PART II: THE OCCUPATION IS THE PROBLEM; WITHDRAWAL IS THE SOLUTION

82% OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE ARE AGAINST THE OCCUPATION AND DEMAND WITHDRAWAL

THE OCCUPATION IS THE PROBLEM; WITHDRAWAL IS THE SOLUTION

PART II:


This next article is mostly on the mark but a little negative, certainly the Internet represents an electronic revolution with the potential, I would say, to be equal or perhaps even possibly more influential and enduring upon historical development than the French Revolution. It is a fundamental shift in the way information is shared and controlled and represents are far, far greater chance for democracy to be realized that I think more accurately reflects the well-reasoned, enlightened ideas and values particular to the minds of the Framers of our Constitution. The Internet may be the saving grace of the Republic.
As far as oil goes, the free-market is the tool for obtaining oil. However, the supply of oil is running out so by grabbing oil in Iraq we are only postponing the inevitable: that oil will run out thus we must stop thinking about how to get more of a limited edition product and instead concentrate our best efforts using our world-renowned ingenuity that has marked American culture from our inception toward finding an alternative means of sustainable energy and renewable resources. The war in Iraq, the grab for oil, represents defeatist thinking, that is, that there is a limited supply of oil and that we must grab the last of its limited supply now and use all of it up instead of thinking victoriously and positively by relying on our historically-known ability to engineer novel ideas and solutions to chart another course that will sustain us and renew us as a nation for generations to come. We must change course to invest in our greatest asset, the American people, because it is they, not the enriched, arrogant elite who will lead us from this wilderness. By investing in the public domain and pursuing a strategy that draws upon our best and brightest we will discover new ways that will together help us sustain and grow the America that is ours, the world that is ours, and our global human family.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north417.html Where there is a will, there is a way.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1130-20.htm

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE AGAINST THE WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1117-04.htm
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/9916
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/9951
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1121-26.htm
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=19915
http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/9974
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120205R.shtml
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-11-23-iraq-reality_x.htm
http://www.antiwar.com/bock/?articleid=8149
On getting out of Iraq:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805R.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112305C.shtml
A worthy dialogue to listen to between Scott Ritter and Seymour Hersh:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/audioblog?bid=8&pid=31875
In Bush and Cheney’s view, the MAJORITY of Americans are un-American but I say its Bush and Cheney who are un-American, traitors to the Republic and to our troops.
IMPEACH THE TREASONOUS SONS-OF-BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://villagevoice.com/news/0547,cartoons,70202,9.html
http://www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/49

GOOD MEN AND WOMEN ARE DYING NOW, SO I DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS HOW MUCH WAR ON IRAQ ECLIPSES OTHER ISSUES, BRING OUR TROOPS HOME OR FEEL THE FURY OF WILL OF THE PEOPLE IN NOVEMBER 2006:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/19/AR2005111901249_pf.html
http://www.bringthemhomenow.org

Veterans running for Congress, good, just remember the majority of the people are against the war so while your credentials as veterans may get you elected, your ability to speak out against the war fight the good fight to bring the troops home and serve and protect democracy at home is what will win you the hearts and minds of the people: The title of this article is kind of bogus since there is no “war” on terrorism, but it’s still good.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/us_house/articles/2005/11/27/veterans_take_on_new_battle_run_for_office/


GO CINDY GO!!!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!! NEVER SURRENDER!!!! NEVER QUIT!!!
HOUND HIM UNTIL THE TROOPS ARE BROUGHT HOME!!!!! SPEAK OUT!!!!!
YOU GO, GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!
A MUST READ BY CINDY SHEEHAN:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112405Z.shtml
CINDY’S NEW BOOK:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977333809/103-1904003-5230206?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1116-10.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112605X.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112605D.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1126-22.htm
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/bliss1.html
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/13249361.htm
I really liked this article, Cindy, I like how you spoke to Barbara Bush on the same level as she. Do you know what the difference between rich and poor is, besides money? None. We put our pants on the same way they do. We are equal in theory.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1117-23.htm
Carly Sheehan: A Nation Rocked to Sleep, Watch the video:
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0616-07.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112005G.shtml

A poem by Carly Sheehan, younger sister of Specialist Casey Sheehan who was killed in Baghdad, Iraq on April 4, 2004:

Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?
The torrential rains of a mother's weeping will never be done
They call him a hero, you should be glad that he's one, but
Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?

Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?
He must be brave because his boy died for another man's lies
The only grief he allows himself are long, deep sighs
Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?

Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave?
They say that he died so that the flag will continue to wave
But I believe he died because they had oil to save
Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother's grave?

Have you ever heard the sound of a nation being rocked to sleep?
The leaders want to keep you numb so the pain won't be so deep
But if we the people let them continue another mother will weep
Have you ever heard the sound of a nation being rocked to sleep?

~Carly Sheehan
Thank you Carly. Your words bestow great honor upon your late brother.

Take a lesson from Cindy, a leader:
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/09/con05327.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091905S.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091905Z.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091905Q.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092005L.shtml
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/11/con05449.html
Go BILL MITCHELL!!!
http://www.kget.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=2607689D-8DDC-4199-95CF-B2769BCE7BB4

TAKE ANOTHER LESSON FROM MEDEA BENJAMIN, YOU GO, GIRL!!!!!!
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1124-30.htm
Every action you take to stop us will only make us stronger, it will galvanize us.
We will not stop the good fight for waging peace, for justice and for the truth!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/jfrank.php?articleid=7333
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092205F.shtml
This is a good article too, informative and flavorful, especially the quotes by Barack Obama, but of course, that’s because Mr. Obama is a leader and makes it interesting.
Some words of leadership were also offered by John Edwards, another leader.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091305C.shtml
Another leader, Sen. Robert Byrd:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0914-27.htm

I love it when a soldier gets it, grabs his cajones and speaks truth to power:
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/jgordon.php?articleid=7277
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0918-22.htm
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-09-01/cover.html
http://www.antiwar.com/prather/?articleid=8156
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/9/prweb288010.htm
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/13266919.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1130-03.htm
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/denson4.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1129-26.htm

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092405B.shtml
(Although, I disagree with the last line, credit due is to every person who participates and registers their attendance at anti-war marches and other actions. Neither I, Cindy, Medea, Andrea, Bill, nor David, can claim most of the credit. But, millions of us together can claim credit. But in the end, who gets credit is irrelevant, the only thing that really matters is the advancement of the idea, the nurturing and nourishment of the seed that will eventually blossom into a tree. THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT. NO ONE PERSON CAN DO THIS ALONE. DON’T EVER STOP BELEIVING IN YOUR INCREDIBLE, GOD-GIVEN POWER TO BRING SWEEPING CHANGE. YOU CAN!!!!!! AND IF YOU PERSEVERE, YOU WILL ACHIEVE SUCCESS OF GREAT SUBSTANCE!!!
THIS I KNOW. THE WORLD IS YOURS TO CHANGE IF ONLY YOU PERSEVERE
PERSEVERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“The New Frontier is here whether we seek it or not. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus. It would be easier to shrink from that new frontier, to look to the safe mediocrity of the past, to be lulled by good intentions and high rhetoric -- and those who prefer that course should not vote for me or the Democratic Party. But I believe that the times require imagination and courage and perseverance. I'm asking each of you to be pioneers towards that New Frontier. My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age--to the stout in spirit, regardless of Party, to all who respond to the scriptural call: Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be [thou] dismayed. For courage, not complacency, is our need today; leadership, not salesmanship. And the only valid test of leadership is the ability to lead, and lead vigorously.”
---John F. Kennedy

“Have we the nerve and the will? Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, the ocean and the tides, the far side of space, and the inside of men's minds? That is the question of the New Frontier. That is the choice our nation must make -- a choice that lies not merely between two men or two parties, but between the public interest and private comfort, between national greatness and national decline, between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of "normalcy," between dedication or mediocrity. All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we shall do. And we cannot fail that trust. And we cannot fail to try.”
---John F. Kennedy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_f._kennedy

--------------------

John Walsh raises a great question here, and one that I have been trying to hammer away at for a long time. Why doesn’t UFPJ reach out to the anti-war Right? Why aren’t speakers from the anti-war Right represented at anti-war marches and given the podium?
THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT IS NOT SOLELY A MOVEMENT OF THE LEFT.
WE MUST ASPIRE TO BE AN AMERICAN MOVMENT, A RIGHT-LEFT MOVEMENT!!!!!!!!! UNITE THE LEFT AND RIGHT AGAINST THE WAR!!!!!!!
WELCOME ANTI-WAR CONSERVATIVES INTO THE FOLD, GIVE THEM VOICE
http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh11172005.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard102.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/kwiatkowski/kwiatkowski132.html
And Anti-war.com is run by Conservatives—Libertarians against the war:
http://www.antiwar.com/

I’m sorry Mr. Rendon. Is Internet “movement” news subverting the Information Operations roadmap? Well, good, because my intention is to subvert the means of information and I believe it is working remarkably well. Do enjoy!!!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805N.shtml
If you hope to better understand the National Security apparatus in this country, I highly advise reading James Bamford’s Body of Secrets which really flushes this topic out:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385499086/103-1904003-5230206?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance


They will not have died in vain if future wars are treated with deep skepticism:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1115-33.htm

Cooked intelligence and lies that led us into war:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111505I.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112005F.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112005Z.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112105B.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1126-07.htm
And the lies just keep on giving:
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13185357.htm
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051128/scheer1116
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1120-25.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120305F.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1121-05.htm
http://www.suntimes.com/output/greeley/cst-edt-greel25.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1127-29.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-scheer/cheneys-trouble-with-the_b_11117.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112705Y.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1127-05.htm
http://interventionmag.com/Primary/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=45
LIES!!!!!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112105Q.shtml
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-curveball20nov20,1,6788510.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/12/01/embedded-time-reporter/
http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1122nj1.htm

The liberation, freedom and peace Bush has brought to Iraq:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1120-04.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1646743,00.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article328158.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4465194.stm
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rozeff/rozeff45.html

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?”
~Mahatma Gandhi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi


“The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within.”
~Mahatma. Gandhi


Revoke Karl Rove’s security clearance, he cannot be trusted and trust is the central value upon which intelligence work and intelligence collection primarily rests:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1116-05.htm

It is time to bring open hearings on the work of the intelligence project coded,
“ABLE DANGER”:
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Support_grows_in_Congress_to_allow_1117.html

If protesting the war counts as terrorism, then I admit I am a terrorist and I am going to keep terrorizing until the troops are brought home. So what are you going to do about it, FEDS??? THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO!!!!!!!!!!! SUCK IT UP AND DEAL!!!!
http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0508c.asp
You have no power to stop one individual from speaking out and protesting the war…
IT IS PATRIOTIC TO QUESTION AN UNJUST WAR BASED ON LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m no terrorist, I am a principled patriot and protesting the war is patriotic, period.

This is a brave soldier, honor her:
http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=8060
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1118-08.htm

Ehud Barak calls for the reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq:
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=164415&cat=India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehud_Barak
This was a splendid development:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_re_us/reform_jews_iraq
http://urj.org/pr/2005/051118/

Hooray for Rabbi Eric Yoffie!!!!!!!!!! President of the Union for Reform Judaism:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051119/ap_on_re_us/reform_jews_conservatives;_ylt=Aqs0lFJAnQR4F1vMdPJNKhOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM3MTg-
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/11/29/foxman/

Nice!!!
http://urj.org/pr/051120/index.cfm?
Watch the advertisement by People for the American Way:
http://www.savethecourt.org/site/c.mwK0JbNTJrF/b.867163/k.C6BD/TV_Ads.htm
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--alitoconflicts1125nov25,0,1226995.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
This article raises some interesting questions; it’s interesting and worthy to think about.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1126-09.htm

Sweet!!! Excellent work.
http://urj.org/pr/2005/051116/index.cfm?

I give credit where credit is due and I must say that although I have not liked Ariel Sharon in the past, that I wholeheartedly support his decision to leave the Likud:
Good job, Aric!!!!! I wish your peace-making efforts, if you are sincere, all good luck.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1125/p06s01-wome.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1126-28.htm
Keep the pressure on him Amir Peretz, keep him honest, well, as honest for a politician.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/650995.html
It would seem to me that two-states side by side built upon mutual trust, mutual economic benefit and mutual respect for human rights would, over some indeterminate amount of time, allow for mutual freedom of movement that would permit Israeli’s Jews to visit sites of historical and cultural value inside the Palestinian state and vice-versa while still enabling the continuity of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian one. I think this noble future can definitely be achieved and realized if it is built upon mutual trust earned over time, mutual cooperation and mutual friendship. Such relationships do not come easily especially to current foes but I find that friendship hard earned is friendship most valued.
And the meaning of “hard-earned” as I see it is that both sides must be willing to demonstrate greater flexibility, willingness to craft clever consensus and work hard for peace. Only through peace can such a valued relationship be earned so I say SHALOM!!!
http://www.geocities.com/toi_billboard/recommen.htm
http://www.gush-shalom.org/
http://www.shalomctr.org
http://www.avnery-news.co.il/english
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
http://www.btvshalom.org
http://www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org
http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/index_en.asp
http://www.tikkun.org
http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html
http://www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp
http://www.refusersolidarity.net
http://www.rhr.israel.net
http://www.seekpeace.org
http://www.btselem.org

The solution pursued by Yitzhak Rabin is an ideal model moving forward, land for peace.

“I hope... that mankind will at length, as they call themselves reasonable creatures, have reason and sense enough to settle their differences without cutting throats; for in my opinion there never was a good war, or a bad peace.”
~Benjamin Franklin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_franklin


“There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.”
~Abraham Lincoln
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_lincoln


“It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King%2C_Jr.


“Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.”
~Dwight D. Eisenhower, President, Republican Party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower


“What a cruel thing is war...to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”
~Robert E. Lee, Confederate General, CSA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E_Lee



“Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.”
~Sir Peter Ustinov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Peter_Alexander_Ustinov


“Peace...is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle.”
~Dorothy Thompson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Thompson


“The world stands on three pillars: The truth, the justice and the peace. And these three are indeed one. When justice is served, truth is served, peace is served.”
~Rabbi Shimon Ben-Gamliel, Talmudic sage

---------------

On the true courage of John Edwards, THIS IS A MUST READ:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051117/what_we_know_now.php
On the timetable option and the accountability it will enforce:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111705D.shtml
Here is the liberation we have brought to Iraq, I’m sure they appreciate it:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051118/our_monsters_in_iraq.php


On the un-American, immoral practice of torture that betrays U.S. troops by subverting Geneva Conventions principles. Besides, torture rarely yields accurate information.
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/bush_cheney
http://www.alternet.org/rights/28585/
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/5746990.html
http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news3/latimes163.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/111805I.shtml
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051128/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/wilkerson_interview
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1118-08.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/20/torture/index.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1203-26.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1203-27.htm
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/13195321.htm
http://villagevoice.com/news/0547,hentoff,70204,6.html
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1130-04.htm
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=39984
http://www.soaw.org/new/newswire_detail.php?id=933
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112105A.shtml
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_11/007663.php
http://www.vermontguardian.com/commentary/122005/WHINSECProtest.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112105F.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1121-02.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120305Y.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1124-27.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5436648,00.html
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_051124soa.shtml
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=132183
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/05739FC5-03D1-493B-B9B5-2F4FFE3D4817.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/25/AR2005112501552_pf.html
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/fiore/2005/11/hide.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112505N.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1125-24.htm
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=80918
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1127-26.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1647998,00.html
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112505A.shtml
Yo!! EU, tell Rice to go jump in a lake and wash off her immoral, anti-troop opinion.
http://today.reuters.com/PrinterFriendlyPopup.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=uri:2005-11-28T215338Z_01_SPI878777_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-EUROPE-RICE.xml
http://www.buffalobeast.com/88/torturecards.htm
Apparently, CIA Director Porter Goss’s lips are super-glued to Cheney’s ass. It’s a very compromising and unbecoming position you are in, sir. My, how brown is your nose?!!
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1121-17.htm
Pull a little harder, Porter and you might yet get unstuck from his Cheney’s hairy crack:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1353449

The (un)Patriot(ic) Act and the preservation of Habeas Corpus:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1124-24.htm
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/23/152219
http://www.reason.com/links/links112305.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112305E.shtml
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/11/24/padilla_case_tests_the_patriot_act/
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1203-29.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1155AP_Padilla_Indictment.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/cassel12012005.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-padilla29nov29,0,4962733.story
http://www.slate.com/id/2131127/?nav=tap3
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1123/p02s01-uspo.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/national/nationalspecial3/27enemy.html?hp&ex=1133154000&en=2c869147cef04b83&ei=5094&partner=homepage
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112805I.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1130-31.htm
The Patriot Act is bad for Americans, bad for liberty, bad for freedom, bad for business, bad for America period, however, it’s a giant leap on the road to Fascist America. Unfortunately for fascists, Fascist America has another name, i.e., Humpty Dumpty and you know what happens to H.D. and what all the kings horses and men couldn’t do.
(Oops, just violated Section 802 again by implying the overthrow of Fascist America….you gonna come to my house and arrest me now, ya small-minded cowards?).
The Constitution is the covenant between the citizenry and the government; if the Constitution is overthrown, the Federal government is fair game for the same treatment. For clarification, see the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. How do you like Free Speech now, Mr. Bush? Isn’t the First Amendment simply wonderful?
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/funddocs/billeng.htm
http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news2/wsj00.html
http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=8166
http://lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory100.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/wittner/wittner16.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5206
If the FBI wants to watch us anti-war protestors, I think that’s wrong, but while they do it, they can pucker up and kiss our tuchus’. We will express ourselves freely in the American tradition. If you don’t like what we have to say, well, that’s your problem.
This is a terrible idea: Maybe we should spy on the Pentagon. Freedom of Information!!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/26/AR2005112600857_pf.html

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
~Thomas Jefferson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/index.php?ntid=62966&ntpid=11



“An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.”
~Thomas Paine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine


“The most tyrannical of governments are those which make crimes of opinions, for everyone has an inalienable right to his thoughts.”
-- Baruch Spinoza, philosopher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza

On the bogus “war” on terrorism as defined by Mr. Bush:
Mr. Bush would have you believe all terrorists are united by a common ideology and goal, to screw the U.S., but that is just not true. Juan Cole gives a pretty good analysis:
THIS IS A MUST READ:
http://www.juancole.com/2005/10/arguing-with-bush-and-gwot-bush.html
As does Norman Solomon, another ESSENTIAL MUST READ, it’s so true and funny:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1010-22.htm
Our military is adept at challenging a single enemy on the field of battle as in the invasion of Iraq, but with the terrorists, what we face is not a single enemy on a single field of battle but a rag-tag unbound collection of varying groups who share neither purpose, ideology nor even often common language, religion, history, custom or tradition. They are dispersed all over the world and most groups have little to no connections with other groups, thus, in defeating or helping curtail the activities of terrorists that are represented across the spectrum in a very multi-dimensional and multi-faceted way, it begs for an information-based and law enforcement action-oriented solution whereby information is collected and analyzed by intelligence personnel and when necessary targeted for surgical removal by special operations forces. (Quit using a sledge-hammer on the patient for we are going to get sued for medical malpractice and thus lose our license to lead the world). But each terrorist group should be approached differently, treated differently and different solutions proposed for each based upon what is driving them to their cause. No single terrorist group is like another terrorist group; each are different, not so much in their tactics as in their motivations to do what they do. And it is by recognizing this fact, this nuance, that will enable us to “win” the global struggle against terrorism or more accurately, curtail terrorism, by dealing with reality as opposed to dealing with the world in an ideologically comfortable way that serves only to enrich our friends. The security of Americans must precede securing more money for the rich because by putting the fat-oinkers before the people is how Bush betrays America and Americans. The longer we stay in Iraq the greater harm will be done to the Empire. The Empire is already in very serious decline. In the linear history of empires as they ebb and flow, China bats next. (Unless we begin shifting our resources away from the military-industrial-complex)
http://amconmag.com/2005/2005_10_24/cover.html
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20051024&s=klare
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1130-28.htm
http://www.amconmag.com/2005/2005_12_05/article.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1202-31.htm
Ignore what the idiots in Congress say, pay close attention to what they do
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/102005Q.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1125-22.htm
This is the definition of an Empire in free-fall, folks, phrased by Senator Barack Obama:
"For too long, the philosophy in Washington has been that you can spend without consequence or sacrifice. That we can fight a war in Iraq and a war on terror, protect our homeland, provide our citizens with Medicare and Social Security and maintain our domestic priorities, all while cutting taxes for the wealthy and funding every local project there is."
~Senator Barack Obama
Do what is right. Analyze the problem for what it is, deal with it, and cope with it.
Cut the bullshit, already, we don’t buy it. Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism.
If Iraq is the central front then the “war on terrorism” is a load of bullshit.
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051011/bushs_fantasy_foreign_policy.php
The reality is that terrorism has been with humanity since the beginning of time and terrorism will be with humanity until the end of time, we can help curtail it, but we can never stop all of it. The important point to remember, then, is that almost nothing has changed and we should certainly not be sacrificing our democratic institutions for a world that simply has not fundamentally changed. The only thing different is we were struck hard on 9-11-01. In the wider scope of history, 9-11 is the day in which almost nothing changed except in how we view ourselves in the world and the ways we respond to long-standing scourges that have plagued humanity from the beginning and will continue to plague humanity until the end. So we will work hard to curtail terrorism understanding that it can never be totally eradicated because it is not an enemy nor an ideology but a tactic and a method, that’s it. There is no “war” on terrorism except in the cheap rhetoric of politicians. It is bullshit. Terrorism is nothing new, therefore our struggle to curtail it is NOT a new kind of war. Our effort to curtail terrorism, IS NOT A WAR AT ALL. If spreading democracy around the world is our stated intention the best way to do it is to LEAD BY EXAMPLE. To lead, demonstrate to the world American democracy at home.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/101305H.shtml
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article320005.ece
http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=7674
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1644028,00.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1202-25.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/113005J.shtml
I suggest you listen to Gore Vidal this conversation with him by the Nation magazine:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/audioblog?bid=8&pid=31875


What are going to do next time we are impacted by an act of terrorism, folks? Are you going to believe the lie that liberty can be traded for security? Will you allow the political class to set up a military dictatorship? A fascist government perhaps? I think this Thanksgiving we should thankful we still have the right to free speech to nurture our democracy non-violently because if the day ever comes that our government sets up a military dictatorship and outlaws free speech, such a situation could get very, very ugly. The key moving forward is to conquer your own fear and understand that liberty cannot traded for security because without liberty there is no security from a tyrannical government. FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY AT HOME!!! IT’S YOUR COUNTRY, THERE IS HOPE FOR THE REPUBLIC YET IF ONLY YOU GET INVOLVED:
I’m pretty confident democracy can, will and is making a strong comeback and remember that in a democracy, non-violence is the ONLY way to bring change, in a democracy.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg&storyid=137348
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/11/24/a_day_for_thanks_and_for_wishes/
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051124/thanksgiving_and_taking.php
Hooray for Deborah Davis!!!!!!
http://www.denverpost.com/harsanyi/ci_3253063
Your papers, please!!!! Listen to the audio.
http://www.wingsofjustice.com/05/11/woj05025.html
This is wrong and probably illegal, it’ll just scare people which is what they want to do:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/28/D8E5RPBO5.html

SPEAK OUT!!!!!! STAND UP; FIGHT BACK!!!!!!!! SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!!!! “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”
~Dorothy Thompson

"To know how to say what others only know how to think is what makes men poets or sages; and to dare to say what others only dare to think makes men martyrs or reformers - or both."
--Elizabeth Charles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Charles


“Give me liberty or give me death.”
~Patrick Henry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry


“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”
~Thomas Jefferson


“We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
~Edward R. Murrow


Democracy, like any other English word, isn’t worth squat without substance and action.
Just as in the so called “democracy” in Iraq in which all the elections are rigged by U.S., democracy isn’t democracy without appropriate legitimacy, substance or accountability. Didn’t Saddam hold rigged elections too? The war on terrorism is fundamentally racist, think about it, 19 wacko-extremists pull off a stunning act of terrorism and huge swaths of our population blame the hundreds of millions of peaceful, moderate Muslims, whose religion Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, was founded by Abraham. While we indeed share cultural differences, we also share many similarities to Muslims. Muslims did not attack us on 9-11, extremists did. Blaming Muslims by saying they attacked us on 9-11 is a lie equivalent to saying Christians bombed Oklahoma City because McVeigh was Christian. It is total horseshit and baldly racist. Most Muslims are moderate, peaceful and never attacked anyone. Our government, however, did attack them in Iraq. Do the families of dead Iraqi’s have the right to revenge and attack us with terrorism? According to our government’s logic, yes. The war on terrorism is a recipe for disaster, is a load of bull and the only thing that makes me laugh louder and puke harder is hearing the word “corporation” associated with the word “person” or hearing about the zero-taxes they pay when they should pay what us wage-earners pay because that would be equality under tax law. Extremists just get more press….the McVeighs, the Israeli settlers, the Muslim suicide bombers seem to get all the press but most people are moderate, most are like you and me, folks.

Did you know that Bush was the first to cut-and-run in the prosecution of terrorism? It’s true. Does anyone remember when we had OSAMA BIN LADEN cornered in the mountains of Tora Bora? What happened, why didn’t we get him? Well, we didn’t get him because MR. BUSH CUT-AND-RAN FROM THE TERRORISTS and diverted our resources to begin an unrelated military invasion of Iraq based on lies that had nothing, and still has nothing, to do with global terrorism. Cutting and running from Iraq now is the smart and moral option that would allow us to re-focus our efforts on prosecuting the pursuit of Osama bin Laden, reduce the feelings of resentment that draw people to terrorism thus serving as a recruiting agent into the ranks of Osama bin Laden, save our military from total destruction as the wear and tear on our equipment and exhaustion of our troops result from multiple, repeated deployments takes its effect, stop the bleeding of national treasury and commit ourselves to addressing some of the real issues at hand that serve to bolster terrorism in the world like mass poverty, resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict and adopting win-win international diplomacy skills that sincerely listens to the opinions and advice given to us by our allies and global partners. We must begin to act as a team and united to curtail the scourge of terrorism instead of acting unilaterally, blowing everyone off, cutting and running from terrorists as in Tora Bora and begin formulating a smart, strategic plan designed to dramatically curtail terrorism by addressing root causes thus draining the swamp. The smartest, best, most moral and most responsible strategic move the U.S. can undertake at this time is to CUT AND RUN from Iraq and re-focus our efforts upon where Mr. Bush inappropriately CUT AND RAN before, at Tora Bora.
http://usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-24-war-strain_x.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4467042.stm
http://www.antiwar.com/glantz/?articleid=8191

I DEMAND WE CAPTURE OR ELIMINATE OSAMA BIN LADEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FORGET IRAQ, WHERE IS OSAMA BIN LADEN, MR. BUSH?????????????????
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1122-32.htm
Really, Porter?? Maybe you’d like to stop flapping your lips and start getting him:
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2005-daily/30-11-2005/world/w2.htm

------------------------------


Thomas Paine on Intelligent Design:
http://alternet.org/story/28346

"Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good."
---Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man, Part II." (1792)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine

And others:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/12/great_debate.html
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1126-25.htm
http://www.alternet.org/story/28569/
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1130-25.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1129-28.htm
A pointed criticism of the Religious Right from the Economic Right, why how delicious?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis4.html
America was founded upon the idea of a strict separation of church and state:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/12/a_nation_under_god.html
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/1997/11/monroe.html
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2005/12/Roman_Inquisition.html


"Political freedom cannot exist in any land where religion controls the state, and religious freedom cannot exist in any land where the state controls religion."
-- Samuel James Ervin Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_James_Ervin_Jr


“People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.”
---Dave Barry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry


“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”
---Susan B Anthony, reformer and suffragist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony



"As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place."
- Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz


"Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good."
---Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man, Part II." (1792)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine


On the urgent and threatening issue of global warming:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1120-03.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1120-05.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1118-09.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120205G.shtml
http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2005/11/22/obama/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1650444,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/0,12374,782494,00.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p25s01-usgn.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/weekinreview/04revkin.html
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051201/a_third_way_on_global_warming.php
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1123-08.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1129-04.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/120305A.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1201-03.htm
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-113005ocean_lat,0,1653296.story?coll=la-home-headlines
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112905H.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1125-06.htm
http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/05-6om/McKibben.html
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1132806423734B252
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1127-32.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1127-31.htm
http://unfccc.int/2860.php
http://www.ipcc.ch/
We need a renewable, sustainable energy policy moving forward:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051126/ap_on_go_co/democrats_energy;_ylt=AsfTgngo4uSfiHreRIewMmSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-
On protection of Federal lands for hunters, outdoorsmen and anglers:
It saddens me to see the Republicans sell off public land to private interests. When I was a young man, 16 or 17 years old, I worked as a ranch-hand, a cowboy, in the mountains of Colorado mostly shoveling horseshit (whereas now I just sift through it to get to the truth) and we used to go hunting for Thanksgiving wild-turkey in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I don’t hunt anymore but I certainly have fond memories of outdoor trips.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1746/
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051122/OPINION01/511220304/1014/OPINION
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1124-30.htm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112905N.shtml

This next poem is beautiful and I think fuses the concept of preservation our environment with the notion of planting ideas as seeds. Seeds are meaningful, timeless and perpetual.
This is a wonderful poem that I copied from our congregational Siddur which I really, really love. Although I focus on this life and pursuing justice, peace and truth in this life I really like the timelessness of this poem that creatively speaks to the preservation of the environment. It’s delightful to find a community (even for someone like me, a rugged individualist) where one can share faith and also share in being gay but we have straight people in our congregation too, as our Rabbi recently commented, “We don’t discriminate against straight people.” Our Rabbi is great, she teaches and inspires me.

Life After Death

These things I know:
how the living go on living
and how the dead go on living
with them

so that in a forest
even a dead tree casts a shadow
and the leaves fall one by one

and the branches break in the wind
and bark peels off slowly
and the trunk cracks
and the rain seeps in through the cracks
and the trunk falls to the ground
and moss covers it
and in the spring the rabbits find it

and build their nest
inside the dead tree
so that nothing is wasted in nature
or in love

----Laura Gilpin



CELEBRATE DIVERSITY BECAUSE LOVE, NOT HATE, IS A FAMILY VALUE
http://www.glbtjews.org/
http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/oneigla/tb/
http://members.aol.com/orthogays/

------------------------

On the anti-war objective, the manner in which it is achieved, and why I do what I do:

If building a lasting peace in Iraq is your ball go for it, (realistically, I don’t agree that’s going to happen because I think there is going to more chaos in Iraq if we stay than if we go but I think there will be a great deal of chaos either way…..there really are no good options). My ball to run with, my cause, my objective is fighting the good fight in a particular way that I do with a particular goal in mind, to bring the troops home alive and protect my country. I know it offends some people in the peace movement the manner in which I WAGE PEACE, in a self-defined patriotic, kicking politician butt and taking names (followers must be led), take no prisoners sort of way (oh, the irony) that is also principled, blunt and bold, but hey, I think this tactical approach works. I think method is important but not at the expense of effectiveness. To achieve the global objective we must ultimately keep our eyes on the ball, work to accomplish it by doing what is effective, doing what gets results, doing what accomplishes the mission in the best method and manner possible. We must balance the practical with the philosophical. Besides, I always accomplish my mission. Frankly, I trust in the American people insofar that I place faith in the decency of American values to do what is right whereas the powers-that-be, distrust and fear them seeking instead instill in them fear and hopelessness. That’s why I try, through my writings, to be more than just a beacon of hope but a source of inspiration that will empower common folks to follow the course I have led by setting an example, while they empower themselves with access to greater information. When people are afforded greater information, they usually tend to make sounder decisions. Why am I telling you this? So you’ll go do it, too. Have you ever heard the saying about how giving a person a fish feeds them for a day but if you teach them to fish you can feed them for life? Yeah, well that’s the reason I include the list of websites at the end of every posting to help you stay informed. I do what I do to help teach you what I have found to be effective (while giving the powers-that-be the finger as I do it.) ATTN: Any of you Out There: a rebel-spirit is an integral part of a functionary democracy. ATTN: Powers-That-Be: watch me teach them how to be good citizens in our participatory democracy and know there is nothing you can do stop it….how does it feel to be powerless? Tell me, how does it feel?. I guess you just don’t like Free Speech like I love Free Speech). Why is the First Amendment first? It is first because it is the most important amendment of them all. Personally, I think the framers did a remarkable job given the nobility of their vision in context of the difficulty (the issue of slavery, racism) that marked their times. But I think it is also wise to read other perspectives in order to keep our own perspectives in balance and maintain a kind of equilibrium in the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge. So here is a different perspective from mine to consider:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0917-21.htm

On the first Amendment, some knowledge to share:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/first_amendment.html

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
----Nelson Mandela
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela


"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
---Thomas Jefferson


“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
----Nelson Mandela

READ, FOLKS, READ!!! TAKE IT IN, ABSORB IT, THINK ABOUT IT AND THINK FOR YOURSELF!! Overcome your fear of taking a position different from others around you and instead boldly develop your own ideas. Reclaim the power to think for yourself.

THIS IS A MUST READ:
http://www.counterpunch.com/freeman11262005.html


“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
----Nelson Mandela

Some people sometimes act as if I have all the answers, well, sorry but I don’t, in fact, I often have more questions than answers. Sometimes, I offer up a solution that I think may work with the hope that others may build upon or reform my idea thus advancing the seed into a sprout. But don’t expect a miracle tree from me overnight. I don’t do magic but I do believe that miracles, like the miracle of life, are possible. What is a seed but both the beginning and the continuation of a life and an existence thereafter? Is that not the miracle of timelessness? Is that not the miracle of infinity, of universal connectivity, the concept of being engulfed by the infinitely large and infinitesimally small? Is it even possible to measure a concept by current scientific methods alone given that those methods are limited in scope to a world largely measured in three-dimensional terms? With our limited tools it cannot be measured yet it exists, there it is, another dimension altogether. Think about that because you can think about anything you wish. Think outside the box. Color outside the lines. Plant the seeds, like a farmer of ideas, then nurture the seeds cultivating them into a bountiful harvest. Understand that the process takes a long-time, years, so be patient and focus on nurturing your seeds. It is by consistent reading to stay informed that my thoughts progress, as it is for everyone. All I need to do is to give birth to an idea, a seed, let others water it, nourish it and grow it ultimately into the objective tree. Remember, they cannot kill an idea. This, my fellow thinking Americans and fellow peace activists is your job too, to step forward and begin offering your viewpoints on how things should proceed. Be a team player and grow the tree; water it, reform the idea and nourish the concept. Be flexible and open-minded thus allowing our ideas to bring us together not tear us apart. I plant seeds and you help grow them. You plant seeds and I help grow them. TEAMWORK!!! I stand up, write and tell it like it is, like I see it, only to set an example for others to follow. But I expect people then to get off their butt and do something or begin offering a diversity of solutions themselves (unless you do your best activism on your butt as I do with my mind at work and my fingers typing in action). And I expect some good few to step up to the plate and lead too. Others are leading so why can’t you? You can. This is not a one-man operation nor is this a one-woman operation; this is a team effort. Your role is crucial.
I really hope more gay folks join us in the peace-movement, maybe I’ll start a new organization: BIG, BOLD SASSY SISTERS FOR PEACE!!!!
KUDOS AND THANKS to American Legion Post 448, The Alexander Hamilton Post, the post of gay-veterans here in San Francisco who regularly attend all peace marches and march alongside us, Veterans for Peace, at every peace march. Many thanks!!!!
I dedicate this posting to my former friend and lover Chief Petty Officer George Allen Barnes of U.S. Naval Intelligence, who passed away several years ago due to lymphocytic leukemia as a complication of AIDS and all other victims of AIDS.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1201-34.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1201-07.htm
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/112105HA.shtml
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2005/12/01/2
http://www.worldaidsday.org/default.asp
http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
http://www.aids.org
http://www.aidsonline.com
http://www.apathyislethal.org/affected.html
http://www.aegis.com
http://www.aidsquilt.org

“The block of granite, which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a stepping stone in the path of the strong.”
---Thomas Carlyle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Carlyle

We all benefit, folks, by freely expressing ourselves because this results in a cross-fertilization of ideas that moves society forward by altering the manner in which we perceive the world around us. It takes a lot of time and effort but democracy arises from collective contributions of everyone as ideas are planted in public spheres. We can best bring peace, justice and truth by contributing our ideas and thoughts openly and freely in the Jeffersonian tradition. STAND UP, SPEAK OUT, AND CONTRIBUTE IDEAS.

“Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Progress of Cutlture. Phi Beta Kappa Address. July 18, 1867
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson
But I think there are no “great people” because everyone has the potential to be great.
That said, I think thoughts do rule the world.

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
---Helen Keller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller

“The high minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.”
---Aristotle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle

“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”
---Confucius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Know that those who hold certainty dearer than truth will be hardest to build consensus with, but only after a long, painstaking and impassioned effort will they eventually, though dreadfully slowly, trickle toward your position. A few will never change and never surrender the choke-hold on their own certainty but most will, and change comes from empowering one person at a time. Build it well, slowly but strongly. Plant the seed and find others to nourish and grow it into our vision of the objective tree. And remember that trees take a long time to grow. The tree is the global objective and your part in planting and/or growing it is essential. I encourage you to take action because I know you can grow the tree you have in mind. Each part we play in planting and growing the tree is at its very root, partaking in the life that we all know thus is a celebration of life itself. FIRST DREAM BIG, THEN THINK BIG, THEN DESCRIBE LOGICALLY, THEN ACT BIG, THEN STAND UP, WRITE, SPEAK OUT, AND CREATE IT WHILE YOU WAGE IT. PLANT A SEED!!

If you find there is no leader worth following, step forward and be a leader and create a movement that you think is worth following:

“But nowhere with such force and clarity and detail and texture and grace and joy as through creation. We don’t know Michelangelo by reading his biography; we know him by looking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. And we know our creator best by immersing ourselves in creation. And particularly wilderness which is the undiluted work of the creator.” Again, I refer you to read this speech by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0916-27.htm


“A citizen who can think poses a serious danger to autocratic rule, as kings and demagogues have long understood. Even more dangerous is any medium that offers the thinking citizen an effective voice.”
----William Marvel, U.S. Army veteran


YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!! YOU CAN!!!! I LEARNED A LESSON A LONG TIME AGO FROM AN ARMY SERGEANT WHOM I DEEPLY RESPECTED, A LESSON I WILL SHARE WITH YOU, READER:
THAT ONE PERSON STANDING UPON PRINCIPLE ALONE AND USING WORDS TO MAXIMUM EFFECT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!! STEP FORWARD AND SPEAK OUT BECAUSE YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!!!
YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“The power of reclamation should never be underestimated.”
----That’s what I say

and the power of the pen is indeed mightier than the power of the sword.
http://www.antiwar.com/reese/?articleid=8203

“When one man stands up and says, “No!!! I won’t!!!!, Rome begins to tremble.”
---Kirk Douglass in the movie “Spartacus”
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1124-24.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
American ingenuity, open source coding: WiFi services for local communities should all be open source, I think. That way, layers can be added and code can be open to review. The same principle should apply to electronic voting machines that produce a paper trail.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1128-06.htm

VISIBILITY IS CRUCIAL, TIMING IS CRITICAL, SUBSTANCE IS VITAL, PASSION IS ESSENTIAL AND PERSEVERENCE IS KEY. NOW WAGE IT!!!!!

SPEAK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER!!!!!!!!! FEAR NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

AND WAGE PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
---Margaret Meade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mead


Sincerely,

Eric E. Johansson
Ex-US Army Paratrooper and Infantryman
San Francisco Veterans for Peace, Chapter 69
San Francisco, CA
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
http://honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/
Can you dance to my beat? I know you can.
So do it, create it, wage it, because you have the power to change if you choose to use it.