Man does not live by bread AT ALL. This is my Testimony. It is now years since I've had any fear of physical death. Why? Because I am so totally hooked on Life - Serving the least of these my family. THIS IS THE LIFE JESUS DIED TO GIVE US.
There is nothing more important in my Work, in The Work, than Living this truth - Living On and For the Unconditional Love provided by God / Reality / How it Is - and accepting the consequences when it is Not offered.
Why important? The scene from It's a Wonderful Life comes to mind - poor example - but it will do. How did Clarence Save our Hero? He put his life in his hands.
I don't PUT my life in my brother's hands, I ACKNOWLEDGE that my life is in my brother's hands, and refuse to Live the lie that it is not - fatal Enabling.
2.22.2009
***Sylvia Earle: How to protect the oceans (TED Prize winner!)
VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43DuLcBFxoY
http://www.ted.com Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.
http://www.ted.com Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.
****Ray McGovern: US attempt to trap the USSR in 1979 is at root of current situation in Afghanistan & CURRENT ANALYSIS.
VIDEO HERE >>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKRS2A_2BCM
Ray McGovern: US attempt to trap the USSR in 1979 is at root of current situation in Afghanistan
Ray McGovern: US attempt to trap the USSR in 1979 is at root of current situation in Afghanistan
****Economist Nicholas Stern - Dire Climate Change Scenario: Mass Migrations, Extended World War
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/21/lord-nicholas-stern-paint_n_168865.html
HUFF POST: If we don't deal with climate change decisively, "what we're talking about then is extended world war," the eminent economist said... "Somehow we have to explain to people just how worrying that is," the British economic thinker said. SEE ALSO: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/11/stern-climate-change ; http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16580-400-billion-the-price-of-our-future.html
HUFF POST: If we don't deal with climate change decisively, "what we're talking about then is extended world war," the eminent economist said... "Somehow we have to explain to people just how worrying that is," the British economic thinker said. SEE ALSO: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/11/stern-climate-change ; http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16580-400-billion-the-price-of-our-future.html
2.21.2009
Goodman, Stewart, Maddow, Colbert, Olberman
The contribution to this country and to the world by Amy Goodman, Jon Stewart, Rachel Maddow, Colbert and Olberman is profound.
IMHO:
* They must be relentlessly watched, studied, learned from, followed, and gone beyond!
* We owe them a HUGE debt of gratitude, AND SUPPORT..
* We owe it to humanity to learn from them, to spread the word.
* We owe it t0 ourselves to live with the wisdom and She/He/roism they embody.
Huge, Huge Patriots.
Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
IMHO:
* They must be relentlessly watched, studied, learned from, followed, and gone beyond!
* We owe them a HUGE debt of gratitude, AND SUPPORT..
* We owe it to humanity to learn from them, to spread the word.
* We owe it t0 ourselves to live with the wisdom and She/He/roism they embody.
Huge, Huge Patriots.
[NOTICE!!! No longer will I send out mass, blind emails regularly.
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
<<
Homeearth
Security.
blogspot.com
Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
** Israel's targeting of civilian resistance to the separation wall
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/20/israelandthepalestinians-israeli-elections-2009
GUARDIAN: Israel's targeting of civilian resistance to the separation wall proves the two-state solution is now just a meaningless slogan.
GUARDIAN: Israel's targeting of civilian resistance to the separation wall proves the two-state solution is now just a meaningless slogan.
it is quite likely that you have not heard of the most important developments this week in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the West Bank, while it has been "occupation as normal", there have been some events that together should be overshadowing Gaza, Gilad Shalit and Avigdor Lieberman.
First, there have been a large number of Israeli raids on Palestinian villages, with dozens of Palestinians abducted. These kinds of raids are, of course, commonplace for the occupied West Bank, but in recent days it appears the Israeli military has targeted sites of particularly strong Palestinian civil resistance to the separation wall.
For three consecutive days this week, Israeli forces invaded Jayyous, a village battling for survival as their agricultural land is lost to the wall and neighbouring Jewish colony.!!! Wake Up Call: Activists Visit 'The Army Experience'
On Monday, February 16th about 50 activists decided to take a trip to the Franklin Mills Mall right outside Philadelphia, PA to get their look at a new "store". "The Army Experience" (AEC), as it is called, built by the taxpayers to the tune of $12 million, attracts local kids to play video games, most of which are high tech simulations of combat situations.
The group was made up of members from all over the area. World Can't Wait from New York City and Philadelphia; Delaware Valley Veterans of America; Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW); Veterans for Peace from the Philadelphia area; CodePink Women for Peace; Granny Peace Brigade; and, the Brandywine Peace Center converged on the mall at about 10:30 AM, greeted by a heavier than usual security force.2.20.2009
ANTIWAR: U.S.-Israel Storm Clouds Ahead? [With Jesus and King we just sat back and watched. With Obama?]
http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=14282
But the clear priority stabilizing Southwest Asia is being given by the new administration and the abrupt change in the rhetoric emanating from Washington about Iran – not to mention abiding concerns regarding Iran's ability to destabilize Iraq – clearly run counter to Israel's efforts to depict Tehran's nuclear program as, in Netanyahu's words, "the greatest challenge facing the leaders of the 21st century..." And it will surely make it more difficult for him or anyone else in the next Israeli government to "harness the U.S. administration to stop the threat."
But the clear priority stabilizing Southwest Asia is being given by the new administration and the abrupt change in the rhetoric emanating from Washington about Iran – not to mention abiding concerns regarding Iran's ability to destabilize Iraq – clearly run counter to Israel's efforts to depict Tehran's nuclear program as, in Netanyahu's words, "the greatest challenge facing the leaders of the 21st century..." And it will surely make it more difficult for him or anyone else in the next Israeli government to "harness the U.S. administration to stop the threat."
!!!! CONSORTIUMNEWS: Obama [has a DANGEROUSLY] rising tide of dangers around him.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/022009.html
Only one month into his presidency, Barack Obama is finding himself confronting not only George W. Bush's left-behind crises but an array of influential enemies in the military, financial circles, the political world and the media – determined to thwart Obama's agenda for "change."
Though Obama has maintained his trademark equanimity in the face of this resistance, he appears to be sensing the rising tide of dangers around him.CHI. SUN TIMES / HARRIS POLL: Obama beats out Jesus as America's #1 hero
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1440284,w-obama-jesus-christ-hero-harris-poll021909.article
Americans named President Obama as their No. 1 hero, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King, in a new Harris poll.
Americans named President Obama as their No. 1 hero, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King, in a new Harris poll.
Others in the top 10, in descending order, were Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger and Mother Teresa.
CONFESSION: I'VE BEEN A LIFELONG DISGRACE TO AMERICA
I was born into the oligarchy and taught by osmosis - THIS IS DEMOCRACY.
By osmosis I was taught - DEMOCRACY IS A SPECTATOR SPORT BUT FOR AN HOUR OR SO EVERY 4 YEARS.
I HAD NO DOUBTS ABOUT THIS.
I CONSIDERED "ACTIVISTS" WEIRD.
By osmosis I was taught - DEMOCRACY IS A SPECTATOR SPORT BUT FOR AN HOUR OR SO EVERY 4 YEARS.
I HAD NO DOUBTS ABOUT THIS.
I CONSIDERED "ACTIVISTS" WEIRD.
NYT: N.Y.U. Students Continue Occupation to Press Demands
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/nyregion/20nyu.html?ref=education
students who had barricaded themselves in a third-floor cafeteria on Wednesday night vowed on Thursday to continue their occupation until they were able to present a list of demands to school administrators.
students who had barricaded themselves in a third-floor cafeteria on Wednesday night vowed on Thursday to continue their occupation until they were able to present a list of demands to school administrators.
A surge of new protesters pushed their way past security guards and into the cafeteria about 9 p.m., according to students who were contacted on their cellphones. VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8GSar-dFTY
WE WILL, WE DO WAR: BY ARMS? BY WORDS? BY DECEIPT? BY COWARDICE? THESE ARE OPTIONS. BUT WE WILL, WE DO WAR.
Oh, I may be the last one to see it. Born in an enormously sheltered, wealthy upbringing.
"Don't fight!" I was taught, by my sheltered mom. NOT AN OPTION. Life IS "fight." Inescapable.
The only question is one of means.
This last year, watching the RepuGnitan hate machine and admiring, and learning from the likes of Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart, and then myself, that "fighting" is a given.
I have been so neglect during my life, like almost all liberal Democrats. Sorry.
I'm learning my lesson. I PRAY that many of us are.
"Don't fight!" I was taught, by my sheltered mom. NOT AN OPTION. Life IS "fight." Inescapable.
The only question is one of means.
This last year, watching the RepuGnitan hate machine and admiring, and learning from the likes of Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart, and then myself, that "fighting" is a given.
I have been so neglect during my life, like almost all liberal Democrats. Sorry.
I'm learning my lesson. I PRAY that many of us are.
2.19.2009
!!!DN! People of Color in US Endure Silent Economic Depression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et2nyah2bHQ
The unemployment rate remains highest among people of color. Black unemployment is now at over 12.6 percent, and the jobless rate for young black men is considerably higher. We speak to Dedrick Muhammad, co-author of the new report State of the Dream 2009: The Silent Depression published by United for a Fair Economy.
The unemployment rate remains highest among people of color. Black unemployment is now at over 12.6 percent, and the jobless rate for young black men is considerably higher. We speak to Dedrick Muhammad, co-author of the new report State of the Dream 2009: The Silent Depression published by United for a Fair Economy.
NYT FRANK RICH: Misunderstimating the RepuGicans has all but killed us. [WATCH THIS]
8MIN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cooSLUVCUGg Misunderstimating the RepuGicans has all but killed us.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice - there is not twice. We're out of time.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice - there is not twice. We're out of time.
BUMS: UNPAID RIF RAF AT VALLEY FORGE? COUNTRYMEN THAT DIDN'T PAY THEM? FAMILIES ON THE DOLE? OWNERS AT THE GOLF CLUB?
I work virtually every waking hour of the day - 100% for the good of Humanity. Frequently the response to me is - bum, get a job.
Am I the bum?
Is the bum my fellow citizen that in this time of final, Global crisis is in her cave, taking care of "me and mine" while the world comes to an end, leaving those of us that ARE MANNING THE FRONT LINES, to starve?
Am I the bum?
Is the bum my fellow citizen that in this time of final, Global crisis is in her cave, taking care of "me and mine" while the world comes to an end, leaving those of us that ARE MANNING THE FRONT LINES, to starve?
2.18.2009
PAUL KRUGMAN/NYT/PULITZER: Apocalypse now... this could be America. (Hey, let's ignore him TOO.)
Apocalypse now
Everyone should be paying attention to the political/fiscal catastrophe now unfolding in California. Years of neglect, followed by economic disaster — and with all reasonable responses blocked by a fanatical, irrational minority.
This could be America next.
BLOOMBERG: Obama Unveils $275 Billion Plan to Shore Up Housing (God Damn any of us that let Obama get politically/effectively "shot," like we did with Jesus, King and Gandhi.)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7PZO..IJU.s&refer=home
Obama Unveils $275 Billion Plan to Shore Up Housing (Update2)
Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama pledged $275 billion to cut mortgage payments for as many as 9 million struggling homeowners and enable Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to keep loan rates down....
My Friends: If the shoe does not fit, PLEASE DON'T WEAR IT!!!! :-) Yes some of my comments are VERY CAUSTIC!!!! SL
Yes some of my comments are VERY CAUSTIC!!!!
If they don't APPLY TO YOU, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
But, if they do NOT apply to you, YOU WOULD BE THE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND AND FORGIVE ME, because then, you too are living in the horror that all but a minuscule few of our brothers and sisters are dying in morbid apathy and inaction - from which WE ARE ALL DYING.
If they don't APPLY TO YOU, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!
But, if they do NOT apply to you, YOU WOULD BE THE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND AND FORGIVE ME, because then, you too are living in the horror that all but a minuscule few of our brothers and sisters are dying in morbid apathy and inaction - from which WE ARE ALL DYING.
INDEPENDENT UK: Helen Caldicott. "We must act with a sense of dire emergency." ["Why did you ignore her?!?!?!?" your child asks. And you will say ______????)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/credo--helen-caldicott-424003.html
Credo: Helen Caldicott
The Australian paediatrician was named by the Smithsonian Institute as one of the most influential women in the world. She is a fervent anti-nuclear campaigner
- I believe that women have the fate of the Earth in the palm of their hands. Some 53 per cent of us are women and we really are pretty wimpish. We don't step up to the plate...
- I believe that money is the root of all evil. When people start believing that materialism will produce ultimate, lasting happiness, it is a sure sign that they will be intensely unhappy. One third of Americans are on anti-depressants. Instead, what they should be doing is lifting their souls, not their faces.
- I believe in the sanctity of nature. I believe we can save the planet. We are smart enough to do that, but we must act with a sense of dire emergency.
AP: Holder/Obama Admin. SPEAKS TRUTH on Race in America. (Will you protect them from Crucifixion?)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/holder_race
Holder: US a nation of cowards on racial matters
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder described the United States Wednesday as a nation of cowards on matters of race, saying most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues. In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.
"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder, nation's first black attorney general.
Should we pray for our leaders?
[regarding email below]
Hey sis! I pray a lot, as you know. I pray to bring change. To what? Me. The one, and ONLY thing that Prayer EVER changes is the one praying. And seeing as THE ONLY FREEDOM WE HAVE IS TO CHANGE/CONTROL OURSELVES - this is pretty important to do.
And yes, when I feel I need to expand my Love and Understanding of our "Leaders" I pray for them; so that I become what I need to become - so that I can better serve us all.
Oh, I am so far from being what we need me to be. And I'm running out of time. We're running out of time. Must hurry.
NO! I am neither lecturing here, or spouting God's truth. I AM NOT GOD, unfortunately, cuz then I WOULD know the absolute truth! :-) BUT WHEN I AM CERTAIN, I WILL SHARE WITH CERTAINTY. It is for the hearer then to decide on whether or not I speak the Truth. :-)
Love you.
------------------------
Subject: Fwd: hmmmmm... sharing..interesting read..hmmmm
It's difficult to lead farther than you have gone yourself.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Hey sis! I pray a lot, as you know. I pray to bring change. To what? Me. The one, and ONLY thing that Prayer EVER changes is the one praying. And seeing as THE ONLY FREEDOM WE HAVE IS TO CHANGE/CONTROL OURSELVES - this is pretty important to do.
And yes, when I feel I need to expand my Love and Understanding of our "Leaders" I pray for them; so that I become what I need to become - so that I can better serve us all.
Oh, I am so far from being what we need me to be. And I'm running out of time. We're running out of time. Must hurry.
NO! I am neither lecturing here, or spouting God's truth. I AM NOT GOD, unfortunately, cuz then I WOULD know the absolute truth! :-) BUT WHEN I AM CERTAIN, I WILL SHARE WITH CERTAINTY. It is for the hearer then to decide on whether or not I speak the Truth. :-)
Love you.
------------------------
Subject: Fwd: hmmmmm... sharing..interesting read..hmmmm
Wednesday February 18
This week's promise: God is in charge of the world
Do you pray for local, national and world leaders?
Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:2 NLT
Prayers for kings and authorities
There is a reason Paul commands us to consistently pray for all of these people. The decisions they make have a direct, sometimes lasting, impact on our life. When the leaders of my country make good decisions, my life goes better. When the laws they pass are sound and just, my family sleeps better at night. When my church leaders make godly, spirit-directed decisions, my soul is in better hands. When my boss makes wise choices, the company grows and my job is secure. When my parents handle their affairs well and stay in God's will, I can depend on the counsel they give to be solid and sound. The strength of their character will affect our family for generations to come, so I fervently pray that God will grant them wisdom and godliness in all they say and do.
We pray for those in authority over us because it helps us live in "peace and quietness." And because it develops within us the traits of "godliness and dignity." In many ways these simple qualities sum up the whole of our Christian witness on earth.
We are called to be peaceful people—to be at peace with God, with our salvation, with our situation on earth, and with those around us. And we are to live holy and dignified lives—to put "aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). It is through consistent and deliberate prayer—for others, as well as ourselves—that these qualities are obtained.
adapted from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins and Frank M. Martin,, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), p 37
It's difficult to lead farther than you have gone yourself.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
SL here. "SUBSCRIPTIONS" to the blogs I maintain. IMPORTANT NOTICE!
NO LONGER will I be posting complete articles so what you receive each day will not be so LONG!!!!
I EXPECT TO POST JUST HIGHLIGHTS AND A LINK TO THE ARTICLE - SUMMARY. I am spending HOURS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!
Friends - you have an opening, you have several months, a brief opening to save the country and the world. Obama and you have created that brief opening. The opposition, power elites, are back on their heels, and their opposition is moving forward. THIS IS YOUR TIME. FOR GOD'S SAKE, LEAVE YOUR PLOWS IN THE FIELD, TAKE UP YOUR "ARMS (AND LEGS)" AND GET INTO THIS FIGHT.
ETERNITY DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO IN FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL AND MAY.
You will not get this chance again. Ever. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE FOR "LIFE."
Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
I EXPECT TO POST JUST HIGHLIGHTS AND A LINK TO THE ARTICLE - SUMMARY. I am spending HOURS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!
Friends - you have an opening, you have several months, a brief opening to save the country and the world. Obama and you have created that brief opening. The opposition, power elites, are back on their heels, and their opposition is moving forward. THIS IS YOUR TIME. FOR GOD'S SAKE, LEAVE YOUR PLOWS IN THE FIELD, TAKE UP YOUR "ARMS (AND LEGS)" AND GET INTO THIS FIGHT.
ETERNITY DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO IN FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL AND MAY.
You will not get this chance again. Ever. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE FOR "LIFE."
[NOTICE!!! No longer will I send out mass, blind emails regularly.
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each (4) blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each (4) blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
<<
Homeearth
Security.
blogspot.com
Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
2.17.2009
Obama pens 'real' notes to fallen troops' families
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
In his first few weeks in office, sometime between celebratory bill signings and phone calls from foreign leaders, President Obama sat in the Oval Office for the most somber task of his presidency - penning letters to families of troops killed in combat.
"This was real, it was personal, it was so important to us," said Thya Merz, whose son Marine Lance Cpl. Julian Brennan was killed Jan. 24 in Afghanistan.
The letter was signed "Barack," Ms. Merz told The Washington Times.
"Not 'president,' just his first name, and it just felt like, OK, my son has been acknowledged," she said.
Mr. Obama personalizes each letter, asking staffers to gather details about the service member, such as their hometown and where they were stationed, a White House aide said. The letters are sent to parents and spouses, and sometimes children of the fallen troops.
The president writes the notes by hand, then the letters are typed before he adds his signature.
Mr. Obama wrote the first few letters for troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan while George W. Bush was president, and has written at least a dozen more since taking office.
The president told NBC News that the duty falls to him, though he did not initiate the wars and opposed the invasion of Iraq. In those moments of signing the letters, he said, "you realize every decision you make counts."
The White House declined to release any of the private letters or the names of families who received them, but The Times spoke with some who shared the contents of their letters.
Cpl. Brennan, 25, was supporting combat operations in Afghanistan's Farah province when he was killed last month.
Ms. Merz said the president's letter to her family in honor of her son was "lovely" and added, "It is meaningful to have Julian's death noted personally by him."
Six weeks before Cpl. Brennan was deployed, the Brooklyn resident married his fiancee to make sure she would have benefits if he was killed abroad.
Ms. Merz said she and her son often talked about national service. Like the president, she opposed the war in Iraq. As for Afghanistan, she described herself as ambivalent, but said that she and her son came to an agreement that "if our nation was going to engage in military action, everybody should serve."
As a parent of someone in combat, she realized, "I no longer have the privilege of saying I don't agree and not paying attention to what our nation was doing," she said.
Ms. Merz said she was struck by the personal tone of Mr. Obama's letter, which arrived before the official correspondence from Congress, and she wasn't sure whether they were his words or those of a staffer.
When told by The Times that Mr. Obama writes the letters himself, she said the words became more powerful.
"It says to me that he, too, will be paying attention to more than just the numbers, but the real stories," Ms. Merz said.
"One of the things I felt committed to even though I didn't agree with our military ventures was reading the names of the troops killed as they were listed," she said. "I just need to think about these people as individuals, and I hope that as a nation we are doing that and seeing them as real sons and daughters."
She added that Cpl. Brennan was "just beginning to grasp the real life of the Afghanis around him, feeling very committed to the human side of what was happening in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Their last conversation was on Inauguration Day, four days before Cpl. Brennan was killed by a roadside bomb. Both supported Mr. Obama's election, but they spoke that day about the Afghan people, she said.
Ms. Merz said she had been considering making the trip from New York to Washington for the inaugural festivities, but "I'm glad I didn't. I was home to get my son's call."
"I am so glad the president is trying to do the right thing personally in terms of families and the soldiers," she said. "He has a monumental task in front of him."
As Mr. Obama adjusts to the traditions bestowed upon the president as commander in chief, the duty is far different from saluting the Marine standing next to his Marine One helicopter or getting used to people standing when he walks into the room.
The president said on NBC News that the letters serve as a reminder - "that you've got hundreds of thousands of people - around the world who are putting themselves in harm's way and you are the commander in chief."
The White House said copies of the letters are preserved for historical archives.
The aide described the letters as "very gracious" but would not share the text because of the sensitive and personal nature of their content. The letters mention that the president appreciates the service member's sacrifice.
While serving as a U.S. senator, Mr. Obama would send families of Illinois service members condolence letters and an American flag that had flown over the Capitol.
Some he would call personally.
Mr. Bush also sent personal letters to the families of every one of the more than 4,000 troops who have died in the two wars, he told The Times in an interview last year. He said he leaned on his wife, Laura, for support in the gut-wrenching task.
Mr. Bush also met privately with more than 500 families of troops killed in action and with more than 950 wounded veterans, said Carlton Carroll, a White House spokesman during the Bush administration.
"Everything you do matters," Mr. Obama told Fox News a few days after the NBC interview. "I'm now signing letters to the families of troops who have fallen in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Every time you sign that, you are reminded that you have enormous responsibilities and so, that's why all of these debates - when I'm talking to Democrats or Republicans, one of the things I try to remind them and something I remind myself every single day is the only criteria for what I do should be - is it working for the American people?
"Because this job is too big, too important, to just want to occupy space," he said. "And if I've spent the next four years, every day, making decisions based on that single criteria, is this going to help the American people achieve their dreams and keep them safe, then I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror and say, 'You know what, you did a good job.' "
I Quake when I pray now. Involutary. Always. We don't have much time left.
This is significant.
I have become the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
When I pray, my practice is to imagine that there is a perfectly Loving parent of us all; where in the world, where in the "family" is shehe looking? That directs my attention. To Gaza, to Darfur, to the Glaciers, to the dying seas, to the rain forests, to sub Sahara Africa, to the Himalayan Glaciers, to the millions of species going extinct...
to our DYING world,
to the END OF CIVILIZATION.
I physically start to twitch now, and it does not stop.
We don't have much time left to save our planet, our only home.
Don't ignore what I am telling you, any longer.
I have become the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
When I pray, my practice is to imagine that there is a perfectly Loving parent of us all; where in the world, where in the "family" is shehe looking? That directs my attention. To Gaza, to Darfur, to the Glaciers, to the dying seas, to the rain forests, to sub Sahara Africa, to the Himalayan Glaciers, to the millions of species going extinct...
to our DYING world,
to the END OF CIVILIZATION.
I physically start to twitch now, and it does not stop.
We don't have much time left to save our planet, our only home.
Don't ignore what I am telling you, any longer.
NEW SITE: Obama <<< King <<< FDR <<< Gandhi <<< Lincoln <<< Jesus !!!!!!
I am thinking of doing a new site, but for now I'll use this site to support God's last great gift to us, our last chance.
Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
The greatest Quarterback the world EVER has been given.
BUT WE ARE THE TEAM, AND SO FAR
WE worse-than-SUCK.
WE worse-than-SUCK.
And Civilization IS OVER unless we
get on the freekin field and play like
the whole world depneds on it,
get on the freekin field and play like
the whole world depneds on it,
because it totally does.
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Start Loving ... WAGE LOVE OR DIE
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
HUGE VIDEOS 2/17/09. HUGE.
JUST FIND THE TIME. JUST MAKE THE TIME!!!! THESE ARE NECESSARY. NOW.
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
- DN!!!!! COAL ACTIVISTS ARRESTED
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODSFRLY0kc - DN!!!!! 1BILLION NEW POVERTY VICTIMS <<<<<<< DO NOT MISS THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXbkOGWLRK0 - PROSECUTING YOO: Michael Isikoff on "The Rachel Maddow Show"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6JArB2p7lo - DN!!!!! GREEN NEW DEAL NOW, OR BYE BYE NATIONAL SECURITY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb-zxB5r7zo - DN!!!!!! TODAY'S ISRAEL/US WAR CRIMES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKVHkt3WmIA - DN!!! MILITARY CRIME OUT-DOES MADOFF PONZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7pfIkq7-bE - DN!!!! "WAR CRIMES" FROM ISRAEL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fchk6yWnMuQ - DN!!!! US DESTROYS HUMAN RIGHTS WORLDWIDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUj2KiJeRaA - DN!!!!!!! COAL TO DESTROY 90 MTNS. IN ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C36AIshlcnM - DN! AFRICA 1of2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjTn7rCllL4 - !!!!!GAZA ACTIVISTS FIRED UPON!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCj_qEBk_Ko - No militant activism? No "America." Naomi Wolf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FzMNr7C-5w
[NOTICE!!! No longer will I send out mass, blind emails regularly.
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
IF YOU WISH "Subscribe" to each blog below - top news stories of the day everyday. TRY IT.
For each, each day you would receive 1 Email with the Post(s) for that day]
<<
Homeearth
Security.
blogspot.com
(NO 3RD OPTION ANY LONGER EXISTS).
GANDHI: "BE THE [COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP]
YOU WISH TO SEE."
Http://Start-Loving.blogspot.com
Http://youtube.com/StartLoving1
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