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It's The End of the World as We Know It...and I feel fine
My friend Jan, who has been out of work for over a year (along with many of her fellow IT colleagues) finally said it yesterday.
Richard and I keep saying it, and have been for months.
Several colleagues at a conference today also said it.
But no one seems to be terribly upset.
"It's OVER. Things are now different."
What is "it"?
"It" is the world that was. It's gone. And what we have now is a new and somewhat more challenging world, one that has less oil, less water, less rice, less PRIVILEGE.
Oh yeah, the lattes are still available, and so are the designer purses. But what is new is the awareness that we pay a price for the lattes and the purses. And the price tag includes more than the price of the contents, materials, and design.
We have knowledge now, and hard won truths. How do I know? Ask yourself this: are you more conscious now about how much gas you are putting in the car? Are you cutting back on eating out? Or on desserts? Are you conscious about what you put in the garbage?
Are you more awake?
I have to say, we are. As we unload more and more stuff every day, placing most of it outside for others to pick up, for free, the sense of lightness is growing. My husband seems positively gleeful, despite the fact that he has not been earning much money lately. I wander around the fresh, clean, open spaces in our house, and I know I am ready to leave them for the next occupants. Clutter is gone and with it, the toxins of the mind are lessened.
Stand back, breathe, spread your arms, and let go. Put down the burden of too much privilege and take up the problem-solving, observing-with-perspective, no-moss-growing stance of letting go, and know that it's gonna be a helluva lot easier to solve our problems from a simpler place.
Wax on. Wax off. Sip tea. Smile.
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Karen
I'm definitely more conscious of every drop of gasoline I burn in my cars, among many other things. And specifically, instead of dismissing hybrids as overpriced gizmos that cost a lot to manufacture (both in money and in pollution), I now take them seriously, because the fuel savings alone will still be worthwhile (and the oil companies need to get less of my money).
In fact, I am going to buy a hybrid as my next car. No questions asked. It will not be a Toyota Prius, because Toyota is an evil company that busts unions and installs John Roberts as our Supreme Court Chief Justice. But the Honda Civic and the Ford Escape are definitely on my list, despite Honda and Ford having their own sins; I would rather reward an engineer at Honda or Ford than an oil executive.
Karen,
I've always been aware of life as "privileged' or not. I'm always grateful for what I have, but very frugal with what I spend. But I act (financially) as if I was raised in the 1929 depression.
Oddly, even my brother, the solid conservative-libertarian Republican is just as frugal as I am.
My sisters...likewise. They are savers, though they probably spend with a lighter heart than I do.
Nonetheless, I asked my husband to help me plow a little area for veggies in our little neck of woods. Of course the deer and the bunnies might be helping themselves to the rations too. But I do have this urge to grow my own veggies and can them. Or to pick my own fruit, like we did when we lived in our old house. We drove by my old house a few weekends ago, and remembered the pear, apple, cherry trees in my yard that I had planted. We had a neighbor who shared their veggies with us (and many of the neighbors.) Even though I usually had to throw their cukes away because they were acidic and bitter. Nonetheless, we always got our share of tomatoes, snap peas, zukinni, peppers, dill, and rhubarb. (I make a mean strawberry rhubarb pie.)
At any rate, remember those and feeling like I don't want to keep spending gas to shop made me want to plant my own garden here.
Yes I was raised ridiculously frugal too (post-Depression - people saved string, scrap paper etc.) - I was raised never to leave a light on etc. What I notice is that the US dollar is down so much that it's impossible to travel much outside the country, & the price of gas makes it hard to travel inside the country. The good part is the waking up of people.
On another note:
Bush/McCain fundraiser bars the press
McCain ad features Obama supporter
Asia Times: Bush to attack Iran by August.
http://thinkprogress.org/
I was raised to spend and flaunt it if at all possible. Typical of an East Asian "tiger" economy where newfound wealth was meant to be shown off in any way possible. (Ever wonder why South Korea and Taiwan have crappy economies now? And the Moonies successfully blamed it on outgoing liberal governments.)
My parents still believe in that mentality. My mother, for example, will NEVER drive an "entry-level" luxury car (BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class, Lexus ES), because they are only for younger professionals; someone her age, she says, must drive a high-numbered series luxury car (BMW 5-series, Mercedes E-class, Lexus GS), even though that series number only tells how big the engine needlessly is. And to tell her to drive a plebeian Toyota or Honda hybrid is an UTTER INSULT, since none of her acquaintances care about hippy stuff like fuel economy and environmentalism (and yes, they ALL drive high-numbered series luxury imports whereas she currently drives a Honda minivan). And she is the "liberal" of the bunch...
Karen,
It is a great feeling to get unencumbered by the weight of a mortgage payment looming over your head, especially in this economy, where housing prices are still dropping drastically. I read a book once by an author named Burkett who claims that anyone who does not have a stash of income in the bank should not own their own homes, especially seniors and singles, because it just takes alot to keep them solvent. Between property tax, utilities, garbage, sewer, water, repairs, a person can get tapped out pretty quickly. I took that advice to heed when I sold my house and went to renting. If an appliance breaks, the landlord has to deal with it. He has to pay the property taxes, and the sewer, water, and garbage.
I really feel so terribly sorry for all those Americans who got scammed on the interest deals in the early 2000's when they remortgaged and bought houses they couldn't afford. Their American dream is gone, along with many of our
dreams.
The lightness you feel is justified, and earned. I think there are some kind of emotional or soul ties connected between us and our "stuff", you know, memories, etc. But we actually do only use 10% of what we have, and the other 90% mostly sits around and has to be moved and dusted. Life is alot more organized and simpler when I only have to keep track of and maintain the 10% I actually use.
After the euphoria and relief and lightness, you will feel some grief. It might not hit for a while, and perhaps it won't hit at all. It hit for me about a year after I resettled up here. I am a year and a half away from retirement, and I have everything I need to live comfortably. I have more time to pursue hobbies, and am not working a high stress job any longer, and worrying whether or not I am going to be able to meet all my expenses at the end of each month. When I moved I sold and gave away pure cherry wood tables, really nice lazy boy rocker recliners (in dusty pink velvet) over a hundred pairs of shoes, and a closet full of designer duds. I gave away gold plated flatware, china and crystal with gold rims, the finest things I always thought would make me happy. But to tell you the truth, they didn't make me happy, they were alot of "things" that took up alot of space, and had to be moved, dusted, and hauled around.
Now that I have downsized and moved on I do feel lighter. I don't feel I have to work ten and twelve hour days and all the overtime I can get my hands on to pay to keep all my "things" under my roof, and my roof over my head. It got to be such a burden, and I didn't see any benefit to it after a while.
At first I was still buying the whole "American Dream" Koolaid they sell us in the media, and felt like I had done something wrong somewhere down the line to end up without all the luxury items people in the nineties had to have to feel successful. I have felt bad at times for having to move to be able to support myself and maintain my independence in a smaller, less expensive town. I have grieved the loss of concerts, the ballet, plays, and alot of other things I love to do. But reality bites, and when it does it does open your eyes. We are going through nothing less than what many other people in this world have had to do....change direction because their world circumstances have changed. No, I can't see my kids as often as I would like, but I am able to maintain a decent standard of living here with a nice place to live, a non-stressful job, and alot less worry and stress.
Please remember, as you grieve the loss of your old life and standard of living, that there are many more coming behind you who will have to do the same thing. For centuries people have had to change directions or move to someplace new in order to make it.
My motto (and my relatives all attest to this) is: "You really have to hand it to "TSP" because she NEVER complains about not having enough money or more opportunities. She always just does the very best she can with what she has to work with." Would complaining about it change anything? Only my spirit. I try to make the most of every day, and to enjoy the beauty money can't buy....beautiful sunsets, nature, a wonderful book or movie, visiting with friends. We boomers are going to have to be facing this new stage in our lives, and I intend to live my remaining days out as happy as I can possibly be. When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. You will find beauty in the smallest things now that the load and burden is off. If you become hippies can I come visit?
Larry Burkett has written many books on finances, one is called "How to Survive the Upcoming Economic Earthquake", and he cautions people (especially seniors and singles) to not get in debt by obtaining a house and mortgage, unless, UNLESS, you have beaucoup money in the bank. Renting is alot less stress, especially at my age. The last year in my house before I sold it the washer broke, the dryer broke, the heater broke, the water heater broke, and the air condidtioner broke, all in the same year. When the washer broke it leaked water all over my oriental room sized rug and that cost a fortune to take to a professional cleaners.
I took off with only what would fit in my car. Slowly I have replaced my recliners with used ones I bought and paid cash for, and they are in very good condition. I have bought and paid cash for many items of furniture so I am still relatively debt free and I don't have to work myself into a stuper to pay for it all. It is very freeing indeed.
I have seen some of the happiest people who are economically poor, but they are rich because they understand that you can't buy family and you can't buy friends. I've also seen alot of rich wealthy people who are so wrapped up in their wealth, stature, and self importance to experience any real genuine happiness.
Ex-Bush press sec. in 'scathing' tell-all
Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence.
Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs, $27.95):
• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.
• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.
• He admits that some of his own assertions from the briefing room podium turned out to be “badly misguided.”
• The longtime Bush loyalist also suggests that two top aides held a secret West Wing meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case at a time when federal prosecutors were after them — and McClellan was continuing to defend them despite mounting evidence they had not given him all the facts.
• McClellan asserts that the aides — Karl Rove, the president’s senior adviser, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff — “had at best misled” him about their role in the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10649.html
BAN CLUSTER BOMBS NOW!
In the next 72 hours, 109 countries are negotiating to ban cluster munitions -- weapons that, like land mines, kill children long after wars have ended.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/ban_cluster_munitions/12.php?cl=91672046
Bush was “clearly irritated, … steamed,” when McClellan informed him that chief economic adviser Larry Lindsey had told The Wall Street Journal that a possible war in Iraq could cost from $100 billion to $200 billion: “‘It’s unacceptable,’ Bush continued, his voice rising. ‘He shouldn’t be talking about that.’”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10649_Page3.html
Not.. 'That is not true!'.. Or even 'We don't know that!'.
No. Instead. 'He should not be talking about that!'
He knew all along. It has all along been about him and his cronies looting us.
That is nothing short of an admission that war profiteering was the entire point.
Shocking just shocking that Scotty was helping to mislead the American people. Wonder what the advance was for this book?
I am so tired of these Bush appointees lamenting that they too were "mislead" and are now seeking our gratitude for telling the truth at this late date.
Every time I hear or see a journalist correcting someone's perceptions about Bush or Obama ("You know, ma'am, he's not actually a Muslim" or "President Bush has verified that there were no weapons of mass destruction") the response is the same:
"Oh I don't believe that."
They all did their jobs of lying and misleading so well that many Americans just cannot shift their beliefs away from what got hardwired in 2000-2005. And that is because they were made to be afraid. FEAR UP, as we all understand, changes brain pathways and allows people to believe whatever those they think will keep them SAFE will tell them.
I recommend not ONE CENT be spent on any book that attempts to blame anyone other than the writer him/herself for the obfuscations, lies, and misleading of the American people into disasters, based on a culture of fear.
Scotty should be in jail. Along with all of them.
Pardon my anger, but I've had quite enough.
TSP et al,
Thanks for the comments on how each of us is dealing with the loss of material goods and materialism. I know we are all going through this together.
And yes, all of you will be welcome to the enclave in Nova Scotia. We won't be up there for another year at least, but we will be living a much simpler life, with a much smaller footprint on the planet, as of next week, here in DC.
Same emails and contact info except for the mailing address, but much less crap.
... and as with every other major revelation that confirms what many already knew to be true, absolutely nothing will come from it except tons of twisted punditry, posturing, swiftboating and fingerpointing.
Oh, THAT'S How Can It Be So Wrong When It Feels So Right!
Karen, I think that I have always approached life more or less in that fashion. You try to live light, even when no one is watching.
On Iran, does anyone realize that through using the provisions of the War Powers Act of 1973, Bush would be free to launch a military operation against Iran within ninety days of the end of his term as President - and Congress would be powerless to stop him?
The War Powers Act must be replaced with something that upholds the right of Congress to initiate all new military engagements (short of an imminent - as in, tomorrow, they're fueling their planes right now, imminent).
That last line should have ended with the word "threat".
Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said the White House would not comment Tuesday because they haven't seen the book.
Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to Bush, said advisers to the president should speak up when they have policy concerns.
"Scott never did that on any of these issues as best I can remember or as best as I know from any of my White House colleagues," said Townsend, now a CNN contributor. "For him to do this now strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional."
Fox News contributor and former White House adviser Karl Rove said on that network Tuesday that the excerpts from the book he's read sound more like they were written by a "left-wing blogger" than his former colleague.
In a brief phone conversation with CNN Tuesday evening, McClellan made clear that he stands behind the accuracy of his book. McClellan said he cannot give on-the-record quotes yet because of an agreement with his publisher.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/27/mcclellan.book/index.html
at http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com we called it "A Pig Squeals (Scottie McClellan") - see also photos of savers vs sinners
Karen
Let us know about Nova Scotia because my Florida friends who are emigrating (they're boat fixers & sailors) are headed to Nova Scotia and maybe BC later but they're not sure.
Nice to read TSP
We moved out here on Amtrak with just what was allowed in the train!
We stayed with disgruntled postal workers til we could find these special jobs the Carter Administration provided for people like us (only one year jobs but they saved us.) & that gave me WA residency so I could get in-state tuition (but I never had to pay because I worked for the dept.) The recession was bad enough that it was much easier for me to go to graduate school as a "job" than to use my training I had (though that's all I'm using now.) They would pay me to teach and help with research. A student lives a simple life, having no time, mostly studying in coffee houses and libraries when not doing menial lab tasks or teaching without being paid much. As a "professional student" (70-84 with two breaks) I developed a preference for a simple life.
got to head for work but there are 2 recommended stories at DKos about McCain having a new breaking scandal involving a bank for rich people
The current lead story in the roatation on cnn.com ....
Making a good living, but still feeling strapped
Consumers are feeling worse about their personal finances and prospects - far worse than government statistics about the economy would indicate.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/28/news/economy/feelingpoor/index.htm?cnn=yes
Karen
Christy and I are talking on her art blog regarding the possibility of building a place next to you! :)
She wants a large mansion, similar to those at ancient Pompeii, but it will be very eco-friendly.
Here's the discussion:
http://christysartblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/speaking-of-pompeii.html
John Bolton to be target of citizen's arrest at Hay Festival
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2041908/John-Bolton-to-be-target-of-citizen%27s-arrest-at-Hay-Festival.html
May God be with you sir.
I really hope he does arrest him.
VA: PTSD and TBI "Overblown"; Like "Football" Injuries
by: Brandon Friedman
VA Secretary James Peake continued to show little respect for the service of America's newest veterans yesterday by dismissing concerns about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Speaking alongside Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) in a remote Alaskan village, Peake first used the word "overblown" when discussing PTSD and TBI and then made a "football" comparison.
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1342
Disgusting. I have never seen such disgusting people in my whole life.
Any chance Karen,
AP: Is John Kerry Angling For Secretary Of State?
NANTUCKET, Mass. — The airplane came to a stop, the door opened and out popped Tony Blair. At the bottom of the stairs to greet the former British prime minister on Saturday was Sen. John Kerry, looking every part the diplomat.
Four years after a failed presidential bid and amid a race for a fifth Senate term this fall, Kerry's moves have prompted some questions:
_Is the Massachusetts Democrat positioning himself to be secretary of state in a potential Barack Obama administration?
_Could a Kerry appointment create not one but two Senate openings in Massachusetts, assuming Sen. Edward Kennedy cannot complete his term after being diagnosed last week with brain cancer?
Kerry aides insist he's not angling for the job and point to his long involvement in foreign affairs. It started with his famous testimony as a 27-year-old veteran questioning the Vietnam War before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It continues today, at age 64, as the No. 3 Democrat on the same panel.
But envisioning him in the post would hardly be a stretch given Obama's chances at securing the Democratic nomination, a general election shaping up as a "change" campaign and Kerry's relationship with the Illinois senator.
Kerry would likely face competition from Sen. Joseph R. Biden of Delaware, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a former Peace Corps volunteer who also sits on the panel, and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a top Obama adviser.
Over the weekend, Kerry wrote a Washington Post op-ed column chastising President Bush and John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, for criticizing Obama after he said that, as president, he would be willing to negotiate with U.S. opponents such as Iran.
In recent weeks, the Senate has also passed Kerry-sponsored resolutions seeking humanitarian aid for Burma and Robert Mugabe to step aside as president of Zimbabwe, while Kerry has filed legislation to remove South African President Nelson Mandela from U.S. terrorist watch lists.
The senator invited Blair to this island getaway last weekend so they could discuss the Middle East and climate change.
"John Kerry would love to end his career as secretary of state. It would be a capstone to a life that has always been devoted to public service, but in particular has been focused on foreign affairs," said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/28/ap-is-john-kerry-angling_n_103922.html
Joseph Lieberman To Headline Upcoming Pastor Hagee Summit
How extreme is Hagee? And how cozy are he and Lieberman?
Watch this video by Bruce Wilson of Talk2Action.org to find out.
Hagee: God Sent Hitler. Lieberman: Hagee's Like Moses!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/joseph-lieberman-to-headl_b_103624.html
Any chance Karen,
AP: Is John Kerry Angling For Secretary Of State?
I would not be surprised if John Kerry is playing a part he needed someone to play in 2004--world statesman and advocate for diplomacy. No one really did that for him; instead there was a lot of nipping at his heels and criticizing tiny aspects of his foreign policy experience.
Remember that JK is the son of a diplomat; one who really emphasized the need for diplomacy and concern for the world at large to all his children.
Secretary of State would suit him, but I also suspect that he is more than aware of what happens to chickens counted before hatching. The last few months of his 2004 campaign were kind of nauseating (to me) because of all the positioning that went on. Instead of casting the play ahead of time, they needed to be making sure the star player was IN the play, and that the play had some viability.
kangaroo
I've gotten an email regarding Lieberman's support for Hagee.
The voters of Connecticut made a BIG MISTAKE in re-electing Lieberman. This man claimed to be a moderate Democrat in the past, but he's a DLC neocon extremist.
Either the DLC goes, or the entire Democratic Party goes, even though Lieberman may not be with the party anymore.
I would LOVE to see Kerry as Secretary of State. I read that Daeschle and Gephart were early backers of the main solid people on Obama's staff and when I told me son that, he said "That is the segment of the Democratic party that I like." He'll walk down the aisle at UW on June 14 as a Political Science grad and he's taught me a lot, even if I am three decades older & so far he's a substitute barista & temp worker.
We're living in hard times. I am meeting people who are out of gas and don't get paid for a week so are having to cancel committments.
Just saw on Obama's site that he's really hitting the western states so must be planning to use a new electoral model. He was talking about "a world class education for all children."
I like to hear words like that. Remember when John Kerry said, "We need to start making some friends on this planet."
46
Sparrow -
We, too, have planted a garden this year. We're also making a concerted effort to support locally grown whenever we can. It feels really good to do that - to feel like part of the solution.
For those who haven't read "The Omnivore's Dilemma", I highly recommend it. It will change the way you think about food, and the government's involvement in the food problems we face in this country. It is fascinating.
And Karen, I am feeling the pull of the downsize, although we just built a few years ago, and can't quite imagine leaving. I do want to clean it all out though, and just live more simply. And I'm looking forward to the coming year of your tales of preparing for the big move.
I'm living vicariously through you!
Hey...sorry for a quick rant and then run....
But I'm soooooo PISSED OFF at Scotty's book NOW! Insert a billion curses here... WHY didn't he come forward in 2002? 2004? 2006? AND NOW when it's TOO LATE to impeach, too late to save so many lives, HE'S MAKING MONEY OVER TELLING US ABOUT THE TREASON.
I wonder if he's saying anything that he didn't tell Patrick Fitzgerald. I wonder WHY NOW is he releasing this?
AND I'm wondering if there will EVER be any accountability or jail time for these scoundrels!
I'm just so pissed off...
~~~
OH..I'm also pissed off at what I'm hearing NOW about the dangers of cell phones causing tumors and that they were NEVER TESTED before being on the market. I FIRMLY BELIEVE that we will witness at least generations of people getting brain tumors before we see some sort of properly protected phones. Maybe Oncall can discuss this more. All I know is that we've got teenagers who are connected to their phone. I have been for a few years already but now I'm regretting it! And I think it's too late to stop whatever damage has been done by using it.
Yep Sparrow, that's capitalism, screw the safety concerns, let's just make boo-coo moolah and deal with the fallout later.
What have we become?
Wexler: McClellan must testify
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2008/05/28/wexler_mcclellan_must_testify.html
Who wants to stockpile and use Weapons that Go On Killing after the event? More than 100 countries do not want to continue with these obscene killing devices. But who are the partners in continued stockpiling and usage? Before the last election Australia was all for retaining the status quo. Where do we stand now? Hopefully with the other 100+ countries who've signed the pledge to ban them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7423714.stm
sparrow
Re: cell phones
Remember that two of the major players in the cell phone market - Samsung and LG - are from our South Korean puppet state, one of the few nations in the world with a WORSE crony capitalist system than ours.
Samsung has been at the forefront of cracking down on organized labor, among many other things. Samsung-owned media outlets were instrumental in putting a new Moonie government in power in South Korea.
LG may be union shop, but it's hardly any better. Its phones have exploded in shirt pockets and killed people.
Oh, btw...
My parents swear by Samsung phones, but they've broken down so many times I lost count.
But they will never buy another brand. Not the union shop LG, and certainly not a non-Korean brand.
One more thing
Samsung is so fed up with the demands of its home workers that all its cell phone production has moved to China.
But now that the Chinese workers are better organized and demanding too, I am sure Samsung is trying to move elsewhere.
Ally, thanks for that information. I didn't know about the LG phone doing that.
Also, now that I'm thinking about it...a person I know lost a large percentage of his hearing and has a hearing aid. He's only 36. He's been connected to his cell phone due to his 'high status job' for almost ten years now. I can't help wondering if his hearing loss is related to using his cell phone so often.
I can not say if it was genetically related or not. But it makes me wonder...
And Samsung and Toyota are the ultimate proof that being a white man is NOT a requirement for being an evil crony capitalist.
Ally, I have only had bad luck with one brand of cell phone but I can't remember the name. It wasn't Samsung but I think it started with an "S" too.
sparrow
I picked up a report on the exploding LG phone from BBC a while back. It happened in South Korea last year, and the phone model involved is not available for export to the US or other markets (fortunately).
But it's scared everyone around me enough to a point where no one carries their phone in the shirt pocket anymore.
I do note that LG's are popular among many progressive activists, especially at CODEPINK.
sparrow
Sony Ericsson? That's the only other brand I can think of that starts with an S.
I've heard mixed reviews on their phones, depending on the model.
Nope...but now I remembered it. Sanyo
Yall are going to hate me, but you should throw your cell phones away and never use them again.
I refuse to have one myself.
That British study found cellphones are more dangerous than smoking OR asbestos. I have never heard doctors say something is more dangerous than those two, unless they were talking about nuclear waste or biological weapons.
Get those damn things away from your head! ASAP.
There is not a conversation on earth important enough to microwave your brain for.
In defence of Scotty McClellan, I remember Casey posting on this blog when he was Press Secretary, and she said "You know how in poker they call it a tell? Well, Scott McClellan has a tell."
I watched him after she posted that and he indeed did. He looked absolutely MISERABLE at having to skirt issues and dodge truths and give inane answers. It wasn't too long after that that he resigned. He's probably a decent guy who didn't know what he was getting in to and hated it while he was doing it.
That's my take anyway, and I've felt that way about McClellan for a long time.
*******
If Kerry was appointed SOS, how could we replace the two Dem senators in Mass? We need them too. I agree, Kerry would make a great SOS. So would Bill Richardson of NM.
There is not a conversation on earth important enough to microwave your brain for
Christy said~~
Christy, that's a great Hallmark card right there that you invented.
"True Love...I'd microwave my brain just to talk to you. Let me Call You Sweatheart..."
I love you too darlin, but I won't fry my cranium just to talk to you.
Not even love is worth that.
But Christy, imagine the valentine's day cards with that slogan...
It could be just like that cartoon character who advertises for cigarettes.
And...maybe we could sell the cell phones as a means of talking and cooking a tv dinner simultaneously! Imagine the time savers...
WAsn't able to sleep the night straight through, so here I am again.
I still applaude Scott McClellan for writing that book, and give him kudos for waiting until 6 months before the November election to release it.
I can't wait to get my wing wongs on a copy of it.
:-D)
What a wonderful Christmas present in June! People will try to rip him apart, but it was his job at the time. He hated it, and got out.
What a WONDERFUL gift!!!
McClellan’s grandfather, W. Page Keeton, was the former dean of the University of Texas School of Law. His mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, was the first woman elected mayor of Austin and was elected as the Texas Comptroller in 1998. She ran for Governor of Texas in 2006 but finished third in a five-way race.
His father, Barr McClellan, was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board and then for the Federal Power Commission under Democratic President Lyndon Johnson. Barr McClellan also wrote a book about power and Washington: “Blood, Money & Power: How LBJ Killed JFK.” Published in 2003, the book claims that Texas attorney – and McClellan’s former boss – Ed Clark masterminded the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Barr McClellan wrote a second book, “Made in the USA: Corporate Greed, Tax Laws, and the Exportation of America’s Future,” scheduled for release in July.
Scott McClellan’s brother, Mark, 44, was a member of President Bush’s council of economic advisers and was commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
McClellan’s mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, was the former Texas comptroller, an elected position. She also unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006.
According to his White House biography, before joining the White House staff, McClellan was the traveling press secretary for the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign. He began working for Governor Bush in early 1999 as deputy communications director. Prior to joining the governor's office, he served as chief of staff to a Texas state senator, worked on grassroots outreach for lawsuit reform in Texas and managed three successful statewide campaigns.
When McClellan left the White House, the president said, "I thought he handled his assignment with class, integrity. It's going to be hard to replace Scott, but nevertheless he made the decision and I accepted it. One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas and talking about the good old days."
McClellan said he still admires the man, even if it appears less likely that he'll be invited to the Bush ranch in Crawford any time soon.
"I continue to have great affection for George W. Bush today," McClellan said. "He cares very passionately about what he talked about, about spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East. – to transform Middle East by making Iraq the linchpin for spreading democracy."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24861380/
I've never owned a cellphone. I'm guess that I'm lucky in that regard. I use cordless phones at home, but they're apparently not dangerous.
Hmmm, this would be a good time to capitalize on this news and invent a really cool-hip earpiece for cellular phones.
iSkull
I have the cheapest kind but use it only for road emergencies, calling home to see what is needed from the store or to find someone in a crowd, in which I must make a prior arrangement - as I don't give out the number and usually don't have it on.
I agree that scittys book is a gift, but there is one big giant thing missing.
An apology.
I doubt little scotty did it for us. I doubt he even did it for the money. It sounds more like he is trying to get ahead of a train that is about to run him over.
Is little scotty worried he will be hanged as a war criminal, or atleast go down in history as one? Why, that must be wayyy more important to him than we are.
For all the good this book does, it does not change the reality of his guilt. It does not address how it is all going to be made better. He does not even apologize.
Be very careful before making him out to be a champion. If he was that, he never would have done what he helped do.
How many times did we each personally witness scotty telling lies that he had to know were lies?
How many times did we sit there screaming as he smirked at us and kept right on lying and spinning...?
And now he wants what? Forgiveness?
Even if he did apologize, he doesn't deserve forgiveness. He lied to our faces too many times for that.
If he wants forgiveness he should ask God for it. Because there is not a damn single reason any of us should give it to him.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has declined to get in the middle of the nominating fight between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, made both a prediction and a promise about the race on Wednesday."
"Mrs. Pelosi told the San Francisco Chronicle’s editorial board that “a presidential nominee will emerge in the week after the final Democratic primaries on June 3, but she said ‘I will step in’ if there is no resolution by late June regarding the seating of delegates from Florida and Michigan, the two states that defied party rules by holding early primaries.”
Though she said that the long primary season had been “a very positive experience” for the Democratic Party, her pledge reflects the deep concern among many Democrats that a nominating contest that reaches the convention floor could be disastrous."
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/the-early-word-pelosis-crystal-ball/
I think we all understand what Pelosi is saying. The burden will soon fall on the Clintons to accept reality - or split the party in 2008, and perhaps for years to come.
Brokered conventions, where the nominee was ultimately decided by a party elite, have long been a staple of American politics - and might even return in the event that three or more candidates share a more or less equal number of pledged delegates. But the day when an elite literally overruled the will of a majority who participated in an extended primary process has passed.
I have no clue what the Democrats were thinking when they came up with this cockamamie Super-delegate scheme - but the moment the Super-delegates attempt to overrule a verdict of the people is the moment when the Democratic Party will join the Federalists and Whigs in oblivion.
Let me repeat that phrase: the moment the Super-delegates attempt to overrule a verdict of the people is the moment when the Democratic Party will join the Federalists and Whigs in oblivion.
And that is exactly what the Clintons and their lackeys, like Geraldine Ferraro, are arguing for.
At this point, I would rather lose in November than allow a political elite to attempt to overrule the will of a majority. Conservatives stuck to their guns after 1964, and ultimately triumphed in the battle of ideas – at least for a time. They stood for something, and they figured out a way to sell it. It’s time for Liberals and Progressives to learn from their example, to take a stand for issues that resonate deep within the American psyche (and hence are likely to matter to Americans over the longer term), and then figure out better ways to sell them – in contrast to Clintonesque poll-driven politics. The nineties were a great decade for the Clintons and a terrible decade for liberals, progressives, and the Democratic Party.
Just say no to triangulation and poll driven politics.
Thank you, Matthew.
Re: cell phones - I know NMP really uses hers sparingly (and hers was very old, the last time I checked). I refuse to talk while driving or doing anything important, though my business does require the use of phones. (This policy frustrates my parents and coworkers, sometimes.)
Generally I really hate the very existence of telephones (land lines included), and if I could get rid of ONE modern-day "necessity" forever, I would DEFINITELY pick the telephone.
No Moonie phones (Samsung, LG) for me, in either case.
Did I mention nothing good could come from a Clinton candidacy?
Monkey,
Regarding ear piece: The current ones actually direct the radiation to the inner ear. And thus they're no more safe than holding the phone by your head.
Christy,
Regarding Scotty: Not a gift...too many are dead and too many war criminals have been hidden. It would have been a gift 3 years ago--say right around the time that he quit.
I'm scared that once November comes around and January, that Bush and the mafia with him will be off scott-free.
Sidenote: Murdock predicts an Obama landslide.
And that blog post also didn't make the Times' cut...
Ah, the media elite defending the political elite...
I agree Sparrow it is not even really a gift. It was a bad choice of word on my part.
My point was though, that even if it does seem like a gift or favor or that scotty really really wants to be honest now, as you said it does not matter because too many people are dead.
scotty is a known liar, even if he won't admit it or spins it entirely to his favor, we all know we are dealing not just with a liar, but a dangerous one at that.
I understand a strange sense of gratitude is in play, but he does not deserve it. He said all of this too late to be thanked.
Christy,
My bad choice of words. I meant I agreed with you!
(Sorry being brief today--maybe too brief.)
He is not a hero, but he's slightly towards 'redemption' if there's such a thing. I personally believe there is blood on his hands, the media's hands, and all those people who let the lies continue unabated for so long! This includes the Williams, the Courics, the Matthews, who have suddenly discovered the truth gene.
B.S., I say!
They should have been SCREAMING in 2002-2003-2004-2005 and so on about what their 'masters were doing!'
AND take another look at Dan Rather again. And take a look at Helen Thomas. I swear to God, I'm considering making a museum about this. I'll have the Hall of Heroes and Heroines and I'll have the flaming pit of Hell for people like Rove and the rest.
I guess Scotty is still close to Hell but no where near a hero! And Powell is even closer to Hell, because he has done LITTLE to fix the wrong YET he's the ONLY REASON so many people allowed the war to happen. THEY BELEIVED POWELL.
BTW...And Scotty's book is an additional piece of proof that the ONLY THING that has saved our country from Bush, the FACIST CORPS and the Republican Party is the internet!
We were told that WE were only conspiracy theorist--tin foil hat wearers. And we were TOLD to DROP the subject of the stolen election. We were kicking and screaming about the REPUBLICAN CORPORATE MEDIA while they kept saying it was a 'liberal media.'
Proof folks...the lid is OFF that pot and all the creepy crawlies are going to start to ooze out.
This SHOULD have been a John Kerry Presidency and the MEDIA fulfilled their ROLE in taking Kerry down.
This book is FURTHER PROOF of that. (Not just election night but that the whole election season was the CORPORATE MEDIA'S CORRUPT handling of the whole election season.
Proof is damn hard to swallow. I've been feeling quite ill about this all day long!
Well, I knida liked how Karl Rove said on FOX, "this doesn't sound like Scott, it sounds like a left wing blogger".
oh, you mean the ones who were right about this all along?
Obama Email: "It's You Vs. George W. Bush"
The Obama press team is sending around their latest email to their list of supporters, a direct, confrontational hit on President Bush:
Dear [supporter] --
Defeat the Bush-McCain Fundraising Machine Right now you have a unique opportunity to go head-to-head with George W. Bush.
This week, John McCain and George Bush gathered behind closed doors, away from the cameras, to raise money for McCain's campaign.
McCain used Bush to raise a reported $3.5 million from a group of about 500 Republican contributors.
That's a lot of money that will undoubtedly be used to attack us and make the case to continue George Bush's failed policies.
But I have an idea about how we can match it. And we don't need George Bush.
Right now, someone who has already given once to the campaign is ready to give again -- but only if you make your first donation right now.
If you take the next step and decide to own a piece of this campaign, that supporter will double your gift.
You'll see the name and hometown of the person who matched your donation. And you can even choose to exchange a personal note about why you've decided to support a different kind of politics.
Double your impact -- your donation of $25 will equal $50 for our cause.
Now is the perfect time to make your first donation:
https://donate.barackobama.com/match
As the presumptive nominee of his party, John McCain has had a three-month head start to build his campaign. In that time, he's made his fundraising strategy clear.
In the words of one reporter, the gala fundraiser with Bush was "part of McCain's delicate effort to find the balance between embracing an unpopular president and taking advantage of his huge continuing draw with well-heeled Republicans."
We'll see more of this dance in the weeks and months ahead, but we already know the steps.
As we prepare to take on John McCain, now is our first chance to show that a grassroots movement of people giving only what they can afford can go toe-to-toe with the Bush-McCain fundraising machine.
And with the last three contests of the Democratic primary coming up in the next five days, the resources we're building right now are an urgent necessity.
Help build our movement by making a matching donation today:
https://donate.barackobama.com/match
John McCain can run from the cameras, but he can't hide from the fact that he's aiming to continue George Bush's policies for a disastrous third term.
Let's show that we're ready to take him on.
Thank you,
Barack
McCain fundraiser sued by partner in lucrative contract with U.S. military
A little-noticed civil lawsuit in Florida is shining a light on an unusual but hugely profitable Pentagon contract to ship millions of gallons of aviation fuel to U.S. bases in Iraq through the kingdom of Jordan.
The deal involves a cast of influential characters, including the king of Jordan's brother-in-law, who is suing Harry Sargeant III, a top Florida-based fundraiser for Sen. John McCain's presidential bid.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24846474/
Scotty on Olbermann tonight:
1. Be very skeptical if you hear things about Iran that sound like the leadup to Iraq.
2. Hasn't decided who he's voting for. He's intrigued by Obama's policies and ideas about changing the culture of Washington. Respect's McCain's bi-paritsan efforts. Has not made up his mind yet.
Olbermann to Scotty:
Very impressed with book. Thinks it will be a pivotal historical document in American history. Thinks future generations will be taught using this book.
Whoa.
Olbermann with Scotty - maybe not the full thing - the first 14 minutes:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24882715#24882715
All 4 parts of the interview
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/29/scott-mcclellan-on-countd_n_104194.html
Not to be a bummer, but I think this whole McClellan story will be like every other bombshell that has come and gone over the last 8 years, as in it will not be acted upon by anyone, absolutely nobody will be held accountable for anything, and there will be lots of accusing and defending in the overcrowded media airwaves, and in 2 weeks, it will be as stale as, uh, 2 week old bread.
Welcome to The Era of Low Expectations, now with 100% More Lack of Responsibility!
Given that a full 33% of America thinks that Barak is a Muslim at this point in time, I'd anticipate that this story will eventually peter out - and have little to no impact on the 2008 Election.
If so large a segment of the electorate continues to be as dumb as rocks, we will lose our Republic sooner or later.
As far as I'm concerned, any candidate of any party who attempts to profit from a campaign of misinformation is guilty of a Crimee against Democracy.
I disagree Monkey. The dynamics of this story is different than everything else before.
For 1, even though they are calling him a 'left wing blogger' he is not. They can't blame it on 'the liberal media'. And they can not say he would not or could not know, because obviously he does.
And unlike every other insider account, this one broke and within 24 hours the case for the war was ripped back open, AND they are on tv now actually using bush and lie in the same sentences over and over again.
Not only that, but the mood of We the People has changed considerably in the last 6 months. Everyone, even loyalists are starting to really freaking hate georgie.
Also him hitting the press, along with the accusations, has seemed to have caused a rank and file war among journalists who are once again eager to prove they are journalists and not just sockpuppets. Like with Chris Matthews, you can tell he is either very pissed he got manipulated, or he is very upset he got caught, but either way you can almost literally see the change come over him.
I just think all combined, this story is not going away.
And notice something else, they are saying all this awful stuff about him, disgruntled, not in his right mind, traitor... whatever.
The one thing they are not calling him is a 'liar'. And, if they have evidence to dispute him with, but so far, they have not disputed a single point he raised.
It is one thing to do that to Helen Thomas or a lefty, but he was one of their most loyal insiders, and they do not seem to be able to dispute him in any way whatsoever. Except name calling.
All good points Christy, but good points haven't meant Jack Squat with this anything pertaining to this administration.
So I guess we'll see in 2 weeks, when everyone is talking about how Clinton is ripping the democratic party apart, huh?
You know what struck me in that interview? Where he is sitting there talking about how people are saying this and that about him but they have never even read the book.
I was looking at him thinking 'Yeah you little bastard, just like you did repeatedly to Michael Moore! Or for that matter, anyone else who came out and said then what you are sating now got the same treatment by you!'
Funny how he could do all that with a smirk on his face, but now it's 'Oh they hurt my poor wittle feelings by not even reading it before critisizing me!'
How many dead could he have saved? How many carreers did he ruin from that podium when he ran people into the ground, not on merit, but with smears?
If nothing else, the hypocrisy of little scotty mcclellen is enough in itself to give this story life after life after life.
Oh, and BTW, by yesterday afternoon his book had already become the top seller at Amazon. Number one bestseller.
None of the other insider accounts did that in 24 hours. None of them.
"..but good points haven't meant Jack Squat with this anything pertaining to this administration."
I agree Monkey, but this time there is one big difference. Mainly the press.
Just the fact he was the press secretary, and this book is in effect a full condemnation of the press, it really seems to have sparked something between these journalists.
This on top of the recent revelations about propaganda programs... It is almost like scotty all by himself has broken a major part of the blackout.
I have always thought bush was like dominos. Push over the right one and the whole thing collapses on itself. It appears scotty was that domino.
In a way it is almost like he forced journalists hands with the nature of the accusation.
Either hide what I am saying, and therefore be guilty of exactly what I am accusing you of.
OR report it fully and the inevitable result will be a vicious backlash against georgie.
It is a perfect storm for a sock puppet to be in.
The notable thing to me is that, despite what we may think of him or how pissed we are at him for not speaking out when it was happening, his whole demeanor right now is one of a man who is confident and comfortable in his own skin.
I think he appears this way because he knows he has the facts and the truth behind him.
Karen can probably weigh in on this if she has watched any of the interviews. He just seems to be...unflustered...by any of it. This is a different man than we saw at the podium.
He's obviously thought a lot about all of this. It's just too bad in so many ways that he didn't come to his senses sooner.
I noticed that too, Carol.
Plus, Scotty has those new left-wing liberal sideburns that he didn't use to have back when he was two-faced.
Full Moon Fever
I've been reading up on strategies Obama might be able to use in place of the traditional Ohio/Pennsylvania/Florida triumvirate.
It turns out he has run a strategically brilliant primary campaign, and none of his smart strategists has quit!!
He tried to limit his losses in states he knew Cilnton would win while maximizing in states he could carry. She blew off caucus states, and he didn't, knowing they yield delegates.
Clintonistas did not understand the need to balance party insiders with the rank and file. They didn't understand proportional allocation of delegates though it's really simple. Obama maximized delegates in districts where there are more delegates because there are more Democrats, like in urban areas.
For the general, he needs a western strategy and to do well in states where Kerry did well, and alot of new voters who actually get to vote.
41 needed, right? Gore headlines the big ticket dinner with fundraisers for both candidates tonight, Obama should be announcing his overall win in Minneapolis on Tuesday night, and Clinton will make her followers vote for him (according to what heads of the protesting group at DNC mtng tomorrow told HuffPo) - PLUS Reid, Pelosi & Dean met & agreed to make things NOT go to the convention, acc/what they told a SF TV station.
Sorry no links - running off to lunch at work. This better not mess up or there will be trouble.
By the way, hope to see Iraq and Afghanistan Winter Soldiers tomorrow at Town Hall and we will also have an Anti-War protest - may not stop the wars but we need to do it again. Alot of groups are signed up so maybe it will be big. I hope so.
check this out .. from calling Puerto Rico (BO's site)
I’ve been having a blast! In Puerto Rico people are very friendly, and when I talked to them, and expressed that I’m Puerto Rican living in Chicago, they asked me about my family, my children. This gentleman from Canovanas told me to call him to visit them when I go to Puerto Rico. I also talked to a lady who's 107 years old, and is going to vote for Obama! She calls him ‘Baracco’... it's been a religious experience for me!!! I have laughed, and cried with them. I will make more calls tomorrow!
(the HRC cultists are going on about a preacher scandal & it turns out to be this Catholic priest I really like - saw him once taking on a FOX "reporter" - they despair)
It's the end of the month so I am going to donate all I can to BO & the DCCC.
He does seem strangely calm for a man that just pulled of a public doublecross of the worlds most powerful people.
Downright eerie if you ask me.
Appropriate thread for this one
Viewing E.T. film, expert is a believer
The Colorado Film School instructor who analyzed a video that purportedly shows a space alien swears the footage is real.
"There is no doubt in my mind that (Stan Romanek, a Colorado native who has reported UFO sightings,) did not post-produce this material. In other words, it's not a trick done in special effects," Jerry Hofmann, a professional film editor with more than 30 years of experience, said Thursday. "I have equipment that will test to see if that shot was recorded originally on that tape, which it was," he said.
However, Hofmann said there's no way for him to know whether or not the little gray alien, which was videotaped peeping through a window, is the real thing.
But Hofmann thinks it is.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/may/29/expert-says-ufo-tape-no-fake/
Hmmmmmm.
Re: Hillary/DLC/poll-watching
Here in California, a notorious DLC poll-watcher by the name of Gray Davis used to be our Governor. He used to be considered a rising star in national Democratic politics, and a possible future presidential candidate, when he first won in 1998.
He claimed to be running and governing from the center - his own way of saying that he's a poll-watcher.
He got re-elected in 2002, only because the Republicans got stupid and nominated a right-wing extremist, Bill Simon of PAX TV, as their candidate. Davis's ratings were among the lowest of any governor, because he screwed over the Democratic base and never really delivered for the average Californian.
No wonder the effort to recall him was successful! Today's Governator, Ahnuld Schwarzenegger, may not be our cup of tea, but he did this whole "governing from the center" thing better than Davis (or any other DLC moron) ever could.
Sure, the energy industry ganged up against Davis, in the form of tripling electricity rates and power blackouts (not to mention lowering the octane rating on premium gasoline from 92 to 91), but if Davis really cared for the people and his party as opposed to the polls, he would've survived ALL of this.
Col. Ann Wright will speak in Long Beach, California, this evening, regarding her new book. This is the last stop in her Southern California tour. This event is being hosted by IVAW, MFSO, and CODEPINK.
I already met with her last weekend, but I plan on attending this event anyway.
I forgot... Raed Jarrar will also speak at Col. Wright's event tonight.
I wonder if this is THE Raed who almost got booted off of a JetBlue flight because of his T-shirt...
All good points Christy, but good points haven't meant Jack Squat with this anything pertaining to this administration.
Not for 8 friking years Monkey, so I won't hold my breath waiting for it to happen now, just because it's a Bush insider that has let all the lies out of the bag, but we can always hope Cristy.
The Bush administration is moving at breakneck speed with plans to drill and destroy some of the most stunning wilderness areas in Utah.
Don't stand by while world-renowned wilderness areas are handed to the oil & gas industry.
Stop the Bush
Administration's
raid on Utah's
Red Rock
country!
http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/utahm09
New Thread...Just a quickie for those on dial up.