A Grand Memory

Today I visited a video that I've not seen in years. Wow! I had forgotten how much this eleven year old performance touched me -- touched me then, touched me now.

As I watched it over and over again, I found I had tears running down my cheeks. They were tears of joy remembering the empathy and love expressed in those days before the reign of George W. Bush. They were tears of sadness at how much we have lost--so much compassion, so much community, so many of the performers in this video. They were tears of hope; hope for the children and for the future of this world.

I invite you to watch it, remember, feel the empathy and love and compassion, and hope:

Shalom, my dear friends.

A Small Step Toward Peace

Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away. ~  Robert Fulghum

Last Tuesday I wrote:

There are many of us (perhaps we're peacemakers, perhaps we're fools) who believe that human beings can live together in justice and peace -- and unconditional love. 


Today the BBC News headlined:

Middle East direct peace talks begin in earnest

 

This beginning of peace talks is a very, very small step. Steps have been taken in the past toward peace in the Middle East:

A very small beginning. But a beginning -- one step -- that needs to be followed by another step.

Making peace is a very slow process. The Innu peoples have a saying: A people must be without war for nine consecutive generations before there can be real peace.Nine generations is a very long time. Many steps must be mindfully taken if there is to be peace.

Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that we must mindfully (intentionally) live peace in every step we take. Each of us must mindfully live peace in every step we take if there is to be real peace in this world.

Peace is not something you wish for; 

It's something you make, 

Something you do, 

Something you are, 

And something you give away.

Please, sing along with me:

An End, A Beginning

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead. ~ Barack Obama, President, United States of America

Nicholas --

Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.

As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.

Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.

By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.

Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.

We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.

In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.

Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.

What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.

For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.

Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.

Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

It is over. U.S. combat in Iraq is officially over.

But...just a minute while I recall...yes! Now I remember: it was on Friday, May 2, 2003, that then President George W. Bush announced Victory in Iraq.


Even though I am overjoyed that all United States combat units have finally departed Iraq, I would be remiss if I celebrated this as the end. After all...

• The Taliban and al-Qa'ida remain a threat not only to the people of Afghanistan, especially the women and children, but also the people of Pakistan.
• Hamas still wants to "kill all Jews."
• Iran's crazy leader is going to have his war, one way or another.
• The cells of al-Qa'ida continue their terrorist attacks on innocent peoples all over the world, from Indonesia to Norway, Russia to Great Britain. 
• The drug gangsters in both South and North Amrica are making life very cheap for the innocents. 
• The unbounded greed of corporations continues to oppress people and nature on every continent.
• Racial and ethnic hatreds are again running amuk in the United States.

I can't go on...this list is too damned depressing.


I do see hope. There are many of us (perhaps we're peacemakers, perhaps we're fools) who believe that human beings can live together in justice and peace -- and unconditional love. 


I may be a deamer, but I believe that Robert Fulghum was on target when he wrote:

Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.

 Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. 

~ Buddha.

May this day be a beginning -- another beginning -- of humanity coming together in and for PEACE.

Too Bad It's Monday Laughs

In May of 2005, shortly after I began blogging, I began posting the jokes I had received in my previous week’s email under the title Too Bad It’s Monday (T.B.I.M.) as the reverse of T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Friday). So again I am going to share with you what I consider to be the best of the humor I have received in the past week. You may not agree with all of my choices, but if even one joke brings you a smile on T.B.I.M., my goal has been achieved.

The Natural Girl for Me

(Chad Mitchell Trio)

One morning as Professor Thompson was leaving for the college his wife told her absent-minded husband, "Don't forget we are moving today. If you come to this house this afternoon it will be empty."

Predictably he didn't remember until he found the house vacated that afternoon. He mumbled to himself, "And where was it we were moving to?"

He went out in front of the house and asked a little girl, "Did you see a moving van here today, little girl?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Can you tell me which way it went?"

She looked up at him and said, "Yes, Daddy, I'll show you."


The doctor said, 'Joe, the good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is that it will require castration.

You have a very rare condition, which causes your testicles to press on your spine and the pressure creates one heck of a headache. The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles.'

Joe was shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. He had no choice but to go under the knife. When he left the hospital, he was without a headache for the first time in 20 years, but he felt like he was missing an important part of himself. As he walked down the street, he realized that he felt like a different person. He could make a new beginning and live a new life.

He saw a men's clothing store and thought, 'That's what I need... A new suit.'

He entered the shop and told the salesman, 'I'd like a new suit.'

The elderly tailor eyed him briefly and said, 'Let's see... size 44 long.'

Joe laughed, 'That's right, how did you know?'

'Been in the business 60 years!' the tailor said.

Joe tried on the suit it fit perfectly.

As Joe admired himself in the mirror, the salesman asked, 'How about a new shirt?'

Joe thought for a moment and then said, 'Sure.'

The salesman eyed Joe and said, 'Let's see, 34 sleeves and 16-1/2 neck.'

Joe was surprised, 'That's right, how did you know?'

'Been in the business 60 years.'

Joe tried on the shirt and it fit perfectly.

Joe walked comfortably around the shop and the salesman asked, 'How about some new underwear?'

Joe thought for a moment and said, 'Sure.'

The salesman said, 'Let's see... size 36.

Joe laughed, 'Ah ha! I got you! I've worn a size 34 since I was 18 years old.'

The salesman shook his head, 'You can't wear a size 34. A size 34 would press your testicles up against the base of your spine and give you one heck of a headache.'

New suit - $400

New shirt - $36

New underwear - $6

Second Opinion - PRICELESS

Shelia walked into the kitchen to find her husband, Fred, stalking around with a fly swatter.

"And what are we doing?" she asked.

"Hunting flies" he responded.

"Oh? Killing any?" she asked, with a smirk.

"Yep! Got 4 males, 3 Females," he replied.

Intrigued, she asked. "How the heck can you tell?"

"Simple." He replied, "4 were on a beer can, 3 were on the phone."


As a crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy's ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, General," she asks quietly, "but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"

The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot's wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose.

DURING THIS SUMMER'S HEAT WAVE...

A photographer for a national magazine was assigned to take pictures of a great forest fire. He was advised that a small plane would be waiting to fly him over the fire.

The photographer arrived at the airstrip just an hour before sundown. Sure enough, a small Cessna airplane was waiting. He jumped in with his equipment and shouted, "Let's go!"

The tense man sitting in the pilot's seat swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air, though flying erratically.

"Fly over the north side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make several low-level passes."

"Why?" asked the nervous pilot.

"Because I'm going to take pictures!" yelled the photographer. "I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures."

After a long pause, the "pilot" replied: "You mean, you're not my instructor?"

 If you're a cop...

...Nine Ways NOT To Start Your Police Report:

1. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...

2. The names contained in this report have been changed to protect the innocent ...

3. The mayor then made an illegal left hand turn onto Mulraney at which point I opened fire ...

4. Before I get into the details, I've got a few "shout- outs" for my homeys in the command staff ...

5. It was so dark and wet that night you could almost eat the mist. The radio call penetrated the eerie silence with such piercing intensity that for a moment, I was sure I'd lost my mind ...

6. Got call. Responded. Arrested bad guy. The end.

7. Mye pertnar an eye wher on petrol wen we seen a man act suspishushly...

8. The suspect then tried to assault me by repeatedly slamming his face into my fist ...

9. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away .



AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE: Dear Penis

WARNING: 

ADULT LAUGHS

NOT FOR THE SEXUALLY UPTIGHT

KATZ

Dat be alls, folkz!