photo credit: Roanoke.com
D-Day June 6, 1944
"About ten of us were crossing along the edge of a field when we heard sniper bullets whiz by. We all fell to the ground. As we lay there hugging the earth, that we might escape shrapnel from shell fire and bullets from sniper's guns, the birds were singing beautifully in the trees close by. As I lay there listening I thought of the awfulness of it all; the birds were singing and we Human Beings were trying to kill each other. We are the greatest of God's creation, made in the image of God, and here human blood was being spilt - everywhere."
--from a letter by 2nd Lieutenant Burkhalter, written to his wife Mabel shortly after the Normandy invasion.
Blogger's Fable Graces Third Estate Sunday
"The world has an Atrios and a Kos. Why would they want a copy?"
"Yeah," said Rebecca, "Outside of Creed, has a sound alike ever really made much of an impact?"
"Harsh but true," laughed Jess. "There's only one Pearl Jam!"
"So be yourself," Ty offered. "And if you're speaking your truth, people will listen."
- From 'Once more into the blog world'
Third Estate Sunday Review incorporates one of my favorite songs by Anais Mitchell in a new blog fable that rivals Ezra's mystical visitation with the angel Uriel. Who knows? Perhaps even the young Staussian with the decent heart and open mind might snatch poor Leo out of the wicked harpy-clutches of Midge and wipe the wide shit-eating grin off the face of Bill. But, really, you crazy kids - what a killer soundtrack!
"Ode to Tom DeLay" - written by Jim, Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava, Rebecca, Fodling Star, Betty, Kat, and C.I?
I bow down to you.
My additional lyrical advice to New Blogger would be:
don't Take Any Wooden Nickels
when You Sell Your Soul
a Devil Of A Time Awaits You
when The Party's Over
you're On Your Own
- From the song by the Eels' Mark Oliver Everett, Daisies of the Galaxy
Al Sadr: Iraq Election Legitimized US OccupationMuqtada al-Sadr criticized the desecration of the Quran by interrogators and guards at the Guantanamo Bay, telling The Associated Press their action was criminal. He promised, at least for now, to stay away from Iraqi politics as long as U.S. troops remain, and he condemned senior Shiite leaders and the Iraqi government for embracing this year's elections that "legitimized the occupation." Al-Sadr indirectly criticized Iraq's Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for promoting the process that led to formation of the Shiite-led government.
This conflicts with information from a recent column by Hamza Hendawi where it was said:"Since the fighting, al-Sadr has rebuilt ties with Iraq's largest Shiite party, after months of tension threatened to escalate into violence. His aides have been mediating between a Shiite militia and a Sunni group after they exchanged charges of involvement in the killing of each other's clerics."
I would think that the U.S. would prefer, due to his popularity with the people, that al Sadr would stay involved in the Democratic process. This is yet another piece of dark news coming from Iraq.
"A few weeks ago my colleague Charlie Rose put a question to the new president of CNN, Jonathan Klein. He asked: Could there ever be a successful progressive version of Fox News Channel? Klein didn't think so. He said Fox appeals to "mostly angry white men" while liberals - "you know, they don't get too worked up about anything."
Well, here's something to get worked up about....."
-- Bill Moyers, from his June 3rd speech at the Take Back America conference in Washington, D.C
Bill Moyers Gives Us a Reading Assignment...and Marching Orders
Bill Moyers insists that writing the history of the Revolution is now up to all of us, and we should start by putting the soon-to-be released book "Thomas Paine and the Promise of America," by Harvey Kaye, on this summer's reading list.Moyers adds:
You must be like the Irishman coming upon a street brawl who yells in a loud voice: "Is this a private fight, or can anyone get in it?" Not waiting, he wades in.
Wade in! Go home and tell the truth to your neighbors and fight the corruption of the system. But it's not enough just to say how bad the others are. You owe your opponents the compliment of a good argument. Come up with fresh ideas to make capitalism work for all. Ask entrepreneurs to join you - they know how to make things happen. Show us a new vision of globalization with a conscience. Stand up for working people and people in the middle and people who can't stand on their own. Be not cowed, intimidated, or frightened - you may be on the losing side of the moment, as the early progressives were, but you're on the winning side of history.
"Howard and I know that these are the wrong choices for America. We won’t always use the same words. But we will always fight the same fight: for the dignity, the respect, and the rights of those who built this country, the working people in America." - John Edwards
John Edwards Talks About the Fabricated "Dean Dust-Up"CANDY CROWLEY/CNN: This is one of those stories we will not let go easily. We will have much more on Howard Dean's war of words coming up in the show.... - blah-blah-blah!
Read Sen. Edwards' statement here. I tried to respond, but I guess I hit my quota of posts there at One America for today. I'm glad Sen. Edwards spoke up about the matter with such clarity. Perhaps now we can move on - get away from this trivial melodrama - and perhaps Candy Crowley and Paul Begala can stop yap-yap-yapping and talk about truly relevant issues.
If anyone in the Democratic party lets something like this divide us, the GOP wins. (Why does the GOP always win?)
We will lose as long as we get caught up in worrying about the media and the sensationalist dirt they drum up. We should never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster. Howard Dean should be wholly supported as Chair, even if a statement he makes at a progressive convention is isolated and magnified by a monkey press.
SEE MY COMMENT AT DAILY KOS.
Markos put a great headline on his post about the issue: Edwards: 'Dean was right'.
Sen. Edwards explains himself well. He is smart to not freak out over this matter, and to earnestly lay out his own truth. Isn't it wisest to get it straight from the horse's mouth? Will Candy Crowley mention this today? If she does, I'll be impressed. Will Sen. Edwards be ignored beacuse his statement can't get a cheap thrill from the CNN audience? We'll see.________Democracy Cell Project:
Casey Meets John
photo: Democracy Cell Project
Don't miss Casey Morris' blog entry titled "Who Are the Working Poor?""What is the role of the citizen? Open your eyes to the poor in your community. Make them visible to yourself and those around you. Find out what resources are available in your neighborhood and then go help. Donate time, money, food, whatever you can.
Make the issue of poverty in America part of your life. And then harangue your Congressperson until it's a part of his/her daily life, too. Don't accept politicians who speak of Jesus on the one hand, and then ignore the blessed poor on the other hand.."
President 2008
Juan Cole Agrees With BidenClose down Guantanamo. Cole's reasons differ from Biden's. He says: "The main reason is that the Bush Administration established the prison at Guantanamo in hopes of gutting the Bill of Rights...Guantanamo Prison should be closed because it was conceived as the beginning of the end of the American Republic."
