Hi Elizabeth ~
I also meant to share with you from the last email, Jamie's lovely observation. She asked if we thought our reading with you had helped our marriage. We said, "absolutely". She then made the meshed fingers hand signal and said, "I can tell. There's some new Carm and Karl energy happening. I don't know exactly what it is, but it swirls differently" Isn't that beautiful! Just thought you'd like to know how your work is helping to "heal the planet".......one relationship at a time.
Peace ~
Carm
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.~ Kahlil Gibran ~
I am fulfilled.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
God's Splendor of Spring
This photograph was taken recently in California, just east of Bakersfield.
I'm leaving Denver tonight to return to California. I've been here for ten days, meeting new people, seeing new things and falling in love with three little blonde angels. Andra is six, and Leah and Jessie are four and a half, twins. Their parents, Barbara and Dave have been very generous to allow me to stay in their guest room for many of these nights in Colorado. I also stayed with Karl and Carmelita in Castle Rock. It has been a glorious journey, a spiritual avalanche.
As some of you know, I was told, back in January, that it was time to 'channel'. I channel information but I was told that it was time to channel a spirit. I've been doing this work for nearly 30 years and, still, the idea frightened me. Well, I got over it and Friday night during a reading, a beautiful spirit I call Lotus Lady, came into the room to answer some questions. At one point, early in the session she nodded to me in such a way, that I knew it was time. I was ready. I let go of all of my fear and allowed the process to proceed. My clients, a couple, had been busy taking notes of their session. There is so much information that comes through that clients want to record it, either by electronic means or the old fashioned paper and pen method. As she was busy writing she noticed that my voice had changed, I went from third person to first person. She looked up from her paper and my face had changed, as well. I felt like I was sitting in the backseat while someone else drove my car.....heheheh. It was pleasant and not at all uncomfortable.
I've been doing many readings here in Colorado and I've decided that I like working with couples most of all. The healings show up immediately. Their friends notice, their children notice, even the family dogs are affected.
I'll be coming back to the Denver area in September to give a seminar...."Women, Power and Wisdom" Now back to California.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Hummer Dealerships
"When a customer comes in to buy the inefficient gas hogs they should be hit on the back of the head with a roll of quarters inside a sock. They should wake up in Iraq and told to get their own fuel."
Now that's funny!
Now that's funny!
"UN Panel Calls for Bush Administration to Close Guantanamo Bay Military Prison *The UN Committee Against Torture also urges an end to secret CIA prisons and an end to abusive treatment and interrogation techniques against detainees. In addition, the panel sharply criticized practices in regular prisons in the United States including widespread sexual abuse of inmates."
Our prisons are overcrowded. Buildings designed to house 100 prisoners are holding three times that. When you hear the word prisoner you may think..."Who cares? Rapists? Murderers? Child molesters? Gang bangers? Let them rot." I know. It's hard not to think that way. But there's the story of the seventeen year old boy who is a good student, a boy scout, and who has never been in any kind of trouble. One day a car side swiped him and he chased after it. He was angry and wanted to do the same back. He did and the other driver lost control of his car. His passenger was injured in the accident and lost her baby. The boy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Big boy prison. How do you think he survived? A 19 year old college student bought some marajuana....a half pound of it for a big party his fraternity was having. He got to the dealers house just as the police were making a bust. He was sentenced to 10 years in the big boy prison. How about the 26 year old father and husband who got off work one night and went over to his old friends house, where he used to do drugs. He's been clean for three years but this night he joined the party and smoked some. He was still on probation for a drug offense.....he had two weeks left of his probation. Stupid? Yes. Criminal? I don't think so. But, he violated his probation so he is in the big boy prison, in a cage, designed to hold two men but now is holding four. He sleeps on the cement floor, with one eye open....four more years.
I remember when George Bush and Al Gore were debating. George was asked a question about the very high number of executions in Texas under his governship. He grinned. He smirked. He's proud of it. Funny how a pro-lifer can do such a flip. Pro-life doesn't end at birth. It's no wonder to me that the rest of the world is looking at us with more than a little skepticism. We think America, The United States is the BEST! Yet, we are one of the lowest rated developed nations for infant mortality, education, health care, and prison reform. Let's be honest. Who do we want to be? What do we want to stand for? Freedom? Can't do that now that we are all being recorded. Democracy? Well, the majority of Americans voted for something, someone else. Decency? Have you seen the attack ads for the next election? It's not close to decency. Honesty? Well, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in Washington, you know it's not that.
Be the change you want to see in our nation. Write your senators and representatives, write to your president. It's time for change.
Our prisons are overcrowded. Buildings designed to house 100 prisoners are holding three times that. When you hear the word prisoner you may think..."Who cares? Rapists? Murderers? Child molesters? Gang bangers? Let them rot." I know. It's hard not to think that way. But there's the story of the seventeen year old boy who is a good student, a boy scout, and who has never been in any kind of trouble. One day a car side swiped him and he chased after it. He was angry and wanted to do the same back. He did and the other driver lost control of his car. His passenger was injured in the accident and lost her baby. The boy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Big boy prison. How do you think he survived? A 19 year old college student bought some marajuana....a half pound of it for a big party his fraternity was having. He got to the dealers house just as the police were making a bust. He was sentenced to 10 years in the big boy prison. How about the 26 year old father and husband who got off work one night and went over to his old friends house, where he used to do drugs. He's been clean for three years but this night he joined the party and smoked some. He was still on probation for a drug offense.....he had two weeks left of his probation. Stupid? Yes. Criminal? I don't think so. But, he violated his probation so he is in the big boy prison, in a cage, designed to hold two men but now is holding four. He sleeps on the cement floor, with one eye open....four more years.
I remember when George Bush and Al Gore were debating. George was asked a question about the very high number of executions in Texas under his governship. He grinned. He smirked. He's proud of it. Funny how a pro-lifer can do such a flip. Pro-life doesn't end at birth. It's no wonder to me that the rest of the world is looking at us with more than a little skepticism. We think America, The United States is the BEST! Yet, we are one of the lowest rated developed nations for infant mortality, education, health care, and prison reform. Let's be honest. Who do we want to be? What do we want to stand for? Freedom? Can't do that now that we are all being recorded. Democracy? Well, the majority of Americans voted for something, someone else. Decency? Have you seen the attack ads for the next election? It's not close to decency. Honesty? Well, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in Washington, you know it's not that.
Be the change you want to see in our nation. Write your senators and representatives, write to your president. It's time for change.
Doing some research....
I have been looking back over the books that have had the most profound influence on me over the years. I dug out a couple to bring with me on this trip. One I've mentioned before, on my old blog, "Living In The Light" by Shakti Gawain. On the back cover it says:
Living In The Light shows us a new way of life-becoming "a channel for the creative power of the universe." The key is in learning to listen to your intuition, and to act on it at all times, even at the risk of going against old patterns, expectations, and belief systems. The rewards are personal fulfillment, aliveness, and creativity, as well as complete transformation of the world around us.
I read this book in 1986 and it was quickly on the top of my favorites list. This and A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson.
Living In The Light shows us a new way of life-becoming "a channel for the creative power of the universe." The key is in learning to listen to your intuition, and to act on it at all times, even at the risk of going against old patterns, expectations, and belief systems. The rewards are personal fulfillment, aliveness, and creativity, as well as complete transformation of the world around us.
I read this book in 1986 and it was quickly on the top of my favorites list. This and A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson.
Wednesday Morning in Denver
I'm sitting in Barb and Dave's living room with their dog TBone. She's a beautiful collie/lab mix and sweet as can be. Their three little girls, Andra, Jesse and Leah are at school, Barb is at a job interview and Dave is working. The only sound in this house is the hum of the refrigerator and the drip in the kitchen sink. This house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and the back yard is the size of a small park. On Mother's Day Barb got the gardening bug. She's never been much of a farmer girl but she has staked out a parcel of ground for tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, peppers and strawberries. They're coming along just fine.
I like it here. I like that there is so much space between homes and as many or more trees than cars and buildings. The air smells clean and piney. My air at home smells like ocean on most days but lately it just smells wet.
I'm liking Colorado very much. I got here Monday morning and was doing readings by 11:00. This is a combination trip, a little vacation time and a little work time.
I'm studying NLP and Time Line Therapy in my free hours...or I'm supposed to be. The view out this living room window keeps pulling me away but I'll knuckle down here any minute.
I like it here. I like that there is so much space between homes and as many or more trees than cars and buildings. The air smells clean and piney. My air at home smells like ocean on most days but lately it just smells wet.
I'm liking Colorado very much. I got here Monday morning and was doing readings by 11:00. This is a combination trip, a little vacation time and a little work time.
I'm studying NLP and Time Line Therapy in my free hours...or I'm supposed to be. The view out this living room window keeps pulling me away but I'll knuckle down here any minute.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Five Stages Of Grief
Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
Anger. The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
Bargaining. Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
Depression. The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
Acceptance. This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
These stages overlap and skip around. You may find yourself at the stage of bargaining and again at anger, then back to denial. The only way out of it, is through it.
Denial and Isolation. At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.
Anger. The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.
Bargaining. Now the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"
Depression. The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.
Acceptance. This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
These stages overlap and skip around. You may find yourself at the stage of bargaining and again at anger, then back to denial. The only way out of it, is through it.
End Times, Dan Neil
If Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" has a single message, it's that global warming is bad--very, very bad. Floods, droughts, famine, disease...a miasma of End Times calamity caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Even at that, Gore is - at the risk of paraphrasing - a candy-assed optimist, according to James Howard Kunstler, author of, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century."
Whereas Gore and other prophets of climate change believe we still have the time and means to avert the worst consequences of anthropogenic global warming - hybrid cars, solar panels! - Kunstler argues with hellish persuasion that we are basically toast. Why? The entire edifice of American civilization- from our mega-scale methods of food production to our great repositories of national wealth, that is, the equity invested in our sprawling suburbs-is propped up, trembling as if balanced on matchsticks, on cheap oil. And there is no substitute for cheap oil.
But wait, I say, when I get him on the phone at this house in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. What about plug-in electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, not a few of which are , here in California, being charged by DIYers' solar panels? What about wind power, biomass or wave power? Kunstler emits a well-practiced Harrumph.
"When confronted with these ideas, people generally go through...what was her name?...Kubler-Ross' stages of grief," Kunstler tells me. "You're still in the bargaining phase." Nothing, no deliverance of technology, he says, could possibly replace the cheap energy we get from oil, and even if it could we would have to surmount the "incredible passivity" of the American people narcotized by decades of abundant petroleum. Kunstler derides the belief that alternative energy will save us as Jiminy Cricket-like wishing upon a star.
When I ask him about the TerraPass program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (drivers pay a fee proportional to the size of their cars to offset their cars' carbon impmact), he goes bananas. "What do I think? I think it's [colorful intensifier here] stupid!" he fairly shouts. "There's not going to be a [ditto] Wharton School!"
So, that would be a nay, then?
Kunstler, 57, has emerged as the most dire and articulate proponent of a school of thought known as Peak Oil, the idea that the world has or will soon reach maximum oil production, after which oil becomes scarcer and more expensive to extract. There's nothing theoretical about it. Like global warming, Peak Oil--a bell-curve description of oil reserves first outlined by geophysicist M. King Hubbert--is widely accepted by serious people. Discoveries of new oil topped out in 1964. The world consumes about 27 billion barrels of oil a year. At current pace, the world's estimated 1 trillion barrels of oil reserves will be gone within a few decades, but as a practical matter, extracting every drop from sources like Canadian oil shale would be impossible, since the effort would consume more energy than it produces.
"After peak," writes Kunstler, "all bets are off about civilization's future."
As gas prices in Southern California hover near the $4-per gallon mark, Kunstler's book--recently released by Grove Press in paperback--seems a lot less fanciful than one would hope. What happens when gasoline reaches $10 or even $20 per gallon, as it almost certainly will, according to Kunstler? The social ecology of suburbia will collapse, and the nation's endless capillary networks of tract homes, with their lawyer foyers, pools and bonus rooms, will become vast ghettos inhabited by gas-less and immobile squatters. The food production system will likewise crumble, resulting in famine and death.
The collapse of industrial agriculture is just one of many ways that "peakniks"--adherents of Peak Oil--contend that these events will precipitate a die-off of humanity (though, in an unusually sanguine moment, Kunstler says he prefers the term "die down" because humanity will live on, despite its reduced circumstances). In the absence of any large-scale organizing feature--federal government itself being a manifestation of cheap oil--America will descend into neo-feudalism, where plowmen will be a lot more useful than IT directors. Put another way: It'll be Amish with guns.
I'm not convinced that the post-oil era will play out quite so apocalyptically. Yes, America wastes a lot of energy, which means it could conserve that energy before having to plow under the suburbs for farmland. Just for an example, the Department of Enery estimates that new full-spectrum LED lighting could reduce electrical consumption by about a third by 2025. With sufficient national will, America could convert to a nearly all-electric automotive fleet in a decade, putting our mobility onto a more sustainable, renewable footing.
But we've got some major infrastructural remodeling to do. Can we do it? Can we negotiate a soft landing? The first step, of course, is getting people to understand that, just like the once-derided case for global warming, Peak Oil is real, to see that train a'coming. Then to act decisively, resisting both a sense of futility and the urge toward anarchy.
It's a matter of hoping Al Gore is more right than Kunstler.
Even at that, Gore is - at the risk of paraphrasing - a candy-assed optimist, according to James Howard Kunstler, author of, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century."
Whereas Gore and other prophets of climate change believe we still have the time and means to avert the worst consequences of anthropogenic global warming - hybrid cars, solar panels! - Kunstler argues with hellish persuasion that we are basically toast. Why? The entire edifice of American civilization- from our mega-scale methods of food production to our great repositories of national wealth, that is, the equity invested in our sprawling suburbs-is propped up, trembling as if balanced on matchsticks, on cheap oil. And there is no substitute for cheap oil.
But wait, I say, when I get him on the phone at this house in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. What about plug-in electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, not a few of which are , here in California, being charged by DIYers' solar panels? What about wind power, biomass or wave power? Kunstler emits a well-practiced Harrumph.
"When confronted with these ideas, people generally go through...what was her name?...Kubler-Ross' stages of grief," Kunstler tells me. "You're still in the bargaining phase." Nothing, no deliverance of technology, he says, could possibly replace the cheap energy we get from oil, and even if it could we would have to surmount the "incredible passivity" of the American people narcotized by decades of abundant petroleum. Kunstler derides the belief that alternative energy will save us as Jiminy Cricket-like wishing upon a star.
When I ask him about the TerraPass program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (drivers pay a fee proportional to the size of their cars to offset their cars' carbon impmact), he goes bananas. "What do I think? I think it's [colorful intensifier here] stupid!" he fairly shouts. "There's not going to be a [ditto] Wharton School!"
So, that would be a nay, then?
Kunstler, 57, has emerged as the most dire and articulate proponent of a school of thought known as Peak Oil, the idea that the world has or will soon reach maximum oil production, after which oil becomes scarcer and more expensive to extract. There's nothing theoretical about it. Like global warming, Peak Oil--a bell-curve description of oil reserves first outlined by geophysicist M. King Hubbert--is widely accepted by serious people. Discoveries of new oil topped out in 1964. The world consumes about 27 billion barrels of oil a year. At current pace, the world's estimated 1 trillion barrels of oil reserves will be gone within a few decades, but as a practical matter, extracting every drop from sources like Canadian oil shale would be impossible, since the effort would consume more energy than it produces.
"After peak," writes Kunstler, "all bets are off about civilization's future."
As gas prices in Southern California hover near the $4-per gallon mark, Kunstler's book--recently released by Grove Press in paperback--seems a lot less fanciful than one would hope. What happens when gasoline reaches $10 or even $20 per gallon, as it almost certainly will, according to Kunstler? The social ecology of suburbia will collapse, and the nation's endless capillary networks of tract homes, with their lawyer foyers, pools and bonus rooms, will become vast ghettos inhabited by gas-less and immobile squatters. The food production system will likewise crumble, resulting in famine and death.
The collapse of industrial agriculture is just one of many ways that "peakniks"--adherents of Peak Oil--contend that these events will precipitate a die-off of humanity (though, in an unusually sanguine moment, Kunstler says he prefers the term "die down" because humanity will live on, despite its reduced circumstances). In the absence of any large-scale organizing feature--federal government itself being a manifestation of cheap oil--America will descend into neo-feudalism, where plowmen will be a lot more useful than IT directors. Put another way: It'll be Amish with guns.
I'm not convinced that the post-oil era will play out quite so apocalyptically. Yes, America wastes a lot of energy, which means it could conserve that energy before having to plow under the suburbs for farmland. Just for an example, the Department of Enery estimates that new full-spectrum LED lighting could reduce electrical consumption by about a third by 2025. With sufficient national will, America could convert to a nearly all-electric automotive fleet in a decade, putting our mobility onto a more sustainable, renewable footing.
But we've got some major infrastructural remodeling to do. Can we do it? Can we negotiate a soft landing? The first step, of course, is getting people to understand that, just like the once-derided case for global warming, Peak Oil is real, to see that train a'coming. Then to act decisively, resisting both a sense of futility and the urge toward anarchy.
It's a matter of hoping Al Gore is more right than Kunstler.
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Point of Power is in the Present Moment
Right here and right now in our own minds. It does not matter how long we have had negative patterns, or an illness, or a rotten relationship, or lack of finances, or self-hatred, we can begin to make a change today. The thoughts we have held and the words we have repeatedly used have created our life and experiences up to this point. Yet, that is past thinking, we have already done that. What we are choosing to think and say, today, this moment, will create tomorrow and the next day, and the next week and the next month and the next year, etc. The point of power is always in the present moment. This is where we begin to make changes. What a liberating idea. We can begin to let the old nonsense go. Right now. The smallest beginning will make a difference. Louise Hay
Take a moment, take this moment to breathe deeply, to relax your grip on what you believe to be true, the inner chatter that runs your reality. Put your attention on this moment, this breath, this present peace. Create it here in the present with clear intention and you will create a change in your life, in your health, in your relationships and in your finances. You create the change in the present moment and that change will echo back to you. It is law It is the natural law of the Universe.
Take a moment, take this moment to breathe deeply, to relax your grip on what you believe to be true, the inner chatter that runs your reality. Put your attention on this moment, this breath, this present peace. Create it here in the present with clear intention and you will create a change in your life, in your health, in your relationships and in your finances. You create the change in the present moment and that change will echo back to you. It is law It is the natural law of the Universe.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Update on Sister Vicky...
Vicky was in the hospital this weekend for the last leg of her radiation treatment. For the past month she's been going into the hospital every morning for fifteen minutes of radiation therapy. It has drained her energy and caused lots of digestive and bladder issues. But, this last leg of the the process was intense. The doctor inserted two radiation tubes inside of her and she had to lay still for two days. We could only be in the room for a half an hour a day but she had those things inside of her. I hated it. But, she's amazing. Sharon brought her home tonight and Linda is staying with her until the morning. I'll go there tomorrow and Mom with spend tomorrow evening with her. She'll have constant help while she recovers from this phase. She only gets a few weeks for recovery when the chemo will start again. I think her last chemo treatment will be in July. Her numbers are down to 11. We hope that by Saturday she'll be able to resume Deep Meditation Massage with me. We'll see her through this. Thanks for your prayers.
I took a few vacation days to spend time with my friend Steven in his new mountain home in Idyllwild. It's the first time in two months that I've seen the sunshine. The air was magnificent and the view, spectacular. Steven, you may remember, lost his partner to cancer, a few days before Christmas. He put his Hermosa Beach House up for sale and within a few weeks the movers came and took his possessions to his new home. He seems happy and relaxed in his new environment, with his new schedule. He's writing a book which happens to be a call for healers and teachers to step up and start doing the doing of our teachings. Every morning he drinks a healthy protein, vitamins and green supplement drink then he writes until noon or so. He then goes to the gym to workout, has a veggie lunch. He was an inspiration for me.
He has plans to build an earth friendly home with all natural products (not wood) and with alternative energy sources. He's out to change the way we think about lots of things. He was telling me about a conference he went to that was all about building alternatives. He saw a dirt house. House made from dirt and a small amount of concrete. I can't wait to see he new creation.
His house warming party is June 24th. He'll have it catered, as usual, and we both hope his beach city friends make the trip to the mountains for the weekend. I'm trying to talk him into going for our Psych K training after that. http://psych-k.com/home.php.
He has plans to build an earth friendly home with all natural products (not wood) and with alternative energy sources. He's out to change the way we think about lots of things. He was telling me about a conference he went to that was all about building alternatives. He saw a dirt house. House made from dirt and a small amount of concrete. I can't wait to see he new creation.
His house warming party is June 24th. He'll have it catered, as usual, and we both hope his beach city friends make the trip to the mountains for the weekend. I'm trying to talk him into going for our Psych K training after that. http://psych-k.com/home.php.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Michael took a harbor cruise....
The pier, down the street from me, has lots of restaurants, gift shops, bars and music, and cruises. Shanon took Michael out on one of the ships to catch a close-up look at the sea lions. The weather was mild for March but now that it's May, it's all grey. Cold and grey. Anyway, here's the love of my life. Shanon has a new one in the oven. She's due in December. >smiles<
$70 Billion tax cut for the rich?
And the United States is paying over $25 billion for interest on loans from China, Saudi Arabia, Germany? This is just stupid. Most people will get a savings of $9.00. But, those making a million or more will get more than $40,000.00 in tax savings. It ain't right.
I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart does with this one.
I can't wait to see what Jon Stewart does with this one.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Stephen Colbert is my hero...
White House Correspondents' Dinner, 2006.
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bullet proof S.U.V.'S out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'S and they need to get out.
Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.
Is Dick really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped.
By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail.
MC Smith , ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's no different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the "fact-inista". We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and it's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.
Every night on my show, the Colbert report, I speak straight from the gut, ok? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term. I'm a simple man with a simple mind, with a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how "the Washington Post" spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out in plastic for three cents a unit. In fact, ambassador, welcome, your great country makes our happy meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all I believe in this president. Now, I know there's some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
So, Mr. President, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull, before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the 10th round. He's bloodied, his corner man, Mick, who in this case would be the Vice President, and he's yelling cut me, dick, cut me, and every time he falls, he says stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky he gets back up and in the end he -- actually loses in the first movie. Ok. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven’t. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite powered car. And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen. What's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914. If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American. I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen. The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will. And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the President's side and the Vice President's side.But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they're superdepressing.And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, W.M.D. intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew. But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions, he's the decider. The Press Secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some heroes, Buckley, Kim Schieffer. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be to my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is I promise you. How is Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.See who we've got here tonight. General Mowsly, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble, don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program, let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. C'mon.
Jesse Jackson is here. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants at the pace that he wants.
It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.
Justice Scalia's here. May I be the first to say welcome, sir. You look fantastic. How are you?John McCain is here. John McCain John McCain. What a maverick. Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you wasn't a salad fork. He could have used a spoon. There's no predicting him. So wonderful to see you coming back into the republican fold. I have a summerhouse in South Carolina, look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light.
Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city. Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., The chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a mallomar is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.
Joe Wilson is here, the most famous husband since Desi Arnez. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said. I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife, Joe Wilson’s wife.
Pat Fitzgerald is not here tonight? Dodged a bullet. And we can't forget man of the hour, new Press Secretary, Tony Snow. Secret service name, Snow Job. What a hero, took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq. Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children.
Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision to quickly, sir. I was vying for the job. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.
(then it goes into his press conference video)
Thank you ladies and gentlemen.
Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bullet proof S.U.V.'S out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'S and they need to get out.
Wow, wow, what an honor. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I'm a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face.
Is Dick really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped.
By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly on into your table numbers and somebody from the N.S.A. will be right over with a cocktail.
MC Smith , ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Mr. President and first lady, my name is Stephen Colbert and it's my privilege tonight to celebrate our president. He's no different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the "fact-inista". We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say I did look it up, and it's not true. That's because you looked it up in a book. Next time look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.
Every night on my show, the Colbert report, I speak straight from the gut, ok? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term. I'm a simple man with a simple mind, with a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how "the Washington Post" spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out in plastic for three cents a unit. In fact, ambassador, welcome, your great country makes our happy meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.
I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all I believe in this president. Now, I know there's some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.
So, Mr. President, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull, before a comeback. I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." The president is Rocky and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world. It's the 10th round. He's bloodied, his corner man, Mick, who in this case would be the Vice President, and he's yelling cut me, dick, cut me, and every time he falls, he says stay down! Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky he gets back up and in the end he -- actually loses in the first movie. Ok. It doesn't matter. The point is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven’t. I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite powered car. And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am. I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist telling us what is or isn't true, what did or didn't happen. What's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914. If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American. I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen. The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man's beliefs never will. And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the President's side and the Vice President's side.But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they're superdepressing.And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, W.M.D. intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew. But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions, he's the decider. The Press Secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction.Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some heroes, Buckley, Kim Schieffer. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be to my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is I promise you. How is Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.See who we've got here tonight. General Mowsly, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble, don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program, let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. C'mon.
Jesse Jackson is here. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants at the pace that he wants.
It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.
Justice Scalia's here. May I be the first to say welcome, sir. You look fantastic. How are you?John McCain is here. John McCain John McCain. What a maverick. Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you wasn't a salad fork. He could have used a spoon. There's no predicting him. So wonderful to see you coming back into the republican fold. I have a summerhouse in South Carolina, look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light.
Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city. Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I would like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., The chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a mallomar is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.
Joe Wilson is here, the most famous husband since Desi Arnez. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said. I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife, Joe Wilson’s wife.
Pat Fitzgerald is not here tonight? Dodged a bullet. And we can't forget man of the hour, new Press Secretary, Tony Snow. Secret service name, Snow Job. What a hero, took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq. Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children.
Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision to quickly, sir. I was vying for the job. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.
(then it goes into his press conference video)
Moussaoui
Moussaoui, Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
You will live life alone
In a room made of stone
You get nothing more from US
But a ride in a black and white bus
We give you no tears
We have no more fears
No one will care
that you'll have no fresh air
We have shown you mercy
Yet only your rage we see
Your mother will cry
As we did when they died
Moussaoui Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
That's the best I can do in the five minutes I have between clients. Maybe I'll work on it later
You're still not sorry
You will live life alone
In a room made of stone
You get nothing more from US
But a ride in a black and white bus
We give you no tears
We have no more fears
No one will care
that you'll have no fresh air
We have shown you mercy
Yet only your rage we see
Your mother will cry
As we did when they died
Moussaoui Moussaoui
You're still not sorry
That's the best I can do in the five minutes I have between clients. Maybe I'll work on it later
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Being a doula....
Doula is a Greek word meaning 'servant'. It dates back to the day when servants helped their employers give birth when doctors weren't available. Today, in America, it means more than that. A doula is an advocate for parents during their months of pregnancy, birth and postpartum adjustments. A doula helps inform parents and assist them in making decisions about their many choices for labor and delivery, nursing and bottle feeding and they are trained to be birthing coaches. It is one of the services I will be providing young families this summer. The advantage I have over other doulas is my training in hypnosis and my life long experience in massage. Hypno-birthing, pre and post natal massage and infant massage are an added service. I've been a birthing coach and loved the experience. It seems like a natural addition to my many services. This was my daughters idea. She's going to be having a baby in December. I guess I'll be spending a lot more time in Phoenix.
Monday, May 01, 2006
May Day
My maternal grandfather was an illegal immigrant. He came to The United States with his parents in 1912. Throughout his life he was intimidated by the idea that he could be 'found out'. Even after he married the red-haired, blue-eyed, Daughter Of The Revolution, he still kept a low profile. Not that anyone could have guessed his origin. He spoke impeccable English and had white skin but still he feared the government would send him back to England if he was found out.
My paternal grandfather came to El Paso, Texas via Mexico, legally. He came with his wife and a baby girl in 1918. He came with enough money to buy a dairy farm and prosper in a community that spoke more Spanish than English. For twelve years their family happily grew but The Great Depression took away all of what they had except each other. I think the loss of his dairy farm broke his heart. He moved his family to Los Angeles to work in the factories but shortly after that he died from a heart attack. My grandmother's well manicured hands became bloody and sore for the long hours she spent sewing garments in downtown LA. She never remarried because she was busy raising her six children, four boys and two girls, to be good citizens. Her sons served in WWII and in Korea. Her youngest was a fireman for 25 years.
Illegal immigration is an issue that doesn't have a simple answer. We will never have a secure border. We can't build a fence tall enough or long enough to keep people away. People from England, Australia, Greece, India, Mexico, Brazil and everywhere else are staying here illegally. I don't know what the answer is but I do know we can't continue to support the system as it is today.
I received two emails forwarded around the net claiming that illegal immigrants are responsible for lowering property values, crime rates, gangs, illiteracy and high healthcare costs. Personnally, I believe the problems we see with drugs, violent crime, gangs, illiteracy, and healthcare costs have more to do with the disease of addiction than with the issue of illegal immigration. The disease of addiction to money, power, food, drugs, television, cigarettes, spending, alcohol, sex, even the addictive-compulsive, obsessive meshing to religious doctrine, (any of them.) These are the diseases that keep us sick. These diseases manifest into heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and domestic violence. Mental illness from alcohol and drugs taxes our system to the point of choking it. How many car accidents are caused by someone under the influence of a drug or alcohol? Have you ever seen the show "Cops"? Drugs and alcohol are involved in the majority I've seen. The rest are men looking for prostitutes.
The white collar crimes are all about greed and power. The sins of our government and corporate leaders seem to be about that addiction. Have you seen the numbers? The wealth, in billions, the oil companies are reporting from last year alone? The ten thousand dollar shower curtains and the one hundred-thousand dollar vacations? It's all about addictions as far as I can tell.
Some of the extreme religious nuts (addicts) are doing things that boggle ones mind, including brutal torture and allowing their sick children to die because Jesus will save them. Hello? Or how about the religious fanatics who claim 9/11 was judgement and punishment from God for our sins. No, not the crazy Muslim fanatics (addicts)....the crazy Christian fanatics (addicts) in America. Pat Robertson said Katrina was God's rath for the sins of New Orleans. He's not the lone minister of hate either. I read an article recently about a church in the midwest whose minister teaches his congregation not to pray for our American soldiers because America needs to be punished for allowing fags to live here. I swear. Give me a hard working, family- loving immigrant, legal or not, over that kind of craziness.
How many illiterate Americans are there? I'm going to go look that up right now....I'll be back later.
Later...........
The Typical Adult Non-Reader
According to the National Education Association, the breakdown for the total population of adults non-literate in English is as follows:
41% are English speaking whites
22% are English speaking African Americans
22% are Spanish speaking
15% are non-English speaking people
In terms of age the NEA reports that:
40% of these adults are 29-39
28% are 40-59
32% are 60 or older
In terms of geographic distribution the NEA reports that:
51% live in small towns and suburbs
41% live in urban areas
8% live in rural areas
Interesting. I wonder if the person who wrote the email blaming illegal immigrants for illiteracy ever volunteered to teach someone to read.
My paternal grandfather came to El Paso, Texas via Mexico, legally. He came with his wife and a baby girl in 1918. He came with enough money to buy a dairy farm and prosper in a community that spoke more Spanish than English. For twelve years their family happily grew but The Great Depression took away all of what they had except each other. I think the loss of his dairy farm broke his heart. He moved his family to Los Angeles to work in the factories but shortly after that he died from a heart attack. My grandmother's well manicured hands became bloody and sore for the long hours she spent sewing garments in downtown LA. She never remarried because she was busy raising her six children, four boys and two girls, to be good citizens. Her sons served in WWII and in Korea. Her youngest was a fireman for 25 years.
Illegal immigration is an issue that doesn't have a simple answer. We will never have a secure border. We can't build a fence tall enough or long enough to keep people away. People from England, Australia, Greece, India, Mexico, Brazil and everywhere else are staying here illegally. I don't know what the answer is but I do know we can't continue to support the system as it is today.
I received two emails forwarded around the net claiming that illegal immigrants are responsible for lowering property values, crime rates, gangs, illiteracy and high healthcare costs. Personnally, I believe the problems we see with drugs, violent crime, gangs, illiteracy, and healthcare costs have more to do with the disease of addiction than with the issue of illegal immigration. The disease of addiction to money, power, food, drugs, television, cigarettes, spending, alcohol, sex, even the addictive-compulsive, obsessive meshing to religious doctrine, (any of them.) These are the diseases that keep us sick. These diseases manifest into heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and domestic violence. Mental illness from alcohol and drugs taxes our system to the point of choking it. How many car accidents are caused by someone under the influence of a drug or alcohol? Have you ever seen the show "Cops"? Drugs and alcohol are involved in the majority I've seen. The rest are men looking for prostitutes.
The white collar crimes are all about greed and power. The sins of our government and corporate leaders seem to be about that addiction. Have you seen the numbers? The wealth, in billions, the oil companies are reporting from last year alone? The ten thousand dollar shower curtains and the one hundred-thousand dollar vacations? It's all about addictions as far as I can tell.
Some of the extreme religious nuts (addicts) are doing things that boggle ones mind, including brutal torture and allowing their sick children to die because Jesus will save them. Hello? Or how about the religious fanatics who claim 9/11 was judgement and punishment from God for our sins. No, not the crazy Muslim fanatics (addicts)....the crazy Christian fanatics (addicts) in America. Pat Robertson said Katrina was God's rath for the sins of New Orleans. He's not the lone minister of hate either. I read an article recently about a church in the midwest whose minister teaches his congregation not to pray for our American soldiers because America needs to be punished for allowing fags to live here. I swear. Give me a hard working, family- loving immigrant, legal or not, over that kind of craziness.
How many illiterate Americans are there? I'm going to go look that up right now....I'll be back later.
Later...........
The Typical Adult Non-Reader
According to the National Education Association, the breakdown for the total population of adults non-literate in English is as follows:
41% are English speaking whites
22% are English speaking African Americans
22% are Spanish speaking
15% are non-English speaking people
In terms of age the NEA reports that:
40% of these adults are 29-39
28% are 40-59
32% are 60 or older
In terms of geographic distribution the NEA reports that:
51% live in small towns and suburbs
41% live in urban areas
8% live in rural areas
Interesting. I wonder if the person who wrote the email blaming illegal immigrants for illiteracy ever volunteered to teach someone to read.
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