Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. Damien Downing, M.D. Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. Steve Hickey, Ph.D. James A. Jackson, PhD Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. Erik Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D.   To Subscribe at no charge:

  

Miracles: Thought Experiment

posted by Deepak Chopra Dec 9, 2009 5:01 am

filed under: Deepak Chopra’s Tips, Spirituality, miracles, pure potential, wave-particle

Without consciousness acting as an observer and interpreter, everything would exist only as pure potential. That pure potential is the virtual domain. It is nonlocal and can’t be depleted; it is unending and all-encompassing. Tapping into that potential is what allows us to make miracles. Miracles is not too strong a word.

Intrigued and troubled by the possibilities suggested by quantum physics, Albert Einstein devised his own thought experiment: Imagine creating two identical wave-particles that are then shot off in opposite directions. What happens if we ask about the location of wave-particle B? Remember, the particles are identical, so whatever measurement is calculated for one will, by definition, hold true for the other.

Knowing the location of wave-particle A (and thus collapsing it into a particle) simultaneously tells us the location of wave-particle B, and therefore also collapses it into a particle.

The implications of this thought experiment (which has been confirmed mathematically as well as experimentally) are enormous. If observing wave-particle A affects wave-particle B, that means that some nonlocal connection or communication is occurring in which information is exchanged faster than the speed of light, without the exchange of energy. That is contrary to every commonsense view of the world.

Let me try to illustrate the magnitude of this point with an example. Imagine that a company simultaneously sends out two identical packages, one to me in California, and one to you at your home. In each of the boxes is a correlated, unobserved wave-particle, pure potential.

You and I receive and open our packages at exactly the same moment. Just before I cut the tape and open the flaps, I create a mental picture of what I want the box to contain. When I open the box, I find it contains just what I imagined, a violin. When you open your box, it also contains a violin! Whatever I imagine for myself is matched, at the exact same moment, for you. This is what is meant by nonlocal communication or correlation.

Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).

More on Deepak Chopra’s Tips (519 articles available)
More from Deepak Chopra (532 articles available)

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.orthomolecular.org

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., Editor and contact person. Email:

Save an additional 20% on Vitamin World Brand Items, including Precision Engineered, Herbal Authority, and American Health. No Code Needed. Some exclusions apply. See site for details. Valid 12.17.09 to 12.20.09   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, December 8, 2009  

VITAMIN C AND ACIDITY What Form is Best?

(OMNS, December 8, 2009) Vitamin C is commonly taken in large quantities to improve health and prevent asthma, allergies, viral infection, and heart disease [1,2]. It is non-toxic and non-immunogenic, and does not irritate the stomach as drugs like aspirin can. Yet vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is acidic. So, a common question is, what are the effects from taking large quantities? Ascorbic acid is a weak acid (pKa= 4.2) [3], only slightly stronger than vinegar. When dissolved in water, vitamin C is sour but less so than citric acid found in lemons and limes. Can large quantities of a weak acid such as ascorbate cause problems in the body? The answer is, sometimes, in some situations. However, with some simple precautions they can be avoided. Acid in the Mouth First of all, any acid can etch the surfaces of your teeth. This is the reason the dentist cleans your teeth and warns about plaque, for acid generated by bacteria in the mouth can etch your teeth to cause cavities. Cola soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, actually used by dentists to etch teeth before tooth sealants are applied. Like soft drinks, ascorbic acid will not cause etching of teeth if only briefly present. Often, vitamin C tablets are coated with a tableting ingredient such as magnesium stearate which prevents the ascorbate from dissolving immediately. Swallowing a vitamin C tablet without chewing it prevents its acid from harming tooth enamel. Chewable Vitamin C Tablets Chewables are popular because they taste sweet and so are good for encouraging children to take their vitamin C [4]. However, some chewable vitamin C tablets can contain sugar and ascorbic acid which, when chewed, is likely to stick in the crevices of your teeth. So, after chewing a vitamin C tablet, a good bit of advice is to rinse with water or brush your teeth. But the best way is to specifically select non-acidic vitamin C chewables, readily available in stores. Read the label to verify that the chewable is made entirely with non-acidic vitamin C. Stomach Acidity People with sensitive stomachs may report discomfort when large doses of vitamin C are taken at levels to prevent an acute viral infection (1,000-3,000 milligrams or more every 20 minutes) [1, 5]. In this case the ascorbic acid in the stomach can build up enough acidity to cause heartburn or a similar reaction. On the other hand, many people report no problems with acidity even when taking even 20,000 mg in an hour. The acid normally present in the stomach, hydrochloric acid (HCl), is very strong: dozens of times more acidic than vitamin C. When one has swallowed a huge amount of ascorbate, the digestive tract is sucking it up into the bloodstream as fast as it can, but it may still take a while to do so. Some people report that they seem to sense ascorbic acid tablets “sitting” at the bottom of the stomach as they take time to dissolve. It is fairly easy to fix the problem by using buffered ascorbate, or taking ascorbic acid with food or liquids in a meal or snack. When the amount of vitamin C ingested is more than the gut can absorb, the ascorbate attracts water into the intestines creating a laxative effect. This saturation intake is called bowel tolerance. One should reduce the amount (by 20-50%) when this occurs [1]. Acid Balance in the Body Does taking large quantities of an acid, even a weak acid like ascorbate, tip the body’s acid balance (pH) causing health problems? No, because the body actively and constantly controls the pH of the bloodstream. The kidneys regulate the acid in the body over a long time period, hours to days, by selectively excreting either acid or basic components in urine. Over a shorter time period, minutes to hours, if the blood is too acid, the autonomic nervous system increases the rate of breathing, thereby removing more carbon dioxide from the blood, reducing its acidity. Some foods can indirectly cause acidity. For example, when more protein is eaten than necessary for maintenance and growth, it is metabolized into acid, which must be removed by the kidneys, generally as uric acid. In this case, calcium and/or magnesium are excreted along with the acid in the urine which can deplete our supplies of calcium and magnesium [6]. However, because ascorbic acid is a weak acid, we can tolerate a lot before it will much affect the body’s acidity. Although there have been allegations about vitamin C supposedly causing kidney stones, there is no evidence for this, and its acidity and diuretic tendency actually tends to reduce kidney stones in most people who are prone to them [1,7]. Ascorbic acid dissolves calcium phosphate stones and dissolves struvite stones. Additionally, while vitamin C does increase oxalate excretion, vitamin C simultaneously inhibits the union of calcium and oxalate. [1,2]. Forms of Vitamin C Ascorbate comes in many forms, each with a particular advantage. Ascorbic acid is the least expensive and can be purchased as tablets, timed release tablets, or powder. The larger tablets (1000-1500 mg) are convenient and relatively inexpensive. Timed-release tablets contain a long-chain carbohydrate which delays the stomach in dissolving the ascorbate, which is then released over a period of hours. This may have an advantage for maintaining a high level in the bloodstream. Ascorbic acid powder or crystals can be purchased in bulk relatively inexpensively. Pure powder is more quickly dissolved than tablets and therefore can be absorbed somewhat faster by the body. Linus Pauling favored taking pure ascorbic acid, as it is entirely free of tableting excipients. Buffered Ascorbate A fraction of a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) has long been used as a safe and effective antacid which immediately lowers stomach acidity. When sodium bicarbonate is added to ascorbic acid, the bicarbonate fizzes (emitting carbon dioxide) which then releases the sodium to neutralize the acidity of the ascorbate. Calcium ascorbate can be purchased as a powder and readily dissolves in water or juice. In this buffered form ascorbate is completely safe for the mouth and sensitive stomach and can be applied directly to the gums to help heal infections [8]. It is a little more expensive than the equivalent ascorbic acid and bicarbonate but more convenient. Calcium ascorbate has the advantage of being non-acidic. It has a slightly metallic taste and is astringent but not sour like ascorbic acid. 1000 mg of calcium ascorbate contains about 110 mg of calcium. Other forms of buffered ascorbate include sodium ascorbate and magnesium ascorbate [9]. Most adults need 800 – 1200 mg of calcium and 400-600 mg of magnesium daily [6]. The label on the bottle of all these buffered ascorbates details how much “elemental” mineral is contained in a teaspoonful. They cost a little more than ascorbic acid. Buffered forms of ascorbate are often better tolerated at higher doses than ascorbic acid, but they appear not to be as effective for preventing the acute symptoms of a cold. This may be because after they are absorbed they require absorbing an electron from the body to become effective as native ascorbate [1]. Some of types of vitamin C are proprietary formulas that claim benefits over standard vitamin C [9]. Liposomal Vitamin C Recently a revolutionary form of ascorbate has become available. This form of vitamin C is packaged inside nano-scale phospholipid spheres (“liposomes”), much like a cell membrane protects its contents. The lipid spheres protect the vitamin C from degradation by the environment and are absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream. Liposomes are also known to facilitate intracellular uptake of their contents, which can cause an added clinical impact when delivering something such as vitamin C. This form is supposed to be 5-10 fold more absorbable than straight ascorbic acid. It is more expensive than ascorbic acid tablets or powder. Ascorbyl Palmitate Ascorbyl palmitate is composed of an ascorbate molecule bound to a palmitic acid molecule. It is amphipathic, meaning that it can dissolve in either water or fat, like the fatty acids in cell membranes. It is widely used as an antioxidant in processed foods, and used in topical creams where it is thought to be more stable than vitamin C. However, when ingested, the ascorbate component of ascorbyl palmitate is thought to be decomposed into the ascorbate and palmitic acid molecules so its special amphipathic quality is lost. It is also more expensive than ascorbic acid. Natural Ascorbate Natural forms of ascorbate derived from plants are available. Acerola, the “Barbados cherry,” contains a large amount of vitamin C, depending on its ripeness, and was traditionally used to fight off colds. Tablets of vitamin C purified from acerola or rose hips are available but are generally low-dose and considerably more expensive than ascorbic acid. Although some people strongly advocate this type, Pauling and many others have stated that such naturally-derived vitamin C is no better than pure commercial ascorbate [2,9]. Bioflavonoids are antioxidants found in citrus fruits or rose hips and are thought to improve uptake and utilization of vitamin C. Generally, supplement tablets that contain bioflavonoids do not have enough to make much difference. For consumers on a budget, the best policy may be to buy vitamin C inexpensively whether or not it also contains bioflavonoids. Citrus fruits, peppers, and a number of other fruits and vegetables contain large quantities of bioflavinoids. This is one more reason to eat right as well as supplement. References: [1] Hickey S, Saul AW (2008) Vitamin C: The Real Story, the Remarkable and Controversial Healing Factor. ISBN-13: 9781591202233 [2] Pauling L (1986) How to Live Longer and Feel Better, by Linus Pauling (Revised version, 2006) ISBN-13: 9780870710964 [3] Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (2004), CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-0849304859 [4] [5] Cathcart RF (1981) Vitamin C, titrating to bowel tolerance, anascorbemia, and acute induced scurvy. Med Hypotheses. 7:1359-1376. [6] Dean C (2006) The Magnesium Miracle. (2006) ISBN-13: 9780345494580 [7] [9] [10]   Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. Editorial Review Board:

 

 

 

http://www.orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/685

http://instantvideosites.biz/ivs/?e=drdahahn

Black Grape Health (Resveratrol) http://bit.ly/55vZoa 

Seven Keys To Happiness

This article summarizes much of what I’ve learned thus far on my journey to self-discovery and positive growth. Along the way, through many of life’s ups and downs, with the help of many awesome teachers and mentors, I now most often live in a state of happiness and contentment. I still have lots to learn but I wanted to share with you what I’ve found most helpful thus far. I truly believe that all people have the capacity to choose their mental attitude. Therefore, if happiness is what you desire, then you must choose it. Here are some helpful ideas to help you do just that.

1. Self-Worth

Self-worth—without it, happiness will always be just beyond your grasp. Self-worth is, of course, something that can be measured along a continuum. It isn’t like you either have it or you don’t. You can possess varying degrees and those degrees can themselves vary depending on the circumstances of your life.

Generally, the person who is happiest has a healthy amount of self-worth without an inflated view of their own self-importance. This is the fine line that must be walked between confidence and arrogance.

Confidence implies a certain sense of surety while recognizing that each of us is just a different cog in a very big wheel. No one person is any more important than anyone else. Those with high self-worth know their life’s purpose. They are in tune with what their mission is and proceed to make it their life’s work. They also recognize the value of everyone else with whom they share space.

Those who are arrogant recognize their own self-worth but then proceed to look down upon those they deem as unworthy. Then at the other end of the continuum, there are those who recognize the importance of others but don’t believe they are worthy to breathe air.

A healthy balance of self-worth is the key.

2. Gratitude

The second key to happiness is gratitude. It is human nature to enumerate the things that are NOT the way we want them to be. We are programmed to notice when things are off, and not necessarily appreciate when all is as we want it. This makes maintaining an attitude of gratitude a challenge but nonetheless something we should strive for. I have mentioned before that Universal Law tells us that we attract those things we think about most often. When we are grateful for what we have, more is bestowed upon us.

I know someone who believes, “No good deed goes unpunished” and lives his life accordingly. Another person I know always says, “I have the worst luck. Nothing good ever happens to me.” And you know what? They are right! The Universe delivers to them exactly what they expect. There are others who have similar bad luck but who persevere or find the lesson in the situation. These people find more happiness and contentment in return.

Another point about gratitude is to be thankful for what you have. I love the line in the song that says, “It’s not having what you want; it’s about wanting what you got!” There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do better than you are as long as you are grateful along the way. Even when things are bad, there is always good to be found in it. Life is in perfect balance and order. Anything with a great deal of pain associated with it also has a tremendous positive side if we are of the mind to see it.

3. Positive Life Framing

The third key to happiness is positive life framing. There are three ways to view any piece of information—positively, negatively or neutrally. Viewing information as neutral is the best way to go through life. It allows us to accept everything as it comes and to stop resisting what actually is in any given moment. However, many of us have great difficulty with that one.

As an incremental step, it is helpful to find a way to reframe life’s negative events into positive ones. Even in life’s tragedies, there is a way to find something positive about the situation. Almost always, in hindsight, we can see the benefit. The real benefit comes when we are able to see the benefit as the tragedy unfolds, or at least stay open to the thought that there is a benefit even if you are unable to see it in that moment. Just as in physics where there can be no neutron without a proton, so it is with life where there can be no negative event without a corresponding positive one.

4. Internal Locus of Control

The fourth key to happiness is possessing an internal locus of control. People who have an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own behavior and its results based on their own personal decisions and efforts. This is contrasted with those who have an external locus of control. These individuals believe that their behavior is determined by external circumstances such as other people, fate, luck or circumstances beyond their control.

Having an internal locus of control produces a “can do” attitude. An external locus of control generally results in a helpless attitude. Even though people with an internal locus of control still have situations that occur that are beyond their control, they will seek some action that can be taken by them to improve the situation. They do not spend time bemoaning the fact that something bad happened to them. They look for decisive action opportunities to turn things around.

In this way, a person is more in charge of their own destiny. They can reject the role of victim and take definitive action to create greater life satisfaction.

5. Lifelong Learning

The fifth key to happiness is to adopt an attitude of lifelong learning. Your goal each day should be to learn something new. As you encounter new people and situations, look for the wisdom that can be extracted from them. Particularly in areas where we believe we made a “mistake”, seek to uncover the lesson. There is always a lesson to be learned.

When we believe we know all there is to know, that is when we are in dangerous territory. When we think we know all, then we stop learning from the people and situations in our path. When we stop looking for the lessons, we begin to blame things external to ourselves for the pain we experience instead of seeking to learn whatever we need to know for our life’s journey.

6. Love

Love is the sixth key to happiness. I am not talking about having a significant other in your life who loves you. I’m talking about having love inside of you that is just bursting out of you to touch others. Unconditional love is a concept we all strive for—unfortunately, most of us are looking to receive it rather than give it. You are truly fortunate and blessed when you have the unconditional love of someone—whether it’s your life partner, your mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, foster parent, friend or puppy!

Truly unconditional love is rare and a gift to be cherished. However, ask yourself the question, how many times have you extended unconditional love? Do you have unconditional love for your fellow human beings? This is the kind of love that will lead to happiness. It doesn’t matter if that special someone doesn’t love you back, it’s what’s in YOUR heart that matters. Are you someone who only loves as much as you feel you are being loved in returned? That certainly isn’t unconditional! If you are seeking love in your life, then you must be loving in order to attract the love you seek. This will lead to the ultimate happiness—loving, expecting nothing in return. Try it.

7. Contribution, Service

The last key to happiness is contribution. This is a combination of knowing and following one’s life purpose. When people understand their divine purpose in this life and then go about fulfilling that purpose, they are making an awesome contribution to the good of mankind. Having meaningful work and leaving a legacy is an important key to happiness. When we do the work we were meant to do, we touch lives. It doesn’t matter whether one’s purpose is to clean the public restrooms or to find the cure for AIDS, following your divine purpose will bring about a strong life fulfillment that cannot be experienced any other way. Contribution is critical to happiness.

Implementing these seven keys to happiness in one’s life is not an easy task. Personal coaching can be helpful as you are attempting to change some old, harmful habits into more productive, happiness-inducing ones. Jack Canfield says, “Of all the things successful people do to accelerate their trip down the path to success, participating in some kind of coaching program is at the top of the list. A coach will help you clarify your vision and goals, support you through your fears, keep you focused, confront your unconscious behaviors and old patterns, expect you to do your best, help you live by your values, show you how to earn more while working less, and keep you focused on your core genius.” Why not give it a try?

Dee A. Hahn | Create Your Badge

 

 

 

 

 

“Gen. Peter Pace, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked in 2006, ‘Should people in the US military disobey orders they believe are illegal?’

  

“He answered, ‘It is the absolute responsibility of everybody in uniform to disobey an order that is either illegal or immoral.’”

 

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/brecher_smith

  

  

Ehren Watada: Free at Last

By Jeremy Brecher & Brendan Smith

THE NATION

October 26, 2009

On June 7, 2006, a 28-year-old Army lieutenant named Ehren Watada released a video press statement announcing that he was refusing to deploy to Iraq because the Iraq War was illegal and his “participation would make me party to war crimes.” After three years of trying to convict him by court martial, the Army has finally given up and allowed Lt. Watada to resign. Despite his direct refusal of an order to deploy, Watada did not spend a single day in jail.

Watada’s Story

A former Eagle Scout with a degree in finance, Watada volunteered for military service after 9/11. His motives could hardly have been more patriotic. For himself and his fellow soldiers, he said, “the reason why we all joined the military” and “the commitment we made to this country” is “to sacrifice everything–sacrifice our lives, our freedom–to ensure that all Americans live in a country where we have true democracy.”

When he learned that he would be shipped to Iraq, Lt. Watada began to read everything he could find about the war, on all sides, so that he could better motivate the troops under his command. One of the books he read was James Bamford’s A Pretext for War. In a film made about his story, In the Name of Democracy, Watada described shock at what he learned: “Our country, and we as a military, had been deceived. There’s no other way of putting it. Whether they misrepresented the truth, or they told half-truths or misled–it’s a lie.” The Iraq War was “a war not out of self-defense but by choice.”

Watada is not a pacifist, and he based his stand not just on the falsehood of the justifications for the war but on the usurpation of legitimate constitutional authority by the officials in the George W. Bush administration.

“There came a time when I saw people with power, and they held that power absolute and they did not listen to the will of the people,” he says in In the Name of Democracy. “That was the leadership of our country. Those were the people who were in charge of our lives, and yet they did what they wanted to do with impunity, and nobody was willing to stand up and challenge them.”

Watada offered to resign or to be deployed to Afghanistan; the Army refused. He felt bound by his military oath to do what his conscience abhorred. Then he had an epiphany: his military oath actually required him to refuse orders he believed were illegal, and his loyalty was owed to the Constitution, not to the officials who were perverting it.

“I believe the only real God-given right we have is the freedom to choose,” Watada says. “And when we take that away from ourselves, then we put ourselves in an invisible prison that nobody else imposes on us except for ourselves. When you tell yourself again that you do have a choice–I could go to prison for it, I could be tortured, I could die for it, but I have that choice and I can make it–then that invisible prison kind of lifts off, and you feel free. I felt so free when I told myself that I have a choice.”

On June 7, 2006, Watada issued a statement announcing his refusal to deploy: “It is my conclusion as an officer of the armed forces that the war in Iraq is not only morally wrong but a horrible breach of American law. Although I have tried to resign out of protest, I am forced to participate in a war that is manifestly illegal. As the order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I must as an officer of honor and integrity refuse that order.”

Crucial to his argument was the unconstitutionality of the decision to go to war. “We had people within our country with tremendous amounts of power who were doing whatever they felt they wanted to,” Watada explained. “There were no checks and balances like our Constitution espouses.”

His disobedience was also his duty under international law: The UN Charter and the Nuremberg principles “bar wars of aggression.” As treaties, they are US law as well.

Watada was aware that imprisonment was the likeliest consequence of his action. But he planned to put the war on trial in the process: “I will try to argue the legal merits of the war: that it is illegal, that it is immoral and that officers and soldiers of conscience should not be forced to do something that is illegal and immoral.”

The Army charged Lt. Watada with failure to deploy to Iraq with his unit and began court martial proceedings. There began the torturous process that ended with Watada’s recent victory–a process that echoes the old saying, “Military justice is to justice as military music is to music.”

Watada and his supporters prepared to put the war on trial. But Military Judge Lt. Col. John Head refused to allow Watada’s motivation for refusing the order–the war’s illegality–even to be considered. Judge Head maintained that when Watada stipulated that he had disobeyed an order, he was actually confessing guilt, making any defense irrelevant.

The court tied itself in knots trying to maintain the paradox that a soldier has a duty to disobey illegal orders while Watada could not argue that the order he disobeyed was not a lawful order.

When the judge called for the prosecution and defense lawyers to request a mistrial on the grounds that Watada must have misunderstood his own statement, both sides told Judge Head that they disagreed with him. At that point the judge virtually instructed the lawyer for the prosecution to ask for a mistrial, which he immediately granted.

Judge Head proposed to retry Watada on the same charges. But, as Watada’s lawyer Eric Seitz said in a press conference after the court martial, since both prosecution and defense had presented their full cases, that would be an obvious breach of the Constitution’s safeguard against double jeopardy–trying anyone twice on the same charges. The Army, Seitz said, should realize that “this case is a hopeless mess.”

Three military courts rejected Watada’s double jeopardy claim; but as soon as the case was appealed to a civilian court, US District Court Judge Benjamin Settle issued a stay blocking the retrial and charging that “the military judge likely abused his discretion.” The Army announced it would appeal but then did nothing for eighteen months, leaving Watada in limbo. Finally, after a campaign by Watada’s supporters, the Obama administration’s Department of Justice nixed the Army’s appeal. The Army threatened to court martial Watada on other charges but finally decided to accept defeat.

Deeper Questions Remain

Ehren Watada is now free to go on with civilian life. But as the Obama administration goes into arrears on its pledges to withdraw from Iraq, plunges further into quagmires in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and threatens to escalate conflict with Iran, the questions Watada’s action posed continue to haunt us. Here are a few:

Is there a right and obligation to resist?

Watada raised the fundamental question of whether authority–in the military or in society more generally–is something to be blindly accepted, or something to be subject to rational moral and legal examination. He asserted that “the American soldier must rise above the socialization that tells them authority should always be obeyed without question. Rank should be respected but never blindly followed.”

Gen. Peter Pace, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked in 2006, “Should people in the US military disobey orders they believe are illegal?” He answered, “It is the absolute responsibility of everybody in uniform to disobey an order that is either illegal or immoral.” If so, what are the implications for soldiers, for the military and for the rest of us?

Should the military hear claims that orders are illegal?

Watada stated, “I understand that under military law, those in the military are allowed to refuse and in fact have the right to refuse unlawful orders–a duty to refuse. In a court of law they should be given the opportunity to bring evidence and witnesses to their defense on how that order was unlawful. In this case I will not be, and that is a travesty of justice.”

Should the law recognize selective objectors?

The Selective Service Act provides conscientious objector status to those who oppose all wars on grounds of moral conscience. But it takes the position that objectors can’t pick and choose their wars. Yet today there are strong moral grounds to oppose many, if not most, of the wars that occur, even for those who might admit in principle that some wars might be justified. Amnesty International takes the position that there is a right to such “selective objection” and that those who are punished for refusing to participate in a war they consider immoral are “prisoners of conscience.”

Watada recognized that “in opposition to my position, the argument will be made that soldiers don’t have a right to pick and choose their wars.” But, he maintained, “I would respond that it is not only our right but our constitutional and moral duty.” Is it time to recognize conscientious objectors to particular wars?

How can illegal wars of aggression be prevented?

There is currently a broad debate on torture in policy circles, the public and to some degree in the courts. But torture is only one war crime, and it’s not the most severe. Yet there is virtually no effort to question or establish accountability for the most important war crime by the United States in Iraq: illegal pre-emptive war.

As Watada said, “I think the greatest crime that the leaders of a country could commit–the leadership of a country–would be to take their people, their country, into war, based upon false pretenses.”

In a statement that won him an additional charge from the Army, Watada told a Veterans for Peace convention, “To stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.” Is such action disloyalty, or a much-needed addition to our system of checks and balances?

The Army vented its own frustration at its failure to convict Watada by insisting that his resignation was “under other than honorable conditions.”

Lt. Ehren Watada honorably sacrificed much and risked more “to make sure that all Americans live in a country where we have true democracy.” The Army should honor him as a military hero.

“He answered, ‘It is the absolute responsibility of everybody in uniform to disobey an order that is either illegal or immoral.’”

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/brecher_smith

or, Create a Petition

For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools there, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. Kristof discounts the argument that you have to “do security” before you can “do education,” noting that Greg Mortenson has built 39 schools in Afghanistan and 92 in Pakistan – and not one has been burned down or closed. CARE has 295 schools educating 50,000 girls in Afghanistan, and not a single one has been closed or burned by the Taliban. The Afghan Institute of Learning, another aid group, has 32 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with none closed by the Taliban. Kristof argues that these schools were protected by local community support. Judging by actions, Islamic extremists in Pakistan believe more in the transformative power of education than the government of the United States – they provide free schooling and often free meals. For roughly the same cost as stationing 40,000 troops in Afghanistan for one year, we could educate the great majority of the 75 million children worldwide who, according to Unicef, are not getting even a primary education.

Heather Taskovics Many bright blessings to my beautiful friend, Mysticle Wuori for posting this on her FB page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvG1iVw8IjQ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 14, 2009
 

No Deaths From Vitamins or Minerals
Poison Control Statistics Prove Supplements’ Safety

(OMNS, October 14, 2009) There was not even one death caused by a vitamin or dietary mineral in 2007, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. National Poison Data System. The 132-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers published in the journal Clinical Toxicology shows zero deaths from multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin. (1)

Furthermore, there were zero deaths in 2007 from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. There was one death from chronic overdose of magnesium hydroxide, commonly known as the laxative/antacid milk of magnesia, and it was inappropriately listed in the “dietary supplement” reporting category. Nutritional supplements do not contain magnesium hydroxide.

Over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or mineral tablet, the numbers are considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.

61 poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical toxicologists. In 2007, NPDS reported 1,597 fatalities from drugs and other ingested materials. Not one death was due to a vitamin or dietary mineral supplement.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA and the news media so often claim, then where are the bodies?

References:

(1) Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR Jr, Green JL, Rumack BH, Heard SE; American Association of Poison Control Centers. 2007 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS): 25th Annual Report. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2008 Dec;46(10):927-1057. Full text article available for free download at

 

For Further Reading:

Download any Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 1983-2007 free of charge at:

 

 

 

Yeah Democracy!

Ian Springer Woods

More of this “socialism” crap argument? It’s getting stale. Take a look around the world at how many industrialized countries have BOTH “socialized” health care and a free market economy. Having some form of “public option” is not going to drive us down some spooky slippery slope into the arms of Joseph Stalin. Get over it.

The United States government has direct ownership of almost 650 million acres of land (2.63 million square kilometers) – nearly 30% of its total territory. It has social programs such as unemployment benefits, Medicare,etc. It is “BOTH” Thank God!

Capitalist Monopoly is not Free Enterprise.

Some commentators use the term “socialist state” to describe states which provide welfare provisions, such as healthcare and unemployment benefits, despite the economic basis of the state being clearly capitalist.

Dee A. Hahn

Incidently Ted Turner, the founder of CNN, is the largest private individual landowner in the United States.

“With approximately 2 million acres of land, Worth Magazine listed Ted Turner as the largest individual landholder in the United States.

Turner lands are innovatively managed and work to partner economic viability with ecological sustainability.”

Michael John Woods

I repeat, we will solve problems, as Americans. There is no need for fear mongering or second guessing. Mr Obama is a Pragmatist who is trying to get our legislators off their dead centers and make changes that can benefit everyone. Tyranny comes in many forms. We are living under the tyranny of private corporations who not only make the rules but then use their money, power and influence to create public opinion. In this case, however, that’s just not going to work because despite the constant barrage of misinformation, dirty tricks and negative reporting coming from the likes of Fox news, we elected Mr Obama. The same majority that elected him is supporting his efforts to create fairness in the health care system. So squawk all you want to about Socialism. That doesn’t change the fact that we are functioning here as a healthy Democracy.

Michael John Woods

Interesting definition of Socialism in the American Heritage Dictionary: 1) a social system in which the producers possess both political power and the means of producing and distributing goods. 2) In Marxist-Leninist theory, the building of the material base for communism under the dictatorship of the proletariat. The proletariat, as I understand it, is the common people. At least in the Marxist-Leninist version, this is probably at the heart of the failure of most socialist systems because it is akin to being directed by a committee that has absolute authority. America has always exhibited a mixture of independence and central authority. The central authority is usually given power when private interests create abuses (ie the need for all kinds of regulations). Ironically it is the Democratic aspects of our system that gives the govt. more power. If health care was working and people were not being abused by private co’s we would not be trying to regulate them.

Michael John Woods

My point is that the American private sector is alive and well and will not be dictated to by a committee for very long. They will make adjustments so that they can continue to produce profits. None of the health care proposals are going to put Insurance co’s out of business. They will complain, and object, which is their right, but in the final analysis what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.

Prominent people in the insurance industry are beginning to admit to the abuses of power by some co’s. I’ve been in the insurance industry for a long time. I predict that the co’s are probably way ahead of the curve. They have probably already planned their future moves and will deal with whatever congress throws at them. A year from now, five years from now, ten or twenty years from now, we will still have a prosperous private insurance industry. But because of the reforms that we can put into place now, we will have a better society to live in.

 

 

 

They cannot be happy for America when it means supporting our president. Something I believe they called treason when people questioned the previous president when his administration broke myriad laws and lied to start wars.One of the things that the world and many Americans found so disturbing about the bush cabal was their total disregard for the entirety of the flow of history and their disregard for the internation system of conflict resolution created by the United States in the 20th century. A system and set of ideas and ideals followed by every American president from FDR to Clinton. Every one regardless of party or ideology played from the same rulebook. A rulebook drafted from the foundation of American values and ideals. bush thought all the rules – those ones, the ones in the Constitution, the ones in American law, simply did not apply to him if he wanted to do something outside the rules. THAT is why the nobel commitee was moved to present this award to President Obama. He has moved in a short time, a time when he is also fixing the system of finance left in tatters by conservatives, while he is fixing the health care system left in tatters, the environmental policy of the US also left in tatters, moved in that short time to place the United States foursquare and center back in a place of leadership and moral authority stemming from our adherence to our own system of laws and values. He is leading by example, not by dropping bombs on anyone who dare disagree with him. A much stronger and far reaching way to affect democratic change and bring peace.

Posted by: John1263 | October 9, 2009 8:08 AM

A knee-jerk reaction to this news isn’t worth much. It takes a little research to understand the rationale of the Nobel peace prize committee.

1. The committee said that for 108 years it had sought to stimulate precisely the international policy and attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman.

That is to say, the prize is intended as both a representation of what the committee has been promoting and also a much-needed endorsement of Obama, a push in the direct direction.

2. On the other hand, the other candidates were less than impressive. The Guardian for example notes: “Speculation over potential winners had focused on Zimbabwe’s prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, a Colombian senator and a Chinese dissident, along with an Afghan women’s rights activist.”

3. Those who want achievements instead of speeches and efforts, should be reminded that the world’s most intractable problems are in Obama’s lap through no doing of his own, but yes through the doings of the previous American president. He can try but if he doesn’t succeed, it’s not his fault.

Posted by: FedUp1 | October 9, 2009

 

 

I congratulate the Nobel Prize Committee for this bold and correct choice to award President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. His vision, leadership, and initiatives to promote peace and harmony among countries and peoples mired in war and violence deserved nothing less.

This is a great day for America and the world!

Posted by: ejazahmed32 | October 9, 2009 8:15 AM

Water Permalink

http://www.viddler.com/explore/ConspiracyFact/videos/73/

 

 

  

 Net Neutrality

 

RUPERT MURDOCH, the owner of MySpace, FOX, WSJ, NYPost, DowJones (didn’t kinow that did ya?), 39 % of UK SKY, DirecTV (didn’t know that either, did ya?), London Times, Sunday Times, 20th Century Fox (records, films, radio, TV) & another 20% of the world’s media; controlling interest in many more companies & even more controls on CBS, NBC, ABC & any other company that wants to produce programming for DirecTV & SKY (give him time, with proxies & buyouts he should control in 6 months), is now out to force all people to pay for view on the internet. He is trying to take control of the internet.

 

Now, you may not think that is a threat but – Rupert is the fund behind the project for a New American Century – the neo-con group that includes Rumsfeld, Cheney, Kristol (the younger idiot, not the elder who was in & of himself smarter and actually scarier), Bauer, Decter, Wolfowitz, Bolton, Forbes, Quayle & others. He funds the Weekly Standard (Kristol’s propagandist rag) & FreedomWatch (Bradley Blakeman’s shill 501c4 org that promoted Bush policy on the outside- Blakeman was Bush’s lawyer). They are the planners of the concept of perpetual war for the economy & power of the world. Paranoid? Not hardly. DO YOUR RESEARCH

 

Starting July, 2009, the WSJ & possibly the DOW will go on pay net – pay to see; NYPost & the rest to follow suit setting off a 2 tier net. One of commercials & little information, the other pay for information.

Posted by Cosmic Surfer 10/17/09

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Neutrality: What It Means For You

 

(From Care2)

 

posted by: Jessica Pieklo

Network neutrality or “net neutrality” is the principle that Internet users should be able to control what lawful content they view, what applications they use, and what information they post on the Internet without interference, restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service providers.  It is, in essence, the founding principle of management for the Internet, described by the Federal Communications Commission as the “Four Freedoms”. 

As of now though there are no rules prohibiting network operators from interfering with subscriber Internet access and use and no real way for the FCC to enforce, as a matter of law, those principles. That may be about to change.  In September the FCC proposed a new set of rules embracing net neutrality and preventing companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deliberately blocking or slowing certain kinds of web traffic.  The rules came in large response to actions by Comcast and others of blocking or disrupting Internet traffic for its subscribers and censoring access to certain kinds of sites.  The FCC is expected to vote on the proposed rulemaking at its October 22nd meeting.  That vote will set off a series of regulatory procedures, with a final rule introduced sometime in the spring.

The issue is not just confined to telecom companies censoring content.  Large telecommunications and cable companies want to create tiered pricing for content providers to better reach Internet users.  That would drastically change the ability of individuals and small businesses to compete with larger interests to attract users.

Not surprisingly, Republican lawmakers are pushing back against the proposed FCC regulations, arguing that the effect will be to stifle innovation and growth.  In September Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation COmmittee introduced an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill that would prohibit the FCC from expending funds to develop and implement any of these regulatory mandates.  If successful this would hamstring the FCC from doing its job of properly regulating telcom interests for the benefit of consumers, thus leaving Internet users vulnerable to the current predatory, unfair and discriminatory practices of the telecommunications industry.

The issue seems like a no-brainer.  If the content is lawful to begin with, users should be free to access, exchange, and post that content without Comcast, Verizon, or any other corporate interest acting as a gatekeeper.  In many ways the Internet functions much the same way as our public libraries- spaces where information of all kinds is available, accessible, and exchanged.  So long as it is lawful it should be available and free from interference.

And to the issue of tiered subscription services for Internet access, isn’t that akin to discriminating on content.  If a subscriber is forced to pay for “premium” services the same way cable subscribers are forced to buy channels in “bundles” how are those choices determined and how are the prices set?  What guarantees would consumers have that they could access ALL Internet content, regardless of price if telcom holds the keys?

We have already given the telecommunications industry blanket immunity for spying on citizens, immunity for data mining, and now they want to usurp the very democratic principles that have driven Internet growth and development so far.  With all the fear-mongering concerning “socialism” shouldn’t we be worried about the corporate fox already in the hen-house?

Read more: internet, content, fcc, censorship, civil rights, Telecommunications, Net Neutrality

http://www.aapcc.org/DNN/Portals/0/NPDS%20reports/2008%20AAPCC%20Annual%20Report.pdf Vitamins statistics are found in Table 22B, journal pages 1027-1028. Minerals are in the same table, page 1024.http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx The “Vitamin” category is usually near the very end of the report.

Michael John Woods Thank you President Obama for your honesty and credibility. Your speech was inspiring, timely, and informative. It’s great to have a leader in the White House! We will solve problems. Together as Americans. No need for fear mongering or second guessing. We can make this work!

Michael John Woods

Dee A. Hahn

Dee A. Hahn

Dee A. Hahn

The Film

Synopsis

Dying To Live

http://www.dyingtolive.nd.edu/index.html

Immigration is a complex issue that is changing the face of cultures worldwide. In the United States, it is often a controversial issue with many social, economic, political and even religious implications. In the midst of the debate, what often gets lost are the human issues at stake..

“Dying to Live” is a profound look at the human face of the immigrant. It explores who these people are, why they leave their homes and what they face in their journey. Drawing on the insights of Pulitzer Prize winning photographers, theologians, Church and congressional leaders, activists, musicians and the immigrants themselves, this film exposes the places of conflict, pain and hope along the US-Mexico border. It is a reflection on the human struggle for a more dignified life and the search to find God in the midst of that struggle

Report: Good Immigration Policy Helps the Middle Class

Posted by Michele Waslin, Immigration Impact at 8:59 AM on September 26, 2009.

The myth that immigration is bad for U.S. workers has sullied the immigration debate for far too long. A new report by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI), “Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class: 2009 Edition,” sets the record straight. In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and in anticipation of a new round of legislative debates on comprehensive immigration reform, DMI’s report makes a rational, concise argument for why comprehensive immigration reform is needed to improve the conditions for middle class Americans.

DMI states that “good immigration policy should be good for every American,” and designs a two-part litmus test to evaluate immigration policies: 1) Immigration policy should bolster—not undermine—the critical contributions immigrants make to our economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, and consumers; and 2) Immigration policy must strengthen the rights of immigrants in the workplace. Using these two guidelines, Congress can create and implement an immigration policy that is good for middle class Americans.

Bolstering Immigrant Contributions

DMI refutes the myth that our economy is a closed, zero-sum system. When immigrants are working in the U.S., many assume they simply take jobs away from Americans. The fact is that immigrants contribute to the growth of the economy as workers, taxpayers, and consumers. The middle class relies on the goods and services produced by immigrants, and benefits from the generalized economic growth immigrants stimulate. Immigrants spend money, thereby creating demand and jobs. Immigrants pay taxes, helping to shore up Social Security and other programs middle class workers depend upon.

Enforcement-only policies only undermine the contributions that immigrants make. Rather, immigration reform should harness the positive contributions of immigrants, thus improving the lives of middle class Americans.

Under the current system, undocumented workers are vulnerable and exploitable, living at the mercy of their employers—to the detriment of both the immigrants and middle class Americans. The current recession increases employers’ incentive to cut costs by taking advantage of cheaper undocumented workers.

As long as a cheaper and more compliant pool of immigrant labor is available to employers who are willing to wield the threat of deportation against their workers, those same employers will be less willing to hire U.S.-born workers if they demand better wages and working conditions.

Ensuring that immigrant workers and native workers are on a level playing field—the same enforceable rights, the same ability to complain—makes for better conditions for everyone. If immigrants are empowered to exercise workplace rights, they can improve their own working conditions, making the jobs more desirable, and more jobs can become “middle class jobs.”

DMI concludes that comprehensive immigration reform, including permanent legal status for immigrant workers, is necessary. Perhaps Lou Dobbs, self-appointed champion of the American middle class worker, should read the fact included in DMI’s report and discover he’s got it wrong—immigration reform would be a boost for American workers he claims to speak for.

Michele Waslin, Ph.D., is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Immigration Policy Center

Visit MyPeace.TV

Beautiful – Gordon Lightfoot @ Yahoo! Video

Dee A. Hahn | Create Your Badge

Right now, America’s prairie dogs are being poisoned and suffering horrible deaths. Slowly bleeding to death – even through their skin – their agony can last weeks. 

The cause of their deaths: the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) shocking approval of the use of two incredibly toxic poisons known to cause wildlife deaths well beyond their intended use – Rozol and the morbidly named Kaput-D.

Defenders of Wildlife is going to court to protect prairie dogs and other prairie wildlife from these deadly poisons, but we need your support to win. Please donate today to support our emergency legal efforts.

Prairie dogs are an essential part of healthy prairie ecosystems; they are a food source for predators, maintain short vegetation, and dig burrows that many other animals also use. But these keystone mammals already have been eradicated from more than 95% of their historic range across the Great Plains! 

      

Scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have questioned the EPA’s approval of Rozol and Kaput-D, citing serious concerns about the effects of these poisons on prairie ecosystems – and especially on highly endangered black footed ferrets and imperiled swift fox, burrowing owls, bald and golden eagles and other wildlife linked to prairie dogs in the food chain.

 

 

 

 

 

Yet these poisons are now being used to kill prairie dogs, threatening many of the imperiled prairie bids and mammals that we’ve fought so hard to rescue from extinction.

Last week, we filed a lawsuit with our local allies at Audubon of Kansas challenging the use of Rozol and Kaput-D. We face a tough fight ahead as we take on the lawyers at the EPA and the well-funded legal teams of the makers of these poisons.

Help us win in court with your tax-deductible contribution to save prairie dogs and other endangered wildlife from an agonizing death.

Rozol and Kaput-D can take weeks to kill a poisoned prairie dog, making them easy prey as they become disoriented and slowly lose bodily function.

And, because these poisons can linger in a prairie dog’s carcass for weeks, animals like black-footed ferrets and birds that feed on dead or dying prairie dogs or live in contaminated burrows (as burrowing owls often do) can also inadvertently become poisoned and share the same grim fate.

The effects of Rozol and Kaput-D are widespread and dangerous. Will you help us fight in court to end the misuse of these deadly poisons and protect America’s prairie wildlife?

      

For the Wild Ones, 

 

 

 

 

 

Jonathan Proctor Rocky Mountain Region Representative Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. Your help can make a big difference. Thanks to the actions and donations of caring people like you, Defenders has been able to help the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana and private landowners in Kansas save two important prairie dog colonies in these states and help establish two new footholds on America’s plains for endangered black-footed ferrets.

Please make a secure donation online now or call 1-800-385-9712 to help us win our latest fight for America’s wildlife!

 

 

The fact that he was elected was reason enough for him to be this year’s recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

Because on that day the murderous actions of the Bush/Cheney years were totally and thoroughly rebuked. One man — a man who opposed the War in Iraq from the beginning — offered to end the insanity. The world has stood by in utter horror for the past eight years as they watched the descendants of Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson light the fuse of our own self-destruction. We flipped off the nations on this planet by abandoning Kyoto and then proceeded to melt eight more years worth of the polar ice caps. We invaded two nations that didn’t attack us, failed to find the real terrorists and, in effect, ignited our own wave of terror. People all over the world wondered if we had gone mad.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the outgoing Joker presided over the worst global financial collapse since the Great Depression. Michael Moore

     http://storyofstuff.com/ 

Susan Boyle touched our hearts as a talent contestant. Maybe some people have become

tired of hearing about her. Most of us want to hear more. I think you will enjoy her new

professional single from her new album. Definitely more than “a flash in the pan”!

From Katie Freiling.

 This is one of the most enlightening short clips I’ve

 watched in a long time:

 http://storyofstuff.com/

PLEASE check this out, it’s important!

The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard

Source: www.storyofstuff.com

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all

the stuff in our lives

affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of

this is hidden from view.

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-

filled look at the underside of

our production and consumption patterns. …

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=132672265877&h=PsdSz&u=OgpTq&ref=nf

Some satire with satire’s usual focus on the real truth!

The Awakening Course: Discover The Missing

Secret for Attracting Wealth, Health,

Happiness and Love. Click Here!

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a New Testament parable appearing only in the Gospel of Luke.^[1] (Also known as The Good Neighbour). The majority view indicates this parable is told by Jesus in order to illustrate that human kindness and fellow feeling must be available to all, and that fulfilling the spirit of the Law is just as important as fulfilling the letter of the Law, see also Letter and spirit of the law. Jesus puts the definition of neighbor into an enlarged context, beyond what people usually thought of as a neighbor.

The parable

The parable is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25-37.

[the preceding context of the parable here]

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

[the parable starts here]

Jesus replied with a story:

“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” New Living Translation

I wonder, why would you make sure your neighbor had health care, if there was no profit in it?

First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.
–Thomas Kempis, 1379-1471, German Monk, Mystic, Religious Writer

This was one of the encouraging things on Alyse Williams Blog.

If you don’t know Alyse, check out her blog here:

http://gettoknowalyse.com/

But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.
–John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, Thirty-fifth President of the USA

 We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives, that it is inside ourselves.  Albert Camus

We can work on inner peace and world peace at the same time. On one hand, people have found inner peace by losing themselves in a cause larger than themselves, like the cause of world peace, because finding inner peace means coming from the self-centered life into the life centered in the good of the whole. On the other hand, one of the ways of working for world peace is to work for more inner peace, because world peace will never be stable until enough of us find inner peace to stabilize it.
–Peace Pilgrim, 1908-1981, American Peace Activist

Why did the Buddha laugh?

 http://www.globalpeacemap.com/make-a-world-of-difference/Oneness.html

Confusion about  Vitamin D

Once again, it’s the peculiar false bias of physicians and pharmacists: If it’s prescription, it must be good; if it comes from a health food store, it must be bogus.

Humans need human vitamin D. Plain and simple.

For more on the D2 vs. D3 issue, see the Heart Scan Post, The case against vitamin D2.

Fom the Heart Scan Blog

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes from within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.
–Black Elk, 19th Century American Native Religious Leader

Think not forever of yourselves, O Chiefs, nor of your own generation. Think of continuing generations of our families, think of our grandchildren and of those yet unborn, whose faces are coming from beneath the ground.
–T. S. Eliot, 1888-1965, American-born British Poet, Critic

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where these is hatred, let me sow love.
–St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226, Italian Preacher, Founder of the Franciscan Order

Left Wing & A Prayer

bigraccoon@earthlink.net;

“Add it all up, and the plan I’m proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years – less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.”

- President Barack Obama, Address to Joint Session of Congress, September 9, 2009

A recent report from Citizens for Tax Justice finds that the Bush tax cuts cost almost $2.5 trillion over the decade after they were first enacted (2001-2010). Preliminary estimates from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office show that the House Democrats’ health care reform legislation is projected to cost $1 trillion over the decade after it would be enacted (2010-2019). President Obama said during his address to Congress that his health care plan would cost a little less than the House plan, at “around $900 billion over ten years.”

As the President said, even the Bush tax cuts “for the wealthiest few” cost more than his health care plan. The direct cost of the tax cuts for just the richest five percent of taxpayers over the 2001-2010 period is $979 billion. (The cost is even greater if one includes interest payments that resulted because the Bush tax cuts were deficit-financed.) In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in completely, an incredible 52.5 percent of them will go to this wealthiest five percent of taxpayers.

Oddly, many of the lawmakers who claim to be concerned about the cost of the President’s health care plan are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts, despite their much greater costs.

http://www.ctj.org 

These figures make clear that costs cannot be the real concern of lawmakers who oppose health care reform and yet supported the Bush tax cuts. Their position seems to be that showering benefits on the wealthiest five percent of taxpayers and leaving the bill for future generations is preferable to making health care available for all at a much lower cost and paying that cost up front. That demonstrates a different set of priorities than most Americans have, but it doesn’t demonstrate much concern about costs.

I‘m sure you believe in everything you are saying, what I’m saying is that you wouldn’t be where you are if you thought something different. Chomsky

“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads;
and as we pass through them they prove to be
many colored lenses, which paint the world
their own hue, and each shows us only what lies
in its own focus.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery. ~Harold Wilson

DesktopLightning – Click Here For Free Traffic http://cs88.clearspring.com/u/4a5e89c17fec94df/4a86cce81b1d9a27 http://cs88.clearspring.com/u/4a5e89c17fec94df/4a86cce81b1d9a27

Every time you tell your better-feeling story, you will feel better and the details of your life will improve.

DesktopLightning – Click Here For Free Traffic