A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
~ by Bob Dylan

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?

I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,

Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,

"...now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country..."

I've typed that a million times - like many of you, probably - while practicing typing skills, under my mom's tutelage. I've always liked that it ended with "country", and not the original wording of the phrase, which is "party."  

I am in the trenches assisting our veterans obtain full time employment. Our first priority is to service members that are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. I am fully aware of the problems our service members face and have decided to do something about it. Below is my press release that was posted in the Seattle and Tacoma newpapers last weeek. I can use all the help I can get. My website is www.jimvaughnforcongress.com

If you have any questions, I can be reached at 253.241.9634 (mobile)

www.jimvaughnforcongress.com

I'm sure you have all gone and signed Mr. Clark's petition here>
http://securingamerica.com/stopthesurge

Do to weather our Honk for Peace Rally has been cancelled, so I decided to instead write letters.

If you go to the following address: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=9233036&type=CO
You can compose a letter to your Congressmen and Senators about how you feel about the current situation. I have done this and below is a copy of what I wrote. For some of you who might find it difficult to find the right words, you can copy my letter, whole or in part and use it as you may. Of course I will post this on my blog, and if you come up with something really catchy or powerful, send it to me and I will add that to this post.

Out of all the discussions I have had it has lead me to believe that what leads those insisting that the president is above reproach is a fear and hatred against Muslims, and probably more so a fear. A fear that we will be taken over by Muslim culture, religion, beliefs, etc. This fear blinds them from the reality that we are actually being sold to Sadia Arabia who loans us money to conduct this war and who collects great wealth from our oil consumption.

If you study the culture and get to know a Muslim or two, you'll find that they are people just like you or I and within all religions and cultures you have fanatics.

It’s no coincidence, and it’s no joke, that this article popped up next to this article on Raw Story’s home page today. But I couldn’t help but laugh at the picture that linked to the article on Exxon’s profits. How appropriate, indeed...

All kidding aside, who better symbolizes the marriage of America’s weight problem and America’s gas problem than the fat, former CEO of Exxon? Certainly we haven’t seen such an all-consuming symbol of our over-consumption since Elvis was slamming down fried, peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches.

Juan Cole of Informed Comment has a great post about just what is behind the "War on Terror". He quotes Craig Murray, former former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan:

Murray raised the curtain on the Bush-Blair "War on Terror." He does not deny that there are small groups of persons intent on harming the West. But he does not think that most of what the Bush administration has done in Central Asia is about that threat.

He explained what is really behind the new "lily pad" doctrine of US bases, Whereby the US is seeking to encompass the "Greater Middle East" with small bases, each with 1,000 to 3,000 personnel. In emergencies, these bases could quickly swell to 40,000. Like a lily pad, they can "open up" and accommodate a landing frog. Murray said that the US documents are quite open as to why they are seeking the network of lily pad bases around the Middle East. It is because that is where the oil and gas are. If you include the Caspian region, Tengiz, and the gas reserves in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan along with what is in the Persian Gulf, the vast majority of proven oil and gas reserves are in this circle of crisis.

With the economic rise of China and India, such that both giants (over a billion in population each) are now using more and more gas and oil, there is going to be increasing pressure on fuel supplies and prices in the next decades. Europe also lacks much energy of its own and is a major importer. The US fields are rapidly declining. Washington wants access to that fuel, and wants to be able to protect its access militarily.

In essence, I understand Murray to argue that the Bush administration hyped the al-Qaeda threat in order to have a pretext for the lily pad strategy of oil security. Murray did not say so, but this strategy would then logically underlie the conquest and military occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well.

What is Peak Oil?

Hello. This is like a public service announcement. Please share widely on the blogosphere and with fellow progressives. I'm sure the General, Ann Wright, Noel Scultz, David Swanson and Bob Fertig would be proud!

Come visit a preview of our first television ad. We have 200+ spots running beginning the end of this week. They’re unique as they were produced by a 15 y/o peace activist who has a national following. A US Senate race first!

http://www.carlsheeler.com/video.htm

The hottest topic on most people’s minds has been the Middle East and what quagmire we may be in if we don’t start using our heads. It happens to coincide with our web site reaching 1,000,000 hits this weekend.

         BUY MY ASPEN COTTAGE, PLEASE!

Housing crunch flooey.

Jump now on this once in a lifetime opportunity to buy Bandar Bush's Aspen home for a mere $135 million!  Don't ask for the chandeliers.  One Realtor says it's a bargain deal...

 BUSH and BANDAR relaxing at Crawford