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the expected temperature in bagdad today: 118 degrees. Wouldn’t you just love to be there, decked out in your military fatigues, topped by body armor, and then a steel or hard plastic helmet? What a neat vacation from reality. What amazes me is that so many high school graduates are still signing up to go over there, still believing their govt’s hype that they will be defending our nation and our way of life by killing innocent people half way around the globe. And what completely astounds me is how many of their parents also believe that propaganda. I simply cant fathom giving birth, lovingly raising that child, and then willingly allowing your child to be used as cannon fodder in yet another bankers war. We are indeed an amazing people. Amazing, but seemingly brain dead.

Maybe this partially explains it. My generation grew up before the greatest brainwashing technique of our times, television. Every Saturday we local kids walked all the way to the local movie theater and spent the entire day watching a series of movies. It began with cartoons, then a laurel and hardy feature, a cowboy and Indian shoot em up, then a melodramatic serial where you just had to come next week to see what happened next. There was something for everyone. Somewhere in that mix was a short news reel that of course was pure govt propaganda, but we were kids. We watched it without comprehension or took the opportunity to go out to the lobby and buy candy and popcorn that was actually affordable, even for us. It was a long day, and we were bleary eyed by the end, but there were no commercials. An entire day of entertainment with no one trying to sell us anything. And the sheer variety did something to our brains. Its called learning discrimination. Contrast that with later generations, raised on tv. We are becoming a brain dead society.

next item: well, at least one of our soldiers woke up. "I was walking to chow hall with my unit, and we were yelling, 'Train to kill, kill we will,' over and over again," recalls Spc. Jeremy Hinzman of Rapid City, S.D., now living in Canada after deserting last year "I kind of snuck a peek around me and saw all my colleagues getting red in the face and hoarse yelling -- and at that point a light went off in my head and I said, 'You know, I made the wrong career decision.'"

Next item: notice how the rhetoric of the war has changed? The govt propaganda no longer labels the insurgents as "foreign fighters". A tacit admission that the people killing our loved ones are not foreigners but in fact are locals, the people who grew up there. We are killing Iraqis and Iraqis are killing us. Why? Cindy Sheehan and a lot of other folks are asking king george that very question, but sorry folks, king geo is too busy getting on with his life.

next item: this from.* Lori Price, from an organization called Citizens for Legitimate Govt "Recall that under Saddam Hussein, Iraqis had potable water, 24 hour per day electricity, and food that was not spoiled in one hundred and thirty degrees due to lack of electricity. Women had more freedom than in any other Islamic or arab country, including the right to drive a car, wear clothes of their choice, were free to hold any job, and they could vote. Moreover, there were no death squads running rampant -- George W. Bush and John D. Negroponte brought those. And there you have it, folks. A trillion dollars later (not to mention, several thousand dead and wounded; environmental damage inflicted on Iraq for centuries, due to US use of Depleted Uranium) -- one can conclude that Saddam Hussein was *the better deal.

next item: tv evangelist pat Robertson has just called for the killing of Venezuelan president hugo chavez. Not for removal by popular election, as the cia tried that but the stubborn Venezuelan voters wouldn’t cooperate, but by us govt assassination. Good ole pat isn’t into democracy. Some foreign leader doesn’t agree with us? Kill em. My god sayeth Might makes right, and kill anyone who opposes me. Isn’t fundamentalist religion wonderful? Love your brothers and sisters, but kill anyone who gets in your way or doesn’t agree with you. Religion, American style. you got to just love it. You know, come to think of it, I got my own list of people id like removed from power, but unfortunately, due to lack of foresight on my part, I neglected to create a cia or huge well equipped army to do my bidding. So if there are any out of work and bored assassins listening, give me a call will you? Ive got a long list of world leaders I ‘d like to see coaxed into early retirement.

Ok, I usually save humor for the end of the show, and often run out of time and don’t get to it, but this one is so good I got to use it now. Donald rumsfeld’s title is Sec of defense, which is funny in its own right considering that he is in charge of offense, not defense. We haven’t had a defensive war since korea and that was 55 years ago. Every war after 1950 has been offensive, and I mean that in both meanings of the word. But I digress. Donald rumsfeld was quoted this week of accusing hugo chavez and fidel catro of "interfering in the affairs of the sovereign nation of Bolivia". Excuse me? Rumi acusing other world leaders of interfering in other nations affairs? Im not making this up. With seemingly straight face he actually said that. Who writes his material, comedy central?

Now for a mystery. Chuck hagel is a rep sen from Nebraska. I don’t know what he’s been smoking but lately he has made some rather amazing statements, actually opposing basic policies of king geo. The latest was his announcement that in his opinion, pres bush and his advisors are "disconnected from reality, and that we are losing the war in iraq". Most democratic senators haven’t the huevos to make such statements, but what gets weirder is when you remember that chuck hagel got his senatorial seat in one of the most suspicious elections up to that time. He was ceo of one of the companies that produced the electronic voting machines, [I don’t recall if it was diebold or one of the others, and curiously enuff, his companies machines counted the votes that gave him the surprise victory. His surprise victory was considered very suspicious at the time. If anyone should be behaving nicely nicely, its chuck hagel. And here he is in seeming rebellion against his own party. Something is weird here. Methinks there is more to this story than meets the eye. . Is he playing good cop to the bush crowds bad cop? Keep an eye on chuck hagel.

Next item: for those of us content to live the good life while our country loses its moral compass and disintegrates, here is a quote from Samuel Adams (American revolutionary):

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude more than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!

The quotes from those pesky fellows who fought to create our country just wont go away. Here is one from James Madison (Fourth President of the United States): Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both.

Can you come up with a better more concise description for our present federal govt? a farce, or a tragedy, or both.

Recall the words of the declaration of independence? We hold this truth to be self evident, that all men are created equal? Well, here is a modern twist: Its called — UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF MENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS: WE HOLD THIS TRUTH: THAT ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE CREATED DIFFERENT. That every human being has the right to be mentally free and independent.  That every human being has the right to feel, see, hear, sense, imagine, believe or experience anything at all, in any way, at any time.  That every human being has the right to behave in any way that does not harm others or break fair and just laws.  That no human being shall be subjected without consent to incarceration, restraint, punishment or psychological or medical intervention in an attempt to control, repress or alter the individual's thoughts, feelings or experiences.

Next item: well, just when im about to give up hope on any sensible idea coming from a politician im pleased to report that at least two of the nev co supervisors are on record with a sane perspective on local ddrug problems. this from the gv union August 22, 2005

Nevada County Supervisor Nate Beason believes that curbing the use of methamphetamine, not marijuana, should be the federal government's top target in the war on drugs.

The former Naval officer and first-term elected supervisor plans to introduce a resolution Tuesday meant to encourage President George W. Bush to shift his administration's priorities and tackle meth.

Marijuana is a popular drug that can lead users to other, more dangerous drugs, Beason said. But "the real immediate danger is meth."

That opinion is not shared by the Bush administration, which plans to focus on controlling the use of marijuana next year while slashing the amount of money states will get to combat meth.

"We believe the problem of methamphetamine use is a higher priority and the wide range of financial, social and economic impacts it is having on our community must be immediately addressed," states the letter Beason proposes sending to Bush.

With the support of area law enforcement officials and social workers, Beason thinks his effort will find favor with his fellow supervisors.

At least one other member of the elected panel - Sue Horne - is on board with Beason.

"I absolutely would support more resources at the federal level being put into this crisis," Horne said Friday.

if king geo iis too busy getting on with his life to talk with cindy sheehan, id guess the chances of him actually reading our sups letter are slim and none, but the fact that at least 2 sups are willing to sign and send the letter is incredible. a sensible approach to our drug problem? sane priorities? incrdible. kudos to nate beeson, sue horne and any other sups who sign on.