11.30.2004
Balance...
in life is a very tricky thing. Sometimes it is very difficult to stay balanced and centered. It doesn't take much to get you off course, and once you're off, it seems like everything goes to hell.
I have been feeling very much off-balance for the past month, and am trying desperately to once again find my center, my sense of peace and oneness. It doesn't come easily. When you are in balance, and centered, life moves along synchronistically, flowing in a peaceful, smooth way, bringing mostly good, and only a few hiccups. Nothing you can't handle. But once you're off center, somehow the synchronicity just isn't working, and challenges seem to appear more frequently. You make more mistakes... stupid mistakes, like packing your keys where you will never find them. Losing your phone on the top of a mountain. Leaving your car unlocked for thieves to take what they will. Yes, these are the stupid mistakes I have been making lately. These are warning bells that it is time to realign to center. Time to practice a little meditation and discipline.
One thing I've learned through the challenges of the past month is that I was not created to work a nine to five job. My spirit is wild, like an untamed hawk, and I excel when set free to soar where I will. I do best when I am my own boss. I work myself harder than anybody else ever would. But when I have a boss to answer to, I have a tendency to speak my mind, and say whatever I think. Sometimes it isn't well received!! But, I have, at last found a business to keep me busy. I'm keeping it under wraps for the time being, but hopefully soon it will be ready to unveil to the world.
In honor of the Thanksgiving that has just passed, I want to say that in spite of the recent challenges, I am indeed thankful for many things. I am wealthy in family, and in the right kind of friends, the kind that stick by you regardless. I have been very fortunate to always be in good health, and mostly in good spirits. I have been blessed with more than my share of blessings in this life, and if I never had another good thing happen to me in this life, I will still have lived a blessed and charmed life.
in life is a very tricky thing. Sometimes it is very difficult to stay balanced and centered. It doesn't take much to get you off course, and once you're off, it seems like everything goes to hell.
I have been feeling very much off-balance for the past month, and am trying desperately to once again find my center, my sense of peace and oneness. It doesn't come easily. When you are in balance, and centered, life moves along synchronistically, flowing in a peaceful, smooth way, bringing mostly good, and only a few hiccups. Nothing you can't handle. But once you're off center, somehow the synchronicity just isn't working, and challenges seem to appear more frequently. You make more mistakes... stupid mistakes, like packing your keys where you will never find them. Losing your phone on the top of a mountain. Leaving your car unlocked for thieves to take what they will. Yes, these are the stupid mistakes I have been making lately. These are warning bells that it is time to realign to center. Time to practice a little meditation and discipline.
One thing I've learned through the challenges of the past month is that I was not created to work a nine to five job. My spirit is wild, like an untamed hawk, and I excel when set free to soar where I will. I do best when I am my own boss. I work myself harder than anybody else ever would. But when I have a boss to answer to, I have a tendency to speak my mind, and say whatever I think. Sometimes it isn't well received!! But, I have, at last found a business to keep me busy. I'm keeping it under wraps for the time being, but hopefully soon it will be ready to unveil to the world.
In honor of the Thanksgiving that has just passed, I want to say that in spite of the recent challenges, I am indeed thankful for many things. I am wealthy in family, and in the right kind of friends, the kind that stick by you regardless. I have been very fortunate to always be in good health, and mostly in good spirits. I have been blessed with more than my share of blessings in this life, and if I never had another good thing happen to me in this life, I will still have lived a blessed and charmed life.
11.16.2004
A VERY CHALLENGING DAY
Life is certainly interesting. It never stops challenging you. Just when you think you've got things under control, it pulls the rug right out from under you. I guess what they say is true, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Well I'm not dead yet.
You know you're having a bad day when...
And when things seem unbearable, it's important to recognize that there is always somebody else worse off. Take for instance, the story of the Danish patient who, while undergoing a mole-removal from his backside, was set on fire when he passed gas.
The surgeon was using an electric knife when the 30-year-old man broke wind, igniting a spark.
"When I woke up, my penis and scrotum were burning like hell," the scorched victim told Danish newspaper BT.
"No one considered the possibility the man would break wind during the operation, let alone that it would catch fire," said the surgeon, Dr. Jorn Kristensen. "It was an unfortunate accident." Remember, no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse! Gee I feel better already...?!?
Tonight I watched a film that really uplifted my spirits after a difficult day, both with its comedic genius as well as the strength and spirit of its characters. Life is Beautiful has been added to the top of my list of favorite films.
Roberto Benigni is a genius!
Oh and did you catch the latest cover of Time magazine?
(sorry, I just can't help myself!)
Last night was interesting. Me and Mark went to see a burlesque show at The Derby, a really cool "Old Hollywood" bar. The emcee is a burlesque dancer who's been around by the name of Bella Beretta. Tonight while surfing, I found her blog. She's a very interesting person. Check it out.
Apparently she teaches a burlesque class called Girls School. Anybody up for a little lesson in burlesque? I don't know... sounds like fun.
Dita Von Teese, infamous burlesque dancer
Scarlette Fever of the Velvet Hammer Burlesque
Life is certainly interesting. It never stops challenging you. Just when you think you've got things under control, it pulls the rug right out from under you. I guess what they say is true, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Well I'm not dead yet.
You know you're having a bad day when...
And when things seem unbearable, it's important to recognize that there is always somebody else worse off. Take for instance, the story of the Danish patient who, while undergoing a mole-removal from his backside, was set on fire when he passed gas.
The surgeon was using an electric knife when the 30-year-old man broke wind, igniting a spark.
"When I woke up, my penis and scrotum were burning like hell," the scorched victim told Danish newspaper BT.
"No one considered the possibility the man would break wind during the operation, let alone that it would catch fire," said the surgeon, Dr. Jorn Kristensen. "It was an unfortunate accident." Remember, no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse! Gee I feel better already...?!?
Tonight I watched a film that really uplifted my spirits after a difficult day, both with its comedic genius as well as the strength and spirit of its characters. Life is Beautiful has been added to the top of my list of favorite films.
Roberto Benigni is a genius!
Oh and did you catch the latest cover of Time magazine?
(sorry, I just can't help myself!)
Last night was interesting. Me and Mark went to see a burlesque show at The Derby, a really cool "Old Hollywood" bar. The emcee is a burlesque dancer who's been around by the name of Bella Beretta. Tonight while surfing, I found her blog. She's a very interesting person. Check it out.
Apparently she teaches a burlesque class called Girls School. Anybody up for a little lesson in burlesque? I don't know... sounds like fun.
Dita Von Teese, infamous burlesque dancer
Scarlette Fever of the Velvet Hammer Burlesque
11.04.2004
So enough with the Bush bashing. Hopefully it's out of my system. I just had this overwhelming need to express my frustration! Now it's time to change my focus.
After all, what you focus on is what expands in your life, and I certainly don't need to expand my frustrations with the current administration!
I wrote something a few years back, after I saw the movie, Jerry Macguire. I know that sounds corny, but I actually loved that movie, and I loved that he wrote a mission statement. I think everyone should. So here's mine.
WHAT I WANT FROM MY LIFE
I want to live in peace and harmony with all the people that I love.
I want my heart to be full and overflowing with unconditional love for every person that I encounter. (Hopefully I won't encounter GWB)
I want to develop and to use all the talents that I have been given in such a way as to make this world a better place.
I want to create films that will have a powerful and positive impact on our society.
I want the lives of the people I know to be better because they have known me.
I want to laugh, and to love, and to sing, and to dance, and never to judge, and never to criticize and never to hurt. (What a hypocrite I am! Okay, from this moment on, no more judging and critizing!)
I want a life full of beauty. A home surrounded by flowers and mountains.
I want to always be close to my children and my dear friends and my family.
I want to share my life, dreams and passions, make love and grow old with a wonderful man.
I want to praise God, and know God, and be one with God.
After reading this mission statement again, I am humbled. I realize how far I still have to go to realize these goals. But hey, I'm still young!
Here's to a life full of beauty, love and happiness!
After all, what you focus on is what expands in your life, and I certainly don't need to expand my frustrations with the current administration!
I wrote something a few years back, after I saw the movie, Jerry Macguire. I know that sounds corny, but I actually loved that movie, and I loved that he wrote a mission statement. I think everyone should. So here's mine.
WHAT I WANT FROM MY LIFE
I want to live in peace and harmony with all the people that I love.
I want my heart to be full and overflowing with unconditional love for every person that I encounter. (Hopefully I won't encounter GWB)
I want to develop and to use all the talents that I have been given in such a way as to make this world a better place.
I want to create films that will have a powerful and positive impact on our society.
I want the lives of the people I know to be better because they have known me.
I want to laugh, and to love, and to sing, and to dance, and never to judge, and never to criticize and never to hurt. (What a hypocrite I am! Okay, from this moment on, no more judging and critizing!)
I want a life full of beauty. A home surrounded by flowers and mountains.
I want to always be close to my children and my dear friends and my family.
I want to share my life, dreams and passions, make love and grow old with a wonderful man.
I want to praise God, and know God, and be one with God.
After reading this mission statement again, I am humbled. I realize how far I still have to go to realize these goals. But hey, I'm still young!
Here's to a life full of beauty, love and happiness!
CLASSIC BUSHISMS
This man is actually leader of our great country! What have we come to?
"I suspect that had my dad not been president, he'd be asking the same questions: How'd your meeting go with so-and-so? . How did you feel when you stood up in front of the people for the State of the Union Address.state of the budget address, whatever you call it.".Interview with the Washington Post, March 9, 2001
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''.Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
"Home is important. It's important to have a home.".Crawford, Texas, Feb. 18, 2001
"I appreciate that question because I, in the state of Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge between church and state.".Question and answer session with the press, Jan. 29, 2001
"The only things that I can tell you is that every case I have reviewed I have been comfortable with the innocence or guilt of the person that I've looked at. I do not believe we've put a guilty ... I mean innocent person to death in the state of Texas." All Things Considered, NPR, June 16, 2000
Bush: "First of all, Cinco de Mayo is not the independence day. That's diecis�is de Septiembre, and ...
"Matthews: "What's that in English?"
Bush: "Fifteenth of September." (Diecis�is de Septiembre = Sept. 16).Hardball, MSNBC, May 31, 2000
"I think we agree, the past is over.".On his meeting with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
"I was raised in the West. The west of Texas. It's pretty close to California. In more ways than Washington, D.C., is close to California.".In Los Angeles as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2000
"People make suggestions on what to say all the time. I'll give you an example; I don't read what's handed to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or here's an idea for a speech.' They're changed. Trust me.".Interview with the New York Times, March 15, 2000
"I understand small business growth. I was one.".New York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2001
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to have.he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road.".To reporters in Florence, S.C., Feb. 17, 2000
"We ought to make the pie higher.".South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case.".Pella, Iowa, as quoted by the San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2000
"Will the highways on the Internet become more few?".Concord, N.H., Jan. 29, 2000
"This is Preservation Month. I appreciate preservation. It's what you do when you run for president. You gotta preserve.".Speaking during "Perseverance Month" at Fairgrounds Elementary School in Nashua, N.H. As quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 2000
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.".Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position.''.Quoted by Molly Ivins, the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2000
"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and you knew exactly who they were," he said. "It was us vs. them, and it was clear who them was. Today, we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there.".Iowa Western Community College, Jan 21, 2000
"The administration I'll bring is a group of men and women who are focused on what's best for America, honest men and women, decent men and women, women who will see service to our country as a great privilege and who will not stain the house.".Des Moines Register debate, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2000
"This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mential losses.".At a South Carolina oyster roast, as quoted in the Financial Times, Jan. 14, 2000
"We must all hear the universal call to like your neighbor just like you like to be liked yourself.".ibid.
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?".Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
"Gov. Bush will not stand for the subsidation of failure.".ibid.
"I read the newspaper.".In answer to a question about his reading habits, New Hampshire Republican Debate, Dec. 2, 1999
"Keep good relations with the Grecians.".Quoted in the Economist, June 12, 1999
"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about then.".From a 1994 interview, as quoted in First Son, by Bill Minutaglio
Our Fearless Leader
I think it would be safe to say that we've reached our Statue of Limitations!
This man is actually leader of our great country! What have we come to?
"I suspect that had my dad not been president, he'd be asking the same questions: How'd your meeting go with so-and-so? . How did you feel when you stood up in front of the people for the State of the Union Address.state of the budget address, whatever you call it.".Interview with the Washington Post, March 9, 2001
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''.Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
"Home is important. It's important to have a home.".Crawford, Texas, Feb. 18, 2001
"I appreciate that question because I, in the state of Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge between church and state.".Question and answer session with the press, Jan. 29, 2001
"The only things that I can tell you is that every case I have reviewed I have been comfortable with the innocence or guilt of the person that I've looked at. I do not believe we've put a guilty ... I mean innocent person to death in the state of Texas." All Things Considered, NPR, June 16, 2000
Bush: "First of all, Cinco de Mayo is not the independence day. That's diecis�is de Septiembre, and ...
"Matthews: "What's that in English?"
Bush: "Fifteenth of September." (Diecis�is de Septiembre = Sept. 16).Hardball, MSNBC, May 31, 2000
"I think we agree, the past is over.".On his meeting with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
"I was raised in the West. The west of Texas. It's pretty close to California. In more ways than Washington, D.C., is close to California.".In Los Angeles as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2000
"People make suggestions on what to say all the time. I'll give you an example; I don't read what's handed to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or here's an idea for a speech.' They're changed. Trust me.".Interview with the New York Times, March 15, 2000
"I understand small business growth. I was one.".New York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2001
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to have.he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road.".To reporters in Florence, S.C., Feb. 17, 2000
"We ought to make the pie higher.".South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case.".Pella, Iowa, as quoted by the San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2000
"Will the highways on the Internet become more few?".Concord, N.H., Jan. 29, 2000
"This is Preservation Month. I appreciate preservation. It's what you do when you run for president. You gotta preserve.".Speaking during "Perseverance Month" at Fairgrounds Elementary School in Nashua, N.H. As quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Jan. 28, 2000
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.".Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000
"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position.''.Quoted by Molly Ivins, the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2000
"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and you knew exactly who they were," he said. "It was us vs. them, and it was clear who them was. Today, we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there.".Iowa Western Community College, Jan 21, 2000
"The administration I'll bring is a group of men and women who are focused on what's best for America, honest men and women, decent men and women, women who will see service to our country as a great privilege and who will not stain the house.".Des Moines Register debate, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2000
"This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mential losses.".At a South Carolina oyster roast, as quoted in the Financial Times, Jan. 14, 2000
"We must all hear the universal call to like your neighbor just like you like to be liked yourself.".ibid.
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?".Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
"Gov. Bush will not stand for the subsidation of failure.".ibid.
"I read the newspaper.".In answer to a question about his reading habits, New Hampshire Republican Debate, Dec. 2, 1999
"Keep good relations with the Grecians.".Quoted in the Economist, June 12, 1999
"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about then.".From a 1994 interview, as quoted in First Son, by Bill Minutaglio
Our Fearless Leader
I think it would be safe to say that we've reached our Statue of Limitations!
11.03.2004
What can I say? Complete and utter disappointment. Needless to say, it was difficult to get out of bed this morning faced with the knowledge that we have another four years of Bush in office. After the past four years, I tremble in fear at the possibilities that lie in wait for this country over the next four years. We have as the president of our country a man who cares not a whit for the American people. Someone who has an agenda that entirely supports big business and a fascist way of thinking. Just look at his track record of cutting educational programs for inner city kids, giving the wealthy a tax break, letting big businesses have their way with the environment, handing out contracts to "friends" without taking competitive bids, giving tax breaks to business who take their business out of the country(!?!), passing the Patriot Act which took away American's civil rights without American's having any say about it. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. I'll say it loud and clear. George W. Bush is NOT MY president. I certainly did not vote for him. And I fear that those who did, will regret it before the next term is up.
Eric Blumrich sums it all up with this great animation. Check it out! It really brightened my day!
But regardless of the fact that we have "an idiot son of an asshole" in office, we must all still strive to keep this country great, inspite of the overwhelming number of Americans who don't seem to care about the future of our country. There are still a great number of us who do care, very much.
Our brilliant president who can apparently look through binoculars with the lenscap still on. Scary!
We always wondered if Bush could read... Now we know.
Eric Blumrich sums it all up with this great animation. Check it out! It really brightened my day!
But regardless of the fact that we have "an idiot son of an asshole" in office, we must all still strive to keep this country great, inspite of the overwhelming number of Americans who don't seem to care about the future of our country. There are still a great number of us who do care, very much.
Our brilliant president who can apparently look through binoculars with the lenscap still on. Scary!
We always wondered if Bush could read... Now we know.
11.02.2004
BUSH VS. KERRY
I'm sitting here on pins and needles. I've been on pins and needles for weeks now. I've never been so nervous about an election in my life. Never has an election been so important. So much hangs in the balance. But then, who thought that one man as president could destroy so much in just four years? From taking away every positive environmental program and replacing them with programs that destroy our environment in favor of big business, to creating the biggest deficit in our nation's history, taking funds away from early childhood education programs, destroying the economy, making American's the most hated throughout the world by invading a country illegally so that we can rape it and destroy its citizens, while the wealthy friends of the president reap the wealth of the billions of dollars provided by American's hard-earned tax money that is being spent to rebuild that country. Not to mention taking away our precious civil rights. How can any American in their right mind vote such a horrendous administration back into office? The fact that the vote is so close right now scares the hell out of me!! What does that mean? Either all of these Americans that have voted for Bush are completely uninformed about the damage that the Bush administration has done, or they support that damage!?! Either scenario is very disturbing. Even Bush's hometown paper, The Iconoclast, came out in support of Kerry. Here are a few very good points made by the Iconoclast:
2004 Iconoclast Presidential Endorsement
Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.
The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda.
Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry, based not only on the things that Bush has delivered, but also on the vision of a return to normality that Kerry says our country needs.
Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding terrorism and Iraq.
President Bush has announced plans to change the Social Security system as we know it by privatizing it, which when considering all the tangents related to such a change, would put the entire economy in a dramatic tailspin.
The Social Security Trust Fund actually lends money to the rest of the government in exchange for government bonds, which is how the system must work by law, but how do you later repay Social Security while you are running a huge deficit? It’s impossible, without raising taxes sometime in the future or becoming fiscally responsible now. Social Security money is being used to escalate our deficit and, at the same time, mask a much larger government deficit, instead of paying down the national debt, which would be a proper use, to guarantee a future gain.
Privatization is problematic in that it would subject Social Security to the ups, downs, and outright crashes of the Stock Market. It would take millions in brokerage fees and commissions out of the system, and, unless we have assurance that the Ivan Boeskys and Ken Lays of the world will be caught and punished as a deterrent, subject both the Market and the Social Security Fund to fraud and market manipulation, not to mention devastate and ruin multitudes of American families that would find their lives lost to starvation, shame, and isolation.
Kerry wants to keep Social Security, which each of us already owns. He says that the program is manageable, since it is projected to be solvent through 2042, with use of its trust funds. This would give ample time to strengthen the economy, reduce the budget deficit the Bush administration has created, and, therefore, bolster the program as needed to fit ever-changing demographics.
Our senior citizens depend upon Social Security. Bush’s answer is radical and uncalled for, and would result in chaos as Americans have never experienced. Do we really want to risk the future of Social Security on Bush by spinning the wheel of uncertainty?
In those dark hours after the World Trade Center attacks, Americans rallied together with a new sense of patriotism. We were ready to follow Bush’s lead through any travail.
He let us down.
When he finally emerged from his hide-outs on remote military bases well after the first crucial hours following the attack, he gave sound-bytes instead of solutions.
He did not trust us to be ready to sacrifice, build up our public and private security infrastructure, or cut down on our energy use to put economic pressure on the enemy in all the nations where he hides. He merely told us to shop, spend, and pretend nothing was wrong.
Rather than using the billions of dollars expended on the invasion of Iraq to shore up our boundaries and go after Osama bin Laden and the Saudi Arabian terrorists, the funds were used to initiate a war with what Bush called a more immediate menace, Saddam Hussein, in oil-rich Iraq. After all, Bush said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction trained on America. We believed him, just as we believed it when he reported that Iraq was the heart of terrorism. We trusted him.
The Iconoclast, the President’s hometown newspaper, took Bush on his word and editorialized in favor of the invasion. The newspaper’s publisher promoted Bush and the invasion of Iraq to Londoners in a BBC interview during the time that the administration was wooing the support of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Again, he let us down.
We presumed the President had solid proof of the existence of these weapons, what and where they were, even as the search continued. Otherwise, our troops would be in much greater danger and the premise for a hurried-up invasion would be moot, allowing more time to solicit assistance from our allies.
Instead we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda.
Now he argues unconvincingly that Iraq was providing safe harbor to terrorists, his new key justification for the invasion. It is like arguing that America provided safe harbor to terrorists leading to 9/11.
Once and for all, George Bush was President of the United States on that day. No one else. He had been President nine months, he had been officially warned of just such an attack a full month before it happened. As President, ultimately he and only he was responsible for our failure to avert those attacks.
We should expect that a sitting President would vacation less, if at all, and instead tend to the business of running the country, especially if he is, as he likes to boast, a “wartime president.” America is in service 365 days a year. We don’t need a part-time President who does not show up for duty as Commander-In-Chief until he is forced to, and who is in a constant state of blameless denial when things don’t get done.
What has evolved from the virtual go-it-alone conquest of Iraq is more gruesome than a stain on a White House intern’s dress. America’s reputation and influence in the world has diminished, leaving us with brute force as our most persuasive voice.
Iraq is now a quagmire: no WMDs, no substantive link between Saddam and Osama, and no workable plan for the withdrawal of our troops. We are asked to go along on faith. But remember, blind patriotism can be a dangerous thing and “spin” will not bring back to life a dead soldier; certainly not a thousand of them.
Kerry has remained true to his vote granting the President the authority to use the threat of war to intimidate Saddam Hussein into allowing weapons inspections. He believes President Bush rushed into war before the inspectors finished their jobs.
Kerry also voted against President Bush’s $87 billion for troop funding because the bill promoted poor policy in Iraq, privileged Halliburton and other corporate friends of the Bush administration to profiteer from the war, and forced debt upon future generations of Americans.
Kerry’s four-point plan for Iraq is realistic, wise, strong, and correct. With the help from our European and Middle Eastern allies, his plan is to train Iraqi security forces, involve Iraqis in their rebuilding and constitution-writing processes, forgive Iraq’s multi-billion dollar debts, and convene a regional conference with Iraq’s neighbors in order to secure a pledge of respect for Iraq’s borders and non-interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.
The publishers of the Iconoclast differ with Bush on other issues, including the denial of stem cell research, shortchanging veterans’ entitlements, cutting school programs and grants, dictating what our children learn through a thought-controlling “test” from Washington rather than allowing local school boards and parents to decide how young people should be taught, ignoring the environment, and creating extraneous language in the Patriot Act that removes some of the very freedoms that our founding fathers and generations of soldiers fought so hard to preserve.
We are concerned about the vast exportation of jobs to other countries, due in large part to policies carried out by Bush appointees. Funds previously geared at retention of small companies are being given to larger concerns, such as Halliburton — companies with strong ties to oil and gas. Job training has been cut every year that Bush has resided at the White House.
Then there is his resolve to inadequately finance Homeland Security and to cut the Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS) by 94 percent, to reduce money for rural development, to slash appropriations for the Small Business Administration, and to under-fund veterans’ programs.
Likewise troubling is that President Bush fought against the creation of the 9/11 Commission and is yet to embrace its recommendations.
Vice President Cheney’s Halliburton has been awarded multi-billion-dollar contracts without undergoing any meaningful bid process — an enormous conflict of interest — plus the company has been significantly raiding the funds of Export-Import Bank of America, reducing investment that could have gone toward small business trade.
When examined based on all the facts, Kerry’s voting record is enviable and echoes that of many Bush allies who are aghast at how the Bush administration has destroyed the American economy. Compared to Bush on economic issues, Kerry would be an arch-conservative, providing for Americans first. He has what it takes to right our wronged economy.
The re-election of George W. Bush would be a mandate to continue on our present course of chaos. We cannot afford to double the debt that we already have. We need to be moving in the opposite direction.
John Kerry has 30 years of experience looking out for the American people and can navigate our country back to prosperity and re-instill in America the dignity she so craves and deserves. He has served us well as a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and has had a successful career as a district attorney, lieutenant governor, and senator.
Kerry has a positive vision for America, plus the proven intelligence, good sense, and guts to make it happen.
That’s why The Iconoclast urges Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country.
The Iconoclast wholeheartedly endorses John Kerry.
We'll soon find out just how intelligent our country truly is!
I'm sitting here on pins and needles. I've been on pins and needles for weeks now. I've never been so nervous about an election in my life. Never has an election been so important. So much hangs in the balance. But then, who thought that one man as president could destroy so much in just four years? From taking away every positive environmental program and replacing them with programs that destroy our environment in favor of big business, to creating the biggest deficit in our nation's history, taking funds away from early childhood education programs, destroying the economy, making American's the most hated throughout the world by invading a country illegally so that we can rape it and destroy its citizens, while the wealthy friends of the president reap the wealth of the billions of dollars provided by American's hard-earned tax money that is being spent to rebuild that country. Not to mention taking away our precious civil rights. How can any American in their right mind vote such a horrendous administration back into office? The fact that the vote is so close right now scares the hell out of me!! What does that mean? Either all of these Americans that have voted for Bush are completely uninformed about the damage that the Bush administration has done, or they support that damage!?! Either scenario is very disturbing. Even Bush's hometown paper, The Iconoclast, came out in support of Kerry. Here are a few very good points made by the Iconoclast:
2004 Iconoclast Presidential Endorsement
Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.
The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda.
Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry, based not only on the things that Bush has delivered, but also on the vision of a return to normality that Kerry says our country needs.
Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding terrorism and Iraq.
President Bush has announced plans to change the Social Security system as we know it by privatizing it, which when considering all the tangents related to such a change, would put the entire economy in a dramatic tailspin.
The Social Security Trust Fund actually lends money to the rest of the government in exchange for government bonds, which is how the system must work by law, but how do you later repay Social Security while you are running a huge deficit? It’s impossible, without raising taxes sometime in the future or becoming fiscally responsible now. Social Security money is being used to escalate our deficit and, at the same time, mask a much larger government deficit, instead of paying down the national debt, which would be a proper use, to guarantee a future gain.
Privatization is problematic in that it would subject Social Security to the ups, downs, and outright crashes of the Stock Market. It would take millions in brokerage fees and commissions out of the system, and, unless we have assurance that the Ivan Boeskys and Ken Lays of the world will be caught and punished as a deterrent, subject both the Market and the Social Security Fund to fraud and market manipulation, not to mention devastate and ruin multitudes of American families that would find their lives lost to starvation, shame, and isolation.
Kerry wants to keep Social Security, which each of us already owns. He says that the program is manageable, since it is projected to be solvent through 2042, with use of its trust funds. This would give ample time to strengthen the economy, reduce the budget deficit the Bush administration has created, and, therefore, bolster the program as needed to fit ever-changing demographics.
Our senior citizens depend upon Social Security. Bush’s answer is radical and uncalled for, and would result in chaos as Americans have never experienced. Do we really want to risk the future of Social Security on Bush by spinning the wheel of uncertainty?
In those dark hours after the World Trade Center attacks, Americans rallied together with a new sense of patriotism. We were ready to follow Bush’s lead through any travail.
He let us down.
When he finally emerged from his hide-outs on remote military bases well after the first crucial hours following the attack, he gave sound-bytes instead of solutions.
He did not trust us to be ready to sacrifice, build up our public and private security infrastructure, or cut down on our energy use to put economic pressure on the enemy in all the nations where he hides. He merely told us to shop, spend, and pretend nothing was wrong.
Rather than using the billions of dollars expended on the invasion of Iraq to shore up our boundaries and go after Osama bin Laden and the Saudi Arabian terrorists, the funds were used to initiate a war with what Bush called a more immediate menace, Saddam Hussein, in oil-rich Iraq. After all, Bush said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction trained on America. We believed him, just as we believed it when he reported that Iraq was the heart of terrorism. We trusted him.
The Iconoclast, the President’s hometown newspaper, took Bush on his word and editorialized in favor of the invasion. The newspaper’s publisher promoted Bush and the invasion of Iraq to Londoners in a BBC interview during the time that the administration was wooing the support of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Again, he let us down.
We presumed the President had solid proof of the existence of these weapons, what and where they were, even as the search continued. Otherwise, our troops would be in much greater danger and the premise for a hurried-up invasion would be moot, allowing more time to solicit assistance from our allies.
Instead we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda.
Now he argues unconvincingly that Iraq was providing safe harbor to terrorists, his new key justification for the invasion. It is like arguing that America provided safe harbor to terrorists leading to 9/11.
Once and for all, George Bush was President of the United States on that day. No one else. He had been President nine months, he had been officially warned of just such an attack a full month before it happened. As President, ultimately he and only he was responsible for our failure to avert those attacks.
We should expect that a sitting President would vacation less, if at all, and instead tend to the business of running the country, especially if he is, as he likes to boast, a “wartime president.” America is in service 365 days a year. We don’t need a part-time President who does not show up for duty as Commander-In-Chief until he is forced to, and who is in a constant state of blameless denial when things don’t get done.
What has evolved from the virtual go-it-alone conquest of Iraq is more gruesome than a stain on a White House intern’s dress. America’s reputation and influence in the world has diminished, leaving us with brute force as our most persuasive voice.
Iraq is now a quagmire: no WMDs, no substantive link between Saddam and Osama, and no workable plan for the withdrawal of our troops. We are asked to go along on faith. But remember, blind patriotism can be a dangerous thing and “spin” will not bring back to life a dead soldier; certainly not a thousand of them.
Kerry has remained true to his vote granting the President the authority to use the threat of war to intimidate Saddam Hussein into allowing weapons inspections. He believes President Bush rushed into war before the inspectors finished their jobs.
Kerry also voted against President Bush’s $87 billion for troop funding because the bill promoted poor policy in Iraq, privileged Halliburton and other corporate friends of the Bush administration to profiteer from the war, and forced debt upon future generations of Americans.
Kerry’s four-point plan for Iraq is realistic, wise, strong, and correct. With the help from our European and Middle Eastern allies, his plan is to train Iraqi security forces, involve Iraqis in their rebuilding and constitution-writing processes, forgive Iraq’s multi-billion dollar debts, and convene a regional conference with Iraq’s neighbors in order to secure a pledge of respect for Iraq’s borders and non-interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.
The publishers of the Iconoclast differ with Bush on other issues, including the denial of stem cell research, shortchanging veterans’ entitlements, cutting school programs and grants, dictating what our children learn through a thought-controlling “test” from Washington rather than allowing local school boards and parents to decide how young people should be taught, ignoring the environment, and creating extraneous language in the Patriot Act that removes some of the very freedoms that our founding fathers and generations of soldiers fought so hard to preserve.
We are concerned about the vast exportation of jobs to other countries, due in large part to policies carried out by Bush appointees. Funds previously geared at retention of small companies are being given to larger concerns, such as Halliburton — companies with strong ties to oil and gas. Job training has been cut every year that Bush has resided at the White House.
Then there is his resolve to inadequately finance Homeland Security and to cut the Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS) by 94 percent, to reduce money for rural development, to slash appropriations for the Small Business Administration, and to under-fund veterans’ programs.
Likewise troubling is that President Bush fought against the creation of the 9/11 Commission and is yet to embrace its recommendations.
Vice President Cheney’s Halliburton has been awarded multi-billion-dollar contracts without undergoing any meaningful bid process — an enormous conflict of interest — plus the company has been significantly raiding the funds of Export-Import Bank of America, reducing investment that could have gone toward small business trade.
When examined based on all the facts, Kerry’s voting record is enviable and echoes that of many Bush allies who are aghast at how the Bush administration has destroyed the American economy. Compared to Bush on economic issues, Kerry would be an arch-conservative, providing for Americans first. He has what it takes to right our wronged economy.
The re-election of George W. Bush would be a mandate to continue on our present course of chaos. We cannot afford to double the debt that we already have. We need to be moving in the opposite direction.
John Kerry has 30 years of experience looking out for the American people and can navigate our country back to prosperity and re-instill in America the dignity she so craves and deserves. He has served us well as a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and has had a successful career as a district attorney, lieutenant governor, and senator.
Kerry has a positive vision for America, plus the proven intelligence, good sense, and guts to make it happen.
That’s why The Iconoclast urges Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country.
The Iconoclast wholeheartedly endorses John Kerry.
We'll soon find out just how intelligent our country truly is!
