THE GREATEST GIFT

McCAIN FLUNKS PRESIDENTIAL TEST

What McCain's Rove-designed campaign doesn't understand is that Obama is not a superstar, he is a symbol of America's hunger for hope and change. He is not an ego-driven celebrity, but a selfless public servant. The shameful shock-jocks of right-wing radio — whom I believe are responsible for the shootings of liberals in the Unitarian Church in Tennessee this past week — are full of ego and desperation. They have no interest in the common good or in helping people, only furthering their own corrupt agenda. Obama is attracting crowds because of his principles and his selfless message, not his personality.

OBAMA IN BERLIN!! His speech blew me away. Open thread, please comment.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE... in the words of the Beatles. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival — to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated. When you listen with empathy to another person, you give that person "psychological air." And after that vital need is met, you can then focus on problem solving.

Imagine waking up each day with fresh eyes — without any of the baggage of your lousy opinions and judgements of yesterday. Imagine looking at your spouse, boss, friend or enemy with new eyes each day — expecting the best from them.

'Seek first to understand.' If you really seek to understand (rather than be understood), without hypocrisy or guile, you will be literally stunned with the pure knowledge and understanding that will flow to you from another human being.

Much of the above (except for the "new eyes part") is from the most brilliant business book I've ever read, Stephen R. Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He has transformed bankrupt companies into Fortune 500 Companies based on his spiritual paradigm of "Win-Win", the Golden Rule, empathetic listening, really caring about others and realizing we are all ONE. Go deep within and find your true calling. Be proactive, not reactive. And see every problem through the eyes of the other guy. "Seek first to understand, than to be understood" - The St. Francis Prayer

The open door to helpful answers is communication based on love. Such communication depends on awareness of and respect for each other's well-being and willingness to accept in another what may not measure up to our own standards and expectations."
- The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage

Lately my favorite quote is from Einstein: "No problem can be solved on the same level that it was created on." Suddenly I am seeing this quote everywhere of course. There is an underlying principle in the universe called harmony. It is the invisible structure of all things. Music and mathematics are evidence of one aspect of this principle. Write down the number "3" on a piece of paper. Now burn the paper. Have you destroyed the number "3?" Of course not. You cannot break the laws of truth, goodness, harmony, or right action. One unequivocal truth: you reap what you sow. When you plant seeds of kindness and generosity, you get back the same tenfold. When you go against the basic laws of treating others with dignity, kindness and honesty — you create havoc. The sub-prime mortgage business goes against these basic laws. In every major religion, usury (charging interest for borrowed money) is a sin.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

"I will keep an open mind toward each person I encounter today. If I am ready to learn, anyone can be my teacher."


My stepson is at scuba camp on a sailboat in St. Bart's - a gift from his grandad and several friends who love him. This is the perfect sport for him as he has to have surgery on his leg in September. God Bless him.. and God Bless my other son Jack for all this trials and tribulations with his friends. You'll get through this Jack and be a better person for it. My heart goes out to you.

We will be going down to St. Bart's to pick Kevin up and be back in a week. Keep your spirits up — our world is on the verge of an amazing transformation!
Love,
Lydia

BELIZE, Yucatan
Last summer we went to Belize. Here are a few photos of our amazing trip. By the way, you can get great deals on travel. We always have frequent flyer miles which result in free airline tickets and hotels. You just have to know how to find these gems. That's Kevin at the top of a Mayan temple. Look how tiny his dad is down below. That's me looking like a dork wearing a hard hat in the jungle getting ready to zip-line. There's my father-in-law zipping through the trees like Tarzan with his drop leg. We had lunch at a bar in the middle of the jungle that was surreal — straight out of The African Queen or some other Humphrey Bogart movie. See the skeleton having a Martini? He's been there since the early cannibals got him. Always the optimist, his motto is: "So the barn burned down — now I can see the moon." There's a photo of the kids cave-tubing with bats above their heads. The water was so crystal clean and pure it was unbelievable.


AN IMPORTANT NOTE AND NEW MISSION

I am so sick of politics, this should be refreshing. All of us need to stop reacting to all the bad news and insanity - and instead see how we can alter our own Circle of Influence in profound ways. If each of us were to go out in the world and help one of our fellow human beings -- spread happiness to one other person, lighten someone's load -- and really give from out hearts - we'd see a better world immediately.

There are so many depressed lonely people, shut-ins, homeless children, abused children, rape camps, hungry people -- there is really only one way to solve all the worlds' problems.

And the way is? To raise your own consciousness. To help whomever you can. To do all you can in the time you have in the place that you are... in the words of Nicosi Jones: all these things mean the same thing: to find God. God is simply LOVE IN ACTION.

There is no religion attached to God, and in fact, religion gets in the way of "god's" simple purpose: to love one another.

Thanks for listening. I am sick of being too scared to tell my own truth which is this: I AM NOT IN FEAR. I don't buy into the "bad stuff." As an optimist, it has made all the difference in my life. I constantly strive to turn around any negative thoughts about others — even my worst enemies — and miracles never cease. Everything continually changes for the better because I choose my thoughts carefully.

This is the essence of prayer: not buying into the human race belief of sickness, terror, fear or disease. I don't even believe in aging. I don't believe in any of the garbage they keep trying to sell us. There is no opposing force to good. There is no power in "evil." When I choose to see the good even in a jerk, his behavior changes. I can't stay on a lower level and continue to bitch and moan and groan anymore. It's not productive and I think many of us are ready to step into the light.

Nevertheless, we need to ARREST KARL ROVE!

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC... to listen to while we're gone.

This first one is David Gray "Please Forgive Me" which we played at my wedding. Close your eyes and listen to the song:


I'm not gay, but I think Kristin Kreuk is the most beautiful woman in the world. Here is Coldplay "Green Eyes" from Smallville:




See You Soon

PROOF OF DIEBOLD ELECTION FRAUD

GOP cyber-security expert suggests Diebold tampered with 2002 election
By Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane
CyberSecurity Expert Raw Story.com

A leading cyber-security expert and former delegate for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.

Steven Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.

Spoonamore is one of the most prominent cyber-security experts in the country. He has security clearances from his work with the intelligence community and other government agencies, as well as the Department of Defense, and is one of the world’s leading authorities on hacking and cyber-espionage.

In 1995, Spoonamore received a civilian citation for his work with the Department of Defense. He was again recognized for his contributions in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security. Spoonamore is also a registered Republican and a John McCain delegate who until recently was advising the McCain campaign.

Spoonamore received the Diebold patch from a whistleblower close to the office of Cathy Cox, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State. In discussions with RAW STORY, the whistleblower -- who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation -- said that he became suspicious of Diebold's actions in Georgia for two reasons. The first red flag went up when the computer patch was installed in person by Diebold's Chief Executive Officer, Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas and applied it in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. The source states that Cox was not privy to these changes until after the election and that she became particularly concerned over the patch being installed in just those two counties.

The whistleblower said another flag went up when it became apparent that the patch installed by Urosevich had failed to fix a problem with the computer clock, which employees from Diebold and the Georgia Secretary of State’s office had been told the patch was designed specifically to address.

Some critics of electronic voting raised questions about the 2002 Georgia race even at the time. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who was five percentage points ahead of Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss in polls taken a week before the vote, lost 53% to 46%. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, who led challenger Sonny Perdue in the polls by eleven points, lost 51% to 46%. However, because the Diebold machines used throughout the state provided no paper trail, it was impossible to ask for a recount in either case.
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Read the rest of the story:
Raw Story.com

THE END OF CHAOS

Real change, hope and good news is just around the corner. Read at bottom of article...

Congressman Dennis Kucinich just introduced another Article of Impeachment. It is imperative that we get this process started for the sake of our children -- to reveal the stunning betrayal of our Constitution.

In the Audio Archives: Don't miss our interviews with Congressman Robert Wexler (twice!) whose new book FIRE BREATHING LIBERAL is astonishing and funny! He has hilarious stories about his appearances on The Colbert Report. We also had a great time with award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, author of SHOCK DOCTRINE on the Basham and Cornell Radio heard weekday mornings at 8 a.m. on 1230 AM KLAV in Las Vegas and worldwide on the web.





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American ingenuity can create new industry, rebuild our infrastructure, (my idea is to build water pipelines to funnel flood water to Nevada, California and al the states suffering from severe drought. We could also start desalination of ocean water. Could this possibly bring down the levels of rising oceans due to global warming of polar ice caps? Either way, we should be doing mass desalination. We can also attract capital with American-made products, transform our banking system..

Clif on the Blog says: Lydia one of your comments on the post if unscientific.

There is no way humanly possible way we could affect the ocean levels by desalinations efforts because we could never use enough water and KEEP it out of the Oceans to make any difference.

All most all of our water usage returns to the oceans with in a couple of months, a year at best.

What we could draw out would either be used for human consumption .... and we aren't good at retaining water, or agriculture which sends the majority of their water usage right back into the enviroment and in the end the ocean.

Add to that the requirements of the energy needed for mass desalination, and we are sort of caught in a bind.

We haven't enough spare electrical capacity (it is what would be used for energy) in the places where the desalination could reasonably be attempted.

It won't work, and would be a nightmare if tried.

RUMORS OF OUR PROGRESS HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED...

On Monday July 7, 2008, the Democratic Congresswoman from New York Carolyn Maloney will be the guest on the Basham and Cornell Radio Show at 8 am Pacific Time on AM 1230 KLAV in Las Vegas.

As a young woman, Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney asked her grandmother for career advice. She was shocked by the reply: "Get married."

Though much has changed for women since then, more has remained the same. On a January night in 2008, Maloney and her daughter attended a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire. Some men in the audience held "Iron My Shirt" posters aloft. This small incident provoked outrage, but it provided an important peephole onto larger problems that women face today.

In her groundbreaking book, Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women's Lives Aren't Getting Any Easier... and How we can make Real Progress, Congresswoman Maloney shatters the myths about how far we've come, highlighting how women’s issues permeate every realm of society, and how political change has provided only a fraction of a solution.

The former co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, Maloney has access to a wealth of cutting-edge research that helps her illuminate how far behind we still fall on gender equality in issues from health care to educational opportunities, from poverty to reproductive freedom. It’s a fact that women are working harder than ever, but they're still only paid three-quarters the salary of their male counterparts. She weaves this vital information with gripping stories of real women, making clear that she’s not taking some abstract political position. She’s talking about real people, real lives.

Maloney also points the way forward, sharing inspiring tales of female activists who have managed to make a difference and presenting readers with "take action" guides that show all women practical ways they can help bring about change in their lives and the lives of others.
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If the Republicans will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them. - Adlai E. Stevenson

Now it's time to defeat the "Regressive movement." In light of the unsettling news that Karl Rove is taking over McCain's campaign — and in light of the bizarre news that Rush Limbaugh got a salary raise of $30 million a year — making his total take $400 million until the year 2016 — we need to focus on our Progressive values more than ever. America is a Progressive nation at heart. We can't allow thugs to continue to take over our country. More below on Rove...

MIMI KENNEDY

There are so many good people doing good things, the American experiment cannot fail. I had the honor of co-hosting an event for Progressive Democrats of America and C-SPAN with the amazing Mimi Kennedy last night. Mimi is a tireless advocate of all good causes and I am so proud to call her a fellow Progressive activist and actor. You may remember her as Dharma's mom on the hit series "Dharma and Greg." She is someone who actually does the work we all talk about. She's passionate about social justice, nonviolent conflict resolution, and a healthy environment. Check out her inspiring site at: Mimi Kennedy.org and Progressive Democrats of America.org

C-SPAN BOOK TV

Great Interviews: Please listen in the archives at Basham and Cornell Radio to our shocking interview with Diebold whistleblower Steve Heller.





At the C-Span event last night, July 2, 2008 our guest was author, composer-lyricist, record and television producer Christopher Cerf — who was also our guest on the Basham and Cornell Radio Show at 8 am Pacific Time on AM 1230 KLAV in Las Vegas.

He is perhaps best known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for founding National Lampoon, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous articles and books.

Photo: Christopher Cerf and Lydia Cornell

Christopher Cerf is also known to the general public for his work as an author and satirist. In 1970, he helped launch the National Lampoon, serving as a Contributing Editor from its first issue until the mid-1970s, and in 1978, he co-conceived and co-edited with Tony Hendra, George Plimpton and Rusty Unger the journalistic parody Not the New York Times.

In 2008, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of George W. Bush's historic (if premature) victory speech aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln, Cerf again collaborated with Victor Navasky to produce “Mission Accomplished! Or How We Won The War In Iraq,” a compendium of misstatements, failed predictions, and outright lies uttered in connection with America's military adventure in Iraq.

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RELAX...IT'S ALL GOING TO BE OKAY * AND STOP TEARING DOWN OBAMA

Despite the uproar from Progressive bloggers over Obama's move to the middle, I truly believe that good will prevail. I personally think Obama was wrong in backing the new FISA bill, and I have firsthand evidence of why this is wrong. But I am not ready to tell my whole story yet - about the death threats and illegal wiretapping that occurred in my home.

But regarding Obama's "Faith Based Initiatives" — please give this a chance. Imagine what good an organization like Union Rescue Mission can do with some government funds. They provide beds, food and clothing for ALL of Los Angeles' homeless men and women. They are a 'Good Samaritan" Christian organization that gives to all, regardless of race, creed, sexual preference or gender.

I think there are more enlightened and motivated faith based groups that need funds to help people in their communities. Many of these people devote all their time to doing "God's work" and are more motivated than those who do not feel a higher calling of service and love to mankind.

On the other hand, if one of these Churches EVER creates a "Creationist Museum" which is where the Bush Faith-based money was wasted, we should protest!!

At a time when Obama is under increasing fire from progressives for moving to the center and sounding like a traditional Democratic pandering pol, the McCain campaign is now morphing into yet another Karl Rove Presidential campaign operation, only this time it’s “unofficial” since Rove doesn’t have an official title or paycheck. But, the Times report confirms, it’s quite real — and those who were counting the days when America would close the chapter on Karl Rove and his style of national politics will have to count for quite a while.
- From The Moderate Voice.com Joe Gandleman