Cindy, I understand your frustration, ma'am. There are too many people in the peace movement that are more intent on splitting hairs and highlighting differences among themselves, rather than putting aside small disagreements for the bigger picture: Strength through peace (to steal Kucinich's quote). My views are not always politically correct on the progressive side of things, but I am adamantly opposed to US fascistic corporate militarism. But unfortunately that's just not good enough for some activists, and I have been trashed by the people I thought were my allies. Anyways, Cindy, my love is always there for you. We just need to learn to accept each other in the Peace movement, warts and all. We are all we have.

CINDY!

Political offices are for citizens to hold!

Your staff should be political savvy; you rely on your staff to inform you of your choices and you decide.

All you have to do is be open about what you (WE) are facing. Tell your constituents why you made the decision using the MSM.

If MSM can't get the truth out, tell us that too.

If lobbyists try to influence you, tell us about it.

Go for it!

Once people see you are "open" and honest, they will back you. It's just that they don't expect anyone to be honest anymore.

But that's where the non-politician shines!

For all CDers.....Mark Cuban's site is www.hd.net

JASSIM -- (as I posted to MA_Matriarch) -- My heart is overfilled with grief of those millions at death's door (and rung through it) while we (as you mention), know that what is "happening to my sister in Iraq is happening to us all. We are truly all _ O N E _", and through that belief, faith and hope - perhaps our knowledge and survival may unfold.

The absurdity of it all is that our tormentors are suffering with us in this malaise , perhaps even more so, and they/we need our compassion to heal their separation from us and soulful wounds as well. Perhaps it is our own anguish that drives our own wedge of separation with them, coupled with their elitist hubris, but in true healing, we must close all within the circle of life - unconditionally so. Forgiveness is not forgetfulness, but the salve of LOVE that heals our own hidden sides(s), and creates an opening for possible _ O N E N E S S _ to occur.

Although they're acting as ruthless wicked thugs (even thrilling with their riding of the beast) - that hardly absolves them of their intrinsic humanness. [ We must hope that the despicable and wicked evil that drives them is something less than a total psychopathic break with reality, and that only a few true sociopaths fill their ranks. ] It sickens me to consider feeling compassion for their broken feelings, while thriving in their (protected) hill-top palatial settings (contrasted with homeless in Iraq as you say), but I believe we must go to greater depths of compassion to deal with greater depths of evil, or the prospects are otherwise too grim to consider.

Elsewhere, I addressed the similar issue of the N. Vietnamese Buddhist monk commenting on Rodney King's tormentors, and how the greater compassion needed was to understand within the police holding those clubs, what could instill that depth of hate and violence towards another human being? How grievously they must all be afflicted with psychic pain for them to act with such wanton disregard for the feelings of another fellow creature.

The above was cross-posted, and DREAMER TOO has provided here a wonderfully simple (and more powerfully vested) solution for dissolving our _ F E A R _.

_ L O V E _ is the _ a n t i d o t e _ to _ F E A R _

Namaste … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … … … … … … … … … …
« We must be the change we wish to see in the world »
« There is enough to meet everybody's need, but there is not enough to meet everybody's greed »

C I N D Y _ & _ A L L

It is no small _ D E C L A R A T I O N _ to stand for something unprecedented,

as did our founding fathers, with nary a shred of 'evidence' in support, nor ready troops to fight the most powerful gov't of all time (up to that point). The creation of the US of A was a creative dream, of hopeful possibilities, as is our current situation.

_ W E _ must become _ THE NEW _ Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and Washington of this era, and re-claim what was once prized in all of the world, our freedom and ideals.

W E _ H A V E _ O N L Y _ " J U S T " _ B E G U N _

Namaste … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Mahatma Gandhi … … … … … … … … … …
« We must be the change we wish to see in the world »
« There is enough to meet everybody's need, but there is not enough to meet everybody's greed »

Get real Cindy. You wrote "Our country is rapidly slipping into a corporate-militaristic fascism". The US has been in that state for years. You may not know it, but the rest of the world, particularly the poorer sections of it, know only too well, having suffered at the hands of the 'corporate-militaristic fascism'.

It has only become apparant to most in the past four years. Most Americans were unaware, many still aren't, perhaps the majority. Cindy is writng in the hopes the majority get the message. I believe she is about as real as they come. Her article here is for us all to come together, not bicker over word usage and unimportant things.

ABOLISH WAR -- there is nothing more real on any of our plates.

Do you really think that the FASCIST beasts are already there, and it cannot get worse?

I believe that Cindy and Naomi are talking about the far-from-static rapidly accelerating demise of any real "Democracy" that we have left. There are a series of varying and worsening tipping points, as a free society desends into the abyss of tyranny, and although we may be only ~50% of the way, the last 50% happens in 10-fold less time than the slow build-up we've seen so far.

My hope is that neither you nor any of the people I know, end up on the wrong side of a cattle prod (or cattle car off to the ~500 camps already made for dissenters), as even that real possibility, will mean most all of us quivering in our boots, in terror of saying the wrong thing or knowing the wrong people.

Wake up before it's too late - as whatever freedoms you like now are going to be memories, perhaps as soon as 1 year from now.

Come Together, Right Now!

Unite the People into a People's Peace Party!

To: Cindy Sheehan

By leaving the Democratic Party and challenging Nancy Pelosi for her seat in Congress you have taken two courageous and insightful steps. According to recent polls there are millions of Americans in agreement with you. The poll rating of Congress is even lower than Bush.

The November 2006 election was as a rejection of the Bush regime and a call for impeachment. This was thwarted by Nancy Pelosi in taking mpeachment "off the table". In doing so Nancy Pelosi has become fully complicit in the Bush agenda. The bloody consequences of her decision are frightening. Nancy Pelosi has continued the war in Iraq and possibly enabled an attack against Iran.

The Democratic Party, with only a handful of occasional
dissenters, has fully worked with the corporate Republican Party in the corrupt "privatization" of the Federal Government. Under "privatization" the federal government has been ruthlessly plundered "of, by and for" the profit of corporations and individuals who make up the nation's ruling elite. Taxes for these wealthiest have been massively reduced. The massive debt for the Middle East wars is projected to exceed two trillion dollars.

Domestically privatization has meant destruction of essential public social programs. Fifty million people unable to afford health care insurance. Public health facilities have closed. The public school system is in decline. De facto segregation patterns and social inequality are once again destroying the lives of millions. Affordable low-income housing is now scarce.

Global warming is now severely affecting the planet. But the Bush administration refuses to enact any measures to mitigate this catastrophe that would negatively affect the profits of polluters.

I urge your Peace Summit attendees consider the neeed to establish of a new political party (People's Peace Party-PPP)
to represent the needs of the American people for establishing a society of peace, economic and political democracy.

Nothing progressive can be done until the end the existing corporate dictatorship. The federal government has been privatized. The military is now waging war for corporate profit. The only way to break the corporate control is to dump the corporate controlled Democratic Party.

To implement this people's peace agenda the PPP does not accept corporate funding or donations from individuals that seek to alter this core agenda and purpose of the People's Peace Party.

The PPP pledges to end corporate funding of political campaigns. The PPP seeks to end the "person-hood" legal status
of corporations that has completely corrupted economic, political and cultural life of the people.

The PPP seeks to severely restrict corporate chain media ownership and to re-instate a "fairness" doctrine in media broadcasting.

The PPP seeks to end the "electoral college" system in national
elections and promote a single national standard of voting. The national elections should be fully subsidized to end corporate control of elections.

Only through minimizing and ending corporate control of society can we ever hope to end war, global warming, poverty.

(Suggested platform planks)

* The PPP pledges to end the existing wars in the Middle East. The PPP pledges to cut the existing military budget by 50 percent, close most of the 700 plus foreign bases, shutdown expensive but unworkable military systems, and to end the privatization of the military.

* The PPP pledges to transform the war-based economy designed for corporate profit to an economy designed to fill the economic needs of all the people.

* The PPP pledges to attend to the crisis of Global Warming that threatens the existence of humanity.

* The PPP pledges to promote measures for an ecologically sustainable and democratically based economy to end social inequality.

Perhaps this notion can be discussed at the Peace Summit in January???

Kem Patrick
You say it's only become apparent to most in the past four years. Since World War 2 the U.S. has invaded and destabilised more than 21 countries around the world. Some of us keep abreast of international affairs - that's why we've known for much longer than 4 years. And as for classifying "corporate-militaristic fascism" among unimportant things, all I can say is God help America.

Yes indeed, I said MOST.

If that were not so, we would have a Democracy or still have a chance to have one. You and many here may have always been aware, as you wrote, "some of us"___ but the people who blog here are the minority and this site and others like it have only been here for a few years. Adolph has arisen from the ashes of Berlin and is presently drying his wings for flight, just like the fabled Pheonix.

The uninportant things I refered to were, someone bickering over minor word usage, not the issues you listed. You seem to wish to create unnecessary friction with your word usage. Why?

Actually it is 800 already prepared, staffed and waiting. Some have huge creamatoriums which can 'process' 20,000 inmates a day. More are being readied.

Google the words __ fema prisons __ and scroll down to the third and forth articles.

I just read someone saying in this forum that they hope Cindy does not get elected. So do we just keep Nancy in there. She is fully culpible in the disasterous state our country is in now. Can it get any worse?

Do you think Hillary will make it any better - the ultimate insider?

I am beginning to feel like Cindy did back in May. Just stop giving a dam*. Let the country tank.

And another person writes here that they found Cindy son culpible in going. Well as a National Guardman I went and it did make a difference. Three distinct times I stopped actions that would have cost Iraqi lives. If good people don't go, then the entire military is made up of a bunch of fundamentalists who hate anyone who is not white and Christian. The fundamentalists Christians are the most mentally disturbed group on earth. I heard some of these Jesus fearing pieces of work tell good Iraqis one on one how they had hoped that the entire country was bombed and turned into a parking lot.

Anyone else getting "your comment is awaiting moderation"?

Never heard of it on this site; what did you write?

I've been getting them with 3 or more URLs (web links),
so when I get one, I just edit out a couple of links
and it goes through w/o "moderation".

Depending on workload the moderation delay may be as long as a day, most likel a few hours

KEM...
No, you didn't 'interpret as intended' (but don't feel-bad about that -- as I said, I didn't heed that 'parable' correctly and initially, either).
As for 'opinions' -- yes, all are entitled...(never inferred otherwise).
[I consider myself 'friend' to Cindy...but hadn't her address, thus the utility of a public-venue.]

Ken Patrick,

No, of course I am not for the peace movement giving up. Heaven forbid - with the sabres now rattling towards Iran and Pakistan with threats of nuclear strikes against nuclear targets, this is potential armageddon. Nuclear madness of the highest order. We are all we have.

I question Ms Sheehan's judgement which I know is akin to blasphemy. And indeed we all make mistakes (me all the time ..) Yet the meeting with Maliki (mentioned above) and her desire to work with an entirely illegitimate political being, was truly worrying. (The invasion was illegal, thus anything which flows from that is the same, say international law experts.)

There has been no questioning by her of the arresting, kangaroo court and then lynching of Iraq's legitimate President and government. Whatever his hue, this was an act of barbarism and illegality on an historic scale. Iraq's 'sovereignty and territorial integrity', was guaranteed by the UN (it may be pretty poweless but it is all we have on the world arena.) Maliki, with his links to some unsavoury militias (fact) has a great deal of blood on his hands. Surely she cannot have not known? If she did not, then again judgement has to be queried. One does not get in to the minefield of Middle East politics, without reading everything at every level, listening, asking learning - and then tiptoeing very, very carefully.

The refusal to meet the military bereaved here, I have mentioned before. A speaker has a duty (and it is invariably an honour) to give time to those who have given their time and spent their money to hear him or her. These people had put their grief aside to show solidarity and try to give her strength to keep going and show there was a strong military against the war presence here and in her support. In the group were a woman who, when her husband's remains were flown back, had to identify him. When the coffin lid was opened, there were two legs of different sizes. She had to identify which was his. Another was a man, formerly pillar of his community and a local Councillor (politician at local level.) He was so distraught when he discovered his son had died for a lie - not to defend his country - he took to sleeping by his son's grave. He died a few months after Ms Sheehan's visit (absolutely nothing to do with her refusal to see them, he simply felt he had nothing any more to left to live for.) Another of the group had insisted on dressing his son's body himself, for his funeral and told me of brushing 'his beautiful hair' - on the side of his head still present.

Ms Sheehan was not to know their stories, but she knew they wanted to shake her hand and thank her.

She recently referred to her P.A., as her 'sidekick'. Perhaps this does not have the dismissive meaning in the US it has here in the UK. I hope not. But we have.on both sides of the Atlantic, insensitive, ill-informed and power driven politicians. We need those that will be the dawn of a fresh start - and with the stamina to keep going. Getting tired is no sin, but campaigning is gruelling and not for undertaking lightly.

If this sounds harsh, I am sorry. But knowledge, compassion and courtesy are not hard to come by. Apologies again for the length.

j.

Kem Patrick,

Talking of making mistakes, I did with your name, apologies, hit the wrong key and missed the error.

j.

No sweat Jassim, on rare occasions I have been known to misspell a word now and then.

So, who do you support out there in the pack fighting to do what Cindy is attempting? I know no one who ever ran for public office who has not erred or was perfect. My point is, why nitpick or berate her at all? Cindy is running against one who has really screwed us and the result is the war drags on. In your original post you wrote "We all pull together". It seems to me that you're pulling the wrong way here. So, anyway I still don't understand you or your posts, so let's let it lie and move on.

I've been suggesting for a while now that we the people draft musicians -- be they rockers, rappers, whatever -- and hold benefit concerts as often as possible. Amnesty International, Code Pink, and A.N.S.W.E.R. are the front line of the peace movement and they need money, so let's raise it!

My role model insofar as this goes is the late, great Marlon Brando -- since Brando would pay the bail of jailed Black Panthers back in the day. To HELL with "bling-bling," do the right thing!

SAAB, good post. Music truly is the international language. My favorite of all of Disney is it's a Small World. Personally, I can do without the rap and hard rock.

Can someone please explain to me why the occupation of Afghanistan is immoral? (according to CS, anyway.) It seems like an honorable cause to me.

Uhhh, why are we occuping Afganastan? What has our occupation accomplished, other than spreadng thousands of tons of DU all over the entire country. Anyone here know what our being there has accomplished in any positive manner?

Thank you for the excelent post, 1DREES, it is both enlightening and well written.

Cindy - run for president. Now!

Even if the Democrats win the presidency (unlikely) and keep both houses (unlikely) it will still be status quo. Running for Pelosi's seat isn't going to change anything. Hell, Nancy could just decide to retire and that would be the end of that.

But hey, if you announce you're running for Pres, the media will figure that will make you a spoiler and give you the publicity they deny Kucinich. Only it will backfire with all the support you'll get. The dems will have to listen to you, whether they want to or not. And with dissatisfaction with all the front runners and both parties, you'll find yourself in a position of power long before the election.

And, hey, you could win :)