I answer these questions because I find them to be refreshing. Simple questions like these need some digging in to do, and it is in a process like this that we find out so much more about ourselves. Maybe we thought we felt a certain way about somethign but then realize we felt something completely different. Questions like these aid with the growing process. And we do not do it alone because there are hundreds more who are growing along the way with us as well.

Online communities are free cyber travel tickets that give way into the knowledge of the world. It is an opportunity to find like-minded people we usually would not find around our area. Online communities are the center in which the communication of like-minded people revolves around. Because the world cannot be changed without unity. It is not enough that various individuals have the same goal in mind. These individuals must come together in order to make the noble cause stronger. And this is where online communities like this one come into place.

I have learned that it is not natural to dwell in the times that are not the present. We either sleep, eat, or go out on adventures. But we always stay in the present.

Another thing is balance. Animals show us that we can be defiant and agressive when we have to defend that which is ours, yet we can be loving as well in order to also protect what we love.  As strange as it may seem animals seem to have a perfect love and hate balance.

Animals have also helped me realize that sometimes we don't need more than we have. Sometimes what we have is just enough. There is no necesity to over eat or over-accumulate. We must not overlook the reality that we might just have plenty to survive. We have so much more potential and we waste it all away with our greed.

Published on Saturday, July 19, 2008 by OneWorld.net

Nationwide Protests to Oppose War with Iran

by Alison Raphael

WASHINGTON - Street demonstrations, teach-ins, vigils, and "freezes" are among the events planned for this weekend as part of a nationwide protest against what are widely perceived to be moves by the George W. Bush administration toward military conflict with Iran.

"Freezes," involving a large number of people standing in place for five minutes, are planned for key locations in New York City such as Grand Central Station and Penn Station, as well as Chicago's Millennium Park and Santa Monica, California.

The term and new form of street action derive from the state of U.S.-Iran relations. The Bush administration says Iran must freeze its uranium enrichment program in order to "defrost" relations between the two countries and avoid further sanctions.

Elsewhere anti-war and religious groups, students, trade unions, and others will participate in "Call to Action: No War with Iran" co-sponsored by New York-based United for Peace and Justice and Washington, D.C.-based Peace Action.

Actions are planned in such diverse locations as Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; Melbourne, Florida; Philadelphia; San Francisco; and Waterloo, Iowa.

Two thirds of Americans asked during a recent Gallup poll whether they favor diplomatic initiatives or military action against Iran said they wanted the U.S. government to pursue peaceful negotiations.

While demonstrators around the United States drive home that point, a high-ranking U.S. diplomat will attend a meeting Saturday in Switzerland with an Iranian diplomat - a rare break with Bush administration practice that has largely shunned direct talks with Iranian officials.

William Burns will attend the Geneva meeting involving Iran and a group of European Union countries trying to break through the current impasse, but White House spokesperson Dana Perino has characterized Burns' presence as a "one-time U.S. participation."

The meeting is aimed at convincing Iran to accept a package of incentives offered last month by Western nations, in exchange for ceasing to enrich uranium.

To date Iran has rejected the package, and earlier this month held highly publicized missile tests to show its level of seriousness. At the same time, rumors were rife that Washington is working behind the scenes with Israel to prepare a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Some experts argue that these rumors, whether or not they are true, have a negative impact by fueling Iranian nationalism, entrenching the stance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, heightening tensions, and ultimately leading to intransigence and events such as the Iranian missile tests.

Media reports suggest that a pro-Israel lobby group is pressuring Congress to impose a naval blockade on Iran, which would be considered an act of war.

In response, protestors in Columbus, Ohio plan a "Peace Boat Blockade" for Monday, involving a march on the offices of Republican Congressman Patrick Tiberi, who supports the blockade, carrying toy boats, submarines, and airplanes to "demonstrate the crazy policy that this blockade symbolizes."

The demonstrations are scheduled for Jul. 19-21. Following the series of street actions planned for Saturday and Sunday, Monday has been designated "Congressional Education Day." Protestors will lobby Congress to hold back plans for war with Iran.

Copyright © 2008 OneWorld.net.

Obama Offers Middle Class Bigger Tax Cuts!

Economist Stiglitz Says Iraq War Costs May Reach $5 Trillion

By Vivien Lou Chen and Thomas Keene

March 1 (Bloomberg) -- Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz, author of a new book that claims the Iraq war will cost the U.S. more than $3 trillion, said the final tally is likely to climb much higher than that.

``It's much more like five trillion,'' Stiglitz said yesterday in an interview with Bloomberg Radio. ``We were trying to make Americans understand how expensive this war was so we didn't want to quibble about a dime here or a dime there.''

His analysis comes as the Senate debates a Democratic plan to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. The 2001 Nobel winner's initial estimate of $3 trillion drew criticism from Republican Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, who said that the number ignores the price the U.S. would pay if Iraq became a terrorist state.

``Three trillion is a lot of money no matter how you look at it,'' said Stiglitz, 65, a former economics adviser to President Bill Clinton. The conflict has driven the nation's energy costs higher by adding $5 to $10 to the price of a barrel of oil, and may enlarge the national debt by $2 trillion in the year 2017, he said.

``This war is the first war ever that's been totally financed by borrowing, by deficits,'' said Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University in New York. ``Because we haven't raised taxes, because we've tried to pretend this war is for free, we've been skimping on our treatment of veterans.''

Bills Pile Up

Bills from the Iraq war will pile up for decades to come as the government spends hundreds of billions of dollars providing medical care and disability benefits to about 70,000 soldiers injured in the conflict, he said.

The government also will have to pay back with interest money it borrowed to finance the war, which will drive total costs higher, he told Congress's Joint Economic Committee earlier this week.

The Congressional Budget Office said last month that $752 billion will have been appropriated so far for the Iraq war, the conflict in Afghanistan and other activities associated with the war on terror once lawmakers approve the remainder of President George W. Bush's 2008 war-funding request. The administration's request for $70 billion more for fiscal 2009 would push that past $800 billion.

*Alert: New threats of imminent war Body: Recent news makes it clear why it is more important than ever that we take to the streets on August 2. According to press reports, President Bush has given the Israeli military the go-ahead to prepare for an imminent attack on Iran . Israel is also using U.S. bases in Iraq to prepare for the attack. The British Sunday Times of July 13, 2008 reported: “Despite the opposition of his own generals and widespread skepticism that America is ready to risk the military, political and economic consequences of an airborne strike on Iran , the president has given an “amber light” to an Israeli plan to attack Iran ’s main nuclear sites with long-range bombing sorties, the official told The Sunday Times. “Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready,” the official said. The Jerusalem Post of July 13, 2008 reported: “On Friday, sources in the Iraqi Defense Ministry told a local news network that IAF war planes were practicing in Iraqi airspace were landing on US airbases in the country as a preparation for a potential strike on Iran . ” Once again the most powerful forces of US corporate power – the military-industrial-petroleum complex -are using Israel as their proxy to threaten war on surrounding countries in the region. Israel is armed, financed, and politically and diplomatically supported by Washington . It can not act on its own or without explicit permission from Washington . U.S. tax dollars finance Israel wars against surrounding nations, and Israeli repression of the Palestinians, to keep the area “safe” for U.S. oil companies. This is why it is vital to link the struggle against the war in Iraq and a potential war against Iran with the struggle of the Palestinian people for the right to return. At the same time Washington is giving the Israeli military a go-ahead to bomb Iran , the U.S. Congress is moving ahead to escalate tensions in the region and possibly provoke an incident that would justify U.S. military action. House Resolution 362 and Senate Resolution 580 both require that the President begin blockade of Iran . The House Resolution “demands” that the President impose “stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran .” Enforcing this would require a U.S. Naval blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, which is an act of war according to international law. Approximately one-fourth of the world’s oil, including that from Iran , Iraq , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Qatar and Bahrain , pass through the Straits of Hormuz, which is 21 miles across at its narrowest point (the shipping channel is less than 2 miles wide). These two resolutions have received widespread bipartisan support from members of both Houses, and are expected to pass without debate or vote. A staffer in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office said that once the Resolution hits the floor, it will "pass like a hot knife through butter." Some have speculated that the bill will be put on the floor under suspension — meaning that it will pass without even a vote. Both resolutions accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons, despite the fact that Washington ’s National Intelligence Estimate report last December that made it clear that every major U.S. intelligence agency believes that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. Nor do the resolutions refer to the real nuclear threat in the region – the U.S. , which is the only country that has used nuclear weapons and currently has a massive nuclear-armed naval armada in the region. It also does not mention the apartheid settler state of Israel , which is thought to have more than 200 nuclear weapons. At the same time, two leading Senators announced on Tuesday, July 15, that they had reached a bipartisan agreement to expand economic sanctions targeting Iran . Sens. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called Iran “a threat to U.S. interests.” Dodd, a former candidate for the Democratic nomination for President, said, “This bipartisan bill strengthens economic sanctions against Iran , and authorizes divestment from companies that do business with Iran 's key oil sector. ” Meanwhile, the U.S. is involved in “covert operations” – acts of terrorism – inside Iran . In the July 7 New Yorker, Seymour Hersh revealed that Congress has approved $400 million to fund covert operations in Iran . These operations include: providing support to armed groups opposed to the Iranian government, kidnapping members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and taking them across the border to Iraq for interrogation, the manipulation of Iran ’s currency, and other acts intended to destabilize the regime. Hersh reports that these types of operations have been ongoing at least since last year, but the recent Congressional appropriation signals a significant expansion of these actions. It is clear that the Bush Administration is determined to push forward with its agenda of endless war to control the oil reserves of the Middle East . It is equally clear that members of Congress – both Democrats and Republicans – are collaborating with the Administration, just as they collaborated in authorizing and funding the invasion and occupation of Iraq . It is imperative that progressive activists and organizations, particularly in the U.S. , mobilize to stop another brutal war, and to demand an end to the illegal sanctions and covert operations targeting Iran . Stop War on Iran , an international grassroots campaign, issued an Emergency Call to for protests, marches, and other actions on the weekend of August 2. Response to the call has been enthusiastic, and local organizers are planning events in more than 50 cities, including Los Angeles, Tucson , San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Jersey City, Albuquerque, Buffalo, New York City , Charlotte , Raleigh/Durham, Cleveland , Oklahoma City, Philadelphia , Houston, Salt Lake City , Virginia Beach, Washington DC , and more – an updated list is available at www. StopWarOnIran. org. Now is the time to take to the streets, because only a massive grassroots mobilization can stop another bloody and illegal war. In the next few days and weeks, we need to do everything we can to take to the streets to Stop a War on Iran. We have a real opportunity to help build a massive grassroots movement to oppose the warmongers in Washington. If you haven't done so, please consider organizing a local action on August 2 - or if there is already one in your area, contact local organizers to find out how you can help. Also, please sign the online petition at http://stopwaroniran. org/petition. shtml and help us spread the word. Signing the petition will send messages to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the Board of Directors of Halliburton, and the media. In the next few days, we will be preparing placards and banners, printing leaflets and educational materials, and holding organizing meetings to prepare for the August 2 protests. Please consider making a donation at http://stopwaroniran. org/donate. shtml to help us with the enormous expenses of mobilizing a national response to Bush's war threats. If you have a website, blog, MySpace, or other site, you can help us get the word out by linking to us. Graphics are available at http://stopwaroniran. org/link. html. Above all, join us in the streets on August 2 -for more information and updates, see StopWarOnIran. org.

This summer night, How bright it is even without the light For our passion light up all the sparks If I had only one more night I can promise you I would spend it here tonight No ocean could ever supply for the drought you cause inside my body You know very well it is you or it is nobody Your image burns inside my mind Even when you are done and gone I shall leave these sheets undone Because we know how they’ll end up If only this summer night could last a lifetime Oh, if only this summer night could last a lifetime * Inspired by these hot summer nights: 06/21/2008

From an email by Governor Dean: I wrote to you in late February asking that you sign on in support of a complaint we made to the Federal Election Commission regarding John McCain. The complaint was fairly simple. John McCain decided to break a promise he made to the American people -- he said that he would accept federal matching funds for his primary campaign, but then backed out of the pledge after he started receiving staggering amounts of lobbyist and special interest money. We asked the FEC to enforce the agreement he had made. When they didn't act on our complaint -- one that thousands of Americans signed on to support -- we sued them. Recently, a federal judge said that we had to give the FEC at least 120 days to act. Their time runs out in one week, on June 24. You can put pressure on John McCain to honor his agreement with the FEC by signing your support -- we need 100,000 Americans to stand up and demand that he keep the promise that he made the American people. If we're ever going to have truly clean campaigns, it's going to take all of us fighting for them. Click the link to add your name: http://www.democrats.org/FECcomplaint I know that lawsuits, FEC rulings, and the intricacies of campaign finance law can be a little dry. But consider this: while both Senator Obama's campaign and the DNC have unilaterally rejected lobbyist and special interest money, John McCain's campaign is blatantly breaking campaign finance law to raise as much of it as they can. John McCain -- the self-branded "maverick reformer" -- is the exactly the same kind of Republican we've seen for decades. He breaks the rules to fit his own interests, and he does it at the expense of the American people and the integrity of the electoral process. He knew exactly what he was doing when he signed the pledge with the FEC, because that used the money he was promised in return as collateral on a loan. Be one of the 100,000 people to send a message to John McCain -- the law matters, and we're not going to let McCain and his lobbyist supporters ignore it. Click the link to add your name: http://www.democrats.org/FECcomplaint My February email is below. It explains in detail why we're taking this action. It's time to put an end to this, and I hope you'll help. Howard Dean You can add your name here http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/06/john_mccain_is_1. php..

Healing is the ability to once again walk through the same path that once caused you pain only this time without any feelings of rancor. It is the ability to learn from your mistakes and be thankful for those mistakes. Healing is like rebirth for our soul. It is a brand new start that is not given to everybody. For only the strong are capable to admit, reflect, and move on... Healing is simply a blessing.