Faces Of Reality

Topic: Iraq
Warning: You DON'T have to view this if you didn't vote for George W. Bush. If you did sanction war atrocities by voting for Bush you are going to be seeing these images over and over again as you burn in eternal flame.

There was some negative reaction to the cartoon above after it was posted in the Tacoma News Tribune. What's the problem, it's just a cartoon?!

This is what soldiers caskets really look like:

For those of you that voted for George W. Bush and aided and abetted the killing and maiming of over 100,000 Iraqis and the thousands of American dead and wounded:

THIS BLOOD IS NOW ON YOUR HANDS!!!

It's time that you face the reality of your actions and your decisions. What Saddam Hussein did to people in his country was atrocious but there is NO separation between what he did and what you are now doing. The results are the same. Innocent people are suffering, they're dying, they're being maimed, wounded, they're losing their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and entire branches of their family trees.

AND IT IS ONLY GETTING WORSE!!!

It's time that you took responsibility for YOUR actions.

Almost every religion teaches that there is a fiery hell that is beyond this realm. The blood of the dead and wounded is on your hands, and you are, in one way or another, going to have to face the cosmic consequences of your actions. Hell exists in more than just a conflict on this planet. It's eternal. It's infinite. It is a universal reality. And it is going to be your fate if you do not do something to reverse your karma. This is NOT religious hocus pocus. This is the law of the universe as we already know it. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The pendulum has yet to swing the other way. You better watch out when it does.

This is the direct consequence of your ignorance, indifference and apathy:

The wonderful thing about karma is that it is not too late to do something about it. As long as blood flows in your veins you can reverse the eternal consequences of your actions.

You can choose to face reality as it is. You can recognize that your actions have REAL consequences to other human beings. You can learn that violence is never the answer, that it doesn't solve problems, that it only creates more. You can pull your head out of your ass, turn off the reality program, stop giving a shit about the fate of Kobe Bryant or Scott Peterson, get involved, tune in to life, cultivate compassion within your being, and get to intimately know those human beings who you believe are your problem.

If I Ran The Country...

Topic: Personal
If I ran this country and could do anything I wanted this would be what I would do:

The first thing I would do is apologize to the world for our stupidity and our arrogance.

I would ask that the U.N. to take control over our forces in Iraq to create a new government based upon the will of the Iraqi citizens to lead to complete sovereignty for Iraq. We would pledge all of our resources (without retribution) for cleaning up the disastrous problem we've created there. We would also pledge that no other nation on the planet will ever have to worry about this kind of direct aggression from taking place again.

I would submit an indictment to the world court for war crimes against humanity for the members of the prior administration.

Pre-emptive war would be banned. Reasonable and prudent actions against verifiable threats will be the only way of handling potential conflict.

The new foreign policy of the United States would be to put human rights above all else. Support for foreign nations that abuse the human rights of its citizens will be dropped immediately, no matter how it affects the pocketbooks of domestic corporations.

Our domestic and foreign economic policies will be hands off except when human rights are concerned. We will never impose trading tariffs unless a trading partner has an unfair advantage because it uses child labor or abusive and unsafe worker practices. So called domestic corporations will be re-evaluated to see if their ownership or labor is conducted in this country. If a company is deemed to have more than 25% of its labor in foreign nations they will be deemed a foreign corporation and subject to tariffs.

Human rights will be defined as every human being having the right and responsibility to work, which will enable them to eat, have shelter and be healthy.

Social security, Medicare and Medicaid will be abolished. Every citizen will be entitled to food, shelter and health care so long as they work. We won't need separate programs to take care of different segments of society.

Profit will be removed from the health care system since profit has continually taken precedence over human life.

The military budgets will be scaled back to levels that are more in line with our allies and enemies. Check out: Federal Budget Explained With Cookies (Keep in mind that these numbers are about 20% lower due to new military budgets).

Conflict will be solved through any other means except violence. Violence will only be used as a last resort where every possible human solution has been attempted. Violence will only be used to defend.

The government will not interfere in the personal decisions of its citizens. If 2 men or 2 women want to get legally married that will be their decision.

Marijuana and other drugs would be legalized, regulated and taxed.

The death penalty would be deemed one of the most extreme violations of human rights a government is capable of and therefore abolished. Abortion would be highly regulated as a medical procedure and only a patient and doctor would have the final decision. Sex education programs will only stress teaching techniques that have been proven to work. "Abstinence only" doesn't work.

Educational programs taught in public schools will only cover those things that are based in fact. Such things as creationism will be covered only to say that none of what they teach has any basis in fact and can therefore never be proven. Religion will be taught in schools not as a promotion to one over another but as a tool to understand the many differing religions.

Local budgets for schools will be abolished and every school will receive funds based upon a national standard per-pupil allotment.

Immigration will be allowed from any country, from anywhere in the world, so long as those wishing to come here submit themselves to investigations, fingerprinting and a period of surveillance and inspection. Those that are found illegally in this country will be banned from ever becoming U.S. citizens and will never be allowed in this country for any reason. A new administration responsible for investigating the illegal hiring of illegal aliens will be formed. Companies that employ illegal aliens will be shut down and all their assets will be confiscated.

The election process will be federalized, regulated and standardized (constitutional amendment). The way a citizen in Hawaii votes will be the same way a citizen in Rhode Island will vote. There will be a digitized and instantaneous analysis of the vote with a paper recording for backup purposes. Media outlets will be barred from guessing at any outcome until all the polls in every state have closed. Media groups that violate this and potentially influence the election will lose their licenses and/or pay severe fines.

All national elections will use public funds that are capped. Every party's candidate will have the right to take part in numerous, televised, national debates. No other form of advertisement for candidates will be allowed.

There will be a test to become the President. Your mailman and local police officers have taken a test to get their positions, why not your President?

The U.S. will no longer see itself as the "world police" or the most powerful country in the world. Korea, Vietnam and Iraq have already proved that we aren't. No country is.

The main focus of publicly funded science programs will be to remove that funny taste you get in your mouth when you drink orange juice after you brush your teeth.

The Nerve
Topic: Hopefully Humorous
Have you heard about these so-called "Christians" that are trying to teach empathy, understanding, inclusion and not judging your fellow man. The nerve of these people! Everybody knows that Jesus hung out with the CEO's, the rich and the fortunate, not the prostitutes, homosexuals, lepers and the poor.

Take a look at this: Compassionate Christians???

Unrelated Minutiae

Just a couple of things. Yes, The Independent Voice has been hiding under a rock.

Can't wait until the red states take over our culture? Don't count on it, read this you "moral majority" wannabee: Liberals Always Win Long live imperfection and reality!
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I made the mistake of reading an article about a serial killer that is responsible for the deaths of at least 8 people in Wichita, Kansas. Apparently this nut job (crazy as a conservative but as smart as a liberal) goes by the name BTK, which stands for "Bind, Torture and Kill". Charming. I hope he's not named after his father.

The thing that intriqued me was the availability of general and not so general information about the serial killer (About BTK). Even if some of it is true, one would think that it would be easy to find this guy. Hell the guy left his semen all over most of the crime scenes, the victims were killed in a rather small geographic area, there are direct ties to Wichita State University and Wichita has a total population of a little over a half million.

BTK broke on the scene with a massacre of most of a family in Wichita. He killed 2 little kids and their parents, leaving the remaining young children to find their bodies when they got home from school. This guy makes Hannibal Lecter look like a rookie madman.

Apparently this case has a fairly large following. The Independent Voice has done some research on the case and has submitted some observations to the Wichita cold case police. I'll report back to you if anything comes of it.

For more information take a look at this: BTK Background On Court TV
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BTW- The Independent Voice has been banging his head against the wall trying to realize what makes you conservatives so unwilling to see what you don't want to see. They HATE our policies not our freedom and WE should also hate our policies!!! Now the Defense Science Board (within the US Defense Department) has released a report saying just that.

Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself: No, They Really Hate Our Policies!

Just some more terrorists holding signs and protesting, right? Maybe they're just everyday people living in Sydney, Australia.

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!

Topic: State Of The Union
Do you wanna know the truth?

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!

Here's the truth; while you're being placated by a sanctimonious figure head that appeals to your precious "values", your government is raping for corporate interest and profit. Unfortunately, it takes a Brit to accurately point it out and to put it into a neat little video that will appeal to your need for sensationalism.

WARNING: The party of those who believe that government shouldn't be trusted will have the hardest time believing any of this because it will contradict their strong faith in our government.

Ironic, isn't it?

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! (Have patience).

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In the anti-war classic, War is a Racket, the author, while discussing the cause of war states: "...A few profit, and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war...". Those words were written by USMC General Smedley Butler in 1935.

General Butler said the following in a speech he gave in 1933:

"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

DON'T YOU SEE THAT NONE OF THIS IS A NEW IDEA?!

I Want To Be A Republican

Topic: Retort
I Want To Be A Republican.

I want fiscal responsibility to be an important part of American politics. I want small government that focuses on protecting and encourages growth for all citizens. I want to be a Republican.

When Abraham Lincoln saw the hypocrisy of a nation who's founding principles included the equality of all men he decided to stand up for what we all should believe in. I want to be a Repulican.

When Richard Nixon saw the evil of fighting an un-winnable ideology war and that the means did not justify the ends, he ran as an anti-war candidate. I want to be a Republican.

Where is the Republican who will stand up against the evil war that is taking place in Iraq right now? Where is the Republican who will say that this war is a lie based upon a lie? There weren't any terrorists with WMD willing to act against the U.S. in Iraq. There ARE in other countries but not Iraq. What happened to Republican prudence? Needless violence is the reason why I can't be a Republican.

I am an American Buddhist and a recovering catholic and there is no way I can support any politician who condones capital punishment. Many old testament Christians, who like to forget about the legacy and teachings of Jesus Christ, believe that capital punishment is justified in the Bible. The irony is that Jesus Christ was capitally punished to death by the Romans and the Jews. Jesus specifically and numerously spoke against capital punishment and only the blind Christians like Pat Robertson forget it. Capital punishment kills innocent and usually poor black and white people. It only causes more problems for society to deal with: the dead father, mother, son, brother, and friend. I can't be a Republican.

Many American Christians find it easy to justify war. The act of war is the closest humans can come to evil and Satan himself. War only begets more and more violence and it has never solved any problems, it has only created more. Yet American Christians still think war in Iraq is the right thing to do mostly because they don't fully understand who they've sent our poor off to fight. War destroys human relationship and penalizes the poor and the hungry on both sides. The war in Iraq has not solved one problem it has only created 101,200 more problems for the father and mother, brother and sister, friend and family member of those who have been killed, injured and maimed. I can't be a Republican.

George W. Bush's win in 2004 was not the beginning of the end for Democrats, it was the beginning of the end for Republicans. George W. Bush won by the smallest majority of any President in the history of the United States. That is not a mandate and it is not indicative of the need by Democrats to radically alter their image so that it appears like they represent values. The democratic party has always been the party of values and principle.

Why won't those in the Republican party understand that the battle that is taking place today is one against extremism and fundamentalism and you don't have to be a Muslim to be guilty of it.

I want fiscal responsibility. I want equality for all men. I want prudence and I want peace. I want to be a Republican.

"My concern is not whether God is on our side, but whether we are on God's side."

Thanksgiving Day Origins

Topic: Retort
I tell you those ding-dongs over at conservative central really have their head up their butts this year. Along with liberals being responsible for all that is bad in the world, apparently Mr. Rush "Dipstick" Limbaugh is "tutoring" his flock of know-nothings on the history of Thanksgiving, and more specifically the Godly origins of the holiday as handed down by the apostle George Washington.

I think it's stuff like this that really makes conservatives dangerous; they possess just enough information about a subject to actually sound like they know what they're talking about. I just have to wonder if their afflication is treatable or is it something that's congenital that makes them see only what they want to see. Anyway, here is the true history of Thanksgiving in our country and "like" thanksgiving festivals from around the world and throughout time.

The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations

Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.

Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.


The Greeks

The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their goddess of corn (actually all grains) was Demeter who was honored at the festival of Thesmosphoria held each autumn.

On the first day of the festival married women (possibility connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted. On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.


The Romans

The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres their goddess of corn (from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.


The Chinese

The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the Chinese saw on the face of the moon.

The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw them would be rewarded with good fortune.

According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.

The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.


The Hebrews

Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.

Sukkoth is know by 2 names - Hag ha Succot - the Feast of the Tabernacles and Hag ha Asif - the Feast of Ingathering. Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur the most solemn day of the Jewish year.

Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.

When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.


The Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptian's harvest season.

The festival of Min featured a parade in which the Pharaoh took part. After the parade a great feast was held. Music, dancing, and sports were also part of the celebration.

When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept and pretended to be grief-stricken. This was to deceive the spirit which they believed lived in the corn. They feared the spirit would become angry when the farmers cut down the corn where it lived.


The United States

In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.

The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.


Canada

Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Observance of the day began in 1879.

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How thanksgiving was Declared a National Holiday in the United States:


* Several people wanted to have an official day of thanksgiving, including George Washington, who proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789.

* Several people did not want it including President Thomas Jefferson (After Washington).

* Sarah J. Hale, a magazine editor, urged President Lincoln to reinstate Thanksgiving Day.

* In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

* Every President since Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day. But in 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November to lengthen the holiday shopping season. This upset people.

**It was not until 1941, that congress declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. It was declared to be the fourth Thursday in November.**

It's not so much that Limbaugh is a mediocre mind who doesn't understand that the origins of thanskgiving are actually pagan in nature, it's that he WANTS thanksgiving to be a religious holiday to divide "liberals", A.K.A. the godless and the soul-less, from the conservatives, who are inherently good people because of what they believe. Yeah, I think that falls in line with what Jesus Christ taught.

It's Different When We Do It!

Topic: State Of The Union
I was going to repost the response to the article below but I found a more comprehensive copy of it here (Sorry Kev!):

Project For The Old American Century

Check out this lovely Keith Olberman report on our voting process:

Don't Let Every Vote Count

Kerry's Not Giving Up....

Topic: State Of The Union
Nor should you. Help John Kerry restore this fascism to a democracy. Sign his "Every Child Protected" pledge today and forward it to your family, friends, and neighbors. Maybe amidst the world burning down we can do some good while Bush fans the flames.

Take a look: Every Child Protected

P.S. Democracy isn't dead just yet!

Hypocrites, All Of Ya!

Topic: Personal
Warning: The following may not be suitable for children under 21 years of age.

Now that we have that FCC bullshit out of the way, let the rant begin. I have a problem with a bunch of neanderthal like men and women, sitting down with their children to watch an inherently violent sport complain about the "indecency" they witnessed in a commercial. And if you don't recognize football as being a neanderthal sport that's violent, all I have to say is you do not deserve the brain god forgot to give you. I've played football. I've injured many guys playing football. I've been hurt. I've had my fingers and probably my ribs broken. I don't know how many knee sprains I've had that required x-rays to be taken. And god knows how many bruises and lacerations I've had.

One of my favorite football stories includes an incident where during practice my best friend's finger jammed itself into my eye socket causing my eye to get "stuck" looking up into my head while the other one was looking straight ahead.

But I was never going to be big enough to play in the NFL. I would never have to go through a college practice and blow my knee out, ending my football possibilities and most likely ending the scholarship that got me to the school in the first place. I would never have the oppurtunity to be like Joe Thiesman and have my leg bone rip through my skin, ending my career. I would never have the oppurtunity to have my neck broken like Dennis Byrd. And the names of people with severe or career ending injuries is almost endless: Chucky Mullins, Mike Utley, Drew Hixon, Curtis Williams, Scot Brantley, Darrell Jackson, Darryl Stingley, Marc Buoniconti, etc., etc., etc. In fact, there are 425,000 accidents yearly by just the teenagers playing football. Some years almost half of those injuries are brain related.

So you sit down with your child to watch this inherently violent and dangerous game and you bark when a woman drops her towel in a commercial? Where are your damn priorties? You have no problem with teaching your children that violence is the way to success but scream when there are some "adult" themes presented to you in a 30-second commercial.

Couple this with the fact that your kids, if they are old enough to use a computer, have probably already seen women doing things you never even thought were possible. Don't even get me started on the number of fictional or actual visual depictions of death and dismemberment your child hears about or sees by the time they're 10 years old. Do you have any idea what kind of video games your kids are playing? Do you know what kind of movies your kids are watching? Do you know that there's a good chance that your pre-teen isn't a virgin, and I don't mean in the Clintonian sense of what is "is"?

My point is simple. Most people who complain about this type of stuff don't have a fucking clue. Your life's a mess and you don't even know it. Your priorties are wacked. And you, yes YOU are the problem with this world.

I have just one question to ask you, do you get more offended when I used the word "fucking" or do you have a problem with the content of what I have to say?

Think about that for a while.

P.S. I'm not done with you yet!