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.* - Albus Dumbledore

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. — Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)

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TWILIGHT CULT PHENOMENON (The Christian Science Monitor)
Tween bibliophiles are armed with antecedent knowledge of the storyline, courtesy of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling 2005 novel. It was the first of a tetralogy, which has been translated into 37 languages and collectively sold 25 million copies worldwide.

Excited fan girls queued up for sold out Thursday midnight showings, generating a $70 million gross. Made on a modest budget of $37 million, Twilight swept into the number one box office spot for the weekend, playing on 6,000 screens and pulling in $70 million.

You have to hear Carter Burwell's haunting score, especially, "How Will I Die?"
Go to http://www.twilightthemovie.com/ and click on the movie trailers, but if you want to hear the score, go to Soundtrack and pause the songs, but listen to what plays automatically.

THEY CAN'T STEAL THIS ONE

Keith Olbermann talks with Richard Wolffe about the infighting within the McCain campaign about Palin’s going off script. On her “fruit fly” gaffe, Richard Wolf says: "Keith, I’m going to be as restrained and measured as I possibly can about this. This is the most mindless, ignorant uninformed comment we’ve seen from Governor Palin so far, and there’s been alot of competition for that prize."

OBAMA has so many Republicans jumping ship and supporting him — including Colin Powell, White House former Press Secretary Scott McClellan, Andrew Sullivan, Christopher Hitchens — and McCain's former advisor. And he has some of America's most beloved icons supporting him.

Look at this: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard and Henry Winkler publicly endorsed Obama?

From Republicans For Obama.org

Republican Elected Officials supporting Obama:

Jim Leach, Former Congressman from Iowa

"For me, the national interest comes before party concerns, particularly internationally. We do need a new direction in American policy, and Obama has a sense of that."

Lincoln Chafee, Former United States Senator from Rhode Island

"As I look at the candidates in order who to vote for, certainly my kind of conservatism was reflected with Senator Obama, and those points are that we're fiscally conservative, we care about revenues matching expenditures, we also care about the environment, I think it's a traditional conservative value to care about clean air and clean water."

William Weld, Former Governor of Massachusetts

"It's not often you get a guy with his combination of qualities, chief among which I would say is the deep sense of calm he displays, and I think that's a product of his equally deep intelligence."

Arne Carlson, Former Governor of Minnesota

"I think we have in Barack Obama the clear possibility of a truly great president. I would contend that it's the most important election of my lifetime."

Wayne Gilchrest, Congressman from Maryland

"We can't use four more years of the same kind of policy that's somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness."

Larry Pressler, Former Senator from South Dakota

"I just got the feeling that Obama will be able to handle this financial crisis better, and I like his financial team of [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin and [former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul] Volcker better."

Richard Riordan, Former Mayor of Los Angeles

"I'm still a Republican, but I still will always vote for the person who I think will do the best job."

Lowell Weicker, Former Governor and Senator from Connecticut

"At issue is not the partisan politics of two parties, rather the image we have of ourselves as Americans. Senator Obama brings wisdom, kindness, and common sense to what is both his and our quest for a better America."

Jim Whitaker, Fairbanks, Alaska Mayor

"If we are as a nation concerned with energy, then our consideration should be a national energy policy that is not predicated on crude oil 50 years into the future. We need to get to it, and I think Barack Obama is very clear in that regard."

Linwood Holton, Former Governor of Virginia

"Obama has a brain, and he isn't afraid to use it."

Republican Government Officials Supporting Obama:

Colin Powell, Secretary of State under Bush 43

"...he has met the standard of being a sucessful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world-- onto the world state, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

Douglas Kmiec, Head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Reagan & Bush 41

"I was first attracted to government by Ronald Reagan, who lives in our national memory as a great leader and an inspiring communicator. Senator Obama has these gifts as well, but of course, more rhetorical flourish without substance would be worth little. Is there more to Senator Obama? I believe there is."

Charles Fried, Solicitor General of the United States under Reagan

"I admire Senator McCain and was glad to help in his campaign, and to be listed as doing so; but when I concluded that I must vote for Obama for the reason states in my letter, I felt it wrong to appear to be recommending to others a vote that I was not prepared to cast myself."

Jackson M. Andrews, Republican Counsel to the U.S. Senate

"Barack Obama is a thoughtful visionary leader who as President will end the decline of American law, liberty, and fiscal responsibility that are the hallmarks of the extremist policies of the current Administration, now adopted by John McCain."

Susan Eisenhower, Granddaughter of President Eisenhower & President of the Eisenhower Group

"Given Obama's support among young people, I believe that he will be most invested in defending the interests of these rising generations and, therefore, the long-term interests of this nation as a whole."

Francis Fukuyama, Advisor to President Reagan

"...Obama probably has the greatest promise of delivering a different kind of politics."

Rita Hauser, Former White House intelligence advisor under George W. Bush

"McCain will continue the wrong-headed foreign policy decisions of Bush, while Obama will take us in a new direction."

Larry Hunter, Former President Reagan Policy Advisor

"I suspect Obama is more free-market friendly than he lets on. He taught at the University of Chicago, a hotbed of right-of-center thought. His economic advisers, notably Austan Goolsbee, recognize that ordinary citizens stand to gain more from open markets than from government meddling."

Scott McClellan, Former Press Secretary to President George W. Bush

"From the beginning I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done and I will be voting for Barack Obama and clapping."

Bill Ruckelshaus, served in the Nixon and Reagan administrations

"I'm not against McCain, I'm for Obama."

Ken Adelman, served in the Ford administration

"The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate. That decision showed appalling lack of judgment... that selection contradicted McCain's main two, and best two, themes for his campaign-- Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick."

Lilibet Hagel, Wife of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel

"This election is not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most important, it is not about distracting the public-- you and me-- with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."

Republican Columnists and Academics Switching to Obama:

Jeffrey Hart, National Review Senior Editor

"It turns out that these political parties are not always either liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican. The Democrat, under certain conditions, can be the conservative."

Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University

"For conservatives, Obama represents a sliver of hope. McCain represents none at all. The choice turns out to be an easy one."

David Friedman, Economist and son of Milton and Rose Friedman

"I hope Obama wins. President Bush has clearly been a disaster from the standpoint of libertarians and conservatives because he has presided over an astonishing rise in government spending."

Christopher Buckley, Son of National Review founder William F. Buckley & former NR columnist

"Obama has in him-- I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy 'We are the people we have been waiting for' silly rehtoric-- the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for."

Andrew Sullivan, Columnist for the Atlantic Monthly

"Obama's legislative record, speeches, and the way he has run his campaign reveal, I think, a very even temperament, a very sound judgment, and an intelligent pragmatism. Prudence is a word that is not inappropriate to him."

Wick Alison, Former publisher of the National Review

"I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history."

Michael Smerconish, Columnist for the Philadelphia Enquirer

"...an Obama presidency holds the greatest chance for unifying us here at home and restoring our prestige around the globe."

CC Goldwater, Granddaughter of Barry Goldwater

"Nothing about the Republican tickets offers the hope America needs to regain its standing in the world, that's why we're going to support Barack Obama."

Please comment and about other Republicans for Obama. I will post a commenter's list of the current McCain-Pain circus lies shortly... but first these healing thoughts that can change your life.
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LOVE HEALS because it’s so powerful. It’s so big, it’s ever present. It has no hint of confusion, fear, or hate. It just wipes those out. Ignorance, fear, and sin—those are the foundations of illness. And what Love does—it’s the divine eraser that removes each one of those.

Interview with Keith Wommack on Spirituality.com:

This website is the ancient metaphysical truth behind The Secret, Emmet Fox, The Law of Attraction, and Eckhart Tolle's beautiful books. It's all the same truth, the law of life. It is as simple as turning your heart to love no matter what the external appearance is. And no matter who the "enemy" is.

Caller: “If Divine Love is here for us 24/7, when and how does hatred and fear come about?”

Keith: Good question. You know, hatred and fear come about when we are accepting that love is absent. Darkness is the absence of light. We pour in light and the darkness flees. So the more that we acknowledge and cherish that God is that ever-present 24/7 Love, that we express that Love dynamically and effortlessly 24/7, then we’re going to see an abatement of fear and hate.

This reminds me of when I was performing in the band, and one night after a performance, I walked out the backstage door of an auditorium, headed to a parking area. And I found myself right in the middle of a race riot. The back door of the auditorium slammed shut. And I was immediately surrounded by a group of young men, and their anger just turned on me. Everything happened fast, but what came to my thought was the idea, “Love has no opposite sides.” It just came whooshing into my thought. And surprisingly, I felt spiritual peace.

I was then poked in the back, and when I turned around, a large man hit me in the face with his fist as hard as he could, but it only felt as if I had been tapped with a balloon. My head didn’t move at all. The man who hit me looked me in the eye, looked at the others, and then he walked away, and every one of them followed after him. If I had tried to fight back, the situation would have turned out quite differently. I’d probably be a little grease spot on the asphalt. But my nonreaction was an act of love. “Love has no opposite sides,” the anger and danger just disappeared. All that remained was love.

These are six simple things that can help fill an empty heart

1. Stop being critical. Criticism closes our eyes to the good that has always been present. Critical states of thought lead to critical mistakes, as well causing critical states of the body. So let’s stop being critical.

2. Stop keeping score. It’s not how someone else is acting, but how much of God’s love you are expressing that will satisfy you. That’s two, stop keeping score.

3. Stop trying to prove you are right. Instead of telling others you are right and they are wrong, live what is right and you will begin to sparkle. Let’s stop trying to prove you’re right.

4. Be honest. Honesty allows you to be at peace, even in the middle of turmoil. It keeps you strong, and it keeps a relationship strong. "Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness, which forfeits divine help.” That’s number four—be honest.

5. Start forgiving. Forgiveness means starting over with love. Forgiveness is learning to see others as God made them. That’s important. Number five, start forgiving.

6. Be grateful. Pain and gratitude are incompatible. Be grateful for everything good in your relationships and your home and in your life. Gratitude completes the circuit in every healing.

That’s six things. One, stop being critical. Two, stop keeping score. Three, stop trying to prove you’re right. Four, be honest. Five, start forgiving. Six, be grateful.

And then the characteristic traits that are bad—what we call personality traits that are kind of harmful—will begin to fall away because we’re not holding on to them. They’re not a part of God’s being, therefore, they cannot be a part of ours. We can refuse to live our life with them any longer.

PAIN IS INEVITABLE, SEX OPTIONAL

Tomorrow night comic headliner Stephanie Hodge ("Unhappily Ever After, Nurses), Destiny (The Tonight Show, VH-1, MTV plus my Riviera, Pechanga and Sahara co-star) — and I present our 3-woman comedy show, "Pain is Inevitable, Sex Optional" at the Whitefire Theatre on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. It's a work in progress. We discuss men, sex, love, sex, death, sex, God, sex and politics... Our MC is the funny, brilliant Nestor Rodriguez... and we'll have other standup comics warming up the crowd.

/SEX%20OPTIONAL%20SHOW.doc
Our host, the hilarious Nestor Rodriguez:
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Pain is Inevitable as thousands are finding out each week as indicators of a worsening crisis in the US are mounting daily as the economic downturn takes an ever greater toll on jobs. More layoffs were announced this week in the US and new data was also released showing a rising numbers of American families losing their homes through foreclosure.

There are fears that the US economy was ready to go into a depression. It has been said that the banking system manufactures recessions to give investors a chance to pick up bargain stocks or entire businesses. One has to wonder if there is reality in those sentiments.

Reuters reports that several US corporations which have made major layoff announcements in the past few which include:

• Chrysler, which announced an additional 1,825 layoffs on Thursday

• Goldman Sachs, which said it will cut 10 percent of its staff, or almost 3,300 jobs

• Pharmaceutical giant Merck, which announced it is shedding 12 percent of its workforce

• Biotechnology company Maxygen, which said it will cut nearly 30 percent of its workforce

• Money manager Janus Capital Group, which is sacking 9 percent of its workforce

• Xerox, which said yesterday it will cut 5 percent of its staff, or 3,000 positions

• Mining equipment maker Terex Corporation, which is laying off hundreds of its workers

• United Parcel Service, which announced plans to cut an unspecified number of jobs next year

• Fidelity National Financial Inc., which announced it will slash 1,000 jobs and cut pay by 10 percent

• Financial services conglomerate Popular Inc., which is cutting 600 jobs and closing more than a quarter of its branches in the US.

The US Labor Department reported that new applications for unemployment insurance increased by 15,000 to 478,000 in the week ending October 18, significantly more than was anticipated by economists. A year ago, new jobless claims stood at 333,000.

Unemployment rises in a recession. At the end of a longer recession, companies have the luxury of hiring from a larger labor pool at lower wages. Some companies citing hard times reduce benefits, cut vacation and other benefits of their workforce.

Workers in the auto industry continue to bear much of the growing assault on jobs and conditions. Chrysler announced 1,825 layoffs through the elimination of a shift at an assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio and said it would bring forward the closure date of a plant in Newark, Delaware that had been scheduled to close in 2009.

JP Morgan told Reuters they expect the General Motors to lose more than $12 billion next year. Like Chrysler, GM is slashing costs ahead of a potential merger between the two companies.

GM announced Wednesday it was considering selling AC Delco, its international parts subsidiary, a measure which will inevitably lead to further job losses. The company also said it will suspend many salaried employee benefits, including matching contributions for workers' 401(k) retirement plans.

A survey released by listing service RealtyTrac found that foreclosure filings, default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions—were reported on 765,000properties in the three months ending in September, up 71 percent from the third quarter in 2007. Six states—Nevada, California, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Arizona—accounted for more than 60 percent of all foreclosure activity. Nevada recorded the highest foreclosure rate, with one out of every 82 housing properties issued a foreclosure filing.

The RealtyTrac report concluded that the third quarter figures underestimate the situation. Many states have passed new laws requiring lenders to issue extended notices before filing default notices. These laws artificially suppressed September's foreclosure figures by temporarily postponing the full impact. Rising unemployment will further accelerate the catastrophe.

Rod Dubitsky, managing director for asset-backed securities at Credit Suisse, told BusinessWeek he expects that more than 5 million American families will lose their homes through the year 2012. He said 1.69 million families will lose their homes in 2008.

As election day draws near the hopes of millions of struggling Americans rest on whether or not Barack Obama is elected. In Obama we see a light at the end of an ever-growing darkened tunnel.

In the ever growing world of layoffs and foreclosures we all feel that "Pain Is Inevitable, Sex Optional and the election of Barack Obama is a must.

GOOD NEWS: FARMERS HELPING VETERANS

I just want to share this photo of our sweet "uncle Lou" and me at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in August. Lou Tabat was the Constable of Las Vegas and boxing judge of the famed Muhammed Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard fights. Lou recently survived a heart attack in the middle of life-threatening lymphatic cancer surgery. Neither the doctors nor his wife Annie thought he would survive, even though many were praying for him. I focused on seeing him healed perfectly, the way Divine Mind, Truth and Love would see him —  with perfect breathing, perfect lungs, a perfect heart. I focused only on the spiritual qualities that reflect God, or omnipotent good. This is the metaphysical way I have learned to pray. And the next day his breathing came back, his lungs were strong and he came back full force. Everyone was astounded at the miracle. God Bless you Aunt Annie and Uncle Lou -- two of Earth's angels!!
_____________

FOCUS ON THE GOOD

Despite appearances, there is so much good going on in the world. This is the perfect time for all of us to get together and get rid of old ways of thinking, competing, reacting, building, creating energy and farming.

Shepherd Bliss - “Feeding people can be as patriotic as protecting people.”



The Farmer-Veteran Coalition http://www.farmvetco.org/ seeks to help our returning veterans find employment, training, and places to heal on America’s farms. At the same time the Coalition hopes that some of these young men and women may help address our country’s critical need for more good, hard-working people entering the field of agriculture.

The coalition is acutely aware of the high number of soldiers entering the military from our rural communities and the need to improve both job opportunities and veteran services in these areas. We believe that our family farms, the sustainable farming movement and growing support for local and regional agriculture could all be well served by people already accustomed to hard work, discipline and dedication. If given the opportunity, our returning veterans can benefit from and help to stimulate the growing green economy, even in these hard times.

Our goal is to start with an initial program focused in California, and move quickly into a national organization.

The organization will hold strictly to being politically neutral and take no position on the war.

Shepherd was the first speaker at the benefit dinner in Sebastopol. Drawing from his experience as a military veteran, small farmer, poet and psychologist, he talked about the “broken systems” of our country’s veterans affairs and farming industry. Having been working with veterans for many years, he understands the healing potential that comes with working with living plants in the fields. He knows the power that farming holds in the transition from warfare to civilian life.

Posted on on September 24th, 2008 in Land, Support, Transition, veterans

Nadia McCaffrey - “Let’s do this!”

Nadia McCaffrey is a Gold Star Mother: she lost her son in the Iraq War and is doing something about it. She founded Veterans Village to provide compassionate healing and living environments for returning veterans damaged by their war experience.

In these clips from her address - following her introduction by FVC’s Michael O’Gorman - she describes the expansion of Veterans Village to sites in Minnesota and New York, where land is avaiable for farming and gardening - important components for both the healing and livelihood of the communities.

Nadia sees a clear connection between Veterans Village and the agricultural training goals of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. We hope to soon be helping vets become the competent farmers and gardeners that they can be.

SOME THOUGHTS ON FAITH

All this talk about the Rapture is very strange to me. I believe that when humans can love each other unconditionally — love their enemies and their neighbors as themselves — then the “Rapture” will happen. It will not be a big Broadway show; it will be a change in consciousness. This is the Second Coming. It will occur in the hearts of men. - Lydia

A man arrives at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks, "Religion?" The man says, "Buddhist" St. Peter looks down his list, and says, "Go to room 24, but be very quiet as you pass room 8."

Another man arrives at the gates of heaven. "Religion? “Muslim.” Go to room 18, but be very quiet as you pass room 8."A third man arrives at the gates. "Religion?" "Jewish." "Go to room 11, but be very quiet as you pass room 8."

The man says, "I can understand there being different rooms for different religions, but why must I be quiet when I pass room 8?"

St. Peter tells him, "Well only Christians are in room 8, and they think they're the only ones here."

I am writing an article for The Nation about modern-day fundamentalists. I do not believe in an anthropomorphic God or devil, or in heaven as a "place" but I do believe in the law of love, the Christ Truth - which is to love our enemy and our neighbor as ourself. Our enemies can be our worst thoughts about our fellow man, and ourselves. We must realize that our thoughts create our reality. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Late in life when Gandhi was asked if he was a Hindu, he replied, “Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew.”

I hate to break the news to certain Christians who are waiting for the Rapture, but Jews, gays, Muslims, abortion doctors, and even liberals, are just as welcome in heaven as you are. God will welcome all his children, regardless of whether or not they have accepted Jesus as their savior.

A mensch like George Burns is not burning in hell on a technicality just because he’s Jewish, or just because some fundamentalist Christians say so. And can you imagine Billy Crystal, one of the nicest humans on the planet, burning in hell? Or Larry David, creator of the funniest TV series in history — going down in flames with all his Seinfeld episodes? I just thought of a line from Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry David asks his father-in-law “Do Catholics say grace for snacks?” His father-in-law answers, “It doesn’t apply to snacks.”

I highly doubt any of these gifted funny-men are going to hell just because they weren’t raised as Christians. The Jewish people often have a better understanding of God’s will for us than the modern-day evangelicals. They believe we should make this life count by doing good deeds.

For all of those who use the LaHaye-Jenkins "Left Behind" books as their bible — the only people who are going to be “left behind” are the ones who think others will be left behind! I don’t say that to be cruel, but here’s how it works: since God is Love, and the kingdom of heaven is within you, then it’s obvious, isn’t it, that those who don’t have love in their hearts will not be “entering heaven?”

Since God is love, the people whom these militant “Christians” ostracize and judge so harshly — in other words, the pacifists, the anti-war activists, poor, the meek, the outcasts (meaning gays and liberals) and anyone who loves his enemy — will all be in heaven before the exclusionists will be. To attain heaven means filling our hearts with so much love, love is all we see.

This, by the way, is what the new bestselling book The Secret is all about. But it’s nothing new; it’s ancient metaphysics. It’s how Christ healed. He saw man through God’s eyes: as a perfect reflection of God. He saw no sickness, sin or death. Even Shakespeare knew this secret when he said, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Our thoughts create our reality. God is Love and the Kingdom is within us.

There are seventy million Evangelical Christians in America right now, and many believe in the Left Behind revenge fantasy books, which hope to hurry up the end of the world in a blood bath of catastrophic proportions. These books promote the theory that good Christians will be raptured or “caught up” with Christ in heaven, leaving their eyeglasses and everyone else behind — everyone who didn't technically declare Jesus Christ as their savior. I guess that includes the unborn! This theory, believe it or not, might actually be determining America's current foreign policy in the Middle East. The Evangelical market is so big now corporate America doesn't dare ignore it. But I believe this brand of evangelism is not only severley misguided, but dangerous and sophomoric.

There is a panicky website for Dominionist Christians called RaptureReady.com. I read a comment there from a woman who her hair and nails done for the Rapture, because she had no idea when she would be ‘caught up’ to heaven and had to be ready at a moment’s notice for Christ, her bridegroom. Another woman said she had stopped giving to charity, and instead was investing all her money in the Rapture Ready website to warn others of the end of the world.

All this talk about the Rapture is very strange to me. I believe that when humans can love each other unconditionally — love their enemies and their neighbors as themselves — then the “Rapture” will happen. We will then see heaven as we “become one” with God, or love. It will not be a big Broadway show; it will be a change in consciousness. This is the Second Coming. It will occur in the hearts of men.

As the Native Americans reminded us: "No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves."


I have to praise Richard Belzer for his fantastic new book "I AM NOT A COP." Belzer is scheduled to be on our radio show sometime next week. I hosted the World Travel Awards in 2005 with Belzer, Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) in 2005, Greg Proops, Davy Jones (The Monkees!) and Martha & the Vandellas.

Also ran into Larry Charles, the brilliant comic director of Borat, Bill Maher's "Religulous," Seinfeld, Cheers, Curb, etc.. Larry Charles is one of the greatest comic minds of our time, and we hope to have him on our show soon with Bill Maher.


Quick note: Respected writer, friend and Progressive Democrat Linda Milazzo wrote a brilliant piece, " What I Learned at the Sarah Palin Rally Before They Threw Me Out!" I will publish the entire article later this week, but here is an excerpt:

By unleashing Sarah Palin, John McCain has reinvigorated the anti-choice/anti-woman/anti-reproductive rights fanatics, who not long ago were at the forefront of domestic terror. Interesting that Palin insinuates Obama when referring to: "terrorists who would target their own country"when it's those who share her ideology who have committed heinous domestic crimes. Let us not forget the health-care workers who were murdered by anti-choice radicals who share Palin's no exceptions for abortion beliefs. Let us not forget the women and family clinics that were bombed. Let us not forget Eric Rudolph - the anti-abortion terrorist who killed two people and injured 100 others during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The same Eric Rudolph who bombed abortion clinics that killed even more people. The same Eric Rudolph who sadistically attacked a gay bar. Let us not forget that the Sarah Palin wing of anti-choice fanaticism victimized America for years, committing crime after heinous crime. What John McCain has unleashed on America with his choice of Sarah Palin is an outright invitation to these cults to wreak havoc all over again.On Saturday I got a taste of this anti-choice fanaticism as Palin's zealots shouted "baby killers" at the pro-Obama activists outside.

So, Where's That ACORN 'Voter Fraud'?! It Doesn't Exist, But That Fact Won't Keep the Wingnuts From Claiming Otherwise...
-- Brad Friedman

So far, nobody's been able to offer us a single instance of voter fraud as committed by ACORN, or even by any of the 1.3 million registered by them over the past two years. You sure wouldn't know it if you listened to the crazed rightwingers...

** McCain Was ACORN Keynote Speaker in '06: (Video) Tells crowd they are "what makes America special"

* Brad at UK's Guardian: 'The Republican Voter Fraud Hoax'
* 1.3 Million Reasons for the GOP 'Dixie-Chicking' of ACORN
* IRONY ALERT: FL's 'Vote-Rigging' Feeney Alleges 'Voter Fraud'
*E-Vote Company Added 1000s of Extra Votes in D.C.
* November Surprise: 1000s Illegally Purged From Voter Rolls
__________________________

So Where's the ACORN 'Voter Fraud'?
It Doesn't Exist, But That Fact Won't Keep the Wingnuts From Claiming Otherwise...
-- Brad Friedman

So where's the "voter fraud"?

Fox "News" and its Rupert Murdoch-owned print brethren, the New York Post, continue to bang the GOP's phony ACORN "voter fraud" drum, but as far as I can tell, they've failed to come up with a single incident of any actual voter fraud committed by the dastardly "left-wing extremists."

Yes, Ann Coulter has committed felony voter fraud, but neither of the Murdoch outfits has yet to note that point, even while they go wall-to-wall with misleading reports claiming that ACORN is committing massive "voter fraud" on behalf of the Democrats.

So, as it's now been revealed that John McCain himself was a keynote speaker at a 2006 ACORN rally (on immigration reform) in Florida, where he declared to the ACORN volunteers in the room that they are "What makes America special," and as I've been going back and forth with commenters on my "Republican Voter Fraud Hoax" piece at the UK's Guardian (which today has shot up to one of their most read items), still, nobody seems to be able to show me an instance of any actual voter fraud committed by ACORN, or even anybody who registered via ACORN, for that matter.

Those who wish to believe in the hoax, however, attempt to link to article after article about allegations of voter fraud carried out by ACORN. And yet, the articles themselves --- if one bothers to actually read them --- reveal that either 1) They describe allegations and investigations brought by Republican agents, with little or no evidence of any wrong doing, and certainly no "voter fraud," 2) Where voter registration fraud has occurred it has been by rogue ACORN employees, originally reported to authorities by ACORN themselves (who are the actual victims of any such fraud by their employees), or 3) Smoke and mirrors are used to cloud the fact that not a single fraudulent vote has actually been cast by anyone.

Let's take a look at just two recent, oft-linked, oft-quoted New York Post articles from today and last week to give you an idea of how the scam works, and how the rightwing suckers fall for it. Every time...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... BradBlog.com

_________________________________

The What ‘IF's’ on Obama & McCain

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, following the debate, including a three month-old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his college graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was divorced?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to publicly display a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected a reality, if the tables were turned, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative characteristics in another when there is a color difference.

And, think of this: the candidates' educational backgrounds:

Barack Obama:

Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization innternational Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:

University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

John McCain:

United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world.
________________________

"At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.'" - Mother Teresa

For SPIRITUAL SOLUTIONS to the world crises, along with some amazing prayer miracles in the next few weeks, please check out my other blog THE PEACEMAKERS* LIGHT OF TRUTH

HOW TO GET RICH

"At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.'" - Mother Teresa



As the Native Americans reminded us: "No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves."

To all the people who show up at McCain-Pain rallies and chant bigotry and send virulent anti-Obama emails here is what I have to say to you:The saddest, strangest thing I've ever seen is this pretend "Conservative political agenda" put forth by right-wing hatred. It is the furthest thing from American or Christian. One day you'll know this. While your heroes like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly get $25 million a year in salary to spew right-wing hatred, you don't even stop to ask why. Why are they so angry at liberals? Why are they siding with a Republican agenda? Could it have something to do with being against corporate tax cuts and on the side of big business? Could it have something to do with their salaries? They are being paid very highly for lying. Follow the money. Use your brain and think independently.

You are not an American, nor are you a "Christian" if you believe Muslims are less than human, if you believe it's okay to bomb innocent people in the name of patriotism or if you think Christ would ever condone war, guns, greed or NOT helping the poor. We are all one race: Human. Fundamentalism itself is the anti-Christ but they've tricked you into believing differently.

Several Republicans agree that McCain and Palin have gone too far and have become the face of hatred. John McCain voted against giving WOMEN EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK! John McCain voted against health care for low-income children 5 years in a row. Most republicans voted for the bipartisan health care program but McCain, who takes more medicare and veterans benefits than any GI, doesn't believe in helping the poor.

Even Republican Frank Schaeffer says McCain and Palin are out of line:

"We will hold you responsible.

"If your campaign does not stop equating Sen. Barack Obama with terrorism, questioning his patriotism and portraying Mr. Obama as "not one of us," I accuse you of deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence.

"Sarah Palin is a hatemonger. Your rallies are beginning to look, sound, feel and smell like lynch mobs."

John McCain, you're walking a perilous line. If you do not stand up for all that is good in America and declare that Senator Obama is a patriot, fit for office, and denounce your hate-filled supporters when they scream out "Terrorist" or "Kill him," history will hold you responsible for all that follows.

John McCain and Sarah Palin, you are playing with fire, and you know it. You are unleashing the monster of American hatred and prejudice, to the peril of all of us. You are doing this in wartime. You are doing this as our economy collapses. You are doing this in a country with a history of assassinations.

Change the atmosphere of your campaign. Talk about the issues at hand. Make your case. But stop stirring up the lunatic fringe of haters, or risk suffering the judgment of history and the loathing of the American people - forever.

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


Today I went down to the new Obama headquarters and bought more merchandise. Put OBAMA-BIDEN 08 lawn signs up and my OBAMA magnet on the car. I was wearing an Obama button in the grocery store but the cashier begged me to give it to her, so I did.

You can reach my Home page at: LYDIA CORNELL

And for SPIRITUAL SOLUTIONS to the world crises, along with some amazing prayer miracles in the next few weeks, please check out my other blog THE PEACEMAKERS* LIGHT OF TRUTH

CNN's PAUL BEGALA and SENATOR TOM DASCHLE on OUR SHOW

On Thursday October 9, 2008, Former President Clinton Advisor Paul Begala will be the guest on the Basham and Cornell Radio Show at 8 am Pacific Time on AM 1230 KLAV in Las Vegas and simulcast worldwide on the web.

Paul is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN's The Situation Room as well as other programs on CNN networks.

Begala was formerly co-host of Crossfire, CNN's political debate program. Begala first entered the national political scene after the consulting firm he and fellow Democratic strategist James Carville started, Carville & Begala, helped President Bill Clinton get elected in 1992. Serving in the Clinton administration as counselor to the president, he was a close adviser to Clinton and helped define and defend the administration's agenda, serving as a principal public spokesman.

He is currently an affiliated professor of public policy at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. Begala is not a paid political consultant for any politicians or candidates for office.

Upcoming and recent guests: Tom Daschle, Hooman Majd, Ahmedinijad's translator. If you live in Vegas you can tune in Live or go to our website and listen in the audio archives.

The Basham and Cornell Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 8 am Pacific (11 a.m. Eastern) on KLAV 1230 AM Radio live in Las Vegas. Again, all shows are simulcast worldwide on the Internet (and archived) and can be listened to at Basham and Cornell Radio

If you've missed our show, check out the audio archives for MP3 podcasts. We have interviewed Former Reagan Advisor Past Buchanan, CNN Crossfire's Bill Press, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, John & Elizabeth Edwards, Dennis & Elizabeth Kucinich, John Dean, NBC Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv Martin Fletcher, Pulitzer Prize winner Charlie Savage, Congressman Charlie Rangel,Valerie Plame, Vincent Bugliosi, Christine Pelosi, Dahr Jamail, Senator Mike Gravel; Senator Byron Dorgan; bestselling authors Greg Palast, Paul Krugman, Greg Anrig.

__________________________
OBAMA SMACKS DOWN McCAIN & PALIN'S LIES



McCain and Palin's Long List of Lies Pinocchio Politics.org

BUT PALIN IS THE MOST CORRUPT, UNETHICAL CANDIDATE for her lies about Obama. But the worst thing is McCain snickering, smiling while a man in the audience yells, "Kill him!" after Palin spews her inflamatory lies about Obama hanging out with William Ayers. What a lie. Obama was 8 years old when Ayers was a college kid with the Weather Underground. Ayers not only apologized and asked forgiveness for his college associations, but he was never convicted and has been pardoned by President Clinton. Further, Obama attended one coffee conference that Ayers attended in his State Senate career. And by the way, Ayers is a distinguished university professor.

PALIN AND McCAIN'S LONG LIST OF LIES:

Obama “pals around with terrorists.”
ACTUALLY: Obama was 8 when radical Bill Ayers planted bombs to protest Vietnam. Now a professor, he & Obama volunteer for the same charity. (CNN FactChecker)

McCain 'suspended' his campaign.
ACTUALLY: During his campaign 'suspension', McCain aired attack ads, raised $, and kept all his campaign offices open. (CNN FactChecker)

Obama will raise your taxes.
ACTUALLY: Obama's tax plan lowers taxes for 95% of middle class families. (factcheck.org)

Obama wants to teach sex ed to kindergartners.
ACTUALLY: The bill Obama voted for in the Illinois Legislature helps protect children from sexual predators. (factcheck.org)

Obama called Sarah Palin “a pig.”
ACTUALLY: It was McCain’s attempt to repackage himself as a candidate of change, that Obama was chiding when he said, “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig" (factcheck.org)
Obama opposes all free trade.

ACTUALLY: Obama supports free-trade agreements that include significant protections for workers and the environment. (liecount.com)

McCain “never asked for a single earmark.”
ACTUALLY: McCain hauled in pork for Arizona -- most recently a $10 million academic center to honor the Justice Rehnquist. (politifact.com)

Obama will increase spending by $1 trillion.
ACTUALLY: Obama’s proposed $990 billion in new spending will be near exactly offset by his $989 billion in spending cuts. (Washington Post)

Obama will “hand the health care system over to the federal government.”
ACTUALLY: Obama's plan expands federal coverage, but will allow people to keep their current plans or choose from private ones. (factcheck.org)

Obama thinks Iran “doesn’t pose a serious threat.”
ACTUALLY: Obama said Iran doesn’t pose a serious threat *in comparison to the Soviet Union.* (factcheck.org)

Obama wants to bomb Pakistan.
ACTUALLY: Obama sees Pakistan as key ally, but is willing to strike Al Queda leadership even if within Pakistan’s borders. (New Republic)

Obama voted against funding the troops.
ACTUALLY: Obama voted to fund the troops 10 times. Both McCain & Obama have voted against funding when attached to larger bills they opposed. (factcheck.org)

Obama voted for higher taxes 94 times.
ACTUALLY: Obama has voted consistently to reduce taxes for the middle class, while supporting tax increases ONLY on the very wealthy. (factcheck.org)

Palin “vetoed millions of earmarks.”
ACTUALLY: Governors can’t veto earmarks; this year alone, Palin pushed for $197 million in earmarks. (MSNBC, Wash. Post, TPM)

McCain tried to reform Fannie Mae
ACTUALLY: McCain only supported *a report* on Fannie/Freddie corruption. Meanwhile, his staff lobbied for deregulation of both. (New York Times and DKos)

Offshore drilling will reduce the cost of gas.
ACTUALLY: Offshore drilling will not reduce the price of gas until 2030, and then only by a few cents. (politifact.com and doe.gov)

US companies pay world’s 2nd highest corporate taxes.
ACTUALLY: Over 160 countries have higher corporate taxes. (liecount.com)
Obama will tax electricity.
ACTUALLY: Obama supports taxing dirty fuel like coal to pay for clean energy like wind and solar. (factcheck.org)

McCain invented the BlackBerry.
ACTUALLY: The BlackBerry was developed by Research In Motion, a Canadian company. (wired.com)

McCain says "I have always told 100% absolute truth."
ACTUALLY: um, no. See above lies. (politico.com)

Obama supports “infanticide.”
ACTUALLY: Obama will protect any baby “born alive,” even if from an induced abortion – but not bills that use this as a cover to undermine Roe v Wade. (factcheck.org)

Obama thinks troops in Afghanistan are “just” killing civilians.
ACTUALLY: Obama called for more troops on the ground exactly so “we're *not* just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.” (Huffington Post, Washington Post)
Obama snubbed wounded troops.
ACTUALLY: Obama has visited wounded troops many times. He cancelled one visit in Germany so it wouldn’t be misconstrued as political. (factcheck.org)
Biden supported McCain on Iraq until this election.
ACTUALLY: Biden & McCain agreed in 2004 on the need for more troops, but from then on, Biden has strongly differed with McCain on Iraq. (TPM)

---
"Thanks, but no thanks" (repeated 36++ times)
ACTUALLY : Palin supported the Bridge, then opposed it, and kept the money for a bridge that won't be built. politifact.com

McCain refuses special interest money
ACTUALLY : McCain takes millions from big oil and foreign military contractors – and his campaign is run by lobbyists - mccainslobbyists.com

Sarah Palin commands the Alaskan National Guard
ACTUALLY : Sarah Palin has next to no authority to command the National Guard - vetvoice.com

Obama agrees that the economy is fundamentally strong
ACTUALLY : Obama disagrees with McCain's foolish claim. - CNN PoliticalTicker

Alaska Produces 20% of US Energy
ACTUALLY : Alaska produces just 3.5%. Neither fact means Palin is qualified. - factcheck.org

McCain's Campaign has no Connections to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
ACTUALLY : John McCain flat lied – his lead campaign adviser Rick Davis took checks from Freddie Mac until August 2008. -
NY Times

Palin Rejected $500 million Earmarks
ACTUALLY : Palin pushed for federal earmarks as both Mayor and Governor. - MSNBC and The Washington Post and TPM
Obama is 'mum' on the economic crisis
ACTUALLY : Obama has offered a variety of proposals, but held off on a full bill because he didn't want to play politics with the economic crisis. - factcheck.org

Palin sold the Govnr's jet on EBay
ACTUALLY : In a political stunt, Palin put the jet on eBay for much less than its worth – and it didn't sell. -
The Washington Post

Obama gave big oil millions in subsidies
ACTUALLY : This claim has no basis – Obama subsidized alternative energies and taxed oil companies. - factcheck.org

Palin took on big oil
ACTUALLY : Palin only disagreed on where to place one pipeline, otherwise she supports ANWR drilling and other disastrous policies. - factcheck.org

Obama Killed Immigration reform
ACTUALLY : Obama voted for bipartisan immigration reform bills, while McCain decided he would vote against his own immigration bill- hardly a step forward for reform. -
The Washington Post

Palin visited troops in Iraq
ACTUALLY : Palin grandstanded on a US base in Kuwait, but never quite made it over to Iraq. - The Boston Globe
Obama wants to increase government size by 23%
ACTUALLY : McCain invented this figure from faulty assumptions and misstatements. - politifact.com

Obama opposes the electric car
ACTUALLY : Obama backs clean energy, he said 'no' to McCain's ineffective free-market solutions to the energy crisis. - politifact.com

Obama is advised by the former CEO of Freddie Mac
ACTUALLY : Obama only spoke with the Freddie head once, on the phone. John McCain's campaign adviser was taking checks from Freddie until August '08. - liecount.com

Obama wants to bomb Pakistan
ACTUALLY : Obama merely supported taking action against Osama bin Laden when the US knows where he is, using special forces troops. - The New Republic

McCain supports a 'bipartisanship' in the bailout
ACTUALLY : McCain has openly blamed Democrats for the economic collapse, and Obama for the bailout bill's failure in Congress. - Talking Points Memo

Obama asked for a million $ a day in pork
ACTUALLY : Fuzzy math. - liecount.com

"23,000 People at our rallies"
ACTUALLY : No one knows where this number came from. It appears to be a fabrication. - Bloomberg

FactCheck.org Agrees with Us
ACTUALLY : FactCheck.org disagrees, particularly about this lie. - factcheck.org

Palin Fired Trooper for Performance Reasons
ACTUALLY : Palin's story keeps changing, lying about her previous lies. - ABC News

Obama is part of the corrupt Chicago establishment
ACTUALLY : McCain's assertions make mountains out of molehills. - factcheck.org

SUFFERING OPTIONAL

"Pain is inevitable, suffering optional" - Unknown

Right now, America is fighting for its collective soul. We are struggling to come out of a form of mesmerism. We've been deluded, conned, and lied to long enough. We are in a transition time of wrestling with our dark side. Who will win? It could go either way. We could have a rebirth of love and beauty, like the Birth of Venus.

In this beautiful open country of great minds and ingenuity — we are overflowing with an abundance of resources, raw materials, goods, services, ideas and creativity. There is so much good on the horizon, I have no interest in wallowing in fear. And if our nation is stupid enough to vote in two corrupt, dishonest charlatans like Sarah Palin and John McCain, then we have a lot more pain to go through before we reach the new enlightenment. Palin and McCain represent the dark ages: the backward, fearful, superstitious, small-minded, stingy, bigoted, eye-for-an-eye mentality. They are "our shadow side" as Depak Chopra says. Obama and Biden represent the new enlightenment: the progressive, expansive, generous, caring, compassionate, hopeful, transformative and truly Christian mentality. Eventually we'll get there. You can't stop progress.

4.2 Million New Green Jobs Predicted
A major shift to renewable energy and efficiency is expected to produce 4.2 million new environmentally friendly "green" jobs over the next three decades, according to a study commissioned by the nation's mayors. The report makes "a very compelling economic argument for investing in the green economy and that we're going to get a huge return for it." (Associated Press at MSNBC)

Sarah Palin's Almost Creepy Ambition Should Worry McCain
By Frank Rich, The New York Times. Posted October 6, 2008.

Sarah Palin is the only hope for saving a ticket headed by a warrior who is out of juice and out of ideas. It seems she knows this only too well.

Sarah Palin's post-Couric/Fey comeback at last week's vice presidential debate was a turning point in the campaign. But if she "won," as her indulgent partisans and press claque would have it, the loser was not Joe Biden. It was her running mate. With a month to go, the 2008 election is now an Obama-Palin race -- about "the future," as Palin kept saying Thursday night -- and the only person who doesn't seem to know it is Mr. Past, poor old John McCain.

To understand the meaning of Palin's "victory," it must be seen in the context of two ominous developments that directly preceded it. Just hours before the debate began, the McCain campaign pulled out of Michigan. That state is ground zero for the collapsed Main Street economy and for so-called Reagan Democrats, those white working-class voters who keep being told by the right that Barack Obama is a Muslim who hung with bomb-throwing radicals during his childhood in the late 1960s.

McCain surrendered Michigan despite having outspent his opponent on television advertising and despite Obama's twin local handicaps, an unpopular Democratic governor and a felonious, now former, black Democratic Detroit mayor. If McCain can't make it there, can he make it anywhere in the Rust Belt?

Not without an economic message. McCain's most persistent attempt, his self-righteous crusade against earmarks, collapsed with his poll numbers. Next to a $700 billion bailout package, his incessant promise to eliminate all Washington pork -- by comparison, a puny grand total of $16.5 billion in the 2008 federal budget -- doesn't bring home the bacon. Nor can McCain reconcile his I-will-veto-government-waste mantra with his support, however tardy, of the bailout bill. That bill's $150 billion in fresh pork includes a boondoggle inserted by the Congressman Don Young, an Alaskan Republican no less.

The second bit of predebate news, percolating under the radar, involved the still-unanswered questions about McCain's health. Back in May, you will recall, the McCain campaign allowed a select group of 20 reporters to spend a mere three hours examining (but not photocopying) 1,173 pages of the candidate's health records on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Conspicuously uninvited was Lawrence Altman, a doctor who covers medicine for The New York Times. Altman instead canvassed melanoma experts to evaluate the sketchy data that did emerge. They found the information too "unclear" to determine McCain's cancer prognosis.

There was, however, at least one doctor-journalist among those 20 reporters in May, the CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta. At the time, Gupta told Katie Couric on CBS that the medical records were "pretty comprehensive" and wrote on his CNN blog that he was "pretty convinced there was no 'smoking gun' about the senator's health." (Physical health, that is; Gupta wrote there was hardly any information on McCain's mental health.)

That was then. Now McCain is looking increasingly shaky, whether he's repeating his "Miss Congeniality" joke twice in the same debate or speaking from notecards even when reciting a line for (literally) the 17th time ("The fundamentals of our economy are strong") or repeatedly confusing proper nouns that begin with S (Sunni, Shia, Sudan, Somalia, Spain). McCain's "dismaying temperament," as George Will labeled it, only thickens the concerns. His kamikaze mission into Washington during the bailout crisis seemed crazed. His seething, hostile debate countenance -- a replay of Al Gore's sarcastic sighing in 2000 -- didn't make the deferential Obama look weak (as many Democrats feared) but elevated him into looking like the sole presidential grown-up.

Free Yourself From Financial Fear and Frenzy!

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RECORDED PLAYBACK
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Here's hoping you can join us for this special bail-out of your financial woes!

Two experts in the enlightened mind movement help you UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR FEARS COME FROM. We give you a MENU OF ACTIONS to take for creating positive change immediately
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RESCUE-BAILOUT BILL PASSES BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS. Our hang up is that it doesn't contain provisions to put money back in the pockets of the foreclosed-upon homeowners or people who lost money in their 401-Ks. But we are forgetting that it is only an emergency "stop-the-bleeding" measure. We will pass a new bill to take care of the middle class and taxpayers. We will do it as we go along. This is a living, breathing, elastic bill -- and everything is not contained in it. The "pork" will actually help the American small businesses that have been hurting, and this includes plaintiffs who were owed money from the Exxon Valdez spill.

PALIN: I WANT TO EXPAND THE POWERS OF THE VICE PRESIDENCY!

BIDEN-PALIN DEBATE gaffes and quick takes from HuffPo:

First, my take: This is the best debate of Biden's life and when he got choked up, it was the most honest, pure moment. Everyone went through the roof rating him as the highest score possible on that point. Nothing is more compelling than a strong man who is in touch with his feelings. It was natural and makes me trust him. I do not trust men who cannot be touched and vulnerable. I am so sick of loud-mouth posturing and ego-driven people.

The worst thing Palin did was in NOT expressing empathy for Joe Biden when he mentioned the loss of his wife and daughter. Palin's eye-winks and hickish, corny Joe six-pack dialect in which she dropped all her "gs," was condescending, offensive and dumb-sounding. She has lowered the standard for women. She sounded gimmicky and robotic with her memorized her Republican talking points and didn't show any nuanced judgment. She didn't directly answer the questions either!

You can tell who is the real public servant. Not the one who is ambitious for all the wrong reasons. So having 5 children and running Alaska isn't enough? Does she really think she has anything to offer the world by being Vice President?

Biden hit home hard and really slammed McCain. Biden connected with the American people and was dignified and perfect with his facts.

AND FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONED - BIDEN MENTIONED- THAT McCAIN VOTED AGAINST LOW INCOME CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE!! Although he didn't put it in the firm way I put it. If the public heard it said this way, they'd be horrified at McCain.

From HuffPo:

10:35 - Sam Stein: An Obama aide summarizes the night's proceeding as such: Palin did a good job, as expected, but Biden was the star of the evening, hitting the right tones, coming off passionate and informed and not seeming demeaning in the slightest to his combatant.

Moreover, he adds, when you look back at the tape there was little to any substance in Palin's answers.

"She could not articulate one place where her ticket differs from Bush," he writes.

10:25 - Jason Linkins: Interesting Dial Line standard: Focus group approves of Biden defending Obama, but they aren't impressed with Palin talking up McCain. People want to hear Palin be Palin! Not interested in her running a P.R. game for McCain.

10:23 - Sam Stein: Biden gets choked up when talking about the struggles of American families and the trials he himself went through when his wife and young daughter were killed in a car accident.

"The notion that somehow because I am a man I don't know how to raise two kids on my own," he says, "I know what its like to raise a child where you are not sure he's going to make it."

At one point he had to hold back tears, take a breath and compose himself.

On the CNN dials of undecided voters in Ohio, both men and women rate the moment as high as possible.

10:20 - Sam Stein: Not sure if Palin wants to come to Dick Cheney's defense on anything, let alone the carte blanche political powers he has pursued while in office. Asked if she agreed with his interpretation that the VP is part of the legislative branch, she basically says yes.

"I do agree with him that we have a lot of flexibility in there and we will do what we have to do to administer appropriately the plans we have for this nation."

Biden tees off, starting with the blanket statement: "Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous VP we have had in history."

Uncommitted voters in Ohio absolutely love Biden's response.

10:17 - Jason Linkins: Palin seems to think that the Constitution allows the Vice President to "flex" between the Executive and the Legislative Branch! GAFFE.


BIDEN: “Vice-President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice-president we’ve had probably in American history.’’

Hardblogger msnbc Some comments from regular American people:

As a Republican I really worked hard to like Gov. Palin but this debate has convinced me to vote for Obama-Biden. Palin blew the her pseudo-genuine image on national TV by not even acknowedging Biden when he choked up while speaking of the traumatic death of a family member. Little cracks like this will continue to develop.
Rebecca Russell (Sent Friday, October 03, 2008 12:23 AM)

Watched the "debate" with my husband who is a McCain supporter. We agreed to offer no comments while it was on. After about 25 minutes, he muttered, "I can't take it any more," and left. I stayed through it all and all I could think of was, she really IS a post turtle. You drive down a country road and see a turtle on a post; you know it didn't get there by itself; it doesn't belong up there; it doesn't know what to do now that it's there; and you wonder about the guy who put it there.
Jan Lightner, Federal Way, WA (Sent Friday, October 03, 2008 12:23 AM)

I wish I had thought of Sarah Palin's strategy when I was in high school debate class--just cheat--don't answer the questions. If Gwen didn't have any authority to check that sort of gambit, why not just let both participants do a 45 minute stump speech.
Biden won and I'm a registered Republican.
Ann Turner, Oldsmar, FL (Sent Thursday, October 02, 2008 11:53 PM)

I was frightened by Palin's obvious memorization of set answers to questions she was going to answer whether they were asked or not. I was insulted by her "winking" at the camera so much and her "vacant" smile. What in the world would we be saying if Biden had done that. I was stunned by her inability to really hear Biden when he mentioned HIS FAMILY experience. She seems mean to me and actually sneered at a dignified senator. I was mad that she so easily will lie and I was disgusted that she wants to expand Cheney's role as veep. We are in a lot of trouble if this ticket wins.

I think Biden was clear, passionate and gracious to her. She did not deserve his good manners in retrospect. Eleanor Herndon, Greensboro, NC

How did this play out for the average American voter? I found Governor Palin to be condescending, over-prepared and downright obnoxious from start to finish. While I am sure some will go for the wide smile, winks and sarcasm, I just want her and Senator McCain to know that some of us, in fact, many of us Republican and Democrats alike, are looking for answers...real concrete solutions to the situations we are facing. Style over substance won't cut it this time around.

As a Republican and a woman, I deeply offended by the notion that this is the best we have to offer ...at this point, I say this for the whole ticket. McCain's lack of judgment in choosing Palin (clearly for political gain only) shows that he does not care one iota about putting the "country first".
I have been loyal to this party for as long as I can stand. I hung in there with our President despite the direction of the country and our weakening position globally. I am now at a crossroad where I need to decide should I continue to support McCain in his arrogance and apparent lack of integrity OR do I tow the line and cast my vote despite all that's happened since the RNC, the last 2 weeks of gaffes with Mrs. Palin in particular, and now this over-rehearsed dinner theatre performance tonight. And people wonder why there are so many undecideds...
Karen, Charleston, SC (Sent Friday, October 03, 2008 12:05 AM)

Although I am not a fan of Governor Palin, I was starting to feel sorry for her this past week.....BUT tonight got me off that train. It is frightening to think that there is a possibility of her becoming President. I thought she was disrespectful of Joe Biden and of Gwen by stating that she would not answer the questions the way the moderator wanted. She definitely was just reciting what has been pounded in her head in preparation. There is no way some of the words and thoughts that she spoke were her own. I am tired of her "cutesy" ways and the fact that she stated that she would like the VP to have more power really turned me off.
Betty Jo Soldano, Jamestown, NY (Sent Thursday, October 02, 2008 11:34 PM)

Sarah Palin was a frightening presence tonight. She was overbearing, frenetic, and grabbing for a power grab with her chilling remarks about disregarding the moderator and expanding the role of the Vice President. Her contentions about looking back are also frightening because wisdom says that those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
Worried Voter (Sent Thursday, October 02, 2008 11:50 PM)