I Can Still Dream...

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Dr. King's words and wisdom still ring loud and clear. And may his message reach the farthest corners of our universe and come back to us. Because I still have that dream... *****************

*** "LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL"

*** We Twisted King’s Dream, So We Live With His Nightmare

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What If Bristol Were In The Crosshairs?

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Okay, I'm sorry. I can't fucking let it go... Boehner skips memorial for Ariz. shooting victims

He skipped the memorial for a cocktail party.

That damn orange Oompa-Loompa.

He's too busy being orange and crying all his mascara off that he doesn't have any sense.

And I'm not a huge fan of Howard Stern, but about this, he's right:

What If Bristol WERE In The Crosshairs? Sarah Palin would go APE SHIT.

I told Will after this all erupted, what if she (and the other people in influential positions) just had a humble response? What if they just found some humility and said, "This is horrible. I know that my voice and the symbols I've used didn't DIRECTLY cause this tragedy, but I'm horrified to think that they may have influenced someone who was mentally impaired. I wasn't thinking... I've shown poor judgment. This should be our wake-up call. It should be MY wake-up call. That I should remember how much damage words can do. That even though I don't agree with the policies being enacted by this president and this congress, I need to be more civil. And the inflammatory rhetoric really needs to stop. What the hell was I thinking..."

I fuck up ALL THE TIME. I say stupid things, I do stupid things, I can get mad for silly reasons, I laugh inappropriately often (I'm the first one to laugh at a funeral - I'm not proud of it, I'm just sayin'). And I don't blow away in the wind when I do, and I don't blow away in the wind when I admit it.

What the hell is wrong with admitting to fucking up? It's actually empowering and liberating to do so... It lifts a bizarre burden that we put upon ourselves that smells of a delusion of perfection.

I know, I'm dreaming. That would mean she and they are actually decent and logical and humble people. That they lean toward reason and something rational. That's not their primary motive, so why on earth should I ever expect it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The fervor in this above clip is completely disturbing... What a bunch of far right wing nut-jobs.

"In another context, 'the terrorists would've won'..."

Exactly. WHO are the terrorists now...

(Thank you for the video contributions, Fred!) *************************************

Where Greed Lives and Innocence Dies

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THIS TIME... A 9 Year Old Little Girl Died. And this violent rhetoric, coming from certain high-profile individuals, from certain "news" networks; to sell books, to get ratings, to sell ads from those ratings... To sell, sell, sell...

And even though it's actually never existed now or in recorded human history, people talk about how evil communism is... As though capitalism is better. HOW is it better?

Remember, capitalism and democracy are two different things. One is not necessary for the other.

I'm not a communist. By glaring example, I don't think humans are capable of it at this point in our evolution. The idea is there. And then delusion sets in and it becomes something else. It becomes totalitarian.

But, I do believe in strong social ideals. I believe in a true democracy with strong socialistic programs. I believe in helping my fellow citizen, helping my neighbors. Knowing that we're all in this together, that the better off they are, the better off I'll be. So, in actuality, it's kind of selfish. But, still... That's what I believe. That's how I try to live.

Just watching greed in action - from Wall Street, to the Health "Care" Insurance Murderers, to the violent language perpetrators, I'm left wondering how "good" capitalism really is... when at its very core, greed lives.

I'm sorry. I'm venting. Even though I'm not surprised by this tragedy, I'm still reeling from it...

It Doesn’t Matter Why He Did It By George Packer, The New Yorker, January 9, 2011

... the tragedy wouldn't change this basic fact: for the past two years, many conservative leaders, activists, and media figures have made a habit of trying to delegitimize their political opponents. Not just arguing against their opponents, but doing everything possible to turn them into enemies of the country and cast them out beyond the pale. Instead of “soft on defense,” one routinely hears the words “treason” and “traitor.” The President isn't a big-government liberal—he's a socialist who wants to impose tyranny. He's also, according to a minority of Republicans, including elected officials, an impostor. Even the reading of the Constitution on the first day of the 112th Congress was conceived as an assault on the legitimacy of the Democratic Administration and Congress

This relentlessly hostile rhetoric has become standard issue on the right. (On the left it appears in anonymous comment threads, not congressional speeches and national T.V. programs.) And it has gone almost entirely uncriticized by Republican leaders. Partisan media encourages it, while the mainstream media finds it titillating and airs it, often without comment, so that the gradual effect is to desensitize even people to whom the rhetoric is repellent. We’ve all grown so used to it over the past couple of years that it took the shock of an assassination attempt to show us the ugliness to which our politics has sunk.

... Whatever drove Jared Lee Loughner, America's political frequencies are full of violent static.

*** If you're so inclined to sign the petition to Congress and the TV news networks Full petition text: "I call for an end to all overt and implied appeals to violence in American politics. We must debate, not hate."

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Crosshairs

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She used crosshairs. Full-text of Palin's hateful Facebook post, which she calls a "first salvo," is here.

Hold Palin accountable for hate speech Peter Rosenstein, Washington Blade, January 08, 2011

"I add my thoughts and prayers to the outpouring of sympathy for the families of those who lost their lives and for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ family now praying for her recovery. I share the outrage that all decent people must feel today at this heinous act of violence that left so many dead and Congresswoman Giffords severely injured.

Sarah Palin and those like her using hate-filled language and symbols of violence can no longer escape responsibility for the anger and violence their words and actions incite. The time has come for everyone, on both sides of the political spectrum, to stand up to and shut down those who don’t understand what words mean and how they can incite others to violent acts..."

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