was back in 1960, when I was in the eighth grade. Part of our Social Studies and History class was a mock campaign and election of the President. This prompted us to follow the campaign closely, and the stark differences between Kennedy and Nixon were easy for us to see. Where Nixon stood for more of the same (the Eisenhower era and the shadows of the McCarthy Era), JFK offered Americans HOPE and a vision of our country as a place to do great things and allow us, individually, to also do great things.

Today we see trends that mirror that time. McCain disparages the concept of hope, telling us we must be VERY AFRAID, and trust our government to look out for our safety. All hope MUST be abandoned, as there is no reason for Hope to exist.

Barack asks us to cast away this mantle of Fear and look toward the light (metaphorically speaking). When fear is pushed aside, good things can be accomplished. I don't think he is promising us pie in the sky, but he is affirming his belief that the soul of a people achieve so much when Fear is pushed aside.

(Edited for bad proofreading)

for Al to run for and WIN the Presidential race for 2008.

There is such a messianic call for him by people who have given up on all the other candidates, that were the reality of his presidency to occur, with the normal day-to-day political give-and-take required of the job, and with the extremely slow process it would require to extricate this Country from the massive Republican-built quagmire we find ourselves in today, he would be reviled by many who formerly idolized him.

Overblown expectations seems to be the rule right now, and that can only lead to great disappointments later. That being said, I would still support a Gore candidacy, should he decide to jump in at any time.

and I just want to tell y'all that it has been a very enlightening couple of years.

I have learned so much that would never have been possible for me to learn, had I been forced to rely on the Main Stream Media.

I've found a great diversity of opinions, a myriad of personalities, (some I really feel an affinity toward, and some whose attitudes I can not even comprehend, much less agree with).

I'm not the most sociable guy out here, but I consider a lot of you my compadres. My lady tells me I am way too absorbed in the politics of our times, and it is making me a nervous wreck, but the bottom line is I am a Political Junkie, and I suffer from a strong sense of what is right and just, and an unending anger when the bad guys pull ahead, to the detriment of all.

This is the place I come to when I need to feel I am among sane people; people who truly care about others, and wish to help drag our country back from the Abyss.

All I can say is thanks for being here for me, and I am thrilled to belong to such an organization.

Steve

A little update!

Cathy and I went up to Fenton's gift shop in Williamstown, WV today after reading about the closing here on DU.

While shopping , I spoke with a young female employee . I told her that we were quite distressed to learn that they were closing after all these years.

I explained that I have been a member of DU for some time, and had seen a post regarding the closing, and that many people on here were quite familiar with Fenton, and many were getting the word out to others to look into purchasing their beautiful merchandise, while they still had the chance.

She had never heard of DU, but was pleased to hear that so many were interested. I hope she passes this on to the owners.

She told me the production line will be closed down the first week or so of October, but they plan to leave the gift shop open indefinitely (she guessed a few years anyway), to insure the sale of all remaining stock. There is to be one more QVC program, and then that will be over.

This glassware is of very high quality, and as true American ART designed by highly skilled craftsmen, it is well worth the money.

By the time we left, Cathy had spent well over $500.00.

If you get a chance, check out Fenton's website and see what I mean.

After reading your latest locked post, I actually do sort of understand where you are coming from, but I don't think arranging to have yourself banned from this organization is actually going to absolve you from your feelings of moral obligation.

We live in a frightening time, made more so by the traitors who lead this country currently.

I can understand the terrible frustration at the apathy of the Average American. What is happening to this country is so completely beyond the comprehension of these people that they just refuse to believe it (and there will ALWAYS be that small percentage who like what BushCo is doing)!

Try to step back and look at this mess long term. It has taken the NeoCons over 40 years to put our country in this current position (counting forward from November 1963), and it will be a generational thing getting this country back in the right direction.

You have been here for a long time (much longer than me) and have been much more active than I in spreading the TRUTH from the rooftops.

Life goes on, my friend, and folks like you and the rest of those here on DU can prevail, but it will be a helluva long frustrating fight.

Hang in There!!!!

Steve

The "terra. Terra, TERRA" frenzy the BushCo propaganda machine is directing at all of us is sooo terribly WRONG!!!

If we are attacked again, (and we might well be), the chance of any particular person being affected directly is as remote as winning the lottery or being struck by lightning.

Other countries are being attacked every day, (Israel is one example), and life still goes on.

This is the reality of the modern world. Our own government tries to cow us with the threat of a terrorist attack in order to do Anything they like , strip any of our freedoms they care to ,and make us thank them for it.

All of the people Must wake up and re-examine their priorities.

The most destructive thing that can happen is to allow unreasoning Fear to grip us, to just run in circles (When in worry, fear and doubt/Run in circles, scream and shout)

Folks, we are ALL better than that!

I could not believe this s**t. Now our guys aren't even worthy of dignified on their last trip home!!!

"Soldier's Casket on Baggage Cart"

Associated Press | December 01, 2006
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Army is investigating a woman's claim that a Soldier's flag-draped casket was placed in an airport baggage cart with other luggage while being transferred between airline flights.

"The Army is always concerned with treating all of our fallen comrades' remains with the utmost dignity and respect," spokesman Lt. Col. Kevin Arata said in a statement Thursday.

Cynthia Hoag, 56, a former Army reservist, said she was waiting for a flight at Rochester International Airport on Oct. 27 when she saw the coffin taken off a commercial flight along with passengers' luggage. A uniformed Soldier accompanied the coffin as it was placed in a baggage car and transported to another flight, she said.

"At the very least, couldn't there have been a hearse to transport the fallen Soldier?" Hoag asked in an essay in Tuesday's Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. "At the very least, couldn't there have been a group of Soldiers to receive one of their own?

"It was a very sobering, sad experience for all of us," wrote Hoag, who said she witnessed the episode from a terminal window while waiting for a flight along with her sister-in-law and two friends. "Please don't let this happen again to any Soldier. Let's not treat our fallen troops like baggage."

Her account prompted Monroe County's executive, Maggie Brooks, to write a letter of her own to the Pentagon, asking it to change the policy for transporting the coffins of war casualties.

A Pentagon spokeswoman, Cynthia Smith, said Hoag's description doesn't correlate with military procedure.

Remains of Soldiers killed in Iraq are taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, then usually flown to a Soldier's home, Smith said. Military escorts accompany each flight and when a casket reaches the home area, it is met by an honor guard of two people and then transported to a funeral home, she said.

Airport director David Damelio disputed Hoag's claims, saying a coffin wouldn't fit into a cart loaded with luggage.

Calls to Hoag's home in Dansville, 50 miles south of Rochester, went unanswered Thursday.

This should NOT happen!!

who the sexiest politician is??

There are so many things Wolf could poll on: like who is the most honest, most dedicated, most ethical.

This aggrandizement of a persons sexual appeal is just so much fluff. Would that Wolf were as perceptive as Keith, and focus on the real issues.

(grumble, grumble)

Semi

either through law, or through social custom, against being offended. Free speech is free speech, and not only when it does not offend someone.

We can't have it both ways! We can't pass laws to protect anyones sensitivities for either side.

Look at how the current Regime tries to make laws forbidding people to wear clothing which carries messages opposing the war and opposing the Bush Regime. We raise all kinds of hell (and rightfully so) against such high-handed actions, yet some on our side want to prohibit the morans on the other side from spreading their messages.

Perhaps it IS a damn shame, but there it is!

The television show, "The Smothers Brothers Hour" was canceled after Pete Seeger sang the song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy",referring to LBJ and the Viet Nam debacle.

That is the only other time I can recall something like that happening. Pissed a lot of us off at the time.

Like all NeoCon shills, he will hear only what he chooses to hear. Hate speech is all he knows.
He has no dignity or integrity, no respect for humanity, essentially a sociopath with a Golden Microphone. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!

give a rats ass if Foley was involved sexually with a priest 40 years ago??

How does this excuse him from doing what he did with the pages?

This guy is playing the "victim" card as far as he can, and trying to confuse the issue. He is supposedly a responsible adult, in a very high position of power, and there is no excuse for his behavior.

NONE
NADA
NIL!!!

We had a game called "Free-for-all Rugby. It was similar to soccer, but the coaches tossed in as many as ten balls at once. Our PE class (maybe 50 boys), followed the basic rules of rugby, but the main goal was to kick as many goals as we could, and this often resulted in some pretty painful injuries (one kid even broke his arm). Not a lawsuit to be seen.
I would not be surprised to see Chess be our number one sports interest in schools in the future. That being said, I figure someone would bruise his/her hand on the clock and sue the shit out of somebody.\

is the callous disregard that the present Regime has for its troops. These troops were sent into Iraq with little preparedness, woefully inadequate materiel provisions, and told to do a job that was impossible to do correctly, given their inadequate numbers.
Why should we expect them to have any more concern for the draftees??
A full-bore draft would just supply the military with fresh bodies to throw at the enemy, and there seems to be no real concern for them by * or his evil minions.
Can you spell CANNON FODDER???
I knew you could.