Thoughts on the world of open source
This video came from the American Friends Service Committee website and it’s very powerful. As we approach Memorial Day let us consider what other memorials there could be. War is not nor does it have to be the only memorial. There are other ways to help our fellows.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq6cD5jk1Q]
Sign a petition to end and defund the war and put our tax dollars to work for human needs here at home.
Today when I arrived home from work I checked my mail. The largest parcel came from the American Friends Service Committee. When I opened the large envelope it contained a poster that can be displayed that simply states Friends for Peace. The American Friends Service Committee holds a special place in my heart. They are people who never seem to grow tired of working for peace. The letter invited me to contribute and at the same time send a letter to my elected representatives asking them to do their constitutional duty and end this War in Iraq. You too can defund the War by following this link.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmE0zPEpc84&feature=related]
Olberman’s rant and my earlier post made me think of a touching lyric I first heard a couple of years ago and I blogged about it then. Music animates my life and always has. These lyrics by Pink are powerful and as moving as when I first heard them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRApNHSRRk]
Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me.
Let’s pretend we’re just two people and
You’re not better than me.
I’d like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?
Yesterday, President Bush told a reporter that he gave up golf to be in solidarity with the parents of loved ones who had been killed in Iraq. Soldiers, Sailors, Air Force and Marines who’ve been killed in an un-necessary and illegal war can draw solace that Mr. Bush has given up golf. What a guy? Do you think George Bush belongs in the same history books as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln? Does this poor man get it? What planet is the guy on? Tonight Keith Olberman lit into the President in a tongue lashing without peer. View it here.
Sadly this is too little too late for thousands of Americans and Iraqi people who have been killed by a person who cares little if anything about human life. I have to wonder what if any lessons we as a country have learned from this debacle in Iraq. Have we learned that war only begets war and that only peace can bring an end to terrorism. I wish the president had kept playing golf and given up lying. You want to engender solidarity, call the nation to shared sacrifice. There should be no tax cuts for the wealthy in war time. You want to promote solidarity, how about gas rationing or a call to use alternatives to fossil fuels. How about an end to no bid contracts for your buddies. How about less “bring’em on” speeches and less politicization of opponents of your failed strategy.
You want to show real solidarity with the troops, own up to your mistakes honestly. Admit you were way wrong and ask forgiveness for yourself and your wrong headed strategy. Instead of a presidential library how about taking the money and putting it towards a trust fund to help the widows and children of the four thousand dead military personnel and the countless thousands of wounded from this debacle. How about asking the war profiteers to give back some of the billions of tax payer dollars to establish the beginning of an international aid program. Start playing golf again and while you’re out there invite some of the orphans of Katrina, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere to join you for lunch. Live with the victims of war and you’ll be a little less likely to start another one. Spend some time living with a military family, eat the food they eat, sit up with them while they worry and pray for their loved ones. When you’ve been in their shoes it’ll be a little tougher to start another war.
We need a revolution in the United States. Barack Obama is giving voice to populism the likes of which is refreshing and a change from business as usual. Hilary Clinton and John McCain represent the old order. In the midst of this change is an under-current of hope that will not be extinguished. The United States of America was founded by men and women of vision and throughout our history we have women and men who have risen above the rest to invite us to look to our higher angels.
Tonight in the mail I received yet another invitation to yet more change that must come and that is throwing off the yoke of fossil fuels. For too long we have labored in bondage to the petro-chemical complex. A conference for Developing the Market and Infrastructure for Electric and Plugin Hybrid Vehicles.
Presenting the first international event to bring together the key players involved in the development of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle markets. Focusing on the commercial drivers, this event will examine strategies to make the technology affordable to the consumer and manufacturer, and making it economically feasible through infrastructure, public policy and incentivization.
This little boy did a very dangerous thing. He stole a car. But, he is one of the most adorable children I’ve ever seen. I love to hear his seven year old logic when confronted by the authorities.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcoL1fSyFAo]
I love Carlos Santana. In addition to Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and George Benson he is one of my favorites. His music has an ethereal quality quite unlike anyone else I’ve ever heard. I hope you enjoy this Youtube video that I came across on the site of one of my visitors. My recent trip to Albany, Georgia is still fresh in my mind and it was while stationed there that I became a fan of Santana’s.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSECQtF58BU]
On April 21, 2008, Senator Hilary Clinton while appearing on Keith Olberman’s program said that if Iran were to attack Israel with nuclear weapons the United States would retaliate massively with nuclear weapons. This sort of outrageous thinking is what led to World War I. Senator Clinton’s appalling lack of perspective leaves her unfit to govern. Great leadership demands great compassion. Complex problems require great thought and complex solutions.
My mother who lived through World War II will never condemn the United States use of nuclear weapons against the Japanese. Not having lived through that period I can afford to be idealistic, but an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Senator Clinton is one of the blindest of the blind.
Look at these photos of Hiroshima and see if you can tell who won and who lost.
Lately I’ve been discouraged a great deal. Gasoline prices are rising nearly everyday and we seem powerless to stop it. As a person who needs to travel or provide transport for others this means more than temporary discomfort. Add to that the march of some in our government toward war with Iran and no real progress in Iraq. Congress was getting ready to send more funds down the drain today with most of that going to fund the illegal war and occupation of Iraq. A verse from the New Testament just kind of jumped right into my lap.
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.–2 Corinthians 12:9
I’m always looking for the upper hand. I want power. It’s my ego acting up again. It’s upside down logic, but that’s prevalent in much of scripture. St. Francis was said to look at the world “upside down.” The essence of prayer and spirituality is paradox. Strength from weakness.
I noticed that when driving on the New York State Thruway that driver’s were actually obeying the speed limit. Even the big trucks were slowed down. I normally get passed a lot and this time it didn’t happen much. Despite what the pundits and our nincompoop President have said Americans can’t take much more and are changing their driving habits. An article in the New York Times highlights these changes.
Stung by rising gasoline and food prices, Americans are finding creative ways to cut costs on routine items like groceries and clothing, forcing retailers, restaurants and manufacturers to decode the tastes of a suddenly thrifty public.