Shays v. Himes Tips Blue...Other Close Races Abound...

Though I couldn't go to the debate personally today due to a bad virus that has laid me low, I have seen video of some of it and have been looking at alot of other video of the previous debates. Currently Himes is ahead by 3 points, within the margin of error, and I believe that these close numbers are due to the bullshit facade that Chris Shays projects as a very connected insider who is hand in hand with Joe Lieberman in belief and attitude that they, (as Bush followers and true believers,) know whats best for us.

Shays is a seemingly mild mannered liberal republican who hides a sharp temper and a belief in the neocon vision. Actually, according to a UConn/Hearst Newspaper poll, Himes is way ahead in the cities of Bridgeport and Stamford...way ahead, like, 54-35%...and an incumbent like Shays should not be that far behind in any polls at this point. There is still the matter of all of the undecideds in the surrounding towns, because Shays is so influential and has been around forever....but according to the CT Post:

The poll found that 86 percent of voters believe the country is on the wrong track. Seventy-five percent of them disapprove of the job President Bush is doing. Seventy-two percent disapprove of Congress while only 22 percent approve. Fifty-five percent said they would prefer Democratic control of Congress, while 34 said power should revert to the GOP.
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The poll found a 54-percent support for Obama and 34 percent for Republican standard-bearer John McCain, making it even harder for Shays to hold off Himes' challenge Nov. 4. Shays will need voters to split their tickets to win re-election.

The facts are so clear and the differences between these two are so stark that its a wonder, really, that there is a question as to which one should win this seat....except for the fact that this is a very, very rich area and the citizens here like those tax cuts. What is really pathetic is that people who really won't be hurting without those tax cuts will vote based on them even if the rest of the policy throws their children and the rest of their city and country under the bus.
Is that greed or laziness or what?




I'll have more on this in the weeks to come, but its clear that Shays can no longer slide by as New England's only Republican Congressman on the sheer power of his bullshit liberal act. He is not a liberal and he has been a big supporter of George Bush and his war of lies. The last minute apology act has been done before; its getting to be a pattern with this guy, and I can see that people are fed up with him.

There are many close races across the country and its very important now to step up and do some calling, contributing, and legwork. Close races abound with the specifics spelled out in races such as Minnesota's Coleman v. Franken sporting the same statistical spread that Shays v. Himes does. Senate races here show some predictable spreads in firmly red or blue states, but there is much more wiggle room than I would have expected in places like Colorado, Kentucky, and even Texas. A Franken worker told me on the phone tonite that it is imperative that they get additional funds to put television spots on in the more remote areas of a state like Minnesota because people there don't get much more than the news and paper, and one of the few ways to reach out is vis the TV. Think of how different the world would be if the Fairness Doctrine were in place right now and people got an array of opinions on radio and TV. I think that with the kind of filth that Limbaugh, Savage and O'Reilly are spewing, this must be an issue for every blue politician running for a seat anywhere in the country; how do we fight the constant onslaught of lies and degrading accusations coming from these hate-casters?...so send your pennies to whichever one is your's or strikes you as needy...act blue on one of the blogs..whatever. Franken's worker told me that in this economy, no amount is too small.

Closehouse races abound with close races from NJ to Texas. I'm not one to wholeheartedly believe polling numbers, especially in such an unusual and historical time, but I have a feeling that we are gonna see a blue avalanche, if for no other reason than because people just want to vote for something different. There is also the racial issue and how likely people are to be honest if there is a racial feeling involved in their preference; if people will even be honest with themselves about their feelings and fears.

For some interesting nonpartisan commentary and explanation on this, check out Polltrack. They currently have a great interactive presidential race map that projects ahead to tomorrow and even election day. Senate and House graphics are in the works there as well. Its the blog that is interesting because it explains whats going on in very plain terms without projecting too much into the drama of why.

I hope to be looking more closely at these numbers and the races behind them...but mostly I hope to be watching the blue numbers tip the scales more and more every day until we have a working majority that we can expect to fully represent the American people rather than big business, and to make some real lasting changes.

c/p Brilliant at Breakfast

Shays Debates Himes on Monday Oct 20th, 2008, 7PM, Stamford CT Holiday Inn Select....

Tomorrow at 6 PM there is a rally prior to the final debate between Chris Shays (R-CT,)and his democratic challenger, Jim Himes in their battle for Connecticut's congressional seat. The debate .,takes place at the Holiday Inn Select at 700 Main St., in downtown Stamford, and should be really interesting. The rally is at 6PM with the debate at 7PM and open to the public. The official subject is foreign affairs and this should be great considering Shays support of the war and other sundry freedom spreading missions. I always like a good Shays debate because of his two faced lies that not even his old time supporters are buying anymore…not to mention how great old Chris thinks the economy is.

Shays is a hard nut to crack because he poses as a “liberal republican” even as few of his positions have been any less than neocon, and he has been a huge supporter, along with BFF Joe Lieberman, of the war in Iraq, traveling there some-teen times and only rethinking his position when an election was imminent. Shay’s manner is that of a soft spoken liberal, but behind that facade is a nasty temper protecting a true neo conservative ideology. I never got the idea that he knew what he was talking about regarding heath care when he jumped on board Medicare reform even as he set up forums to try to help his elderly constituents sort through the maze, and lied about the efficacy of Husky for his youthful constituents, many of whom cannot find doctors to take the very state insurance that Shays prides himself on. I have been at meetings where Shays was pro Bush as our fearless leader, and I subsequently had a conversation with him where he tried to divorce himself from his previous positions on Bush and the war. Shays may regret it now, but he drank the Bush Kool-aid and it’s a little disingenuous to suddenly, just weeks before an election where he had a strong challenge from Diane Farrell, begin the backpedaling….and now he continues his backpedaling because he sees the very strong possibility that the days of CT cronyism might be coming to a close. Shays lies when he claims to be a liberal. Just take a look at his voting record and its clear.



Jim Himes is a supporter of cutting taxes for the middle class, who are hurting horribly in this area of haves and have not’s. He is someone who comes from a background of public service and who has benefitted personally from a public education and so sees the importance of strengthening our education system. He is also someone who has extensive experience in business and the markets from his years as a businessman before going into the non profit sector full time. His experience in community service involved working on poverty initiatives to provide business advice, housing, and help with financial services. The work he did in building affordable housing involved green technology and energy efficiency. He is all about energy independence…and he seems to have some great ideas that are off the beaten path of the old crony network of which Shays is an integral part.

We are hoping for a big turnout in support of Himes in this close race, so please pass this information on to anyone who might be interested in attending or blogging about this.
Note that there is also a 10:30 AM debate at 400 Atlantic St; information here
Check Jim Himes out…this is one close race that is worth working for and writing about…if for nothing else than to take away Joe Lieberman’s best buddy and Iraq War traveling and disinformation partner.

c/p Brilliant at Breakfast

Debate Night Chicken Blogging.....RIP to the Clinton Era...

The chickens love to roost outside in the cold...up on their roost trilling and cawing, all puffed up and warm inside their feathers...this is the best time to grab them for a hug and a kiss! The rumpless Arcuna is my favorite! He spends alot of time outside my window here watching me write.
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Meantime, inside the silly little cottage in the woods, I've been watching the unreal New Hampshire debates, and weighing the very real differences among the democratic field...and the circus-like insanity of the Republican field as a whole.(Cue: circus music)
I miss Mike Gravel, and am sort of thankful for Ron Paul. Besides his really deep insanity and spitballing on how things would be run if we lived in colonial times, he speaks some pretty heavy and fearless truth. Having him in any sort of decision making position in this country would be a disaster...but I love to hear him exclaim and then watch the scary, half/dead Thompson guffaw and respond incoherently.
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What I'm not hearing on either side here is how we are going to document the bold crimes that are still bleeding this country dry. I want some answers. I don't want to wipe the slate and move forward, trying to forget this brush with the pathological. I want it spelled out so that every grade school educated, under-served and under-represented citizen in the furthest reaches of America, can realize that they should never feel again like they have to vote against their own better interests in order to keep America safe.



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John Edwards is clearly the winner of this thing, if you're counting content and concrete plans that make sense. I love John Edwards...I have to say that he has really stood out in this process for me. I have no reservations about him. Why does the media work so hard on shutting coverage of him as a candidate out?

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I am, as usual when watching anything on ABC, bewildered at the mono-tonality of the Charlie Gibson-Diane Sawyer cult. Even Georgie Snuffleupagus has taken on the hushed morning tone of people who live in high rises with vast shiny wood floors and ununsed surfaces or perfect temples made of bamboo and facing just so. I can feel the Feng Shui of the delicacy with which these people report the news. ***********************************************************















All in all, I've found this process to be fantastic, because we have had the great fortune to have had a great field up until Iowa and to have heard what they have to say. The concept of hearing ideas spoken in a public forum had fallen away. And in a world where the Republican contenders are a bunch of bumbling nuts, I have to say that we still have an embarrassment of riches, in the bold ideas being laid out here; Bold ideas being just pulling ourselves together and trying to get us back to some semblance of where we were trying to be, so imperfectly, too many years ago.


















Its gratifying that Americans seem to really want change, but I hope that the difference between Obama and Edwards become as strikingly clear as they are to me and the rest of the political junkies out there. Look at the differences in policy on globalization, healthcare, and nuclear power, just to start. Take a look before they start to pull together too much, as they have already. Soon you wont be able to tell them apart; and they do make good counterparts. Its just too bad that they each need a VP who has some sort of older statesman thing going on. The two of them would be the most dynamic white house that we've ever had.

Hillary? She was just so-so...very heavy botox, lots of struggle, fighting back from the brink, and, I feel sort of sorry for her. The blog word is that the Clinton era is dead...RIP to the Clinton Era....

Another Debate, Another Halloween....

Its Halloween...Boo!...and I'm listening to Marc Maron filling in for Randi Rhodes. Its almost like the old days except that he wont be on again tomorrow.

Last night I watched another democratic debate on MSNBC, and this one was notable in its horrible format and questions...and also in the poor moderating by Brian Williams, who was stiff and counter-intuitive. The light moments were the lightening round, which was basically the candidates talking in fast forward like Alvin Chipmunk, and Biden's comment about Rudy's "noun, verb, and 9-11" structure for every comment he makes.

The word today is that Barak Obama crashed hard, and I saw something that I find annoying in ...well, anyone, much less my President...He is not right on point... he says ummm alot and looks around too much. I think that he has his moments of real shining presence, but I find him to be sort of soft when it comes to the need for some sort of combative message to the people.

We are in what might be described as a serious crisis in this country. We are in trouble, and I don't want to feel like the man who wants to be my President doesn't have a strong sense of urgency. And its true also that when I saw them all debate live at Yearly Kos 2, Obama sat, leaning forward, looking to the side at the moderator rather than at the audience, and seemed almost young and sort of lacking in the kind of polish and presence that enables someone to go confidently into negotiations with world leaders; someone who goes in and kicks ass. I think that he is a gifted orator, but I don't know that he can really command the dyed in the wool politicos that have to be dealt with in this job. By this debate I can see clearly that he is green and he does need seasoning. Obama is just not ready yet....(notice that I say yet.)



Meanwhile, Hillary has been touted by the press as the one, and we are basically being told to pack it in and head to the polls and pull her lever...but the same press that is telling us who to vote for and sizing up the big show as a Hillary vs. Rudy game, were tremendously quick to jump on her when they felt like she had made a big slip in saying that she believes that illegal immigrants should have access to drivers licenses. This is a hot button issue, and its one that is being skirted by most politicians; embraced by others....And Hillary made the mistake of stating a position!! Well, we can't have that, for Christ's sake!! I guess that its silly to note that all the candidates agreed with her except for Dodd. This is the crack in the veneer that they were looking for.

It dawned on me, much to my delight, that if Obama is looking young and green, and Hillary showed a hairline fracture, Edwards is only one mistake away from being the guy...and let me tell you, Edwards shined last night.

John Edwards is a man who has been through this ringer as the different apparitions that advisers and handlers will create at the big show. He has clearly straightened out, in his own mind, what his life is about and what his campaign is about. I think so anyway...Its impossible to ever truly trust any politician, but I've seen him up close, and I bought his line; hook, line, and sinker. I really think that he is the guy...and that if its not for President this time round, its to do some really important work on this country and whats wrong with it. Like Al Gore, he might actually be able to do more good while not being president.

What I love about this process, which is a much more open-format and full debate schedule than the Rovian Bushies would ever permit, is that the field is fantastic and varied. I'm not wishing that the field would narrow all that soon, mainly because I'm acutely aware that things are being said over and over that have needed to be said for years. And though its true that the corporate media has their own manipulated spin on what is being said, in their drive to make Hillary be the candidate, sound/YouTube bytes are being created that are bound to make their way out of that lock on information that is hanging heavily in the air on network TV, radio, and in the papers.I want everyone from the media powers-that-be to the bloggers to pick this stuff apart until its dust. I want the conversation about how horrible Bush has fucked us up to go on and on.

I keep remembering driving around here as the war began and as the first part of the attempted destruction of the constitution began, and the first horrible mistakes started to become apparent...and this is such a different atmosphere, even if we end up with the repugnant Hillary Clinton, (with her questionable ability to beat even Rudy Giuliani,) at least the things that needed to be said were, for the most part, said. All that is left is to try to understand why the House and Senate are not on board with what the country clearly wants....and where the corporate media thinks that they are getting off in distorting things so much. I love this stuff, even if it is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking most of the time.

Last weekend, I had a garage sale here at the Chicken Ranch , and due to my ever present Impeach Bush sign, I was treated to a day long running conversation about the extreme disappointment that people are feeling about the current majority rule and their lack of balls in getting us out of Iraq one way or another.

Why do I like John Edwards so much? He is very clear that if we are to continue on this road that we need to understand that we are going to have to sacrifice and take responsibility for the position that we are in. This isn't just Bush's mistake or something that politicians have to handle; we are all there in the thick of this thing and as time goes on it will effect us in much more palpable ways...so, don't look to the authority figures in this thing to get us out of it; they are every bit as helpless as we all are. This thing is going to take some real work to dig out of, and its not going to be easy.



By far, the most interesting person at the sale was the last guy, who was a local pump guy on his way to an emergency call. He wanted to get some toys for his grandchildren...and upon seeing my Impeach sign explained to me that he is a vet and that as far as he can see, that this is a fascist government.... then he went on to lay out every point that I had ever thought or had heard from the likes of Seder and Maron, the prophets out there, and my favorite blogs....not to mention what had been going around my head for all of these years. This is an older local guy who is not on the internets at all, and who is getting by listening to a local black liberal station which is supposedly available up here at 95.5 FM.

He reminded me of myself before AAR came out of nowhere and reminded me that there are sane voices out there somewhere...and he was so happy that he found someone who agreed with him. Sometimes it seems like we are out here rattling round in our own heads, and at some point critical mass has to ensure that there is some movement in the direction that we are mandating. They work for us, don't they? I mean, I guess that if Hillary gets into office, it will be the equivalent of more of the same lite, so you cant be too careful. But when are we gonna get so mad that we remove these people from power? What has to happen? How bad does it have to get before we demand that the networks even actually report on the demonstrations that we are marching in?

Garage sales are strange in that they cross personal barriers...who is buying what?...and who understands what? Many immigrants came by and they bought alot of my old sneakers at 50 cents a pop....I lowered the price for things like that, in that these are the people doing most of the heavy lifting around here. The Hispanics were the best hagglers, but I started to get a little tired of it all in that I was making the prices super low to begin with. I began to pull items back from even being on sale because I felt like...it was almost embarrassing to fight with an older Mexican woman about a jacket from Banana Republic or something, that was new, and that she wanted for a dollar...but that I could sell on eBay for $15...I was saying basically that I live uptown here in this beautiful place and that I have a computer to sell my fancy things, (actually my sister had given it to me as a present and I had never worn it,) and I was somehow torn between giving the stuff away and pulling it back...but I didn't want to haggle down to some silly price. Maybe I was losing my mind...maybe I had been in the garage too long. It was an odd sensation and it reminded me of why I usually just give stuff to the Salvation Army and let them sell it.

Maybe that I was just getting sick, which I was, but a whole day of discussing the extreme political distress that is going around out there, on top of going through all of my kid's baby stuff, my past, and seeing so many neighbors and people who came up from downtown to go through the "rich people's" stuff, frazzled me.

No doubt that I am frazzled and burned out anyway. I don't quite know what to do about it, because its not like I can shut off politics, or my kids, or my life...and even if I do, it goes round in my head until I can research the ideas and spit 'em out here or there...I don't know what to do. But something that I find heartening in all of this is that this guy, John Edwards, is really speaking the truth; and its not just a truth about the current situation. Its a truth about life in general and how we move around on this planet, what we can expect from our interaction in this society, and what our responsibilities are in life...towards each other, our families, our friends, and the larger world. The disconnect has to stop here...we must find our way back from becoming so disconnected. If we don't, we cant hope for much besides a fast food, cardboard, empty world, with a couch and a TV remote....
So let the debates continue, and maybe, just maybe, some little bit of information will get out there and into the popular psyche enough to wise us up...lift us up...

What If You Gave a Party and No One Came? The GOPs Got Some 'Splainin' To Do....

The 4 top contenders for the GOP nomination skipped Maryland's Morgan State University debate; a historically African American forum. Oh they had their "conflicts" and excuses, just like they did for the Spanish language debate earlier this month, and I'm sure those conflicts were really, really important, in the face of the racial divide that they supposedly want to address and all ...and where was Rudy?...Must've been important to keep away America's Mayor...the one from the greatest melting pot in the world...uh-huh...



Thanks, as always, to our friends at Brave New Films for this great clip...

I Don't Like Mondays...

Ok, so now what?

MODERATOR: Unfortunately, the question is for Senator Edwards. Senator Edwards, if General Petraeus has indicated that there was some success of these troops, would you still be in favor of withdrawing [from] Iraq in a few months?

MR. EDWARDS: I'm absolutely in favor of America leaving Iraq. What I'm concerned about, about the Petraeus report, is that it will be basically a sales job by the White House, that it'll be a PR document -- (applause) -- because that's what we've continually gotten from this administration, throughout the course of the war.

And it will be focused on this benchmark or that benchmark than whether some minor progress has been made on one particular benchmark.

The underlying question that has existed the entire time that we've been in Iraq is, have the Sunni and Shi'a moved toward some sort of serious political compromise? Because without that compromise, there cannot be peace or stability in Iraq. It cannot happen.

And I think we know the answer to that right now. The answer to that question is there has been no political progress. In fact, the Iraqi parliament went on vacation for three or four weeks while American men and women were putting their lives on the line in Iraq.

Here's what I believe. I believe no political progress means no funding without a timetable for withdrawal. And if the president vetoes a bill that has a timetable for withdrawal, the Congress should send him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal and continue to do it until he's forced to start withdrawing troops. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Senator Clinton, the same question: For the -- in the next few days, we'll have a report from General Petraeus. If the troop surge has had partial success in Iraq, would you still withdraw from Iraq?

SEN. CLINTON: I was against the surge when it was first proposed. And I believe that nothing which General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker or anyone else coming before the Congress will say next week will in any way undermine the basic problem: There is no military solution. That has been said for years now. And that is why I believe we should start bringing our troops home.
That however does not in any way suggest that our young men and women in uniform have not performed magnificently and heroically, because they have. (Applause.) They were asked to do what they do best, which is to try to provide some amount of stability or security to give the Iraqi government the time and space to do what the Iraqis must do. Unfortunately despite the heroism of our American forces, the Iraqi government has not reached any kind of political reconciliation. Therefore we need to quit refereeing their civil war and bring our troops home as soon as possible. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Senator [sic] Richardson, what would you do with the troops?

GOV. RICHARDSON: What I would do with the troops is I would bring them all home -- every one of them. And you know, there's a fundamental difference that I raised in the last debate with Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Senator Edwards. Under their plans, under their website, they leave either 25 or 50 or 75 troops behind. I'd bring them all home within a period of time of six to eight months, because our troops have become targets.

You can't bring reconciliation to Iraq, or an all-Muslim peacekeeping force or a partition, without getting all our troops out. Our kids are becoming targets. They are dying -- the last three months, the highest total. Iraqis are dying.

And I -- there is a basic difference between all of us here that I mentioned, involving, what do we do about leaving troops behind? Some say they want to leave combat troops behind. They don't want to leave them --

MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
...
We want to go to Senator Dodd. The question: The question isn't that in the past things haven't been done right, but what would you do differently to capture Osama bin Laden -- something that hasn't been done?

SEN. DODD: Well, first of all, I think in this debate about the forces in Iraq -- what time they come out, how many come out, and when they come out -- the underlying question is the safety and security of our country. We're running for the presidency of the United States. The first obligation and job of an American president is to keep this country safe and secure.

I would argue that today presently our troops in Iraq are doing just the opposite of that. We're more vulnerable, less safe, more insecure today as a result of the presence there because we've turned Iraq into an incubator for jihadists and terrorists.

And so it's important, I think, that we do begin that process. And I'll strongly support in the coming days efforts here to terminate that participation based on firm deadlines.

Then we ought to be taking those resources and putting them into Afghanistan here so that you have a serious effort here to go after Osama bin Laden. We failed to do that. As we went into Iraq here, we lessened our participation in Afghanistan, and as a result, we've seen the resurgence of the Taliban and the reemergence of Osama bin Laden.

If we focus our attentions there, return there, then I think we can make a huge difference and apprehend Osama bin Laden and also rebuild the coalitions necessary to have the kind of cooperation to deal with international terrorism that we're not getting today because of our military -- continued military participation in Iraq. I think that's the danger. (Applause.)

The AFL-CIO Debate....

...reported, as no other blogger could, by Driftglass...Check here for the blow by blow, in the room, craziness, of our wonderful democratic system sorting its big messy self out....
I love this...go and read!!

If You Believe in Peanut Butter Clap Your Hands....The Republican Debate and Evolution...RIP Bruce!

Its not as fun as I had hoped it would be to watch the republicans spiral downwards. Maybe its because the crash and burn is offering me too close of a view of the all too human egotistical and brutal foundation that these beliefs are based in. Sometime I can feel the hot putrid breath of dogma and it not only makes me sick to my stomach but makes me want to rebel in the usual ways. ...and thats just so boring anymore...
Not surprisingly, the only way that movements like the fundamentalist Christians, (or any other fundamentalist group for that matter,) gain speed, is through a lack of general education based in science and logic, and also through repetitive mind control, often practiced in groups, such as the repetitive prayer that is thought necessary to grow closer to God. I suppose that its a matter of degree when you consider any extremist Madrasa where young fundamentalist Muslims are rocking back and forth while studying the Koran for hours on end, or any Catholic school where you might find youngsters being indoctrinated with the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, or a cult somewhere looking towards the skies in anticipation waiting for the spaceship, or the schoolbus full of skinny, pale Hassidic boys going to school on Sundays back in the Brooklyn old days, looking out at us playing in the street with empty eyes. If the "truth" being taught in these community sessions is the actual truth, then is the problem that it wont stand up the scrutiny of logic and critical thought, or is it that man is so weak as to be in danger of being misled away from whatever truth it is being espoused by whatever movement that he/she needs to be brainwashed against what the human brain does naturally with raw information? It seems to me that any theory, backed up by papyrus scrolls, translated over and over by a series of men over thousands of years, should be able to stand on its own, beyond the answer that I hear too often that this truth is the real truth because X-scripture told me so!


America lags behind the rest of the world in critical thinking.
So, it was somewhere between a feeling of sublime happiness at being a small part of slipping a question or two into the republican debate, and the sinking aftermath of seeing the answer in the raised hands of who believes in evolution or not, that I hit a wall. Yes, the blogosphere was able to get some good questions into the debate via the online submission and voting system, but even with that fun fact, could we ever prepare ourselves for the truth of the answers?
As a whole. the republican field couldn't be more fun if Jeb were running...or his gal-pal Katherine Harris, for that matter. Rudy Guilliani was every bit as swaggering and macho Italian as I had hoped, and his attitude continually begs for some good revelations on his personal life that are bound to pile up beyond what he can push down with bluster. This doesn't even take digging; just scratch the surface when you're ready to be rid of him guys!
The rest of the field is splayed between the insaniac McCain who always seems about to blow, and the overly reasonable flip-flop Mormon Romney who cant, by any stretch of camera friendly pretense, make his record or religion go away...nor, can he take back the fact that is favorite book is by L. Ron Hubbard!...some of us are afraid of even opening those books, Mitt! Thats powerful stuff...speaking of mind control!




















In a worldwide poll asking about specific belief in evolution, people came down pretty hard on one side or another, as expected, with a certain amount being unsure, but America seems to fall right directly in the center...and how can this be? Are half of Americans so truly indoctrinated, afraid, overwhelmed, or uneducated as to not be able to critically evaluate the differences between what might be a fairy tale and what is actual evidence that cant really be denied?
When reasonable people sit down and talk, its usually clear that humans are able to reason, and that if they have the information beyond the group mentality and naked need for reasons for all of this, they will inevitably go with what seems logical and applies directly to their lives, explaining away the rest as some sort of misunderstanding. The social part of this stuff should not be underestimated, in that people are just used to the ritual passed down through generations, and it gives them a reason to get together. I's like to see the return of that philosopher intellectuals salon, where art and science are worshipped in the expectation of intelligence, literacy, and movement towards the future...what happened to that?
I was at a funeral last week and I watched hundreds of people recite by heart a lengthy Catholic call and reply, and then line up to eat a piece of the "flesh of Christ" and drink blood...Alot of these were people who I know don't live by the whole thing...some of them were never even communion-ized in the first place, so its questionable if the cracker to flesh thing even works for them or if its just so much appetizers before the reception at the Firehouse. I don't know why I always feel so outside of the rituals that seem to be so definitive in my community
, but I think that its because I THINK...too much...all the time...and maybe its a manifestation of OCD and a little more medication could temper that, or a way that my brain makes me be alone and not part of anything because of fear of the crowd and the hurt that that inevitably entails, or whatever...but to me, thinking is my form of prayer, and if I cant walk in the woods and look at the very real evolution happening in front of my eyes as everything changes so quickly, and reason it out and compare it to every level of society and the buildup and breakdown of whole societies, then I'm nowhere.










What if we really have NO purpose? What if we are hanging in a charm on a cat's collar, or just as likely, sitting on top of a flower held in some elephant's trunk; what then? I'd prefer to think hard about that and face the fear of nothingness than to explain it away in some fairytale. What if Dr Seuss was God and we missed the message? Hell, you're only king of all that you see insofar as you can pile your soldiers high enough before you come crashing down. Hows that for a real life cautionary tale?










I suppose that on the evolutionary ladder, somewhere down below most reasonable people, we can find the politicians who would be the "president," monarch, or power-brokers of this thing. And looking at that lineup the other night, I cringed...not because I think that any of them will ever be the US President, but because they think they can...and that is an example of a really embarrassing human failing: ego beyond what is reasonable and possible in the world. It reminds me of the Lotto...you gotta be in it to win it, but the chances of winning it are pretty much...none.

Look, if you're so sure of your point of view and belief, and if its all really true, then hold it up to scrutiny and let the chips fall where they may. I believe that's true with everything that is claimed off hand in service to what could be called "evidence" or groupthink. The minute you have to indoctrinate or strip away logical education...the minute you need to manipulate information so that it will be accepted by the masses, you've as good as shown the weakness in your belief. We should want to give everyone the tools that they need to face and understand reality. Belief is belief, and its really everyone's right to look up and decide that the Sun is God or whatever, but the minute that it starts to effect the society as a whole, its out.



RIP Bruce: A really nice guy with a beautiful song...he was a great friend of Will's and spent alot of time flying around in the play room as Will was playing video games. He died suddenly yesterday...suddenly...I don't know why...
RIP, boy...you will be missed!