Quickie: Iran and Conspiracy

So Israel's had their panties in a jam to bomb the hell out of Iran for a while now. And then Iran has to go and get all election-y and potentially be "not so bad" in the near future. So Israel and probably the CIA or NSA quietly digs their claws into Iran, undermines the election so that everyone's favorite devil - Ahmadinejad - is solidly in place and all is well and good and back to par. The status quo remains and Israel's bombs can fall.

Not sure how N. Korea's shenanigans are going to factor into that, but it can't be good.

Dreams of War: A Nuke in Tehran

We were in Iran, in a green valley surrounded by mountains. It was daytime, but overcast. Hundreds of people, spread out, for miles the valley was before us. Everyone was cheering as planes flew overhead, back and forth. In the distance, you could hear gunfire, bombs being dropped.

I was running through the grass, recognizing some of the people, people from high school, and every person I recognized loved war, lauded the first Gulf War, some had even gone on to the military. And they were all cheering. And hugging. And smacking each other on the back as the planes buzzed us in the valley.

And I was cheering too. I was excited, jumping, running, hugging. And as I smacked the back of one of my other jovial celebrants, I asked "so who's delivering the nuke?"

"US Army," he replied.

Then, suddenly an overhead view of a map and a missile falling straight for Tehran.

My alarm clock woke me at 4:10am with that entire scene to run over and over again in my head. I don't believe I've ever had a dream that could be called a premonition, but when they're as vivid and memorable as that one was, it rattles you.

I knew politically we would never drop a nuke on Tehran. But Israel would. And our involvement with Israel is so tight, who's to say we wouldn't deliver it and allow Israel to take credit?

Sorry. Overthinking. Hell of a thing to wake up to on inauguration day, huh?

Us, Israel, Iraq, Iran

Just to be clear: we're using a country we invaded and are now occupying to give the nod to Israel to stretch their military legs (all three) and practice for a military strike against Iran which will most certainly start another war for which we are not equipped but will certainly become a part.

Either there is some sort of upper-echelon illuminati thing going on or Bush sees us in the Middle East as a kegger: "Hey, it's all good, come on over - byo bombs! Just kiddin' we've got tons more if you need them."

Quick recap: either we or Israel attack Iran and the fold-in begins: China dumps its currency and activates 300,000 troops, crippling us economically, dwarfing us militarily; Russia jumps in on their side with North Korea. And we're done. Because we're already barely managing two fronts - a third would knock us down and 2 new world power enemies would be very, very bad. And once the rest of the world sees us knocked down a peg, it's open season gangbang time.

Every day it's closer. Get your duct tape.

Hey, About that Timeline...

Grumble grumble grumble, quip the administration. Cheese-eating traitor-monkey, grumbles talk radio. How about 100 years, cheeses McBush. How dare you talk about a timeline for withdrawal!

Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday his country will not accept any security deal with the United States unless it contains specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

Oh shit. They not only realize we're binding them but want to actually throw off the chains. Could we potentially start a war with the unripened fruits of our war simply because we didn't want to stop playing war?

Or we could leave and free up those troops for the upcoming war with Iran.

MoveOn.org "Not Alex" Video

I actually have to thank Andrew Wilkow for alerting me to this video. Of course, he calls it "nonsense" when I find it emotionally compelling. And it's not just McCain's "100 years" comment, but his lackadaisical tossing around of the bombing of Iran that will drive this country past its volunteer military capacity, forcing a draft. And anyone who can't put those pieces together is blinded by their own nonsense.

Ancient Chinese Secret ...for Destruction and, Apparently, Patriotism

Wait, what was I writing about?

Oh, yeah, let's try this:



From those lovely Brits at the Telegraph:

Satellite imagery, passed to The Daily Telegraph, shows that a substantial harbour has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers.

In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbours.

Other images show numerous warships moored to long jettys and a network of underground tunnels at the Sanya base on the southern tip of Hainan island.

I shouldn't have to say this, but there are many, many ignorant "I'm a victim" folks out there, and apparently the Chinese are just as good at misplacing aggression as rednecks are: the following tirade is focused at the powers that be, the oppressive government of China, primarily, that has nothing to do with the Chinese people, who should overthrow their oppressors.

So...Aside from the obvious arch-villain mastermind cave lair issue, let's go over the political basics one more time:

• China fucking owns us because they own a sick amount of our debt. They could shake their money-maker and cause a dip in the Dow. They shuck poison toys, smirking as they shake our hands with shit, smeared in their palms, mouthing "Whatcha gonna do?" all the while eying the vice in which they have out balls clamped.


• China has one man and one woman available for military service for every American alive. Let me say that in another way: China's standing potential army (age 18-49) is well over twice the population of the entire U.S.A., all ages. Those fit for service are just under "twice."


• Based on past diplomatic efforts of the past eight years, China can deal with Russia. Russia can deal with Iran. Iran can deal with China. Iran can deal with Venezuela. Iran can deal with North Korea. Russa can deal with North Korea. They're all kind of buddies in that they think we need to be taken down a peg.


• We really don't want to talk to any of them.

Here's a reminder in the form of a delicious Photoshop I put together a little less than a year ago:



Everyone's heard the phraseology of "America the Bully." True dat. But our world, the playground, if you will, has recently seen some kids bulk up. And they're all talking in the corner. They may not have the abilities or the technology or the know-how on their own, but they can MacGyver it if they needed to, and together the numbers are in their favor.

And the US is just kind of mindlessly, dreamily staring at the sandbox. Invested, he'd whisper, were he asked.

And it has suddenly become very quiet, but US doesn't really notice.

So when the beatdown comes, we know who'll throw the first couple punches. But when US is bent over a little, when those accosting have proven weakness beyond a reasonable doubt, who else will join in? Who will come out of the woodwork? Who else will align with a potential "new bully?" Who else will come out with baseball bats or sticks or hat pins to give a whack "because it's about time?" or "just because?"

(pause)
I think the more frightening, "reality" question is: should this paranoid thought experiment play out as proposed, how would I react? I complain about America and I try to better America and I write and I vote and I participate in activism when possible and I do all these things because I do love and want to protect the freedom to do these things of which I speak.

So if America was the object of a military, world-wide, gang rape, would I leave my wife and daughter and take all my tech savvy and voice and passion and intelligence and potential firearm acuity and strap one on and blow the fuck out of anything that actually threatened this country and all that it stands for? To make this world safe for my daughter to blog and piss and moan about what's wrong with America?

You bet your ass I would.

Just like if the zombies attack.

Fuck. I think I just got all patriotic. And maybe emotional. Not to worry; it's a feeling, not a flag or a pin or a gun, so few will actually recognize it.

Shit, I've got to get a gun.

Let's just keep this between us.

In Short: That Whole Darn Bible Thing

That big man, Jesus H. Christ (middle name Hussein...?), once said something that defined Christianity - yeah, the Big C - for all time when asked about the greatest law of all in Luke 6:31: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Wow. That's deep.

So deep, in fact, that it's been a theme of all civilized time, many years before Jesus himself:

Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence.

Confucianism. Mencius VII.A.4

Yeah, that was way the hell before Jesus.

And yet, despite this as one of the most sacred laws/guideposts of Christianity and beyond in all of history, no candidates on either side will immediately cease all war.

So do all the candidates for President of the United States denounce Christianity or simply accept that by doing unto others - killing them in a war - do they accept that others will be trying to kill us?

Fuck excuses, fuck examples, fuck postulates and sidewinding. This is basic belief stuff, basic action stuff.

Where are our candidates on this?

Your Part of Iraq: $275/mo

No questions asked, the cost keeps going up. And up. And up. And how does that relate to the current frontrunners in line for the 2008 Presidental Election? Did you not hear the phrase shot round the world: "100 years"?

Brave New Films hits it hard:




Do something.

Crippling the Middle East Through Technology

I know there are many people out there that have the absurd conviction that everyone in the Middle East lives in dusty ruins without electricity, but that is simply not the case; major centers of industry and technology exist in Egypt, Dubai, Iran, etc. A little further east and you probably have personal experience to back up India's call center megapoli.

Now what would happen if two undersea cables near Egypt were suddenly cut? Perhaps by a "wayward anchor?" Well, that's odd, you might say. Or should say since it happened Wednesday.

And then on Friday, a third cable was "damaged" between United Arab Emirates and Oman. Oops! What're the odds?

Now, what would you say if said "accidents" not only damaged access to the internet for all the countries listed above, but resulted in Iran having NO access?

I'd probably call that Holy Shit What's Going Down?

There are thinly-veiled "OMG 4th Cable!" stories floating on the bullshit foam of the internet ether, all of them unfounded. For now. I've also seen some reports, none verifiable, that Iran's access is being remedied, but is being done through American and British servers.

Something hinky is going on here.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Blog

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, has a blog. It's been up since August of 2006 and it covers some Where in the World stuff, American meetings, and the "freedom and liberty" enjoyed by Iranians in a non-inflammatory and rather boring tone, especially with the "In the Name of Almighty God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate" heading off every entry. It would've been better if it were actually "frank" as is apparently his aim. And if he posted more than 5 times in the last year.

Fav excerpt? The "Hay GuyZ!1!" tone in defense of the time he is spending on the blog.

Since my last post on the blog, a few months have passed. But this doesn't ‎mean that I have not been keeping my promise of spending fifteen minutes per week ‎on it. As a matter of fact, I have spent more than the allocated time on the blog. The ‎magnitude of the reception and acclamation from the viewers was beyond ‎expectations.

Oh, quit your bitchin'!

At first I thought this was a Fake Steve Jobs kind of thing, but then I realized how absolutely lacking in creativity, humor, and content Mahmoud's site is.

Kudos to the first infidel who can trade blogroll links with Iran's President!

Bush: I Don't Know Nothin' 'Bout Birthin' No Oil...Iran!

From an AP transcript of the Bush-Kozy lovefest:

Q: Mr. President, with oil approaching $100 a barrel, are you concerned that your hard words for Iran on its nuclear program are helping drive up oil prices, which can end up hurting the U.S. economy?

BUSH: No. I believe oil prices are going up because the demand for oil outstrips the supply for oil. Oil is going up because developing countries still use a lot of oil. Oil is going up because we use too much oil. And the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling. That's why the price of oil is going up.

Now, I believe it is important for us to send clear signals to the Iranian government...

Blah blah blah... we need to attack Iran!

While dry-humping the new, Georgie-lovin' President of France in Washington this week, President Bush alluded to his complete ignorance of how our world works. Oil prices go up, in part, because of a basic supply/demand structure, but our recent surge is tempered in the forges of energy forecasters and traders.

All you have to do is watch the morning news and hear "Oil prices took a leap today because of fears of a possible storm in the North Sea" or "...because of fears that Bush may attack Iran" or "...because of fears that Wonka Bar production may move to Oompa-LoompaLand." Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick!

But the President is very good much sexy friends with people who make shit-tons of money all over the world trading in the everyday affairs of regular citizens and wants to make sure that when his caustic second term is over that he can jump back in the pimped out money pool with all the folks he allowed to benefit from his two terms in office. Between horrendous military contracts, education tomfoolery, and allowing Big Oil to rape America, he's going to be one of the richest bastards in the world by March of 2009. As long as he doesn't invest in the dollar.

Or he's just - really - mentally retarded and doesn't even have a basic understanding about how the world economy works.

I'll accept arguments from either end. To paraphrase a British punk paraphrase: America is Dead...Long Live America!

Bush Cronyism Must End

From the Center for American Progress:

Are you tired of Bush cronyism? Have you had enough of the ineptitude? Are you concerned that the way this administration has handled the war on terror is making us LESS safe?

The Bush administration treats the war on terror as a way to pad the pockets of friends, such as Halliburton and Blackwater. These companies are making a killing on the taxpayer dime and failing to deliver on services and products promised... or worse, destroying our reputation by their “malfeance” (make that malfeasance). We need oversight in Afghanistan, the real front in the war on terrorists. With Osama bin Laden and the Taliban roaming free in the Afghani countryside, bungling reconstruction there will only help them recruit more terrorists hell-bent on attacking us.

Click the link. Take action now.

Iran and My Senators

Today I was a little terrified by the sanctions on Iran announced under the smoke of the California wildfires. I wrote a piece about it at All Things Democrat. Then I wrote my senators.

Dear Senator --,

I have lived in Ohio most of my life and have only recently discovered the importance of keeping in touch with our elected officials. I know you are a busy man, and want to avoid wasting your time on the 15-20 different things on my mind. For this reason, I would like to voice my concern on one item in particular:

If you and your fellow congressional officials do not vote to rein in the powers that were allotted to the President of the United States after September 11th, we will be looking at a third World War in the President's seemingly naive attempt to stop World War III by bombing Iran.

I'm certain that as a Senator, you probably know this, but Iran links to Russia. Russia links to China. And there are enough other countries tired of us and would look expectantly towards a fresh political world-wide reformation.

I am frightened for me and my family and truly believe that we need to stop a conflict in Iran before it starts. You have that power. We gave it to you. Please do something so that next year my daughter is counting down only to seventh grade, not the day when she will be eligible for military service.

Thank you for your time,

RS

I suggest you do the same.

The Pentagon's Shady Money Counters

From WCSH, we get the story of the 2600 members of the Minnesota National Guard who have returned after the longest ground combat deployment in Iraq since the war began: 22 months. Unfortunately, they came back to discover that the Pentagon, under the watch of our Commander-in-Chief, shimmied through a loophole and specifically wrote most of their orders for 729 days. Why 729 days? Because at 730 days, the government has to pay for certain benefits, including money for schooling.

This is one of those stories that should make everyone very angry. Right wing radio hosts and FOX News question the patriotism of any person - such as myself - who wants to end this retarded excuse of a war and bring the troops home; they say we don't support the troops because we want them home, safe.

And there sits our military, the same military that has these kids shipped halfway across the world, that has many of them convinced they're fighting to protect America's freedoms as the President slowly strips them away, training these kids, these men, to be highly specialized killers and/or technically training them to fill a very specialized niche that only exists in war, and when they come back and have done their duty, served their country, and want nothing more than to get some civilian training and be a productive member of society, that military, under the watch of President George Bush, says "fuck you," kicks them in the balls, and lays a hot, steamy turd in their MRE because they're too busy shitting away our money on unaccountable contractors and missing money and thought it would be a good idea to save a buck by taking it out of a soldier's ass.

That is unpatriotic. That is not supporting the troops. That is one of the most deplorably pathetic moves I've heard our asshat government make in quite a while. That is our government. That is one more reason why the mess in Iraq must end. And may god have mercy on the soul of our country should Gerogie Porgie decide to pick a fight with Iran.

Glenn Beck + Mahmoud Ahmadinejad = 4 Evar

Glenn Beck's show yesterday placed a spotlight on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speaking at Columbia.

At two different times, the font read "Iran Rhetoric" and "Propaganda Play."

Do you think Glenn Beck realizes that in blowing up the visit he is spouting the Bush administration's own rhetoric against Iran, that in calling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a propaganda hound that he is playing the Bush administration's propaganda meat whistle against Iran (and, really, towards war with them)?

Ah, my dear, sweet irony: not such the fickle mistress as the whore.

Write Your Senator About Gen. Petraeus

Have you written your senator about the war in Iraq, about the Petraeus report hitting the Senate today and tomorrow? You should. I did.

Here's my letter. Read it. Then find your representatives and write and call and call them out.

Dear Senator Brown,

I lived most of my life in Cleveland, OH, and while I missed last November's election living in North Carolina, I was pulling for you. Now living in Cincinnati, I am glad you were able to prevail; you would've had another vote from me.

I only mention this because I voted, as many Americans did, primarily out of frustration at the complacency of a Republican-ruled Congress holding strong to the pole of President Bush's war flag; It is a flag that illegally drove us into Iraq and will - with recent administration media marching orders - drive us into a conflict with Iran.

We were tired of it. The Democratic Party took power. Now we're getting tired of the Democratic Party. You were supposed to bring the troops home, but it's politics as usual in Washington: back-scratching and sweetheart deals and the frontrunners of our party for the next presidential race parroting "we just don't have the votes."

I call shenanigans, because it's much nicer than using 'bullshit' in a letter to my State Senator.

As you are well aware, today and tomorrow brings Gen. David Petraeus to the Senate to deliver an admittedly White House-tweaked report on our 'progress' in Iraq. Almost 4,000 dead Americans is our 'progress;' our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, who would rather be at home, fighting against other people's brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who would rather be in heaven. How do we win that fight?

Chances are you will hear that it's working a little and, hey guys, why don't you just lay off and we can do this again in March and Grumble, grumble, watermelon, watermelon, hrumph, hrumph, "we don't have the votes"...okay.

We win the fight not by fighting but by diplomatic, "be the bigger person" policies. I beg of you: Shut Petraeus down. Then tell the other democrats in the Senate to grow a set and provide only the money it will take to bring our troops home; that is what you were all elected to do. Finally, fix the Congressional emasculation that occurred before you were elected and do everything in your power to prevent an invasion/strike on Iran.

The only way we will win in 2008 is by proving we are different from the 2001-2009 BuCheney War Machine Tour. And right now, Ron Paul is looking better than Clinton or Obama.

Senator Sherrod Brown, end this war.

Notes on the FOX Republican Debate

Last night FOX News hosted the Republican Debate in New Hampshire. Here are some thoughts on what transpired during the evening. Get your popcorn; it's a haul.

Low Point: FOX & Giuliani
I gave this whole mess its own post in this spot, but it bears repeating at the top here as the single most angering event(s) of the entire evening: at several points during the evening, usually with the pretense of an attack-oriented question coming from Brit Hume or Chris Wallace, Ron Paul was asked to defend his "crazy" stance against the war or against bureaucracy. Starting as a light chuckle and continuing to crescendo with each instance throughout the debate, Rudy Giuliani could be heard directly laughing out loud at Ron Paul. FOX never cut his mic.

Rudy Giuliani is an unprofessional bully of a human being. What a dick.

Bill-O Preshow

• Dennis Miller apparently never thought there were WMDs in Iraq; he thought it was right to go in, cuff Hussein, and develop a "reinvigoration of our brand." Did he just say that? You betcha.


• Bill-O rails against a doctor who claims a chemical in microwave popcorn is not good for the lungs, follows it with one of the only things you can eat that's okay is hummus. What's wrong with that?

The Setup

• 
  
  Took this picture from May's debate, but last night was the same elephant. If red is GOP and blue is Democratic Party, why is the elephant not at least half red?


• Every candidate had "Family" and "Religion" listed next to them at least once during the debate. Why is religion important? Mitt Romney's a Mormon, that's why.


• The bell on Hume's nerts: the rule was that each candidate would have a minute to answer, shown by lights, then get buzzed. Unfortunately there was no consistancy except on how each candidate was treated: Ron Paul was regularly buzzed without warning, Giuliani was warned, warned, then buzzed, and at one point McCain got almost 2 solid minutes before even getting a warning. I came to the conclusion that a cowbell dangling by twine from Brit Hume's nutsack and tapped at his whim with a baby seal spine was the actual timer mechanism.

The Look

• Does anyone believe Chris Wallace's hair is real?


• 
  FNC
  
  Red tie, red tie, red tie: They must have called each other. Everyone except Huckabee - who went periwinkle - and Brownback with his grey-lavender ditty.


• Mitt Romney is - save Dennis Kucinich - by far the sexiest candidate on both sides of the field. Just wanted to throw out that man-crush.


• Hunter's got that left-elbow-podium pose down, perfect for showcasing that left swoopy, swarthy eyebrow of his.


• Giuliani: how 'bout them choppers? Standing out against the orange (see comment in The Post at the bottom)

The Attacks

The hard questions, the ones targeting specific beliefs or previous ideas - all, of course, on FOX's "no-no" list - were predictably aimed, mostly by Wallace: Romney was attacked on immigration and not federally banning abortion, McCain was pitted against "America's Hero" Giuliani, attacked for not signing a "No new taxes" pledge, Huckabee caught hell for suggesting a 23% consumption tax, and Ron Paul was lambasted for his contrarian views at every opening. Obviously fair and balanced.

The Topics

Overall, this was a lame, lame debate. They farted at immigration, swarmed on Iraq and how great and necessary the war is, winked at taxes, then hit on how important it is to eliminate Iran as a nuclear power.

The Comments

• Ron Paul, the only voice of reason: The war is illegal, America needs to fix the problem we started, Republicans will go down the drain next year, bureaucracy is out of control.


• Giuliani's comments can be summed up into three categories.
  
  1. I'm not running on what I did on 9/11, what I did on 9/11, what I did on 9/11...
  
  
  2. When I was mayor, I was able to transform New York in ways no one thought possible. I am simply a magical being, a miracle worker and enacted change by dipping my penis in the Hudson.
  
  
  3. [no words, just inappropriately laughing like a jerk at Ron Paul]
  
  And one gaffe: "I was stuck with 398,000" illegal immigrants. Oops.


• Huckabee says we should outsource immigrant management to UPS/FedEx. Not a terrible idea, but good luck tattooing bar codes on all those asses.


• Hunter says he'll get that 800 mile fence built, informs America that the president actually did sign a bill that says it needs to be built


• Brownback on Larry Craig: Blah blah blubba blu...


• Romney on abortion: Blah blah blubba blu...


• Giuliani on family values: Blah blah blubba blu...


• Huckabee believes all life is sacred, whether an unborn child, trapped in a mine, or in a long term care facility. So unborn children should be mining our coal until they're forced into early retirement homes? That's just crazy.


• Ron Paul high point: the same people who are saying Iraq will be a bloodbath when we leave said it would be a cakewalk when we invaded; why are we listening to them?


• Ron Paul vs. Huckabee - Huckabee loses on our honor is more important than lives, more important than being right. I was watching a stump speech lineup and a debate broke out. What the hell?


• Tancredo was the first out the gate with "Radical Islam."


• Mitt Romney soon followed "Global Jihad" and Al Mah Leaky. Who's that? Jambi's cousin (Mek-a-lek-a-hi Mek-a hiney-hoe)?


• Everyone except Ron Paul spent a little time with their lips wrapped around the McCain sausage. I'm not sure what that was about.

Romney Slam: Bit of a Reach

This might be a stretch, but is one of those nuances that FOX tosses at us from time to time. When Mitt Romney's font graphic was was popped in to identify him, the "TT" at the end of his first name were crammed together, looking like pi (π). Pi being a foreign character, this works subconsciously to make Romney seem more alien, more foreign. You know, like that crazy Mormon religion he believes in. Might as well be a Jew or Muslim with that funny language stuff.

The Post

• I addressed the Hannity handling of the Ron Paul Poll Win: no one redialed; Ron Paul won. Eh, so what? Granted, if Giuliani won it would've been a topic of serious conversation.


• It wasn't as apparent on stage, but as soon as Rudy Giuliani sat next to Hannity under those more bleaching lights, it was clear that he should've called for makeup before taking a seat: less makeup to be exact. Giuliani looked like a damned Oompa Loompa - all kinds of orange. It made it only slightly more bearable to hear him laugh - again - and compare Ron Paul to Mike Gravel. Dick

The Rendered Fat of the Debate

I think the most frightening thing about this debate is the rhetoric that came out near the end, Hunter's "You don't understand the determination of the U.S. Marines" and Romney's pledge that we will "overwhelm jihad."

Our armed forces are not radicals; they have a strong belief in their families and at least a small vested interest in self-preservation. The people they are fighting are not necessarily looking at returning home alive; they are looking at their sacrifice and the generations that will come after them and eventually crush the American power. How do we win against that, and why is it that only one candidate for President of the United States on that stage last night has even the slightest understanding of that dynamic and its implications?

Muhammad had a Unibrow

From the BBC:

The authorities say the barbers were encouraging un-Islamic behaviour by offering Western hairstyles, tattooing and also eyebrow-plucking for men.

On the world stage, for as many problems as different religions - and in many cases different sects of the same religion - have relating to each other and/or starting wars and/or committing atrocities and/or genocide, should anyone be getting fucking tweaked over whether or not someone plucks as not to look like Jo-Jo the Dog-Boy and maybe get some under-the-burqa action?

Just to be clear: I'm not targeting Muslims. I have no tolerance for any of the organized religion accouterments that serve to veil the prime, raw truths that almost all religions have in common, the walls of money and power and death that encircle the same base concepts. These concepts, true throughout humanity, are accessible to everyone at any time in the entire history of our existence; because if you could see through the labyrinths of sacraments, past the stone towers of regalia, and into the heart of every religion's sanctum sanctorum, you would see something shockingly familiar, something you had always felt in the middle of your chest, an inner truth, a hope, an understanding of something greater than yourself.

You would be in a room. By yourself. With a mirror.

But in a world where the ultimate understanding is truly knowing and literally reflecting upon yourself, where you are not told what parts of what book are more important than the other parts and what books should and should not be burned, where you are not told who is wrong and who is right, where you are not given a dance of orbiting pomp and circumstance to jump the planned planets of submission, then there is no profit. There is no profit of cash or power for those who control religion; there is no profit for those who control the war industry, those that rely on intolerance; there is no profit for the religious politicians who drive those war machines.

Organized religion is important for many people all over the world, internally, as a guide, as a reference for Hey, maybe I shouldn't sleep with the boss's wife or Hey, maybe I shouldn't beat the hell out of that guy with a lisp. But from the the perspective of those that lord over the bureaucracies that pull the strings of extraneous, "sanctioned" apocryphal rules and laws, it's a form of control. And it is that line between reference and control that we all need to be aware of because on one side is the betterment of humanity; on the other: you'll end up spreading your belief at the expense of detriment to others and, perhaps, retaining that god-awful unibrow.

Stop the Iraq War Activism - Aug. 28th, Sept. 15th

August 28, 2007 - National Take a Stand Day - Stand Up in September Vigil
From MoveOn.org and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

This September, after hearing the White House‘s report on the "surge," Congress will decide whether we bring our troops home or spend another year fighting an unwinnable religious civil war. As Congress heads back to DC, we're here to tell them that it's time to take a stand.

We're holding candlelight vigils and Town Hall meetings in cities all over the nation on August 28--National Take a Stand Day--to remember the human cost of the war and urge our members of Congress to stand up in September and end this endless war.

How? Go to MoveOn.org's page to find your local event. Then go.


September 15, 2007 - March on Washington, D.C. - END THE WAR NOW!

From No Cure for That:

[Alternative YouTube Link]

Now do something.

Fox Attacks: Iran

Going down the same road we did four years ago...


[Alternative YouTube Link]

Now go to FOX Attacks and act.