Wednesday

Wednesday May 27 2009

. . . .Yes!!!!! That seals the deal! If Rush Limbaugh wants Sonia Sotomayor to "fail" as he "rushed" to do Tuesday, along with calling her a "racist", then I'm in! I will go to war for that woman, I'd take a bullet for her. If she's on Rush's "fail list" then, just as automatically as he and his cronies say "No" then I say "Yes"!

. . . .And let's add everyone's other favorite Republican intellectual, Newt Gingrich, to the list as he called her a "racist" on Wednesday in his column. No basis, just called her that.

. . . Do those two, along with their buddy from his undisclosed location, Cheney, realize how closely they resemble Moe, Larry and Shemp? Just wondering.

. . . .Karl Rove's reason for opposing her - "We've already had a Hispanic on the Supreme Court". This is great, considering he's supposed to be the brains behind the other three's brawn. The person he's referring to in his column - Benjamin Cardozo . . . .who was a Sephardic Jew.

. . . .'S a matter of fact, let's do that, you, me, us, all of us. If they want to be the Party of No, and proudly identify themselves that way, then let's be the people of "Yes". I'm quite sincere about that, too. Let's start our own organized movement. The only way we can move forward is we balance out the opposition. For every No, there must be a Yes. For every ending they try to put forward, we need to put a new beginning out. For every ugly, nasty innuendo and piece of slander they put forward, let's put a piece of the truth out there. For every division that they attempt to put in the American people, let's heal the Union and bring the people of this country together.

. . . .Before we even go into "activist judges" and the label that has already, courtesy of Fox News, been thrown on her, let's examine some things. I'm still searching, by the way, for the "activist judges" that are supposedly everywhere rewriting the Constitution. Hmm! Didn't Bush2 appoint a bunch of the Federal Circuit Court judges and Court of Appeals judges we have now. And it's for damn sure that Karl Rove had a big hand in the current crop of Federal prosecutors. So where are these "activist judges"? Would they be the same judges that rewrote a State constitution in California today and wrote policy. Naahh! Couldn't be them! That was the right decision, according to them. Could it be the same judges who rewrote established election law, changed history and put GWB in office two distinct times? Naahh, that's not an "activist judge", that's someone who did their job, again according to them. So. . .who exactly is and where exactly are these "activist judges"? Just wondering.

. . . .Who are these "activist judges" - Well, let's see, can we start with Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the extreme Right's darlings? In Republican Party vs. White in 2002, Scalia wrote:

Even if the policy making capacity of judges were limited to courts of last resort, that would only prove that the announce clause fails strict scrutiny. "[I]f announcing one's views in the context of a campaign for the State Supreme Court might be" protected speech, post, at 3, n. 2, then-even if announcing one's views in the context of a campaign for a lower court were not protected speech, ibid.-the announce clause would not be narrowly tailored, since it applies to high- and low-court candidates alike. In fact, however, the judges of inferior courts often "make law," since the precedent of the highest court does not cover every situation, and not every case is reviewed.

. . . .Oops, there goes the argument about justices "making policy" and being "activists".

. . . .As long as I'm on a roll here, the other argument advanced about her from the Cabal of Stooges is that she will practice "reverse discrimination" because of her gender and ethnicity. Justice Alioto, another good friend of the Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight:

When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.

. . . .Shit, well I guess they're just going to have to resort to some higher, intellectual form of debate around her qualifications as judge, like, say, calling her names or holding interviews claiming she has "cooties" or something like that.

. . . .Let's see, a woman who was put into her seat by George Herbert Walker Bush, and had the conservative seal of approval, and has more judicial experience that any candidate for the Supreme Court in the last 100 years, she's not what "they" want? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, you'll have to bear with me on it.

. . .Mark McKinnon turns this one in over on the Daily Beast: Memo to my party: Blasting targets like Sonia Sotomayor and Colin Powell is a surefire strategy to guarantee our extinction:

If the GOP is ever to be resurgent, it has to pick its fights carefully. The tendency is, unfortunately, to shoot at everything that moves. . . . .

. . . Absolutely true story, though you'd have to be from Michigan, and understand the Upper and Lower Peninsula's, and the residents of the Upper Peninsula, called "yoopers" to truly get all of it. Son Caleb goes Michigan Tech up in Houghton/Hancock, in the Upper Peninsula. His truck died sometime during the winter, semester ended 3 weeks ago. After much deliberation, it was decided that the best solution was to leave it up there, have the engine replaced and go back up to get it. First, the station was going to work on it last Tuesday, then last Friday, he goes up on Memorial Day, catches a ride with another guy, to pick the truck up that was supposed to be done by this Tuesday, the latest promise. I get an e-mail today titled "Yoopers":

I talked to Dave at Dave's BP today.
Me: Is there a timetable for my truck?
Dave: I'm hoping to start it friday.
Me: Really?
Dave: Ya, tings got all scruuwed up with the oliday weekend an all, an grad parties and things of that sort, so ima oping ta start it on Friday an ull be the first ta know when its done, eh.


I couldnt even be mad.

. . . .We've been talking all along about sustainability. A broad term, but an important idea; one that involves supporting "local" economies by supporting local businesses, dealing locally, and basically supporting your neighbor by doing good business with them. Striking towards that idea, reader Kay sends this along:

just found this book online (available as e-book) written by an economist giving his thinking about why localization simply IS going to be the way we engage in commerce. According to him, globalization will be pretty much over once oil prices again reach the 3 digit price mark. I'm getting the book - "sounds true"!

http://www.diesel-ebooks.com/cgi-bin/item/parent-9781400068500/Why-Your-World-Is-About-to-Get-a-Whole-Lot-Smaller-Oil-and-the-End-of-Globalization-eBook.html

Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller

Jeff Rubin was the Chief Economist at CIBC World Markets for almost twenty years. He was one of the first economists to accurately predict soaring oil prices back in 2000 and is now one of the world’s most sought-after energy experts. He lives in Toronto.

. . .Retired General, James Jones, the National Security Adviser refuted Dick Cheney, and rebutted him in remarks Wednesday at the Atlantic Council:

"I firmly believe that the United States is not only safe, but will be more secure, and the American people are increasingly safer because of the president's leadership that he has displayed consistently over the last four months both at home and abroad."

. . . .Lawrence Eagleburger, the former Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush, mocked Cheney, at a Brookings Institution session as "benighted":

Eagleburger, a GOP elder statesman who was in President George H.W. Bush's inner circle during the war, said Cheney and others who say they were "screaming and yelling" for Hussein's removal only did so when it was obvious Bush had the capacity to do so. When the real decision was being made, Eagleburger implies, Cheney sang a different tune. Eagleburger answered questions at a Brookings Institution forum.

. . . Just a short reminder, that 6 years ago in May, President George W. Bush stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier and declared "Mission Accomplished"
. . . .Another IED (roadside bomb) in Baghdad now makes May the deadliest in 8 months in Iraq, bringing it to at least 20 who have died this month over there.

. . . .Just a short memo to the new U.S. Drug Czar - Since we're still Number 1 in the world in some things, in this case notably, number of people in prison (who are fed and housed courtesy of our tax dollars) and 68% of whom are non-violent drug offenders. The Netherlands is starting a prison closure program for lack of people to put in prison.

. . . .Go Red Wings

. . . . .Fascinating series on right now on the History Channel at night -Life After People - speculation each night about what would happen if there was a massive calamity that wiped all human life off the face of the earth.

.. . . . . .Staying on the subject of upgrading the grid, which is the smartest, cheapest way for us to gain efficiency in our personal and national energy consumption, this one that looks at the challenges of doing so, and draws a very accurate parallel with what Eisenhower faced in putting the national highway system in place:

The parallels are unavoidable: The plan for the national smart grid being proposed today — with all of its obstacles and opportunities — is remarkably similar to the country's push for an interstate highway system 50 years ago.

Like the old road system faced by President Eisenhower, the current electric grid is a cobbled-together network of distinct regional webs. A major overhaul of that system has the potential to do what the interstate highway did so many years ago — modernize the American economy.

It's by no means a perfect comparison. The 21st century electric grid project, unlike the network of sleek interstates, lacks a bold, unifying vision. And it would be developed mostly with private-sector money as opposed to the federal funds used to build the highways.

But a thoughtful look at the history and development of the interstate still provides a useful model for a new electric grid.

A Bold Vision

In 1919, a young Dwight D. Eisenhower set off on a cross-country road trip from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. It was just months after the end of World War I, and the young lieutenant colonel was part of an 81-vehicle Army convoy that set out to determine how difficult it would be to move the Army across the continent.

As they quickly discovered, it wasn't easy. The roads were narrow and unpredictable, and the trip took more than two months. Along the way, the convoy got into at least 230 accidents. The trucks repeatedly sank in the mud, ran off the road and overturned.

Thirty years later, as supreme Allied commander in Europe during World War II, Gen. Eisenhower witnessed firsthand how important a strong road system could be for commerce and national security. Hitler's autobahn system made the Nazis a formidable enemy, able to move troops and goods quickly throughout Germany.

Eisenhower took those lessons to heart. As president, he made building a dependable interstate system one of the top priorities of his administration.

A Model For The Grid

In 1956, after several appeals from the president, Congress enacted the Federal-Aid Highway Act, creating an interstate system that now consists of nearly 47,000 miles of highway and took 50 years to build.

"The interstate highway system is absolutely part of the country. It seems so natural and logical to us. But in the 1950s, it was a radical thought," says Susan Eisenhower, president of the Eisenhower Group and granddaughter of President Eisenhower.

Susan Eisenhower is part of a growing chorus of voices who see Eisenhower's interstate highway system as the model for building a modern electric grid, a project that seems radical to many Americans today.

Like the early highway system, she explains, the current electric grid is a patchwork of disparate regional webs that are often unreliable and inefficient. And like the road system of Eisenhower's youth, she says, the electric grid requires immediate and dramatic modernization to maintain the nation's economy and security.

Building For The Future

The highway analogy is quickly gaining momentum among advocates of an expanded electric grid. Mike Heyeck, senior vice president of American Electric Power, which has built the majority of the country's new extra high-voltage electric lines, calls the comparison "striking."

Heyeck says President Eisenhower was a "visionary." The president could have advocated for a streamlined two-lane highway system, which likely would have sufficed at the time, but instead he proposed a system of multilane highways based on the country's projected commerce needs 30-40 years in the future.

A modern and interconnected electric grid, Heyeck explains, requires the same kind of bold vision. Rather than building a grid that matches current electrical needs, he says the focus should be on building a system with the transmission capacity the nation will need down the line. For Heyeck, that means building extra high-voltage lines when lower-capacity lines might suffice. In the long run, he says, that option will cost less because it limits the need for expensive expansions and renovations in the future.

Government Vs. Private Funding

But Heyeck is quick to point out a major difference between the two building projects: funding. The interstate highway system cost nearly $130 billion at the time to build and was paid for almost entirely by the federal gasoline tax.

"The difference is that we really don't need federal dollars to build the interstate transmission grid," Heyeck says. "Private investment can be garnered as long as we remove some of the impediments, such as siting and cost allocation."

With a price tag in the hundreds of billions, this is an important distinction. Private companies raise the capital to build new transmission lines, and the cost is eventually passed on to customers. For the most part, the government is left out of the arrangement.

But that doesn't mean the government won't have a role to play in the building process.

Right now, the high-voltage grid is being constructed bit by bit, with little central oversight. But Dan McNichol, author of The Roads That Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System, says a key to the success of the highway system was that Eisenhower made it a top-down operation.

"Eisenhower was a master of military art," McNichol says. "He understood from his readings and history that the best road systems were built by the central government," including the roads built by Rome, Napoleon and Hitler. Each state transportation department managed its own highway-building program, but the central plan was put forth and managed by the federal government.

Building a modern electric grid is also likely to require central oversight, particularly when it comes to acquiring the land on which to build the towers and lines.

Acquiring Land

In the early years of the interstate highway system, McNichol says, people gave over their land for the project without much argument. "There was an acceptance and even a desire for the interstate system that was almost undisputed," he says.

Acquiring land for the electric grid is another story entirely. Opposition from landholders concerned about the value of their homes has delayed the construction of certain high-voltage lines for more than a decade.

The reasons are complex. Jim Fama, executive director of energy delivery at the Edison Electric Institute, an association of electric companies, says in the 1950s, there was just more available land. It was easier to find space to build that didn't run through private property or houses. Now, the country is more populated and congested. And he says the culture of the 1950s was not as litigious; people were less likely to bring a lawsuit even if the highway interfered with their property.

Fama says people tended to be more accepting of the highway project because they thought it was "an economic benefit to their community. They saw it as progress."

Convincing people that the electric lines are in the public good, McNichol says, is much more difficult. People could imagine themselves traveling along the interstate, visiting a friend or relative across the country. But the journey along the electric grid is a "virtual trip," which makes it a harder sell.

A Project To Modernize America

"When [advocates] start campaigning for the national grid, they're going to have to educate people about what this means for them — that their costs will be lower, the reception for their TV will be better and their supply of electricity will be more consistent," McNichol explains.

McNichol says that will require the kind of bold vision and leadership shown by President Eisenhower. The electric grid, he says, is every bit as important today as the interstate was in the 1950s.

Back then, the U.S. was a manufacturing society that depended on interstate commerce for economic growth. For that industrial country, the interstate was critical. Today, our growth is dependent on an information economy that relies on electricity.

Just the way the interstate modernized the America of the 1950s, McNichol says, the electric grid is needed to modernize the America of today.

. . . .4 earthquakes earlier this week in the Caribbean. All on the same day, all at the same time, and all located within a 300 mile radius from one another.

. . . There's a large group of readers of this particular column that truly understand the interconnectedness of all things. The concept of "Mitauye Oyasin", we are all related, all things. This one from Green Planet supports that so well. When you save electricity, you save water and vice versa; when you save water, you save electricity:

We live in an interconnected world. A butterfly flaps its wings in Mongolia and a philosophy student ponders about that sort of thing in Spokane. See? Interconnected. As our technology and thoughts about butterflies advance, so does our interconnectedness.

One of our aims at the Planet Green website, is to try and provide people with tips and tricks for saving energy and water. Usually, we round up little household hints about how to save electricity or H2O. Most of the time we speak as if these two things were separate beasts. What you may not know is that saving electricity and saving water are actually the same thing.

How Do Shorter Showers Save Electricity?

You might not equate shower-usage with electricity usage. In fact, you’ve been told 1,000 times in your life to keep electrical devices away from the shower. But taking a shower uses electricity. A hot water heater may consume a fifth of your home's electricity and if you pump your own water from a well, that's a double whammy. But the water-related electricity you use around the house pales in comparison to the amount of energy used by the water companies.

In California, water treatment, storage and transportation accounts for 19% of the state's electricity usage. The good news is that saving water is cheaper and easier than saving electricity.

From the Guardian:

"Some of the cheapest greenhouse gas emission reductions available seem to be not energy-efficiency programs, but water-efficiency programs," said Gleick, president of the California-based Pacific Institute, a global water research center.

How Does Turning off the Lights Save Water?

Electricity uses more water than all the showers combined.

From Power Scorecard:

Most electric power plants require water to operate. Nuclear and fossil fuel power plants drink over 185 billion gallons of water per day. Geothermal power plants add another 2 billion or so gallons a day. Hydropower plants use water directly to generate power. These power plants represent the single largest consumer of water among any industrial, governmental or residential activity. Since 98 percent of the water used in power plants is returned to its source, distinctions are made between use and consumption.

These plants also de-water ecosystems and disrupt wildlife. They also pollute the air which is why we are trying to save the energy in the first place. A great way to conserve water is to decrease the need for so much electricity.

What You Can Do

Don't make a distinction between saving water and saving energy. Just because you live in a state with a lot of rainfall doesn’t mean you’re off the hook in terms of water conservation. And if you want to reduce greenhouse emissions, saving water may be the best way to do it. Everything is interconnected.

. . . . .For a long time now, myself, a lot of my friends, a lot of people actually were accused constantly of being "conspiracy theorists", seeing an agenda behind everything. Well, first point, we were right, as the 9 memos released back in February proved, as GWB had suspended 9 of the 10 amendments of the Bill of Rights for the previous 7 years by executive order. More directly, what happened, hunh? Now, every time I turn around, someone on Fox News, someone on the Right, someone from the Republican Party, the Party of "No" is seeing a nefarious, evil Obama plot behind everything. I've heard it all; "organic farming is going to be illegal"; "he's going to take away our guns"; "he's a Muslim"; "he's not even a U.S. citizen". As a writer, I get mail, quite a bit of it. There really is an active underground extreme Right wingnut thing going on here in cyberspace, and a lot of constant monitoring of writers, bloggers, commentators, etc. The majority of that e-mail that this column receives is always from an Anonymous writer, or someone who uses a blind e-mail address, and mostly refer to me as a "N*#@#*-lover", a "queer-lover" who must "suck c*#@" or a "towel-head", and of course, the least original of the schoolyard insults, a "socialist". The letter writers then go on to whip out some columnist, writer or blogger who knows the "truth" and then proceeds to explain to me "the way things are".
- It's cool, I put myself out here, I don't hide who I am, and I'm willing to stand, and stand real strong, for what I believe in, and what I know. So, it's not whining. Every so often, I receive one that is so vile, and so twisted, that I don't do what I normally do, which is hit the "delete" button on that crap. I got one of those recently, one that made stop. Many of my friends refuse to recognize what is happening out there, and how dangerous some of it is, some do. It's not anything that can be ignored, and for anyone who carries that dog soldier blood in their veins, and has one eye and ear cocked towards looking for something dangerous coming, this one was one of the warning signs.
- As I said, I normally hit the "delete" button, but not this one, and not this time. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a lot of people, good people. Among those people are some whose opinion and outlook I respect tremendously, and they serve as a reality check at times and give me some sounding boards to bounce things off of. I did that this time. I copied the body of the e-mail I received and sent it on wholesale to some people, people I respect and asked for their take on it. The responses are starting to come in, and I'm going to print them below, before I ever print the original message that came to me, and that I bounced off of them. I use only first names, it prevents people from getting hit by spambots, and prevents good people from being looked up by the hate-mongers. Go ahead and read the responses and reactions first, then read the original message, personally. If you want to, go ahead and respond as well, I'll print your reaction, either use the comment form below (it's moderated, so I can check for some of the hate and racism that I receive) or e-mail me using the "e-mail me" button on the left. Like I said, go ahead and read the responses, then the original piece that sparked that reaction:

Barbara's response : When I read this, I could not even get mad. I felt extreme pity for this woman who lives in such fear. For many change is terrifying, especially when it requires you to let go of your beliefs and grow to into a more loving space. Obama is asking us to become more than what we have been. He is asking for us to work together listening to everyone's ideas.

I choose not to give this woman power by even acknowledging her.

Lou's response: Hi I am Louis Barbara, my wife asked me to reply.

I have been dealing with the same problem for some time. Usually FACTS don't do any good. Even if they read your reply they have their own version of the "Facts" so no matter what you say they can one up you or just call you some school yard name.

The only way is not to respond to them but to their audience. So if they have an email list use it or post a response on thier Blog.

As usual with stuff, some of it is almost true so it lends a air of truth to the rest of the bile. The part about Hitler is always used because it is historically true. Of course it is used out of context and analogies are used which have no basis in fact.

The first 4 paragraphs are true enough, But whose fault is that, the constrictive have been in charge since Reagan, except for Clinton, and Bush has only accelerated the pattern. They wanted a dumbed down populace because it is easier to control. As for the Media, FOX news is the highest rated cable network and has been for many years. MSNBC is only now coming on as a balance.

There are so many lies and half truths is Paragraph 5 is hard to know were to begin.

The conservatism protested the 2000 election and took it to the supreme court, and the ACTIVIST judges put Bush in as president. Almost 60% now think that gay marriage is a civil rights matter and 5 states including Iowa have approved it. This is a losing cause for conservatism, but they want to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us just as religion sanctioned segregation a decade ago.

Acorn is a favorite whipping boy of the right. I usually direct them to the Acorn web site and let them judge from that what a communist group it is.

The mandatory civil defense force is an ou right lie. There was nothing in the Bipartisan bill to increase civilian volunteer to support such a claim. I usually just link them to the bill and ask when where it is.

Obama won the election on a promise to bring us together. So far he has been pretty much down the middle. (much to the dismay of the left) Bush was the expert in division but of course they have no memory of that. In his limited time in the Illinois house and the US senate, Obama proved he could work across party lines. Again selective memory.

Any successful popular movement in any country can be compared to the rise of Hitler. It proves nothing. There are potent checks and balances built into our system that will prevent any kind of Power grab. Of course Dick Cheney and his group almost took over all three branches of government. But when they do it, it is OK.

And one more thing, the German People had been humiliated and their country striped of all goods by the treaty of WW1. This provided the motivation for revenge that was the powerful force Hitler used to take over.

Just a few thoughts, I hope it helps.

Actually, I agree with everything she says - EXCEPT her POV about who is responsible for this mess. She blames Obama as an ARAB anti-semitist. I blame the neo-cons purchased by the extremely wealthy. Looks like we both blame the group we feel is the most powerfully 'hate-mongering'. I really don't know what else to say about this. She has her perception and opinion, I have mine.

We can frame her response as "anti-arabic" fear-mongering because she is a conservative Jew (though I found no reference to her being Hassidic) and politically active within her movement. She cites no facts in her references to what Obama stands for or is doing, and focuses on facts about Hitler instead, thus planting in the unobservant mind an incredibly biased, hateful picture of Obama while indirectly calling him an anti-semitic nazi (Hitler would roll in his grave - a mixed-blood black nazi!).

She speaks in the same voice as the conservative, right-wing Christian, adding some (unearned?) support from them. The right to protest about an illegal or 'rigged' election is constitutional; unelected judges in the current administration should now be elected, where there was no problem accepting the appointment of conservative right-wing judges; I don't even know what a "Banana Republic" is (is she referring to a retail clothing store?), but I have never seen any evidence that Acorn is a 'marxist' group. If anything, they are intensly involved in making sure all Americans are represented in the polls.

I agree that we are at the verge of the largest collapse in our history, and that we live in fear of exposing those responsible. I just don't believe those responsible are brown or black skinned. Obama IS in favor of/discussing bringing back the draft, and IS adding a huge number of people to patrol our borders. Maintaining and managing our population so as not to become as overrun as India or China is, apparently, a 'civilian defense force stronger than our army'. That is true.

I agree that change is coming, the US will never look the same again, and "I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am
now." (when I choose to entertain fear instead of hope & love). The difference is that I felt this fear with Bushie in office, and am beginning to feel it again now. Politicians are basically the same when they achieve Presidency and power - they make decisions based on fear of losing their power. Sometimes I think Obama is beginning to do that by compromizing much of what we put him into office for in order to placate the right, who will never be placated and will always hate anyone who does not think exactly as they do. He is responsible to represent us all, but we need him less spread out across all issues so that he can use that fabulour, analytical mind to stop those attempting to collapse and overtake the economy.

Anyway, I am another herself (Hunab Ku), only on the other side of the street. As I recall, Obama has not introduced an indoctrination of the people (unlike Bush when he introduced Ready Kids as part of Homeland Security).

In closing I would say, have some mercy and compassion for this woman. Being Jewish, she comes from a history of extremist politics and extreme political results, and chooses to be part of a group that keeps themselves constantly vigilant against it happening again. She's a little nuts, but aren't we all? Having allied herself with right-wing, conservative Chrisitians, I would ask her to watch the documentary "Jesus Camp" except that she might then decide to fund it! It's a REALLY scarey look at the current creation of Christian jihadists & suicide bombers (children, mind you).

Kay

Well, I've read it a couple of times and it saddens me. It reminds me too much of the idiots that were politicians in the state that I grew up in and otherwise decent people bought into it hook, line and sinker. Larry Craig and Steve Symms come immediately to mind. This person is twisting history and logical thought in ways worse than those she accuses of aiding and abetting. I'll have more tomorrow or Monday. No real student of history would ever try to bait this (or any) country into another civil war and I see the wing nuts on the right working awfully hard to take us down that nasty road of hateful intolerance.

Kip--

Geez, where to start... In my view, Ms. Geller is taking the plays straight from the book as written in the early 1930's in central Europe. Rationally, one needs to consider the political landscape that she comes from -- the Likud party and most likely the right edge of it. Israel's last best chance for a lasting peace was frittered away by both Begen and Arafat -- they could have made it right and they could have made it last. Israel has been on the downside of public opinion for more than 20 years by virtue of the fact of their abismal treatment of the Palestinians. It won't be too much longer when the Arab Israelis will outnubmer the Jewish Israelis and the Jewish right will try to dissolve democracy to hold onto power - my opinion. And yet another reason to maintain a secular state at all costs.

Ms. Geller presents herself to the world with the credentials of an academic historian, decries the general malaise of public education (as I do) and then proceeds to shamelessly pander to the uneducated by exploiting the current urban myths of pseudo-history that are held by so many folks that no longer bother to read. She demonizes her philosophical and/or political opponents and accuses them of fascist behavior when it is her behavior that fits the classic definition of fascism -- a political philosophy that almost no one in the general public actually understands anymore. She is employing the tactics of Joseph Goebbels pretty much step by step from a speach that he made in the mid-thirties when he explained in very straightforward terms that his propaganda wahs not designed to make an intellectual argument, but to incite the masses. (I'll see if I can add an actual reference to the exact speach tonight -- I don't think that I'll Google Goebbels from work 1 :) )

In my opinion the right no longer has an intellectual argument and they are just stirring the pot. I find them to be the main reason that I don't bother with the news much anymore. Geller is correct when she says that, generally speaking, people aren't capable of critical thought anymore. She and Rush and a host of others are taking advantage of this and is trying to make hay while the sun doesn't shine.

I've tried to live my life expressing tolerance for political opinion from all quarters, but at this point in my life as I approach my geezerhood I truly do have a craw full

of it from these folks.

--Jim

What the Fuck? Why doesn't she just get the rope out, put the hood on, get on her high fucking horse, round up her cohorts, and string him up on the nearest tree on the hill.

"Change is indeed

coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again."

thank the great mystery for that! Because what has been created, has been created by people like her. We now are in the process of dismantling the whole fucking mess.

She needs to pay attention.

Lost soul.

maybe she is the one that needs to be strung up.

that is my reaction.

V

Sore loser.......when the whole wide world collectivly let out that long held breath in relief the momemt Mr Obama was nominated I could also feel a lot of fear generated. The fear was coming out of the control machine. From the ones that can not or will not choose to look at the bigger picture. At the fact that what big government has been doing for the past years has torn us apart. Not only us in the US but us as the whole world. We are living on a planet in chrisis. We have sold our future grandchildren short. We have been living under a selfish leadership that forgot that their own blood line would be facing the mess we created too. How close minded and offensive to compare our new leader to Mr Hitler. Fear is a powerful thing. Trust is more powerful. We must withstand this kind of fear generating crap. That is what it is. Sore, very sore and afraid losers.....I send out the rescue remedy world wide that we may soothe the fear and help those that
are afraid realize that for a very long time many of us had stood in that place of fear too. The difference that I see here is that the many who voted for Mr Obama did it for love of the earth, love for our grandchildren and hope for the future.
L.

Caleb (my youngest son, who is intelligent, and politicially informed) - I would love to print your response, but your Grandmother reads this column too.

Having read this prologue again I must admit I do not see what the fuss
is about. While I am not looking back over my shoulder at a vanity wall
of such fine credentials my sense of smell is very keen. I have little
dispute with the assertion of our educational, economic and political
maladies. However short the political career Mr. Obama has had inside
and out of Washington, it certainly exceeds the experience of being
mayor of Wasilla Alaska, a town I have lived near and a large community
it is not, with no Dairy Queen in site.
The news media has all of it's own sacred cows wholly laden with common
content. If we are lacking in discernment after decades of biased fear
and hate mongering then perhaps our author can reassure us of which
malodorous mass to gobble up next. There is no sound reasoning that
would suppose the historic events of the thirties, replete with mass
murders, genocide if you will, and our current President have any
similarities other than he would have been on the short list of most
reviled.
I am confident that our President is making mistakes, has made mistakes,
some of which he will eventually repent. One of them is not a desire to
create a master race of Americans, slaughter the unholy in the name of
God or some other oracle of divination. The debt being created or
rather being transfered onto the books of the government was not a
conspiracy of anything other than stupidity and greed. The government
was complicit in the former and we took over from there.
The demise of our industrial base may have been pushed onto the thin ice
through poorly thought out regulation, ridiculous negotiation, and
investing in the non-sustainable as the prudent course. The difference
today is that the government is working on repeating these mistakes in
reverse, using invented money which is truly non-sustainable,
negotiating in businesses that are for profit with a non profit, spend
it like it was real experience base, and then making regulations to
insure failure.
Our President is facing the difficulties, perhaps with a bit more zeal
than we can afford, but he is following up on the legacy of some of the
worst decisions in modern history. He needs to realize growth in the
private sector will not happen if money is devalued through homeopathic
economics. Character assault through comparison to famous villains or
assumptions of race or class divisiveness is of little value. Elitist
fear mongering is the weapon of the group not in power, the power can be
regained through being forward reach rather than back biting. If we are
going to have meaningful dialog, it is best to start at common ground,
if the object is to smirk and snicker at how cleverly we can accuse of
grand conspiracy, and treason to the nation, your job is done.
I suspect soliciting response is not the intention, because the thinly
veiled prejudice smells of sacred cow rendering in both premise and content.
Tom

. . .And the original missive that started this set of reactions? It's captured below, but bear in mind a couple of facts. The author's name is Pamela Geller, not Pamela "Atlas" Geller, who has a website of her own. Her credentialing is not from Google, but she is self-identified on her website as holding those creds.

by Pam Geller

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in

six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is

something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a

banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist

but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now

coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it

because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people

react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something

happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years.

The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing

our economy. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history,

and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why

we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think

critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are

not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close

election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so

controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one

woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We

have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to

write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream

Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana

republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free

fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of

collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire

government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and

know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its

length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war

with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same

religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have

the opportunity to do so.

And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has

never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla ,

Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in

their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip

by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him

speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force

stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course.

The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he

answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more

important.)

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am

now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has

never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will

divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign

the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed

coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral

German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former

smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German

knew next to nothing.. What they did know was that he was associated with

groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they

disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory

and promises.. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he

was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even

newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would

bully them into submission.

And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic

crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the

controls of government power, department by department, person by person,

bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name,

where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his

side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and

goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating

the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages,

better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country,

across Europe , and across the world.

He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this

all in the name of justice and .. . .. change. And the people surely got

what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read

your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down,

called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed

out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in

England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and

called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though .

Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in

Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and

universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just

two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens,

killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and

neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course.

The road to Hell is paved with them.

. . . .And that, folks, is what those of us who are out here on the edges, watching and keeping guard, have to deal with on a daily basis. As a patriot, as an American citizen, what scares me is that this group of people, who so artfully live in a George Orwell-like 1984 world, I believe are truly willing to foster and foment another Civil War in this country, not to achieve anything other than trying to their point, that if they can't be in power, no one else should, and certainly not the citizens of the United States trying to build a representative democracy and operate in a forward-looking fashion.

. . . . Outta here, kiss your kids, tell the ones you love out loud that you do. Seize the precious moments before they slip through your hands. This rodeo is a one-way ticket, and no one gets out alive. We don't get to dictate the terms and circumstances on how the ticket gets punched folks, so it's not about yesterday or tomorrow, it's about right here, right now. This ain't a dress rehearsal, the curtain goes up every morning on the real thing. Change yourself, change your world and in so doing, change the larger world.

. . .Got your back, somewhere out there in the night

The Desolation Angel
[where: Hell, Michigan]