Over my head today on at least ten or twenty fronts…Therefore, your turn to save democracy for a bit. Until further notice…Open thread, baby!
- PT
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Democracy 2005 Open Thread…
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Please spread the word:
http://www.missionnotaccomplished.us
Will Pitt has provided an insightful essay:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/032805Y.shtml
Thank you.
Here’s a clickable link to Will Pitt’s essay:
Shelter from the Storm
As always, Will Pitt has written a very insightful essay.
Excellent, Understandinglife. And Will Pitt’s essay is a perfect mirror of our hearbreak and our outrage.
"heartbreak"
Hi, Kira. As is becoming habitual, we’re posting simulateously again.
Gosh…"simultaneously"
Excerpt from http://www.esgs.org/uk/art/manhood.htm, Chapter 9 (originally published 1921):
Such are the children of folly: (1) Drifting fools — ignorers of the past — disregarders of race experience — thoughtless floaters on the shifting currents of human affairs; (2) Static fools — idealizers of the past — complacent lovers of the present — enemies of change — fearful of the future; (3) Dynamic fools — scorners of the past — haters of the present — destroyers of the works of the dead — most modest of fools, each of them saying: "What ought to be begins with Me; I will make the world a paradise; but my genius must be free; now it is hampered by the existing ‘order’ — the bungling work of the past; I will destroy it; I will start with chaos; we need light — the Sun casts shadows — I will begin by blotting out the Sun; then the world will be full of glory — the light of my genius."
Hi Peg C.! Funny – that!
Chemo – that’s an interesting site. The Manhood of Humanity. I keep thinking about the childish behavior of J. Ken/Katherine Blackwell towards the Democrats on the panel – Millender McDonald and Tubbs Jones. And I think about how childish the neoCons act. How can we let these emotional midgets be in power? They need a Time Out.
I found this and I’m going to filablog–it sounds like something we should all do!!
It’s Time to Begin the Filiblog!!
Senator Bill Frist is sitting on his nuclear option. The filibuster is in danger. Right now, the future of the filibuster rests in the hands of a few Senators–and, of course, US.
Because after all, THEY WORK FOR US. So no matter who you voted for, or what your persuasions are–take the time to think about this issue. Really think. Do you want checks and balances? Do you want discussion of judgeships? Or are you thinking that it is a good thing to rush appointments to the Federal bench through without much discussion?
The Democracy Cell Project is inviting all other blogs to begin what we are pleased to introduce as the FILIBLOG.
RALLY THE FILIBLOGSTERS
We are calling out to all of you, become filiblogsters by contacting the Senate and let them know how you feel about using the nuclear option in the confirming of judges. If the filibuster is to survive, the time to filiblog is now. Phone, fax, and e-mail your concerns and comments.
http://www.senate.gov
Senator Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington D. C. 20510
202-224-3344
202-228-1264 (fax)
In Nashville
615-352-9411
615-352-9985 (fax)
You can start with Senator Frist and keep the filiblog going by contacting your own senators: http://www.senate.gov
FILIBLOG TODAY TO SAVE THE FILIBUSTER!
Still wondering if there has been any progress in getting a court order to examine the programming code of the voting machines in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania. The crime was committed, we need toget the evidence. Can anybody think of a way to get the Carl Rove-established (I suspect) GOP-created ‘Voting Rights’ committee to shoot itself in the foot and request an investigation into the programming codes? Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
The evidence indicates to me that much of what has been credited to Karl Rove ought to be credited to Tom Ridge. Without Ridge, the regime has lost its fire. Here Bush is, sinking and sinking, and yet we have not had a "terror" alert. No one has frightened us into buying plastic sheeting and duct tape (and then joined the board of directors of Home Despot). It wasn’t Rove who directed the "terror" campaign, it was Ridge; and now Ridge is gone.
This leaves us with the same people as we had before 9/11/01, who did not know well how to terrorize the populace. They did, however, know how to maximize the chances of actual attacks by Islamic terrorists. Presumably they will resort to what they know how to do….
Chemo #10 said:
"This leaves us with the same people as we had before 9/11/01, who did not know well how to terrorize the populace. They did, however, know how to maximize the chances of actual attacks by Islamic terrorists. Presumably they will resort to what they know how to do…. "
This is exactly what I fear is on the way. Where will it happen? They will say Iran is to blame. Scott Ritter says plans are to invade Iran in June.
From Kenneth "Beelzebub" Blackwell’s Ohio Gov 2006 site……..shudder!!!
From the Columbus Dispatch
Conservative churches to flex muscle
Pastors statewide organizing effort to elect candidates
Sunday, March 27, 2005
James Dao
THE NEW YORK TIMES
One goal for the group is to help Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell win the governor`s office in 2006.
Christian conservative leaders from scores of Ohio`s fastest-growing churches are mounting a campaign to win control of local government posts and Republican organizations, starting with the 2006 governor`s race.
In a manifesto that is being circulated among church leaders and on the Internet, the group, which is called the Ohio Restoration Project, is planning to mobilize 2,000 evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal and Roman Catholic leaders in a network of "Patriot Pastors" to register half a million new voters, enlist activists, train candidates and endorse conservative causes in the next year.
The initial goal is to elect Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative Republican, as governor in 2006. The group hopes to build grass-roots organizations in Ohio`s 88 counties and take control of local Republican organizations.
"The establishment of the Ohio Republican Party is out of touch with its base," said Russell Johnson, the pastor of the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster and the principal organizer of the project. "It acts as if it lives in Boston, Mass."
Johnson`s challenge to the party could have far-reaching consequences in a state dominated by GOP elected officials but still considered a bellwether in presidential politics. Conservatives in other swing states are watching closely.
"In Ohio, the church is awak- ening to its historic role as the moral voice in the community," said Colin A. Hanna, president of Let Freedom Ring, a conservative group based in Pennsylvania that trains ministers in political activism. "Ohio is in the vanguard of that nationally. I very much want Pennsylvania to be with them."
The church leaders say they will try to harness the energy of religious conservatives who were vital not only to President Bush`s narrow victory in Ohio but also to passage of an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. Issue 1 was credited with drawing large numbers of rural and suburban conservatives to the polls and increasing Bush`s support among urban blacks.
"We`re calling people to act, not just wring their hands in the pews," said Rod Parsley, senior pastor of the World Harvest Church on Gender Road. He is considered a rising star in the religious broadcasting world and will be an inspirational speaker for the project. "We got people motivated last year, and then the election was over. We don`t want folks to think our work is over."
Republican officials are watching warily. The chairman of the state party, Robert T. Bennett, warned that the decadelong dominance of his party could be jeopardized if it is pushed too far to the right. "This is a party of a big tent," Bennett said. "The far right cannot elect somebody by itself, any more than somebody from the far left can."
The conservatives point to the governor`s race as an example of what they consider wrong with the state Republican Party. Of the three Republican candidates, only Blackwell has the solid support of religious conservatives. Attorney General Jim Petro opposed the same-sex marriage amendment on the grounds that it would invite litigation against companies that provide domestic-partner benefits. State Auditor Betty D. Montgomery has supported some abortion rights.
Gov. Bob Taft, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, allowed a sales-tax increase to close a budget shortfall and opposed Issue 1.
"We`re very confused that you have a Republican Party platform, and yet people running for higher office pay no attention to it," said Phil Burress, the leader of the Issue 1 campaign, who is also helping organize the Restoration Project. "Why don`t they just become Democrats?" he asked.
Petro announced Tuesday that his running mate for lieutenant governor would be Phil Heimlich, a conservative from Cincinnati, and Montgomery has asked for a meeting with Johnson. Conservatives said that is evidence that the candidates recognize the churches` power.
"They understand what happens when 100,000 people committed to our views are on the same page," Johnson said. "In their little political gatherings and cocktail meetings at the country club, they can`t build that kind of loyalty. They can`t spend millions to buy what our people will give for free."
In a three-way primary, many Republican leaders say, Blackwell has a solid chance of winning because conservatives represent much of the party`s base. But moderates worry that he could alienate independent voters and lose the general election. Some are discussing enlisting the White House to prod Blackwell to quit the race.
In a recent meeting of leaders from some of the state`s largest churches, many of them in booming Republican suburbs, the Restoration Project issued a blueprint calling for "Patriot Pastors" to register 500,000 new voters by the May 2006 primary, then inform and energize them with voter guides, rallies and "eprayer networks" on the Internet.
The group hopes to raise $1 million and is considering creating a political action committee to provide direct donations to candidates.
The project, which describes itself as nonpartisan and nonprofit, will not endorse candidates. But Blackwell will be invited to speak to pastoral meetings and to a statewide Ohio for Jesus rally next spring, along with other prominent Christian conservatives such as the Rev. Franklin Graham, Dr. James Dobson and Charles Colson, the plan says.
Democrats say they are buoyed by the momentum for Blackwell. "He`s formidable in many ways, but he`s the candidate we`d most like to run against," said Greg Haas, a strategist for Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who is seen as a favorite for the Democratic nomination.
In an interview, Blackwell, who is black, said that Ohio has shifted to the right and that he now represents mainstream voters. He also predicted that he would draw black religious conservatives into the Republican Party, breaking the Democrats` hold on urban precincts.
"I think what`s happening is we`re seeing a struggle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party," he said. "And that`s healthy."
Experts said that religious conservatives could bring energy to campaigns, but that they had mixed results trying to win control of local political organizations.
"For short periods of time, they often had successes," said John C. Green, a professor of political science at the University of Akron. "But it was very difficult to sustain."
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said the Restoration Project might have a greater effect because it is more homegrown and has ties to a wider array of denominations than previous groups, such as the Moral Majority.
"This represents a new wave in organizing on the part of conservative evangelicals," Lynn said. "From my standpoint, as someone who doesn`t agree with their conclusions, this is a more- dangerous model."
Among conservative leaders, Johnson`s church, which draws 2,500 regular Sunday worshippers in a heavily Republican part of central Ohio, is considered a model for activism. In the past five years, a half dozen of its congregants have been elected to local offices, including a judge, several Lancaster councilmen and Fairfield County Sheriff Dave Phalen.
Phalen said he was encouraged by church members to run for office in 2000, when the incumbent was under investigation for corruption.
Phalen`s official letterhead now reads, "With God, all things are possible."
"These people turn out to vote," he said of Christian conservatives.
"They give money and will become active. And there will always be issues to keep people mobilized."
Shudder is right.
…and further to this:
under the heading Sacred Taxes by Jesse Taylor
http://www.springerontheradio.com/ (sorry I don’t know how to do the linking thang!) raises the difficulty of Churches maintaining their exempt status whilst being directly involved in the political process …. and rabidly partisan at that!
The linking thing for Bushw@cker:
Thanks to Peg C., Dredd, Winter Patriot and Brad for all the help for us Newbie htlm-ers!
[a href="web address" target="_blank"]Your Words[/a]
Change the [ ] (square brackets) to (less than/greater than signs)
Replace dummy words i.e. web address and Your Words with your link and subject or title.
Because this page reformats what we type in order to "right justify" it automatically puts in extra spaces. Therefore, I have to make clear:
everything runs together EXCEPT for:
1 space between [a and href= and
1 space between the " and target
AND Your Title, which can be anything.
I keep a log of the html code hints people are generously providing here & there.
Hope this helps!
oops – HTML-ers I meant!
Butterfly…great idea…I was about to post the same thing.
http://www.democracycellproject.net
They’re all about education, activation, and empowerment and that is what we need to do to bring democracy back and get rid of the fascists in office now.
Re: my #14 post
I sincerely and unconditionally apologise for linking to Jerry Springer’s site, I promise I will not do this again! ;-(
While congress questions baseball players about steroid use……WHERE IS MY 9 BILLION DOLLARS?
Thanks KIRA #15
I will get my head round HTML yet!
Bushw@cker #20 – The dummy link I posted came out exactly right, so you can just copy it into a Word doc or notepad as is. (Just change the square brackets to (those guys). It’s a little persnickety about having its spaces exactly right.
******WARNING HTML NEWBIE IN TRAINING*****
…and further to this:
under the heading Sacred Taxes by Jesse Taylor
raises the difficulty of Churches maintaining their exempt status whilst being directly involved in the political process …. and rabidly partisan at that!
BUGGER! Didn’t work.
KIRA you’re wonderfull 🙂
Q: Should I be seeing the link correctly formated in preview mode?
KIRA Did you mean change ALL [ ] brackets, in the body as well as on the ends?
Sorry KIRA you’ll have to type slowly you’re dealing with boy from Downunder!
Bushwacker, here are Winter Patriot’s original instructions. link insts.
They look complicated but after you get it the first time, you’ll wonder why it ever seemed so hard. Hope this helps.
Peace
Yes change all brackets to this , even on the end.
TAKE TWO
WARNING HTML NEWBIE IN TRAINING***
…and further to this:
under the heading Sacred Taxes by Jesse Taylor
raises the difficulty of Churches maintaining their exempt status whilst being directly involved in the political process …. and rabidly partisan at that!
link here.
YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Thanks KIRA & SUPERSOLING
Bwacker – the only reason we have to use the [] square brackets when showing this on the screen here is that once you put in the correct signs, everything disappears except the highlighted Title you put in. That’s what the code does.
That’s what makes it difficult to explain on screen.
It’s a little difficult until you learn the language. It’ll come with practice.
Yay! Another sucess! Fun ain’t it?
Got It!
Bushw@cker, thanks for the link ;O)
Sure is KIRA!
Now, right! where were we, that’s right trying to save the FREE WORLD one Blog at a time!
Testing, testing, testing…my link
Oh my gosh, didn’t think it had worked. Thanks everyone.
You know………they don’t surprise me much any more but they sure can still amaze me. This is about as low as it gets. Terri Schiavo’s parents have apparently given their o.k. to sell the list of donor names to a direct mailing list company. Hope this link works Bushw@cker, if not, a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2...">here is the link to the diary at Dkos where I found the story.
This is sickening. It’s not only about the politics on this one but also the money. I wonder what Terri Schiavo would say?
SUPERSOLING, you’re welcome!
The issue of tax exempt churches involving themselves in politics is of great interest as we have similar situation developing in Australia.
The Family First Party a Pentecostal front, has picked up a Senate seat at our last Federal Election and is already pushing its pro-life, pro censorship of the internet agenda.
Has anyone in the US of A sucessfully challenged their exempt status on the grounds of non-complience?
Whoops ^^^^^^ I screwed that up, but the first link worked.
PEGGY, as one HTML Newbie to another,
Well done!
I don’t know if any churches have had their tax exempt status succesfully challenged here. I do know that when Bush began his first term, he was pushing real hard for faith based groups to become involved in schooling and social service type of work. This would have given them federal funds that normally go to public schools and so on, and was thought by the left as an initial step by Bush to begin undermining public schools completely. The problem began when questions were raised about how much if any religion would be pushed by these groups which would have in turn threatened their exempt status.
Then along came 911 and everything was dropped but I’m sure, not forgotten. We will see if they try to push this again but I suspect that after the mess they have created for themselves regarding the whole "culture of life" , Terri Schiavo debacle, and all the religeous undertones or overtones, they will probably try to distance themselves from anything religeous for awhile.
SUPERSOLING #40
Interesting times!
The Schiavo & Wacko Jacko cases are getting a good run by our MSM (Rupert Murdoch & Kerry Packer) at the expense of Iraq, Global Warming/Dimming and Peak Oil.
Just the way our conservative Liberal government likes it! (yes, no sick joke, our cons are called LIBERALS)
I can just imagine all those furtive teleconference calls between little shrub, our johnny hoWARd and Tony bLIAR all trying to get their stories straight on WMDs!
Bushwacker – here’s a site for you (and anyone) interested in the interference in politics by tax-exempt churches. Also – realize that back in Sept. 2004, this bill was attached to the "Jobs Creation Act" which shows how unethical these neoCONS are. Uggg – what a mess our government is in.
Interfaith Alliance
RELIGIOUS LEADERS SAY: OPPOSE THE “HOUSES OF WORSHIP FREE SPEECH RESTORATION ACT" H.R. 235 (more on the page linked above)
Also, if you click on "learn more" (on the left bar of that page) you can read this (below) & more:
The Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act (HOWPSPA), formerly H.R. 2357, was introduced in the U.S. House for the first time in the 107th Congress. A motion to suspend the rules for passage was defeated, failing to garner the two-thirds majority needed. Lead sponsor Rep. Walter Jones, R-NC, reintroduced the bill (as H.R. 235) in January 2003.
Current federal law states that houses of worship, like other 501(c)(3) organizations, cannot engage in partisan political activities while retaining their tax-exempt status. This provision of federal law has served as a valuable safeguard for the integrity of both religious institutions and the political process. HOWPSPA would abandon these important safeguards, allowing houses of worship to use their tax-exempt contributions for political purposes and to endorse candidates.
Religious leaders, denominational offices and faith-based organizations are against HOWPSPA for several reasons:
========
If you’ve never been to Katherine Yurica’s site, I would recommend it. She has a great article on the subject:
Yurica Report
…"In a move designed to crush all opposition, House Majority Leader Tom Delay and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have joined with Rep. Walter Jones to attach the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (Jones bill/HR 235) to the Fisk Tax Bill FSC-ETI (It was to have been attached to the Jobs Creation Act H.R. 4520). If passed, the Jones bill would go far towards eroding the wall of separation between the institutions of religion and government by reversing IRS tax laws that prohibit houses of worship from engaging in partisan politicking."
Also found this Raw Story article:
3/22/2005
IRS hits church over Sen. Kerry visit
A Florida church’s tax-exempt status is in jeopardy as the IRS has launched a probe into a visit by former candidate John Kerry last fall, the (registration-restricted) Miami Herald reports Tuesday. Some wonder if the probe is politically motivated. Excerpts follow….
The probe is related to an appearance last October by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and several black leaders, including U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
The reason for the investigation, an IRS official wrote in a 10-page letter obtained by The Herald, is that “a reasonable belief exists that Friendship Missionary Baptist Church has engaged in political activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status as a church.’’
-more-
God…it’s a one-way, DEAD-end street.
Thanks KIRA #42
Just starting to trawl through Katherine Yurica’s excellent site and my blood is beginning to chill.
…… THE HORROR!!!
You’re welcome Bushwacker! Glad you’re here with us. We have a common enemy in old sleazy Rupie and the Global Geobbels Media Empire he created.
ONE MILLION PROTEST CHINA
Here’s a story which got little recognition which belongs in the "democracy and freedom" category. A topic which the MSM deems to be sooooooooooo 2004.
Specifically, this story was about continued democracy and freedom for a country who recently managed to overcome authoritarian rule all by themselves — after 40+ years!!! Taiwan, where I currently reside, had a protest of over ONE MILLION people in Taipei against the Chinese anti-secession law. The crowd was massive and overwhelmingly peaceful. This is a story which needs to be talked about if Taiwan is ever going to gain international recognition and thus, maintain freedom and independence from an increasingly aggressive dictatorial elephant next door.
When Taiwan is invaded (perhaps sooner than anyone thinks) and thousands of lives are lost with the prospects of another world war at our doorstep, I’m sure the MSM will be smugly asserting that "there was nothing that could have been done".
To that comment, I will write to remind them of the long forgotten story of Terry Schiavo.
Here’s some pics and personal commentary of this historic occasion, if your interested:
My posts:
Newsclip Autopsy
Daily KOS
Great high-perspective views of the massive crowd:
wide overhead shot of a fraction of the ONE MILLION people
Shot of the people flowing down a major Taipei street (one of 10)
Stop_George –
We’re still here and attentive. God – it’s a massive, worldwide totalitarian coup, isn’t it, and WE are the slaves of the killing machine that will ensure survival of the killers – and owners. I WILL NOT BUY INTO THIS TRAVESTY. No one will make me a killer or a "republican."
Peg C:
It really is quite obscene. Taiwan is one of the most peaceful nations on this earth right now. They are threatening NOONE. All they want is to be internationally recognized for what they already are: A free democratic nation — separate from China’s rule of law.
China won’t have the peaceful status-quo, however. This arrogance, like the current U.S. administration’s policy with Iraq, is threatening world peace in a dramatic fashion.
What do we do? We demand that these nations are not "rewarded" for this unnecessary aggressiveness. For China, the European arms embargo should be left in place and multinational corporations should be discouraged from investing in this human-rights violator. A boycot of the Beijing Olympics would be another great move. Wishful thinking, though — eh?!
KIRA:
Yeah, I’m still here. I’m devoted to this Taiwan issue now — so that’s why I haven’t posted here much.
The protest march was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced!!! You really have to admire the Taiwanese! Think about it. They managed to organize ONE MILLION people to gather with approximately 2 weeks notice (the Anti-secession law was enacted in China in Mid March).
The expected turnout far exceeded expectations, so they had to have a T.V. telethon in order to make money to pay for the extra bus transportation (which was free to the people who decided to go) and water etc. Almost $1 million dolars (U.S.) was donated in a span of a few hours!!!
I’ve attended a few outdoor political rallies here and it’s like attending a rock concert. The people here are very passionate about politics here. It’s truly inspiring when you’re used to the stale cynical politics in North America.
The most incredible thing about the whole 326 protest in Taipei was the number of senior citizens who participated — some just sat on the sides of the sidewalk watching and waving at the masses of people who walked by. And NOT ONE incidence of violence with the one million in attendance!!
It was like Woodstock times 10 without the music!
Stop_George #47
Thanks for posting those amazing pictures. What I am left with is a feeling of near shame when I think that here in the U.S., the so-called "worlds oldest democracy", we , including me, sit and complain but rarely put our feet where our mouths are, and I wonder what it would take to get 1 million Americans into the street, because in spite of everything that good people, like Brad, are doing to bring attention to the crimes that are being commited everyday right under our noses, I believe that the only thing that will finally turn them out will be when they see us backing up our words with action and anger.
They have rigged the elections. We no longer have any tools at our disposal to remove them by standard means. How can we take back our country? It’s going to take massive, sustained protests, but how do we accomplish this? The media consistently downplays the size of events where protesters are gathered or simply doesn’t cover them at all.
I suppose that life in America is going to have to get much, much worse before the majority of us understand what is happening and that we are the only ones who can change it.
Suggestion regarding the frustration expressed in comment #51: Find events that are planned and scheduled for other purposes, where media presence has been prearranged, and have a large crowd of peaceful protestors show up with small signs and in protest garb, but not in such a way that police have any reason to run them off. Spread the protestors throughout the crowd, and especially near any news cameras. Try to make sure the cameras can’t get any shots without including some protestors. Just a thought.
SUPERSOLING #51:
Taiwan is a very different culture and different situation than that in the U.S. First off, it is a small country (I’m told, the size of Delaware and Conneticut combined — or the size of Vancouver Island). The population is roughly 23 million, so you can imagine the density is quite high. As a result, it is logistically easier to organize large events, because noone has to travel more than 3-4 hours to get to the destination.
Even still, you must give the Taiwanese credit for being very organized with these protest / campaign events. As I mentioned above, the government had a T.V. telethon that raised close to $1 million U.S. dollars in a matter of a few hours — in order to help pay for the event. As a result, everything went very smoothly like clockwork.
What can the U.S. learn from the Taiwanese? That’s a hard question, because the cultures are very different. The Taiwanese tend to do things in groups all of the time. Whenever the Taiwanese travel, they rarely travel alone. They usually charter a bus. So, perhaps organize things more as networks of groups than having individuals meet at a specified location. I think it tends to make for a better turnout. As well, it creates more of a sense of "purpose" and "community" spirit. One doesn’t feel as isolated at the event. This sense of "togetherness", I find, makes one more likely to do it again, as well.
There is also a very big "grass-roots" can-do feel to Taiwan politics. Everyone is involved. Large outdoor party rally’s are held (even when it’s not during an election campaign). People of all walks of life speak their mind at these meetings in a "town-hall" style — AND ITS BROADCAST ON NETWORK TV!!! These outdoor meetings sometimes last 2 hours and they are very animated and interesting to watch (even if you don’t understand Taiwanese!!). If the U.S. big cable networks won’t broadcast something like this, then why not have a streaming web-cast of the event? I think the internet is THE way in the 21rst century to bring people together like never before. Just look at what blogs have done.
I don’t know. Again, the key is to make it easy to get everyone involved — not just the professional activists. Create a grass-roots culture where it eliminates that cynical "It doesn’t matter what I think" attitude. U.S. and Canadian politics are so elitest compared to the Taiwanese.
Everything is "real" here. That’s one of the reasons I love Taiwan so much.
Found a diary at Dkos that purports to have proof that U.S. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez commited perjury when asked by Congress if he had authorized torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Diary can be found here.
This might be something we actually CAN do if we can get enough Senators and Congresspersons to sit up and take notice. I remember Kennedy trying real hard to get a straght answer on this.
Peace
Supersoling #54 – I just posted that on a discussion board, came here and you’d beaten me to it!
That’s another of those news stories we need to print out and leave laying around for the general public.
Okay, I’ve found the perfect gifts for anyone you know who might want to "penetrate" the press corps, but doesn’t have someone in the White House "backing" them. (Sorry, some jokes just write themselves *L*)
Anyway…check this out:
White House Press Pass
Kes,
Those are a "must have" Love em!
The big difference between what "Tiwan" is dealing with and what "we" are dealing with is pretty huge..
The Tiwan -government- ran a fund-raiser, the -government- was involved with motivating the country..
We are trying to -fight- our government. We are trying to get out the word -despite- their trying to quash us.
Tiwan->government rallies the people in a national interest
U.S.->government IS the problem and we are trying to rally -against- it.
Not sure I’m getting my point across here.. If the U.S. Government wanted 25 million people to protest Canada planning an invasion, you’d have 25 million people motivated pretty easily.. without government help (and that of the media), this is a totally different ball-game than what Tiwan is dealing with..
Hi Stop_George! Haven’t seen you post in awhile, great you’re here. Thanks for the great links – WOW! Amazing. I hope we can amass that many soon to march against this crappy regime.
I remember Kennedy trying real hard to get a straght answer on this.
I assume you mean "straight?" So you think that Teddy "make mine a double" Kennedy is interested in straight answers. Good, maybe he can give us one on whatever really happened to Mary Jo.
Remember,
MORE PEOPLE DIED AT CHAPPAQUIDDICK THAN THREE MILE ISLAND
Definitely a concerted effort , tag teams no less. How childish.
Chemo #10 said:
"This leaves us with the same people as we had before 9/11/01, who did not know well how to terrorize the populace. They did, however, know how to maximize the chances of actual attacks by Islamic terrorists. Presumably they will resort to what they know how to do…. "
You may be right and wrong……..
American Free Press March 20, 2005
By Greg Szymanski
Our own U.S. Army devised a plan commissioned by Congress to bring down the WTC using commercial airliners and box cutters as weapons.
The laundry list of terrorist warnings handed to the Bush administration prior to 9/11 makes the President and others look like "bumbling idiots or a bunch of conniving criminals" responsible for the mass murders at the Twin Towers and in Afghanistan and Iraq.
These are the harsh words of Timothy McNiven, an outspoken critic of the President’s handling of 9/11 and a 29-year U.S. Defense Department operative still under contract with the government.
He says not only did the Bush administration purposely ignore Al Q’aida in the months preceding the WTC attacks, but the situation is even more disturbing, considering his military unit way back in 1976 devised a mock terrorist attack of the Twin Towers exactly like what occurred on 9/11.
http://www.tampaindymedia.org/b...906.078125.dat
I was waiting for this one … thank you MMIIXX.
Adding to MMIIXX’s post:
Total 911 Info
Plus you get a link to a NEWSWEEK story!
There is absolutely no way on earth that the Trade Center could be demolished like that without the US government complicity. Unidentified planes to not fly around uninvestigated. Ever. Unless they are meant to.
And this one too – remember the RICO lawsuit filed against Bush last fall or winter? McNiven gave an affidavit for that suit. Do your homework guys!
target="_blank">US DoD McNiven Rico Suit
I goofed on my link, but it still works. Too many >signs.
The most amazing thing is how obvious it all is, how many clues there are, and still people are afraid to face it. The answer to the puzzle has been handed to us, and still people scratch their heads, and some their asses.
Damn Right, Teresa. Almost everything about 911 stinks like a cesspool. Actually almost everything about the bu$h regime stinks like a cesspool.
Like bushw@cker I’m Australian and this "Illness" that has be-fallen the USA will spread throughout the world, driven by a tsunami of greed and power-grabbing parasites. Anybody with an I.Q. higher than his or her shoe size knows Bush lost in 2000 and lost in 2004.
Unlike most parasites, these parasites don’t even attempt to keep the “Host” alive.
Their “success” becomes the “vector” that will spread “their” disease to countries across the globe, as others with no ethical conscience emulate their methods of “democracy”.
We have been allies with the American people during World Wars and “police actions” , we have lost citizens to protect democracy across the globe, so in a way this is our fight as well.
Surely they’re aliens – pod people – what they’re doing is so vile and inhumane. The tentacles of the octopus have already spread out globally, so it’s really not just going on here. I do believe those of us who can see the madness have to band together, unified throughout the world against these cannibals.
Kira read a bit of history ,"Surely they’re aliens – pod people – what they’re doing is so vile and inhumane."
Nero fiddled….Bush cleared "brush"…..these type of people have been with us always ,empires come empires go, despots come despots go ………regime change anybody.
Yes – but surely – the alien pod people have always been with us!! And I have read a LOT of history. I think you misunderstood my attempt at cynical humor.
The problem now is the way we’re fouling our environment and causing such great damage to the fragile eco-systems. I know, extinction has always been with us and the only thing that’s constant is change.
But the other thing I’m truly concerned about is the way the war hawks are puffing up, strutting about, making other nations angry – and everybody’s got nuclear weapons.
I think we agree.
If you make money from war and conflict why would you bust your ass to prevent it .
Kira I think we agree, "cynical humor" is my middle name.
Give it time. Nuclear weapons are extremely expensive to maintain. Their popularity might be short lived. The low level localized ground wars might be more cost effective for them.
And things do constantly shift. They get tired of war games and look for new ones. They go where the money and excitement are. When energy alternatives and saving the environment become big business, there they will be.
The overall game has a mind and a life of its own. No one group can control for very long.
Well, lets see, after AreBusto bu$h & Co. gets through emptying the Treasury, and, oops – he’s already spent the Social Security fund…well, they can confiscate our land & houses & we can.. uh.. join the Senior Citizens branch of the army as cannon fodder with the National Guard – yah! That’s the ticket.
I’m worried about 5 years from now – another 1930’s Crash?
I’m worried about 5 years from now – another 1930’s Crash?
Not to worry. The American people are too smart to let another Democrat anywhere near the White House anytime within the next decade or two. And if a donkey can’t get elected there won’t be any crash. The new President Allen with his VP Condi Rice will make sure to keep the nuts like Fat Ted in line and powerless to destroy the economy. Relax and enjoy the ride. And just think of all the jobs there will be for working in the oil fields in ANWR. I know its cold up there, but you can’t have everything.
manananana the following symbol means you don’t have the money " – " and the next symbol means you do " + " , now whats the state of the nation ,was that a – or a + ?
How many is a trillion? Well if you could say one number per second it would take you 360,000 years to reach 1 trillion counting 24/7/365 .So how many trillion in the red are you already?
Typo
sorry thats 36,000 years
sorry thats 36,000 years
Well, you’re a real math wizard, aren’t you? You really expect anyone to believe that was a typo?
I don’t care what you believe but I’ll fight for your right to believe it and the right to say it , right or wrong
So (my connection went down in mid-post) where was I??
Oh yea, MMIIXX, look what I found in the Sydney Morning Herald –
Greenspan admits he got it wrong over Bush’s tax cuts
Well, here’s a set of figures from David Walker, Comptroller General of the United States.
Monies U.S. is committed to paying out: $43 trillion
Net worth of all Americans: $47 trillion
(courtesy of Joe Cannon)
so that whats meant by RED STATES ……..in the RED
Yeah. If you bled every single one of us dry, vacuumed up the carcasses, and handed all infrastructure to China and Japan, you’d have a whopping $4 trillion left over with which to purchase a tropical island somewhere, retire in splendid isolation, and sink slowly into the…I was going to say sunset, but tropical islands ARE in fact sinking, as sea levels rise due to global warming.
#69 "Anybody with an I.Q. higher than his or her shoe size knows Bush lost in 2000 and lost in 2004."
Well, *I* know it’s true that Bush didn’t win either election, but disagree with your statement. Unfortunately, most people in this country are too trusting in "the system". Re 2004 – the "actual" outcome must be true so the exit polls were wrong. Maybe people don’t want to believe that there could be such corruption in the US? Don’t believe it’s possible for the system to be rigged?
I read something interesting on Joseph Cannon’s site: cannonfire.blogspot.com re the exit polls.
To be continued in next comment…
If you recall, polling firm Mitofsky-Edison decided that their exit polls were wrong because the Democrats were more "chatty" than the Repubs, causing the 3-point poll advantage for Kerry.
However, consider this:
Quote from cannonfire.blogspot.com:
"The exit pollsters, as we all should know, did not merely ask folks whether they pulled the lever for Bush or Kerry in 2004. The polls included a number of other questions. Specifically, respondents were asked to divulge the recipient of their vote in the year 2000.
"In a preliminary exit poll released on CNN at 12:22 a.m., the results for the query about 2000 were 41% Bush, 38% Gore.
"Two hours later, the final exit poll was released. At that time, the respondents said that they had voted in 2000 in a ratio of 43% Bush, 37% Gore.
"Have you found the oddity yet? Feel free to re-read the last two paragraphs. And when you do, ponder this little factoid:
"Al Gore WON the popular vote in 2000!!!
"How, prithee, can the NEP and the SSRC (not to mention Dick Morris and innumerable other GOP propagandists) ask us to believe that the exit polls were skewed in favor of John Kerry? If such weighting existed, then the question about the 2000 race would have resulted in a demonstrable preference for Al Gore."
you figure
http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/...xit-polls.html
trying the link thing (crossing fingers):
Cannonfire
oops, guess it didn’t work?
🙁
If you tell a BIG LIE, LOUD enough and LONG enough, people will believe it’s the truth.
Savantster #58:
True enough. The fact that the Taiwan government is anti-unification and was the chief organizer of this event is a big (if not, the biggest) factor wrt the massive turnout.
However, I would say that the opposition parties are also very effective in organizing support for rallies of this size as well. Last year, 500,000 were gathered (wrongly, IMO) to protest the presidential election after they absurdly accused Chen of having planned his own assassination attempt in order to gain a sympathy vote.
Those 500,000 protesters were indeed "fighting the government", as you say. Although, the Taiwanese media is very biased towards the opposition party at present. That helps a great deal.
If you tell a BIG LIE…
Wow! Haven’t heard that one before – well at least in the last 4 or 5 minutes. Just keep repeating, "Repetition is my friend. Repetition is my friend."
mananananananananananananananananananananan
what was that again?
MMIIXX
Hannah:
Linking lesson –
[a href="http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/...k"%5DExit Poll Lies[/a] Replace ALL[] with .
Posting did it to me again. The space between "a" and "href" is ONE SPACE.
There is absolutely no doubt that a Democrat will win the Presidency in 2008. In fact, 2006 will probably bring some surprises.
If winning is your game, what fun is it without a strong opposition?Only a weakling, small and frightened, would not want to face a mighty adversary.
And of course, only an impotent coward would attack an unarmed country.
Some people just don’t understand warfare.
It’s Air America’s first anniversary.
The station is now in about 53 markets, the fastest growth in the history of radio.
I just heard that Terri Schiavo passed away and is no longer in a vegetative state. Her wishes were honored.
God bless her. Angels don’t have horrible, painful contractures in every extremity, that no amount of pain med will can remove, or decubiti, or filthy tubes that are always infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Thanks, Peg!
Will try again later…
The Pope just received his last rites.
A sad day all round.
The station is now in about 53 markets, the fastest growth in the history of radio.
Perhaps you should read this information before you get too smug.
FOX or nuffin four my two
Malkin, never heard of her. Interesting blog comments however. You know, "if you resort to ad hominem attacks, that you automatically loose the debate?" Where did I read that?
http://electionarchive.org/ucvA...n-Mitofsky.pdf
Where did I read that?
You read? Who knew?
Manananana #108 you may read but you sure don’t get it, you just ad hominem ad nauseum (repeat nothingness), and it is counter productive. "Lets troll".
…you may read but you sure don’t get it…
Get what?
Manananana #108 you may read but you sure don’t get it, you just ad hominem ad nauseum (repeat nothingness), and it is counter productive. "Lets troll".
you just ad hominem…
This is the definition of ad hominem:
Now you wouldn’t do something like that, would you?
ad nauseum
Defined as:
If you are truly nauseated, it may just be your own bile backing up on you. IANAD, but I suggest you get a checkup if this condition persists. Or are you just tossing around Latin phrases you know little about? If so, you might want to look up this one, purportedly mouthed by George W. Bush: "Veni Vidi Vici."
I came, I saw, I conquered .
The American people!
May he meet Caesar’s fate
May he meet Caesar’s fate
Caesar was attacked by politicians with some small amount of bravery. Today’s Democrats wet their beds and suck their thumbs. No change that there’s anyone brave enough. All they do is whine. Mustn’t mess the hair, bruise the Botox, or in Barney Frank’s case, make the mascara run.
Mana, You’ve done nothing but whine for two days now. You seem very young, so maybe experience will teach you to try and settle differences in a mature manner, and hopefully not to demand so much attention. Everybody has something worthwhile to contribute.
So often, as you probably will learn later on, the accuser is committing the acts he is accusing others of.
Look at yourself. One day Your contribution will become more influential and valuable if you do.
Don’t you have some WMD or OBL to find or something.
And Mana,
The bradblog is one of the most free and open forums in cyberspace. You are indeed fortunate to be a part of it.
quotation from Hermann Goering: “The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger.”
Mana, You’ve done nothing but whine for two days now.
Either you and I have different definitions of what whining is or you’ll have to show me an example of anywhere I’ve been whining. I have said several times, I find you and your tin foil hat brigade to be quite humorous.
You seem very young
I did two tours in Viet Nam. How young does that make me?
So often, as you probably will learn later on…
I love the condescension. Its done to a turn. You did, however forget the "Harrumph!"
You are indeed fortunate to be a part of it.
I feel honored. No really. I haven’t been called this many names in a long, long time. Nor have I been accused of so many evil and despicable things. Truly an honor.
Well, I got that wrong, didn’t I?
You do "seem" young. Definitely infantile.
My Funk and Wagnall’s dictionaery defines "whine" this way: to complain in a tiresome and childish way.
You do nothing but complain, it’s a bit boring at times, and as I previously stated, very childish.
And you should feel honored. Probably not many people pay attention to you. You are lucky right now.
"dictionary"
You do nothing but complain…
Thank you for pointing out where I was whining. Since you pointed to exactly no comments, I have to assume that you must not have been able to find one. I do hope it helps you to feel adequate by continuing to act in such a condescending fashion.
well how do see things
What? Please try that again in English.
who messed up CIA or current admin?
I don’t know who messed up the CIA. And I’m pretty happy with the current administration, so I don’t consider it to be "messed up."
If you are so happy with the current administration then why aren’t you expressing joy?
"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
– Plato –
manananana
well how do see things
who messed up CIA or current admin?
If you are so happy with the current administration then why aren’t you expressing joy?
I am happy and I do express my joy. I have been involved in politics since John F. Kennedy ran for office in 1960 (I worked on his campaign after school). Up until 9/11, I was a Democrat. I voted for McGovern, Carter, Clinton and Gore. But no president or candidate from that time on (the only ones I experienced personally) can hold a candle to George W. Bush. Winston Churchill once said, "Some men are born to greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." George W. Bush is in that second group. And he rose to the challenge.
He will go down in history as one of the great American presidents. He makes me proud to be an American. At last we have gotten off our knees and stood up to those who wish us ill. If you remember the utter humiliation of the hostages in Iran pathetically left to languish in Teheran by Jimmy Carter or the massacre in Mogadishu that we ran away from thanks to Clintion, or even the terrorist bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut that Reagan did not respond to, then you should be thankful that we are not acting like that now.
We seemed to have lost our will to fight after Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon betrayed the troops and set us up for a loss in Viet Nam. That sellout helped to turn the entire population not only against standing up for what is right, but also took away any trust that people had in their government. It has taken an event like 9/11 and a president like George W. Bush to bring an end to that attitude. I’m glad it is dead.
The world recoils in shock, not being used to being told "no", but they are now starting to come around to his way of thinking. Democracies are sprouting up in the Middle East and the former Soviet Union and its spreading to places like Burma. That is a direct effect of the current administration’s overthrow of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. As this swell turns into a tsunami, you must hearken back to that earthquake of a man that started it all.
Thanks for asking about my joy. What I just wrote doesn’t even start to express it.
Well, it’s good for you that you feel such happiness.
Good luck.
And my friend,
It is a great feeling to have a hero.
Maybe you could find it within yourself not to interfere with any happiness that the people here are seeking.
It would be wonderful to enjoy the spring, if you can.
RE:#121 well how do YOU see things, I know ,"You really expect anyone to believe that was a typo?"
"If you remember the utter humiliation of the hostages in Iran pathetically left to languish in Teheran by Jimmy Carter"
THE REAL SHAME :"Suspicions about a deal between the Reagan campaign and Iran over the hostages have circulated since the day of President Reagan’s inaugural, when Iran agreed to release the 52 American hostages exactly five minutes after Mr. Reagan took the oath of office. Later, as it became known that arms started to flow to Iran via Israel only a few days after the inauguration, suspicions deepened that a secret arms-for-hostages deal had been concluded.
Five years later, when the Iran-contra affair revealed what seemed to be a similar swap of hostages for arms delivered through Israel, questions were revived about the 1980 election. In a nice, ironic twist, the phrase `October surprise,’ which Vice Presidential candidate George Bush had coined to warn of possible political manipulation of the hostages by Jimmy Carter, began to be applied to the suspected secret activities of the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign."
http://www.aiipowmia.com/other/...stgcrss80.html
YOUR WORDS "If you remember the utter humiliation of the hostages" How would it feel to be KEPT hostage to be the "October surprise", thats real humiliation!
"The world recoils in shock, not being used to being told "no", but they are now starting to come around to his way of thinking." only if you get your information off FOX NEWS would you believe this.
Also you seem to be at odds with other Vets
"ST. LOUIS–On March 30, a national veterans’ organization called for the removal of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Richard Cheney for crimes the group charges were committed during the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
In a letter sent to each member of the US House and Senate, Veterans For Peace (VFP) stated that “…This administration’s war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold. In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached.”
http://www.baltimorechronicle.c...sForPeace.html
What I just wrote doesn’t even start to express it.So true.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
(Many people get it, but much of the world doesn’t, yet)
For a long, long time, I have felt that the well-known theory of intelligent life on other planets should be expanded and taken one step further.
I am a religious person, being a member of a very large mainstream religion. I believe that every human is related, whether it is through Adam and Eve, or Through animals that Darwin has claimed evolved into humans. (I believe the Adam and Eve account of the human family).
There has been much speculation over the centuries as to what our purpose is, on this earth. Many people claim that we are just wandering around through time without purposes or results. Others claim that our purposes are limited, such as to gradually build immunity to diseases for future generations, before we die.
I believe we are here on earth for many, many reasons. I believe that, after everything is taken into consideration, every moment that we are here eventually results in advancing life and existence for not only human society but also in elevating all species and life forms that exist.
Countless years have passed since the beginning of time, the planet earth itself being billions of years old. Human technology only began to rise above primitive levels around the early 1900’s. Almost all of the multitudes of amazing miracles of technological discoveries and inventions, such as electronic circuits and jet airplanes, have only appeared since then, during the last 100 years. The possible technologies that we could develop in only 20,000 years (instead of 100 years), is probably beyond our imaginations. Just the last billion years alone contained 50,000 times 20,000 years. In only one billion years, the possible evolution of technology could have surpassed all ability to comprehend it, many times over. The planet earth is billions of years old. Countless solar systems and galaxies like ours also exist and are likewise billions of years old.
I would be surprised if there weren’t other planets like ours, containing many life forms, within all of these countless galaxies in the universe. I would be just as surprised if none of these other planets and life forms did not have enough time, over billions of years, to develop highly advanced societies and technologies. If other civilizations were able to evolve their technologies far beyond ours during these billions of years of existence, we might well see their inventions as miracles and view their powers and abilities as wondrous.
Even a single society, whose technology was so highly evolved, would be viewed by humans as a higher power, even as a deity by our limited comprehension.
I often used to wonder why such an advanced civilization wouldn’t completely change our lives and environments to match their levels, if they were really here with us. But then I finally realized that we generally try to avoid changing, harassing, or otherwise impacting other species, such as lions and other animals in Africa and other areas around the world, with our advanced cities and technologies.
We try to allow them to continue living in their primitive surroundings for many reasons; Not only out of respect for their unique existence but also in order to study them and maintain their natural place in the cycle of life. We have learned so much for our own advancement by studying and preserving all the species of life around us. We continually try to protect and preserve all species of life as a whole, while trying to avoid altering their natural habitats and their specific interactions and evolutions within their environments as they currently exist. More advanced civilizations could easily be giving us the same room to grow, exist, and develop.
If there existed an extremely advanced society that was devoted to introducing and encouraging the evolution of technology and civilization on other planets and in other galaxies, their devotion to Earth’s technological and societal evolution could yield even more inventions and discoveries yet unknown. Their advanced wisdom and knowledge would increase even more.
Our limited intelligence would probably see such advanced individuals as almighty Supreme Beings. If visitations and revelations from them were limited or mostly unseen and undetected, we would further view these beings as mysterious and all powerful.
There have been many documented sightings of “UFO’s” over the years. In addition, there have been numerous sightings of “other worldly beings“.
Many religions also have numerous accounts of visitations by angels and heavenly messengers, throughout the centuries. A person might be considered narrow-minded if they dismissed all of these accounts as nonsense.
Many would consider such a person even more narrow-minded, if they believed that we are the only intelligent beings in the whole universe, with the only evolved technology that has ever existed.
If all of the human societies and cultures are able to allow other species on Earth to develop on their own, we are then able to learn so much about them and about ourselves.
if we are allowed the same freedom to develop on our own, by more advanced entities, (especially with the huge amount of technological evolution that we have experienced in the last 100 years), then perhaps they are likewise able to increase their observations, knowledge, and wisdom.
Posted by: name on August 20, 2005 02:45 AM
——————————————————————————–
When I mentioned ?highly advanced societies and technologies? in the paragraphs above, I should clarify what I mean by that. I mean that their technologies would probably be beyond our imagination in the level of capability that they possess, in at least some of the following ways:
1) They could have practically unlimited interplanetary traveling capability, and therefore also virtually unlimited technologies, resources, and space in which to implement their activities.
2) They could have virtually unlimited computer and database resources (such as we would comprehend it), to permanently record and catalog every physical detail of every human being and every life form that ever existed. In addition, they could record every non-physical detail of every human and every life form, such as moment by moment life stories.
3) They could even have the technology to capture, extract, and encapsulate all of the actual brain functions and all of the nervous system functions of a human being, at the exact moment that the person?s body dies and ceases to perform this capability on its own. They would be able to use materials and mechanisms in the encapsulation process that would be durable enough to last a long time, perhaps even forever. For lack of a better term, we could then call this encapsulated vessel a spirit or soul. This could be done for both human beings and also all life forms that have ever existed.
4) They would probably be able to combine these capabilities, to create an after-life existence for every human being and every life form, with conditions that would be virtually everlasting.
As I said before, these technologies are probably beyond our ability to imagine them completely. I am sure that it would be just as difficult for the ancient pyramid builders to imagine our modern machines, such as the stealth bomber, cruise missiles, and miniaturized computers.
There is one additional thought, about these extremely advanced societies and technologies, that came to mind. If their technologies were truly advanced far beyond our imaginations, to the point that they literally are all-powerful, all-seeing, and all-knowing, then they would essentially be Gods, in every way. They would have unlimited possibilities and realities. We, on the other hand, have been allowed to live our lives as mortals, in our own unique and natural surroundings.
Even though we are placed in a fairly un-tampered and primitive environment during our mortal lives, these advanced entities could still encourage our endeavors to learn and to grow as much as we possibly can, through writings, revelations, angels, messengers, spiritual leaders, and religion in general. They would undoubtedly give us many teachings on living our lives to the fullest, and on the after-life that follows our mortal experience. Some might even say that God sent us a Son, to lead us to a higher purpose.
In any event, when I use the phrase ?mostly unseen and undetected?, I mean that numerous entities could very well be all around us, all the time. Even though they would possibly be ever-present, all-knowing, and all-seeing, we nevertheless might not always be able to see or detect their presence.
It definitely is something to look at, from time to time.
Posted by: name on August 31, 2005 01:58 AM