Who Said It?

"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

The first person to post who said it wins a copy of the Encyclopedia of Nature 2.0 on CD-Rom.

Jim

Surprise, Surprise, Mark Belling Uses Racial Slur

Milwaukee's Latino community is outraged, and is organizing against WISN Milwaukee radio's Mark Belling after he commented on his show last week that "you're going to see every wetback and every other non-citizen out there voting."

"Wetback" is an offensive racial slur in the Mexican-American community, similar to using the "n word" when referring to African-Americans.

Belling is well know in Milwaukee for his extreme right wing conservative rants on his talk show that airs on weekday afternoons. So far, no action has reportedly been taken against Belling by Clear Channel, the massive conservative media conglomerate that owns WISN radio. Belling has apologized on his show. However, many groups that are outraged by his comments feel the apology was insincere, and are calling for Belling's resignation.

"I'm still here. I haven't been fired yet." Belling said today on his show, also stating that he had been receiving many emails from supporters who feel that his use of the word was acceptable. And some still wonder how Bush could have won a majority vote.

Hope is not lost, just delayed(DeLay'ed)

Well the battle is over. Us liberals are bruised and bloodied, but the war is long from over. I wish to remind everyone of a few things.....

1. Reports have John Ashcroft stepping down as attorney general for health reasons. I don't care who goes in that job, they can't be as bad as Ashcroft.

2. Bush is now a lame duck. Recent history for 2nd term presidents has not been good. Nixon had Watergate, Reagan had Iran-contra and Clinton had Monicagate. This guy is so dumb and arrogant he has to screw up soon, and it will probably be in Iraq.

3. Sen. Arlen Specter, the incoming head of the judiciary committee, was reported to warn Bush against trying to push through any anti-abortion judges in his second term. This could bode well that republicans in congress wont lie down and do whatever the Bush administration wants.

4. Air America is growing fast and winning many of their markets. There is a large audience out there hungry for a different point of view. The stranglehold of the right-wing media is loosening and the fresh air is wonderful. Randi Rhodes is a goddess (just a little personal opinion).

My bottom line is that what comes around goes around. Lies can only go on for so long before one loses track of what they lied about. We just have to keep watch of what is going on, talk to anyone who will listen about the truth and keep screaming until the idiots in charge are not in power anymore.

OutOfTheBlue..........Psalm 2004

Psalm 2004

Bush is my shepherd, I shall be in want.
He maketh me lie down on park benches,
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my doubts about the Republican Party.
He leadeth me into the paths of unemployment for his cronies sake.
Yea, though no weapons of mass destruction have been found,
He tries to maketh me continue to fear Evil.
His tax cuts for the rich and his deficit spending discomfort me.
He anointeth me with never-ending debt:
Verily my days of saving and assets are kaput.
Surely poverty and hard living shall follow me all the days of his administration,
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.



Not to worry - there is still hope to come...Hillary in 2008

OutOfTheBlue@urbanstar.com

Coming to Terms with Four More Years

The Toxic Texan is back with a vengeance. It's like a bad sequel to a B movie. I think I speak for many of us in saying that we were not prepared for defeat this time around. We poured our hearts and souls into this race. Considering the all-or-nothing, life-or-death mind-set we have carried up to this point, it might seem that all hope is lost.

Feelings of disappointment, helplessness, even dread of the future follow for some. After all, it was not really John Kerry that was defeated; it was the interests, beliefs, and needs of an entire nation. It seemed all so preposterous to us as the powers that be focused completely on their own agenda, ignoring the American people. How could this course of action possibly succeed? Faith in justice and in the democratic process led us to suppose an inevitable victory over this blatantly self-serving administration. Nonetheless, they sold partisanship and fear, mobilized a religious base, and it worked.

Do Americans as a majority really have no regard for the environment? Does the majority really embrace the unbridled use of war? Of course not. You wouldn't believe that any more than you'd believe that half the nation approves of late term abortion or that the exact same half is against the right to bear arms. There are two platforms to choose from, and one side is now able to market itself to be the moral and Christian choice. Never mind the fact that many of the policies of the Bush administration directly defy the teachings of Jesus.

Partisanship robs all of us of justice, all of us of our voice, no matter who we are. There could not and will not ever be a candidate that represents the will of the people for as long as partisanship identifies us. Perhaps Mr. Nader has the right conviction in this regard, although his efforts seem to empower those that separate us. But, we willingly allow ourselves as a nation to be divided. We are conditioned to identify ourselves as part of one group or the other, and then obliged to follow the leaders of that group, wherever they take us. Unfortunately, "divide and conquer" works, and that is exactly what just happened to us, again.

What really just happened is "more of the same", not just in the sense that John Kerry used that phrase in his campaign. It is more of the same failure that results from a divided people. It's more of the same "us verses them" mentality that is hurting this country.

In the coming years, bad things are going to happen to us as a result of this election. A hard lesson is ahead for Americans. We can persevere and grow through love, unity, understanding, and respect. As far as I know, no party has a monopoly on these things. And, I believe that those of us who are the most devastated today by all of this will be the peacemakers and uniters of tomorrow.

Peace,
Jim

P.S. Sorry to get so sappy about this. Some people are saying they need some closure on this, mostly, I do. :)

Eh?

Final Day:Wisconsin is Key State

If you haven't already guessed, Wisconsin may very well decide this election. Both presidential candidates made a final day stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Actually, the two rallies were just a few blocks away from each other. Thousands gathered in the rain for Kerry this morning.

Bush greeted supporters in Milwaukee a few hours later: "I want to thank all the cheeseheads who are here."

Urbanstar's own Nancy Drake attended the Kerry rally and got some great photos. Click to enlarge: