pray for peace
enough?
is it enough
is praying for peace enough?
blood stained guilt
want something more

messing with bush's head

http://www.geocities.com/acurran/fun.html

good way to let off some steam

Linear thinking ?
Lineal thinkers ?
binary questions Yes??
binary solutions No???
cause and effect
cause and effect
cause and effect
why not causes and effects
are we not capable
...Again binary!! Damn!
reach again we must
for peace

A drawing is worth 10,000 words
10,000 words can trigger 1,000,000 tears
but linking tears to anger and fears .... How does one postulate it

I fear our thoughts on this subject of freedoms of speech ....Are ....
... Are too shallow too narrow to bring us to where we need to be...
freedomS of speech not freedom of speech ? yes yes yes
"freedoms of speech" is to be saved? From what?
from us I fear......

Best Short Film, Animated
Nominees:

Badgered (2005) - Sharon Colman The Moon and the Son (2005) - John Canemaker, Peggy Stern The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005) - Anthony Lucas 9 (2005) - Shane Acker One Man Band (2005) - Mark Andrews, Andrew Jimenez

Langston Hughes - Dream Deferred
What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--
And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?


so  where is that dream o yours?

bush - can he blance
The Concord Coalition shows he cant

GLUG GLUG GLUG
Pumped directly from your wallet to their profits
oh I'm sorry I have that wrong ..... its:
taken directly from your hide to their obscene profits !
Exxon Mobil post 4th qtr profits : FULL YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Earnings excluding special items were $33,860 million, an increase of 31%, with strong contributions from all segments of the business. Net income increased by 43%.
• Earnings per share excluding special items increased by 35% reflecting strong earnings and the reduction in the number of shares outstanding.
• Special items of $2,270 million included a $1,620 million special gain related to Gasunie, a
• $460 million positive impact from the sale of the Corporation's stake in Sinopec, a
• $390 million gain from the previously disclosed litigation issue, and a charge of $200 million for Allapattah. Net income for 2004 included a $550 million special charge for Allapattah.
• Cash flow from operations and asset sales was approximately $54.2 billion, including $6.0 billion from asset sales.
• ? The Corporation distributed a total of $23.2 billion to shareholders in 2005 through dividends and share purchases to reduce shares outstanding, an increase of $8.3 billion versus 2004.
• Capital and exploration expenditures were $17.7 billion, an increase of $2.8 billion versus 2004.

source http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/11/115/115024/items/181178/xom_013006news.pdf

somethings wrong? ....yah think !?
how many poor....... well here is a quick guess:

                                               Number(k)  
                                                of  poor       Poverty
Year          in thousands                      families      rate for
                Number of        Poverty    with female       families
                     poor       rate for          (NSP)    with female
                 families       families    householder    householder
______________________________________________________________________
2004......         7,854            10.2         3,973            28.4
2003......         7,607            10.0         3,856            28.0
2002......         7,229             9.6         3,613            26.5
2001......         6,813             9.2         3,470            26.4

Weighted Average Poverty Thresholds for Families
year     3 people  4 people  5 people

2002.....14,348    18,392    21,744
2003.....14,680    18,810    22,245 
2004.....15,067    19,307    22,831

 source
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/histpov/hstpov1.html
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/histpov/hstpov13.html

Today in the sanctuary it was brought up
that sometime the litany of fact, especially horrid fact
(global warming in this case) can cause use to
Succumb rather than act.

When is it too much?
when does the gravity of a situation overwhelm use
numbness sets in, apathy takes hold

how do we feel the cold breeze
but not Succumb to its chill?

have to give credit to
http://www.natashatynes.org/
for great coverage of jll carroll

as i write "we" free prisoners and there renewed
hope for jill

If Bush were not in terror of huge losses in midterm elections
I fear we would not see hope for Jill
thus the merrit are far less than nobel
but

life is not logical nor fair

yet on Occasion a sole is to be saved

damn, how do I pray , as pray we must!!!

here is an enlightening site


http://boingboing.net/

has a great collection of snippings, all related stuff to make one ponder
with obligatory links to sites where one can indulge in the details

of special note is their excellent assemblage of coverage on Jill Carroll's plight

moose
on the loose
nova scotia

we want to go back

Happy Pongal
wishing my new and old friends a joyous Pongal, which I just learned of yesterday
Pongal

"The spirit of Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, is giving thanks to God for a bountiful harvest as people prepare a special dish called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and pray for the blessings of the Sun God. One of the most popular Tamilian festival, it is celebrated on January 14th every year coinciding with Makar Sankranti in the North, Lohri in Punjab, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Bhogi of Andhra Pradesh. One of the very few Dravidian festivals that have survived the Indo-Aryan influences, Pongal finds little reference in Puranas. Falling just after the winter solstice and a bountiful harvest, Pongal marks the season of celebration and joyous activities. Mainly a three-day festival, the fourth day just after the festival is dedicated to outdoors and excursions.

Pongal also marks the beginning of a New Year and is the day to praise and thank God with full devotion and faith and sincerity of heart. Old vices and past should be abandoned forever on this day as we get ready to start life afresh. The festival covers all living beings including humans, cattle and birds and crops. Even the insects have not been overlooked and are offered rice flour to feed on in the form of 'Kollam' on the entranceway of the houses. Thus, Pongal is a day for peace and happiness for all." - from http://festivals.iloveindia.com/pongal/

also see https://www.nehti.org/home.aspx

GWB can not be supported , must not be supported but we must support the people, the proverbial "troops". These people, that are serving in IRAQ, who have real faces and name, are the ones we so readily forget in our day to day frantic pace. We only try to know a name, put it with a face when they become a casualty of the god forsaken struggle for stability. Can we take a moment to connect, to bolster them, reminding them that we are despite all diversity are caring people. here are some places ways to support our troops our soldiers in Massachusetts

Operation USO Cares

http://www.usocares.org/
You can sponsor care packages provided by the USO with a $25 donation. The United Service Organizations (USO) has created Operation USO Care Package. Operation USO Care Package provides care packages to deployed service members. Through Operation USO Care Package, you can sponsor a care package which includes requested items such as pre-paid worldwide phone cards, sunscreen, disposable cameras, travel size toiletries, and a personal note of thanks for their service and sacrifice. Approved and endorsed by the Department of Defense, Operation USO Care Package is a way to send a message of encouragement thanking the troops for their service and sacrifice.

Operation USO Phone Home Program
Since it launched Operation Phone Home in March 2003, the USO has distributed more than 80,000 free cards, and included them in several hundred thousand care packages.

The USO is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
http://www.operationusocarepackage.org

VFW’s Operation Uplink

http://www.operationuplink.org
Operation Uplink is a unique program that keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone cards. Using contributions, Operation Uplink purchases phone cards and distributes them to servicemen and women who are separated from those they care about.

Operation Pride

http://operationmilitarypride.org/index.html
Volunteer organization, founded by military spouses, sends cards, letters and care packages to troops. Also distributes names and addresses of participating service members for people wishing to send messages or gifts directly. If you fill out a form at their web site they claim they will put you in touch with the service member. They also have lists of needed items and instructions for shipping.

Operation Iraqi Children

http://www.operationiraqichildren.org
Sends school supplies to the children of Iraq. In March of 2004, actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13) and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) announced the launch of Operation Iraqi Children, a program that enables Americans to send school supply kits to Iraqi children. Through the School Supple Kit Program, American children, can help Iraqis by gathering school supplies in local drives, assembling them in kits, then sending them to the OIC Warehouse for transport to Iraq, where our soldiers will take them to Iraqi villages. The kits include:

· pair of blunt-end scissors,12-inch ruler with metric markings, 12 new pencils with erasers , small pencil sharpener, large eraser, box of colored pencils (Crayons melt in the Iraqi summer heat!), package of notebook paper, composition book, Three folders with inside pockets, and a zippered pencil bag

Massachusetts Based Organizations

Cell Phones for Soldiers
http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/pages/10/index.htm
Since April, the brother-sister team in Norwell has made thousands of hours of conversation possible between deployed U.S. forces and their loved once. The have distributed $100,000 in prepaid calling cards to deployed troops, free of charge, through their "Cell Phones for Soldiers" program. Using cash contributions and money obtained by recycling donated used cell phones, the program buys calling cards and distributes them to deployed or deploying units.

The Friends of National Guard and Reserve Families Foundation
http://www.mangfriends.org/
Provides financial gifts to citizens of Massachusetts who are members of the National Guard and all other Reserve components and who are suffering financial hardship due to activation or extended military commitment. All members of the Massachusetts National Guard and Massachusetts residents serving in the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve components who have been deployed for at least 30 consecutive days are eligible to apply for a need-based grant for up to $1,000. In order to qualify, the financial hardship must be a direct result of activation or extended deployment.

political comments are mine only, but source of links is Massachusetts Teacher association "MTA is encouraging members to show support for the troops .... throughout the year through Operation Home Front."

CensureBush.org Campaign Launched in Response to New House Legislation
source Democrats.com

The AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, an alliance of over 100 grassroots organizations, has launched a new campaign called CensureBush.org in order to support new legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers that would censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney and create a select committee to investigate the Administration's possible crimes and make recommendations regarding grounds for impeachment.

H.Res.635 would create a select committee - modeled after Sam Ervin's Watergate committee - to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, and retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment.

H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 would censure, respectively, Bush and Cheney for failing to respond to requests for information concerning allegations that they and others in the Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq, misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for the war, countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of persons in Iraq, and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of the Administration, for failing to adequately account for certain misstatements they made regarding the war, and – in the case of President Bush – for failing to comply with Executive Order 12958.

These two efforts are complementary - H.Res.635 seeks accountability for the Bush administration's monumental crimes, while H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 seek accountability for their coverups.

Ask your Congress Member to support these efforts!
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176

More information:
http://www.censurebush.org

Bush speech Sunday 12/18/2005
Transcript GWB
it's time to IMPEACH!!!

Good evening. Three days ago, in large numbers, Iraqis went to the polls to choose their own leaders -- a landmark day in the history of liberty. In coming weeks, the ballots will be counted, a new government formed and a people who suffered in tyranny for so long will become full members of the free world.

This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. And this vote -- 6,000 miles away, in a vital region of the world -- means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror.

All who had a part in this achievement -- Iraqis, Americans, and coalition partners -- can be proud. Yet our work is not done. There is more testing and sacrifice before us. I know many Americans have questions about the cost and direction of this war. So tonight I want to talk to you about how far we have come in Iraq, and the path that lies ahead.

From this office, nearly three years ago, I announced the start of military operations in Iraq. Our coalition confronted a regime that defied United Nations Security Council resolutions, violated a cease-fire agreement, sponsored terrorism and possessed, we believed, weapons of mass destruction. After the swift fall of Baghdad, we found mass graves filled by a dictator, we found some capacity to restart programs to produce weapons of mass destruction, but we did not find those weapons.

It is true that Saddam Hussein had a history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. It is true that he systematically concealed those programs, and blocked the work of UN weapons inspectors. It is true that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. And as your president, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.

Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from power. He was given an ultimatum -- and he made his choice for war. And the result of that war was to rid the world of a murderous dictator who menaced his people, invaded his neighbors, and declared America to be his enemy. Saddam Hussein, captured and jailed, is still the same raging tyrant -- only now without a throne. His power to harm a single man, woman, or child is gone forever. And the world is better for it.

Since the removal of Saddam, this war -- like other wars in our history -- has been difficult. The mission of American troops in urban raids and desert patrols -- fighting Saddam loyalists and foreign terrorists -- has brought danger and suffering and loss. This loss has caused sorrow for our whole nation -- and it has led some to ask if we are creating more problems than we are solving.

That is an important question, and the answer depends on your view of the war on terror. If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave them alone.
'Campaign of murder'

This is not the threat I see. I see a global terrorist movement that exploits Islam in the service of radical political aims -- a vision in which books are burned, and women are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed. Terrorist operatives conduct their campaign of murder with a set of declared and specific goals -- to demoralize free nations, to drive us out of the Middle East, to spread an empire of fear across that region and to wage a perpetual war against America and our friends.
We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them.
-- President Bush

These terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield -- and they seek to attack us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaeda to Iraq, where they are attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.

The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and elsewhere -- they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if we were not fighting them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Southeast Asia and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens -- they would be on the offense, and headed our way.

September 11th, 2001 required us to take every emerging threat to our country seriously, and it shattered the illusion that terrorists attack us only after we provoke them. On that day, we were not in Iraq, we were not in Afghanistan, but the terrorists attacked us anyway -- and killed nearly 3,000 men, women, and children in our own country.

My conviction comes down to this: we do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad, removing their safe havens and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight we share.

This work has been especially difficult in Iraq -- more difficult than we expected. Reconstruction efforts and the training of Iraqi security forces started more slowly than we hoped. We continue to see violence and suffering, caused by an enemy that is determined and brutal -- unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war.

Some look at the challenges in Iraq, and conclude that the war is lost, and not worth another dime or another day. I don't believe that. Our military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost. And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own communications that they feel a tightening noose -- and fear the rise of a democratic Iraq.

The terrorists will continue to have the coward's power to plant roadside bombs and recruit suicide bombers. And you will continue to see the grim results on the evening news. This proves that the war is difficult -- it does not mean that we are losing. Behind the images of chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a clear objective in view.
'Three-pronged strategy'

America, our coalition, and Iraqi leaders are working toward the same goal -- a democratic Iraq that can defend itself, that will never again be a safe haven for terrorists, and that will serve as a model of freedom for the Middle East.

We have put in place a strategy to achieve this goal -- a strategy I have been discussing in detail over the last few weeks. This plan has three critical elements.
Iraqis of every background are recognizing that democracy is the future of the country they love.

First, our coalition will remain on the offense -- finding and clearing out the enemy, transferring control of more territory to Iraqi units, and building up the Iraqi security forces so they can increasingly lead the fight. At this time last year, there were only a handful of Iraqi army and police battalions ready for combat. Now, there are more than 125 Iraqi combat battalions fighting the enemy, more than 50 are taking the lead and we have transferred more than a dozen military bases to Iraqi control.

Second, we are helping the Iraqi government establish the institutions of a unified and lasting democracy, in which all of Iraq's peoples are included and represented. Here also, the news is encouraging. Three days ago, more than 10 million Iraqis went to the polls -- including many Sunni Iraqis who had boycotted national elections last January.

Iraqis of every background are recognizing that democracy is the future of the country they love -- and they want their voices heard. One Iraqi, after dipping his finger in the purple ink as he cast his ballot, stuck his finger in the air and said: "This is a thorn in the eyes of the terrorists." Another voter was asked, "Are you Sunni or Shia?" He responded, "I am Iraqi."

Third, after a number of setbacks, our coalition is moving forward with a reconstruction plan to revive Iraq's economy and infrastructure -- and to give Iraqis confidence that a free life will be a better life. Today in Iraq, seven in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going well -- and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve even more in the year ahead. Despite the violence, Iraqis are optimistic -- and that optimism is justified.
'Defeatists'

In all three aspects of our strategy -- security, democracy, and reconstruction -- we have learned from our experiences, and fixed what has not worked. We will continue to listen to honest criticism, and make every change that will help us complete the mission.
To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor and I will not allow it.
-- President Bush

Yet there is a difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.

Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens: not only can we win the war in Iraq -- we are winning the war in Iraq.

It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends -- and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word.

We would undermine the morale of our troops -- by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us -- and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before.

To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor and I will not allow it.

We are approaching a New Year, and there are certain things all Americans can expect to see. We will see more sacrifice -- from our military, their families, and the Iraqi people.

We will see a concerted effort to improve Iraqi police forces and fight corruption. We will see the Iraqi military gaining strength and confidence, and the democratic process moving forward.

As these achievements come, it should require fewer American troops to accomplish our mission. I will make decisions on troop levels based on the progress we see on the ground and the advice of our military leaders -- not based on artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington. Our forces in Iraq are on the road to victory -- and that is the road that will take them home.
'Have patience'

In the months ahead, all Americans will have a part in the success of this war. Members of Congress will need to provide resources for our military. Our men and women in uniform, who have done so much already, will continue their brave and urgent work.
I have a request: do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.


And tonight, I ask all of you listening to carefully consider the stakes of this war, to realize how far we have come and the good we are doing and to have patience in this difficult, noble, and necessary cause.

I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt.

Yet now there are only two options before our country -- victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance. I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.

Americans can expect some things of me as well. My most solemn responsibility is to protect our nation, and that requires me to make some tough decisions.

I see the consequences of those decisions when I meet wounded servicemen and women who cannot leave their hospital beds, but summon the strength to look me in the eye and say they would do it all over again. I see the consequences when I talk to parents who miss a child so much -- but tell me he loved being a soldier, he believed in his mission and Mr. President, finish the job.

I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss -- and not one of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is controversial -- yet being your president requires doing what I believe is right and accepting the consequences.

And I have never been more certain that America's actions in Iraq are essential to the security of our citizens, and will lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.

Next week, Americans will gather to celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. Many families will be praying for loved ones spending this season far from home -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other dangerous places. Our nation joins in those prayers. We pray for the safety and strength of our troops. We trust, with them, in a love that conquers all fear, and a light that reaches the darkest corners of the Earth.

And we remember the words of the Christmas carol, written during the Civil War: "God is not dead, nor [does] He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on Earth, good-will to men."

Thank you, and good night.

give me a break!!!!! IMPEACH THIS GUY!

Can you take the truths?
the truth about President George Bush
http://www.whitehouse.org/administration/georgew.asp
the truth about DICK Cheney:
http://www.whitehouse.org/administration/dick.asp

IMPEACH !! impeach !!
it is not beyond our reach !!!

cut you own snowflakes
wicked cool snowflake web application
snowflakes.lookandfeel.com
you can save print and email snowflakes
oops cut to much there is the undo command
the galary is awsome to look at
you can even save a snowflake from there!

How fast is fast...?..
Venerable Dictionary goes real time.....
Will it keep up, can we keep up
this is so bad cool mad awesome and yes the newest: dank.......,
(but now surly dank is old hat as you read this. )
merriam-webster.com opendictionary : ".... Merriam-Webster's Open Dictionary where you can 1) submit and share entries that aren't already in our[Merriam-Webster] Online Dictionary, and 2) browse entries submitted by other members of the Merriam-Webster Online community."

cool virtual kaleidoscope
a must have if you need to remove political stress