remember these scenes really well and we wonder why it is they don't seem to be able to be replicated today.  They were important then.  They are important now.

If we had a media that would actually cover it, maybe it would encourage more to stand up and hit the streets.  Or maybe it was just the draft then that isn't here now.  Or maybe I just don't have any idea why.

I miss John Lennon:

It is my greatest desire and intent that someday soon we will Give peace a chance.

Love and hugs to you all.

 Observations from the Starry Places

Ed Note:  The last time I posted this there were some who noted they were very tired of the peace-maker feel good diaries. . .so if by chance you are one of those, don't read any further.

[Originally posted Tue Jul 11th, 2006 at 04:35:36 PM EST, when we were in the early days of the very same "dust up" that is occurring now. . . nothing much has changed, it seems.  I wonder why that is?]

I am blessed or cursed (perspective specific) by an ability, no, more than that, a need to view things from all sides, or as many sides as I possibly am able to. (A quirk or attribute that often drives friends and acquaintances crazy about me).  So most often I usually view and assess things that I might have little agreement with as having some possible value.  Doesn't mean I like them particularly, but that I allow for the views expressed that seem in great opposition to the views I hold.  I usually can see what someone is getting at or coming from even though I dislike their choice of presentation or the concept all together.

As human beings, we are pretty interesting.  We are so often driven by our emotions and unreasonable expectations of others especially over words, thoughts and deeds that we find offensive personally.  And we are such accomplished beings that we are very well able to and most often do, hide the real reasons behind our responses to things from even ourselves.  We feel justified and righteous in "our" presentation of "our" view of things.  But behind it all is what?

One of the favorite things that humans do and do exceptionally well is hold on to hurts, insults and painful experiences.  Why, we can even hold onto them to our very graves, and with a somewhat triumphant feeling of "we showed them."  We are great clutchers of such things.  Living our lives with clenched fists!

For a while now it seems plenty of us on blogs have been participating heavily in all manner of confrontation with each other.  We like confrontation, although we say we don't.  We like it a lot.  First of all it gives us an excuse to blow off steam about all the things in our lives that are less than harmonious.  Even though the discussion at hand has nothing to do with those disharmonys of a personal nature, it still is a wonderful excuse, and we don't hesitate to use it.  

The next thing is that loud yelling and attacking responses to each other gets the old blood pumping and makes us feel ALIVE!  It is exhilarating!  And we get to righteously pump up our egos in the belief that our views and our ways are the right ones.  Next, we get noticed and you know that old adage of it not mattering if we get noticed for good behavior or bad behavior as long as we get noticed.  Most of us in our daily lives don't get noticed very often.

The detached view from the stars is this:

Holding on to old hurts, pains and insults, real or imagined, is detrimental only to the person holding on to them.  It destroys your spirit and does damage to your soul, let alone the effects it has on your psychological health. Letting go of those things is an act of forgiveness.  If you feel the need to do something about those old hurts, etc., then find something positive do do about them and then let them go.  You choose to get over it or not.  That doesn't mean it didn't happen or that it didn't cause great pain, suffering and difficulties in your life.  It means that you have grown up, have allowed yourself a bigger and more positive understanding of life.  It means you are willing to move on from it and LIVE your life instead of letting life happen to you.  You are defined by your NOW not your past.  Get out of victim hood, it really doesn't serve any of us. Which choose you?

Don't take anything personally.  Nothing here is personal.  I don't care if it is the most vile, contemptuous, name calling, finger pointing, nasty, untrue insult you have ever heard.  Don't take it personally.  Consider the source.  Consider the possible desperate, illogical reasons that may be motivating the source.  Don't take it personally and don't take it as having any weight whatsoever in the scheme of things.  It doesn't.  It only has the amount of power and weight that YOU give to it.

I speak of these things with some measure of authority, because during my long years here I have been just as engaged in such reactionary behavior as anyone else.  I've been it, done it, played it, and now have the absolutely worthless T shirt to prove it.

What about forgiveness?  Forgiveness of self and others.  Followed closely by the law of Allowance.  Allow others to be who it is that they are, regardless of how much you may dislike them or hold them in disgust.  Forgive yourself first and foremost for all the real and imagined actions, reactions, and less than loving deeds you have offered forth.  You are worthy of forgiveness and you are forgiven by all.  You are probably the last one to forgive you.  Forgive everyone else, past, present, future of their less than loving deeds and actions.  That does not mean you are in agreement with them.  That does not mean you condone their ways.  That means that you allow that is just who they are and how far or how little they have progressed through this lifetime.  One or two reasoned responses is enough to state your case.  After that, you are in it for some purpose other than discussion.

For those of you that have thoughts or concerns or ideas to the contrary, I am not speaking of anything here in a religious frame.  This is not the religious or dogmatic version of forgiveness.  It is the mental health version of it.  This is the common sense version of it.

Forgive and Allow

Some of you here are very good at this.  It is hoped that more will follow your example.  Anyone that wishes to live a more empowered and meaningful life can learn.  It is a choice.

The object, in my view, of these discussion places is to read and discuss.  Not to agree with everyone else and not to hurl insults or hurtful invectives at each other.  But we really have to ALLOW others to disagree with us.   Beyond a certain reasoned point continually attempting to change their minds is probably the most senseless waste of time there is.  JMHO

I love you all and I wish for more love and allowing in each of your lives.

Hugs
Shirl

I don't know how many of you watch Charlie Rose on his PBS show, but if you missed last night's show you missed a lot.

His guest was John Burns, NYT Iraq reporter (on the ground for 4 1/2 years). He is often a short segment guest that Charlie checks in with live from Iraq about the latest happenings on the ground in Baghdad and other areas. John is particularly credible, articulate and talks to as many of the different factions that are involved there that he is able, including top US Military, Iraqi Government insiders, our troops, Iraqi troops, Sunni, Shiite, local citizens, et al.  His reports are always sobering and informative far beyond anything we are hearing elsewhere in the media.

John Burns

Last Night Charlie had John Burns in his NY studio for the hour.  It was a very sobering hour during which Mr Burns laid out the complexities and difficulties of what the current situation is.

I can hardly give you any scholarly analysis of the content.  Suffice it to say that we are exactly where we all think we are. . .in S**t up to our eyeballs with no satisfactory, doable, or good solution available.

I highly recommend that you educate yourselves by going to Charlie Rose and viewing the program on google video.

There is no sense of feel good about this situation no matter what "we" do this makes the "rock and the hard place" look like a 5 star hotel.  You all surely know that I am against all war ever for any reason.  And to know what many of us have known from the beginning,
that we should never have gone into Iraq, is no comfort what-so-ever.

John Burns explains in detail who the players are, what their goals and incentives are and emphasizes what any person with any knowledge of this area has known for a long time:  This conflict between the religious/tribal factions has been going on for 1300 years and all involved are intent upon continuing it until "their side" wins or is totally wiped out.

On partition, he says it is not at all workable.  Even if we could stabilize 3 sovereign provinces or areas, there is still Baghdad which is more secular and filled with people of all 3 influences plus Christians and other persuasions.  And all in all, it is his opinion (and mine) that Blood/tribal bonds are stronger than national or country bonds.

This very complex situation (of our making) is a no win for anyone.  On the surge... it is his thought that it might and that is a very highly doubtful might, bring a very short term calming down, but it is not sustainable and it will not last.  These waring factions have been biding their time over 1300 years (with plenty of waring and battles intermixed over the centuries). . .do we really think they will mind taking a few months or years off to build larger support from their followers, gather more financial and military support from whomever, in effect re-group?

On the other hand, he says the "real" Iraqi people, especially those in Baghdad and nearby areas, are very glad the American troops are there and that they got rid of Saddam. The extremists on all sides want us out of there. The Syrian, Saudi, Jordanian, Iranian interests will flow into Iraq to protect their own sectarian interest as soon as we leave.  Blood is thicker than Nationalism. . .remember?  They are ALL related to each other.

Even the British finally understood it back in the 20's or 30's. . .we cannot win or solve anything here and it is depressing beyond all comprehension that the lives of our young troops and millions of innocent Iraqi's are the cost of this murderous game.

Go view the video of last night's show.  You will be more informed about actuality on the ground than you ever wanted to be.

Frankly, I don't even know how to have an opinion about what to do about Iraq. . .our Idiot In Chief has brought down the region, just as those wise people who tried to warn about this have said all along.  I can no longer even envision a "solution."

A little pause in the shopping and holiday frenzy. . .

You know those days when you don't think you or what you do in your life matters very much?  Maybe you might wish to re-think that.

Here's some help from Osho Zen:

You are not accidental. Existence needs you. Without you something will be missing in existence and nobody can replace it. That's what gives you dignity, that the whole existence will miss you. The stars and sun and moon, the trees and birds and earth - everything in the universe will feel a small place is vacant which cannot be filled by anybody except you.

This gives you a tremendous joy, a fulfillment that you are related to existence, and existence cares for you. Once you are clean and clear, you can see tremendous love falling on you from all dimensions.

Commentary:

A naked figure sits on the lotus leaf of perfection, gazing at the beauty of the night sky. She knows that "home" is not a physical place in the outside world, but an inner quality of relaxation and acceptance. The stars, the rocks, the trees, the flowers, fish and birds - all are our brothers and sisters in this dance of life. We human beings tend to forget this, as we pursue our own private agendas and believe we must fight to get what we need. But ultimately, our sense of separateness is just an illusion, manufactured by the narrow preoccupations of the mind.

Now is the time to look at whether you are allowing yourself to receive the extraordinary gift of feeling "at "home" wherever you are. If you are, be sure to take time to savor it so it can deepen and remain with you. If on the other hand you've been feeling like the world is out to get you, it's time to take a break. Go outside tonight and look at the stars.

Copyright © 2006 Osho International Foundation

Osho Zen

It is easy to see why it is I see you as so special!

Blessings and hugs
Shirl

Remember me?

I was the self-described, far Left Wing, bleeding heart, radical, socialist Liberal progressive.

A strange thing has happened to me.  I have become "grown-up" in my political views and understandings.  I find that I am more moderate than I would ever have expected, or maybe it is "reality based."  I am still apparently on the far reaches of the Left on social issues than most, but I am down right conservative or moderate on most issues. . .please take "moderate or conservative" in their true definitions and not the Far Right's misapplied and ridiculous meanings.

What am I talking about?  Well, let's look at war.  I am not for war ever.  Peace is never won through war.  I am not against defending ourselves when defense is called for, but I will never be FOR war.  I am very much a conservative when it comes to how we spend the Tax Dollars and balancing budgets.  We need lots of oversight where money and spending is concerned.  OTH I am very much for a distribution of Taxes in a more equitable way.  For instance, 5% of what a poor person has as income is far more painful for them to pay than the small percentages the ubber wealthy pay.  However, I am for economic leveling of the playing field in a responsible way.  More incentives, more helping hand policies, but no Handouts for able bodies; give them help up with a living wage and opportunities for training so they can really support themselves and their families.  I am for EVERYONE having a place to live, not be dumped out onto the streets.  No one can really live on the streets and in homeless shelters.  Where people need help we should help them, but that does not mean unending handouts.  There are some really reasonable ways this can be done. Also, END EARMARKS FOREVER.  We can do better than throwing $47.8 Billion dollars away on mostly nonsense "vote buying."  There are thousands of inventive, creative ways we can help communities, earmarks is not the way.

Here's my most radical "moderate" view:  Take politics out of doing the people's business.  There are NO Republican issues and NO Democrat's issues, there are only the People's issues. Democracies are supposed to reflect the majority's views.  Yes that means that some on the outlying edges of any particular issue will be disappointed.  Which means I will, for the most part, be wanting more on social issues than will be agreed upon by the majority.  We change by taking one step at a time. It has traditionally been painfully slow to make changes in people's thinking, but if we don't take the steps, always heading in the direction of progress, we will never get there.  I think it will come much more quickly now that we are able to implement change.   The atmosphere of the planet and the people everywhere is changing, we should be willing to be the leaders in that change.

No matter how much I would like to have my way on many things, what I know is that dealing with others, in any relationship of any kind, requires compromise.  By that I mean "reasonable" compromise, and I am aware that many of us will disagree on what "reasonable" means.  Some things cannot be compromised on because they are so inherently the "right way" to go, ie. . .civil liberties, equality in opportunities, adherence to the constitution, etc.  It was a long and difficult process for me to learn the art of compromise.  It came during my over 20 years of active participation in Unions as an Advocate and local, state and regional Union officer for Postal Workers.  It was tough, but I learned.  Being right about any particular issue does not necessarily mean that you cannot or will not compromise, depending upon what the compromise is.

Those of us who have lived for 12 years with the outrages we have felt at how "OUR business" has been run by the politicians in Congress and the Senate often feel this is a time of "pay back" and retribution.  That is not a mature, reasoned and productive thought process.  (And I am absolutely for accountability for everyone in every office everywhere) There has to be some listening on both sides, some reasonable compromises that will allow supposedly mature, thoughtful lawmakers to work together instead of constantly fighting with each other.  Attempting to divide this nation through slimy, deceitful, partisan bickering is the worst possible way to bring about a consensus on anything.  We have many, one could say a majority, in this country who want this juvenile behavior to stop.  We should honor that.  

None of this means that we should not go forward with the issues we feel are vitally important.  This does not mean we should not call bullshit wherever we see it or hear it.  We must be vigilant!  But it is quite important that our elected representatives do so with a moderate tone of reconciliation and the importance of doing the People's Business.  I would like to hear the new  majority remind their fellow congress persons and senators that the people have a right to expect them to work out the issues THEY (the people) feel are of importance to them.

If we act just like the Republicans have acted these past 12 years, then we are no better than they have been and the American People will hand us our hats in 2 years time.

I feel we must hold ALL of the representatives of the people accountable.  And I sure as heck don't care what party they are in.  Those of us who have held and do hold strong political views that align us with one party or another really need to stop and take a breath and realize that the VAST MAJORITY of our fellow citizens do not consider themselves easily described by one party or the other.  Most Americans see themselves as INDEPENDENT from party affiliation.  There are no "Democrats for Reagan" there are no Republicans for Barak Obama (or fill in your favorite), there are only Americans that want you to do the best things for ALL of the Americans.  People will support the candidate that can best present their views to them. . .people are NOT members of political parties, and that is the vast majority of people.  People are hungry for representatives that will listen to them and then will actually represent them.

So, as we enjoy our feelings of elation over finally being able to speak, or at least our representatives have an opportunity to speak and offer oversight, I hope we will consider that we are a part of an amazing Republic that offers us the chance to experience a real democracy.  That means compromise on my part, and on many other's part.  We need to stop yelling at each other and engage in reasoned conversations.  We need to support and honor the 1st amendment right of free speech that we so often rage about.  That means differing views do not mean that the person we disagree with is an idiot, or not entitled to offer their opinion.  It is a discussion, not a yelling match that will move us in the direction we most wish to go.

These are just my post-election thoughts.  You may find them totally out of sync with your own views, and I honor that.  There are many ways we can find an acceptable common ground on many issues. . .if we work at it.

Hugs
Shirl

 

"The music of Joe Hill was a uniting force that captured the spirit of the radical Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) labor movement.

Although he never electronically recorded his songs, Hill's music was passed from voice-to-voice across the American landscape with certain songs emerging as anthems for struggling bands of men and women seeking to redefine opportunity in this nation at the turn of the last century.

Modern students of music history have identified Hill as one the most influential protest artists in American history, an influence that can be heard in the work of songwriters as diverse as Woody Guthrie and John Lennon."  By Mary Killebrew

Sometimes, this earth place is so incredibly beautiful it is just overwhelming to the senses and feelings. The physical visual beauty of it is too much to encompass, too much to contain, too much to refrain from throwing your body down on the cool damp grasses and feel as if your are melting into it, becoming an even more close elemental part of it than is already known and felt.

 

The making of a Conspiracy Theorist

Is it Nature or Nurture, environment experience or a psychological disorder, a predisposition or misfiring of brain synapses?  Yep, it is probably all of these or some combination of them and more.

Some folks like to consider me one of those CT's.  I personally don't consider myself such, but when you hold thoughts and potentials outside of the mainstream people feel the need to discredit you in some way, or place a label on you.  How dare you not go along with what everyone else feels is the absolute!  So I have a lot of fun pretending to don and wear a tinfoil hat with antenna properly adjusted.  It's okay for others to make fun of me or discredit me, or label me, I really don't mind.  We need more laughter here.

So how did I get to this place outside of the mainstream?  Gosh, it just had to be, didn't it?  I started early.  As a very small child I found out that adults lie.  Adults lied to me all of the time.  I almost always found out about the lies, usually sooner than later.  Adults always told me it was for my own good that they lied to me.  It never was, really.  So I concluded that adults did not think I was very smart, or smart enough to know what was good for me.  Yet, I had some very strong sense that the truth was always better no matter how bad it sounded or seemed at the moment. I still tend to question everything.  Nothing personal, I just do.

I also have always had a strong proclivity to believing ANYTHING is possible.  Most normally that limitless possibility thinking is very positive and focused on optimistic outcomes of the highest order.  However, it also spills over in all those lies we live in every day and the possible agenda behind those lies.  It is not something I focus on a lot, but I presume the possibility.  Sometimes after accumulating more information and more experience the possibles become probables. I keep the options open.  Too many try to pull the wool over my eyes too often for me not to.  But I still expect the best outcomes available, and even better than those that seem available.

When I became thoroughly convinced I could not believe my government, ever, was when I was in the Army in 1965.  The lies about Viet Nam were more than enough.  However, I was stationed at White Sands Missile Range, a top secret base of weapons and spy equipment technology testing.  I had no reason to know or see the things that people kept insisting that I look at and oooh and awe over with them.  My job did not require it, but people of all ranks just could not stop themselves from showing me this stuff.  So much for taking seriously the security concerns of "eyes only" and "cryptic" classifications, let alone "top secret."  No one of any rank seemed concerned about their casual displaying of such information.  This is not a blanket statement about all secret information handled and processed in and by the military in all installations everywhere.  This is just my experience in my job at White Sands.

The planes, missiles, spy equipment toys I saw there were phantasmagorical.  Unbelievable at that time.  So when our Government showed them to all via the news media, 20, 30 or 40 years later as THE LATEST AND GREATEST, NEWEST STUFF OUT THERE. . .I laughed.   So it wasn't so new and hot technology to me when it was unveiled all those years later.  My thoughts about this have always been if this is what they are displaying as the newest and latest, what do they really have that they are already using and not telling us about?  I'm just the curious type.

And when we do uncover or the government reveals to us some "secret" or lie that they have been telling us for however long, or continues to keep secrets that should not be secrets at all, their reasoning is it is/was for our own good, and we just couldn't handle the truth.  Gosh!  that sounds just so much like what I heard at 3 years old, doesn't it?

I relate to those who have been thoroughly trounced and discredited in their life and times, yet proved to have been more right than loony.  People like Galileo, Newton, Columbus, Einstein, De Vinci and many, many others.  They were big dreamers who held possibilities and later proved possibilities to be probabilities, probabilities to be fair certainties.  No I surely don't put myself in their class or level of brain power or accomplishment.  But I sure do understand their limitless potential thinking.

So here's the deal these days.  I am skeptical of it all until or unless I have enough information to push me to either the yea or nay column.  Sure, I am still sometimes hoodwinked, but not often.  And yes I remember distinctly that all lies usually have some elements of truth in them, that's what makes them believable to those who choose to believe them.  I seem to be extraordinarily good at detecting lies and liars, not surprising having been surrounded by them all of my life.

I take everything I hear, see and read with a grain of salt, but still option to hold things in limitless possibility, especially if they are optimistic and for the real common good of all.

I feel certain that things, despite the horrendous mess our world seems to be in at the moment, will turn out in the very best possible way. Regardless of what we may have to go through to get there. Maybe we can't even see how that is possible, but I believe it is possible and that it will come to pass.

There is no expectation that others should or would believe as I do.  But maybe enough of us will that things will change and change dramatically for the better.  Thanks for listening and please feel free to offer your opinions whether confirmation of my "craziness" or something else.  I don't mind.  Really I don't.

What about you?  Are you a strict logic absolutist?  A mostly logical nonconspirist?  A bit of a disbeliever but not willing to go too far outside the lines when you color?  Or a wild dreamer as I am?  Or something Else?  Just curious and interested if you care to share.

Here's to a far better world than the one we are seeing now,
Hugs
Shirl

The Israeli invasion of Lebanon was planned between top Israeli officials and members of the Bush administration.
by Wayne Madsen

July 24, 2006
Wayne Madsen Report

The Israeli invasion of Lebanon was planned between top Israeli officials and members of the Bush administration. On June 17 and 18, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud Knesset member Natan Sharansky met with Vice President Dick Cheney at the American Enterprise Institute conference in Beaver Creek, Colorado. There, the impending Israeli invasions of both Gaza and Lebanon were discussed. After receiving Cheney's full backing for the invasion of Gaza and Lebanon, Netanyahu flew back to Israel and participated in a special "Ex-Prime Ministers" meeting, in which he conveyed the Bush administration's support for the carrying out of the "Clean Break" policy -- the trashing of all past Middle East peace accords, including Oslo. Present at the meeting, in addition to Netanyahu, were current Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres. Former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir is very old and suffers from dementia and Ariel Sharon remains in a coma after a series of strokes.

Lebanon and Gaza invasions planned last month in Colorado meetings between Netanyahu, Sharansky, and Cheney.

After the AEI meeting, Sharansky, who has the ear of Bush, met with the Heritage Foundation in Washington and then attended a June 29 seminar at Philadelphia's Main Line Haverford School sponsored by the Middle East Forum led by Daniel Pipes. Sharansky appeared with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum who this past Thursday was beating the war drums against Syria, Iran, and "Islamo-fascism" in a fiery speech at the National Press Club attended by a cheering section composed of members of the neocon Israel Project, on whose board Santorum serves along with Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Virginia GOP Rep. Tom Davis.

Our Washington sources claim that the U.S.-supported invasions of Gaza and Lebanon and the impending attacks on Syria and Iran represent the suspected "event" predicted to take place prior to the November election in the United States and is an attempt to rally the American public around the Bush-Cheney regime during a time of wider war.

Who is WAYNE MADSEN ?

I am blessed or cursed (perspective specific) by an ability, no more than that a need to view things from all sides, or as many sides as I possibly am able to. (A quirk or attribute that often drives friends and acquaintances crazy about me).  So most often I usually view and assess things that I might have little agreement with as having some possible value.  Doesn't mean I like them particularly, but that I allow for the views expressed that seem in great opposition to the views I hold.  I usually can see what someone is getting at or coming from even though I dislike their choice of presentation or the concept all together.

As human beings, we are pretty interesting.  We are so often driven by our emotions and unreasonable expectations of others especially over words, thoughts and deeds that we find offensive personally.  And we are such accomplished beings that we are very well able to and most often do, hide the real reasons behind our responses to things from even ourselves.  We feel justified and righteous in "our" presentation of "our" view of things.  But behind it all is what?

One of the favorite things that humans do and do exceptionally well is hold on to hurts, insults and painful experiences.  Why, we can even hold onto them to our very graves, and with a somewhat triumphant feeling of "we showed them."  We are great clutchers of such things.  Living our lives with clenched fists!

For a while now it seems plenty of us on blogs have been participating heavily in all manner of confrontation with each other.  We like confrontation, although we say we don't.  We like it a lot.  First of all it gives us an excuse to blow off steam about all the things in our lives that are less than harmonious.  Even though the discussion at hand has nothing to do with those disharmonys of a personal nature, it still is a wonderful excuse, and we don't hesitate to use it.  

The next thing is that loud yelling and attacking responses to each other gets the old blood pumping and makes us feel ALIVE!  It is exhilarating!  And we get to righteously pump up our egos in the belief that our views and our ways are the right ones.  Next, we get noticed and you know that old adage of it not mattering if we get noticed for good behavior or bad behavior as long as we get noticed.  Most of us in our daily lives don't get noticed very often.

The detached view from the stars is this:

Holding on to old hurts, pains and insults, real or imagined, is detrimental only to the person holding on to them.  It destroys your spirit and does damage to your soul, let alone the effects it has on your psychological health. Letting go of those things is an act of forgiveness.  If you feel the need to do something about those old hurts, etc., then find something positive do do about them and then let them go.  You choose to get over it or not.  That doesn't mean it didn't happen or that it didn't cause great pain, suffering and difficulties in your life.  It means that you have grown up, have allowed yourself a bigger and more positive understanding of life.  It means you are willing to move on from it and LIVE your life instead of letting life happen to you.  You are defined by your NOW not your past.  Get out of vitimhood, it really doesn't serve any of us. Which choose you?

Don't take anything personally.  Nothing here is personal.  I don't care if it is the most vile, contemptuous, name calling, finger pointing, nasty, untrue insult you have ever heard.  Don't take it personally.  Consider the source.  Consider the possible desperate, illogical reasons that may be motivating the source.  Don't take it personally and don't take it as having any weight whatsoever in the scheme of things.  It doesn't.  It only has the amount of power and weight that YOU give to it.

I speak of these things with some measure of authority, because during my long years here I have been just as engaged in such reactionary behavior as anyone else.  I've been it, done it, played it, and now have the absolutely worthless T shirt to prove it.

Forgiveness is the answer.  Forgiveness of self and others.  Follwed closely by the law of Allowance.  Allow others to be who it is that they are, regardless of how much you may dislike them or hold them in disgust.  Forgive yourself first and foremost for all the real and imagined actions, reactions, and less than loving deeds you have offered forth.  You are worthy of forgiveness and you are forgiven by all.  You are probably the last one to forgive you.  Forgive everyone else, past, present, future of their less than loving deeds and actions.  That does not mean you are in agreement with them.  That does not mean you condone their ways.  That means that you allow that is just who they are and how far or how little they have progressed through this lifetime.  One reasoned response is enough to state your case.  After that, you are in it for some purpose other than discussion.

For those of you that have thoughts or concerns or ideas to the contrary, I am not speaking of anything here in a religious frame.  This is not the religious or dogmatic version of forgiveness.  It is the mental health version of it.  This is the common sense version of it.

Forgive and Allow

Some of you here are very good at this.  It is hoped that more will follow your example.  Anyone that wishes to live a more empowered and meaningful life can learn.  It is a choice.

The object, in my view, of these discussion places is to read and discuss.  Not to agree with everyone else and not to hurl insults or hurtful invectives at each other.  But we really have to ALLOW others to disagree with us.   Beyond a certain reasoned point continually attempting to change their minds is probably the most senseless waste of time there is.  JMO

I love you all and I wish for more love and allowing in each of your lives.

Hugs
Shirl

Promoted by Steven D, with minor edits.

This one should make you just happy as someone about to face a firing squad.

If we don't do our best to contact our Senators and congress critters, and any part of this criminal legislation passes, 85 million people will find that they no longer have the health care coverage that they thought their Health Insurance afforded them, and there will be, of course new higher prices for what little coverage you get.

This idiot criminal, a Senator from Wyoming, Enzi, has a bill before the Senate to do away with ALL STATE REGULATIONS that govern health insurance.  And have added the provision that any state, or states Attorney General that makes any law or regulation contravening this new Federal Law, or fail to comply with this law, will be taken to court by the Insurance Co.

Oh it's a beauty, this one is.

Families USA  Please follow the link to read about this in depth.

S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization Act (HIMMA), was introduced by Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and is slated for a floor vote in the U.S. Senate the week of May 8. This legislation, if enacted, will strip away almost all state-enacted consumer protections for people buying insurance individually or through their employers.

Though the bill's alleged purpose is to make insurance affordable for small businesses, its reach is far greater than that: States will no longer be able to mandate coverage of benefits, services, or categories of providers for individuals, small groups, or large groups. Premium rating protections, enacted by states to make small group insurance more affordable to older and sicker workers, will be set aside. Insurers will be allowed to sue states that do not comply. The bill sets a ceiling on, but no floor under, what states can do to protect insurance consumers.

But we did avert a major earthquake along the fault here in SoCal. . .LOL!

Diane looked exactly as she said she looks, only better than her picture.  Trust me, you need to see the whole person to see how beautifully it all fits together.

Even though I have told you all, more than once, I do not look like that overly flattering picture of me that has been floating around the internet, no one wanted to believe me, not even Diane.  So she got the "up for 24 hours" very tired and bedraggled version of me crawling across the floor of the airport baggage area. . .because I could not walk any more million miles than I already had.

So I am older, not a movie star (or even close)in looks, bad damp weather all the way made my hair frizz up, and I was so pale that Diane got out the blushes and bronzers to bring me back to life.  LOL!

Diane can't quit saying "Oh, that's how you look when you say that. . ."  about a plethora of comments I apparently make repetitively.

We are having a grand time so far and I know it will only get better and then when we add the MeetUp folks to the mix it will be beyond belief.

This is the best part.  There does not seem to be anything unfamiliar about this meeting with Diane, if anything it is even more easy and just plain like it has been for ever more.

Wow!  What a great meeting this is.  Sort of makes me feel like I've finally done it all and have it all. . .I can move on happily anytime now.

Diane is puttering away and not quite walking on the ground. . .a bit floaty. . .but I promised her that.  He he he he!

And yes we are talking about all of you, and we are laughing, laughing, laughing.  She says dinner is ready, so off I go. . .What a treat for me, someone to not only keep company with during dinner but someone to fix it as well!!  Yep, I am spoiled.

In 12 days the Great SoCal MeetUp will be an actuality!

My gosh, can any of you believe it?  It is pretty hard to grab ahold of the idea that it is really happening.

This is double barreled excitement for me and Diane.

Diane and I are worse than teenagers right now.  We are so excited about our actual face to face meeting in EIGHT days!  I am going a few days prior to the VB and BMT meetup so Diane and I can share some time together.  The anticipation is getting pretty hard to bear.  This will be very close to our actual online meeting one year anniversary for Diane and I.  Holy Cow!!  As we have been talking and plotting and planing over the past months, it is almost too much to believe that it really is coming fast to fruition.  It has been always "in the future", and "when" and "how" and now it is smack dab upon us.  

I think (hope) that she is pretty well through her "getting everything perfectly arranged and beautified" stage and able to just let the next 8 days roll by with more rest and less concern about "impressions."  I am in the packing the suitcases stage, going through my check list of things I want to take, things we have talked about me bringing, and things I need to take.  As always, I am sure I will pack too much.  

If you could have been privy to some of our phone conversations over the past weeks, I am sure you would be laughing your heads off.  We have discussed our wardrobes endlessly. . .(you mean there is something besides jeans and t-shirts?). . .we have queired about make up (we don't normally wear), hair cuts and to color or not color betraying strands of gray, and gone back and forth about when we are actually going to Del Mar and how we will get there and back.

As high as our anticipation of finally meeting each other is, add to that the awesomeness of actually meeting some of our favorite blogging friends in person and you can see this is almost TOO MUCH wild anticipation.  It will no doubt be FABULOUS beyond anything we have already imagined and discussed, and we may have to meditate and "transify" ourselves into a state of calmness.

So you can picture a 5 year old Shirl jumping up and down, laughing and giggling, too excited to contain herself!

Can't wait to see all of you who are able to join with us!!!  And remember, everyone is welcome and it is not too late to decide to join us if you can.

Hugs,
from a very excited Shirlstars