Sanguinity

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

- Excerpt of Inauguration Speech Of President Barack Obama

Friday First Dog Blogging

What will be the first thing that our President-Elect will be taking care of? There is the matter of something he promised his two daughters.

Also, The VP-Elect was promised a "big dog" from his wife.

I'm liking these guys more everyday.




Meanwhile, back at the White House, the current first dog is a little grumpy.

.

H.A.I.K.U. in the U.S.A. **

The change has now come
time to restore and progress
the sun is rising



** BUI (blogging under the influence): MadHaiku

More Rhyming 17's for Election Day

my ballot was cast
the election is soon past
the change will be vast

It felt like a test
to decide who will be best
to clean up the mess

lies slander and smears
the rhetoric brings us tears
exposes our fears

campaign ads and signs
litter roads airwaves and pines
lets hit them with fines

it is almost done
then blaming is soon begun
fallout will be fun

Good Choices - Bad Rhymes

the hour is near
change is not for us to fear
there will still be beer

time to be like niCk
which candidate will you pick
not the time to kick

Obama McCain
your choice will not be in vain
but it might cause pain

the mud has been slung
the last-ditch songs have been sung
their lies from the tongue

McCain Obama
better listen to Mama
in voterama

anxious are VeePee's
they are only there to tease
then tossed to the breeze

WHO'S on First?

Country First.

Does that slogan invoke patriotism and allegiance for you?

Not me. It send chills down my spine. It reminds me of another leader who made had a similar slogan. "Deutschland Über Alles". Translated it reads "Germany above all" or "Germany over everything".

Is this the course of action you want in this country? No matter how immoral our character, you would still support it? No matter how unethical the practices of our leaders, you would still support them? Country First, Right or Wrong? Would you pledge allegiance to a country that support the rights of government over individual rights? If so, then you are not a patriot, you are an enemy to the ideals that founded this country.

The slogan "Country First" sounds greedy, self-centered, stubborn, and egotistical, not to mention it also goes against what people of faith believe, that one should always put God first, and God created all life on the planet, not only the life in this country. Even if we use God as a metaphor for the natural creation of the universe and the life within, it is still the result of this creation that should take precedence over man-made imaginary boundaries and ill-formed ideas we use to govern and provide for humanity.

Country First? I say NO. I say HELL NO. If my country is wrong, even if it is only my opinion, then I'm going to stand up and say something. Dissension is patriotic. It is political dissension that created this country and is a constitutional right. Our present leaders like to describe their own political dissenters as the same as those want to attack this country using violence, but it is not the same. It is possible to be a dissenter without taking rights away from people or causing the destruction of person or property.

If innocent people suffer because of a political ideology, then it is wrong, no matter who the aggressor. When our country causes the death and destruction of innocent lives and property, the our country is wrong, just like it is wrong when those kind of attacks happen to us. It is never righteous only because it is our country. Blind allegiance is ignorance. We are better than that, and we need to make this country always take a moral course of action, and when it doesn't, to stand up against it.

There are things our country is doing right now which are morally and ethical WRONG. We can't fight against our enemies for liberty, human rights, and fair justice if we are not the role models for those ideals. If you fight against an ideology which uses torture, the you can not use the same practices on your enemy, or you become the same as those you oppose.

As a member of the military I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. To me that also means enemies within the government that wave an American flag or wear their patriotism on their lapel while insulting and ignoring the document that defines how our laws will be created and enforced in this country. It defines the architecture of our government and guarantees the right to dissent.

It is the people that create this "country" and keep it on a moral path. It will soon be election day, it is time the people speak up and let our representatives know of how we feel.

Country First? Right or Wrong? If you say yes, then you will be an loyal subject when fascism arrives.


. Crossposted on Backroads of My Mind

Equilibrium

Recycled article cross-posted on Backroads:

Human nature is characterized by reason and tolerance. In a natural state all people are equal and independent, and as John Locke says "no one has a right to harm another's “life, health, liberty, or possessions.” " The last becoming the well-known "pursuit of happiness" guaranteed to all humans living in a just society.

With what is going on today in the in the U.S., we must remember that governmental check and balances and revolution is not only a constitutional right, but an obligation in some circumstances.

The nonsense going on with both political parties will continue until we demand and perhaps force change upon the system. These parties's, initially established to promote a set of represented ideals of our citizens, are now controlled by the money of special interest groups and have been scraping the original ideals and qualities on which they were built. These parties, in representing its member citizens, should be free of the influence of capitalism and religious groups.

Conservatism and Liberalism are the ideals these political parties are "supposed" to represent. Conservatism based on an approach to govern based on tradition and authority, and Liberalism being based on personal freedom and Progress. Usually, the Republicans have been identified as the conservative party, while the Democrats have taken a liberal approach, but we all know liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats (i.e. William Jefferson Clinton). The Liberal Republicans even claimed their own political party at one time. Of course if you go back to the origins of the Republican party, the were known as the Democratic-Republican Party at one time.

Most people don't consciously chose a side, it a reflection of their personality, in my opinion. I really don't have a choice in the direction of how believe people should be treated and governed, I use the wisdom evolution gave me and feelings of my spirit to guide me. I try to treat people the way I would like to be treated, however I've never been driven by the greed and materialism that seems to influence most people in the U.S. I've never been influenced by the promise of things, but rather by the progression of ideas. There is no right or wrong way to live, as long as you don't inhibit the rights and liberties of anyone else.

Personally, I have always leaned to the conservative side, but have a lot of viewpoints and opinions that most people would consider liberal.

I believe the best way to live is someone in middle ground of these two influences. I like tradition and routine, but believe that progress is as necessary to life as evolution. I like to have my personal liberties, but believe that some sort of government is required to limit the power, influence, and greed of those who take advantage of others.

It is best to try to balance these ideals, conservatism and liberalism, and not let one side have too much influence over the other. That is exactly what is currently happening in the U.S. It is time to balance these groups.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most intelligent presidents the US has ever elected. In the present day, intelligent people stay far away from the nonsense of politics, but in his day it was actually an honorable profession.

That made me realize, that two of the basic founding philosophies promoted by the Republican party, in Jefferson's day, were sharp limits on the powers of the federal government, and the separation of church and state.

Look at them now. It is time to fire these imposters that have hijacked the Republican party and created a government which is beginning to give itself too much power and becoming controlled by the influence of the religious conservatives.

Vengeance Is Mine

I can't support any of the presidential candidate frontrunners.

Even the Democrats are abandoning long held ideals in favor of popularity and votes.


Clinton, Obama and Edwards all support capital punishment.

Really?

I swiped this picture from Badtux. The latest in Republican head wear. This truly demonstrates that they are not ashamed to show us what they use their brains for. (<-- oops, I'm dangling)



I see Iowans have selected Huckabee for their choice to lead the dick heads nomination.

At first, I think it is a good thing, because there is no way the people of the U.S. would vote for such a phony and fraud, then I backtrack and say "OH SHIT", that's the exact same thing I said about our current fraud of a President.

FRACK.

Finality

The only reason that some humans in the U.S. are labeled "illegal" is because we created those laws to make them illegal. We made them "illegal" in our stolen land.

They're illegal, so not only can we blame them and hate them for problems WE created, we also don't have to treat them fairly because they are not "citizens".

Aren't these humans also "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"?

What group will be the next one to blame after we "solved" the illegal immigration problem.

Hitler did the same thing with Jews.

Then Gays,
then Handicapped People,
then the mentally ill,
then dissentors and his political opposition.

He made those humans "illegal".

What will be our "Final Solution"?


Hanukkah begins at sundown tonight. There's only enough oil for one night.

Have some of these Jewish epicurean delights: Sufganiyot

Shalom Aleichem!

.

And I Ran...

♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫
"I Ran so far away, ay ay,
I just ran, I ran all night and day.
I couldn't get away "
♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫

This business with Iran. Why?

(WARNING: Today's post is not well thought out, it is just a knee jerk reaction to current headlines about the downward direction of this nation)

I don't think The U.S. has the right to control who has whatever weapons they need to protect themselves, or how they generate energy for their infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which is a haven for terrorists and Iraqi insurgents, and punishes victims of rape, continues to be an U.S. ally, because they control a major portion of our addiction. In their heads, if a women was raped, she must of caused the men to act that way. The world needs to stop dealing with these primitive cultures that rule in unwritten laws determined from mythical misogynistic writings of ego maniacal men.

The U.S. needs to go into oil consumption rehab, immediately, and stop supporting and rewarding countries that brutilizes it own citizens.

This is going to make me unpopular. I think the way to deal with these barbaric countries, to cut our consumption of foriegn oil, and to pay for the failures of our current executive administration, is to raise the taxes on a gas until the price is ten dollars a gallon. (GASP!) I can easily support this because I, unlike most U.S. citizens, am not dependent on my car. I can do all my shopping, activities, commuting to work, without needing my car. It is surprising the alternatives people can come up with when they are necessary.

I know it won't happen, we are too shallow in this country to support such a moral and ethical plan, the U.S. no longer has a soul. Wealth is more important than human rights.

I could move to Bhutan, and find happiness.

Music: I Ran - Flock of Seagulls

.

The Aftermath

Six years, the world has changed.

I'm more afraid of U.S. politicians and security, than Islamic extremists.

I'd rather deal with the threats of violence, than the security gestapo at the airports. Shouldn't the airlines be the ones in charge of security on their flights?

How can a country spread freedom, and talk of liberty, by taking those ideals away from it's own citizens and the countries they occupy?

U.S. Citizens are easily misled. It's easier to blame someone else for our problems than to educate yourself to raise above the problems or to solve the problems. Blaming someone else is a profitable venture.

The terrorists win by providing excuses for our executive leaders to spread fear, exactly what they were hoping to do.

How much longer will the vengeance last? How much more blood will be spattered? More than one hundred innocent lives have been taken for each life taken on 9/11. That is not justice, it is evil, evil hatred.

Why are we at war, what are we trying to win? Safety? The "wars" have accomplished the exact opposite. When we are the ones spreading immoral and unethical behavior, who is the enemy?

I'd like to list all the positive things that have happened because of the 9/11 attacks, but I can't think of a single one. Someone help me out here.

.

They Own You

Who's running America? You think it matters who's in the White House or who's elected to Congress or the Senate. They have no power, they gave it all way to powerful lobbyists who've bought them and play them like puppets.

Thanks azgoddess.

George Carlin: Who Owns You?

"Forget the politicians, they're irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice - you don't.

You have no choice.
You have owners.
They own you.
They own everything.
They own all the important land.
They own, and control the corporations.
They've long since bought, and payed for the senate, the congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets, and they own all the big media, so they control just about all the information you get.

They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying - lobbying, to get what they want.

Well we know what they want. They want more for themselves, and less for everybody else, but I'll tell you what they don't want - they don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking.

They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that - that doesn't help them. That's against their interests. That's right.

They don't want people that are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table, and think about how badly they're getting screwed by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don't want that.

You know what they want? Obedient workers - Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines, and do that paper work. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime, and vanishing pension that disappear the minute you go to collect it, and now they're coming for your social security money.

They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They'll get it - they'll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this place.

It's a big club, and you aint in it. You, and I are not in The Big Club." - George Carlin

.

Football Unites Iraq

Football (known as Soccer in the U.S.) is the greatest sport on earth, and just might be the way to unite a divided country. The nation's football team managed something Iraqi politics or U.S. leaders has so far been unable to accomplish: A united Iraq.

The Iraqi football team which includes Sunni and Shia Muslims, as well as Kurds, beat the Saudi Arabian team 1-0.

I find this ironic not only because it shows a united front from within the country, as opposed to the U.S. pouring billions of dollars into the country, is the way to overcome hardships of the civil war between the people in Iraq, but also because they beat the Saudis, which is the main destabilizing influence in Iraq. No, it is not Iran or Syria, and the U.S. knows it. The Saudis are just one of the many people controlling our weak executive administration.

Wouldn't it be great, that after years of failure by our weak phony leaders, the country now become peaceful to show support of their football team?

Of course, our phony executive leaders would take credit for it, but we already know they are failures no matter what they say.

.

Vomit

Neocons on a Cruise: What Conservatives Say When They Think We Aren't Listening

- The Iraq war has been an amazing success.
- Global warming is just a myth.
- Guantanamo Bay just like a holiday camp.
- The Muslims are breeding. Soon, they'll have the whole of Europe.
- God Bless the Ku Klux Klan.
- March the anti-war people off to the gas chamber for treason, then things'll change.
- We're doing an excellent job killing "them".

These are the people running ruining our country.

Friday "Cats & Dogs" Blogging

Yesterday, it finally rained. The first measurable rain in four months.

It was a heavy rain that lasted for two hours. Hey, after a long dry stretch, it was wonderful, even if it was just a couple of hours.




We have been in a major drought. The grass is brown, trees are dying, lake levels are at historic low levels. While parts of Texas are being washed away, Alabama is becoming a desert.

I love rain in the summertime. I love to run in the rain, or do just about anything else, like hiking, washing the car, or just sitting on the porch during a summer storm.

I want more. Not like I have any control over it, like our Governor.

Yesterday was June 28. two days before the start of Alabama Governor Bob Riley's Precipitation Proclaimation:

"I, Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby encourage citizens of Alabama to pray daily for rain."

He further proclaimed June 30 - July 7 as Days of Prayer for Rain and he encouraged Alabamians to pray both at home and in churches for "sufficient" moisture.

Meanwhile, the previous Governor, Don Siegelman, was sentenced to seven years in prison. These are the people we elect to represent us.

We are fucked.

.

Ready, Set, STOP

Are you ready?

Ready for what?

To stop our illegal occupation of Iraq?

YES! We are ready.




Peacechick Mary in her She Wore Sea Green post, screams:

STOP THIS UGLY, DECEITFUL BLOODY WAR!

Good! 70% say they are ready! Lets see if you're really ready.

The people we elected aren't going to do it for us, they've been bought out by the same corporations that control this action.

We can stop this, but it is going to take some peaceful inaction to get this done.

Peaceful Inaction? What the hell are you talking about?

Sacrifice!

After the attacks on the U.S. by religious extremists on September 11, 2001, the world stood stood on our side to bring justice to those who were responsible. We were told by our "leader" to go back to our normal lives and let us handle the dirty work of war against those responsible for the attacks.

Although shocked, saddened, and fearful, we returned to our daily routines. We let "them" handle the situation.

The majority of the U.S. made no sacrifice.

I honor those who have made sacrifices; their lives, their health, their loved ones, their children.

Our leaders abused their authority, mismanaged the response, lied and misled us with purposely deceitful information to justify their bloody deeds.

We must protest LOUDLY. LOUDER than screams and shouts!

We must be ready to sacrifice.

What can we do?

Peaceful inaction! You don't have to do anything. In fact a lot less than you're doing now.

The way we can get our leaders to sit up and take notice;

- Stop being a consumer.
- Stop unnecessary shopping.
- Stop going out to eat.
- Stop making unnecessary trips.
- No unnecessary purchases of any type.
- Refuse to celebrate holidays (YES, even the ones in late December).
- If we're still not LOUD enough, then stop working.
- STOP our normal everyday routine.

Yes, it would be quite a sacrifice.

HOWEVER - I'm not asking you give up your life, your health, those you love, or your children.

.

Blind Allegiance

This is the last frame of today's Dilbert strip.

(Scott, I'm giving you full credit and even kept the copyright mark on your work, so please don't sue me for stealing your work for my use.)


This is what little Bu$h Junior expects from you while he destroys the foundation of our nation.

/* Sarcasm On */
No Thinking! If you think, you are a bad American. STOP all thinking! We are supposed be a nation of under-achiever's, with Homer Simpson as our Hero, Bart Simpson as our future. Let the government do your thinking for you, they know best.

Become a good U.S. American, stop forming your own opinions, bad people, take your feel-good drugs, and always smile, you are being watched. Smile DAMMMIT!
/* Sarcasm Off */

.

Tuesday Peace Blogging

The Tuesday Topic on Blogs for Peace is right in-line with my last Tuesday Topic post two weeks ago.

"The United States Congress passed a bill last week limiting war funding and calling for substantial withdrawal by next March. President Bush is expected to veto. It is also expected that there are insufficient votes to override this veto, and this will lead to negotiations on a compromise bill.

Do you trust those who are against the war in the US Congress to stick to their policies and stand up for peace?

If not, do you find any wholly political solutions likely or viable for the short-term in ending the Iraq War?"

Our current executive misleader insisted on "Staying the Course" on the Iraq occupation, and has steered the situation into certain disaster. There is now way to win, we are not fighting a war, we are trying to bring security to a region of the world that has a violent past. No point on blaming the guilty, no crimes seem to stick to the leaders that misled us into this situation. We need a solution. The House and Senate has offered continued funding for the war with a clear exit strategy, the executive branch wants to reject this idea and punish the troops for his mismanagement. What do we do? It is a very complicated issue.

I do not see any peaceful solution for this situation. If we leave, there is sure to be an humanitarian crisis, but doing the same failed strategy means thousands of more deaths and much more violence. It is a bad situation. We need to let the fire burn out, which isn't likely to happen no matter what we do, or we need to bring in enough resources to extinguish the fire. As long as we keep letting our current executive misleaders use the Iraq occupation as a political toy, we will not have any success. They are not wise enough to see that their strategy is not working.

The Iraq situation has decreased security for Americans worldwide, and left the U.S. vulnerable because vital components of our defense system our being misused in a misguided, mismanaged occupation which is now a huge resource hog without any positive results. They are just waiting to blame their failures on the next administration.

The only workable solution is setting a timetable for withdrawal and letting the Arab states handle the situation, but that is basically the same problems that have created the civil and religious wars (sectarian violence).

Did you know? Iraqi Kurdistan is as an autonomous entity inside Iraq, with its own local government and parliament since 1992. Yes, even while Saddam was still dictator, he never had much control in Kurdistan since this time. Kurdistan is peaceful.

Enough!

Have you seen this?

azgoddess shouted out about this book last week. I think it needs more attention. We need more outrage about what we are letting our executive misleaders accomplish with our money and our country.

Reviews:

Publisher's Weekly: The former president of Ford and Chrysler, is back to sound a howl of anger against the sad state of leadership in the U.S. today. Iacocca gives a rundown of sins committed by George W. Bush and his administration.

Booklist: Iacocca is outraged. Now 82, he has seen the U.S. overcome some of its worst crises, including the Great Depression and World War II, through great leadership. As the CEO of Chrysler Corporation, he brought the company back from the brink of bankruptcy and worked with the government to overcome the fallout from the 1970s oil crisis. Now, he says, our government has fallen under the grip of arrogant ideologues and spineless detractors.

Excerpts:
"Had Enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!"

"I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. "