Article: SHOCKER OF ALL SHOCKERS!!!!!

IRAQI PARLAIMENT, AMID DISASTROUS WAR, TAKES OFF AUGUST, (WHILE U.S. CONGRESS, AMID EXACT SAME DISASTROUS WAR PLUS ONE, TAKES OFF AUGUST)

That's it folks, its over. Our arrogant exceptionalism is boundless and naked. No one with a brain in his head (which of course excludes our President and he whose name we shall not mention) can miss the fact that we have missed almost all the facts. That even if we saved all 700 Billion we have spent in Iraq, we could not buy a f*cking clue.

Gandhi said (paraphrased) we must become the change we want to see in the world. Jesus said something about not pointing out the sty in your neighbor's eye before you have dislodged the log in your own (not to mention some talk of doing unto others), but then what right-wing "Christian" regressive cares one whit about what Jesus really said. Sidharta Buddha spoke of the impossibility of differentiation.

But no one needs to know anything sophisticated to understand the outrageousness of our leaders' outrage at the Iraqi parliament. Hell, all you need to know is "monkey see, monkey do" to understand the absurdity of criticizing the Iraqi parliament for taking off August while Americans are fighting and dying when our own Congress and our President and Supreme Court are all taking off August while Americans are fighting and dying.

I think Tony Snow recently said something about such castigations taking a lot of chutzpah. But Snow has more of that sh*t than almost anyone in the world. Snow actually noted that it is 130 degrees in Baghdad in August, so, of course the privileged in Parliament high-tail it out of town. Snow apparently does not care even a little that the parliament is leaving behind the lowly dupes who voted for them to suffer and die in that exact same heat, if they are not killed by bullets or bombs or disease or Allah knows what. It's only in the 90's most days in D.C. and our own over-privileged overlords abandon their cushy, air-conditioned workplace to ecape the heat. Also apparently not caring at all that they are leaving behind hundreds of thousands of impoverished dupes, who don't even have a representative, to suffer and die in that exact same heat (without AC), or from bullets or lack of health care or God knows what.

Look, its like this. Privileged Bush and Cheney and Snow and the privileged Iraqi Parliament and the privileged American Congress are just like the privileged everywhere. They believe,

no, no,

and this is a very important distinction, they actually KNOW

They KNOW they are entitled to, well, privileges, to which others, their neighbors, their families, even the very people to whom they owe their privileged status (employees, voters, consumers) are not entitled. The privileged KNOW they are exceptions to the rules applying to others; KNOW they do not have to suffer in the exact same conditions as their fellow citizens.

The NERVE of these people. The arrogance, audacity and sinful pride of human beings who believe they deserve to live in luxury while others just like them deserve to suffer and die during their vacations.

Now, do I believe things are hopeless? No. But I believe we are running seriously short of time; that the Goddess or universe or spirit or God or Allah or whatever is screaming at us:

GET OFF THE FENCE. TAKE A STAND.

THESE PEOPLE REALLY ARE TRYING TO ENSLAVE YOU.

TRYING TO TAKE IT ALL FOR THEMSELVES.

THEY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL STOPPED

AND ONLY YOU CAN STOP THEM.

PEACEFUL, NON -VIOLENT RESISTANCE IS THE ONLY WAY.

RESIST NOW. OR SOON YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO.

A bunch of privileged gentlemen once risked their lives to break from other, more oppressive privileged gentleman, and our great nation was born. I do not believe the privileged anymore are willing to risk their luxury for the freedom of others (they think they can buy their way out of any oppression borne on the masses). Only the people can do it this time.