In Sahagun

We have been in Sahagun, Spain for two days now. It appears that we can get our permanent ID cards in one month, so we are planning to take an apartment here in Sahagun and perhaps travel in Spain for this time, since we can't really leave the country. Sahagun is very comfortable. We have our Spanish family from the times when Elyn and the two of us lived here. They are very welcoming and helpful in negotiating the local officialdom, etc.

Today we begin the search for an apartment. Our idea is to establish a local home base to work and travel from. Spain is very welcoming to senior citizens. We have discount cards that give us 40% discount on the trains. We can travel around the country with little expense and there is much to do and see. First we establish ourselves here and then we will know the next step. We find that we can't really make more long-range plans, so we just take it day by day.

Life is good here. The food is excellent and inexpensive. Everything we need seems within reach. We are having fun, which is our primary objective. We'll check back when we have more to report.

On the Road Yet Again

We have been in the Atlanta airport for several hours, waiting for our flight to Madrid, which leaves at 6:40 PM. Our long wait is made more comfortable by the short-term subscription to Crown Club, Delta Airlines VIP lounge. There are comfortable chairs, free food and drink, WiFi access, newspapers, etc. and the ambiance is less hectic than the general waiting areas. Honey Bunny and Brown Bear are enjoying the trip so far and Elyn and I are doing quite well. Now we will have a rather long flight across the Atlantic, there will, of course, be movies and a minimum of food and drink. Our plan is to take a train from Madrid directly to Sahagun, where we will meet friends at the Peaceable Kingdom, an American and a Brit who own a farm on the Camino de Santiago. You can see their blog HERE. It is a fun look at rural life in north central Spain written by two ex reporters. It is well written, profusely illustrated with photos, and well worth a look.

More when we have something to report.

Deep in Snow and Preparing

Santa Fe is deep in snow these days and Elyn and I are deep in preparations for our trip to Spain and other points to be determined. It seems that there are thousands of details to take care of before we leave. Making sure that we have all the misc. gear with us, including two cell phones, one computer, two iPods, one portable printer, one digital camera, plus all the cords, chargers, etc. to make them run. Then there is travel clothes, which haven't been worn since the last trip. What will we need? We can only guess.

Nutritional supplements and prescriptions are another quantity of stuff. It takes more and more of this stuff to keep us going as we age.

Which pieces of luggage to take? What coats? What shoes? Again, we are guessing about a lot and probably will purchase more stuff when we find out what we will really need on the road.

The current plan, which changes day by day, is to travel directly to Sahagun, Spain where we have friends. We will stay there a few days and hopefully take care of the paper work to apply for our residency visas. If that process will take several weeks, we will travel down to the south, visiting Gerona, Barcelona, and other south coast areas. Then we "may" fly out to Malta to stay for awhile. All these plans can only be made when we know better about the Spanish officials and how long they will take to process our stuff. We are supposed to have temporary ID cards once we turn in the papers, but we can also travel on our US passports if necessary.

Our return flight is scheduled for February 14, but if we get everything done before that we may come back to the US early. As you can see, we are pretty much taking it day at a time. This uprooted life does bring some anxiety, but it also is very exciting. I think the excitement is worth having a little uncertainty and anxiety.

I may not post again until I can find a cybercafe or WiFi hot spot in Spain. Bon Voyage!!

Travel Plans

As some of you may know, Elyn and I have applied for retirement visas to live in Spain and the other EU countries. The visas have come through and we are leaving this Saturday (December 27) for Madrid. Since our Santa Fe house hasn't sold yet, we will need to return in February to take care of local business. I will be posting about our progress on this blog and on FaceBook.

Of course, Honey Bunny and Brown Bear will be going with us and they will, no doubt, have things to say on their blog (see below).

Bon Voyage!!

New Blog

And, on a lighter note, I'm announcing a new blog featuring two other members of the Aviva/White household, Honey Bunny and Brown Bear. You will find them HERE.

They are so happy and excited to have their own blog. Stop in and make their acquaintance. They wish you the very best for this holiday season.

Obama's Weekly Fireside Chat for Dec. 20

I have missed posting the weekly chat but this one really caught my attention. On a week where liberals like me have been disappointed and angry at Barack's choice of a right wing, gay hater to give the invocation, it is good to hear that he is going to take real science seriously in his administration. I see that he is trying to set a balanced approach that has some appeal to all of Americans, even when he misses the mark. Here is what he had to say:

Weekly address for December 6, 2008

Here is the latest weekly address by President Elect Barack Obama. My personal feeling is that help is on the way now. On the negative side, I've heard from my old-politic "conservative" friends that the current economic meltdown is somehow Obama's fault. How anyone can look at the past eight years and the gradual slide into depression that the Bush administration has caused and think that it is all Obama's fault is way beyond me, but I expect to hear more and more of this as conditions get worse over the next months. Don't fall into that trap. This great depression is the fault of the Republican administration more than any thing else, and Obama won't be able to work any kind of magic to get us out of it. However, I have confidence that his plans will ultimately do just that. Let's give him a year or so to see what he can do.

Obama Takes Questions After Nominating His NS Team

Here is the first part of Obama's responses to reporter's questions after he announced his National Security team.

Here also, is the New York Times assessment of the team. CLICK HERE

Hillary Clinton's Acceptance Speech

Here is Hillary Clinton this morning accepting Obama's nomination for the position of Secretary of State.

The National Security Team

Barack Obama announced his national security team this morning. There were no surprises in the list, since it had been widely circulated for the past few days. Here is an excerpt from the press conference. Note that Vice President Biden is the principal speaker, which may signal that his role in the new administration will concentrate in this area. This excerpt is worth your time.

About Our Food

"Bill Moyer's Journal" on Public Television is always required viewing for me. Being the techno-geek that I am, I record the programs on my Tivo, and subscribe on my iTunes. This week's program is Michael Pollan, author of  In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma talking about our food and how government subsidies contribute to the growing of food that is bad for our health, environmentally unsound, and socially irresponsible. This is an issue that Obama appears to have backed away from because the food lobby is so powerful that it would have upset his campaign. It now falls to us citizens to take up this cause and force our government to do the right thing. The link below will take you to PBS where you can view the entire one hour program.

CLICK HERE

And go here to read the "New York Times" article on the subject.

CLICK HERE

Amy Goodman did a segment on Pollan in February.

CLICK HERE

Obama's Thanksgiving Message to All of Us

Here is a Thanksgiving message that says what I want to say better than I could myself. Isn't it wonderful that it comes from the leader of our country. Give it 5 minutes of your time.

Two More for the Obama Economic Team

Here are the hatchet men who are going to go over the federal budget with a fine tooth comb. John McCain should be very happy with these anti pork barrel types. Obama is worth listening to, so here he is:

The Economic Team

Today, Barack Obama announced his new economic team. Having scanned through a variety of the corporate media's response there is a remarkable agreement on the part of people who have expertise in the field of economics that this is a very capable team to lead us forward. It is now apparent that Obama is not going to wait until the end of January to assume the reins of government and I view this as a very good thing.

Here is a little visualization I'd invite you to try: Imagine a president elect McCain announcing his economic team. What feelings does that generate in your gut? When I did this little exercise the sense of impending doom was nearly overwhelming. This, dear friends, is the bullet we just dodged. Think about that as you consider what it will take to get fair and unbiased elections in this country in future years.

Obama's weekly fireside chat

Here is a very sobering assessment of our situation and Obama's plan for getting us out of the hole we find ourselves in. I urge you to watch. It's only a little over 5 minutes of your time. My thought question for the day is: "What can I do to make these ambitious plans and dreams a reality?" I'm posting this video as one small thing that I can do. What can you do?

Election Reform

Having survived (almost) another election that often teetered on the brink of collapse, was rife with unethical and deceptive practices on all sides, and still delivered the will of the people in spite of all the attempts to subvert the system, we citizens of the US must begin the task of truly making our system for election of government officials transparent and universal throughout the country.

I vividly recall President Carter's response when he was asked if his organization could monitor US elections in the way it has so often abroad. Carter said that US elections did not meet his organization's minimum requirements before they would consider such monitoring. I am not suggesting that future elections should be monitored by the Carter organization, but that our system be brought up to their minimum standards or better.

There are organizations dedicated to reforming our system and I urge you to consider working with one or more of them to ensure that we will never again have the likes of hanging chads, voter machine "malfunction," and outright fraud in future elections. Fair elections are well within reach if only we demand an improved system. The newly elected congress should take this issue up immediately and we, as informed citizens, should demand that they do so.

Here are two organizations you can look into if you want to be a part of the solution. CLICK HERE, CLICK HERE.

Here is Barack on Climate Change and Green Technology

The Obama Transition Team

I just received this email from the Obama folks asking for donations to support their transition team's efforts. I think it is important that a large number of citizens support this effort to show that the Obama administration is not in the pocket of big corporations and lobbyists. A small contribution of $25 from millions of us will be a strong message of hope for the people of this country. How about giving them $25 (or more, if you can do it) to send this message of citizen-sponsored government? Just click on the link below. Thanks for all you do.

The Obama-Biden Transition Project is a nonpartisan entity whose purpose is to facilitate the transition to a new government and prepare for the next administration.

In the past, efforts like these have often been very secretive and funded by the D.C. lobbying and corporate community.

But, like in the campaign, we've decided to do things differently.

For the first time, transition efforts won't be financed with donations from Washington lobbyists and PACs -- which means we'll need to keep asking for your help. Your generosity during the campaign helped get us here, but building a more transparent and open government means continuing to rely on a broader group of people to do this the right way.

We only have a few weeks to assess the state of the federal agencies, prepare our agenda, and staff key positions in the new administration. Your support right now will be crucial to helping us accomplish these goals.

Will you help support the urgent mission of our transition team with a donation of $25 or more?

CLICK HERE

New Features on Blog

I've added a few new features on Having Fun . . . In the first place there is a "Reactions" added to each post. You can now respond to each post with a single click. I'm experimenting with a few discrete ads that are supposedly geared to the content of the blog. I've also added a "Followers" feature, which allows you to sign in as a follower of the blog. I'll be interested in your response to these new features. Let me know.

FIrst Pooch and a Grandma

Here is the most personal and intimate part of the 60 Minutes interview. It deals with who is moving in and even some football. Again, you can go full screen by clicking on the icon on the lower right of the screen.


Watch CBS Videos Online

And Now for Something Lighter

See below for the first half of the 60 Minutes interview with Barack Obama. It covers the serious policy issues. This is much more personal and family oriented. I love to see these two people interact with each other. There is so much love, respect, and affection between them that they are a beacon of hope for families all over the world. Again, you can make it full screen by clicking on the icon on the lower right of the screen.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Obama on 60 minutes

Having just watched the Obama appearance on 60 minutes I recommend it highly. You can watch it here (make it full screen by clicking on the icon on the lower right of the screen below):



Watch CBS Videos Online

Back from the Road

Here we are, back in Santa Fe after 11 days on the road with no daily news fix. The news I've seen so far is full of fluff about the presidential puppy, grandma in the White House, and will Joe Lieberman have to pay  a price for his turncoat activities on the campaign trail. It does almost look like all Obama all the time. Every one who gets the bid to come to Chicago to speak with the next president is instantly in contention for a cabinet post. Hillary is in the running and even Bill is being mentioned. All this will keep the talking heads busy from now until the end of January.

Behind all this are a set of deadly serious issues that will need to be dealt with, including the issue of Guantanamo and what to do about all those detainees who have been tortured, but may not have committed any crime. Do we turn them all loose after 7 years of maltreatment and just hope that they don't have revenge on their minds? A really knotty problem with no easy solution. Also, what do we do about all those who have been a part of the torture--including the sitting president. There is much talk about the possibility that Bush may pardon everyone who might have been involved, including himself. Another knotty problem if he chooses to issue that pardon.

Then, of course, there is the continuing tanking of the economy, with hundreds of thousands of new foreclosures, rapidly rising unemployment, the US auto industry going down the tubes, and everyone, including some states wanting a piece of the bailout prize.

What would you do if you were in Barack's shoes now? We must wait and hope that he can thread his way through this total disaster and bring us back to something like a stable country. Stay tuned and wait for the first batch of naysaying Republicans to start their unending chorus of doom and gloom. I hear they are even preparing articles of impeachment, which is really rich, considering that impeachment is reserved for high crimes and misdemeanors of sitting presidents, and Obama has not sat down yet.

Looks like there is no end in sight for stuff for me to write about. I may have to start a politics only blog and turn this one back into a more personal account of my adventures. In the meantime, thanks for hanging in there with me.

On the Road

Elyn and I have been on an extended road trip, first to Boulder, CO for a workshop with R. J. Stewart, and now to Irvine, CA for a visit with Elyn's son, Jesse, his wife, Yui, and our beautiful grand daughter, Sophie. We plan to return home on Sunday and I'll be catching up with the blogs and other business. Stay tuned.

Obama Wins!!!

Yes, the improbable happened--Obama actually won an election that may have been less rigged than the two previous elections in the US. A big part of that may be due to the election eve deposition of Mike Connell, Carl Rove's computer guru who has been accused of rigging the election results in the 2000 and 2004 elections in several states. Mr. Connell is accused of using a computer hacking scheme called The Man in the Middle by computer geeks. This is a scheme where a data stream (perhaps from one election center to another) is intercepted and sent to another computer (the man in the middle), where it can be manipulated before being sent on to the second center. This scheme could be used to change voting totals in any way the "man in the middle" chooses. If you want to read more about this scheme and Mr. Connell CLICK HERE.

Observers have noted that Rove changed his tune markedly from an optimistic prediction to one that put Obama in by a landslide in the final days before the election. Did he know that the jig was up for Connell and company? Only time will tell. Now we will have a few years to bring all the fraud and other illegal activity of the past eight years to light. The tactics of the Republican Party for the past eight years will not stand having the clear light of day shown upon them. Now it is time for citizen patriots to get out their search beams and keep them trained on the criminals.

It will also be time for us to make very certain that the Democrats don't engage in similar activities. Our voting and vote tabulating mechanisms are woefully out of date, given the many tricks of our advanced digital technology. We desperately need for the computer geeks among us to lead the battle toward enhanced security measures for ensuring the accuracy of the vote.

I, for one, still like the old paper ballots that are stored away and available for a recount. That seems to me to be one of the best ways to ensure accuracy. Sometimes the old ways may be the best ways!

Obama Wins?

A bi-weekly newspaper here in Santa Fe (The New Mexico Sun News) has taken the bold step of announcing on its front page OBAMA WINS!, accompanied by a full color picture of the candidate. Their reasoning was that the paper would not be published again until after the election and by then it would be old news. 

Personally, I'm a little superstitious about such bold statements, being old enough to remember Harry Truman holding up the newspaper announcing that Dewey had won. I'll just keep doing what I can to get out the vote here in the "city different" and hoping against hope that the margins hold and we really do get a chance to put this country right again.

But, just in case we prevail in this election, I'm going to be among the first to say that our job will not be over as citizens of the US. If we want to achieve a true democracy in this country, which has been so massively manipulated by right wing and corporate interests, we must pledge ourselves to ongoing critical thinking and fact checking of everything we hear and see, particularly in the corporate media. It will be all too easy to sit back and relax with a job well done, only to be sold down the river again. We must become informed and let our politicians know that we are informed and have opinions about how we want to be governed.

I'd like to believe that the Democrats will be more honest and trustworthy than the pack of criminals who are currently running things, but I know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I can anticipate that in future years I'll be writing posts that make it look like I'm a Republican, but I consider it my duty to my country to do whatever I can to keep our politicians honest. Perhaps the best strategy in the long run will be to vote to throw the bastards out every eight years. That might keep the absolute power drug in check to some extent.

Perhaps it is time for the two-party system to finally be broken. Other countries have quite workable governments that must always be stitched together out of coalitions. Ron Paul and Ralph Nader, we may need you in the future! It seems strange, as a life-long registered Democrat to be writing this, but it is how I feel. I would welcome comments from my fellow left-wing liberals and even from my right-wing conservative friends.

A New Low in Campaign Ads

A group calling itself the National Republican Trust PAC is running a TV spot that hits a new low for telling lies in this presidential campaign. The ad claims that Obama would give drivers licenses to illegal aliens and terrorists, provide health insurance to illegal aliens and give illegal aliens Social Security coverage. EVERYTHING in this ad is a lie, without exception. Please go to FactCheck.org (CLICK HERE) to get the truth about this piece of trash.

As I continue to repeat, it is vital that we citizens of the US fact check everything we hear or read in this election season. We have been lied to for years now by the Republican party (and Democrats have not been 100 percent truthful either) so we MUST get the truth to be able to cast our votes.

Medicare Scare

Obama campaign ads are claiming that McCain is advocating major cuts in Medicare benefits to pay for his health care plans. These claims are simply not true. McCain claims that he would find savings in Medicare totaling $880,000,000 without cutting benefits. While one could argue that such savings are unlikely to be possible, it is not true that he is advocating cuts in benefits.

It is important that we fact check everything we hear for the next two weeks of the presidential campaign. Here is the FactCheck.org article. CLICK HERE

ACORN's response to the media blitz

Here is a video concerning the current controversy about ACORN voter registration. It is from their perspective but it rings true to me:

Powell's Endorsement of Obama

Today, Sunday, October 19, 2008 on his appearance on Meet the Press, General Colin Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president. This endorsement is, without doubt, the most important endorsement in this presidential election season. His statement is must viewing by every American citizen because it speaks truth beyond anything I have heard with regard to the issues we face as a nation. Please go to this site and hear what Powell has to say: CLICK HERE.

ACORN Again and Again

The media seem to be mesmerized by the ACORN controversy that the McCain campaign has kept hot in its advertising. For the FactCheck.org research on this matter CLICK HERE.

It is important to fact check anything we hear in the media in this election season.

Bush's Signing Statements

Here is another way that the Bush/Cheney White House has circumvented the role of Congress. This tactic gives the executive branch nearly unlimited powers. CLICK HERE

Crawford

Here is a full-length documentary about how a small Texas town (Crawford) was chosen as the stage set for a massive political drama and how the drama has played out over the past eight years. The film maker was there nearly from the beginning so you can see behind the media blitz and get a picture of what was really going on. It held my attention throughout and gave me a clearer picture of how the media manipulation works in our country. Also, you will meet some real Texas characters. Well worth your viewing time. If you want to view it in full screen mode, double click on the screen below and you'll be taken to the Hulu site where you can choose "full screen" mode.

ACORN, Ayers, and Republican Voter Suppression

CNN and other cable news services are awash with accusations about Barack Obama’s activities with so-called “radical” organizations and individuals. I have attempted to check out as many of these claims as I can. I urge you to go to the URLs listed below to see for yourself what is behind the claims.

The news organizations are making a big play concerning fraudulent voter registration forms submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Claims are made that several thousand fraudulent forms have been submitted in several states. Some of the reporting claims that ACORN offices are closed or abandoned and that no one from ACORN is available to discuss these fraudulent activities. These reports create the impression that ACORN is a shadowy organization that operates outside the law. I Googled ACORN and came up with a statement concerning these charges from the organization itself. I make no claim that their statement is true, but simply submit the statement for your consideration. CLICK HERE  Here is an article you might be interested in. CLICK HERE

It is true that the Obama campaign has paid ACORN to assist in voter registration.

Another constant thread on cable news concerns Obama’s links to 60s radical Bill Ayers. The McCain campaign has produced a series of ads that attempt to show that Obama associates with “terrorists” and uses his link to Bill Ayers as evidence. FactCheck.org has a very good article debunking these claims. CLICK HERE

The ACORN piece claims that the charges of fraud are a part of the Republican Party’s attempts to suppress the votes of minority voters. I will continue to check this out and add a report if I find any evidence to support these claims. Here is one article for your consideration. CLICK HERE  And here is another. CLICK HERE And here is another: CLICK HERE

We are in a very hotly contested campaign and it is important that we try to inform ourselves about the truth of any claim we see in the media.

Watch This (27 minutes)

Hate Speech in the USA

Last night we viewed one of the most disturbing TV segments we've seen. It was on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. The segment dealt with the hate speech of the so-called "Shock Jocks" on the radio and TV. For the first time, I heard these people telling people to take us "liberals" out and shoot us. At least one misguided soul has actually gone to a Unitarian Church and did just that. The segment brought anger and fear to me, since I still call myself a "liberal" and didn't imagine that I was putting my life in danger in that way. If you haven't seen the segment, I urge you to go to this link and view it. CLICK HERE 

Just another reason that I am seriously considering a permanent move outside the US.

Where to Get the Facts

As the election season heats up to white-hot proportions, it is more and more important that we all engage in fact checking for ourselves. The best source of factual information on what the campaigns are saying is factcheck.org. CLICK HERE

For a graphic version that is lighter and more fun to look at go to Politifact.com CLICK HERE.

I know that there is a theory out there that fact checking just reinforces the lies because somehow we don't really register the "not true" part of a fact check and only remember the "fact" itself, but I still think that some of us are awake enough to process information.

I strongly urge you to bookmark these URLs and go there regularly to see who is lying and who is distorting. I will continue to write posts about the misleading statements I hear on TV, online, and what people tell me as I'm out working as a voter registrar here in Santa Fe, but it is important that we all check the facts for ourselves.

"A Lie a Day Keeps the Issues Away" John McCain

I'm sure you have noticed the pattern that all the political pundit's have noticed—the McCain campaign comes out nearly every day with some lie or half truth that Obama has to counter, using media time that is needed to get the issues before the American public. The corporate media treats each new lie as "news" and keeps it going all day until the Republicans feed it the next one tomorrow. And so it goes, constant diversion from the serious problems that the Bush administration has created over the past eight years.

What to do? Democrats are scratching their heads and wondering. Obama faces a unique challenge—the perception in the public that an "angry black man" is dangerous. So he really can't do more than he is doing. However, what we can do is call a lie a lie and a liar a liar. JOHN MCCAIN IS A LIAR pass it on!

McCain and Georgia

That’s Georgia, the country near Russia, not the state in the US. I had heard some rumblings that McCain might have a commercial or business interest in ramping up the US saber rattling about the recent incursion of Russia into Georgia. This is what I have found so far.

The West’s interest in Georgia stems from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline — a major supplier of crude to Western markets. This pipeline is one of three that cross Georgia from east to west bypassing Russia. CLICK HERE It is not difficult to see why Russia might like to disrupt that flow which would cause an increase in the price of crude oil in the West. The pipeline is owned jointly by a number of big oil companies such as BP, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips along with several state-owned oil companies.

One possible connection between McCain and BTC is that big oil has contributed over $800,000 to his campaign thus far CLICK HERE. Another, more direct connection might be that his principal foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann is a lobbyist for Georgia CLICK HERE. So far I have not found any more direct connection here, and it may simply be that McCain is working on behalf of some big campaign contributors or his lobbyist/advisor is influencing the senator. Certainly, it would be to McCain’s political advantage to reignite the cold war with Russia on the eve of the election. There may be several interlocking interests here. I was alerted to this when McCain sent his wife to Georgia to “assess the damage” of the Russian incursion. That seemed very unusual to me, given the hot political race here in the US. Some statements made by a German friend about what might be behind it started my search. If I find anything more I’ll report it here.

There is a good summary of the connection between the Georgia conflict and oil on the Huffington Post CLICK HERE. OK, here is a thought question for you—how many dustups and actual wars would we not be participating in if our dependence on foreign oil had been reduced in the past eight years? Now we will need ten years more (if we elect a president who isn't in big oil's pocket) just to get to that place. Can we all take the pledge to forgo any more consideration of Sarah Palin's pregnant teenage daughter until we begin to solve the energy crisis? I promise that that is the last time I'll use that name on this blog.

Here is a video worth watching

Dissent or Terrorism?

Behind the media feeding frenzy about Sarah Palin and John McCain there is another, more sinister, drama unfolding in the Twin Cities. People whose purpose is to register dissent about the wars, waged and proposed, by the Bush administration are being arrested and charged with terrorism. The corporate media are too busy with the red meat thrown their way by the RNC to notice that American citizens are being charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism for planning protests and for attempting to document police state acts by law enforcement personnel at the Republican Convention. In case you think these charges are simple misdemeanors let me tell you that conspiracy to commit terrorism is a felony with penalties of around seven years of imprisonment. If you want to follow up on these activities there are good interviews available at the Democracy Now website. CLICK HERE

While it is probably true that many or most of those being held in Twin City jails will be released after the Republicans leave town, the effect of these tactics is to discourage any dissent in this country. If you, as a citizen of the United States, care about personal liberty and the freedom to dissent, it is your duty to make your voice heard now. Blogging is a very effective way to speak truth to power and I urge you to exercise your freedom before you lose it forever.

Slogans

One political activity that I am working on these days is careful monitoring of the Republican propaganda machine. I am registered in the McCain campaign at one of my alternate email addresses and I read everything the campaign puts out. I also monitor the video ads they are preparing to flood the markets with. One characteristic that stands out as I monitor these sources is their skillful use of two- and three-word slogans.

George Bush’s speech to the Republican Convention was filled with them. I have commented about the “angry left” as an example, but other examples could be sited. Just after her speech before the convention, Sarah Palin signed on to a choice bit of sloganeering which, I’m sure was created by the Roves of the campaign. Here are some examples:

“At a time when our nation is fighting a war to defeat radical Islamic extremism and our economy is at a crossroads, America needs John McCain and Reform Republicans who have the resolve, judgment and experience to lead.”

Note “radical Islamic extremism” and “Reform Republicans.”

“Please help us get our message past the liberal media filter and directly to the voters by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $25 to RNC Victory 2008 today.”

Note “liberal media filter.” What liberal media? I’ve noted how the media has been silent for the most part about the police state tactics used on the streets of the Twin Cities. Is that a “liberal media?”

“The Obama Democrats and their liberal special interests allies are spending unprecedented amounts of money on get-out-the-vote drives.”

Note “Obama Democrats” and “liberal special interests.”

I urge you to be watching for these two- and three-word slogans, which are intended to influence us without shedding any light on the real issues that this country faces. It has been the skillful use of slogans such as these that has given the Republicans victories in recent years. Only an informed citizenry can protect ourselves against this fogging of thought. We must develop a more critical filter for sloganeering from our politicians.

George Bush’s “Angry Left”

“Fellow citizens, if the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain's resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry left never will.”

Here in a single statement George Bush encapsulated the standard Republican strategy of divide and conquer. He divides the citizens of the country into groups that he wants to hate each other: The Angry Left and the rest of us. It was Carl Rove at his best. There are the good folks like us, who will just go to the polls and elect another Republican president and there are those terrible people who want things to change and are angry about it.

If there was any doubt about what the Republicans intend to do this election season you can read Rick Davis’s statement that issues are unimportant this election CLICK HERE.

How do the citizens of this country combat the cult of hate that lies just under the surface of the Republican strategy? Rick Davis gives us the answer—the one thing they fear most: that the people of this country will take a serious look at the record of failure, mismanagement, and outright criminal activity of the present administration and say “THANKS, BUT NO THANKS.” 

Let’s keep our sights clearly on the issues and let those who would distract us with smoke and mirrors  finally fail to win with divide and conquer tactics.

Suppression of Dissent in the US

The news of the arrest of Amy Goodman and her producers while they were working as reporters at the Republican Convention in St. Paul (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS) underlines the increasing official clampdown of anything that smacks of dissent in the US. Doubly worrisome is the near total lack of any coverage of these incidents in the main stream media. We are systematically being duped by our media to concentrate of Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy while near police state tactics are allowed to go on without so much as a word in the media.

Last night I spent the evening with Jes and Leslie Richardson of Code Pink (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS) who are engaged worldwide with peace activities. They have just returned from Iran, where they report that the perceptions in the West of Iran and the next target in the “war on terrorism” are totally distorted. Leslie was arrested in connection with a protest at the congressional testimony by General Petrus about the state of affairs in the middle east. Not only was Leslie arrested, but she reports that the charges against her were raised to include “Conspiracy,” a much more serious charge. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS)

I urge you to view the police tactics that are being employed at the Republican Convention to see what serious trouble democracy is in in the USA. If you would like to see Democracy Now's hour-long news broadcast about these arrests CLICK HERE.

Homeland Security

Nearly hidden in the introduction to Obama's acceptance speech was a single sentence by Senator Durbin that alluded to an issue that I have been concentrating on for the past few weeks. This relates to the loss of personal liberty by US citizens in the name of increased security. I've written on this topic repeatedly in recent weeks. This morning I looked deeper into Obama's website to see what the candidate has to say about this issue. Here is the statement quoted directly from the website:

Barack Obama believes that we must provide law enforcement the tools it needs to investigate, disrupt, and capture terrorists, but he also believes we need real oversight to avoid jeopardizing the rights and ideals of all Americans. There is no reason we cannot fight terrorism while maintaining our civil liberties. Unfortunately, the current administration has abused the powers given to it by the USA PATRIOT Act. A March 2007 Justice Department audit found the FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the PATRIOT Act to secretly obtain personal information about American citizens. As president, Barack Obama would revisit the PATRIOT Act to ensure that there is real and robust oversight of tools like National Security Letters, sneak-and-peek searches, and the use of the material witness provision. 

This is a statement that I strongly support. It provides a good balance between the need to protect us from terrorist activities while, at the same time, protecting us from unwanted and unneeded government intervention into our private lives. I would invite you to look into the statements of John McCain on this subject. Does he have a similar sensitivity to the loss of personal liberty by US citizens?

A Wonderful Night

After putting up with over 30 minutes of petty, Rovish, McCain campaign videos today (I watched them twice—can you believe it!) the evening came and I had little expectation about what was to unfold. First, there was the dramatic entrance of Ted Kennedy into the hall and his strong, impassioned speech, then Michele Obama's speech that hit a home run in my opinion. All to be capped off by the kids talking impromptu with their dad via the big screen. It was a night that gives me hope.

Sure, I know that even now, there are elves in the Rove camp cooking up small-minded stuff to fill the minds of a sedated population, but just for tonight I have hope that truth will prevail over lies and misrepresentation. Just for tonight.

Later: Yes, just as I predicted, the Rovian elves are very busy creating their usual brand of trash. Its all there in this New York Times article. CLICK HERE

Republican Swift Boating

Many people I talk with here in Santa Fe, NM say that they can't believe that the Republicans can win yet another presidential election, given the complete failure of the Bush administration over the past eight years. I have news for you if you believe that.

I've just watched over 30 minutes of the ads the McCain campaign are going to put out in coming days and they are very effective in distorting and trivializing Obama's positions. Never mind the flood of ads that will come from the shadowy groups that have helped to distort previous elections. Those will be even dirtier, I'm sure. But here is a quick rundown of the official ads that the McCain campaign has approved:

Several ads intercut the high points of Obama's speeches with cuts of Charlton Heston as Moses parting the Red Sea. The effect is to ridicule Obamas ability as a public speaker.

Several ads take little 5 second sound bites from various Obama speeches to create the impression that he is constantly changing positions. These are intercut with red screens accusing him of twisting his positions to fit the occasion.

One shows a woman holding a Hillary sign and saying that since she is not available that she will vote for a proven leader. With this she shows that she is holding a McCain sign beneath the Hillary sign. She then says its OK to switch parties.

The McCain ads seldom point to Republican positions on how to move our country beyond its current dire situation, and those that do distort McCain's positions, such as the ad that intercuts McCain with footage of wind generators. Never mind that McCain has consistently opposed alternative energy research and development. Some ads even claim that McCain will bring policies that protect the environment.

I recommend that you go to the McCain website and watch several of these TV spots. The first few are not as hostile and slanted as the later ones. The "Roving" begins with the Moses parting the Red Sea video and it just gets worse from there. CLICK HERE to view the spots.

All this is taken right from the Carl Rove playbook, which advocates taking an opponent's strong points and turning them against him. These tactics are effective unless the deception is constantly pointed out so that people see them for what they are. I'm doing what I can. What can you do?? We don't need another four years of Bush/McCain policies in this country.

Friday, August 29 Update. I just checked into the John McCain website again and there, shortly after his new congratulatory spot that is getting all the play today are the same Rovian attack ads that intercut Obama with Moses parting the Red Sea. This is a clear indication that they intend to pursue those Swiftboating tactics as the campaign rolls forward. Watch out for attempts to derail the campaign from central issues such as the economy and the war.

Santa Fe Indian Market

This morning is the opening of the annual Santa Fe Indian Market. Elyn and I walked over to the Plaza for the opening ceremonies and to see some of the wonderful art, jewelry, and crafts that are featured there. To be there at 7 AM for the opening prayer we left the house at 6:30. Thousands of tourists are in town for the market and the area several blocks around the Plaza is crowded with booths and people. We saw license plates from all over the country. The Indian Market is known all over the world and people often return year after year to purchase the best in Native American art.

The ceremony opened with an elder from the Hopi Nation saying an extended prayer that moved smoothly from Hopi to English and back again. He blessed us all with his eagle feather covered with corn pollen. Then the Black Eagle Singers from Jemez Pueblo performed the flag song, the warrior’s song, and several other numbers from the plains indian tradition. This group of some dozen men and one woman are the best drummers and singers I have heard. Their precision and spirit is amazing and they deserve the Grammy that they have been awarded. To be able to walk from our home to participate in such a wonderful event is a real privilege of living here in Santa Fe.

We walked home, passing by the new Virgin de Guadalupe statue that has just been dedicated. This statue is next to the historic Santaurio de Guadalupe, which is only about four blocks from our home.

One amusing and telling event was the introduction of the Black Eagle Singers by a member of the group. He named each singer, telling his relationship with him as he went around the group. It was only after the next number that someone in the group reminded him that he had not introduced the woman in the group. He took the mike again and gave her an introduction. We learned that she was also a member of his immediate family. As telling as this little gaff is, I remind myself that a generation ago no women were ever allowed to sing in the drum groups. I believe that women came in when there were not enough good male singers to make the groups function. Plains Indian singing is very high pitched and puts much strain on the male voice and they can’t keep it up for long periods of time. Adding women, who can sing in their normal vocal range, makes for security in the singing. These singers and drummers are simply the best I have ever heard and their performance brought tears to my eyes and hair standing on end all over my body. Electrifying. 

The Latest Republican Dirty Trick

I just received this email from a person on my other blog. She is using this news to promote voting a straight Republican ticket for the upcoming election. I will take the space to quote the email at some length:

Ever heard of the Bakken Formation?  GOOGLE it.  It will blow your mind.  The U.S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oilmen/women knew was coming, but man was it big.  

 

They reported this stunning news:  We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth.  Here are the official estimates:

 

  8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia 
 18-times as much oil as Iraq 
 21-times as much oil as Kuwait 
 22-times as much oil as Iran 
500-times as much oil as Yemen - and it's all right here in the Western United States.

 

HOW can this BE!?  HOW can we NOT BE extracting this!?  Because the democrats and left wing republicans have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil.  

Take 10 minutes and COMPOSE AN E-MAIL,  FAX, OR  good old-fashioned LETTER, TO ALL your friends and associates.  ALERT them TOTHE FACT THAT DEMOCRATS  and "LIBERAL" REPUBLICANS,  have been and WILL continue to OBSTRUCT ALL PLANS to make AMERICA INDEPENDENT of foreign oil.  The ONLY solution is to VOTE ALL DEMOCRATS and MARXIST ORIENTED  REPUBLICANS OUT of office.  If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you want to complain about gas prices....because by doing NOTHING, you've forfeited your right to complain.

So, did Democrats and Marxist Oriented Republicans get your attention? It did mine! What is the truth of these claims? I’ve done some checking online and, yes, there are very large reserves in the Bakken formation and they have been known since 1953. The oil companies have not tapped these reserves because the cost of production has been too high to make them profitable. No Democrats or “Marxist Oriented Republicans” have been behind that. If you believe we are sitting on a gold mine (or oil mine) here just click on the URL below and you can invest your hard earned money.

CLICK HERE

COMING NEXT WEEK a Bridge for sale cheap in greater New York City, but only if you vote a straight Republican ticket this election!

The Noose Tightens

My morning paper carries a headline on the front page, “Feds tracking citizens’ U.S. border crossings.” The article goes on to describe how the federal government is creating a data base on all border crossings by U.S. citizens and plans to keep details of these crossings for at least 15 years, making the records available for “criminal and intelligence investigations.” This program created by our Department of Homeland Security (Doesn’t that agency just make you feel more and more “secure?”) to keep tabs on all of us to find out just what we are about. I can hear some of my more conservative friends saying, “Well, if you have nothing to hide it won’t be a problem.”

All of this gradual tightening of the web of government surveillance is part of the reason that I’m considering moving outside the U.S. for the long term. No, I have “nothing to hide,” but I have an uneasy sense of the creeping fascism that is decreasing our freedom of movement bit by bit. Remember how we always thought of our country as “the land of the free and the home of the brave?” Well, I don’t doubt our bravery, but I believe that our freedom is nearly lost at this point. The changes have been so gradual and the reasons given so persuasive that the population has taken little note of the changes.

I know you have heard the story of how you can cook a frog by simply increasing the temperature of the water so gradually that the frog never notices until it is too far gone to jump. That is where I believe we are at this point. The water temperature is increasing little by little and we will sleep through the cooking of our liberties. Then this country will just be a dictatorship along the lines of many countries we look down upon and condemn. I notice that our government only condemns foreign dictatorships if they would like to invade them. Others get a pass and we hardly notice their human rights abuses.

So, who has access to these records? Federal, state, local, tribal, or foreign government agencies along with courts, attorneys, news media, and the public “when there exists a legitimate public interest in the disclosure of the information.” Homeland Security is trying to exempt the database from some provisions of the 1974 Privacy Act, including the right of citizens to know whether a law enforcement or intelligence agency has requested his or her records and the right to sue for access and correction of his/her personal records. 

A legitimate question you might want to ask of all candidates for public office, from the president on down, is what, if anything they would do about this creeping loss of personal freedom.

The water temperature is rising. Do you feel it yet? Don’t wait until you can’t jump.

Those Multinational Corporations

I can’t resist quoting and commenting on Ronni Bennett’s blog Time Goes By. Here is another quote:

Corporate Accountability
• One of the issues not much addressed so far in this election cycle is lack of corporate accountability, exacerbated by many policies of Republicans in general and the Bush administration in particular. Here’s a ruefully amusing video on that topic titled Insurance Company Rules. [1:42 minutes]

By the way, don’t pass up that video. It is worth your viewing time. That there is a total lack of accountability for corporations in this brave new world goes without saying. Governments seem to be unable to police corporate practices, partly because the lawmakers are on the corporate payrolls, and partly because corporations are larger than governments. They are “multinational” which means, if you haven’t been watching, they are not controlled by ANY government. If the going gets rough in one country they simply move to another one that will welcome them with open arms.

My question is: “Who are these evil multinational corporations?” The answer, unfortunately, is that they are US. I just looked at my A. G. Edwards monthly statement and there, nestled in the portfolios of the mutual funds that hold my life savings are a good cross section of these multinational crooks. My broker has been doing his job of making my nest egg grow (or at least not lose as much as the market as a whole).

I’m sitting here struggling to find a good closer for this little rant and the only thing that is coming is the hackneyed saying “we have met the enemy and they are us.” Tired, but true, and the best I can come up with at the moment.

Just Two "Johns"

In a note on the blog Time Goes By this morning Ronni Bennett asked the following question:

"Will someone explain to me why John Edwards is being crucified for philandering while an actual presidential candidate has been given a pass for cheating on his crippled wife with an heiress 20 years his junior and then divorcing his wife to marry the heiress who bankrolled his political career?”

I don’t have a good answer to that question except to say that the corporate media are clearly in the Republican’s pockets and there is much manipulation going on all around us. My advice is to avoid the corporate media as much as you can. They are skilled at fogging our minds and we seem to be unable to resist being taken in by the “entertainment” they provide. So the next time you are reaching for the TV remote curb that addiction. Go on the web where there is a ton of misinformation and outright crazy stuff, but the corporate media haven’t found a way to take control of this medium. At least the truth has a chance to be heard in the welter of this confusion.

As for the two John’s (interesting that prostitutes call their clients “Johns”) unfortunate inability to keep their pants on, I just refer you to my previous piece called Membership Has Its Privileges.

Another Far-out Healing Technique

Those who have taken the trouble to read all of this blog know that I much prefer alternative methods to scientific medicine whenever I can avail myself of it. That is not to say that if I had an automobile accident I would go to a homeopath rather than the emergency room. I recognize the skills that mechanical medicine has perfected in patching up the human body after severe trauma and I respect those abilities. 

However, I am in charge of the care and maintenance of this body while I occupy it and I try to make intelligent decisions about what modalities I will subject myself to. My criterion is the so-called Hippocratic Aphorism “Do no harm.” (By the way, this is not the so-called Hippocratic Oath that all MDs are required to take. Click on the hot link above to read more about it.) I make any medical person aware that he/she is just part of a team that I choose and direct as I see fit. If a doctor is not comfortable with being a member of my team I don’t go back.

But I digress. I have been allergic to cats, dogs, and horses for many years. The allergy has been so severe that I haven’t been able to stay in any house where there is a cat for more than a half hour without using my asthma inhaler before entering the place. 

Several weeks ago a friend recommended to Elyn that she go to a chiropractor who does allergy desensitization to get rid of some of her many food allergies. The technique the doctor uses looks pretty much like voodoo medicine to me. It involves a lot of muscle testing and pounding certain areas along the spine with the portable jackhammer that some chiropractors use to do adjustments. This is an electric gadget that delivers repeated blows on either side of the spinal column. The patient holds small quantities of the substance he/she is allergic to while the doctor tests muscle response and delivers the blows to the back. Quite frankly, I was more than a little skeptical, but Elyn was hot to try it. After the first treatment, which was to clear her allergy to three foods, including garlic I watched her eat garlic laden foods without any allergic reaction. The next week three more foods were chosen and she seems to be free of any allergic reaction. I had promised that if her treatment was successful I would go in for treatment of my cat, dog, and horse allergy.

Well, today was the day that I made good on that promise. We took in plastic bags with the hair from two of the more offensive cats I have encountered among our friends. (The cats themselves are fine kitties but they have set my asthma off every time I have visited their owners.) After the half hour of muscle testing and back pounding the doctor proclaimed me clear of those allergies and sent me on my way. I could hardly wait to test the results so we called one of the friends and asked if we could come over and test out their cat. I have just returned from a two-hour visit without any allergic reaction whatsoever. I did not use my inhaler before going, and I purposefully chased down the cat (who is very shy) and stroked her fur repeatedly and brought my hair covered hands to my face to breathe in the essence of cat spit. It has been several hours now and I feel no asthma symptoms, no itching and watering eyes, and no sneezes. Amazing. I can’t remember how many years it has been since I actually petted a cat, but it must have been at least fifteen years. We have a neighbor who has three dogs and I’m looking forward to testing myself with those guys in the next few days. There is a local historic ranch where I’ll be able to test out the horse allergy before I declare the entire treatment a success. It may be voodoo medicine, but the results are very impressive so far. I’ll keep you informed.