Well said Len. Load of love sent your way.

Hope you are well.

Doug

Although if you like scary movies with lots of plot twists and can't tell good guys from bad guys, read this:

http://www.watch.pair.com/jbs-cnp.html

Scary in that it reads a lot like what is going on today. No endorsal of the article implied; just more food for thought.

Ordo ab chao, indeed.

Wow. Interesting read.

I just saw where one of the enlightened had an exchange with Rep. Frank...

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Rep. Barney Frank lashed out at protester who held a poster depicting President Barack Obama with a Hitler-style mustache during a heated town hall meeting on federal health care reform.

"On what planet do you spend most of your time?" Frank asked the woman, who had stepped up to the podium at a southeastern Massachusetts senior center to ask why Frank supports what she called a Nazi policy.

"Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it," Frank replied.

He continued by saying her ability to deface an image of the president and express her views "is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated."

Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, sought to assure more than 500 people attending the rowdy meeting that the average taxpayer wouldn't be hurt by plans currently under consideration in Congress.

I saw that Doug. I'm no fan of Frank because he dug the financial hole we are in, but he handled her as well as anyone has. I'm thinking we need a Bad Trips Tent outside the town halls. I'm just not sure where we could get a Hog Farm these days.

On the other hand...

I can't channel Arlo, but reading his comments here and there, I like his responses. They ask "Do you really like Palin?" and he says "yeah I love watching her speak. " And then "But I loved Dan Quail speak too, and even Dubya. I think they're all crazy " and he keeps smiling.

IOW, master conspiracies aside, the forces at work ensure a center not only cannot hold, it cannot form as long as observers can't get loose from the professional rage machine. When either side cools down, they heat the other one up and if we get into it with them, we do the dirty work for them. It really is Behaviorism 101: it doesn't matter if the frog jumps left or right when shocked as long as they jump and predictably.

Arlo, on the other hand, doesn't do that. He keeps his distance and his humor intact as if to say "just watch and enjoy the parade" and failing to jump in the expected direction, he is getting people to think about what he is saying instead of making another joke about the New York State freeway. He's doing what they don't expect and when they hesitate, he smiles. Mischief managed.

In my experience handling crowds at gigs or kids at home, that works. It enables a center to form and hold. It isn't that we shouldn't stand up to the bad information and rage machine, it is that we can't do it with more rage. Either we don't react (won't work if they keep at it) or we find a way to turn the bad juju into good mojo same as handling someone who took good acid with a bum head. Then as Wavy said, get them to handle the next freak through the tent flap. Let it build.

That's why his signing up as a Republican doesn't bother me. I don't care about labels or sides. There is enough good and bad to go around. I care about behaviors. Arlo is still acting like Arlo and it's a good act.

{I saw this while surfing through Yoko's Acorn Site. 8:am 8-21/09}

Bless you for your anger.
For it is a sign of rising energy.
Direct not to your family, waste not on your enemy.
Transform the energy to versatility
And it will bring you prosperity.

Bless you for your sorrow
For it is a sign of vulnerability.
Share not with your family, direct not to yourself.
Transform the energy to sympathy
And it will bring you love.

Bless you for your greed
For it is a sign of great capacity.
Direct not to your family. Direct not to the world.
Transform the energy to giving.
Give as much as you wish to take,
And you will receive satisfaction.

Bless you for your jealousy
For it is a sign of empathy
Direct not to your family, direct not to your friends.
Transform the energy to admiration
And what you admire
Will become part of your life

Bless you for your fear
For it is a sign of wisdom.
Do not hold yourself in fear.
Transform the energy to flexibility
And you will be free
From what you fear.

Bless you for your search of direction
For it is a sign of aspiration.
Transform the energy to receptivity
And the direction will come to you.

Bless you for the times you see evil.
Evil is energy mishandled and it feeds on your support.
Feed not and it will self-destruct.
Shed light and it will cease to be.

Bless you for the times you feel no love.
Open your heart to life anyway
and in time you will find
love in you.

Bless you, bless you, bless you.
Bless you for what you are.
You are a sea of goodness, a sea of love.
Count your blessings every day for they are your protection
Which stands between you and what you wish not.
Count your curses and they will be a wall
Which stands between you and what you wish.

The world has all that you need
And you have the power
to attract what you wish.
Wish for health, wish for joy.
Remember you are loved.


I love you!
yoko ono

I like that leo. Comfort and direction.

Nice......introspectively recharging

Barb B, what an incredible post!! I just joined this forum myself. I feel like it is area where one truly has the right of free speech. I agree with of all of what you said. Perhaps together we can open up Dave's eyes about global warming. Our politicians have been screwing up this country for years (both sides)

My qucik 2 cents on the health care debate and other issues.

We need tort reform, stop all of the frivolous lawsuits. Are there legitmate ones? Yes, but way too many are just crap brought forward by crappy lawyers.

Term limits: I think every congressional seat should be limited to two terms. Anyone who ever held a congressional seat should then be banned from becoming a lobbyist! We do not need "career" politicians, this is how things get corrupted.

Health Care: The less government the better. Of course this goes for everything in life.

One thing that would bring health care costs down is a healthier america. Check out the folks who attended Woodstcok in '69. What do you think the percentage was of overweight kids in attendance? Maybe 1%?? I really don't know but it had to be extremely low. What would it be if the festival were held today? Maybe 20 or 30%+?? We all have our vices but smoking and booze aren't nearly as bad as eating 5000+ calories a day, consuming 200 to 500 grams of fat a day on top of twittering, texting and playing video games nonstop.

One more thing... Barb B are you "available"? Keep it up babe!

Oh here is a short clip of Michael Moore's New Film about Capitalism.
(Capitalism is a Pyramid Scheme.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhydyxRjujU

How would I do it better? I would get the Unions to work out the details of setting up the Worker Ownership of the Mondragon Cooperative of which the Basque in Nortern Spain have been do since the 1950'S. There the Workers even own the Bank as a Credit Union is here in this Union. But it invests in other small Cooperatives.

Barb. We are all illegal. If this Union is sooo great why can we not give work to those South of Us?

Bring all the Troops home from our 170 Military Bases around this Beautiful Planet. All they do is to protect Corporate Interests. We could even Paint all the Battleships like Bright Colorful Flowers. Unless U want US to end up like Russia around 1989.