The Great Turning

So, it's September 10 already, huh? Hopefully someone will post updates about the ABC/Disney propaganda piece about September 11, because I haven't had time to keep up with that story. Obviously, I'm not planning to watch it. I know that there are some interfaith peace vigils going on in my area, and I would be attending one of those, except that tonight is the first night of my EFM classes for this year. But I encourage you all to find out if positive, uplifting events like our local interfaith vigils are available in your area.

I was trying to come up with something to post on the eve of September 11, and thought back to The Great Turning. I think there is something worthwhile in this metaphor, whether or not you buy the "whole ball of wax" of what Joanna Macy is saying...

A revolution is underway because people are realizing that our needs can be met without destroying our world. We have the technical knowledge, the communication tools, and material resources to grow enough food, ensure clean air and water, and meet rational energy needs. Future generations, if there is a livable world for them, will look back at the epochal transition we are making to a life-sustaining society. And they may well call this the time of the Great Turning. It is happening now.

Whether or not it is recognized by corporate-controlled media, the Great Turning is a reality. Although we cannot know yet if it will take hold in time for humans and other complex life forms to survive, we can know that it is under way. And it is gaining momentum, through the actions of countless individuals and groups around the world. To see this as the larger context of our lives clears our vision and summons our courage.

As Captain Picard would say, "Make it so."

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From Grace to Glory

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

"What is it you want?" he asked.

She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"

"We can," they answered.

Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:20-28

A mother's love for her sons knows no bounds, logical or otherwise. It is often said that a mother will throw her husband under a bus for the sake of her sons - even throw herself under the bus for the sake of her sons - but the bond between a mother and her sons is something unusual, something irrational, something special.

Unconditional love.

When we're trifling Mom still loves us. When we're acting a fool Mom still loves us. When we've been caught red-handed doing dirt Mom still loves us, believes in us, and is often willing go on CNN to declare our innocence before a condescending world. There is nothing that we have done to earn our mothers' love. There is nothing that we have done to justify our mothers' love. The truth of the matter is that our mothers often love us in spite of a mountain of evidence that ought to tell them that they should have cut us off a long time ago, yet they still love us anyhow. They still look out for us anyhow. They still try to get us the hook-up when we in no ways deserve it, simply because we are their sons.

Unmerited favor.

The wife of Zebedee, mother of James and John, came before Jesus with her two sons to try to get them the hook-up, to try to get them prime-time positions in Glory. She did not make a merit-based case, giving evidence of how her sons deserved the positions of honor. She did not make a pragmatic case, arguing the utilitarian value of elevating her two sons to positions of honor. She simply asked for Jesus to command that her two sons be positioned by His side in His Kingdom. Jesus' inner circle consisted of three disciples - Simon Peter and the two sons of Zebedee - and it would seem that the mother of James and John wanted this circle to tighten to two.

A mother's love can drive her to do some unusual things, as anyone who has been involved in cheerleader wars can attest, but Jesus didn't even address her - He addressed the sons of Zebedee, James and John, telling them that they knew not that for which they asked. Too often we ask for things without understanding the implications of a granted request. As children many of us asked for a puppy to love as our own, but we didn't understand that the puppy needs cleaning and walking and feeding and a pooper-scooper. As teens many of us had our eye on that certain someone, not understanding that they had more issues than the New York Times. As young adults many of us wanted a certain job with a certain company or organization, just to find out that all that glitters isn't gold. Too often our $10 mouths ask for things that our 50¢ behinds can't handle - just like the mother of James and John.

Jesus asked the sons of Zebedee, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" They flippantly answered, "Yes" and Jesus responded with something that probably rocked their worlds - they would indeed drink from His cup but He could not command for them to be seated at His right and left - that perrogative belonged to the Father, not the Son. Jesus essentially told them that kissing up to the boss won't advance your career; sending your mom to make a request that you yourself were to cowardly to make will not advance your position; maneuvering politically will not change your relationship with God. We are not saved by works or politics or plenary indulgances - we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

It is a state of grace.

Each of us who has been graciously saved through faith in Jesus Christ is indeed a grace case, and when you walk in this state of grace you treat people differently than those who are walking according to the flesh. Those who are operating according to the flesh look to position themselves over others in order to lord authority over them, while those who walk in this state of grace look to lower themselves into a servant's position. Those who are the lord of their own lives - the captains of their own souls - look to glorify themselves, to make themselves look good, to magnify themselves in the eyes of men, while those of us who submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ look to lower ourselves such that we may glorify God in our service to men. When you're walking in this state of grace you smile in the face of those who hate and despitefully use you. When you're walking in this state of grace you can love the father that abandoned you, the uncle that abused you, the cousin that called you everything but a child of God. When you're walking in this state of grace you model the mind of Christ, the Imago Dei, the very image of God. When you're walking in this state of grace you let your light so shine that men might see your good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. O taste and see that the Lord is good in the life of a grace case.

But it gets better.

In the hereafter we will be with Jesus in Glory. Each of us who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will move from grace to Glory. There will be no more weeping and wailing over there. There will be no more sobbing and crying over there. There will be no more pain and suffering over there. In that day - in that great gettin'-up morning - we will go from grace to glory, taking residence in our own dwelling place that Jesus has prepared specifically for each of us; what God has for me is for me, but what God wants from me He will get from me as well. When God decrees blessings I receive them in full, and when God decrees work I receive it in full. God blesses us to be a blessing to others, not merely to enjoy our blessings all by ourselves. James and John were looking for positions of authority, but they didn't understand that with great authority comes great sacrifice. James and John truly drank from Jesus' cup - James was the first of the disciples to be killed for his faith in Jesus.

"Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

Be careful what you ask for, it may come sooner than you think. Walk in this state of grace, seeking to serve others out of our love for Jesus Christ such that our Father in Heaven might be glorified, our brothers in the Spirit might be edified, and someone through our example might seek to be justified in the eyes of God.

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who wants you to walk in that state of grace,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

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Saturday Comics

Crikey
Newspeak
Osama Bin Forgotten
Queer Eye...
...For The Anchorguy
Possibly Prophetic
God Save The Queen
Half-Empty Promises
Works Of Fiction
Purple Haze
Intel Failure
Master Bait And Switch Artist
Dead-Enders
Ad Infinitum
McJobs
Babel Fish
Objective Truth
Appeasers
Fascism Redux

And my favorite for today: Never Forget



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Open thread

From the overnight thread. (I noticed we were up to 62 comments and thought a new thread would be easier for refreshing.)
---
Edwin - hour by hour

No new news here - blood pressure still low, heart rate still high. We're thinking of going for a serious nap at the hotel after ther next shift change. I just copped a few zzzz's in the icu lounge, puddle said she dozed a little with her head on Edwin's arm. A long night indeed. May it continue as is and bring us a bright new sunny, hopeful day.

Continued thnaks for all the help and well wishes.

(btw - the coffee shop has wireless - do ya think the main reception desk coulda answered that on correctly earlier! oh well.)

&heart;s to all.

by Thankful2Thankful4Dean on Saturday, 09/09/06 @ 03:40 AM
---
Here's the link to the virtual candle page for Edwin--looks like the one I lit has almost burned down. Will probably be time to light a new one when I get home.

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Extra prayers and light for Edwin

Troubling news this Friday night...

UPDATE......Calling ALL ANGELS, PLEASE

Thankful just called.

Things have turned bad. Not looking good. His blood pressure has fallen dangerously low.

ALL PRAYERS, LOVE and LIGHT to Edwin and Puddleriver.


Thankful will try to update later.
Linda | Homepage | 09.08.06 - 9:33 pm

Reposting this from yesterday's thread...

In this picture, Edwin is the one on the left


Here's a link to a virtual candle lighting site. (Requires Flash--I think). Edwin has his own page here, if you'd like to light a candle to join mine.

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Star Trek turns 40

I had no idear that was today until I saw a comment at the BBB. Wonder what Daughter in Ohio will say upon learning that she shares her birthday with something so "geeky". (I don't know that she actually dislikes it, but her brother likes science fictiony stuff, so I think she feels compelled not to.)

From the BBC:
Conference marks Star Trek's 40th
Trek memories of 'android' actor
From the CBC:
40 years later, Star Trek lives long and prospers
From tvsquad:
The Five: Most common Star Trek plot gimmicks
From Huffington Post:
Star Trek Haters, Take Your Snotty Attitudes And Stuff It

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Update on Edwin

UPDATE FROM THANKFUL AND PUDDLERIVER ON EDWIN

As of now Edwin is stable. He is on dialysis and is still asleep, but he is responding to treatment.

Doctor said he was quite sick after surgery and will get worse before getting better, but Thankful and I are optimistic that it seems to us that he is on his upswing, because yesterday he wasn't showing improvement.

I guess the Doctors are just trying to say he has a bit to go before being out of danger and as he awakes and heals, things can still happen, but it sounds better than yesterday and THAT'S GOOD.

They are going to try to rest now.
Linda

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Gravatars

Last night there was a question about Gravatars. At one point, jc wrote us the whole process of getting a Gravatar, getting it rated, and so forth, and we had a link to that comment in the sidebar. But at some point the link was no longer valid, so now there's just a link to the main page of the Gravatar web site.

What is a gravatar?

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an 80 x 80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums, so why not on weblogs?

How do I get a gravatar?

Signing up for a gravatar.com account is FREE, and all that's required is your email address. Once you've signed up you can upload your avatar image and soon after you'll start seeing it on gravatar enabled weblogs!

You can register with more than one e-mail address, and change Gravatars simply by plugging a different address into the e-mail field when you are commenting. Some people only register one e-mail address with Gravatar, and then change Gravatars by logging in to the official web site, where they see a screen with something like this:

If I wanted to change my Gravatar to something other than that sweet puppy face, I could use that interface to upload a new image from my computer. The puppy would continue to display with that e-mail address until the person at the Gravatar got around to giving the new image a rating, and then the new image would appear. How long that will take is hard to say.

However, the the Haloscan control panel (that place I'm always logging into to undo the work of the gremlins that duplicate some of our posts), I can set an image as a default Gravatar, and it will display immediately.

Last November, I took advantage of that feature and made "Birthday Flat Howard" the default Gravatar, so anyone who didn't already have a registered Gravatar got that image as the default. Then I did a Thanksgiving Howard, a Winter Holiday Howard, and so on until I picked the Dean 2008 Gravatar around Presidents' Day. And that one just sort of stuck, I guess because I forgot about doing seasonal Gravatars. Which is probably a good thing, because, did we really want to see Howard Dean with Easter bunny ears? ;-)

Anyway, LeslieK's question reminded me that I'd been meaning to change the default Gravatar, so now we have this:

"Arrrrgh, George Bush, ye scruvy dog! Ye'd best be givin' us the people their civil liberties back!"

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Candle Lighting

I've been thinking a lot today about candles. If you've been around this blog lately, you've seen the candle graphic quite a bit--for Subway Serenade and then for Edwin. Candles can mean a different things, but in general I think a lot of people "get" the idea that a candle can represent hope, a "light in the darkness", etc. And it seems like a fairly "safe" image to use with a group as diverse as our blog family, since it is not tied to one faith tradition.

Let me tell you a little about my faith. Kimmy sometimes calls me the "church lady", and, as I may have noted before, that amuses me at least a little. It is true, my faith life is important to me--it's an important part of my "life narrative", I guess you could say. But the truth is, I have way more questions than I have answers. The notion of being on a "spiritual path" somehow resonates with me, but much of the time it feels like I'm wandering in the desert. Yet, every now and then there will be a moment, and experience--a "knowing"--that tells me that I am indeed still on the path.

Now, about prayer. Honestly, I'm not sure I ever quite got the knack. I've tried different kinds of prayer, and from time to time find myself drawn to things like rosaries, labyrinths...prayer involving "props" if you will. Something tangible. Because, what I've discovered about myself is that I'm not good at visualizing. At my Catholic high school, one of the religion classes I took involved prayer using guided imagery. Lovely class, as I recall, but I just couldn't do the imagery part. I've led psychology classes in relaxation/guided imagery classes, and had people describe really being there, on the beach, or in the woods. I'm rather bemused by the idear that, with my voice, I can help lead students to places I haven't experienced myself.

For my whole life, I have always been certain that there is a "something more", and that death isn't the end. But I'm really hazy about the details. So there's this paradox that something is very real to me, and yet I can't see or touch or hear it. Most days, I'm at peace with that, but when I'm going through a rough time, I really want comfort I can see and touch. This blog community is also very real, even though many of us have never met in person. We've developed a real network of caring. Yet when one of us is going through a difficult experience, I'm all the more aware of the inability to physically gather together for support.

Which brings us back to candles. I had seen the virtual candle lighting site before, but was not aware until today that it was possible to light candles in a group. I like that--because it helps me see us gathered together in support.

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Keep the pressure on ABC

Here are some links to current blog posts/stories about the fake 9/11 documentary that ABC plans to air on September 10 and 11.

From Crooks and Liars...
ABC's ridiculous Statement on their 9/11 fakeumentary
Greg Mitchell: ABC film heavily weighted against Clinton: Screenwriter admitted to making scene up

From Media Matters:
ABC and Scholastic release skewed Path to 9/11 "Discussion Guide" for high school teachers to assign to students

Media highlighted conservative complaints about less-than-flattering portrayal of Reagan in 2003 biopic, offer little coverage of ABC's 9-11 miniseries, reportedly riddled with falsehoods

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Haloscan problems

There have been some real problems with Haloscan today, such that I need to make a good half dozen attempts to get one comment to post, so I imagine the same is happening for others people as well. So I am crossposting this entry at the "emergency backup blog" over at Wordpress. If there's something you'd like to share with the HEP family and can't get commenting to work here, you can try leaving a comment at the Wordpress blog, or you can e-mail me at howardempowered@gmail.com.


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Dial up the prayers (light, vibes) please

Halsocan is having problems right now, FYI. I've crossposted this blog entry here.

From puddle:

Okay, here's the deal. He's deteriorating, is not responding, and I'm on my way there. This will prolly be last update for a while.

Please keep them prayers, light, and vibes coming.

I love you all. This is a wonderful loving community whose price is far above rubies. . . .

xox
puddle*in*NYC | Homepage | 09.07.06 - 10:39 am |

Just talked to his doctor. Extremely bad: kidneys, lungs, sepsis.

Begging for prayer here.

Agatha's here to cat sit, and I'm leaving for Baltimore in a bit. Thankful's coming with me to Fort Worth. (I need a keeper!)

xox puddle
puddle*in*NYC | Homepage | 09.07.06 - 12:52 pm |

Update: Karen has posted hospital details, via Linda in Cincinnati, here.

Here's a picture of Edwin that Kimmy posted:

In this picture, Edwin is the one on the left


Here's a link to a virtual candle lighting site. (Requires Flash--I think). Edwin has his own page here, if you'd like to light a candle to join mine.

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Open Thread

Thanks for tipping me off that Countdown was on, JayDean. I'd forgotten. Keith Olbermann mentioned that his book is coming out, and I've just added it to the affiliate site page. So if you were thinking of getting the book anyway, if you buy it through the link below or through the link on this page, you can support Howard-Empowered People with your purchase.

Puddle checked in about Edwin's surgery in the comments here, and he is out of surgery but,

Still touch-and-go for a while (days at least).

Still much in need of that light, etc.

xox
puddle*in*NYC | Homepage | 09.06.06 - 6:22 pm

So, keep that good stuff coming.

**There's an update from puddle at 10:57 p.m.

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For all those we "hold in the light"

This candle is for Edwin, who was taken to the emergency room last night, and is about to undergo surgery. You can find the details in the overnight thread, starting with puddle's post at 12:43 a.m. She has asked that I add Edwin to the page with our intentions. That page has not been updated in a long time, however, and it's not a task I can undertake today, so I thought it would be more timely just to post the candle here. Think of it as representing prayers, love, light, hope, vibes, peace, or whatever it is we are sending to Edwin in the hospital, to puddle, for Subway, and to all of us who need a little more of those things right now.

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Keith Olbermann to Bush: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?

Keith Olbermann delivered another excellent response to the current administration's stifling of dissent--this time in response to Bush's speech.

Today, in the same subtle terms in which Mr. Bush and his colleagues muddied the clear line separating Iraq and 9/11 -- without ever actually saying so - the President quoted a purported Osama Bin Laden letter that spoke of launching, "a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government."

Make no mistake here - the intent of that is to get us to confuse the psychotic scheming of an international terrorist, with that familiar bogeyman of the right, the "media."

The President and the Vice President and others have often attacked freedom of speech, and freedom of dissent, and freedom of the press.

Now, Mr. Bush has signaled that his unparalleled and unprincipled attack on reporting has a new and venomous side angle:

The attempt to link, by the simple expediency of one word - "media" - the honest, patriotic, and indeed vital questions and questioning from American reporters, with the evil of Al-Qaeda propaganda.

That linkage is more than just indefensible. It is un-American.

Click here for the rest.

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Action item: Contact ABC about biased 9/11 film

I've seen a boatload of diaries and posts about this issue today, but don't have time to put together an entry of my own about it, so I'm going to directly lift what the Think Progress web site has to say, and link to them. If you fill out the form on this page, it will send your comments directly to ABC...

On September 10 and 11, ABC Television is planning to run an inaccurate film depicting the events leading up to the 9/11 attacks. The film was written by an avowed conservative and it largely places the blame for failing to prevent the attacks on the Clinton administration while whitewashing the failures of the Bush administration.

Our review of the film shows it to be full of such inaccuracies. Its distorted version of history is inconsistent with the 9/11 Commission Report, upon which it claims to be based. The events leading up to September 11, 2001 are too important and too tragic to play politics with the facts.

More relevant links:
Richard Clarke Blasts Key Scene In ABC’s 9/11 Docudrama
ABC Planning Massive Free Distribution of 9/11 Docudrama
Scholastic Books - Catapulting 'Path to 9/11' Propaganda
Movie "Pathway to 9/11" Connected to Exxon

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Strickland-Blackwell debate: Closing Remarks

The first of four scheduled debates between Ohio gubernatorial candidates Ted Strickland and Ken Blackwell took place at noon today, airing on the Ohio News Network and streaming live on WFMJ. It will air again on ONN tonight at 11 p.m.. Here are the candidates closing remarks...

Moderator: We now come to the last part of the debate, the closing remarks. Mr. Blackwell, you have two minutes.

Ken Blackwell: Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to my fellow Ohioans. I've had the opportunity to live the American dream. That public housing community that I talked about at the beginning of these debates was a half mile away from City Hall. I sold peanuts inside and outside of Crosley Field. I went on to become the mayor of my hometown, and I now am a minority shareholder of the Cincinnati Reds. I've lived the American Dream, I've answered the question. My wife and I have worked very very hard over our lifetime, we've actually taken risks, risks with our own homes to start a business to produce jobs. I want more Ohioans to be able to live that American Dream.

Right now, too many of our young people believe that, in order to go up, they have to go out. I want to restore an option. I want to put an Ohio option back in their hands, where they know with confidence that if they exercise their options, they can find better education here in Ohio, they can, in fact, have health coverage. They can find a job, and elevated incomes. I think that that requires leadership, and leadership that has a record of accomplishment. I will compare, over the next 64 days, my record with that with Ted Strickland's, and I think that people will see that he is a get along to go along guy, or go along to get along guy. He is an extension of the status quo, I represent change. I look forward to ushering in a new era of prosperity. Ohioans deserve a better future, Tom Raga and I want to lead them there.

Moderator: Thank you, sir. Mr. Strickland, you've got two minutes.

Ted Strickland: Well, I think the choice is clear. If people like what's happening in Ohio, if they like the leadership they've gotten, if they like the condition of our state, then they should vote for Mr. Ken Blackwell. Because he represents a continuation of the Taft-Blackwell way of governing. I represent change. I come from modest backgrounds, as I said earlier, wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but Ohio has been good to me. Ohio has enabled me to serve as a minister and as a psychologist, and as a university professor, and to have the great privilege of serving in the House of Representatives, representing the people of southern and southeastern Ohio. I've been able to do things because of education.

And I want to make a promise to Ohioans. If they elect me to be their governor, every morning when I get out of bed, I'm going to look in the mirror and I'm going to say, "Governor Strickland, what are you going to do today to create jobs for Ohioans to provide economic security for Ohio's families? What are you going to do today to make education of high quality and college affordable for the young people of Ohio. And what are you going to do today, Ted Strickland, to make sure that the people of Ohio who need healthcare can get healthcare without bankrupting their families. Those are the kitchen table issues, the bread-and-butter, dinner bucket issues facing Ohioans, education, healthcare, and economic security for their families.

Those are the issues. No more polarization--I will work to pull Ohioans together, Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike, to move our great state forward. That's the challenge. That's what's facing Ohio, and I ask for your support, because, together, we can move our state forward, and make Ohio great once again.
...
Moderator: Before we leave, I have a quick question. Jerry Springer's

going to be on the show Dancing with the Stars. Would either of you be interested in competing? (Laughter)

Ken Blackwell: Like his brother Ted, the only thing Jerry's good at running is his mouth. (More laughter).

Ted Strickland: Well, that was sort of a nasty thing to say. I just would like to end by thanking my worthy opponent for participating in this debate.
...
Some "crosstalk" can be heard between the moderator and Blackwell, stepping on the end of Strickland's remarks. I could hear more laughter, "Thank you sir" and "Appreciate it", and then Blackwell's voice saying "I was talking about Jerry."

Nice save, Ken--not! Ken Blackwell simply can't stop himself from being a petty namecaller, which was evident throughout the debate. That he chose to answer this light, joking question from the moderator in, as Ted Strickland said, such a nasty way, only serves to highlight this truth about Blackwell.

So, which of these two men has the necessary character "to work to pull Ohioans together, Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike, to move our great state forward". I think Ken Blackwell just answered that question for us.

Tags: Ted Strickland, Ken Blackwell, governor, Ohio, election, 2006, debate, Youngstown

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Howard Dean on Face the Nation, September 3, 2006

I've transcribed Howard Dean's appearance on Face the Nation, and I've added both that transcript and the other one I did recently to the left sidebar (which admittedly hadn't been updated for quite a while). Thank you Linda in Cincinnati for the annotated Google video. You can recommend her Kos diary here. And while you're over there, you can help out Oscar with his survey.

Howard Dean on Face the Nation, Sunday, September 3, 2006

Howard Dean's Speech to the DNC in Chicago, August 19, 2006

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Thankful's Report!

Oh, the one and only Subway Serenade. Despite not feeling well, being in pain, tired, and full of tubes, he emanated a vibrance and love that touched our very souls. Be well Subway, mend quickly.
A beautiful, gorgeous, and perfect day in NYC.

Subway -- Love to you for your spirit, songs, Full Snuggle Theory, and just for being YOU.

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Bloggers report on their visit with Subway Serenade

From Agatha...

Hello bloggers,

I'm writing to report on Subway Serenade, whom puddle, Thankful, and I got to spend some time with today.

Subway is Subway (meaning he's amazing), but he is a sick Subway who definitely could use all the vibes, prayers, hugs, snuggles, voodoo incantations, or whatever is in your arsenal. The tumor was benign, but he is still in ICU. Hopefully, he will be moved out of there today, and then his wife can stay with him. If all goes well, he will be out of the hospital in a week. He is in a lot of pain, what with X-rays and fever and the like, so keep him in your hearts.

Even though Subway has enough tubes sticking out of him to power the internets, do NOT think of Subway as a victim. He is a PROUD DEANIAC. Before even mentioning the pain, Subway first bitched about a judge ruling against Francine Busby. That's right. And, he's not at all happy that Karl Rove has been helping Vito Fosella (disgusting representative of Staten Island... a used car salesman at best). So, Subway can't wait to get out of the hospital to KICK SOME BUTT. He is itching to write songs again and take his country back. And...

Howard's Angels (that would be puddle, Thankful, and I) let Subway know that the blog would much rather know about Subway's bill of health than Robert's. We told Subway that evidently, when a proctologist looks up Robert's anus, he smiles (note my medical terminology so as not to offend the blog). So, Subway is gearing up to kick Robert's ass, too (puddle pointed out that since Robert's butt is so clean, Subway won't have to get his toes dirty). Watch out, right wingers!

It's always good to see Subway, but I didn't like the setting and condition he was in. I want to see him singing in Gramercy Park again soon, and he definitely agrees. But, under all the pain and sedation he is in, there is still a twinkle in his eye and determination in his quiet voice. Leave it to Subway to reminisce the glow of yesterday's sunset while he is in the hospital. Subway is indomitable.

It was also great to spend time with Thankful, whom I hadn't seen since Deanfest 1.0. (On our very long commute, Thankful had a real treat talking with a Bushian troglodyte.. maybe she will share with the blog.) As for puddle, I get to see her any old time because she now lives in my neighborhood (ha ha to many of you)!!!

Hugs to all of you, and send your hugs to Subway.

Agatha

As I was taking off the contact lenses, I remembered this:

Subway knows of all the warm intentions posted on the blog for him and really appreciates it, and he would love a dance with seashell.

I'd like to add that to the post, please.

Thanks,



Agatha

PS (another), I was about to type, "Subway knows of all the love posted on the blog" and immediately recalled Bush's call for gynos' love for women, and I felt very nauseous. Though it's really love on the blog, warm intentions is the best I can type.

From puddle

Subway Update

Long day's journey, that's fur shur. . . . After calling the hospital to confirm room number, discovered he was still in ICU, and visiting hours were 4:30 to five instead of noon to eight. We left a little before two, and made our way via bus, subway, Staten Island Ferry, and Island car service to the hospital. On the way, we saluted the Rector Street station, the one Subway would have played at the afternoon of 9/11. We arrived at the hospital at five to five. It took us 4 and a half minutes to make it up. So we had 30 seconds of visiting time. . . .

We, of course, stayed for half an hour.

Subway did look tired. And was hooked up to more tubes and monitors and drains than I would have thought possible. He was sitting in a chair, however, not in bed. Confirmed for us that the removed tumor was benign. And his soul is cheerful even if his body is being cranky. We gave him an opening round of hugs, and later Thankful gave him a GRrreaAATT! back rub (I was watching his face...). We joked about the BBB and talked politics. Still, I have to agree with Agatha: I want him out of there, splashing sunshine! Clearly prayers, light, good thoughts and vibes are still needed. Let's go guys! He got another round of hugs at parting, and asked us to be sure to tell you that he's felt the love surrounding him and is very grateful.

Trip home. Waited for a half hour for a bus that never came, so Agatha snagged us another car, ferry ride with a couple of the world's largest assholes (that does seem to be a sub-theme to this whole post, doesn't it?). But miraculously, just as we were directly across from the Lady, the entire section of window cleared itself of onlookers, and she stood alone in the harbor as beautiful and welcoming as the trogladite fellow travelers were ugly and mean. A blessing I think on the whole venture, after all. Then we caught a cab from the ferry to China Town, had dinner, caught another, dropped Agatha off and came home, arriving at 9:48. Tired and happy.


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