The Narrative

It only took a few minutes of listening to NPR this morning to have the official narrative of the presidential race made clear. It is "race." I had to reply:

NPR

Narration

I was listening to "Morning Edition" this morning, and a report and/or commentary by Mara Liasson aired. She referred to Barack Obama as the country's "first black presidential candidate."

I did a color study in "Photoshop" last year, and found Barack Obama's skin color to be closest to "Burlywood," "Rosy brown," "tan," and "Peru" (see Words).

If "Black" is meant to refer in a binary way to having at least a tinge of "Negro" DNA, then Barack Obama is indeed "Black." The problem with this ascription is that he is equally "White." He is not even "Black" in the usual sense, having no ancestry or upbringing in the former slave gene and cultural pool of "African" "America." He is more "White" than "Black," and culturally is closer to "Hawaiian" and "Indonesian," as well as "White."

If anything, Barack Obama is a partial "Kenyan-American." We don't refer to people as "White-Americans," but often ascribe such things as "Italian-American," or "Irish-American." No one ever refers to Barack Obama as a "Kenyan-American." This is because we are a "racist" society in the truest sense, choosing "race" over all other considerations. It is the official "narrative."

It is fitting that today's reaffirmation of "American" racism was offered by Mara Liasson, who is also employed by the "Republican" propaganda network "Fox." Though she tries to be one thing on "Fox" and another on "NPR," the two identities are merging.

So, as far as the minions of NPR are concerned, Barack Obama is "Black" and "elitist." The "elitist" part was offered by poll reporter Cokie Roberts. Her "proof" was that he was visiting "Hawaii," his birthplace, and home of the grandmother who raised him.

When NPR started it wasn't intended to be a career springboard, but instead a forum for independent news and analysis. Maybe it is time for a housecleaning. A complete restaffing would give the network a fresh start. In lieu of that, maybe some limits could be established on double-dipping on propaganda networks.
__________________________________________________

The wheel keeps turning and you can't slow down.

When one door is closed...

...Another door is opened. When I cross-posted my most recent entry on this blog to Smirking Chimp a few people commented, and I responded to most of them. It gets to be fun, because about 95% of the time the respondents aren't very bright, and misread what I wrote. Some, who are smarter than most, get offended that I dare to challenge the conventional wisdom of assumed reality.

At the end of my Olympics essay I added the first comment, and my response. It was fun and easy, the complainant a clichéd Net poseur. There were a couple of other dumb comments, and two that were more literate, from the same guy, which are shown below. It may or may have not been this same person, but someone reported me as a spammer on my own blog on Smirking Chimp, effectively preventing me from responding to the smarter person's most recent post.

Not to worry. I can post my reply here. Below are the smarter guy's first comment, my response, his second comment, and the response I tried to post (with edits).
______________________________________________

Beach Volleyball

It's a much more popular sport than you might think. In many coastal (and some non-coastal) areas of the world, beach volleyball tournaments draw tens of thousands of spectators, and award millions in prize money. It's a big time sport, and is watched by far more people than who follow team volleyball.

It's also more demanding physically than team volleyball. Each player has to cover more area, and it requires much more exertion to run around in sand, as opposed to on hardwood.

I don't really think that there are any countries outside of the middle east where a woman could be arrested for wearing a sports bra and a low-cut bikini bottom on the beach. The women can also wear bermuda shorts and t-shirts like the men do.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
--Steven Wright--

Submitted by JMadison on August 23, 2008 - 3:59am.
_______________________________________________

How about rooftop volleyball?

One can't help wondering that some, if not much, of the appeal of beach volleyball might be due to the scanty outfits. If huge crowds all over the world are flocking to see the games, I can't help wondering if they don't have anything better to do.

I wonder also what it's like being in the back row of a beach volleyball stadium where tens of thousands come to watch.

It probably is more demanding physically, but I don't see that as a qualification as an Olympic event. How many volleyball events does an Olympics need? Again, how about bed of nails volleyball? Hot coals volleyball? Two feet of water? Trampoline? Pogo stick? Rooftop, now that would be interesting.

Because a certain attire is acceptable on most beaches doesn't mean it is appropriate for the Olympics. If so, then, again, why not go full Monty? It would be more consistent with the original Olympic spirit, and would allow the news media to create more hype. There's money in them there games.

Actually, global warming will likely solve the issue. It would be interesting to see what beach volleyball players look like in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Skin like leather, scars from basal cell surgeries, onset of melanoma, hiding from the sun.

Submitted by JAH on August 23, 2008 - 3:27pm.
_______________________________________________

JAH...

...you can really be a bummer.

If you don't like watching sports, that's fine. But most people do, and it doesn't mean that they "have nothing better to do". It's entertainment, just like TV, movies, and even reading and blogging.

There are two volleyball events, and beach volleyball is by far the more popular. Team volleyball has never been a big spectator sport anywhere.

I don't understand why athletic wear is inappropriate for the Olympics. A lot of women like American football because of the tight pants. Track suits are also revealing, not to mention the suits worn for diving. Should we eliminate track and field as well?

If you don't like it, don't watch it. That's cool. But don't belittle those of us who like sports. I'm going to root for our team, just like I root for my local sports teams. That doesn't make me jingoistic. Just a fan.

BTW, I used to be a competitive marksman at the international level, so I've also competed. But not at the Olympics. Didn't make the cut at the '87 trials.
_______

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
--Steven Wright--

Submitted by JMadison on August 23, 2008 - 5:43pm.
_______________________________________________


Once more, by the numbers

I was a marksman once too. Here's the proof. Here's some more. I worked at a trap and skeet range once too. I was pretty average, 23-24 out of 25. In my days of duck hunting I was pretty good at shooting Wood Ducks and Teal, no mean feat (Then I had a B.B. King experience - the thrill was gone. I don't eat meat anymore either). I also played football and ran track, with a tad less success. Probably my greatest success was in CYO basketball, where our ragtag team, including a former Little League World Series star, beat almost every team in the league (The refs were afraid of the team we didn't beat. It's OK. They needed the championship more than we did). I also anchored a swimming relay team in the Boy Scouts, bringing our team from last to second. And, in Army basic training, managed to do pretty good in "PT" tests.

I actually enjoyed the Olympics more than I do watching sports in general on TV. Amateur athletics are more pure and uncluttered by money, and also more likely to elicit spontaneity and selflessness. I tend to be a fan of the Chicago Bears, but can't watch a game for more than a few minutes. It's too brutal, and too hyped. The announcers just can't keep their mouths shut. It isn't rocket science, and I feel perfectly capable of recognizing that a great catch is a great catch all by my lonesome.

In the Olympics I found most of the sports good to watch. No matter how mediocre one was as an athlete, the Olympics always inspire. One of the great things about being on the high school track team was that you could try out every event. I ran the mile, but also tried out the shot and discus, high jump, low and high hurdles, sprints, relays, broad jump (now the long jump), and even the pole vault - the hardest of all, in my experience. Having done all that, and been in and around track meets, what the athletes go through is something I can relate to.

Maybe I'm just showing my age, but I can remember when "uniforms" in athletics were modest (except maybe basketball) relative to today. I think it's more about connotation than any absolute standard. In Western culture, a woman wearing a bikini that rides up on the gluteus maximi area creates an image in the minds of most men of sexual intimacy, of revealing private areas that are normally shown away from public view in exclusive situations. It can't help but distract from the experience of watching the athletic performance, and also to inspire an abundance of crude jokes around the world.

I did stop watching beach volleyball. I probably would have watched more if they were attired like the indoor players were. I'm not a total prude. If they were to go full Monty, I would likely have watched the entire matches. There can be standards in any sphere of activity, and that includes the Olympics.

When I was young, the Olympic heroes were Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, Cassius Clay (now Muhammad Ali), Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas, Billy Mills, and Al Oerter. My inspiration to run came from Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four-minute mile. Probably my greatest sports hero is Sandy Koufax, the Dodger left-hander who had such a perfect delivery. I got to watch him pitch in a World Series game by lucky happenstance (he lost) in 1965. We sneaked into some box seats behind the Dodger dugout, and got to see him up close. I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Standards were different then. You didn't have the athletes' (formerly) private areas thrust in your face, so to speak. I think they could actually perform better, at least in beach volleyball, if they didn't have the added concern of revealing too much. I suppose to some of them it doesn't matter.

I should mention something about basal cell carcinoma. I have some knowledge of the disease, having had three surgeries to remove lesions, or nodules. It's the least serious of the three forms of skin cancer, but is no fun. I had many sunburns when I was growing up, largely due to swimming and playing baseball. Celtic skin was a contributing factor. A person of paler complexion would be wise to avoid long sun exposure, especially in this era of compromised ozone shield.

Maybe beach volleyball does deserve to be in the Olympics. It just seems to me to be a bit much, too many sports, without much reason to be on the world stage. The original Olympics were not meant to be an engorgement in sports, but for a mixture of reasons having to do with ritual, passage of time, cessation of warfare, and to engage in sportsmanship and excellence.

In today's world, the athletes have to overcome the money needs and greeds of nations and corporations. It's hard to watch them above the hype, but probably even harder to participate in them above the hype, continually being pestered by corporate shills for TV and other media.

I don't have any problem criticizing the Olympics. I'll watch the games if I feel like it, and turn them off when I feel like it. Saying "If you don't like it, don't watch it" is similar to saying "Love it or leave it," as if wishing for something better somehow disqualifies one from participation.

It's also the equivalent of saying that if one thinks the Bush criminal regime is deserving of life imprisonment at hard labor, then he or she should lose the right to vote.

I believe the members of the Bush criminal regime should be imprisoned at hard labor for the rest of their lives. I vote, and I write a blog, which I more often than not repost here. It isn't much, but it beats doing nothing. I'm not much of a spectator, but I spectate whenever I feel like it.

When I referred to Jingoism, it was about NBC. I can cheer for the "U.S." without any help, thank you, and mostly did. For instance, the men's volleyball team. I missed the women's - must have been at work. I caught some of the swimming events, the diving, and the rowing. But most of all, I watched the women gymnasts. I only watched them by accident, but was immediately taken with their poise, skill, personality, and sportsmanship. Or is it sportswomanship? Whatever, they were an instant inspiration.

I don't care about the flag waving anymore. It used to be annoying, but it's more subdued these days, for obvious reasons.

Now what did I do with that nerf ball? Here's what I use for a bankboard (I guess they call it backboard these days).
_______________________________________________

It's kind of nifty that someone has tried to silence me. I've said things many times that made some people feel threatened. If you aren't stirring things up, then you aren't doing much of what needs to be done. I've been very, very lucky. There have been much more serious attempts to keep me quiet. One of these days I will be. Until then, I just have to thank the Great Spirit for lettin' me be myself, again.
_______________________________________________

It's like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under.

One way to keep from goin' under is to stay happy.

Here's some inspiration from Bing Crosby.

Here's who's really smarter.

Some musings on the Olympics

I wonder if I'm the only person in the world who sees Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt as an obnoxious showboater. He also seems to be making gang symbols for the camera when he's not running. NBC euphemizes his antics, saying he is a cutup and jokester. Beijing is "Beizhing" too.

Actually, the intentional mispronunciations by "anchorman" Bob Costas and others are an old method of conveying disrespect. My favorite example is from when I was a graduate student in Economics in the 1970s. Students and professors would congregate in the department coffee room to discusss the events of the day and other topics. I mentioned to one of the more tedious know-it-all professors that I enjoyed watching the TV show "Kung Fu," a Western, of all things, with the star, David Carradine in the lead role of Shaolin priest Kwai Chang Caine. The professor, never having seen the show, ridiculed it, calling it "King Fu." I was comforted in the knowledge that he was himself roundly ridiculed in the department for being a crappy teacher and mediocre economist (macro).

Such is the phenomenon of Olympics coverage. It's a mixture of hype, hyperbole, jingoism (milder these days, thanks to the rest of the planet's revulsion of the "U.S." criminal regime's various atrocities), and, most importantly, selling product (Not products. Product sounds more masculine, more emphatic.). I wrote a comment in Salon, exploring the excitement-generating nature of the Olympics broadcasts. (One rare exception in the Olympics broadcasts is Jim Lampley, who is even-handed, respectful, and insightful.)

One of the great absurdities of the coverage is how the commentators refer to the "American" athletes as "Team USA," while the other constestants are "China," "Russia," "Cuba," etc. This is consistent with the corporate fad of "branding" everything. You can support the "USA" when you have a "brand" to support.

Still, I keep watching, and was rewarded last week by a performance that is tied for the greatest I have ever seen. It was by gymnast Shawn Johnson in the floor exercise portion of the "all-around" event (A video of the performance is hard to find. Here's a good example from last year.). She only received the silver medal, but judging in women's gymnastics is highly subjective, influenced by outside factors almost as greatly as performance.

It matters little. Johnson won the gold medal in balance beam Tuesday night, so she goes home a champion. But the floor exercise last Thursday was something to behold.(you might be able to see it by following this link. NBC is very stingy with its videos.)

What made her effort so memorable was the complete freedom and abandon she exhibited in going through her routine. The look on her face was of pure joy, focus, and confidence. She was "in the zone" as Michael Jordan described the state of consciousness. For me, she is the great hero of the Olympics, the best exemplar of what the games are all about. We all need inspiration, and the best inspiration comes from higher consciousness in action. (Here's some pictures)

For a nice finishing touch, Shawn Johnson wore peace symbol earrings in her interview with Bob Costas after winning the gold. Costas had no trouble pronouncing her name. He also didn't mention the earrings.

Among other impressions of the Olympics, they are a glaring example of the wide swath of imperialism and the slave trade practiced by the "European" colonial "experiment," and its derivative nations. The athletes of "African" descent included actual "Africans," but also participants from "Great Britain," the "U.S.," "Jamaica," "Cuba," "Brazil," "Colombia," "Saint Kitts," "France," the "Bahamas," "Barbados," "Trinidad and Tobago," and too many others to mention. Here's a list of all the "countries" represented.

The "Chinese" sponsored a gymnastics gala of medal winners Wednesday night. Though I appreciate the performances in women's gymnastics, sometimes it borders on prurient. The routine by "American" Nastia Liukin on the balance beam looked more like pole dancing than athletics.

Boy, that Michael Phelps sure can swim!

The most annoying inclusion in the Olympics coverage was of former "Romanian" and "U.S." women's coach Béla Károlyi. Apparently he was excluded from coaching for his past behavior with the young females, qualifying him as a commentator for NBC. He was an embarrassment, with practiced hysteria and over-the-top cheering for the "American" team. There was something creepy about his fake enthusiasm.

Could there be a more egregious sport than "beach vollyball?" It's visually hard to watch, with all the glare from the sand, but the puzzling thing about this sport is that it qualifies as an Olympic event. The women contestants wear bikinis skimpy enough to get them arrested in many places around the planet. How about bed of nails volleyball? Or two feet of water volleyball? Hot coals volleyball? Trampoline volleyball? Pogo stick. Hmm. Pogo stick. Now there's an Olympic event.

Actually, with all the skimpy outfits in the various events, maybe the Olympics should just go full Monty, so to speak. It would be closer to the original events in ancient "Greece," and would increase viewership tremendously. One can only imagine the hype.
_______________________________________

I cross-posted this entry in Smirking Chimp, and someone made a comment, which I had to answer. Both appear below:

Out of curiosity

Why

"The routine by "American" Nastia Liukin on the balance beam looked more like pole dancing than athletics.
"

Why "american" in quotes? She moved here when she was 2.5 yrs old.

Are you against naturalization?

Don't think she's a REAL American, and if not why not?

And on the pole dancing comment - are you an afficianado or merely speculating?

Submitted by
cewillir on August 21, 2008 - 4:56pm.

Illusions

You may have noticed that I place the names of all "countries" in quotes. That is because any "country" is an imposition on the land, and, as we are seeng in the "Caucases," these impositions are temporary and subject to abrupt change. I do still capitalize the names, adhering to literate standards of the "English" language.

Or, as John Lennon once put it, "Imagine there's no countries; It isn't hard to do; Nothing to kill or die for; And no religion too; Imagine all the people; Living life in peace."

It's kind of hard to speculate about pole dancing. If you mean to to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations, then no. If you mean to meditate on or ponder a subject, not quite. If you mean to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence, no. It looked like pole dancing, though of the horizontal kind.

As far as being an aficionado, if you mean a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity, then no. The only pole dancing I have actually seen was a trailer of Demi Moore in "Stripper." Maybe it was just a picture. It was so long ago I forget.

My understanding is that pole dancing is when a person, male or female, dances in an erotic fashion around a metal pole, making suggestive moves with the pole as a prop. Though the prop in the case of Nastia Liukin was wooden, thicker, and horizontal, and she didn't remove any clothing, the routine had little to do with gymnastics, and was highly erotic. In that sense, it sure looked like pole dancing.

As far as anyone being a "real" "American," that assumes that there is such a thing as an "American" in the first place. I refer you to the explanation above. If the concept of an "American" is an illusion in the first place, then to be a real example of an illusion is an oxymoron, sort of like the son of a barren woman, an example often referred to in the scriptures of "India."

Having said all that, Nastia Liukin is as "American" as anyone else, and I wish her well. She can dance however she likes. Sexualizing the Olympics, though, degrades the athletic aspect of the games, and reduces it to just the kind of spectacle that fuels the greed of corporate media giants like NBC, and of course the corporate sponsors of the "games." If you get a chance to watch a video of the routine, see what you think. The finale was not a competition, just a showcase for medal winners to entertain the crowd. Bread and circus, so to speak.

Submitted by
JAH on August 22, 2008 - 3:03am.
_______________________________________

By the way, the other performance that is tied for the greatest in my experience was also by a female, Sarah Hughes, ice skating in the 2002 Winter Olympics. She showed the same level of freedom and abandon.

Here are some links to Shawn Johnson pictures and videos from the DesMoines Register.

Here's what the Wall Street Journal had to say about Shawn Johnson.

A song to fit the theme of the Olympics, if you can make it play.

Here's some Olympic music.

Here's some more, complete with a slogan.

Truth matters

It would be amusing to watch the haplessness of the Bush criminal regime in its response to the "Russian" invasion of "Georgia," were the suffering and death involved not so serious. A good read on the BCR (Bush criminal regime) haplessness is Zachary Karabell's analysis on Huffington Post, titled Bush's chickens come home to roost.

So the Bush criminal regime is caught flat-footed, bogged down in its criminal occupations in "Afghanistan" and "Iraq." Surprise, surprise.

Actually, it is no surprise. When a criminal gang is placed at the head of "the world's only superpower," disaster is not only predictable, but inevitable. The skill set of criminals is crime. International diplomacy and statesmanship are not. When you hire criminals, you hire them to commit crimes.

In all the handwringing that is going on about "American" impotence and incompetence, there is plenty of blaming going on. For sure, the entire "Republican" party is a criminal operation, and has enabled the Bush regime in its various schemes. The corporate news media has played an ancillary role, providing propaganda cover. The large corporations that have benefited from the Bush regime's various crimes are the money enablers.

But in the immediate, I believe two culprits can be singled out for culpability: Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. They have known for years that the Bush regime is a criminal operation, but have repeatedly declared that impeachment is "off the table." When they first made this declaration, I actually defended them, believing that it would take more time to let the idea grow. I didn't think they would give Bush a pass until he is out of office.

There of course are others who have erred in giving the Bush criminal regime any credibility or support. There should be a sap of the year award for "Georgia" president Mikhail Saakashvili. He actually believed that the Bush regime would back him if he invaded "South Ossetia." He should have read a bit of recent history. Saddam Hussain also thought a Bush regime would support an invasion, in his case, "Kuwait," in 1990. Trust a Bush, and you will live to regret it, if you live at all.

At this point it might be a good idea to impeach Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. If they had actually done their jobs and pushed for impeachment, the "Russian" invasion of "Georgia" likely would not have taken place. The "Russians," knowing that the Bush regime is a gang of criminal bunglers, have the advantage of predictability and control of events.

The "Russian" invasion is not grounds for impeachment by itself. It is merely the latest fiasco generated by the Bush gang and its incompetent criminal approach to world affairs. As Ron Suskind points out so eloquently in his book The Way of the World, truth matters.
____________________________________________

Here's a little light reading on the "Georgia" situation. Here's some more.

Read here about the McCain connection.

If you would like to have your own Bush-Rove picture to do with what you will, click here. You can make it larger without losing much resolution.

Here's some music to read by.

Here's some more.

A few words in defense of our country.

Chapter a Day

One of the shows I enjoy listening to on Wisconsin Public Radio is "Chapter a Day," in which the show host reads from a recently published novel. The current book being read is "The Appeal," by John Grisham. It is about how a large chemical company tries to rig a Mississippi Supreme Court election in order to get a favorable ruling on its appeal of a toxic waste damage suit judgement. It is similar to other Grisham novels, with seven of them being adapted for movies.

Grisham explores the political corruption that enables corporate crime through bribery, campaign contributions, lobbying, election chicanery, and manipulation of the news media. It's informative, and he makes the story interesting, though I doubt that I would read the book if it were not on the radio.

The story has a curious parallel here in Wisconsin, where in the recent state supreme court election a consortium of business interests backed a handpicked "conservative" to unseat a sitting justice, and won. Life imitates art.

On a much grander scale, a number of curious elements are converging to reveal - surprise of surprises - the criminality of the Bush regime. Most prominent is the unraveling of the attempt to posthumously convict former government researcher Bruce Ivins of the Anthrax attacks of 2001. First it was Glenn Greenwald of Salon who raised the question of a rush to judgement. He was interviewed on Democracy Now yesterday about his investigation into the matter. Also interviewed was a colleague of Ivins, Dr. Meryl Nass, and has her own blog right here on Blogspot. Bradblog has been digging into the story as well, exploring the story in all its sordid nuances.

Now even the mainstream corporate media are casting doubt on the Anthrax story. CNN/Time has a feature today that raises questions about Ivins's supposed guilt. The New York Times also has a story today that looks at the flimsiness of the case against Ivins.

For a little added perspective, Greg Palast reports on the various schemes around the country to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election.

Democracy Now also reports on a new book by Ron Suskind, "The Way of the World," in which he describes how the Bush criminal regime ordered the "CIA" to forge a letter connecting Saddam Hussein to "Al Qaeda."

When I was a boy scout I learned how to estimate a distance by "triangulating," using the length of a known distance and angles to form a right triangle. The same approach can be used to prove that the Bush regime was behind the Anthrax attacks, as well as many other crimes over the past eight years.

In order to make a case for invading "Iraq," the Bush regime claimed that he had weapons of mass destruction, that he was behind the Anthrax attacks, and that he was allied with "Al Qaeda," thereby implicating him in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

None of this was true, and the Bush regime knew that none of it was true. They intentionally lied in order to get the citizens of the "U.S." to support the invasion of "Iraq."

What no one seems to be doing is taking the next step, placing the blame where it belongs. In order to lie one must know the truth. If the Bush regime lied and is lying about who is responsible for the Anthrax attacks, then they know who is responsible, and have known from the beginning.

After the attacks they immediately placed the responsibility on Saddam Hussein. This was a lie, and if the Bush gang didn't know who was responsible, they would face ridicule and embarrassment if the real perpetrator was caught.

They knew the real perpetrator wouldn't be caught, which is why they accused Saddam Hussein with such confidence. The only way they could have known that the real perpetrator wouldn't be caught is if they either committed the crimes themselves, or could control the knowledge about who did it. The quickness of the accusation makes only one conclusion feasible: The Bush criminal regime is responsible for the Anthrax attacks.

The Bush regime also made a connection between Saddam Hussain and the attacks of September 11, 2001, mostly by inference, but also with court testimony to the effect. The only way they could have repeated this falsehood with so much confidence is that they knew who the actual perpetrator(s) was or were. Falsely accusing someone of a crime is done for two reasons: to deflect attention from the real criminal(s), and to advance a hidden agenda. In the case of the Bush regime, the deflection could only have been from themselves. The hidden agenda, of course, was the invasion of "Iraq."

Binding it all together is the planned theft of the 2008 election, which of course follows the thefts of the 2000 and 2004 elections, insuring impunity for the Bush criminal regime. I posted a letter to Salon about how the priority at this time should be making sure that the Bush regime leaves office on January 20, 2009. Since a McCain regime, or any "Republican" regime, would effectively be a continuation of the Bush regime, the only way to remove impunity is to elect someone from another party, either "Democratic" or alternative/independent.

I have recently learned the use of the term prima facie. It means that on first examination a case appears to be self-evident. What I have presented here is prima facie evidence of the culpability of the Bush regime in the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Anthrax attacks of 2001, the coverup of both crimes, and of the likelihood of its involvement in other crimes. This regime should be removed from office and its chief gangsters placed in prison at hard labor for for the rest of their lives, but it won't be under current conditions. It has too many accomplices in high places.

We are all living in our own Chapter a Day.
_______________________________________

You can live a better chapter a day this way.

You can even join an army of like-minded people.

A look into a crystal ball might help.

Maybe it's time to stir it up, because the harder they come, the harder they fall, one and all.

We aren't just sitting in limbo. (This deserves an encore. Here's part 2).

Before long it will be a bright sunshiny day.

A blue sky appears after a long rain.