All dogs can talk Only they don't know where to start
From the writings of Dog Foo, the Chinese Canine Philosopher
Through my tenure with the Opednews.com (Y2004-Y2006) I wrote about 200 diary entiries and 6 articles. At the end of this article I bring in the summary of the ideas and perceptions I tried to promote through those years. Please, do not go there yet. Follow my howling pattern, please. Believe me, you will enjoy the ideas more after you stay with me for a while.
I am by no means the originator of those although I do claim tentatively and with caution the right of the one who expressed those on the site for the first time in most cases. Some were followed on the site (like the Mark Twain's Devil's letters, although the followers did not pay tribute to Mark Twain. I did. In all fairness, Mark Twain took that method from his great predecessors). But at most it seems that nothing happened. No feedback at all. No one agreed with me, no one sent me a message that he/she is going to use the lovely nicknames I derived for Bush and Condi, no one considered opening a campaign for the criminal probes about Katrina, no action, NADA, nothing. No comment.
That brngs me to the issue of comments. Stanislavsky said that the Theater starts at the Hanger. In the site the comments are usually much more important than the actual articles. Articles stir the swamp. Comments show if the swamp is still alive down beneath.
I can understand that most of the contributors are either very busy people or the people who do not use their computers all the time. I am one of latter. I can use the computer only sporadically. But when I use it the trend of my commenting is only one: every my comment has to serve the purpose to generate the weapon useful in the fight against Bush. I do not like to waste my mind. I use an opportunity to express myself so that others could use what I can offer. Use it, please.
The legitimate question then is if I use the stuff I read from the other people. I do. But the same as other people on the site I am guilty of the lack of gratitude. I do not send feedback to those people whose ideas I use frequently when I communicate with the people outside of the site. As such I start from myself and hereby express my gratitude to Rob Kall, the Innovator, Hamish and Greg Moses whose ideas and info I implemented further on. My particular thanks to professor Jensen and also to Rabbie Lerner (although I do not agree with him) because from them I got a lot of very valuable information. From now on I promise to send such feedback regularly. Obviously, I expect the similar feedback from the others.
So far the comments to the articles (and not just mine) I read are intermittent. One person expresses an opinion, then another one, then another. Then the chain stops. No conclusions are made in most cases (except for the very rare occasions), no specifics summarized, no driving force sought. Everyone is happy with his/her venting and the matter is closed. I mean the matter is not even open yet. Even the open threads do not last long. There is something intrinsically hopeless and depressing in that. I want to remind to my fellow-progressives that our enemies have one big advantage- they agree with each other 100%. And they are very happy campers.
As an engineer (that's where the Fiery Dog is from) I work in teams frequently. The big team like our site presents an opportunity. That opportunity can only be realized if and only if the team members understand that they have but only one goal in mind and each of them has to contribute to that goal and only to that goal to the best of his/her honest level of effort and abilities. I refer again to the statements I have listed below. Some of those seem obvious to me. Some can be considered as clich's. Some, I assume, will provoke total disagreement. Some are controversial. None are offensive, I hope. Whatever my ideas and perceptions are I stay firm on the premise that all of those can and should be used in the fight against Bush. That's my criteria of usefulness. I dare everyone to look into their criteria and act accordingly. As far as I see it, we do not cooperate enough on this issue and that makes our goal tougher to achieve. And we have not much time. Reichsfuhrer Capucheney had just been given a clean Bill of Health. He is just fine. Think about that.
Now that I've warned you, please, enjoy the stuff I came up with in a wonderful doggy disarray:
- That the US fascism resembles the German kind and not the Russian oppression technique.
- That Mark Twain's satire methodology still works (Letters from the Devil's Chancellery). - That Dubya should be called Pretzel-In- Mischief. - That Condi should be called Anacondi PRice. - That Cheney should be called Reichfuhrer Capucheney. - That we should read and learn about the foreign experience as well as what foreigners predict will happen to us. - That the US people if they want to change something to the better have first to acknowledge the simple truth that they are the same as everyone else. - That people of the world do not hate the US people; that is the US people are afraid of the people of the world. - That for the people of the world the US people frequently resemble a jerk who first insults you and then immediately insults you again before you even start to feel insulted. - That we are all the same and it is ridiculous to state that you are not capable of being a racist, xenophobe or hold a bias. All we can do is to strive for doing the best we can. Honestly. - That the US is currently the only country in the world where hypocrisy is the intrinsic part of the national character. Before the WWII that place was occupied by Germany. - That Gitmo is Dachau. - That Bush and his cabal have nothing in common with the Founders of the Russian Revolution and to call them Bushevicks is an insult to the Russian nation. Better call them PNACists or something. - That Mike Chertoff should be called per his name (it means The Servant of The Devil) and that Homeland Security is to be called Homeland SS. - That militarization of the USA border is done as a part of the plan to prepare for the big crackdown on the US people. - That this crackdown is not happening for one reason only- that there is not enough loyal cadres among the servants of evil. But they are on the way. - That there should be an open trial of 9/11 and that without it all we have are rumors. - That Al-Qaeda was created in the CIA ( here I am not alone). - That there should be a criminal investigation of Dubya and his cronies regarding Katrina disaster. - That our army is not just our children but our employees. We should not blindly support them; we better see if they are serving us properly. - That other people do not want us to teach them how to live. - That Democrats do not win because they do not want to. - That the only way to win is to follow the Ulysses Grant and do not react to what the enemy does but do something to the enemy. - That Bush is our enemy; we should not expect anything good from him. - That we need people like Colteur to bark at the GOP 24 hours a day. - That consultants and terrorism experts are either criminals or crooks. - That Supreme Court is filled with unprofessional people, especially the last two. - That the United Front is needed to defeat Bush. - That if we do not defeat Bush there will be no more elections. - That liberals and conservatives in the US are very much alike. - That most of the US Christians are pagans and do not believe in God. - That spirituality has nothing to do with being a US citizen and/or a Christian. - That Catholic Church is a corporation and cannot behave different from the way it behaves. - That Yugoslavia was torn apart by the vultures with Clinton at the head to destroy the only sustainable socialist country in the Balkans. That it was also a Vatican offensive against the only Orthodox nation- the Serbs. - That Civil Rights belong to all people and not only to black people and women. - That being a homosexual is a feature, not a virtue. Same for being a woman or a straight person, sorry. - That we react wrongly to the wrong info. Terrorism is evil but the events we witnessed since 9/11 had never been properly investigated. No criminal investigation was sought, no real professionals were involved and the people accused of terrorism are hardly the real perpetrators. Thus it seems pretty na�ve to say that we fight the Islamic Fundamentalists, etc. Not only in most cases the presented pictures are bogus and fed to us by liars but also we ourselves are biased. How about a possibility ( just a thought) that the real perpetrators (Arabic names or not) are atheists and set up the Muslims deliberately? Or maybe you think there are no atheists among Arabs? - That the Russians (and not Americans) won the WWII, liberated Auschwitz (Osvientzim) and saved Europe from the total destruction. - That the regime in the Soviet Union had nothing to do with Communism. Despite that obvious fact during the tough times the country encountered the West instead of helping engaged in horrible undermining of its territorial integrity as well as in malicious encouragement of the worst possible elements. The Soviet Union did not collapse- the country was literally betrayed by its leadership. - That although Communism is Utopian the Marxist methodology of analysis is perfectly correct and if used it explains many things we argue about pretty easily. Outsourcing, for instance, objectively a harmful activity towards the US as a country is perfectly understandable: the rich are afraid of the educated and professional workforce which Marx predicted to become a driving force of their demise. Thus they do anything to retain the uneducated and poor workforce. - That the Clintonians deliberately and with malice undermine the Demparty. - That belonging to the oppressed group does not make you a good person. - That belonging to the Jewish nation means nothing but belonging to the Jewish nation. No privileges, no special treatment, no special destiny either. - That the road to Hell is paved with good intentions (this one is from Karl Marx though). - That God had left the US and Satan resides here now.. - That the energy crisis cannot be solved by ethanol, propanol or any other ols and needs an effort of ALL people. - That helping other people means first to leave them alone and then to ask if they need help and in what way.. - That torture cannot be discussed, explained or justified. All torturers are not human and are to be destroyed - That we have to proclaim the US emergency and ask for the foreign help to defeat Bush. - That there is hope but this hope is in acknowledging the necessity to unite for all of us. - That we need the help from the black community. And we need to humbly ask for that help. - That everyone dies alone ( that is from Has Fallada, but what's the Hell). - That Bush is not an incompetent bastard; he is an evil nut. That has to be said openly 24 hours a day: Evil Nut, Evil Nut, EviNut... - That we will be all dead pretty soon if Bush gets his way. I do not want to be dead. Neither do you, I suppose.
UGH- UGH, I am panting. Need some fresh air. BTW, Elvis sucks. So does Yoko Ono. So does Harry Potter. And so does Da Vinci Code.
And if you think I took too long You shouldn't have let me begin... ( from Tom Lehrer)
A writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest or join another flock in emigration. Those other birds could be cranes, storks or even crows. If he makes it he will become a rogue again. Whenever he goes and whatever he writes he never reaches a destination or enjoys a landing. There's only Kipling's God of Fair Beginnings and skies above and beyond. And the only way for a writer to make peace with the Deity is through the language of Poetry
Hey, I'm just kidding with you with that headline.
You made a lot of great points - unfortunately, I just don't have time to respond to every article I read. I read much-much faster than I write. And often, on opednews, I find myself nodding in agreement with everything the author says...so anyway, I guess I should perhaps say "thanks" so they know that I came by.
I do want to add one thing here: Folks, Mark is so right (words are powerful) so stop using their loaded terminology, especially when it's wrong.
Example: "Iraq War" or "the War in Iraq"
Folks, this is not a War, this is an occupation. And by allowing them to casually inject that false premise into the conversation you allow them to demand all sorts of things (and more) that could only be demanded in times of War. (I'm in a rush and I didn't explain this very well. I do hope my point is understood. ***Apologies if not***)
Please when you catch someone making the mistake of calling what is happening today "the Iraq War", point out that it is not a War but an ongoing occupation and direct them to this definition on my site: http://www.rosecoloredglasses.org/rcg_warblog/?p=75
by
RCG (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 352 comments)
on Friday, November 17, 2006 at 9:31:19 AM
Sometimes I/we get overzealous in my/our quest for
truth justice and the American way.
And with out my Kryptonite (Quaalude, Prozac, Ritalin)
Rx there are times that some responses overlap from
one article to the next.
I/we apologize for this inconsistency, but hey, a good
response sometimes needs repeating, over and over,
and over again.
Case in point, Cut And Run: (Response)
We are very close to a Police State, and an arms length
from a Dictatorship
A self appointed Dictator acting as President
George Whorehouse Bush
Our government as is, consists of nothing less than
organized crime and a corrupt syndicate that will
stop at nothing to remain in power
Washington D.C. (District of Criminals)
Democrates need new PR Consultants in Washington if
they think the cut and run crap will lose them votes.
This cut and run bullshit means nothing.
Start acting like men with backbone, and damn the
torpedoes full speed ahead
Case in point two: (Independence Day)
I sort of thought Independence Day was celebrated
for the fact that we live as free citizens from
government intrusion, taxation without representation
is illegal, as is illegal search and seizure, and due process
of the legal system where the government cannot arrest
you without probable cause, and needs to specify charges
against you or let you go, and let us not forget no
excessive bail for a person who is charged with a crime,
and on, and on, and on.
What a utopia a country like that must be.
I wish I could find a place like that to live.
by
cherylee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 56 comments)
on Monday, July 3, 2006 at 6:20:31 PM
Mahatma Gandhi was teaching one day,
and a woman in the crowd said to him,
"But Gandhiji, what you're saying today is
not what you said before!"
Gandhi replied, "Madame, it is not my aim
to speak the truth as I may have spoken it
on a previous occasion, but to move from
truth to truth, and speak the truth as I now know it."
Let yourself move from truth to truth.
-from the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi...
by
Katrin R. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 522 comments)
on Monday, July 3, 2006 at 10:02:26 PM
Thanks for the Kick in the Pants - Howling for the Response
As an amateur letter writing, thank you for Howling for the Response. If I didn't have my day job, with children home from college and chaos that never ends, I would read and respond to each and every www.opednews.com article, diary, comments, that always seem to reveal and stir the EMOTIONAL IQ's of many talented and insightful individuals.
Information is not communication, and communication isn't always about information. It's about ACTION. It's about understanding. Free speech, press and opinion are freedoms that many of us take for granted.... however, many of our country's freedoms are being taken away from us, slowly in ways that "chill" public participation in matters of public interest and safety, through abuses of the legal system and influential political and religious forces.
Today is the 4th of July and for the first time in 51 years, the freedoms I have enjoyed all my life, seem more precious than ever before. The lives lost in fighting our country's war against terrorism are tragic and must never be forgotten. Not a day goes by that the media reveals a powerful and/or self-serving political cause that most of the time, is just another abuse of the intent of one of our country's laws or freedoms.
The best way for the public to understand what is at risk today is to follow the message in Howling for the Response... healthy dialog, public participation in matters of interest will get RESULTS... intimidation and fear may follow, especially if your Emotional IQ hits a sore point during one of your postings or articles.
However, this is when our country's freedoms reveal their importance and role in the lives of all Americans. Thanks for the reminder -- there is no doubt that as long as we continue to participate in matters of public safety and interest, without interferences, as a society we can use our freedoms to bring justice and peace to all persons.
Debby Bodkin, Founder
www.catholics4justice.com
by
Debby Bodkin (42 articles, 0 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 44 comments)
on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 at 11:59:35 AM
Thanks, Panurg. Lack of response to diary entries and articles is yet another symptom of a nation where, thanks mostly to MS Word, there may now be more writers than there are readers. Let's try to redress the balance by posting comments to three other articles or diary entries for each article or diary entry we post.
by
Russ Wellen (58 articles, 1029 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 335 comments)
on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 at 1:28:17 PM
......and so very important. Only last night I responded privately to an author on this site who has submitted about ten articles with practicall no feedback to any of them. I let him know how sad I felt about that. It takes a lot of work and caring to submit an article. When you are left in isolation from there on, it feels just 'yucky'....it promotes anxiety and depression. The author agreed with me...he is seriously considering quitting....to no longer participate on this site.
by
Katrin R. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 522 comments)
on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 at 9:14:48 PM
And there are eight. Five comments and three personal messages.
One personal message was bad.. really. But bad or good I loved them all. And I came to some interesting conclusions: we need a topic. Say, let Rob Kall aannounce one topic and we all write on it. Not many, one. And then Rob can shuffle the ideas.
How about that?
by
Mark Sashine (44 articles, 19 quicklinks, 228 diaries, 3268 comments)
on Saturday, July 8, 2006 at 7:45:28 AM
