[DUCHESS NOTE ... The tidbit below was forwarded to me by an acquaintance from NYC Friends of Kucinich & Democracy for NYC. What's happening in Iraq now is a repeat of Vietnam. Has been all along. Only now its the corrupt Republicans shoveling lying crap at us and not Johnson's Democrats. Yep, history does repeat itself. Why can't people learn and not make the same mistakes?!? We need peace, not death and war. We The People must come together to make peace a reality.]

"United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting. According to reports from Saigon, 83 percent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong. A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam." ... Peter Grose, in a page 2 New York Times article titled, 'U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote,' September 4, 1967

QUOTE OF THE DAY ... Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200 and a substantial tax cut saves you 30 cents?!? Peg Bracken

WHISPERS OF AN UPCOMING PEARL JAM TOUR ARE CIRCULATING ROUND AND ROUND ...First from Pearl Jam bassman, Jeff [Mr Awesome] Ament, in recent Ten Club newsletter AND an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal regarding U2's recent ticketing "disaster". Read on. . . . .

Jeff Ament Comment From Recent Ten Club Newsletter ... "It's a sunny cold winter day in Seattle and it's time to hit the gears with some wd-40. We have a nice little batch of 20 some songs, mostly co-written, everyone brought in some riffs and cool parts and we pushed and pulled, added and subtracted, discussed, distressed, cut the fat and sometimes, we stretched it out, looking for our jazz odyssey. 7's + 5's, turned in to 3's + 4's and back again. In between, we drank coffee and ate donuts and we also talked about playing these new songs live. Going to Europe, some new spots in Canada, going somewhere warm next winter. It's exciting to still be excited to getting and playing music. Thanks for your energy. Can't wait to play you the new songs."

Now, add to that this excerpt from the Wall Street Journal in an article about U2's recent ticketing "disaster". . . . .Pearl Jam's fan organization, known as Ten Club, long has used a lower-technology method to allocate tickets for its members, precisely to avoid the kind of problem that occurred with the U2 tour. The band issues a number to each Ten Club member, in the order in which they join. It then allocates the best seats at each venue to members who order them, in order of their membership numbers. The band plans to execute the same system, by hand, for a nine-month world tour kicking off sometime this summer.

ABIT OF NEWS - JUST A WEE BIT

A BATTLE PROGRESSIVES CAN WIN
Roger Hickey, The American Prospect
Bush's social security privatization splinters Republicans and unites Democrats.
http://www.alternet.org/story/21158/

THE STATE OF GEORGE W. BUSH
David Corn, The Nation
Whether speaking about the Iraq war, gay marriage or Social Security, the president re-affirmed that he does not reside in a reality-based community.
http://www.alternet.org/story/21166/

WHY IRAQ IS STILL A DEBACLE
Arianna Huffington, AlterNet
The Iraqi election's Kodak moment, however moving, should not be allowed to erase all that came before it, leaving us unprepared for all that may come after it.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/21159/

S'MORES AND DRUMSTICKS
Ann Farmer, Women's eNews
Rock 'n' roll camps for girls are spreading across the country, encouraging fledgling female rockers to turn up amplifiers, bang on drum sets, make raucous music and feel good about themselves.
http://www.alternet.org/story/21160/