Veterans/Jesus/Poets Loveable

(P1) Political

Dumped Soldiers!- (Santa Rosa Press Democrat - recent letter)

EDITOR: Service men and women, upon returning from duty in Iraq, are being given less than honorable discharges after being diagnosed with depression, anger problems and post traumatic stress disorder. Instead of getting the help they need, after witnessing the horrors of war firsthand, they are being dumped and have a good chance of not receiving the benefits due them because of the type of discharge they receive. This is shameful.

Presently, it is estimated that 33 percent of the homeless are veterans, including people from as far back as the Korean conflict. They were dumped in the same manner and it is happening again. Supporting the troops doesn't begin and end with a cheer. All vets, present and past, deserve our support in helping them overcome their problems. It is the least we can do in return for their service.

Please, raise your voices locally and nationally to stop this betrayal. And be a little kinder the next time you encounter a person that is down and out, they may very well be a veteran.

JACOB W. BOUDEWIJN

Santa Rosa

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P2) Philosophical

Jesus H. Christ!

I like this response by a reader of the Huffington blog to articles attacking the admittedly questionable James Cameron book and documentary claiming to possibly have found bones belonging to the family and, thereby, calling the resurrection into highly conjectured question:

The reason people have launched pre-emptive strikes against this doco has less to do with the validity of the information and more to do with the threat it poses to the current power structure by opening a discussion of who Jesus really was, which might cause some of the "believers" to question their "faith." And the church (and by default in this country, the government) to lose some of their unquestioned authority. Reasonable minds might question whether the resurrection (and thousands of years of mass mind control) was a bigger hoax perpetrated on human kind than this short-lived doco. By: bamboozled on February 27, 2007 at 05:30pm

Then too, and very related, I love the following from no less than Aristotle:

A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P3) Poetical

Who Woulda Thunk it?

Writer's Digest (April 2007) reports that, according to a survey of 1,000 adults interviewed by the Poetry Foundation, the response to the question "Do you think poets are more likely to be people you'd like to meet or people you would like to avoid?" revealed the following:

"An astonishing 70.3 percent of respondents chose 'meet' vs. 8.3 percent who chose 'avoid.' And respondents thought poets tend to be more respected (75.3 percent) than disrespected (4.8 percent).

"My gosh. People want to meet poets! They think poets are respected! Who knew?"

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

Enjoy Each Moment/Lincoln/Al Gore's Destiny

(P1) Philosophical




Vailia Dennis, 87, who refused open-heart surgery, delights in the warmth of sunlight on her hands.
-Photo by DON BARTLETTI / Los Angeles Times

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.


(P2) Poetical

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray,

that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.
Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth
piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years
of unrequited toil shall be sunk,
and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash
shall be paid by another drawn with the sword,
as was said three thousand years ago,
so still it must be said
"the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all,
with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on to finish the work we are in,
to bind up the nation's wounds,
to care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow and his orphan,
to do all which may achieve and cherish
a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

- Abraham Lincoln
(from his second inaugural address, March 4, 1865 and thank you for this, Larry Robinson, Sebastopol, CA)


Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P3) Political

Gore's Convergence With History

Wonderful commentator Bob Cesca at The Huffington Post (Feb. 20), makes this thoughtful plea to Al Gore to run for President. Cesca begins by admitting that, whoever becomes President will need to laboriously work on reducing the dung pile left behind by Bush, however, continues Cesca,

Al Gore was made -- designed -- for this time in human history to confront this issue from the world's largest stage with the world's largest slide show. History shows us that this kind of convergence between leaders and issues is rare, but when the planets align and it actually happens, its results are spectacular. Jefferson and the Revolution. Lincoln and the Civil War. Teddy Roosevelt and the labor movement. FDR and World War II. Contrast that with President Bush who was absolutely the wrong leader for this era by any standard or measure. His bloody roster of bungling failures are proof.

Sure it's a dirty job, but for Gore to withhold his voice from the race would be to forgo what appears to be his era of convergence. His time. And for us, without Gore leading the free world, we face the potential for a continued path of ignorance -- a dark ride through an alternate reality in which global warming and the survival of humanity as we know it is allowed to slip beyond the zero barrier.

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question, Who said:

"The position in which we are now is a very strange one which in general political life never happened. Namely, the thing that I refer to is this: To have security against atomic bombs and against the other biological weapons, we have to prevent war, for if we cannot prevent war every nation will use every means that is at their disposal; and in spite of all promises they make, they will do it. At the same time, so long as war is not prevented, all the governments of the nations have to prepare for war, and if you have to prepare for war, then you are in a state where you cannot abolish war.This is really the cornerstone of our situation. Now, I believe what we should try to bring about is the general conviction that the first thing you have to abolish is war at all costs, and every other point of view must be of secondary importance."

- Albert Einstein in his Address to the symposium "The Social Task of the Scientist in the Atomic Era" at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (17 November 1946)

Introducing CUSPS/Semi-Retirement/2d Trivia Question/

(P1) Political

Introducing C.U.S.P.S.

(Coletti's Unabashedly Subjective Presidential Scale)

Here are the declared presidential candidates rated (on the basis of hope/good-of-the-country and also slightly upon electability).

The scale is 1 to 10 with 10 being best. Of course, minus numbers are the worst.

I'll revisit this scale from time to time during the coming year.

Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa) 6

Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 6

Barrack Obama (D-Illinois) 9

John Edwards ( D-NC) 8 (This guy needs more of our attention. He has actual good plans for Iraq withdrawl and healthcare!)

Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) 1

Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) 3

Joe Biden (D-Delaware) 5

Mike Gravel (D- Virginia) minus 1

John Mc Cain (R-Arizona) minus 1

Rudy Giuliano (R- Ny) minus 2

Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) minus 4

Mitt Romney (R-Mass) minus 2

Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) 2

Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) minus107

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P2) Poetical

The Wish to Be Generous

All that I serve will die, all my delights,
the flesh kindled from my flesh, garden and field,
the silent lilies standing in the woods,
the woods, the hill, the whole earth, all
will burn in man's evil, or dwindle
in its own age. Let the world bring on me
the sleep of darkness without stars, so I may know
my little light taken from me into the seed
of the beginning and the end, so I may bow
to mystery, and take my stand on the earth
like a tree in a field, passing without haste
or regret toward what will be, my life
a patient willing descent into the grass.

-Wendell Berry-

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P3) Philosophical

Bumper Sticker (seen in Santa Rosa just before Valentine Day)

Love Your Enemies
It really gets them confused.

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(more than) Trivia Question: Who said this? put your answer here

"The position in which we are now is a very strange one which in general political life never happened. Namely, the thing that I refer to is this: To have security against atomic bombs and against the other biological weapons, we have to prevent war, for if we cannot prevent war every nation will use every means that is at their disposal; and in spite of all promises they make, they will do it. At the same time, so long as war is not prevented, all the governments of the nations have to prepare for war, and if you have to prepare for war, then you are in a state where you cannot abolish war.This is really the cornerstone of our situation. Now, I believe what we should try to bring about is the general conviction that the first thing you have to abolish is war at all costs, and every other point of view must be of secondary importance."

Haiku/Limbaugh Lower Now/Peace Dept/Trivia Answer

(P1) Poetical

haiku

periwinkle floe
loose among Alaskan waters,
polar bears melt too

-ed coletti-

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

Answer to Our First Political Trivia Feature: Question was: "Who said: 'I wonder if it isn't possible to get some of the people in these down-trodden countries to like us instead of hating us?' Hint: A US president during a National Security Council meeting on Iran." - Dwight David Eisenhower- at an NSC meeting on March 4, 1953, in which Sec. of State Dulles proposed overthrowing the government of Iran in order to prevent a communist takeover ( which was not even talked about, let alone imminent) thereby potentially blocking Iranian oil supplies. As we know, Ike agreed in the end and within months the CIA engineered the overthrow of the Iranian prime minister putting the Shah in total power.

I wonder if Ike's conscience and sense of having been manipulated might have led to his wonderful farewell address in which he warned the nation to beware of the military-industrial complex. I've developed quite a bit greater appreciation for Eisenhower after viewing the incredibly wonderful documentary "Why We Fight." Take a look at it, and you'll thank me.

(P2) Philosophical

A Chance Encounter With Rush Limbaugh

Last week I was driving near Live Oak, California, in the middle of nowhere, north of Yuba City and discovered my radio reception to be somewhat limited. However, Rush Limbaugh came in loud and clear on more than one station. I must explain that I seldom if ever tune in to listen to this jovial moral wretch and I'm well-aware that very few of you, my readers are likely to either. Still, when I heard the stentorian bravado-laden voice, I just decided (as I do once every year or so) to listen to what "the other side" is saying. What I heard totally shocked me.

Limbaugh announced that he was going to go "into depth" about why he "pokes fun" at the "global warming folk."

Reaction # 1 - "Folk"? In other words, the majority of the world's citizens -- those of us who recognize the real danger to our planet from climate change, are some different sort of "folks" to this demagogue. That wouldn't be so bad except that other "folk" actually listen to him. He announces that they must listen only to him because he is the repository of all "truth."

So, not quite with baited breath, I awaited the "in-depth" explanation of why he "poke(s) fun at the global warming folk." The alarmingly slim "depth" was the following: "The global warming folks are all a bunch of lefties, socialists, and communists." I kid you not, that was what he said and just about all he said.

He then went on to "discuss" what manly men do when they play manly sports like -- yes, Golf.
I finally turned to another station when he explained that, on the golf course, when a guy hits a shot "a little fat," he (Limbaugh of all people -- and I use the term loosely), refers to that as "hitting it a bit Oprah."

All this would just be exceedingly juvenile if Limbaugh and his listening zombies, in fact were below voting age. Unfortunately they are not, so I bring this to you to convey a better sense of what's actually out there.

Comment Here on any of the above or below and read the comments of others too. Log in as "Other" if you like, but please be sure to sign some facsimile of your name. Or email me at edcoletti@sbcglobal.net.

(P3) Political

Please Support the Dept. of Peace

Action Alert Call your members of Congress today! Department of Peace bill re-introduction Dear Ed, On February 5th, 2007, legislation to establish a U. S. Department of Peace was re-introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. The new bill number is HR 808. We need your support to help make this bill law; call, fax and/or email your Representative and also spread the word to everyone you know (you can copy this alert and forward to your email address book.) Nothing you can do will have as much impact as contacting your member of Congress today. Further instructions are given below. TAKE ACTION NOW! *** CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE *** Contact your Representative at the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. To find your Representative, visit http://www.congress.org. Tell the staffer who answers your call that you want your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Department of Peace legislation (HR 808). Request a written response explaining your member's position and the reasoning behind it. (You can call your local office as well.) It is most effective if you call the D.C. office first, then follow-up with a fax or email. *** WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE *** To write your Representative, click below to get started. This will allow you to send a fax and email to your congressperson. http://www.thepeacealliance.org/action ***CONTACT SENATORS*** Please contact your Senators as well. There is no bill number as legislation has yet to be re-introduced into the Senate. Urge your Senator to be an initial sponsor in the Senate (reference bill number S.1756 from the last Congress). Join us now. Create a Department of Peace. Together, we can do this. ABOUT THE LEGISLATION There is currently a bill before the Houses of Representatives to establish a U.S. Department of Peace. This landmark measure will augment our current problem-solving options, providing practical, nonviolent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict. Domestically, the Department of Peace will develop policies and allocate resources to effectively reduce the levels of domestic and gang violence, child abuse, and various other forms of societal discord. Internationally, the Department will advise the President and Congress on the most sophisticated ideas and techniques regarding peace-creation among nations. Learn more at The Peace Alliance website: http://www.ThePeaceAlliance.org *************************************************** HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LEGISLATION: -- Provide much-needed assistance to efforts by city, county, and state governments in coordinating existing programs; as well as develop new programs based on best practices nationally -- Teach violence prevention and mediation to America's school children -- Effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology -- Rehabilitate the prison population -- Build peace-making efforts among conflicting cultures both here and abroad -- Support our military with complementary approaches to peace-building -- Create and administer a U.S. Peace Academy, acting as a sister organization to the U.S. Military Academy. -- And more…

The Peace Alliance PO Box 70095 -- Rochester Hills MI 48307 USA Tel & Fax 248.813.8950 www.ThePeaceAlliance.org -- Info@ThePeaceAlliance.org To Unsubscribe: Click Here