Just taking a moment to say thanks to everyone for not just sitting back and waiting for the world to change. But for actually working to make change happen where we need it most.
For all of you who are never content to just sit back and hope that things will get better. For everyone who has seen a wrong and decided that they needed to be certain that it was made right. For each and every reader who lives the phrase "be the change you wish to see." This one is for you.
(And I thought a little John Mayer would be a nice break. Enjoy this "Waiting For The World To Change" video.)
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first!
zed?
Very nice!
quattro?
We don’t have time to wait. We have to start making the changes in the world.
Christy, I’m making a small birthday party for my darling husband. How about a recipe for that tortilla soup?
a darker take on things: Gorillaz reprising Elvis Costello’s “Waiting for the End of the World”
Christy, I know you are kinda busy right now, but what the heck is tortilla soup?
With the recent disclosure that Pentagon war planners are working on options to begin withdrawing U.S. troops next year, we got a glimpse of America’s Iraq policy of the not-too-distant future. Revealed even before all of the troops in President Bush’s surge have reached Iraq, a drawdown is not the White House’s preferred plan. But the serious internal discussions of a withdrawal are the first sign that the administration recognizes just how much support for the war has waned among congressional Republicans and the general public.
When you hear Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying, “The handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall, and I expect the president to lead it,” you pretty much know which way this drama is headed. McConnell’s remarks came after 11 House Republican leaders trekked to the White House to signal their concern about U.S. involvement in Iraq and to give their party’s leader a dose of tough love. Although House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, reportedly didn’t say much during the session with Bush, the fact that he was part of the group speaks volumes. These were serious legislators who find the administration’s current Iraq policy fundamentally flawed and worry that another electoral disaster is in the making.
(Charlie Cook)
I think Charlie’s right- we’re headed out of Iraq- well a drawdown anyway- but not before we sign an agreement to provide some reduced military presence for 20 years and get some oil leases signed.
Thanks Christy, that was nice.
Thanks for today’s coverage too. Don’t know what I’d do without FDL.
Bustednuckles @ 8
It is the BEST!!!! Really good. Spicy, and then you put the tortillas in right before you eat it. There’s a veggie way to do it but most Texans use chicken to start.
Tortilla soup
Chicken soup with peppers with fried tortilla strips and cheese floatin in it- GOOOOD.
I’m still stunned, Christy, cuz I didn’t get to read your intro to the SJC hearings after work, just dove into CSPAN; and I’m just now comprehending that they replaced GRAVES with ALVIN. Had I been eating or drinking I would have ruined my computer. This has to be the most ridiculous, the most ludicrous thing I’ve read in a while.
rwcole @ 9
As far as the oil leases are concerned, I hope the Iraqi government tells Bushwacko to go Cheney himself.
But you know you gotta get your laughs where you can. Right now it’s garden thirty for me – first bit of sun after days of downpour, and I’m off to check the tender green guys in my various gardens.
Nothing like watching those hearings in good company but now it’s time to get back to my regularly scheduled life.
Later, Firepups.
Yeah- it doesn’t seem right for Bush to fuck this whole thing up- lie his ass off- and still come out with oil leases- but if we don’t get em- someone else will. Probably better us than the Chinese.
MMMMmmmm, sounds good.
I will find me a recipee.
carolyn urban @ 13
This was a stunning contrast; hurray for Leahy, Whitehouse, and the SJC staffers for providing the visuals, vocals, and statements of these two apposite one another. Bad Bushie vs. Good GOPer. Until Todd Graves got up there, I did not understand the GOP SJC members staying away — but now I get it, they’ve no interest in defending Abu’s DoJ. This was real drama today; hope Countdown gets some of it.
Scooter wishes he was
Unchained – Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfYjgcOaIUU
rwcole – I pretty much agree with the drawdown scenario you’ve described the past couple of days. It’s seems like a political move before the pres. election…
Hi Christy, this is OT, and may have been covered. I’m not totally ignorant about Federal Court having been a victorious defendant against multiple felonies (of a political nature) years ago. However I always felt that if I lost, i.e. was found guilty AND sentenced (as Libby was today) the cuffs would go on and I would be escorted to my new home immediately to begin serving said sentence. And I would have been expected to have my affairs in order prior to appearing for sentencing.
So why 45-60 days, recalculate this etc. I might point out that I didn’t have a spare citizenship in another rogue nation at the time, as I understand Scooter does.
So let’s see, he’s still has at least a couple months of freedom and then how long could he fight extradition from Israel?
I read yesterday that Congresscritter Jefferson is looking at 200 years for the old money in the freezer thing. Yet aiding and abetting treason gets you 30 months, if you ever in fact actually get to jail, really.
rwcole @17:
Actually, if you read the current language in the oil lease bill, those leases are not guaranteed to go to the US Oil Companies.
So we may have killed hundreds of thousands of people, theirs and ours, spent billions of dollars, and still have nothing to show for it.
Bustednuckles @ 8
Chicken soup with corn torts, avacado little cilantro. . .
Here’s a link to a tortilla soup recipe similar to what I’m making this evening. Although mine always ends up being one of those clean out the spare produce and throw in a can of hominy or pinto beans from the cabinet. Tonight I’m using both, along with some leftover rotisserie chicken meat.
Bris
Yeah- I know. Of course they couldn’t put “to US companies” in the legislation- they have to pretend it’s all goin ta the highest and best bidder- but you can bet that Exxon-Mobile has some intangible benefits that could tip the scale for em.
If Clusterfuck loses on this too- then he’s gone ohh fer 100.
Bustednuckles @ 18
http://www.elise.com/recipes/a…..a_soup.php
OK–I am still thinking about this “national investigation.” (new talker, to be used sparingly along with not able to comment on an ongoing investigation and so on).
The case in Missouri against ACORN employees (making something like $8 an hour to register poor, dem-leaning voters) is part of a “national investigation.” Alvin said so in the press release announcing the indictments, just before the November election.
Then, Alvin said that ACORN was the victim.
So, does that mean that the DOJ is conducting a nationwide investigation into frauds perpetrated against ACORN and other similar organizations?
The mind reels.
TeddySanFran @ 19
I made a similar point in the following comment EPU’d on the previous thread:
160 neurophius says:
June 5th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
The contrast between Graves, who appears to be competent and to have integrity, and the pathetic Alvin, with whom the GOPDOJ replaced Graves, provides a clear vision of what the Bush Administration has been all about.
Heckuva job, Alvin!
If I’d know my letter to Judge Walton was going to be on the toobz, I would have put more effort into it. I thought we was going to be the old balance scale action!
I HATE that fucking song. When he takes a dump does he wait for his pants to change?
theExile at 22 — I think it is more of a jurisdictional question in the DC area. Maybe some of our DC attorney readers can fill in on this, but I hear that it may be due to crowding issues? Or perhaps something else entirely — but that this is a somewhat standard timeframe for nonviolent offenses. Can anyone who practices in DC federal court confirm on that? If so, I’d really appreciate it, because my source wasn’t 100% positive on that due to switching practice emphasis in the last coupla years.
Huh. This isn’t how I remember it at all:
In fact, pre-trial maneuvering found the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, insisting that this was not a case about a leak and fighting defense requests for documents about whether Plame was ever a covert agent, a status that could have made intentionally leaking her identity a crime.
Thank you for fixing my memory for me, TIME.
audio of this afternoon’s hearing is here (scroll down to #7 for mp3s).
leahy fireworks starts about 14 minutes in of part 1.
A hearty thanks to Jane, Christy, and Marcy for all their hard work today!
Boston1775 @ 6
Here is the best version I have come across. When cooking for the family I substitute an extra ancho pepper for one of the guajillos. Guajillos have tremendous flavor, but they also pack a lot of heat. I happen to like heat, but its a little too much for the girls. As with any stock-based soup homemade stock will make a huge difference in flavor, but if you use purchased stack make sure it is low salt.
raven @ 27
Thanks to you and Christy I have a new weapon in the war against plain food.
Brisingamen @ 14
Have you seen this brief ThinkProgress post? Iraqi parliament votes for withdrawal authority
I’m not trying to be nitpicky, but as a long time follower of Gandhi’s world view I think when we quote him we should do so properly and give credit. The proper quote here is, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I also highly recommend his book, “Non-violent Resistance (Satyagraha).” It’s still in print (Dover). I was fortunate enough to attend a speech by his grandson, Arun, some months ago and managed to have a short conversation with him afterward. The atmosphere was electric. One of those evenings one never forgets.
These punks Deroy Murdock and Terry Jeffery need someone to wipe the smirks off their faces.
SouthernDragon @ 39
How about
Reporter:
What do you think of British civilization?
Ghandi:
I think it would be a good idea.
Thanks again to Team FDL for the coverage today! I didn’t have to get up at 3:30 AM here in Hawaii to catch the Libby sentencing– just read the live blog before breakfast! And then read the “summation” posts. Great work!
Then the live coverage of the SJC and simultaneous FDL snarkerie!
I hope that soon we’ll start to get some reads on whether Libby will actually do any time in an orange suit while his appeal is under way, and the odds on the outcome of his appeal. He sure seems to be banking on the appeal winning.
But it seems so clear that Bush is not going to fire ANYONE for ANYTHING! To remove them from office we’ll have to impeach them, and that’s exactly what Bush seems to be daring us to do.
Bob in HI
Thanks Christy, I understand the DC jails are too full of guys caught selling a crack rock to an agent – no room for traitors at the inn.
I wouldn’t call Libby’s crime non-violent, not when I think of what likely happened to former (or late) associates of Brewster-Jennings in the kinds of countries where we outsource our interrogations. I consider Libby a war criminal and a visit to the Hague in 30 months should be a condition of his 2 years supervision.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 25
It’s all in the cheese… and it’s gotta be hot (spicy).
OH MAN! BONUS!
There is a recipe for Albondigas soup.
Awesome.
Printer in overdrive.
SouthernDragon at 39 — That wasn’t a direct Ghandi quote, it was drawn from something that one of my other political pals says. But good to know Ghandi said something similar as well.
Thanks back at you, I thought I was informed before but as I read FDL I see I am not, so thank you all for the education, and the knowledge that we don’t ever stand alone.
Time for Tucker Carlson to spin the Libby sentence…
Let’s hear it for the girl’s!!
Raven @ 41
The reporter asked what he thought of “Western”
civilization.
ccmask @ 49
And the women too!
You know, I can’t stand that song. It means just what it seems to say on the surface, while rather blatantly trying to copy the style and feel of “What’s Going On,” by Marvin Gaye. I’m sure Mayer’s “tribute” is intentional but if you listen to the lyrics, it shows how badly he missed the point. It must be worse to be in Mayer’s age group since he keeps saying “we” in the lyrics. What’s this “we” shit, kemo sabe? I for one am never going to “wait” for the world to change. OK, end of rant. This has been a Steve Gilliard moment.
Here’s a recipe for Caldo (Mexican chicken soup) also really good!:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/…..98,00.html
&y @ 33
I found that whole piece somewhat misleading.
Ahh, poor scooter!
/time
At the end of the John Mayer video, the Sony lawyers (presumably) put up this message:
Yes, we’re encouraging you to change the world, but be sure to do it according to official guidelines, and with prior permission from the authorities.
Oh, I just heard Tucker’s “bloggers and various morons” quote that someone mentioned earlier.
Carlson
“Bloggers and other morons who don’t understand”.
And I must add: Great job by EW today, thank you!!!
“Two and a half years is an eternity for someone with children.” How long when you come home in a box?
raven @ 57
And if nothing else, Tuckery KNOWS morons as he are one…
One day bloggers will rule the world. How many people would actually go to blogspot.tuckercarlson .com if he had a blog. I rest my case.
Tucker just said the Libby case “had nothing to do with the War in Iraq.”
Give me a break.
Paging Joe Wilson…
raven @ 59
Yeah, yeah.
SnarKassandra @ 11
Sounds spectacular!
neurophius @ 61
He’ll be on Keith Olbermann tonight.
Chicago is going to be GREAT in August.
Are Margaret and Tucker Carlson married, or related? And will anyone ask Margaret about her dates with Fred Thompson before he married Law-n-Order?
Did anyone notice if Richard Carlson wrote a letter for Scooter?
TeddySanFran @ 67
Margaret Carlson dated Fred?
Ewwww.
Great video, Christy.
BTW, anyone else following shrub’s excellent adventures in Europe, where he’s busy trying his best to reignite the Cold War? Today, I think he stopped just short of calling Russia a “tyranny” and he’s hellbent on foisting his missile defense system on our European allies (provoking a Russian threat to re-target nuclear missiles on the same allies).
TeddySanFran @ 66
last name only coincidence.
and I, too, sure hope someone asks her about her big crush
Woodhall Hollow @ 68
Hold it, isn’t Tucker about 37?
Blub @ 70
I swear, the idjit is like a bull in a china shop.
What he doesn’t break, he shit’s on.
Tucker turned 38 last month.
Thanks all for the great coverage today! I don’t recall who said it in the previous thread, but I agree that today was a great day for America :)
Pade @ 68
Yes, I saw it. I think it is in the 2nd batch over at Jerralyn’s. Maybe the third. But it is the same old, same old. The Scooter I know is not capable of doing the stuff he was convicted of.
The best letter is by Alan Simpson imo. He says that Scooter’s most notable virtue is is Loyalty (captilized and underlined). And that he should have the following accolade emblazoned upon his brow: “The Good Soldier.”
And I am. not. joking!
David Corn & Byron Yorker on PBS now on Scoots
Byron York on PBS. No underlying crime. . .waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I think that Exxon/Mobil should get the oil leases- and then reimburse the american people the cost of gettin em- 500 billion dollars and 3,500 lives- they can send children to pay for the lives.
anniewho @ 21
Yes– We do need to be thinking “Endgame” here– including the possibility that this WH may be scheming ways to defer the “end”! I’ll bet that the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse (Bush, Cheney, Rove, and Gonzo) are not just going to meekly retire, and are considering alternative scenarios.
Bob in HI
TeddySanFran @ 73
Well, 38 going on 14 :P
Was in another room when I heard the usual cavalcade of pro-Libby BS on the News Hour, and thought ‘I bet there’s a bouffant involved.’ Quel surprise.
I don’t believe that Tucker and Margaret share anything but a last name.
A little background on Todd (EPU’d from downstairs). Todd’s brother, Sam is a conservative congressman. But there is a bit of a feud between the Graves’ and Sen. Kit Bond.
raven @ 78
david corn got him good by saying that byron wasn’t in the court room today and that the judge answered all of byron’s concerns.
rwcole @ 82
well, they are both dweebs
selise at 85 — mweee heee. Good one!
Bob
The four horsemen better get somethin firm in the larder before their ride is over and the whole bloody mess is turned over to competent warriors..
For that reason- I predict some “agreements” with the Iraqi govt that commit the US past Clusterfuck’s term of office.
What a day this turned out to be! thanks Christy, Marcy, Jane. The bottom now 2 inches wider, eyes overworked! but thanks everso–!
I cant help it, I get so much more from senate judiciary committee when only the Dems. do the investigating and oversite with no obfuscation from repugs. to ruin the flow. Hooray– good work everywhere today.
PG @ 35
Thanks so much PG and Christy and the rest of you. On this exciting day – Libby and my hubby’s birthday, I’ve had doctor’s calls causing me to worry for him.
When in doubt, cook wonderful, healthy food.
neurophius @ 29
couldn’t agree more completely!
now — talk about some unintended
truth-telling — just watch as bradley
schlozman’s very obvious “ticks” kick
into high-gear. . .
he clearly doesn’t like having to
answer actual questions — and CHS called
it — he coughs, or starts with a nasal
“SEN-ator. . .” when caught prevaricating. . .
just watch. . . if you haven’t already,
that is — the looks of senators leahy
and feinstein are priceless. . .
no pardon — no mercy — no
end — until we start getting some
resignations here — and i mean
north of where we are, now. . .
we citizens must keep acting,
just as CHS intones. . .
Blub @ 69
Reagan will come back to life if the Cold War begins again. Pass the jelly donuts.
After lunch/work pick-me-up?
Kickstart My Heart – Motley Crue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Q9dNOKimc
Is Yorker really that deluded?
few people know that York is a contraction of You’re kidding, right?
TeddySanFran @ 66
I thought Margaret was Tucker’s mom, but now I’m not so sure.
Jelly Bellies
Turns out that it wasn’t Pooties soul that ol Clusterfuck was lookin into- Pootie’s was transparent and Clusterfuck was lookin into the sould of a Moscow tea saleswoman from Siberia.
Laura:
“George will you quit doin that lookin into Souls crap–you can’t see inside a catsup bottle”.
Elliott @ 94
based on the evidence presented today by pbs… i’d say – apparently so.
I must say, Christy, I thoroughly enjoy the intellectual stimulation here. Looks like I know where to throw away some of that discretionary income of mine. :-]
Bustednuckles @ 95
lol.
And as far as I can detect, no trolls. Ah, another good day.
They put 500 pounds of Jelly Bellies in the box with Ronnie to munch on his way to paradise.
I think Putin & Bush have money on who is going to be the lamest duck.
radiofreewill @ 93
Don’t make me break out Led Zeppelin!
rwcole @ 88
Are you really sure that the mess will be “turned over?”
And what makes you think that anything that the current puppet government of Iraq agrees to will last very long? The whole world will regard any such “agreements” as made under duress, and therefore invalid.
Bob in HI
itwasntme @ 102
thanks to the mods!
Bob-
Well he can’t take it with him can he?
I know that his behavior makes some suspicious that he will try to cancel the elections or some such- but that REALLY ain’t gonna fly- he would at least need the army on his side- and he doesn’t have it. You think they’re gonna risk everything in order to keep this idiot in office? They HATE him.
Sure treaties are only worth the paper they’re written on and the guns that back em- but we’ve got a lot of guns.
Funny you mentioned it…..
http://thinkprogress.org/
itwasntme @ 102
I’d guess that’s pretty much cuz the wondrous mods have been working some OT to keep us on point… {{{{{{{{{{MODS}}}}}}}}}}
ccmask @ 101
Where’d Liberty Lee go?
Just askin’
Bob in HI
ccmask @ 104
..assuming they’re not strategizing with each other on the best way to cancel their next elections…
Bob at 111 — Haven’t seen him for a coupla days. Maybe vacation?
SouthernDragon @ 39
Do you know the story behind that saying of Gandhiji? Wanna hear it ?
How do y’all know I am not a troll just pretending to be me?
Mods know aunt Betsy too.
Wow — I am at the very beginning of the giant pdf at Smoking Gun of all the letters; I am struck by how many of them were written by those who have a direct subordinate relationship to the Vice President: the chief flight attendant on Air Force Two, the official photographer for the Vice President, a number of people who’ve worked in the OVP at one time or another.
I have to wonder: what was Judge Walton’s reaction to these letters, heartfelt (and similar) though they may be?
SnarKassandra @ 115
The Mods would be all over you like a cheap suit.
*g*
Teddy- His reaction was to ignore em and proceed directly to the sentencing guidelines. He didn’t say if he puked on em first.
I knew someone once who was a relative of Gandhi and had the same last name. He always thought of it as a bit of a pain because as soon as anyone made the connection they would immediately expect more from him.
Wordsmith – If you’re around in the evenings, about 11pm Eastern, you’ll love Late Nite with TRex!
SnarKassandra @ 115
i’m guessing ip address?
Teddy at 116 — To be fair, a lot of those folks would have worked directly with Libby as well, given how long he worked as the right hand man for the Veep. So those folks would have known him very well, having worked with him for several years like that — and you’d expect them, if they liked him, to step up for him. It is what friends do for you when you are in a tough spot like that.
Some of them might be trying to curry favor with Cheney, but not all of them. Some of them probably know Libby and his family.
selise @ 121
There’s 4 or 5 people on our IP address.
Most criminals have at least a few people who still tolerate em- like people they owe money to.
Folks, we don’t talk about how our mods do things or don’t do things for obvious reasons. Otherwise, the spam folks and the trolls figure out a way around what we do to keep the threads clean. Thanks a bunch!
Gergin “This is a Wategate type sentence”! Fuckin A!
raven @ 126
what about what we’ve been sentenced to by BushCo?
Are any more stalwart firepups than me planning to watch the Rethug debate?
And egregious if you are still here at the lake I hope you know how splendid your earlier live blogging was during the SJC!
radiofreewill @ 120
TRex on vacation for a week. He is working on a book!!! Maybe we’ll get Teddy. (hope)
I enjoyed Leonard Garment’s letter. He reminisces on how he and Scooter worked on the Marc Rich case. I bet that brought a tear to Judge Walton’s eye. The chutzpah of these people.
TeddySanFran @ 116
Yes, I noticed exactly the same thing. All the hired help had to write one. Even the VP’s personal physcian.
And then there are reams and reams of letters from lawyers, former partners, law school students and the like.
The third category is the neighborhood playdate category (the Mrs Scooter detail)–I mean what are they going to do, say no?
They read so similarly that one wonders if an outline wasn’t provided. Or at least a list of bullet points to cover “in your own words.”
1-introduce yourself and tell how you know Scooter.
2-Tell a personal story about him (Vicky–I barely know him, but he turned down a dinner invite so he could spend time with his kids. Yeah right! Would YOU want to have dinner with her?)
3-Go on and on and on about his character attributes (with a provided list of suggested keywords, like honest, generous, selfless and so forth).
4–reminded not to argue with the points of the conviction as it would seem disrespectful to the court.
Something like that.
newspaperbrat @ 128
You are very kind. I’m still aching a little from losing the entire Schumer transcript by hitting the wrong key. It’s been a long day.
didn’t want to clutter things up this a.m. and afternoon in the sentencing threads. but great job, guys! during the trial-the best. today-the best. at the next hearing (when is that? a week from thursday?) you’ll be the best again. i really didn’t care too much what he got, just as long as he does time. 30 months 250K? I’m satisfied. ( 400 community service 2 years supervised release)
good jib fitz. go regis!! noble heart and strong to endure and daring though skies be dark and roadways unsure and all that.
TeddySanFran @ 116
Page 43 is the letter from Richard Carlson.
newspaperbrat @ 128
Sorry, I’m patient … not masochistic … *g*
Petrocelli @ 114
Lay it on me.
FYI, new thread
Loo Hoo. @ 129
Is he writing a poetry book on trees, for Libby to read while he’s in the big house?
egregious @ 132
((((( egregious )))))
Picked this National Review article dated today off the Libby Defense Trust page. Interesting to see what the other side is saying.
Haha, Scooter wouldn’t even have dinner with Vickie and DiG!!!
“need to be with our kids” — God, anything not to have to break bread with those two gangster hanger-on wannabes!
ccmask @ 104
It’s a three legged race…… Wowzr, thanks so very much “Ladies of the Lake”, and mods for the inspiring work. 1 year and 8 months ago I spashed in and left only to occationally dry off. Keep on keepin’ on.
http://article.nationalreview……IyMWY4ODc=
NRO’s new bloviating over demands for an immediate presidential pardon. Why is the NRO urging their own president to commit political murder-suicide for the entire rethug party?
rwcole @ 108
Well, right now Bush has the power to declare a national emergency, without consulting Congress. And he also has the authority to declare martial law. Just last Month, he signed two Presidential Directives to that effect, and a little known clause in the Military Budget passed by Congress last fall gives him the right to declare martial law. Do you have any doubt that he can rationalize “suspending” democracy in order to “save” it? Of course, there would need to be an “emergency,” but those can be manufactured– not just in movies (Wag the Dog), but in real life (e.g., the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, not to mention the current AUMF.)
Ah, but he has Blackwater. And the “National Guard,” which he can mobilize and move from one state to another, without asking the Governor, in an “emergency.” Do you recall that he deployed some of them in New Orleans after Katrina? Maybe that was a test run.
Treaties are recognized as legitimate only to the extent that the signatories are recognized as legitimate. What happens if we leave Iraq, or withdraw to our string of fortresses, and the current gov’t of Iraq collapses, and is replaced, say, by the Sadr Militia, and Bani Sadr seizes power. Do you think he’s going to recognize those treaties?
BushCo & the Four Horsemen have already demonstrated a preference for thinking “outside of the box”– indeed, they seem to have some contempt for the box itself. Bush has already stated, with some irritation, that the Constitution is just a piece of paper.
As you can see, I’m actually a bit jittery about a peaceful transfer of power in January 2009. I do not trust the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse at all. Not about anything. And I think we would be well advised to help our Congress critters consider how they are going to defend the Constitution if the going gets a bit rough.
Bob in HI
Christy Hardin Smith @ 113
Ah! If so, he picked a good time to be “out of town”!
Bob in HI
Then there is Fouad Ajami’s: “he wrote a spectacular first novel.” I stopped paying attention of Ajami’s Middle East ramblings a long time ago. Must remember to write him off as a literary critic too.
SouthernDragon @ 136
Well, I am not old enough to have met the Mahatma … I heard it from a wise man in India …
There was a boy who would not listen to his mother. He would eat sweets all the time, and no matter what she said, he wouldn’t stop.
She decided that the only person he would listen to, is Bapu (Gandhi). So she walked several miles to his home with the boy.
Smiling, she bowed to him and said, “Bapuji … I’ve come from several miles away and I have a request.”
He nodded and she went on, “Bapuji, this boy eats sweets all the time, and no matter how many times I tell him to stop, he wouldn’t listen. I know if you tell him, he will listen … please tell him to stop eating sweets.”
Gandhi listened quietly, nodding, then said, “Bring him back in one week.”
She bowed and taking the boy’s hand, returned to her village.
For 6 days, she thought about all the things the Mahatma might be planning to tell her son.
On the 7th day, she told the boy, “Come, we have to go to Bapuji.” All the way there, she kept telling him … just see … he is going to give you a good talking to … he is a great speaker and will tell you lots of wise and important things, so listen carefully.”
Finally, they arrive. Bapuji is sitting in his usual place, in front of his home.
She bowed to him and said, “Bapuji, I was here one week ago and you told me to come back after 7 days … remember?”
Gandhi nodded, looked at the boy and said, “Stop eating sweets!”
The boy nodded and Gandhi said, “Alright, you may go.”
The mother was dumbfounded … she had told him that they had to walk several miles, under a burning Sun to meet him and yet he told her to come back in 7 days.
She said, “Bapuji, I had to come from so far … why could you not tell him this last week?”
Gandhi replied, “First, I had to stop eating sweets!”
Petrocelli @ 147
I’ve seen this account before and I think it’s also in “Non-violent Resistance.” I’ll have to look it up. Any excuse to re-read Gandhi. Learn something new every time. Many of his other writings are online, which is really nice.
My favourite quote of all is, “I will believe violence will overcome violence when you can convince me that darkness will overcome darkness.”
Peace
Never give up.
Brisingamen @ 23
The Iraqi lawmaker expressed belief that U.S. and British companies would be the only beneficiaries from the law if it was passed under the deteriorating security situation currently prevailed in Iraq.
“Only U.S. and British companies will be able to strike deals with the Iraqi government since their troops are still deployed in Iraq,” al-Hiyali said.
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_a…..icle/17770
Gates, through the BBC two nights ago, and from Kurdistan “reminded” Iraqi Parliament that they missed their May 31 benchmark to pass this bill. It most definitely favors US & British interests, and is IMO the only reason we have ever been in Iraq.
I came up with a poem based on Mayer’s song, titled “Working on the World to Change”:
I don’t want to watch the news
Cause I’ll see how much we’ll lose,
So I’m tired of waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
Tired of waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
Now when I get together with my girl,
We can put aside our fear,
But then I look around and remember,
That this is all for real,
And I get tired of waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
Tired of waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
I often think it’s not worth trying,
And we’ll argue who to blame.
But I remember the children crying,
And we should rise above the shame,
So I can’t keep waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
Can’t keep waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.
You’ve got to get up in the morning,
And think you’re gonna make a difference,
Otherwise its just subsistence,
And we’ll huddle in the rain.
You gotta be working, working, working on the world to change.
You gotta be working, working, working on the world to change.
Yeah, I want my girl and I to be happy,
Without closing our eyes to the rest,
Then we’re got to pull together and,
This is what we will profess:
We’re gonna be working, working, working on the world to change.
We’re gonna be working, working, working on the world to change.
If you can just join me in saying,
When you’re done with all the playing,
We’re gonna be working, working, working on the world to change.
Yeah, all gonna be working, working, working on the world to change.
Working on the world to change. Working on the world to change…
2007 Neil Bates (modified)
Sorry, I can’t go along with the John Mayer lovefest. I heard him interviewed on NPR a couple months ago, specifically around this song, and Mr. Mayer is a certified wimp-ass.
He knows the payola ain’t comin in if he sings resistance songs to do-nothing Americans.
Also saw him in Telluride last fall and it was a real snoozer of a show. Carry on.
Thanks Christy!
http://openspoken.com/2007/6/6…..-to-change