Listen To This

My favorite radio show, Stephanie Miller is always hysterically funny. They had this segment on Friday and I laughed so hard, I cried. Just listen (not for the squeamish, or anyone who has difficulty taking a joke)

Stand Up News (QT)

A Good Day for the Dems

This isn't particularly good news, but in light of the upcoming elections, bad news for the GOP is always good news to me. Here's a quick summary of the headlines:

The Bush Administration Lied (surprise!) About It's Ties to the Criminal Lobbyist Jack Abramoff:

It turns out that Jack and the White House had over 485 contacts over the past 6 years. On May 10th, the Secret Service released a report claiming that the lobbyist had only been to the WH twice. The WH was forced to release the misleading information (after refusing several times) in May by the group Jucidial Watch, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Well, it turns out we're not free to see information that the administration doesn't want us to see, even when there's a public request to see information that has absolutely nothing to do with national security.

From Bloomberg.com:

Abramoff, 47, claimed he personally had at least 66 contacts with White House officials, including at least 10 with White House chief political adviser Karl Rove, according to the yet-to- be-released report by the House Committee on Government Reform. Bloomberg News obtained a copy of the study, which was first reported last night by ABC News.
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Thanks to Bob Woodward's new book: State of Denial, we have these two new headlines.
Former Chief of Staff Andrew Card And Laura Bush Tried to Convince the President to Fire Donald Rumsfeld Back In 2004

From Washington Post:
Former White House chief of staff Andrew Card on two occasions tried and failed to persuade President Bush to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, according to a new book by Bob Woodward that depicts senior officials of the Bush administration as unable to face the consequences of their policy in Iraq.

Card made his first attempt after Bush was reelected in November, 2004, arguing that the administration needed a fresh start and recommending that Bush replace Rumsfeld with former secretary of state James A. Baker III. Woodward writes that Bush considered the move, but was persuaded by Vice President Cheney and Karl Rove, his chief political adviser, that it would be seen as an expression of doubt about the course of the war and would expose Bush himself to criticism.

Card tried again around Thanksgiving, 2005, this time with the support of First Lady Laura Bush, who according to Woodward, felt that Rumsfeld's overbearing manner was damaging to her husband. Bush refused for a second time, and Card left the administration last March, convinced that Iraq would be compared to Vietnam and that history would record that no senior administration officials had raised their voices in opposition to the conduct of the war.
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Bush Ignored Urgent Warning On Iraq

From the New York Times:
The White House ignored an urgent warning in September 2003 from a top Iraq adviser who said that thousands of additional American troops were desperately needed to quell the insurgency there, according to a new book by Bob Woodward, the Washington Post reporter and author. The book describes a White House riven by dysfunction and division over the war.

Robert D. Blackwill, then the top Iraq adviser on the National Security Council, is said to have issued his warning about the need for more troops in a lengthy memorandum sent to Ms. Rice. The book says Mr. Blackwill’s memorandum concluded that more ground troops, perhaps as many as 40,000, were desperately needed.

It says that Mr. Blackwill and L. Paul Bremer III, then the top American official in Iraq, later briefed Ms. Rice and Stephen J. Hadley, her deputy, about the pressing need for more troops during a secure teleconference from Iraq. It says the White House did nothing in response.

In the weeks before the Iraq war began, President Bush’s parents did not share his confidence that the invasion of Iraq was the right step, the book recounts. Mr. Woodward writes about a private exchange in January 2003 between Mr. Bush’s mother, Barbara Bush, the former first lady, and David L. Boren, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a Bush family friend.

The book says Mrs. Bush asked Mr. Boren whether it was right to be worried about a possible invasion of Iraq, and then to have confided that the president’s father, former President George H. W. Bush, “is certainly worried and is losing sleep over it; he’s up at night worried.”
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Incompetence on the war in Iraq, ignored warnings and close ties to corrupt lobbyists. Bad news like this is great news for the Democrats.

The Republican Neurological Disorder Promotion Act

Get to know your mercury emissions because they may give you Parkinsons one day....

Taken from the book F.U.B.A.R.: (please excuse the air america snarkiness)

Mercury: the stuff in your old thermometers. It's also the stuff that, when there is enough of it in the air, causes all sorts of birth defects and neurological damage to children. Limiting the amount of mercury that's released into the the air as a by-product of the manufacture of some industrial products is the focus of the Republican Neurological Disorder Promotion Act of 2005, the more honest title for a bill that Republicans call the "Clear Sky Initiative."(doublespeak for anyone who's read 1984)

Truth be told, we don't think that Republicans want to promote neurological disorders, though it would probably help them electorally. But they don't seem to care that a few hundred thousand neurological disorders might result from loosening standards on these industries. Hey, if you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few skulls.

On March 15, 2005, the Bush administration proudly unveiled new regulations that called for coal-fired plants to cut their mercury emissions by 22 percent by the year 2010. Good for them, right? Well, the truth is more complicated than that, and we better get it out now, while we still have the brain capacity to understand it.

Mercury is a known neurotoxin. It has been linked to increased autism rates in children - one study has shown that for every thousand pounds of mercury emitted into the environment, autsim rates increase by 61 percent. In the United States, each year power plants alone pump fifty tons into the air, from where it often settles in the water, and then in fish, which absorb it. That's why in 2004 the FDA warned pregnant women to stay away from eating all big ocean fish - because the mercury the fish had absorbed could seriously endanger a baby's development.

Mercury has been shown to:

• cause deafness, blindness, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy in children.
• cause numbness, dementia, and death in adults.
• cause ADD, and Parkinson's in adults in even small exposures.

***KEY PARAGRAPH COMING UP, DON'T MISS IT***

In February 2005, about a month before President Bush announced his new mercury "reforms", the inspector general of the EPA reported that "the agency's senior management instructed staff members to arrive at a predetermined conclusion favoring industry when they prepared a proposed rule last year to reduce the amount of mercury emitted from coal fired power plants." The technological and scientific analysis by the agency was "compromised" to keep cleanup costs down for the utility industry. The report said the agency's staff was instructed to determine that the best pollution-control methods available to power-plant owners would cut mercury emissions to 34 million tons from 48 million tons, a result that was approximated only on the the third time the agency made its computer calculations. The earlier results showed that this technology might achieve greater reductions, but these were rebuffed by senior managers, the report said.

***KEEP GOING YOU'RE ALMOST DONE***

It concluded that the agency should go back to the drawing board and "conduct an unbiased analysis of the mercury emissions data." And this from a guy who works or, possibly in light of this report, worked, at the agency.

So not only did the EPA fudge the numbers to make it look harder than it actually is to control emissions, a month later, the Government Accountability Office issued a report saying that the EPA studies that promoted the Bush "market-based" Clear Skies Initiative scheme "distorted the analysis of its controversial proposal to regulate mercury pollution from power plants, making it appear that the Bush administration's market-based approach was superior to a competing scheme supported by environmentalists.

That's how a "reform" of 22 percent can actually be not such a good thing, which some media outlets noted at the time:

The Bush administration Tuesday told the operators of coal-fired power plants to cut mercury emissions by nearly 22 percent over the next five years, hailing the reductions as the deepest cuts technologically possible for cleansing the air of the neurological toxin.

But nearly a dozen power plants nationwide have done far better already - some cutting mercury emissions by as much as 94 percent - in test projects paid for by the Bush administration.

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As if that's not enough, the act actually requires several states to allow more mercury into the air we breath, more mercury than their current legislation allows for. That bears repeating: the federal regulations "reform" that Bush trumpets actually requires some states to allow more poison into our air. Wisconsin has joined a lawsuit with 10 other states in defiance to the federal act... in Wisconsin's case, this would mean that they have to allow twice as much mercury to be emitted in the next ten years as they would have under their current laws. Viva clear skies! And not so viva people!

The Final Nail In the Coffin

Today, Bush's own spy agencies have confirmed in an intelligence report that the war in Iraq and the toppling of Saddam has actually exponentially increased the threat of terrorism around the world. The report was finished in April and is classified, but according to government officials, it specifically states that "the Iraq war [has had a more direct role] in fueling radicalism than that presented either in recent White House documents or in a report released Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committe".

The National Intelligence Estimate, titled “Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States,’’ asserts that Islamic radicalism, rather than being in retreat, has metastasized and spread across the globe.

From NY Times:

For more than two years, there has been tension between the Bush administration and American spy agencies over the violence in Iraq and the prospects for a stable democracy in the country. Some intelligence officials have said the White House has consistently presented a more optimistic picture of the situation in Iraq than justified by intelligence reports from the field.

The broad judgments of the new intelligence estimate are consistent with assessments of global terrorist threats by American allies and independent terrorism experts.
The panel investigating the London terrorist bombings of July 2005 reported in May that the leaders of Britain’s domestic and international intelligence services, MI5 and MI6, “emphasized to the committee the growing scale of the Islamist terrorist threat.”

More recently, the Council on Global Terrorism, an independent research group of respected terrorism experts, assigned a grade of “D+” to United States efforts over the past five years to combat Islamic extremism. The council concluded that “there is every sign that radicalization in the Muslim world is spreading rather than shrinking.”

Welcome to Reality

From BBC News:

Rise in hostility
The US Department of Defense has now provided another measure of the problem it faces. Its latest opinion poll carried out in Iraq indicates that, among the five million Sunni Muslims there, about 75% now support the armed insurgency against the coalition.

This compares with 14% in the first opinion poll the Defense Department carried out back in 2003. It is a catastrophic loss of support, and there is no sign whatever that it can be effectively reversed.

The rise in hostility to the US forces is clearly linked to the onslaught against the town of Falluja in 2004.

This, we are told, was ordered directly by the White House and the Department of Defense after the bodies of four American defence contractors were hung from a bridge in April 2004.
The ferocity of the attack by the US marines persuaded large numbers of Iraqi Sunnis that the Americans were their enemies.

The situation in the country as a whole has never seriously improved since then, and Falluja itself has still not been entirely subdued.
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From Yahoo! News:

Torture May Be Worse Now Than Under Saddam
Torture in Iraq may be worse now than it was under Saddam Hussein, with militias, terrorist groups and government forces disregarding rules on the humane treatment of prisoners, the U.N. anti-torture chief (Manfred Nowak) said Thursday.

A report by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq's Human Rights office cited worrying evidence of torture, unlawful detentions, growth of sectarian militias and death squads, and a rise in "honor killings" of women.

Iraq's government, set up in 2006, is "currently facing a generalized breakdown of law and order which presents a serious challenge to the institutions of Iraq" such as police and security forces and the legal system, the U.N. report said, noting that torture was a major concern.

Nowak has yet to make an official visit to Iraq and said such a mission would be unfeasible as long as the security situation there remains perilous. He based his comments on interviews with people during a visit to Amman, Jordan, and other sources.

"You find these bodies with very heavy and very serious torture marks," he said. "Many of these allegations, I have no doubt that they are credible."
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Actual Good News
Two of Iraq's southern provinces have been transferred over to Iraqi Security Forces. At this rate and by my own precise calculations we will get out of Iraq by the year 2034. Freedom is on the march.

For The Record & More #'s to Silence Republicans

Just for the record, under Richard Clarke's leadership as Czar of Counterterrorism:

· CLINTON developed the nation's first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator of anti-terrorist efforts.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold the Al Qaeda millennium hijacking and bombing plots.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to kill the Pope.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up Boston airport.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge.
· Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania.
· Bill Clinton tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).
· Bill Clinton brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.

From Mama Miller, the best lib on radio. And the best show on radio... the funniest, and the most entertaining.... oh and I find her very attractive. What's not to like?


More #'s to silence Republicans; check out these super cool graphs on factualbasis.com
--For some odd reason it seems over the last 3 presidency's of the U.S., there is a common trend. Data based on figures attained up until 2003.

• Bush the First's deficit turned into a surplus under Clinton and immediately back into a deficit once Bush II took office
• Goverment spending increased during Bush I, declined during the Clinton years and rose again once Bush II took office.
• Median family income declined under Bush I, rose during Clinton and fell again once Bush II took office.
• The tax burden on Americans rose under Bush I, declined under Clinton and guess what?... it kept falling under Bush II (just kidding, it rose sharply)
• Unemployment rose under Bush I, fell under Clinton, rose again under Dubya.
• Poverty rate and number of people in poverty rose under Bush I, went down under President Clinton and went back up under Bush II.
• Murders in the U.S. declined sharply under Clinton after rising under Bush I and are now on the rise again.
• Total violent crime rose under Bush I, declined under Clinton and are still declining.
• Legal abortions were on an upward trend until Clintons watch and are now on the up and up once again.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average was on a steady incline until Bush II... and then, well see for yourself here.

Somebody Get This Man A Straightjacket

Dubya gave a heckuva press conference today. You could almost see the foam gushing out of his mouth as he attacked David Gregory for asking him if he thought it was alright for individual nations to interpret the Geneva Conventions however way they felt suitable to justify their own ends. i.e. torture. Watch the video on Crooks and Liars.

From American Prospect:

BUSH'S PRESS CONFERENCE. This is by far the pissiest press conference Bush has given. He's furious. I assume his feet are manacled behind the microphone. Otherwise, he'd be stalking across the stage, tearing apart the podium, and occasionally leaping into the crowd to rip out David Gregory's heart. The content is no finer than the normal Bush fare -- he's currently blaming the U.N. for not stopping the genocide in Darfur -- but the attitude is entirely different. Where Bush is generally petulant and unhappy at these events, he's now snapping at reporters, straightforwardly insulting them, yelling from the podium, losing control, and generally evincing a combativeness and barely suppressed rage that I've never seen from him before. On the bright side, his suit finally fits.

Update: Okay, I was going to end on the suit fits note, but Bush just said: "I don't think the Democrats will take over, because our record on the economy is strong. If the American people take a step back and realize how effective our policies have been given the circumstances, they will embrace our philosophy of government...I believe the reason is because we've cut taxes, and at the same time showed fiscal restraint here in Washington."

I mean, wow.

Neo-Con idea of "fiscal restraint": The Republican-controlled Congress heads into the Nov. 7 elections having increased federal spending this year by 9 percent -- the most since 1990 -- to about $2.7 trillion, according to projections from the White House Office of Management and Budget. The agency estimates government spending will grow to 20.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2006 from 18.5 percent when President George W. Bush took office in 2001.

Safer My A#@

Huffingtonpost has the best commentators. Here's the post from Bob Geiger today:

"War on Terror" Numbers to Silence Republicans

When George W. Bush made a prime-time television appearance Monday night to give a political speech -- under the guise of commemorating the five-year anniversary of September 11 -- he started right off by telling both a lie and the truth in one short sentence.

"Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe," said Bush, which means he was batting .500 with the truth in just one short statement. Not bad for him. It is undeniably true that we are not yet safe, but to imply that we are safer than we were before Bush turned the world against us is demonstrably false.

And Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sketched out the only numbers needed to confirm that Bush's "war on terror" is not only going very badly, but has gotten much, much worse on his watch.
"Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. Al-Qaeda's membership, estimated at 20,000 on 9/11, is now estimated by our intelligence agencies at 50,000. Instead of shrinking and disappearing, they are growing geometrically," said Durbin on the Senate floor Tuesday, in describing how unsafe Republicans have made America.

Now there's a number we want to talk a lot about between now and the midterm elections, as Republicans beat their chests and say how safe they've kept Americans.

And Durbin's numbers check out. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, "U.S. intelligence estimates put the total number of fighters who underwent instruction at bin Laden-supported camps in Afghanistan from 1996 through 9/11 at 10,000 to 20,000."

And recent research by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, funded by the Department of Homeland Security and other government grants, says that the number of Al-Qaeda has jumped from the 20,000 reported by the 9/11 Commission a few years ago to 50,000 today.
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The fact that we haven't been attacked since 9/11 is pretty pathetic evidence of Republicans keeping us any safer than we would be if Democrats were in power. It's the 11th hour before the midterm elections and this is the card Repubs are choosing to play: If you vote for Democrats YOU WILL DIE. Okay, maybe not so blatant, but any intelligent person can see that this is what they're trying to imply. So, you've made us safer have you? Lets look at some more numbers....

The number of Americans who have died in the supposed "War on Terror" in Iraq (which had nothing to do with the War on Terror before we invaded it) is now approaching the number of Americans who died on September 11th, 2001.

Innocent lives lost on 9/11: 2,973

American lives lost in military operation in Iraq: at least 2,658

Not to mention wounded: at least 19,945

Iraqi civilian deaths: upwards of 40,000 (no one really knows, since the US military refuses to do body counts)

Judging by the numbers alone, one can come to the obvious conclusion that President Bush's new talking point "We are safer, but not yet safe" is false (depending on how you read it because it doesn't make much, if any sense in the first place)

So whose life is more important? Is it an Afghani, Iraqi, or an American life? Judging by the results of our past battles, and recent and current ongoing battles to occupy Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, it appears that American life is held above all others.

Ask yourself this: Is your life more important than anyone elses in this country? How about in a country that's located on the other side of the world? Does it make your life more valuable simply because you had the lucky circumstance of being born in the United States of America?

When an American dies due to terrorism or warfare it is broadcast world wide with all the facts and details in living color. The death or deaths are decried vehemently by the government and mass media. Retribution and retaliation are called for, and vengeance and payback are demanded by the public and leaders to right the situation.

You will never hear of the civilian deaths in foreign countries openly discussed. No one in America ever calls for retribution and retaliation when U.S. or allied bombs kill innocent civilians through so called "collateral damage". Most of the time you will never even know innocent lives were lost.

Who's Smarter Than Einstein?

I came across this great quote when I was playing poker with a couple buddies next door to my new apartment last friday:

He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.

Remembering and Reminding

It's been a half a decade. 5 years of being constantly reminded every time I turn on the television of the pain that we all felt on that day. I've seen those towers go down on the tube and in my own head probably a trillion times over and over and over again and been reminded of the innocent lives that were lost. It's true, we will never forget. But there is such a thing as forgiveness, and it's the most powerful action in the world. More powerful than military force, more powerful than guns and bombs and rockets and ied's. Forgiveness has the power to heal both the victim and the assailant. As Woody Harrilson says in the movie Natural Born Killers, "only love can kill the demon". (bad example, but I just got done watching the movie)

The name of this website is Spirituality Demonstrated. To me, this means that every action is a demonstration of everyone's personal spirituality, what you believe in... the root ideology of every thought that you have. On that day, 19 hijackers defied they're root ideology in order to "defend" it. The Quran specifically says, if you kill ONE innocent person, you may as well have killed all of humanity. Their murderous ideology was drawn from a book that speaks of peace more than it speaks of war.

When we were hit that day, we vowed revenge against whomever attacked us. Our President is a "born again" Christian, and everyone in his cabinet is a devout Evangelical Christian. Almost every member of our Congress identifies themselves as Christians... and yet, they also defied the source from which they claim to have drawn their own spirituality.

The basic tenet of Christianity, what seperates it from Jewish teachings and the Old Testament is this: FORGIVENESS. If you are a Christian and you condone military force of any kind, here's a quick reminder of what it says in the book that you are suppose to live by: (from the sermon on the mount and The Book of Matthew)

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[b]will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,[c]' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


These sayings don't just apply to individuals, they apply to nations and every group of people around the world. It is individuals who make the decisions to go to war, to murder and to take revenge for cowardly acts. It is people who call themselves Christians and Muslims that attack each other pre-emptively. This constant need for "revenge" contradicts everything that all of us have been taught by the people that we look up to. Let's start demonstrating our own spirituality and start paying more attention to the sources from which we draw our own belief systems.

Here For You

Still no time for political commentary (besides a couple of comments here and there on logosphilia), so I thought I'd just expand on my last post. These are the lyrics to one of my favorite underground hip hop artists, Eyedea. Eyedea was born and raised in my neighborhood of South Minneapolis, (a fact that I am very proud of) and I actually took a Sociology class with his mom last semester. Anyways, I think this is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, lyrically speaking so here it is:



Were all born into this river without knowing how to swim
And eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chin
Sometimes this river is so cold to be in
Freezing my soul, solidifying my skin
Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels in
Were carried by the current, being driven by the wind
The scenery we pass, we'll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don't let go of them
Were under a spell thinking the river should go straight
We set goals and desires to control our own fate
But all the pain we experience is a result of our expectations
Because it's the rivers nature to twist and turn
The *#$% can burn
And I know it
I have the same conflict
But I try to sit and flow with this rivers natural process
And sometimes when I watch myself float downstream
I see the beauty of it all, and it feels like a dream
And at that time I appreciate the rivers course
Some part of God, reality, momentum, force
I stare up at the naked moon, and she stares down at me
I'll cite false boundaries and I'll look outward to see

The universe is not something separate from yourself
I know you feel alone, but that's why I'm here to help
I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars
And everything that is out there is what you really are
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light
The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you, in the same way that you're here for me

Each person is an intricate piece of infinity
I feel that if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I'm here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all related,
Connected in its different manifestations of one single mind
You ain't isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes
I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies
I'm running out of words, but I haven't yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I'm here
As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize everything is in constant movement
Each problem that we face is just a part of this movement

It seems helpless, but if we stick together we'll get through it
And return to the essence from which we've been uprooted
And wake humanity from these illusions
The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know you're headed in the right direction
The river riding always moves, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Everyone has different pasts and we're seeking the light

The world is divided between peasants and kings
But the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing
Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn't be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man
I'm here for you; all you gotta do is ask man


----- the soundtrack to my life... if you don't have The Many Faces of Oliver Hart by Eyedea, go out and get it NOW.

I Heart Hip Hop

I'm so busy these days, I haven't found any time to post anything. I still don't have any time and on top of that, I have no internet other than at work. I just moved in to my new apartment with one of my best buddies (Petey Pablo) up by the U of M campus. Another one of my best freinds that I've known since I was 2 feet tall, Chris, just turned 21 on Sunday. Yep, rough weekend as you can imagine. I've been going to too many concerts, been working and trying to hang out with freinds that I won't see consistently until next summer. Freinds before blogs, that's what I always say. Anyways... just thought I'd post something, ANYTHING, so I'll put up a couple pics from the Jurassic 5 concert that I went to last night at First Avenue. It was a great show, probably one of the best hip-hop shows I've ever seen. If you don't like hip hop, you obviously haven't listened to anything coming out of the Minneapolis or underground scene. Check out: Atmosphere, Eyedea, Jurassic 5, The Roots, Blackalicious, Murs, Deltron, Heiruspecs, P.O.S., so on and so forth. All visionary poets, with none of the degrading and overly-violent lyrics. Rhymesayers Entertainment straight out of my hometown.