Quote of the day--on the difference between Democrats and Republicans, friends and enemies

"There is a big difference between a disappointing friend and a deadly enemy.  Of course the Democrats are disappointing.  That's what makes them Democrats.  If they were any more frustrating, they'd be your relatives.  But in this country, they are all that stands between you and darkest night. 


You know why their symbol is the letter 'D'?  Because it's a grade that means 'good enough, but just barely.'  You know why the Republican symbol is 'R'?  Because it's the noise a pirate makes when he robs you and feeds you to a shark."  --Bill Maher, "Real Time with Bill Maher

Dick Cheney: Maybe it's time to limit gun magazine size

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dick Cheney.  Right-wing, uber-conservative, Republican says maybe it's time to limit the size of gun's magazines.

It's a new day.

It's almost enough to give you hope.

Isn't it?

Link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/dick-cheney-gun-control-magazines_n_811057.html

Quote of the day

"We had a national tragedy this week, and the President of the United States and Sarah Palin both made speeches on the same day.  Obama came out against lunatics with guns and Sarah Palin gave the rebuttal."  --Bill Maher

Kansas City: No 6 on "Worst Cities to be a sports fan"

Here we go--another of Forbes Magazine's ratings and, well, we knew we'd be on this one, didn't we?

No. 6 Kansas City

Teams: Chiefs (NFL); Royals (MLB)

Median Household Income/Fan Cost Index: $46,193 / $266.68 (12th)

Teams' combined winning percentage: .433 (25th)

Playoff Appearances: 0

Championships: 0

Ticket prices are reasonable, but the Royals just can't shake over a decade's worth of the doldrums. The franchise has had just one winning season since 1995.

It's a good thing we aren't ranked by just our Major League Baseball team or we'd definitely, I'd think, be in one of the top two spots, if not number one.

And this isn't even factoring in what we stooges have had to pay the rich fatcats in order to spruce up their stadiums so they can make their millions.  And by fatcats, I mean the greedhead owners and the multi-millionaire players, both.  All the millions of dollars they gouge out of us and look at those numbers above in playoff appearances and championships.  Ugh.

If there's good news on this, it's that Indianapolis is ranked even worse than we are, at number 3.  I don't know about you, but that made me feel slightly better.

Link to picture ratings here:  http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/19/tickets-fans-miami-biz-sports-cx_tvr_0820badfans_slide_7.html?thisSpeed=undefined

Full story here:  http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/19/tickets-fans-miami-biz-sports-cx_tvr_0820badfans.html

Bill Maher on the Tea Party and Founding Fathers

New Rule:

Now that they've finished reading the Constitution out loud, 'teabaggers' must call out that group of elitist liberals whose values are so antithetical to theirs.  I'm talking, of course, about the 'Founding Fathers', who, the 'teabaggers' believe, are just like them.  

But aren't.

One is a group of exclusively white men who live in a bygone century, have bad teeth and think of blacks as three-fifths of a person.

And the others are the 'Founding Fathers.'

Now, I want you 'teabaggers' out there to understand one thing:  while you idolize the 'Founding Fathers' and dress up like them and smell like them, I think it's pretty clear that the 'Founding Fathers' would have hated your guts.

And what's more, you would have hated them.

They were everything you despise.  

They studied science, read Plato, hung out in Paris and though the Bible was mostly bullshit.  And yet, there is a popular painting in wing-nut America.  Yes, that's Jesus with the 'Founding Fathers' behind him, presenting the Constitution to America.  Either that or it's a settlement offer for that boy  after he sued the Rectory.

Super-religious guy Glenn Beck likes to play dress up as Thomas Paine.  

Thomas Paine, an atheist who said churches were human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind. 

John Adams.

Adams said this would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it.  Which is not to say the Founders didn't have a moral code.  Of course they did.  They just didn't get it from the Bible.  Well, except for the part that it's cool to own slaves.  It's in there, folks.  I didn't make it up.

The Founders disagreed amongst themselves about that and most issues.  But the one thing they never argued about was that political power must stay in the hands of the smartest people and out of the hands of the dumbest loudmouths slowing down the checkout line at Home Depot.  And yet Sarah Palin once said of Obama, "We need a Commander in Chief, not a professor of law standing at a lectern!"

How gay is that?

I hate to break it to you, but Thomas Jefferson, a lawyer;  Alexander Hamilton, Constitutional lawyer;  James Madison, lawyer;  John Adams, Constitutional lawyer.  They were not the "common man" of the day.

Ben Franklin studied scientific phenomena like lightning and the Aurora Borealis.  And were he alive today, he could probably explain to Bill O'Reilly why the tides go in and out.  James Madison was fluent in Greek and Latin and could translate Virgil and Cicero.  John Boehner can't translate Fareed Zakariah.  And Thomas Jefferson was an astronomer and a physicist who founded the University of Virginia, played the violin and spoke six languages.

Or, as Palin would say, "All of them."

Link:  http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/index.html

http://politicalhumor.about.com/b/2011/01/18/bill-maher-to-tea-party-the-founding-fathers-would-have-hated-your-guts.htm

The next amendment to the Constitution?

I got the following in an email yesterday and I have to say two things about it:  First, I think there's some merit to it.  Second, I think a lot of people from all political parties feel the same way about Congress and Washington and third, it has little likelihood of ever happening.  We're all too busy trying to make a living to make this happen.  We're not yet "mad as hell and not going to take it any more", if you know what I mean.

That said, here goes.  I haven't researched what they say about the 26th Amendment.  I think it makes some sense:

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified.

Why?  Simple!  The people demanded it.  That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

 1. Term Limits:  12 years only, one of the possible options below.
     A. Two Six-year Senate terms
     B. Six Two-year House terms
     C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2.  No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3.  Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately.  All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11. 

9.  Government legislators cannot leave government work and go to private business as lobbyists or any other occupation that influences government, directly or indirectly, for two years after leaving office.  (I added this one myself).

The American people did not make the current contract with members of Congress.  Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
 

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.  The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Much of  what we face, in terms of privilege and selfishness in this country might best be changed starting from the top down.

______________________________________

That said, the term limits might put the corporations in even more control of our government, if we didn't also put into effect true, stringent campaign finance reform--and a shortened, say, 3-month election campaign--so all the corporate money and lobbyists and that money is taken out of the governmental and election process.  If we don't do that, regardless of what else we do, there will likely be no real change.  The above would help, sure, but we still have to get the outside money out of our government, I think we'd all agree.

Thoughts, ladies and gentlemen? 

Don't forget--Restaurant Week starts tomorrow!

That's right, tomorrow begins Kansas City's second year of "Restaurant Week", benefiting Harvesters, the Community Food Network.

From their website:

10% of the cost of each meal purchased from KC Restaurant Week menus will be donated to Harvesters in an effort to fight hunger in the Kansas City area. In 2010, this event raised more than $55,000, providing some 275,000 meals to our neighbors in need.

Diners can enjoy delcious and budget-friendly meals at 100 participating restaurants during the 10-day event. Select from multiple course prix-fixe menus, with lunch for $15 and dinner for $30.

So if you're going to eat out anyway, please do what you can over the next week to patronize one of the 100 restaurants in town that are participating in this very worthy project.

You can check on your favorite participating restaurant here:  http://www.kansascityrestaurantweek.com/restaurants/

Links:  http://www.kansascityrestaurantweek.com/;  http://www.visitkc.com/;  http://www.inkkc.com/;  http://www.morestaurants.org/;  http://www.harvesters.org/;  http://www.kj.com/;  http://www.discover.com/;  http://www.boulevard.com/;  http://www.kansascity.com/;  http://www.spaceskc.com/;  http://www.pepsirefreshproject.com/; 
http://kansascity.usfoodservice.com/SitePages/Home.aspx;  http://www.theroasterie.com/; 
http://www.kcoriginals.com/;  http://nightlifekc.com/dining;  http://www.opentable.com/home.aspx; 
http://airealmobile.com/

Wow. Mission Hills, Ks 3rd wealthiest neighborhood in the country

Yowza.

I mean, I knew these people had money but I didn't think they were in the 3rd richest neighborhood in the country, even if they do tie for 3rd.

Another Forbes Magazine ranking we hit.

Their stats:

Average Median Income: $243,000

Mission Hills is a suburb of Kansas City. It's in Kansas, not Missouri, but is home to the richest people in the area, like Kansas City Royals legend George Brett. Its estimated median household income is $243,000.

Yeah, this is one of the neighborhoods we needed to give those extra tax breaks to, so they can have more money and we can have more national debt, but that's another story.

Link:  http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/111860/americas-most-affluent-neighborhoods?mod=realestate-buy

KANSAS CITY WON!!!

According to a release yesterday over at "Mary Anne's Kansas City, MO Blog" (see link below), Kansas City will, in fact, get to go from Kansas City, through St. Louis--for a time, anyway--down to Little Rock on a good old-fashioned steam engine train.  Check it out:

Union Pacific's Great Excursion Adventure will start in Kansas City

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

For the first time ever, Union Pacific let the people decide where their steam engine would be routed.  Pitted against three other adventures--the Tuscola Turn (through Iowa and Illinois), Baton Rouge Rambler (through Texas and Louisiana) and the Boise Limited (through Idaho and Utah)--it was announced that the Little Rock Express, which boasts Kansas City as the starting point, won the highly anticipated event with 76,217 official votes.

The Union Pacific will start in Kansas City and head across the great state of Missouri, going South after St. Louis, through Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and ending in Little Rock.

Details of the trip have yet to be announced as of yesterday.  You can keep checking at http://www.upexcursioin.com for information.

Very cool.

Link:  http://kansascity.about.com/b/2011/01/18/union-pacifics-great-excursion-adventure-will-start-in-kansas-city.htm

Don't "shoot the messenger" (no pun intended)

I was just sent this chart from the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" campaign which, naturally and of course, I'm a big fan and from which I get emails.

Look at those statistics above, folks. Apparently, it is from a their own poll and it seems to show, and clearly, that maybe all the NRA truly has is a bunch of people with money, opinions and the desire to send letters. It seems the American people want strongly to reduce the number of shootings and killings in the country, doesn't it? And it looks as though they'll support programs to make this happen.

Keep in mind, too, that all it's saying is that it is to "stop criminals, drug abusers, the mentally ill and other dangerous people from buying guns", etc. It's not to take away "your" gun, okay, Mr. and/or Ms. law-abiding gun owner? So chill.

Then, again this morning, I saw a link on my blogroll to another survey on the same subject:

"...a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday...indicates that (a) majority of the public favors restrictions on semi-automatic guns and high-capacity ammunition clips, as well as background checks and limits on the number of guns that can be purchased."

According to the survey, several restrictions, however, are widely accepted. More than nine in ten Americans favor background checks to determine whether a prospective buyer has been convicted of a felony. Six in ten favor a ban on semi-automatic assault guns, and on the kind of extended ammunition clips which Jared Loughner allegedly used in Arizona. Fifty-five percent questioned say they also favor limiting gun purchases to one per month.

I'm loving this, folks, I gotta' tell you.

Now all we need to do is get organized and the mayors seem to be helping that along, don't they?

Have a great day, y'all.

Links:  http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/home/home.shtml

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/17/cnn-poll-no-change-on-gun-law-opinions-after-arizona-shootings/

Ignorance, then and now

"...Americans are wondrous optimists, looking to the upper class and expecting to join it someday. In 1860, many subsistence farmers aspired to become large slave-owners. So poor white Southerners supported slavery then, just as many low-income people support the extension of George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy now."  --James W. Loewen, from his article "Five myths about why the South seceded" in The Washington Post


Idiots.


And for clarification, both groups (the poor, subsistence farmers, aspiring to be large quantity slave-owners one day and low-income people today, thinking they should support the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, in case they become wealthy one day, too.)


Link to article:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010703178.html

If Republicans only meant what they said...

I've thought about this for a long time and that is, if Republicans only truly meant what they said, heck, even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans really were for "smaller government" instead of creating the needless, superfluous Homeland Security Agency and burning through millions and billions of dollars, even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans actually lived that they didn't want government in the private lives of Americans, instead of intruding into the literal, physical bodies of women, as well as their private lives, as on the subject of abortion, especially considering that abortion rights have been the law of the land for lo these 38 years, even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans actually lived that they didn't want government in the private lives of Americans, instead of having it, again, intrude on the private lives of consenting adults, into their bedrooms, as with their stances on gay rights and same-sex marriage, even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans really were for the "little guy", the working man and woman of the United States, if they were for the average guy on the street, instead of always pushing for the big corporations--Big Oil, the pharmaceutical companies, the insurance companies, the "military-industrial complex" and every other large company in the country that happens to throw money their way--even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans put the country first, instead of putting their own self interests first and thinking of how it could benefit themselves, even I might be a Republican.  (But I'll admit here, we have far too many government representatives in ALL political parties--not just the major 2--that do this, admittedly, to the detriment of the country).

If Republicans and their political party really were a "big tent" and inclusive and didn't do things like try to kill the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, thus alienating nearly all African-Americans and anyone and everyone else who, like me, happen to think that voting rights are something to be supported and even fought for, instead of denied, then even I might be a Republican.

If Republicans were for clean air and clean water and clean soil for everyone---and not just the wealthy who can get away to their pristine, expensive retreats, wherever those may be--and didn't vote against the Clean Air Act and work against the work that the Environmental Protection Agency does, etc., etc.--heck, even I might be a Republican.

But Republicans don't do these things, they don't act these ways and they've shown themselves to be proponents of BIG government, BIG spending, intruding and intrusive government that gets into the personal lives of Americans and they seem to do virtually everything that is supposed to be the exact opposite of what the party stands for and is supposed to be about.

And time and time again, they show they just don't "get it."

Any of it.

And that is why, today, there is a "Tea Party", folks.  And Libertarians and the Libertarian Party, for that matter.

Even those people had had enough.

A staunch Republican, on the Health Care Reform Act of 2010

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) on the Health Care Reform Act of 2010:


 "I like the bill" and "From a justice, fairness and equity standpoint, I'm very proud of this administration and that America has addressed this."


Frist said the above at the American Hospital Association's annual meeting.  And he said it about this Obama Administration.


It would be really nice if the Republicans in the House would stop wasting their and our time and go forward, instead, with other good, intelligent, helpful work for the country, instead of trying to "make points" in Washington by re-hashing this important, already-done work and bill.


Heaven knows we've got plenty of problems as a country.  Their wasting this time and energy is shameless.  


Too bad they're not smart enough to be embarrassed.


Link:  http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_01/027582.php

Someone told him there was a "worm hole" inside

This just out:

High-speed chase ends inside McDonald's

A 45-minute chase that went through areas of both sides of the state line ended Tuesday morning when the driver got out of the car and ran into a Kansas City McDonald’s.

Link:  

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/crime/driver-leads-police-on-chase-through-kansas-city

Quote of the day--on America

"This is America, where a white Catholic male Republican judge was murdered on his way to greet a Democratic Jewish woman member of Congress, who was his friend. Her life was saved initially by a 20-year old Mexican-American gay college student, and eventually by a Korean-American combat surgeon, all eulogized by our African American President."    --Mark Shields, PBS

Guns popping out all over

Learn something from the Arizona shooting rampage?

Are you kidding?

This is Amerika.  "We don' need no stinking knowledge!"

Check it out.  It came out yesterday afternoon.  First this:

After tragedy, Arizona lawmakers eye more gun rights

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona has become a national leader in the gun rights movement in recent years as the state enacted law after law to protect the people's right to bear arms nearly anywhere, at anytime.

The shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a former legislative colleague, has done nothing to slow down the Legislature.

Gun rights bills were introduced in the days after the shootings last week, and more proposals are to come.

Giddy-up.

"Ain't nuthin' wrong with our God-fearin' country that more guns kayn't fix..."

And then, surprisingly, as though that weren't enough, a few hours later, this came out:

Wisconsin expected to expand gun owner right:  paper

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin, one of two states in the nation that prohibits citizens from carrying a concealed weapon, is expected to reverse this law during the upcoming state legislative session, according to a local newspaper.

Only Illinois and Wisconsin forbid carrying concealed weapons. A Republican was elected governor and Republicans won majorities in both houses of the Wisconsin legislature in November, bringing many more supporters of gun rights to the state government.

So saddle up, buckaroos...  The big solutions to all of America's problems are right around the corner.  If Ronnie the Ray-gun thought we had enough guns when he were preseedent, he ain't seed nuttin'.  We'z about to git a hole-lot more.

Ain't that jist tee-riffick?

Yee-haw!!  Let the shootin' kommence!

This kuntry's gittin' better and better!

Links:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/17/after-tragedy-arizona-lawmakers-eye-more-gun-right/;  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110117/us_nm/us_wisconsin_guns

Juxtaposition: Arizona rampage then and MLK Day now

"Last week a senseless rampage in Tucson reminded us that more than 40 years after Dr. King's own tragic death, our struggle to eradicate violence and to promote peace goes on," --US Attorney Gereral Eric Holder


Link to original post:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110117/ap_on_re_us/us_king_holiday

Holy cow, I do believe they're serious

Sadly, it's serious.  They mean this.  It's not satire.

I fear for this country.

(Except I will say this--there is a good possibility, statistically-speaking, that the people singing this don't regularly, reliably vote.  Hopefully they won't, still, should "the Quitter" run for the presidency.  Here's hoping.)

You realize, too, right? that this "church", wherever and whosever it is, should have their tax-exempt status revoked, too, don't you?

I'm so old...

...I remember when the only way you got and read a magazine or newspaper (unless you cheated at the drugstore) was to buy the bloody things and have them delivered, in paper form.

Now?  I get The New York Times, "Rolling Stone" and The New Yorker Magazine, all delivered to me, silently, non-paper, to read at my leisure and at no cost.

And in the meantime, not one tree fell, to get me all that.

Yowza.

As the Wicked Witch of the West said, at the end of "The Wizard of Oz"--but now in a good way--"What a world, what a world..."

Quote of the day--on guns

“The tragedy in Tucson has reminded America just how vulnerable it is to senseless acts of gun violence. As a country, we have come together to offer our prayers and condolences to the victims and their families,” said Syracuse, New York Mayor Stephanie Minor. “During this difficult time, Americans are asking their elected officials to help usher in a more civil and compassionate political tone. We must do that. We must also take a serious look at how and why gun violence continues to inflict pain in our country. Too many lives are destroyed, snuffed out too early because of guns.”


Link:  http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr001-11.shtml

China on the US dollar

Talk about a "back-handed compliment."

Chinese President Hu Jintao said, basically, two things over the weekend as he's about to visit us and meet with President Obama this week.

First, he said there needs to be "cooperation" between our two countries.

Well, yeah, since they make stuff (cheap) and we buy so much of it.  That and the fact that they are so heavily invested in us and have been for some time ($2.85 trillion at the end of 2010), I'd say cooperation is pretty much an important "given" for the foreseeable future.

Second, he called the present U.S. dollar-dominated currency system a "product of the past" and highlighted moves to turn the yuan into a global currency.


Ow.  That one hurt.


Talk about kicking a guy when he's down.  And the "guy", being us, is his "friend" and close trading partner.


What's kind of amusing about this, too, is that the US wants China to appreciate its currency, the juan, so it isn't so cheap and therefore, its products so cheap, while China criticizes us for efforts by the U.S. Federal Reserve to stimulate growth through huge bond purchases to keep down long-term interest rates, a strategy that China has loudly complained about in the past as fueling inflation in emerging economies, including its own. He said that U.S. monetary policy "has a major impact on global liquidity and capital flows and therefore, the liquidity of the U.S. dollar should be kept at a reasonable and stable level."


So, basically, we each want to tell the other one how, exactly, to run their economies, their currency and so, their country.  That's good.


Unfortunately for us--but great for China--is that they were relatively unscathed by the global financial crisis (we started).  


Here's the scary part, though:  Mr. Hu's comments add to the sense that China intends to challenge the post-World War II financial order largely created by the U.S. and dominated by the dollar.


It's fascinating to see this relationship develop.  For  now, it's "yes, we want to and will cooperate" but it seems they also want to be sure we know they're coming up on us, economically and competitively.  


Fortunately, for now and the foreseeable future, we both need each other.   And badly.


"Can't we all just get along?"


Link to original post:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703551604576085803801776090.html

"Baby Doc"? Alive? And not in a prison?

Did you hear or see about "Baby Doc" Duvalier landing back in Haiti this weekend?

Can you believe that?

I couldn't.

First, I thought he might have died.  And if he hadn't, then I thought surely he was in a prison somewhere.

This, after all, is the guy who, it is widely known, killed his own people, citizens of his own country, people he was supposed to be leading and taking care of, if he perceived they were his enemy:

...Papa Doc and Baby Doc ruled through terror, relying on bloodthirsty enforcers like the Tonton Macoutes, and each stole the western hemisphere's poorest nation blind. After Baby Doc and his infamously venal wife, MichÈle Bennett, were whisked out of Haiti in February of 1986 on a U.S. Air Force plane amid a seething uprising by Haitians, they settled in the south of France and lived in one of the world's most luxurious exiles. 

Now, not only is he alive, and not in prison, but he flew back into Haiti, presumably so he can lead them again??

Are you freaking kidding me?

Adding to the tragedy, ignorance and seeming insanity of all this is the fact that there were approximately 2000 people, clamoring for him to come back and rule them--paraphrasing wildly here--like "the good old days."

Are they out of their minds?

How is this murderous clown going to rebuild their homes---and the country?

Then there's this from the article:

And what's perhaps even harder to imagine is how the government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy could have allowed Duvalier, who arrived from Paris, to board an Air France flight bound for Haiti under the current circumstances. "For the French to have even permitted [Duvalier] to leave their territory amidst an electoral and cholera crisis here shows they have not much interest in the welfare of the Haitian people," says a high-ranking Haitian government official.

This is not a good turn for Haiti right now, those poor people.  Fortunately, there is some talk about him possibly being arrested and tried.

Here's hoping the right things happen down there and they get that obscene, rich, meddling old fool out of there.

Link to original post:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599204276200;_ylt=ApP37UoC4J7DkgwPaOqPyEr2_sEF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1Mm9sNnFrBGFzc2V0Ay9zL3RpbWUvMDg1OTkyMDQyNzYyMDAEY2NvZGUDbXBfZWNfOF8xMARjcG9zAzYEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNoYWl0aWplYW4tY2w-

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on truth and love

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality."  --The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Accepting Nobel Peace Prize, Dec. 10, 1964, US Civil Rights leader & clergyman (1929 - 1968)

On Native Americans

Saturday evening, I went to the Barnes and Noble bookstore on the Plaza in an effort to just look around and "kill some time", as it were.  I wasn't really looking for anything to buy.

I ran across a pretty wonderful, unusual book for me and, I'd bet, for a lot of Americans.

It is "The Wisdom of the Native Americans" compiled and edited by Kent Nerburn.  Mr. Nerburn, according to the book jacket "spent several years working with the Ojibwe of Northern Minnesota, helping collect the memories of their tribal elders.

It has a great deal of good information in it, I think, about a vastly important and horribly overlooked people and the ways of their life.

In days to come, I'm going to, no doubt, be sharing some of the book with you here, in little bits and pieces but I was most immediately struck with how different their society was with our own, that of the "White Man", with this chapter on "Poverty and Simplicity":

We original Americans have generally been despised by our white conquerors for our poverty and simplicity.  They forget, perhaps, that our religion forbade the accumulation of wealth and the enjoyment of luxury.  To us, as to other spirtually-minded people in every age and race, the love of possessions is a snare, and the burdens of a complex society a source of needless peril and temptation.


It is simple truth that we Indians did not, so long as our native philosophy held sway over our minds, either envy or desire to imitate the splendid achievements of the white race.  In our own thought we rose superior to them.  We scorned them, even as a lofty spirit absorbed in its own task rejects the soft beds, the luxurious food, the pleasure-worshipping dalliance of a rich neighbor.  It was clear to us that virtue and happiness are independent of these things, if not incompatible with them.


Furthermore, it was the rule of our life to share the fruits of our skill and success with our less fortunate brothers and sisters.  Thus we kept our spirits free from the clog of pride, avarice, or envy, and carried out, as we believed, the divine decree--a matter profoundly important to us.

And we thought them ignorant.

As many have said,, we thought them "savages."

What fools we've been.

Too many of us still don't know enough about these people, sadly, horribly.  We have so much we could--and still should--learn from them.

Links:  http://kentnerburn.com/my-books
http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Native-Americans-Kent-Nerburn/dp/1577310799

The Stuxnet computer worm source?

It's beginning to look as though the Americans and Israelis may be responsible for it after all, as suspected:

Israeli Test on Worm Called Crucial in Iran Nuclear Delay

By WILLIAM J. BROAD, JOHN MARKOFF and DAVID E. SANGER

The Dimona complex in the Negev desert is famous as the heavily guarded heart of Israel’s never-acknowledged nuclear arms program, where neat rows of factories make atomic fuel for the arsenal.

Over the past two years, according to intelligence and military experts familiar with its operations, Dimona has taken on a new, equally secret role — as a critical testing ground in a joint American and Israeli effort to undermine Iran’s efforts to make a bomb of its own,

I think the question may be whether we opened yet another "pandora's box" on humanity and, too, whether it was an inevitability.  It seems as though it likely was (inevitable).


Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

I'm so old...

...I remember when a Facebook search was only, exclusively on and for Facebook and didn't take you off that site, to anything or anywhere else, like YouTube.

THAT'S how old I am.

"Cuz we just haven't quite made enough money yet

Enjoy your Sunday, ya'll

Americans first. And last

"Before we are Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans."

Let's never forget that.

Enjoy your Sunday, y'all.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on war...and peace

"Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."  --Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Ray Metzker at the Nelson

The Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery opened a new--and free--exhibit today showing Ray Metzker's photography.

Go.

Enjoy.

You may thank me later.

I, on the other hand, would like to thank the Hall family, the Hall Family Foundation and Hallmark for making it happen, through their gift(s) of this photography, over the years.

Have a great weekend, y'all.