The Night America Almost Died

While roaming about the net, Crooks and Liars to be exact, I came upon a post by Nicole Belle, Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread, with a parody song "That's Not Torture" (lyrics by Marcy Shaffer) sung to the tune of "That's Amore", which made my muse, oddly enough, toss down a parody of "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace. She will not tell me how she went from one to the other so the leap of logic is left to your imagination.

My apologies upfront to Paper Lace.

The Night Chicago Died Lyrics↨

In the heat of a summer night
In the land of the dollar bill
When the town of Chicago died
And they talk about it still

When a man named Al Capone
Tried to make that town his own
And he called his gang to war
With the forces of the law

I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be

I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed

And the sound of the battle rang
Through the streets of the old east side
'Til the last of the hoodlum gang
Had surrendered up or died

There was shouting in the street
And the sound of running feet
And I asked someone who said
Bout a hundred cops are dead

I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!

I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed

And ther was no sound at all
But the clock upon the wall
Then the door burst open wide
And my daddy stepped inside
And he kissed my mama's face
And he brushed her tears away

The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed

The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be

The night Chicago died
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed

-THE NIGHT AMERICA DIED Parody lyrics
In the dark of an Alaskan night
In the land of the midnight sun
When America almost died
And we trembled of her run

When a crazy woman named Sarah
Tried to take this country by terror
and she used McCain as pawn
With the forces of the neocon

I heard our country cry
I heard her weep the night we almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes indeed

I heard our country cry
I heard us weep the night she almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes, siree

And the noise of her mouth rang
Through the streets of the countryside
'Til the last of the hooligan gang
Gave in to the winning side

There was confusion in the towns
And the sound of screaming clowns
And I asked someone who said
This country might be dead

I heard our country cry
I heard us pray the night she almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes indeed

I heard our country cry
I heard us weep the night she almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes, siree


Then grave silence began to mount
As we waited upon the count
Then the t.v. was turned up inside
And numbers stood up high
And we kissed each other’s face
And we wiped our fears away

The night America almost died
The night America almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes, siree

The night America almost died
The night America almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
Yes indeed

The night America almost died
The night America almost died
Oh what a night we truly had
Oh what a fright we truly had
You betcha

© 2009 mrp/thepoetryman

America-A land Of Promises And Immigrants

by TIME

America is the land of promise. Perceived promise, broken promise, and most of all promise for the future of all who want to call America home. We are still the country most other people in the World want to come to, to live. Broken promises to be sure, but we have the courage to try and fulfill those promises, even at the expense of the pain and death of our fellow citizens.

Immigrants are the life blood of our society, without which, it would not be America. Immigration is not just a tradition in America, it is the essence of America. Those who want to wall off the flow of immigrants, are anti-American. We are nothing but a collection of immigrants, a society of people who chose to leave their mother land to come to America and seek a better life. We are a true example that collectively we can do better than individually.

It is not the tradition of America to be a wealthy class society. It is in the tradition of America to work to achieve a better position than you had when you started out. It is in American tradition to accept those seeking to escape oppression and lack of opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Capitalism is a system that not only meets the needs of people better than anywhere else in the World, but also allows those who work hard, to keep the fruits of their labor. That system and the people who benefit from that system; does not deny, but engages in and pays taxes for the practice that builds a society for the benefit of all, and most of all, for those less off still working hard to improve their lives. This is not socialism. It is decent people coming together to build a decent society. A society that respects the humanity of all people, rich, poor, any religion, any color.

If liberty, freedom, and free choice are our goals, and is our motto, then we must reject those who claim in the name of patriotism, to deny those rights to anyone in our society. We have learned from our own mistakes the harm we cause by discriminating against those who are new to our country. We need to try harder to fulfill our good words.

France had a clarity of what America was and is, seemingly better than we ourselves comprehend. Maybe because they are on the outside looking in, reflecting what millions around the World understand as the promise of America.














The Statue of Liberty Poem

By Emma Lazarus, 1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

ROCKET

North Korea says U.S. hostile, readies more rockets
Only this remained of the
Stone
The thunder slapped greedily
Over the obstinate sky grown low
Striking over collapsed
Spear
Remember this is not make-believe
But new, bright and breathing
Of the eagle and the lioness
Seeking mere
Food and water
Writing history with bloody awe
We should have saved the young
And not left idle the spring of man
Charity subdued in loathing
Sword
They may now read of this slaughter
Papers insured
Gun's possession
But failed in man’s ache for murder
We shouldn’t recommence our fixation
Wielding science’s crush of matter and atom
Difficult, slow and deliberate is this
Bomb
dropping overhead, called homeward
To its use;
Radiation
bathing nations
With the stench of man’s undoing
Something as seemingly negligible
As affirming life in
Petri-dish.

© 2007 mrp/thepoetryman

what do we stand for anymore? do we even know?

there have been innumerable assaults on the constitution- pretty much from its inception. the john adams contingent has not been pleased that 'the great unwashed' was given any say whatsoever in their own governance. those descendants we see today splashed all over fox noise, hate radio, state and local governments, tea parties, and now..... million militia marches. guess that's why they are stock piling all that ammo.

but i just don't know what to say about the torture issue. i have been a strident voice for years- pushing and pushing for people to realize that free societies take the risk of being 'less secure' in order to remain free. pushing for people to realize that we, the people, were losing the document that gave us our freedoms- legally- in america. and people were afraid. they were afraid of muslim extremists who may bomb our cities or unleash biological terror in 'the homeland.'

but the people were wrong. the terrorists lived amongst us- called themselves americans. and willfully and gleefully stripped civil liberties away at a rate unprecedented in our history. and always my question was- why? why are they doing this? when is enough money and power enough? and i didn't have a good, tangible answer. i still don't. the closest i get is simply- because they could.

because they knew going in what they wanted to do- they created 9/11 to shock america into swallowing their lines of bullshit about the country being vulnerable. they created the crisis in order to go into war mode- special presidential war powers indefinitely. they manufactured reasons to go to war with iraq and decimated and tortured people and ruined the lives of millions of people.

because they could.

torture is arguably the worst thing you can do to a person. it effects them physically- and mentally- and if they survive- it effects them for the rest of their lives. and their families and neighbors and fellow countrymen- and it does not work for information. and americans authorized this- and carried it out. now, i realize that we have been doing this for years- at the very least training operatives on how to carry it out. but these folks planned to torture other folks to send a message loud and clear- that they were in charge and that's it.

over the last 8 years or so, folks like me have been called traitors, conspiracy theorists, crazy, etc.- and while it generally came from the right, much came from the left too. folks simply didn't want to believe that fellow americans could carry out what bushco and the rubber stamp legislative and judicial branches did. this couldn't happen in america- we are the land of the free. but it did.

and i guess what my purpose in writing this post is- to say simply this- the people on the right are wrong. period. they are the traitors and the unpatriotic people. i don't consider them americans at all. the people on the left who have been complicit and who have gone along with the right- in the name of power or blackmail or whatever- and didn't stand up- same thing. there is nothing patriotic about stripping civil liberties away from a democratic republic in the name of security. there is nothing noble or patriotic or brave in advocating torturing another human being. these people are cowards.

for all of the grandstanding and pretending to give a damn about the founding fathers and the constitution- and apparently, the boston tea party- these folks have not actually read the documents. they didn't listen to saint ronnie about america being an example to the world- 'a shining city' and blah, blah, blah- we were set up as the beacon of hope to the world- and we have no right to the title. so, it is time to let the people who claim to be americans know- you aren't. the rest of us are going to have to grow a set- because if we want any semblance of the country we believed in- we are going to have to fight for it. the right is arming itself- and if you pooh pooh that off- well, you may end up in a detention facility right here in the us of a.

sorry shep- we do torture- did torture- probably still do torture. the next question is- will be hold onto our principles and hold folks accountable? or perhaps the better question is- do we have any principles left?

RIP OFF

(Click to enlarge)

If Jesus Died to Save Us from Sin, Why Do Migrants Die in the Desert?

Hundreds of El Pasoans hiked up Mount Cristo Rey with Catholic Bishop Armando Ochoa in honor of migrants and refugees in the Texas community yesterday. As a pilgrimage of remembrance, they linked the sufferings of Jesus Christ as he walked to his death with the sufferings of migrants today.
The Bishop explained prior to the event: "By doing this, it's not only a reflection of the Passion of Christ 2,000 years ago but trying to look for Jesus in the migrant that we encounter day in and day out. It might be the person looking to feed her children, a single mother, or an 18-year-old Central American woman who has already had a difficult and trying journey in coming through Mexico and is in a detention camp in the U.S. side. Certainly, they are looking for nothing more than a way to better their lives and those of their families."
The four mile hike up the mountain located at the US-Mexico border included fourteen stops for prayer and reflection. One woman was spotted making the walk barefoot, likely as her personal sacrifice. Mount Cristo Rey is known in El Paso for the statue Christ of the Rockies, 42 feet in height, that tops the mountain as a symbol of goodwill between the US and Mexico, crafted by Urbici Soler in 1937.

Odetta - "Glory Halleluja"

Lay The War Down

GOLDEN TICKET: US Army Offers Instant Citizenship to Temporary Immigrants in US who know One or More of 35 Languages Excluding Spanish

Breaking News: The US Army is offering A Golden Ticket, Instant (6 mos) Citizenship, to Temporary Immigrants in the U.S. who know one or more of 35 languages excluding Spanish!

PTINEWS.com reports:

New York, Feb 15 (PTI) The US military, stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, will recruit about 550 temporary immigrants, including those from India who know Hindi and Tamil, offering them a golden chance to become US citizens in as little as six months.The pilot programme, for the first time since the Vietnam War, will open the armed forces to temporary immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, The New York Times reported quoting military officials familiar with the plan.The Army's one-year pilot programme will begin in New York City to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. It will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days. Immigrants who are permanent residents, with documents commonly known as green cards, have long been eligible to enlist. Recruiters expect that the temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.

Bipartisanship No, Working Majority Yes

The topic below was originally posted yesterday, on my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

In the grown up world, honorable and reasonable people may initially disagree but eventually compromise upon a collective review of empirical evidence. It was in this spirit, that the nascent Obama administration reached out to Republicans with respect to their proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which finally passed both houses of congress yesterday.

Unfortunately, most Republican politicians are neither honorable nor reasonable. Instead, most Republican politicians are predatory conservatives dedicated to establishing a permanent corporate theocratic plutocracy. As far as they’re concerned, the 2008 election is merely a temporary setback and attempting bipartisanship with this crowd resulted in legislation far less bold than most economists hoped for.

Hence, it is in the spirit of admiration and support that I urge this new administration to absorb the following lesson: Bipartisanship No, Working Majority Yes. President Obama is a quick study and has likely absorbed this lesson for himself. Indeed, I recall him often using the phrase “working majority” during the campaign. Nonetheless, it is instructive for both liberal activists as well his administration to always keep this simple phrase on the front lobes of our brains. Repeat after me: Bipartisanship No, Working Majority Yes.


Read More +/-

This phrase is especially pertinent to the United States Senate. Senators are divas with parochial interests, outsized ambitions and a Constitution that empowers their narcissism. Hence, the only language these people truly understand is leverage with a proper dosage of ego massage. They know that any one of them has the power to hold any piece of proposed legislation hostage to their whims.

Indeed, senators sometimes behave as if they have the power of little Anthony Freemont in the classic Twilight Zone episode “It’s A Good Life.” Like that little boy, one can just imagine Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell, fantasizing about wishing supporters of universal healthcare into a cornfield never to be seen or heard from again. That is the mentality we’re dealing with.

The upside however is there will always be enough politicians prepared to bargain in order to elevate their own importance, demonstrate independence and serve the interests of their constituents. With respect to the stimulus legislation, the three so-called Republican moderate senators were Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter and Maine’s Olympia Snow and Susan Collins. Connecticut’s “Independent” Republican patsy Joe Lieberman and conservative Nebraska Democrat, Ben Nelson, also joined those three in bargaining with the Obama administration, the Senate majority and the House of Representatives.

Had President Obama initially proposed legislation far bolder they still would have bargained, a filibuster majority still would have been achieved and the end result would have been far superior to the legislation that ultimately passed. Next time around it may be a different group of Republican senators and recalcitrant Democrats doing the bargaining, perhaps related to geographic interests. As long as President Obama’s political standing remains high, it will always be possible to cut deals on favorable terms with a rotating group of senators because their relevance depends upon it.

Hence, a working majority will always be ripe for plucking even without a filibuster proof majority. And even if we had sixty Democratic, senators a few of them would threaten denying a filibuster proof majority to promote their independence and get what they want. At the end of the day, bipartisanship has nothing to with it. Leverage, enlightened self-interest, service to constituents or contributors and political survival are everything. There is no love in politics. Only leverage, respect and fear.

The appropriate posture is to treat reluctant politicians with symbolic respect, bargain hard for every penny and compromise from a position of strength. That is the best way to maximize potential of a working majority going forward while simultaneously maintaining broad public support. Sometimes, operating a working majority will require President Obama to demonstrate toughness, walk away and threaten vetoes if a few senators opt to behave like Anthony Freemont in the name of bipartisanship.

Barack Obama is an impressive human being with many admirable qualities. Indeed, Obama represents an ennobling change of pace after George W. Bush’s insipid indecency. He is learning however that governing is a delicate balance requiring the dual personalities of Mahatma Ghandi and Don Vito Corleone. If anyone can achieve that delicate balance it’s this president. Nonetheless, we must remain vigilant and toughen his hide.

Bipartisanship No, Working Majority Yes.

Change is in the Air

Iceland has imploded economically, however writer Rebecca Solnit points out that while the citizens of Iceland have lost their savings, they have regained their souls. The people of Iceland, who had been passive consumers, morphed into active citizens, took to the streets and overthrew the government.

The same thing happened when Argentina’s economy crashed in 2001. All across Europe, more and more engaged citizens are taking to the streets to protest the economic ineptitude of their leaders and their bankers.

Solnit quotes Icelandic writer Hauker Mar Helgason, who said of Iceland’s crisis:

There is an enormous sense of relief. After a claustrophobic decade, anger and resentment are possible again. It is official: capitalism is monstrous. Try talking about the benefits of free markets and you will be treated like someone promoting the benefits of rape. Honest resentment opens a space for the hope that one day language might regain some of its critical capacity, that it could even describe social realities again.

Could it be that as their plasma TVs are flooded with images of economic chaos, America’s passive spectators will become angry enough to take to the streets?

Let us hope so.

U.S. State Dept. Visits War-Torn U.S.-Mexico Border-But will it help?

Photo caption: McGlynn enters auditorium at Chamber of Commerce gathering in downtown El Paso, TX Monday. El Paso Times photo.
When a U.S. State Department official accepted U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) invitation to El Paso, we locals hoped for insight. Could Mexico collapse, as a recent U.S. Joint Forces Command report suggests? Will the U.S. $1.4 Billion Merida Initiative package effectively help Mexico quell the drug cartel war? When will the horrifying violence that plagues Mexico, and especially Ciudad Juarez, end?
William L McGlynn, the State Department official, was touted by Reyes as "pre-eminently qualified to share insights about what is really going on in Mexico, and between the governments of Mexico and the United States." However, the presentation was less than enlightening, according to the El Paso Times report on the Chamber of Commerce gathering of 100 civic and business leaders last week on Monday.
McGlynn, after arriving an hour late, could neither predict a cessation to the violence nor disclose what portion of the Merida Initiative aid package would be earmarked for U.S. border security. The audience expressed concerned about the negative business image of the border. Nearly 1700 murders in Juarez since January 2008 make it one of the world's most violent cities. They heard little to assuage their concerns.
City Representative Beto O'Rourke, who attracted national attention last month by suggesting the U.S. discuss drug legalization as a way to diminish the cartel's reign of terror, was "disappointed." When Reyes' twice compared the situation to the movie Last Man Standing, O'Rourke felt he implied we should stand back and watch to see who wins. He commented that simply to "let people duke it out is not showing leadership."
Reyes disallowed a local radio station president, who inquired about drug-related kidnappings in El Paso, from asking a second question after she refuted his contention that the kidnapping reports were "urban legends."
McGlynn is the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the State Department. He intended to also visit Mexico later in the day, but I don't have any information to share about that part of his itinerary.
Cross-posted on Border Explorer in my attempt to promote awareness of the extreme nature of the cartel war situation on the southern border of the U.S.

U.S. Intervention in Mexico Is Possible!

caption: Will the U.S. jump the Border Wall to intervene in the drug cartel war?
U.S. officials are considering heightened intervention in Mexico if the drug cartel violence continues, according to recent reports. An enhanced U.S. role in battling Mexican drug cartels could include joint operations with Mexican forces. Involvement of U.S. contractors, military and intelligence personnel are further options, according to a Dallas Morning News report last week that cited anonymous sources.
Juarez, Mexico's 2008 violent death toll--counting assassinations, murders, and beheadings--shot past 1600. This was the tip of the violent crime iceberg in a city additionally wracked by extortion, kidnapping and corruption. The violence continues unabated in 2009. The number of homicides in the Juarez area in January surpassed the number logged at the same time last year, an indicator that the drug cartel war is spiraling downward.
An insertion of U.S. personnel on Mexican soil would mark a major reversal to Mexico's historical aversion to U.S. interference. However, the challenge of shoring up Mexican stability, particularly along the border, could overwhelm historical reservations. Friday's El Paso Times cites some precedent for U.S. involvement. For decades U.S. agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI have operated offices in major Mexican cities and shared intelligence with Mexican authorities. In addition, Mexico has cooperated in the extradition of drug traffickers to the U.S. recently.
A recent report on worldwide security threats issued by the U.S. Joint Forces Command designated Mexico as at risk for "a rapid and sudden collapse" due to the impact of drug cartel violence. The ramifications to the United States of a failed state in North America heighten the likelihood that U.S. intervention is indeed under consideration.
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence told the press this week that the situation was "very serious and very critical" and discouraged public speculation about potential U.S.-Mexican cooperation to stem cartel violence and restore stability. Reyes, however, announced that he helped arrange for a U.S. State Department official who was "pre-eminently qualified to share insights about what is really going on in Mexico, and between the governments of Mexico and the United States" to speak tomorrow in El Paso.
crossposted on Border Explorer. This story deserves more coverage than it is receiving in the mainstream media.

Late Night Reading...

Amerotica...

Happy Inauguration Day!

This is the first year anyone has said "Happy Inauguration Day" to me. Several people have emailed me, called me, asked me if I was watching the events. This is remarkable. So many people are filled with a sense of Hope and Joy at the possibility of better days ahead.

An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's rule. The word comes from consecration, installment under good omens," from inaugurare "take omens from the flight of birds, consecrate or install when such omens are favorable."

Several Presidents have been inaugurated in my lifetime. The first I remember was John F. Kennedy. We had studied each candidate's backgrounds and issues they supported in 6th grade and my sister and I saw candidate Kennedy when he visited our state capital. He even sent me an autographed picture of himself. I was thrilled. But inauguration day, even for JFK, was not as anticipated or celebrated as was President Obama's. In fact, I don't remember the events for Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, or Bush I. I do remember Clinton's and do not remember Bush II's.

So far, today's events have been remarkable. It is estimated over 2 million people are in Washington observing/attending today's events. In addition to the millions watching the events in D.C., many millions are gathered in other locations across the country and the world, including New York's Times Square, Dallas, and movie theatres across the nation and the world to watch the address on jumbo screens. In fact, there is a massive flurry of activity across the blogosphere!

Today's Events include:

Invocation: Rick Warren: Calling America a "land of unequaled possibility," Warren's prayer invoked the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and asked that Americans "remember they are united by a commitment to freedom and justice for all." and "When we fail to give the respect to all humans that they deserve, forgive us."

Song: Aretha Franklin: "America the Beautiful."

Musical Quartet: Isaac Perlman, Jo-Jo Ma, Gabriela Montero, Anthony McGill: Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones (I remembered this song from my church Choir - Very Beautiful)

President Obama's Inauguration Speech: (excerpts; read entire speech here)

On the steps of the nation's Capitol, just a short distance from where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, using the same bible Abraham Lincoln did for his inauguration. He spoke of challenges looming over the country — the economy, the current wars — while also invoking the legacy of King.

"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights...On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord..reaffirm our enduring spirit; ..to carry forward that precious gift, the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Economy:..and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

World Peace: to all other peoples and governments who are watching today..know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more... We can meet .. new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said. "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

HUMANITY: To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

AMERICA, OUR PLEDGE: ..we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains...For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate...

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance (as Patriots said) "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Let's all wish President Obama and each of ourselves a Happy Inauguration Day, a Better day tomorrow and over the next 8 years. God Bless America!!

Inaugural Poem - by Elizabeth Alexander
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names
of the dead
who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the
bridges, picked the
cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the
glittering edifices they would
then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise
song for struggle; praise song for
the day. Praise song for every
hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at
kitchen tables.
Some live by
"Love thy neighbor as thy self."
Others by
first do no harm, or take no
more than you need.
What if the mightiest word
is love, love beyond
marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool
of light. Love
with no need to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle,
this winter
air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on
the brim,
on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

Late Breaking News: During today's inaugural lunch, Senator Kennedy (76) and Senator Byrd (91) have both suffered some types of attacks at lunch (due to age and illnesses) and have been transported to Hospitals.

happy new year!

and happy next four years at least. there is an electricity in the air that is, well, electric. history has indeed been made- and just as important- the 'reign of terror' has ended. let us take an opportunity to breathe a collective sigh of relief and enjoy the moment. sigh.....

i want to take an opportunity to thank all of the folks on the right who either sat out the vote so as not to vote mccain/palin (thank you, thank you) or actually crossed lines to vote democratic. that took courage, patriotism and genuine foresight- and, i, for one, am eternally grateful. we have a long row to hoe here in the united states of america. and we have to work together to do it. there are some who aren't as enthusiastic about obama- me, included, but i look at it this way- bushco is gone!!! we can take a moment to savor that at the very least.

there are many tough times ahead and i see the road getting longer and times more difficult. we must continue to remain vigilant against the neocons and the religious right because they don't go away- they reinvent themselves and keep coming. we have had decades of that dedication to self and it has led to class warfare not seen since the dark ages. we must continue to fight for our country against these folks and continue to work towards repairing our country and our planet.

but for today- let us take a moment and savor- and smile for the first time in a long time.

namaste

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT...

-Just when I thought that headlines might not piss me off and begin to make a modicum of sense:

Soldiers choose war over bleak economy ...Pentagon officials report strongest recruiting season in four years

The headline should be,

"Citizens choose war over bleak economy..."

(not Soldiers!)
No! It should be "Citizens choose enlistment in the military over bleak economy"!

-Just when I thought there might be a chance at peace:

Rice flies to India to ease tension with Pakistan

What the-?

By simply flying there Rice is able to ease tension with Pakistan?

What would have happened had she traveled by boat?

(I mean besides the fact that she would have arrived too late,

which ultimately may prove to be for the best as far as India and Pakistan are both concerned…)

-Just when I thought the goddamned scare tactics might vanish from headlines:

Report: WMD Attack Inevitable Before 2013

O! For the love of all things decent!

I suppose I should have expected

such a “timely” report to emerge

just as the Bush regime is taking its final bow,

but for fucks sake,

“WMD”, “Inevitable”, and “2013”

all in the same damn headline!

(Too bad we don’t hold elections

every four to eight years for our Press…)

-Just when I thought Fox, having been snubbed by Obama, might try a different tactic:

No Colorblind Pick for Obama Seat?

And this is a problem, for whom exactly?

The will of the people of Illinois?

Or the will of those that would rather have an all white senate?

-Just when I thought CEO’s were supposed to have business sense... or lose their damn job:

US carmakers publish rescue plans

Where were these grand plans as you were being paid ungodly sums of money,

When you were receiving ungodly grand bonuses and partying on some monstrous yacht in the Caribbean?

Huh?

Now? Now you've a- Now!

Now you have a measly, godforsaken plan?

Isn’t that convenient;

now that you’ve failed miserably,

now that you’ve proven you’re not worth the millions you “earned” or deserving of the corporate jets you fly in,

now that you’ve been found to be incompetent,

that we the people are going to have to bail your sorry asses out

because you’ve been producing shit-sputtering-gas-guzzling-forest-tapping-air-destroying-hunk-assed-chunks-of-friggin'-metal that you call “automobiles”!

Damn it! Just when I thought it was over...they pull me back in!

CHOICES

There are too many choices these days…

The odd thing was that it all began before the new and bright millennium,

when on the cusp four metallic birds dove angrily through the mirage and opened wide these yawning idols of fortune. Limping out of the rubble was a seven-headed, eyeless ogre that still clomps its discriminate jackboots across the land like a stampede of Frankenstein’s.

Have you made up your mind yet, kids?

Since then everyone’s acted like thoughtless robots; machines, machines that don’t blink when crushing flesh and bone and blood into useless screams. Moving nearer one another, they bled their single red of revenge like some Sci-Fi B movie without a star or a storyline but plenty of gloriously Goddamned and clanking machines that captivated the optical sense like children’s minds frightened by a late night tale of phantoms.

Well?

How I wish we could rewind this groaning film and replace the actors with dummies and the scenery with papier-Mâché structures and look back and laugh and say,

“O! But that was too damned funny!”

We’ve assembled many thousands of them; zombies, zombies instead of thoughtful, reasonable minds- and these androids are trampling over precious joy and empty homes and pleasure and reason. The unthinking horde is on the march to starve and rot. That which began in earnest, now moves unconsciously, bent on destroying themselves and every breathing thing.

You better decide quickly because it’s about to start!

The odd thing, I attest to you now, with the sight of this jutting death and suicide of dreams intermingled with the new hope that could well save us, that it is somehow more attractive, in an artistic, poetic, storybook sort of way. A grand epic; Beowulf for the new millineum; the sight of mindless drones falling all over themselves and upon the weapons they hold, tragically impaled without honor or any dash of dreams pursed upon their lips. Worshipping the rope slung over the tree limb, praising the guns and the indiscriminate bombs dispatched to resolve their empty ideals. Guns surrounding towns and centering their fire aimlessly amid the screams of mercy and Allah and child and then to find that the targets continue to move forward, unrelenting, not allowing the beasts to win, to exchange their god for another, their principals for compromise and not allowing their own burning flesh to deter them from earned sovereignty. Why would they move toward the guns? What in hell are they thinking? Could they still desire our mirage of freedom, our anesthetized land, and our dead god? We’re going to need some more ammo! Fire away, goddamn it! Aim for the head! (Enter a free spirited hero!)

Okay, kids, you have to make up your minds now!

Let’s mindlessly blow them all away! Fire at will! Send them to hell and back and back again! Push our honed blades into their living! Crush them with our mighty tanks and our five hundred pound bombs! Cut them in half with firepower never before witnessed! Flatten their children’s bones into the soil! Flatten the entire earth! You know, the way it was meant to be!

Are you sure that’s what you want?

We could tear away their unusual clothes; the veils, bandannas, loin cloths, robes and headdresses and push an ocean of stinking water into their dry, ungodly throats! Have their children watch as mother and father drown like rats plunging downward as if they were on a sinking ship! Don’t stop there! Line up the children and pitch them headlong into the godforsaken sea!

Okay! We’re ready now! We’ll take four large sodas, a box of those Milk-Dud thingy’s, two Gummy-Bears, a Snickers, four hot-dogs, one plain and the rest with relish and mustard, and your jumbo tub of extra butter popcorn!

THE OBAMA WORLD TOUR

This poem is for President Elect Barack Obama... and hope.

How is it possible-
that, in an age of such a shredded foundation,
that, in an age of such unprecedented warring,
that, in an age of such unequaled corruption and
terrible sadness, a moment as this could come?

How is it possible-
that, after such machinations of greed and hubris,
we have the power to have witnessed this;
the moment now bending its light upon us,
directing us forward to our better selves?

How is it possible-
that we now proceed with this stunning milestone,
that we march onward in the footprints of revolution
though the course is not curved of our choosing
and the strident shriek of the dying covers our skies?

How is it possible-
that we have stumbled to our rightful place of account,
wandered in on such lustrous and cheerful promise
standing now before our grasp, yet still untaken,
unused, and ready for our hands to shape into our art?

How is it possible-
with the end written before the bright and new beginning,
with our expectations rutted in dishonest obligation,
with the world’s eyes having peered down into our shame,
that our pathway is not ruled by immeasurable detonation?

How is it possible-
that, with such divergence and fragmentary mourning,
with stained waters and sky distorting our reflection,
with our differences still hidden in the visage of ghosts,
we were able to land here without knowing what’s next?

How is it possible-
that the air that we scorch doesn’t blink or make a sound
as we push and shove our burning way through it
with sorrow at our flank speaking of others as mere fodder
for our wholly unrestrained hubristic nourishment?

How is it possible-
that this plot has begun at the end of such torturous ire,
at the back of gloom instead of the heart of illumination?
That this moment even has words like hope and change within it
is certainly the most astounding thing of all!

© 2008 mrp/tpm

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?

This poem is for President Elect Barack Obama... and hope.

How is it possible-
that, in an age of such a shredded foundation,
that, in an age of such unprecedented warring,
that, in an age of such unequaled corruption and
terrible sadness, a moment as this could come?

How is it possible-
that, after such machinations of greed and hubris,
we have the power to have witnessed this;
the moment now bending its light upon us,
directing us forward to our better selves?

How is it possible-
that we now proceed with this stunning milestone,
that we march onward in the footprints of revolution
though the course is not curved of our choosing
and the strident shriek of the dying covers our skies?

How is it possible-
that we have stumbled to our rightful place of account,
wandered in on such lustrous and cheerful promise
standing now before our grasp, yet still untaken,
unused, and ready for our hands to shape into our art?

How is it possible-
with the end written before the bright and new beginning,
with our expectations rutted in dishonest obligation,
with the world’s eyes having peered down into our shame,
that our pathway is not ruled by immeasurable detonation?

How is it possible-
that, with such divergence and fragmentary mourning,
with stained waters and sky distorting our reflection,
with our differences still hidden in the visage of ghosts,
we were able to land here without knowing what’s next?

How is it possible-
that the air that we scorch doesn’t blink or make a sound
as we push and shove our burning way through it
with sorrow at our flank speaking of others as mere fodder
for our wholly unrestrained hubristic nourishment?

How is it possible-
that this plot has begun at the end of such torturous ire,
at the back of gloom instead of the heart of illumination?
That this moment even has words like hope and change within it
is certainly the most astounding thing of all!

© 2008 mrp/tpm

PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA