Obama Still Does Not Know His Place by Paul Jenkins

Great essay! Telling it like it is!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-jenkins/obama-still-does-not-know_b_115671.html

EXCERPT:

That Obama is actually able to listen to facts, absorb them and analyze them should be a good thing. We assume that those skills came in handy throughout his life, not least at Harvard, where he graduated near top of his law school class. This, of course, now makes him an elitist, as he would not be expected by the old DC guard to possess any such competence (charisma perhaps, analytical ability no.) Both McCain (894th out of 899 at Annapolis) and George W. Bush revel in their under-achieving school days, as if this made these scions of hyper-privilege any closer to real people. This tactic clearly succeeded well enough for Bush to be elected president twice, and McCain to be nominated once. But there is a sense that American voters may not be taken in again and that they may actually enjoy as president someone who isn't an inbred moron or a senile fratboy.

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Amazing armless guitarist, Tony Melendez

See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF9wo9sVn2c

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A First Step towards holding Rove in contempt

This Congress has been far too mealy-mouthed in their comments when high-ranking Republicans refuse to obey the laws of our land, including refusal to appear before Congressional committees when subpoenaed to do so. Rove is the latest in the line of Bush Republicans to flaunt their arrogance, believing themselves to be above the law. I hope the entire House holds him in contempt and that he will eventually go to prison, where he deserves to live out the rest of his life for his many dark deeds.

House Panel Votes To Hold Rove In Contempt Of Congress

By: Nicole Belle @ 9:03 AM - PDT

RawStory:

The House Judiciary Committee has voted 20-14 to approve a contempt of Congress resolution against former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove for his failure to appear after a Congressional subpoena.

Voting along party lines Wednesday morning, the committee said Rove broke the law by failing to appear at a July 10 hearing on allegations of White House influence over the Justice Department, including whether Rove encouraged prosecutions against Democrats.

The committee decision is a recommendation. It remains unclear whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will allow a final vote.

UPDATE: From the House Judiciary Committee:

“Today’s vote was an important statement by this Committee that no person - not even Karl Rove - is above the law.” said Chairman John Conyers, Jr. “This week’s Inspector General report on the pervasive politicization of the Department of Justice particularly underscores the urgent need for Mr. Rove to testify before Congress. Any suggestion that the matters for which Mr. Rove was subpoenaed are not important, or that no Administration misconduct has been revealed, is just inconsistent with the facts. Our investigation has revealed Mr. Rove to be a key figure in the firings of US Attorneys, and the questions about his role in the Siegelman case only continue to mount.”

“Today’s vote demonstrates that the House will not tolerate Mr. Rove’s flawed excuses for avoiding his responsibility to obey a Congressional subpoena,” said Rep. Linda Sánchez, Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. “We are serious about defending the legislative branch’s constitutional oversight role, and it’s time for Mr. Rove to get serious about following the law.”

Crooks and Liars

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18 Holes...Addicting Golf Game!

For all you Tiger Wood wannabes with lots of time to spare for an addictive game:

18 Holes...Addicting Golf Game!

Go to this link and I promise, even if you're not a golfer, you won't be able to stop.

Click Here:

http://www.ibogleif.dk/spil/flashspil/minigolf/minigolf.swf

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WARNING: CURRENT "UPS" VIRUS VERIFIED as REAL by SNOPES.COM

Pay attention to this one, folks. This virus is REAL!

This one is REAL! This is a CURRENT virus.

"Real Virus" per snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ups.asp

Computer hackers have come up with a new way of corrupting your computer. They e-mail you a notice from UPS telling you that a package can not be delivered and you need to print the attached invoice and bring it to their office. Once you open the attachment, the damage is done.

You will notice, if you go to the Snopes site, that the UPS has sent out a notice informing people of this.

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ups.asp

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How our neocon leaders "love" our veterans--especially the disabled vets

It will certainly be a relief to see the hypocrite/liars Cheney and Bush GONE! These two chicken hawks pretend to care about the troops, wearing their flag pins on their lapels -- but when it comes to their treatment of the vets who have been wounded in the war they started on lies, well, that's a different story:

Injured vets pull Dick Cheney invitation over security demands

By James Gordon Meek
Daily News Washington Bureau

Sunday, July 27th 2008, 11:55 PM Ceneta/AP

Vice President Cheney was told to get lost by Disabled American Veterans, which had invited him to its convention next month.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable.

The veep had planned to speak to the Disabled American Veterans at 8:30 a.m. at its August convention in Las Vegas.

His staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking, officials confirmed. (Talk about a captive audience! Why not just chain their wheelchairs to the floor?)

"Word got back to us ... that this would be a prerequisite," said the veterans executive director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn't have any rest rooms. "We told them it just wasn't acceptable."

When Cheney spoke to the group in 2004, his handlers imposed the same stringent security lockdown, upsetting members, officials said.

Many of the vets are elderly and left pieces of themselves on foreign battlefields since World War II, and others were crippled by recent service in Iraq and Afghanistan. For health reasons, many can't be stuck in a room for hours.

"It was a huge imposition on our delegates," added David Autry, another Disabled American Veterans official.

Autry said vets would've had to get up "at Oh-dark-30 and try to get breakfast and showered and get their prosthetics on."

Once inside, they "could not leave the meeting room, and the bathrooms are outside," he said.

Cheney's office acknowledged the security requests, but insisted he is sensitive to combat veterans' needs.

Spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said the two-hour rule is "a recommendation, not a requirement," and "we always work to make sure the bathrooms are within the security perimeters."

"The vice president would never let us do anything that didn't help facilitate the needs of our veterans," Mitchell added. (Yeah, yeah...now that Cheney's prerequisites have been made known, it's time to hurry and put a nice spin on it -- hopefully most Americans have wised up and aren't falling for the neocon BS anymore.)

Cheney has visited hospitalized wounded warriors and invited Walter Reed Army Medical Center patients for fly-fishing lessons around his swimming pool. (Whoopee...fly fishing lessons (at his swimming pool) -- but if you lost your arms in the war started on lies, fishing might be somewhat difficult)

But the vice president's rules for speaking to groups seem more stringent than those of his boss.

President Bush routinely speaks at events such as large dinners where thousands of guests freely pass back and forth through Secret Service screening portals.

Gorman first invited Bush, who has never addressed the group, but the White House declined last month. (Duhmbya can't be bothered to talk to the vets -- he's too busy getting in his last workouts in the White House gym.)

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Nation's largest UFO Conference was held in San Jose this past weekend

The MUFON Conference coincided nicely with all the UFO information
coming out lately via Larry King, Edgar Mitchell, the Stephensville, TX
sightings, etc. See short video re. the conference at:
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=139863

I did not attend this conference because I had been to many previous
conferences where the same speakers had appeared, and I already knew
most of them and their stories. It's just as one of the interviewed
people on the video said -- these conferences are attended by ordinary
folks who are curious -- or who may have seen UFOs themselves. The
speakers are, for the most part, very credible and often are highly
credentialed people in the military or government. Our government has
tried hard, with disinformation, ridicule and lies, to keep us in the
dark for many years about the reality of UFOs and aliens visiting our
planet -- but once you have attended a conference like this and heard
the sincere witnesses who just want to get the truth out to the public,
it is hard not to become a "believer." Especially now, with former
astronaut Edgar Mitchell speaking out loudly and clearly on the subject.

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More in-depth interview of Edgar Mitchell re UFOs and govt. coverup

From the Discovery Channel website:
http://dsc.discovery.com/space/qa/alien-ufo-edgar-mitchell.html

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Another video re. Edgar Mitchell's UFO/alien declaration

Hmmm... who to believe? Edgar Mitchell or NASA? No problem for me!
Thanks, Edgar, for telling the truth! See short video from Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=87905&feedType=VideoRSS&feedName=TopNews&rpc=23&videoChannel=1&sp=true

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Audio/video of Astronaut Edgar Mitchell interview re UFOs

He is saying it is time for the information to come out--and if you are
curious enough, it is not hard to find truthful information about UFOs
and alien visitors, as more and more info. is coming out all the time.
The days for secrecy are coming to an end. Already, many governments
have opened their files to the public, revealing the truth.
Listen to the entire interview at:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1fd_1216911065&p=1

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Pictures that speak 1,000 words

Crooks and Liars

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Death in a bottle

I just received the following video link from Brasscheck TV. This is a hard video to watch, especially if you have known someone who was on drugs like this and took their own life -- or someone who tried to go off the drugs and experienced all kinds of anxiety and depression attacks and other severe side effects. But it is information that should be available to everyone. As the video says, doctors often don't know what the results will be of drugs they prescribe. Every person's body chemistry is different, but Big Pharma, in their greed to make more and more money, don't take that into account as they spin out drug after drug into the public arena--without any concern for the consequences of these toxic mixes. It's imperative that the patients themselves check out the side effects of any drug they have been prescribed -- before they take it. Acquiring information of this kind is a way of protecting ourselves -- and taking responsibility for our own health.

Eileen:  I call this one "Death in a bottle."  It's about the extreme dangers of  so-called anti-depressant drugs.   Normal depression has many side effects.  Out-of-control violence is not one of them. Or at least it wasn't until the pharmaceutical industry got into the picture.  http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/379.html       

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Former astronaut states that aliens are visiting earth

Here comes truth on the UFO subject from a very credible source, former astronaut Edgar Mitchell. I have suspected that Larry King's many recent shows on this subject are a part of the government's decision to finally let the truth begin to filter out to the public at large. The "official" story remains the same, as you can see from NASA's statements when told about Mitchell's claims. But I believe it is the old "toe-in-the-water" approach--seeing how people react to someone like Mitchell telling it like it is. Then, based on that reaction, they'll decide how much more to "leak out" to us. I think they are finding it harder and harder to keep a lid on this news, which those who are curious and openminded have explored and long known to be true. More and more military members, pilots, political figures from other countries -- and even governments of other countries--are telling the truth, so our government is being forced to. I've attended UFO conventions for over 20 years now and have heard these credible people tell their own experiences. They are tired of the cover up, they are getting older, and they want the truth to come out in their lifetimes. Larry King is probably being used by the government as a front man, and he is interviewing these experiencers, who are very sincere and believable. Now that Mitchell is coming straight out with the truth, I would not be surprised if he too soon appears on King's show.

Can you think of a subject more important for the people of Earth to know? That there are other civilizations -- far more advanced than we are -- and they are visiting our planet? We are entering a new phase of life on this planet, and we are being called on to be better custodians of our Mother Earth. I believe Barack Obama is a new kind of politician for this changing Earth age. It is interesting that his platform is all about "change" and that he just yesterday spoke in Berlin about being a citizen of the world, rather than just defining himself as an American. It is very probable that we are in for great change in many ways on our planet. The understanding that we truly are not alone in the universe may be the first step in our growth out of old, narrow, provincial ways of thinking and being. Expanded consciousness and responsibilities will no doubt be asked of us as we begin seeing ourselves as citizens of the world--and the universe.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24070088-13762,00.html

July 24, 2008
news.com.au

Former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell -- a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission -- has stunningly claimed aliens exist. And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions -- but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.' He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head. Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

Dr Mitchell, along with with Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard, holds the record for the longest ever moon walk, at nine hours and 17 minutes following their 1971 mission.

"I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said. "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes -- we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit."

Dr Mitchell, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics claimed Roswell was real and similar alien visits continue to be investigated. He told the astonished Kerrang! radio host Nick Margerrison: "This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction." Mr Margerrison said: "I thought I'd stumbled on some sort of astronaut humour but he was absolutely serious that aliens are definitely out there and there's no debating it."

Officials from NASA, however, were quick to play the comments down. In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. 'Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue.'

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McCain is losing it - his temper (and the race?)

McCain Increasingly More Unhinged In Denver Speech

By: Nicole Belle www.crooksandliars.com

Download Play Download Play

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little worried that McCain might stroke out before November. He’s definitely having a much harder time keeping his infamous temper in check. In fact, yesterday at his appearance in Columbus, Ohio, McCain completely snubbed a Wall Street Journal reporter (watch Lindsey Graham’s face as he does it–hilarious!). Today, in Denver, you could sense McCain’s rage was just bubbling under the surface. (The Colorado Independent liveblogged the event) I get the distinct impression that he’s no longer got his heart in it. It must irk him that Obama drew more than 200K yesterday and according to the press, only 500 showed up to see him in Denver–the smattering of applause sounds more like 50–and even with those diehards, there was dead silence during much of his attacks on Obama.

Like every speech of McCain’s lately, his confusing verb tenses claim that we have won and will win, have succeeded and will succeed and yet he’s still able to predict “defeat” from Barack Obama’s position, despite all this winning and success. It’s a stunning psychic ability for McSame as he then says that the troops will come home during “the next president’s first term.” Isn’t that what Obama promised as well? McSame actually told Wolf Blitzer that he thought Obama’s 16 months was a pretty good timetable. Confused yet? As Logan points out, McCain says that when he brings the troops home, they’re staying home. What does he plan on doing in Afghanistan? Those permanent bases in Iraq? Is this yet another flip-flop?

Even Joe Klein, who has always taken his status as a Beltway Bubble Villager so seriously, is finding McCain unhinged:

This is the ninth presidential campaign I’ve covered. I can’t remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency. How sad.[..]

The reality is that neither Barack Obama nor Nouri al-Maliki nor most anybody else believes that the Iraq war can be “lost” at this point. The reality is that no matter who is elected President, we are looking at a residual U.S. force of 30-50,000 by 2011 (a year ahead of the previous schedule). The reality is that McCain should be proud that he helped salvage a disastrous situation by pushing the counterinsurgency plan. It’s something to run on. But, at this point, McCain must sense that it’s not a winning hand. Obama, the poker player, has drawn to an inside straight: the Iraqis favor his plan over McCain’s long-term bases. That must be galling. But it’s no excuse to pop off the way McCain did. It was, shockingly, unpresidential.

(Read the rest of this story…)

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Big Dog--Incredible Robot

Amazing!!!

http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

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Ever wonder why Homeopathy works? VIDEO

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/24/ever-wonder-why-homeopathy-works.aspx?source=nl

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Another of my favorite Steve Martin Essays -- Side Effects

The first line says it all -- You take it for joint pain, and the first listed side effect is joint pain. Oh so very true in many of the drugs today! As for the rest of it, I've never been able to read it without howling with laughter...(~.~) I love Martin's sense of humor!

Side Effects By Steve Martin
	DOSAGE: take two tablets every six hours for joint pain. SIDE EFFECTS: This drug may cause joint pain, nausea, head-ache, or shortness of breath. You may also experience muscle aches, rapid heartbeat, and ringing in the ears. If you feel faint, call your doctor. Do not consume alcohol while taking this pill; likewise, avoid red meat, shellfish, and vegetables. OK foods: flounder. Under no circumstances eat yak. Men can expect painful urination while sitting, especially if the penis is caught between the toilet seat and the bowl. Projectile vomiting is common in thirty per cent of users--sorry, fifty per cent. If you undergo disorienting nausea accompanied by migraine and raspy breathing, double the dosage. Leg cramps are to be expected; one knee-buckler per day is normal. Bowel movements may become frequent--in fact, every ten minutes. If bowel movements become greater than twelve per hour, consult your doctor, or any doctor, or just anyone who will speak to you. You may find yourself becoming lost or vague; this would be a good time to write a screenplay. Do not pilot a plane, unless you are among the ten per cent of users who experience "spontaneous test-pilot knowledge." If your hair begins to smell like burning tires, move away from any buildings or populated areas, and apply tincture of iodine to the head until you no longer hear what could be taken for a "countdown." May cause stigmata in Mexicans. If a fungus starts to grow between your eyebrows, call the Guinness Book of World Records. May induce a tendency to compulsively repeat the phrase "no can do." This drug may cause visions of the Virgin Mary to appear in treetops. If this happens, open a souvenir shop. There may be an overwhelming impulse to shout out during a Catholic Mass, "I'm gonna wop you wid da ugly stick!" You may feel a powerful sense of impending doom; this is because you are about to die. Men may experience impotence, but only during intercourse. Otherwise, a powerful erection will accompany your daily "walking-around time." Do not take this product if you are uneasy with lockjaw. Do not be near a ringing telephone that works at 900 MHz or you will be very dead, very fast. We are assuming you have had chicken pox. You also may experience a growing dissatisfaction with life along with a deep sense of melancholy--join the club! Do not be concerned if you arouse a few ticks from a Geiger counter. You might want to get a one-month trial subscription to Extreme Fighting. The hook shape of the pill will often cause it to become caught in the larynx. To remove, jam a finger down your throat while a friend holds your nose to prevent the pill from lodging in a nasal passage. Then throw yourself stomach first on the back portion of a chair. The expulsion of air should eject the pill out of the mouth, unless it goes into a sinus cavity, or the brain. WARNING: This drug may shorten your intestines by twenty-one feet. Has been known to cause birth defects in the user retroactively. Passing in front of TV may cause the screen to moiré. Women often feel a loss of libido, including an octave lowering of the voice, an increase in ankle hair, and perhaps the lowering of a testicle. If this happens, women should write a detailed description of their last three sexual encounters and mail it to me, Bob, Trailer Six, Fancyland Trailer Park, Encino, CA. Or E-mail me at hot-guy.com. Discontinue use immediately if you feel that your teeth are receiving radio broadcasts. You may experience "lumpy back" syndrome, but we are actively seeking a cure. Bloated fingertips on the heart-side hand are common. When finished with the dosage, be sure to allow plenty of "quiet time" in order to retrain the eye to move off stationary objects. Flotation devices at sea will become pointless, as the user of this drug will develop a stone-like body density; therefore, if thrown overboard, contact your doctor. (This product may contain one or more of the following: bungee cord, plankton, rubber, crack cocaine, pork bladders, aromatic oils, gunpowder, corn husk, glue, bee pollen, dung, English muffin, poached eggs, ham, Hollandaise sauce, crushed saxophone reeds.) Sensations of levitation are illusory, as is the sensation of having a "phantom" third arm. Users may experience certain inversions of language. Acceptable: "Hi, are how you?" Unacceptable: "The rain in Sprain slays blainly on the phsssst." Twenty minutes after taking the pills, you will feel an insatiable craving to take another dose. AVOID THIS WITH ALL YOUR POWER. It is advisable to have a friend handcuff you to a large kitchen appliance, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT WILL NOT FIT THROUGH THE DOORWAY TO WHERE THE PILLS ARE. You should also be out of reach of any weapon-like utensil with which you could threaten friends or family, who should also be briefed to not give you the pills, no matter how much you sweet-talk them. * From The New Yorker, April 13, 1998.

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Changes in the Memory After Fifty by Steve Martin

I'm still laughing at this one!!! It will be appreciated by anyone over 50--and even by some who have not yet reached that magical age of memory loss....(~.~)

Changes in the Memory After Fifty By Steve Martin
	<> Bored? Here's a way the over fifty set can easily kill a good half hour: Place your car keys in your right hand. With your left hand, call a friend and confirm a lunch or dinner date. Hang up the phone. Now look for your car keys. (For answer, turn magazine upside down.) The lapses of memory that occur after fifty are normal and in some ways beneficial. There are certain things it's better to forget, like the time Daddy once failed to praise you, and now, forty years later, you have to count the tiles in the bathroom first in multiples of three, then in multiples of five, and so on, until they come out even or else you can't get out of the shower. The memory is selective, and sometimes it will select 1956 and 1963 and that's all. Such memory lapses don't necessarily indicate a more serious health problem. The rule is that if you think you have a pathological memory problem you probably don't. In fact, the most serious indicator is when you're convinced you're fine and yet people often ask you, "Why are you here in your pajamas at the Kennedy Center Honors?" Let's say you've just called your best friend, Joe, and invited him to an upcoming aniversary party, and then, minutes later, you call Joe back to invite him to the same party again. This does not mean that you are "losing it" or are "not playing with a full deck" or are "not all there" or that you're "eating with the derigibles" or "shellacking the waxed egg" or "looking inside your own mind and finding nothing there," or any of the other demeaning epithets that are said about people who are peeling an empty banana. It does mean, however, that perhaps Joe is no longer on the list of things that you're going to remember. This is Joe's fault. He should be more memorable. He should have a name like El Elegante. Sometimes it's fun to sit in your garden and try to remember your dog's name. Here's how: simply watch the dog's ears while calling out pet names at random. This is a great summer activity, especially in combination with "Name That Wife" and "Who Am I?" These games actually strengthen the memory, and make it possible to solve more complicated problems, such as "Is this the sixth time I've urinated this hour or the seventh?" This, of course, is easily answered by tiny pencil marks applied during the day. NOTE TO SELF: Remember to write article about waxy buildup. If you have a doctor who is over fifty, it's wise to pay attention to his changing memory profile. There is nothing more disconcerting than a patient and a healer staring at each other across an examining table wondering why they're there. Watch out for the stethoscope being placed on the forehead or the briefcase. Watch out for greetings such as "Hello... you." Be concerned if while looking for your file he keeps referring to you as "one bad boy." Men should be wary if the doctor, while examining their prostate, suddenly says, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?" There are several theories to explain the memory problems of advancing age. One is that the brain is full: it simply has too much data to compute. This is easy to understand if we realize that the name of your third grade teacher is still occupying space, not to mention the lyrics to "Volare." One solution for older men is to take all the superfluous data swilring around in the brain and download it into the newly large stomach, where there is plenty of room. This frees the brain to house more relevant information, like the particularly troublesome "days of the week." Another solution is to take regular doses of Ginkgo biloba, and extract from a tree in Asia whose memory is so indelible that one day it will hunt down and kill all the humans who have been eating it. It is strongly advised that those taking Ginkgo biloba label the bottle "Memory Pills." There is nothing more embarrassing than looking at a bottle of Ginkgo biloba and thinking it's a reliquary for a Spanish explorer. So, in summary, waxy buildup is a problem all of us face. Only a good, strong cleanser, used once or twice a month, will save us the humiliation of that petrified yellow crust on our furniture. Again, I recommend an alcohol free, polymer based cleanser, applied with a damp cloth. Good luck! ________________________________________________ Your car keys are in your right hand. Please remember to turn magazine right side up._________________________ * From The New Yorker, January 19, 1998.

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Bush: This downturn doesn't affect us. Laura's house hunting!

Secret Fundraiser Video: Bush Says Wall St. Got Drunk, Now Hung Over

By: Logan Murphy http://www.crooksandliars.com/

See video at: ABC13.com:

What did Bush say at Olsen Fundraiser?

The President’s folks didn’t let the press in, but we got some exclusive video of POTUS talking up a storm at Pete Olson’s fundraiser on July 18th. Click and take a look at the video and the transcript.

It is uncertain, there’s no question about it.

Wall Street got drunk, it got drunk, (it’s one of the reasons I asked you to turn off your tv cameras.) It got drunk and now it’s got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up, and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments.

And now we got a housing issue, not in Houston, and evidently, not in Dallas, because Laura was over there trying to buy a house today. (laughter.. Crawford!)

I like Crawford. Unfortunately after eight years of asking her to sacrifice, I’m now no longer the decision maker. She’ll be deciding, thanks for the suggestion! I suggest you don’t yell it out when she’s here. Later, telling her “Hey honey, we’ve been on government pay now for 14 years… so go slow!”

It’s uh.. caused me to lose my train of thought. Anyway. Read on…

If Wall St. got drunk, George Bush and the GOP were the bartenders. In most states, if a bartender feeds too much alcohol to a customer and it ends in tragedy they can be held liable. Our leadless fearer and his party should be held to the same standards, but we live in Bushworld and it will never happen. So, Pickles was house shopping in Dallas, eh? Interesting…

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Great video -- McCain being interviewed by Meredith Viera on the Today Show

McCain is truly pathetic...it's hard to believe anyone could be
motivated to vote for him. He's like a dead man. Plus, he just keeps
making more and more gaffes that show he is as clueless as Bush. Just
watch this video. I love Cenk Uygur's take on it! (~.~)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WpJJ_K8CpsY

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Gratitude Campaign

This is pretty neat.....a 30 second video... Have you
ever seen one of our military walking past you and
wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure
how or it felt awkward?

Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture
which could be used and has started a massive movement
to get the word out.

Please everybody take just a moment to watch.... The
Gratitude Campaign ..and then forward it to your
friends!

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

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VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO FOR PARENTS OF YOUNG CHILDREN

Don't miss this one! It's very short, but could be one of the most important videos you will ever see.
An interview of Bobby Kennedy, Jr. with Joe Scarborough: Subject of vaccinations and their dangers to our children. Please pass this message along! There is so much to be aware of these days!

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/376.html

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UFOs Caused Missile Failures -- Military Witnesses Tell All

Take a look at this video from last week's Larry King show: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/07/20/lkl.ufo.long.cnn

This information should be of interest to all Americans -- and to all earth inhabitants. It's possible that Larry's recent several programs on the subject of UFOs is actually a toe-in-the-water attempt by our government to determine how shocked the population will be when the truth is finally and officially admitted by the government. I predict there will not be much shock at all -- most thinking people are aware that UFOs exist and that they suggest we are being visited by life forms from other areas of the universe (or other dimensions, as some physicists have suggested). These life forms are apparently more advanced than we are, as indicated by their ability to get here and survey us as they appear to be doing. As you watch the short video of this excerpt from Larry King's show, I think you will see how credible these military men are in telling their own experiences. Remember, too, that among their number of experiencers and "believers" are U.S. astronauts who have had their own sightings. The days of ridiculing those who report sightings is coming to an end. It is time for truth about UFOs to be revealed, and that project seems to be going forth with Larry King taking the lead for the mainstream media.

Of course, the real reason the government has not wanted to tell the truth for all these many years is that they feared they would lose control and power over the public. The realization will sink in, of course--when all people are finally convinced "flying saucers" are actually real--that our governments and military are not able to protect us from them, should the UFOs be manned by civilizations that wish to harm us. So far, all the visitors have not indicated this. They seem to be monitoring us and are probably seeing us as a barbaric-type of civilization, not yet advanced enough to be allowed into space beyond our own planetary system. What would you think about us, if you were looking in at us from an advanced position of having gone beyond warfare as a way to settle disagreements? We probably look like nursery school kids who have discovered sticks of dynamite and are playing with matches and lighting the sticks. And now we want to take all of this into space exploration. I think any advanced civilization would be interested in keeping us quarantined on our own planet until we matured--don't you? Their strong surveillance of us seems to have coincided with our creation of the atomic bomb. That's interesting, isn't it? And the military men on this video are telling how our missiles can be (and have been) disarmed by light beams from UFOs.

One other consideration that has kept our government from letting us know officially that "they're here" is that our earthly religions are going to have to expand their horizons. Through a Vatican spokesperson, Msg. Corrado Balducci, the Catholic Church already seems to have accepted the fact of UFOs and it appears the church is trying to incorporate this information into their own belief system. See: http://www.pufoin.com/pufoin_perspective/et_church.php

It may be more difficult for fundamentalist religions to accept that there are other life forms that may not be Jesus-oriented or Mohammed-oriented or what-have-you --and that other civilizations are far more advanced in so many ways than we earthlings are. Mind expansion will be called for, and perhaps a complete change of direction insofar as our limited belief systems are concerned. Perhaps it is time for our planetary inhabitants to grow beyond ideas of warfare and violence and begin to consider other ways of handling our differences. Maybe the UFOs are harbingers sent to show us we can change and learn -- and eventually enter into a time of true peace on Earth.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/07/20/lkl.ufo.long.cnn

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Telling it like it is

It's ironic how Republicans are continually saying Obama is inexperienced and not suitable for the presidency, but when you look at their own candidate, you can see NO reason why McCain should be considered a better man. He's all just smoke and mirrors! Just telling it like it is:

McCain’s Record Shows Little Reason Why He Would Be Suited For Presidency

By: Bill W. http://www.crooksandliars.com/

CNN’s AC 360° on Friday took a look at both of the Democratic and Republican candidates and their wives, and the short bio they did on John McCain gave viewers little reason, if any, why he would be very well suited at all to become our next President or our military’s Commander in Chief.

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In fact, it helped reveal a McCain who was an underachieving party boy during his military career - lucky to have graduated at all, much less fifth from the bottom of his class in the Naval Academy, and reminded viewers of his involvement in one of the biggest financial scandals to touch the capitol in the 80s and 90s.

As the CNN report tells it, the lessons John McCain learned during his time as a POW were “that one of the most important things in life - along with a man’s family - is to make some contribution to his country,” and that his involvement in the Keating 5 scandal which resulted in the Congressional finding that he had exercised poor judgment for intervening with federal regulators on behalf of his good friend and largest political contributor/fundraiser, Charles Keating, led to his becoming “a crusader for campaign finance reform and transparency.”

While the lessons learned parts may sound nice, what the segment didn’t reveal was the fact that his own actions have in large part belied that account. The McCain that learned the importance of family as a POW returned to divorce his first wife in a manner that offended many of his friends and colleagues to this day (not to mention his angrily calling his present wife a c--t when she made an innocent remark that his hair was thinning), and his supposed commitment as a crusader for campaign finance reform and transparency went out the window when he began skirting or breaking many of the very campaign finance laws he used to champion just as soon as they would have applied to him during this campaign.

Seriously, what part of John McCain’s past would lead anyone who actually looked at it to believe he’s the one who should lead this country forward? What part of what little we know about his military record suggests he’s leadership material? Is “there any significant policy position that John McCain currently holds, on any topic, that he’s consistently held” about anything?

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Reality Pointers - so simple and clear!

The last paragraph says it all....in the plainest and simplest way -- of course! how else could it be? (~.~) Thanks to John Wheeler for these beautiful "pointers" to the truth of who we really are--beyond body, mind, and world. If you've ever wondered at all about the nature of your own being, the following statements are like arrows pointing to where you can find the answer--and true peace.
From: www.thenaturalstate.org

Pointers
The Pointers page is generally updated on Monday of each week. Note: The pointers are always specific to certain contexts and none of them are absolute. There is no fixed teaching at all. All pointers are provisional and in response to a certain question. The point is to see what the pointers are pointing to, which is just what you are. Before the next thought appears, you already are. That is all I am pointing to, just what you already are prior to concepts.

Be curious and explore the nature of the space in which thoughts appear.

What is that within which the mind comes and goes and which gives rise to the mind and all else?

The ever-present true Self has never been bound and does not need to be freed.

Being-consciousness-peace is one of those very useful pointers that is to be used but then negated at the appropriate moment. Otherwise, one may retain a sense of individuality as an "I" who is identified with that principle.

Before consciousness dawns, you are present as the one to whom it dawns.

Your seeking and fear will come to an end through understanding your real nature. There is no doubt about it.

Sat-chit-ananda (being-consciousness-peace) is the mind's highest conception of reality, but reality (and what you are) lies beyond

Being, consciousness and peace all have opposites and therefore are still in duality.

Realization, if it has any meaning, is the utter dissolution of the separate "I" notion. So there is no one left to have any continuous experience of being-consciousness-peace, or anything else.

The first thing is to understand clearly what your true nature is. Everyone overlooks this, which leads to doubt. Once your real nature is clear, it is helpful to understand the cause of suffering. At that point, your real being is clear and the root of the doubts is severed once and for all.

All of the questions come from turning away from the ever-present peace and attending to the problems created in the thoughts.

You are there with or without appearances, so there is not much to be gained by seeking and searching in appearances. Just be what you are, and let events come and go naturally.

Do not trade your essence for a passing thought! Use thoughts, but do not be used by them.

Once you get it in your mind to pursue enlightenment or awakening as some special attainment, you have already taken a wrong turn. Why? Because the very notion of some special event is dependent on several false concepts. First is the notion that you are a being in need of awakening in the first place. This is a clear contradiction of the basic tenet of non-duality, which is "You are THAT". (THAT being the absolute reality itself.) Why would the absolute reality need to awaken when it already is the absolute reality? Second is the notion that reality lies in the future, not the present. This overlooks the fact that time itself is purely a mental concept. How could reality reside in a concept? Third is the notion that reality is reducible to some special experience or event. Clearly, events or experiences come and go and cannot bear any relation to what the non-dual traditions point to as the ever-present, changeless reality. So, those who preach a doctrine of a special awakening are only peddling false concepts to the unwary. A clear and direct sharing of the essential message of non-duality results in the immediate recognition of one's own true being as always present and ever-attained. Dualistic spiritual approaches tend to stress either the so-called pre-requisites to self-understanding or some assumed post-awakening development. These approaches invariably leave one either practicing endlessly in hopes of awakening "some day" or else attempting to deepen some imagined awakening experience. Either way, one is left with a view of being incomplete, rather than standing firmly with the recognition "I am THAT".

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Watch this VIDEO!

Very IMPORTANT! See this interview! Naomi Wolf -- sounding a warning. She talks about how many people are on "the List" (No-fly, terrorist threat list) --

Naomi Wolf is the author of a new book entitled, The End of America. We can't say we haven't been warned! Eisenhower gave us warnings in the late '50s....we didn't listen then. Are we listening now? This is a short but vitally important interview video to watch and learn from:

http://stoplying.ca/video/naomi_wolf_end_of_america.htm

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Gramm whines and blames Dems for his departure from McCain campaign

Phil Gramm, multi-millionaire designer of McCain's economic policies quits the campaign...after telling us that we middle-class Americans are "whiners" and our concerns are just "a mental recession." Then he proceeds to blame his exit on the Democrats. Typical Republican tactics which we have come to know only too well under the Bush/Cheney debacle of an administration.

As for real whining, read the following from Gramm and McCain's campaign: "It is clear to me that Democrats want to attack me rather than debate Senator McCain on important economic issues facing the country,” Mr. Gramm said in a statement issued by the campaign. “That kind of distraction hurts not only Senator McCain’s ability to present concrete programs to deal with the country’s problems, it hurts the country.”

So, off into the sunset goes multi-millionaire banker Gramm, with a beautiful roof over his head and no worries about where his next meal is coming from, still creating in his head all the wonderful economic policies that benefit him and his multi-millionaire friends. He and his corporate buddies are the best examples of what has gone so horribly wrong with our country. President Eisenhower warned against men like Gramm and Bush and Cheney and the military/industrial complex they represent.

To read more about what Eisenhower warned us of in the late '50s, read The End of America by Naomi Wolf. You can watch a video of her presentation at: http://stoplying.ca/video/naomi_wolf_end_of_america.htm and learn the ten steps despots always take when they want to take over a society. There is a blueprint/shopping list they go through -- listen to Wolf relate where we in America are today on that shopping list.

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For anyone interested in the Larry King UFO shows

You can see several of these presentations on youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVoIT3KRYI

Here's an interesting interview with then Gov. Symington of Arizona, who at first ridiculed the Phoenix Lights sighting but then admitted later he did that to prevent public fear -- he actually saw the huge UFO himself and now says he believes it to be of extraterrestrial origin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3zotvpZLnY&feature=related

For anyone who is truly interested in truth about UFOs, there are many excellent videos on youtube -- and also lots of reading material on the subject, both online and in books and DVDs. For an excellent presentation on DVD, you could order Out of the Blue at http://www.amazon.com/Out-Blue-Definitive-Investigation-Phenomenon/dp/B0000VD0RO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1216503315&sr=1-1

Out of the Blue is narrated by Peter Coyote, and contains the best interviews and footage of any UFO documentary on the market today. As one reviewer of this DVD puts it (and I agree wholeheartedly with him): This is best UFO documentary I've seen. This documentary is thought provoking and compelling.

First of all, everything is up to date and there is excellent footage of UFOs and modern computer simulations where video of sightings are not available. Forget the blurry blobs of the past. Feast your eyes on relatively sharp images and clear shapes in color.

Secondly, it makes use of old footage of statements made by Government officials during the late forties and fifties to great effect. Each statement on it's own seems insignificant but when many such statements are seen together it soon becomes clear that something "funny" is going on. By the end you'll realize that the government position is a joke. How stupid do they think we are?

Thirdly, this documentary is suitable for skeptics and those who know little about the subject. You will be informed about the origins of the "flying saucer" phenomenon and where it's at now. A case will be presented in which the evidence cannot be denied. Only a fool would persist in saying there is nothing to it. People who believe in the existence of extra-terrestrial life will get a lot out of it as well. You may feel like shouting "See - I told you so!".

Another interesting point is that this documentary covers the religious aspect and interviews two theologians to great effect. What they have to say is fascinating.

This is easily the best UFO documentary I have seen and I commend its creators. They have presented the evidence in a professional and exhaustive manner. The DVD contains a 1 hour bonus entitled "UFO's Fifty Years of Denial" which is also excellent. I cannot recommend this DVD highly enough!

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Congress Attempt to Bury Impeachment Won't Work if We Do Our Part

Contact the members of the Judiciary Committee and insist that they be there on Friday the 25th and that they speak up for impeachment:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/judiciarycommittee

Guess Who's Coming to the Impeachment

by David Swanson July 19, 2008

How They'll Try to Bury Impeachment and Fail

In response to public demand for impeachment hearings and pressure from Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congressman Robert Wexler, and others, as well as electoral challenges by pro-impeachment candidates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally caved and proposed to allow Kucinich to present impeachment in a Judiciary Committee hearing.

The hearing was then scheduled for a Friday (July 25) and scheduled to last a full two-hours (10 a.m. to noon). Then the topic was altered. Rather than being about impeachment, the hearing will be about impeachment and other supposed remedies to a lawless presidency, with the bulk of the time devoted to those other remedies. Most of those other remedies will involve, believe it or not, legislative proposals. Thus, the dererrence to future presidents who follow the Bush-Cheney tradition of violating all laws and checks on power will be the knowledge that during the administration following Bush-Cheney some bills were passed criminalizing what had always been criminal activity.

Rumor has it there are two panels being planned for the hearing, one consisting of Kucinich and four other members of Congress (Jane Harman, Walter Jones, Brad Miller, and Maurice Hinchey), and the other consisting of five non-Congress Members (Elizabeth Holtzman, Bruce Fein, Frederick Schwartz, John Dean, and Bob Barr). Each of these speakers will likely have 5 minutes for opening remarks. So, Kucinich's presentation of the impeachable offenses of 7.5 years will be limited to 5 minutes. The hope of those planning this afair will be to bury impeachment.

Here's why they'll fail. Holtzman and Fein -- and Kucinich -- are among the most persuasive advocates for impeachment alive. At least those three speakers, it is safe to assume, will be standing up for our Constitution. Another you can add to that list is commmittee member Robert Wexler. Others are committee members Shiela Jackson-Lee and Tammy Baldwin. It is safe to assume that these members will direct their questioning to the need for impeachment and the advocates of beginning it. Plus Hinchey favors impeachment too.

Other supporters of impeachment on the committee are Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen, Hank Johnson, and Maxine Waters, as well as Luis Gutierrez and Anthony Weiner. Zoe Lofgren is also likely to speak up for impeachment. And those in the room as audience will be overwhelmingly defenders of our Constitution. But you can help defend it without coming to Washington. Here's how:

Contact the members of the Judiciary Committee and insist that they be there on Friday the 25th and that they speak up for impeachment:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/judiciarycommittee

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Give this woman her own show already!

Rachel Maddow is the most intelligent and articulate political analyzer in the media today!

Rachel Maddow Schools Noah Oppenheim

By: SilentPatriot www.crooksandliars.com Attention liberals and progressives: This is how you shut down Republican foreign policy talking points. During the “Face Off” segment on “Race for the White House” today, Rachel absolutely eviscerated every pre-packaged argument Noah Oppenheim had to offer about McCain’s supposed strong suit.

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Here is just a small taste of the smackdown:

Maddow: “Noah, when it gets down to concrete issues, and when it gets down to making a judgment call, I think if people are looking at Bush and McCain in deciding to go after Osama bin Laden by invading and occupying for five years a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 — or — actually going after Osama bin Laden where he is, probably in Pakistan, I think people will probably go with the latter judgment.

Oppenheim: “Are you suggesting an invasion of Pakistan?”

Maddow: “He hasn’t said he would invade Pakistan. He said he would go after Osama bin Laden where he is insted of outsourcing the fight against al Qaeda to General Musharraf who happily took our billions of dollars worth military aid and then gave al Qaeda and the Taliban safe haven in the tribal regions. So go after bin Laden or fight Iraq? I’d take the former.”

Ouch. Remember when President Bush said this in his 2004 State of the Union address?:

“America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country. “

The same people who defended President Bush and attacked Senator Kerry back then are now attacking Senator Obama for stating that, as President, his policy will be to pursue Osama bin Laden wherever he is, even if that means we have to go into Pakistan against Musharraf’s wishes. How is that possibly a controversial concept? Are these right-wingers really arguing that we need a “permission slip” in order to hunt down the man responsible for 3000+ Americans?

Thank the media gods for Rachel Maddow.

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Yet conservatives continue to call it the "liberal press"

Whatever would it take to open their eyes and make them realize the mainstream press is owned by the corporate masters who support/rule the Republicans?!!

ABC News/Wash. Post withheld results of poll favorable to Obama

Summary: ABC News and The Washington Post issued staggered releases of the results of their latest poll, withholding from their first release results favorable to Sen. Barack Obama, including the finding that 50 percent of registered voters would vote for Obama for president versus 42 percent for Sen. John McCain. The next day, the Post ran an article headlined "Poll Finds Voters Split on Candidates' Iraq-Pullout Positions," which did not mention Obama's 8-point lead over McCain. Later that day, ABC News and the Post issued a second release with additional poll results that stated: "Obama continues to hold most of the advantages in the presidential race."

For rest of article, go to:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170011

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Larry King lately is presenting many programs re. UFOs

Videos of many of these programs are listed and can be clicked on to view at: http://search.cnn.com/search?query=Larry%20King%20UFOs&type=web&sortBy=date&intl=false

I find UFO information very interesting, and obviously Larry King does, too, as he is devoting much program time lately to this subject. He has interviewed scientists, physicists, military members, police, journalists, and everyday people who tell credible stories of their own experiences in observing UFOs. It's about time this subject was brought out on mainstream television! For many years, I have pursued information about UFOs and have read many books (even edited a couple of them) on the subject. I have attended several UFO conferences over the years and have met people who are credible and intelligent -- and obviously sincere in their understanding/experience that we are being visited by extraterrestrial intelligence that is far more advanced in technology than we are. The people who report this information are from all walks of life--high-echelon military, politicians, investigative journalists, police, highly credentialed university professors, pilots (military and civilian), and even astronauts. I've met many of these witnesses and spoken with them personally at various conferences. In addition, I have seen UFOs three times myself, starting back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which is what piqued my curiosity and interest in the first place.

If you are at all curious, you may want to look in on these videos of Larry's recent programs for yourself. As part of the fairness of presenting both sides, he gives a voice to naysayers in the form of self-proclaimed "skeptical" scientists such as Bill Nye and Seth Shostek. It is obvious their minds are closed, even though they call themselves scientists. Their refutations are feeble and made without any investigation on their part. I don't think too many people would be impressed with their lack of true scientific curiosity and their refusal to pursue an investigation of their own on this subject about which they know so little. You can almost see them plugging their ears and singing "la la la la" to keep from hearing when presented with first-hand testimony from credentialed people, including prominent, highly regarded scientists.

I am presently reading a good book about Arthur Ford, one of the great psychics of the 20th century. In it, the author, Jerome Ellison, tells of "scientists" he met in his life who were unable to accept that psychic abilities are real and greatly developed in some people--even when the evidence is overwhelming. When Ford demonstrated over and over again that he was receiving messages from people who had passed from this life, yet were still "living" and able to communicate, many so-called "scientists" denied all the valid evidence, without even bothering to investigate further. Following is what the author had to say about such scientists, and I think it applies today to those debunking "experts" who present themselves on shows like Larry King's and seemingly pride themselves on remaining skeptical in the face of all kinds of factual evidence that is obvious to almost everyone else, but is contrary to their rigid, unyielding belief system:

"The best scientists are seen who look carefully at evidence that comes to them--that is what makes them the best. As a class, however, scientists are most disappointing. They tend to be narrow, specialty-bound, overprideful of their limited set spiel, and contemptuous of anything outside their range. This kind of mind has arrived at dogma, and dogma finds no need for evidence. These minds, rather than the great ones, set the general tone of the science of our day, and I have found it exasperating. ...What will be the next step of man in his long quest of comprehension of the universe he is part of? Might it not be a return of a kind of openminded inquiry that could distinguish between dead dogma and living truth? Might it not reclaim those bits of truth from the long past that mankind so desperately needs in its survival crisis? Then might it not add to these treasures whatever bits of truth we may be able to find in our own time? ...Cleve Backster, by demonstrating with the polygraph that plants react seemingly emotionally to events of their environment--particularly to human intentions--has shown that we live in a living and sensitive environment, not an inert and dead one. He has also shown that the force which communicates emotional intent--still unmeasured and still unidentified by science--easily penetrates any known physical obstacle, including walls of lead and concrete. Thus, belatedly and reluctantly, science has come to admit the existence of subtle and unknown forces. Could this possibly be the beginning of wisdom? Electricity was once such an unknown force; its essential nature is still unknown. Its behavior, however, has been so carefully observed and charted that man can cooperate with it and utilize it for his own purposes. Should not all the subtle and unknown forces at work among us be the legitimate subjects of careful, methodical, scientific inquiry?"

It seems to me the appearance of UFOs in our skies, giving strong evidence that more advanced lifeforms are visiting our planet, is of utmost interest and importance in the grand scheme of things! Governments in England, France, Russia, Belgium, and countries in South America have revealed to their citizens that UFOs are real. US government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show, without a doubt, that UFOs are real. Yet, our government's leaders are trying to keep this revelatory information a secret. Those who, without investigation, scoff and laugh at the the sincere, credible witnesses and the mounting evidence are deluding themselves, perhaps out of fear of ridicule. With more and more people willing to keep an open mind and listen to the true facts being brought forth by witnesses, soon the government's continuous attempts to hide truth will be futile -- and a new day will dawn on our planet. Perhaps Obama will open the doors to truth when he becomes president. We can only hope!

Fortunately, throughout the centuries, scientists and men who value curiosity have kept open minds and have spoken truth when all around them the scientists of their time were closing their minds. Among them are the following:

New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
--John Locke, 1690, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

There is a principle which is proof against all information, which is proof against all arguments, which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance; that principle is contempt, prior to investigation.

--Herbert Spencer (British social Philosopher, 1820-1903)

I was raised in a tradition of inquiry. If you encounter something that doesn't fit your world view, it's more intellectually honest to say, 'maybe there's something wrong with this world view,' than to try to shoehorn your findings into an existing belief.
--John Mack (world-renowned Harvard professor of psychiatry. For more about him, go to: http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/johnmack.htm)

Keep an open mind. Anyone who has been so conditioned to believe they have all the answers, all the truth, automatically shuts out an untold number of insights, opportunities and revelations that would normally flow into their thinking. As Gandhi said, "It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom."
--Louis LaGrand in "Love Lives On"

Few are those who can see with their own eyes and hear with their own hearts. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
--Albert Einstein

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Rachel Maddow soon to get her own show? About time, I'd say!

She's Great!!! I agree with everything said in the following:

Rachel Maddow Tops “Short List” For Own MSNBC Show

By: SilentPatriot www.crooksandliars.com(Bess Greenberg/The New York Times)

New York Times:

For clues about who might be next to get a show on MSNBC, viewers need not have looked further than “Countdown” earlier this month. For eight nights beginning just before the Fourth of July, Rachel Maddow, the host of a program on Air America, the liberal talk-radio network, served as a substitute for the vacationing Keith Olbermann.

“At some point, I don’t know when, she should have a show,” said Phil Griffin, hours before he was promoted on Wednesday to president of MSNBC. “She’s on the short list. It’s a very short list. She’s at the top.”

Despite being in agreement with Rachel on mostly everything, I think she would make a fantastic host. She has an uncanny ability not only to make sense of every issue by logically stringing together facts, she is always able to explain it clearly and coherently. We’ll keep out fingers crossed, Rachel.

Anyone got any ideas for a title?

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Al Gore - the man who should be president now!

Those who voted for Bush and Cheney should be hanging their heads in shame...but they don't have the sense to do so.

“The Future of Civilization is at Stake”: Al Gore Issues Major Energy Challenge

By: SilentPatriot www.crooksandliars.com Former Vice President Al Gore delivered a major speech Thursday on US energy policy in which he challenged all Americans to confront the crisis head on and wean itself off fossil fuels in the next 10 years.

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Longer version here.

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment.

“Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years. This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans – in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.”

Senator Obama responds:

“For decades, Al Gore has challenged the skeptics in Washington on climate change and awakened the conscience of a nation to the urgency of this threat. I strongly agree with Vice President Gore that we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power and advanced biofuels, and those are the investments I will make as President. It’s a strategy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced, and one that will leave our children a world that is cleaner and safer.”

Full transcript below the fold:

(Read the rest of this story…)

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Bush and his evil gang worried about going to jail?

Harper’s Magazine: Bush Admin. Worried About Possible Criminal Prosecution

By Silent Patriot, www.crooksandliars.com

In a fascinating interview with Scott Horton, investigative journalist Jane Mayer talks about her new book, The Dark Side, which chronicles the Bush administration’s dealings with torture, and offers some incredible (and depressing) insight into her superb reporting over the past few years.

The reaction of top Bush Administration officials to the ICRC report, from what I can gather, has been defensive and dismissive. They reject the ICRC’s legal analysis as incorrect. Yet my reporting shows that inside the White House there has been growing fear of criminal prosecution, particularly after the Supreme Court ruled in the Hamdan case that the Geneva Conventions applied to the treatment of the detainees. This nervousness resulted in the successful effort to add retroactive immunity to the Military Commission Act. Cheney personally spearheaded this effort. Fear of the consequences of exposure also weighed heavily in discussions about whether to shut the CIA program down. In White House meetings, Cheney warned that if they transferred the CIA’s prisoners to Guantanamo, “people will want to know where they have been—and what we’ve been doing with them.” Alberto Gonzales, a source said, “scared” everyone about the possibility of war crimes prosecutions. It was on their minds.

I strongly suggest you read the entire interview, but this paragraph really stuck with me:

The sadistic treatment of Abu Zubayda also seems to have affected him psychologically in bizarre ways. Two sources said that he became sexually obsessive, masturbating so much his captors feared he would injure himself. One described him as acting “like a monkey at the zoo.” A physician was called in for consultation—one of many instances in which health professionals have played truly disturbing roles in this program. (I personally feel that the medical and psychological professionals who have used their skills to further a program designed to cause pain and suffering should be a high priority in terms of accountability. It has long been a ghastly aspect of torture, worldwide, that doctors and other medical professionals often assist. The licensing boards and professional societies are worthless, in my view, if they don’t demand serious investigations of such unethical uses of science.)

Mayer also says that although Bush officials feared prosecution and frantically sought protection via legislation like the atrocious Military Commissions Act, lawsuit are not likely because many of those in Congress who would spearhead such legal actions are themselves compromised:

An additional complicating factor is that key members of Congress sanctioned this program, so many of those who might ordinarily be counted on to lead the charge are themselves compromised. […] My guess is that the real accountability for President Bush will be in the history books, not the court room.

Glenn Greenwald pounces and tears apart the Democrats for their complicity in Bush’s torture regime/war crimes.

RELATED: Vincent Bugliosi: Bush should be tried for murder

Crooks and Liars

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Can he get any worse? Don't ask!

Energy Crisis: President Bush laughs as the nation chokes

In this short, two-minute clip from his press conference today on the sad state of the American economy, President Bush managed to embarrass himself (and thus the country) on at least three occasions. First he smirks and gives a smart ass answer when asked about $5 gasoline — not very funny considering he “hadn’t heard” of $4 gas back in February. Second, he repeats the McCain campaign talking point “gaffe” about our economic woes being merely “psychological.” Then, finally, he tops if off with what he calls his “brilliant statement” about “magic wands.”

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I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand — but the President doesn’t have a magic wand. You just can’t say, low gas. It took us a while to get here and we need to have a good strategy to get out of it.

Can this guy seriously be any more out of touch? Watching him chuckle his way through questions about how badly he has destroyed our economy as millions of Americans are losing their homes and being forced to change the way they live tells you all you need to know.

Full transcript below the fold:

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Crooks and Liars

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McCain's penchant for telling "jokes" that make people squirm

In addition to his bad temper problem and his disrespect for his wife, calling her a "cunt" when she innocently ruffled her fingers through his hair and remarked he was getting a little thin on top, McCain has no sense of what is acceptable in social circles as a "joke". He is definitely "humor-challenged." We've already sent one buffoon around the world, dragging down our country's image, which now is covered in muck. Do we really want to send another one right after him? ANSWER: GOOD GOD, NO!!!!

McCAIN APE RAPE "JOKE" RECALLED BY SOURCES
By Sam Stein

News circulated fast late Tuesday afternoon that back in 1986, during his initial run for the Senate, John McCain allegedly told a crude joke about rape involving a woman's affection for an ape.

The story, which was reprised on the blog Rum, Romanism and Rebellion before being blasted out by Think Progress, goes like this: In an appearance before the National League of Cities and Towns in Washington D.C., McCain supposedly asked the crowd if they had heard "the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die?"

The punch line: "When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, "Where is that marvelous ape?" (YUK!!)

Eeeshh. The joke, as one can imagine, did not go over well with various women's groups, which responded with indignation. But the McCain campaign denied that he had ever said the offensive gag.

The Huffington Post reached out to the original reporter in that story, Norma Coile (who after talking to multiple sources months after it was told wrote about the response to the rape joke in the Tuscon Citizen) to find out if she thought it was true.

"I'm not sure exactly what the wording was of the joke, but something was said. Some joke involving a rape and ape was said. Enough women repeated it to me at the time and the McCain campaign had a non-denial denial," said Coile, now with the Arizona Daily Star. "It came after his 'Seizure World' joke, in which he referred to the [retirement community] Leisure World as Seizure World... I just think it reinforced this idea that John McCain is humor-challenged. Whatever his qualities, he seems to have a tin ear for how these jokes will go over."

Indeed, while this anecdote occurred more than 20 years ago, McCain has occasionally found himself with his foot in his mouth throughout his time in public office. Back in 1998, he odiously declared before a GOP crowd: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno."

More recently he joked that it might be good for the United States to keep exporting cigarettes to Iran as cancer would prove an effective weapon against that country's citizens.

But venturing into the extremely sensitive subject of rape and humor is not something that - even 22 years later - will endear McCain to the women voters his campaign has sought to recruit. And organizations in Arizona that weighed in on that 1986 line see it as another example of the Senator not being sensitive to female issues and concerns.

"I don't think we can say one example like that is indicative of someone's character. But certainly I think John McCain has made lots of quotes where he says jokes like that," said Linda Barter, head of the Arizona Women's Political Caucus, which objected to McCain's joke at the time. "Our organizational purpose, however, is to increase the number of elected and appointed women, and we support pro-choice women, so there is certainly a division there. John McCain has not been pro-choice or supportive of issues related to women's reproductive health."

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