So, it was either Keith or Rachel tonight who said that Obama met with

[gateley]

Joe and Hillary separately re: Afghanistan. Then s/he said "so Biden had Obama's ear for one hour before he (O) met with his military advisors.

They keep saying that the zillions of leaks from the WH indicate Joe is in favor of drones to attack the remaining Taliban (although I heard on another show there's virtually none left there) and to focus on Pakistan.

God, I hope Obama listens to Biden. But damn! We tend to think that means they'll bring the troops home, but what will they be sending into Pakistan? Is there any end to this?

I heard somebody on the other night who presented a pretty compelling argument that bin Laden is dead and probably died shortly after 9/11.

Soooo.... no wonder Bush "didn't give him a lot of thought" or whatever he said, he probably knew he was dead but couldn't spill the beans because they were still working on conquering Iraq for the oil. I am so angry at them!

[CrispyQ]

1. I would love if this administration could confirm that OBL is dead.

And if they could confirm when, even better. It would be nice to finally put that boogie man to rest.

I've been reading Thom Hartman's book, "Threshold." Holy shit. Thom is an optimist, but after the first three chapters, I don't know how he's going to put a good spin on this. I don't know what he can possibly suggest that will get us out of this supreme cluster-fuck we humans have created. I read that there will be no climate bill this year. And even when they do go about writing it, it will be so little, so late, as to be worthless. I honestly believe our eco-system is on the brink & drastic action is needed, now.

I'm not an Obama fan. I wasn't before he was elected & am even less so, now. Just think what all that war money could do in this country. We should go back to being innovators & put that money into alternative energy, not wars & imperialism & stealing other countries resources.

on edit: I got a little off topic there. Sorry.

[gateley]

2. That's okay, because I'm with you on the eco-system. It just baffles me that

people think, for example, that if the French test underwater nukes over THERE, we're not affected over HERE. It's all inter-related. I really don't see a solution, regardless of how many plastic bags I DON'T use (and I don't use ANY!). I think we're past the tipping point, and if we humans are to continue living on this planet, we'll have to evolve, literally, to accommodate the new planet.

My only hope is that those who follow us, and those of us who survive, will LEARN and use our intelligence and desire to find new ways to live in harmony with and support the earth.

I've always thought it was whack to announce a Big! Exciting! plan to get hybrids on the road by whatever year they were all yapping about. I'm thinking -- hybrids? Can't we go beyond that? Solar? A new, harmless energy source?

I DO believe that the technology, or the genesis of the technology, is out there, but bought by and/or stifled by the corporations. And Cheney :evilgrin:

AND, I subscribe to the conspiracy theory that when Tesla died, the government carted away his records and now that knowledge is lost forever. Until we get a new Tesla.

I could go on and on...

The prob with ANY president is that (assuming his/her intentions are good, as opposed to BushCo) has his or her hands tied. I would like to see the rug pulled out from under us and begin anew. The problem is now, though, that as Joe says, China owns the mortgage on our house.

Which brings me to..... I've heard that all great civilizations last about 200 years before they self-destruct. True or not, I think our time has come. Or should I say come and gone?

PS -- here's the link on the OBL book if you're interested. I THINK I heard this guy on Hartmann, come to think of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Osama-Bin-Laden-Dead-Alive/dp/1566567831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255112161&sr=1-1

[CrispyQ]

4. Somehow I missed your response.

I know we'll never rid ourselves of the 'for profit' mentality, but will we ever rein it in so it's not so destructive? I wonder what makes people who have such wealth that you & I cannot even imagine, always desire more? When is enough, enough? Is it a game or is it an obsession?

I worked for a man who stated that if every American drove a hybrid we would solve the climate crisis. :eyes: He was generally a smart guy, so I was stunned at that bit of stupidity.

I had heard of Tesla, but googled him to learn more. Why do you think his knowledge is lost forever?

[gateley]

6. I actually saw a clip of a Limbaugh interview this morning where

he was saying he knows how to get the media talking about him, he plays to his audience because bigger audiences bring in more advertising revenue which means more money for him. And I thought the same thing -- he's so rich -- why is he concerned about making even more?

I think it's power. In our society (I guess the world) money = power.

I think Tesla's knowledge is lost forever because when he died, the government (ours) confiscated all his records. They're supposedly in his home country now, but who knows? To my knowledge, and I'm not a follower of these things, that many of his amazing experiences haven't been duplicated since he died. I DO know that posthumously Tesla received the credit he deserved for his part of inventing the radio (although I sure didn't learn that in school), and that it was big $$$ backing Edison that contributed to Tesla's waning standing during the day. (Edison promoted direct current for electricity and claimed that alternating current would kill us - of course today, we predominantly use AC :eyes:)

I was educated by another DUer that Tesla was not the know all and be all, that there are lots of inventors and inventions out there that could use solar energy, for example.

Tesla claimed he could actually harness energy from the air. Whether that's true or not I don't think we'll ever know.

[CrispyQ]

7. I've been reading about him today.

Very fascinating character! Wiki is pretty long & I'm still reading it. This page, however, is short & is very interesting, especially his experiment about the Wardenclyffe tower.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread136332/pg1

~cool

[gateley]

8. There's a book called Man Out Of Time which gives an

overview of him. Interesting and definitely written for those of us who aren't scientists.

I swear there was a documentary about him on History or Discovery, but I just did a quick search and couldn't find it...

That IS an interesting blip. Hadn't heard the Marconi faking his own death story before... :7

[CrispyQ]

9. There's a doc in Netflix I put in my queue.

After I've finished the "Six Feet Under" series. ;)

[PatSeg]

10. Yeah, I saw that one

Very interesting guy. Worth watching.

[PatSeg]

11. I think it is primarily a game,

an obsessive game. They reach a point where it isn't like real money anymore, just numbers and the objective to WIN at any cost.

[CrispyQ]

12. I simply can't imagine that. I really can't

I actually could feel sorry for them if they didn't create such hardship for others with their obsession. I mean, their lives come down to money & power & that's it. How superficial. If Cheney were given one wish when he's on his death bed, do you think it would be for money & power or more time?

I'm reminded of that saying: He who dies with the most toys, still dies.

[PatSeg]

13. I can kind of understand it

I've seen that tendency when playing games, but I know my actions aren't affecting real people. There is some kind of deficiency in these people, where they can never put themselves in someone else's shoes. Different wiring I suppose, but it is really creepy that people spend a lifetime living without any compassion or empathy, oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

Life is so short and I too have often wondered what goes on in their minds when facing death. What on earth can be accomplished by pursuing more and more money well into old age? Maybe on some level they think the acquisition of MORE money somehow will ward off the inevitable - DEATH.

I think most everyone has regrets at the very end. It would be interesting to know what their regrets are. Maybe only the fact that they can't elude death?

[PatSeg]

3. I think that there is a good chance that Bin Laden is dead

and that the powers that be have known for a long time. The other day someone posted a video of a BBC documentary that was very revealing, though not shocking to me after the past eight years. The world was sold a bill of goods about this big, scary organization called Al Qaeda and its evil leader Bin Laden. Things were not as they appeared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zKhoH6KVgw&feature=related

I got so engrossed, I actually watched all six parts in one sitting.

[gateley]

5. Oooh -- just now seeing your post. I'll check this out! Thanks! nt

[PatSeg]

14. It was so well done

and it all made perfect sense. Much of it confirmed some of my beliefs, but it backed it up with facts instead of instincts.