REAL NEWS FOR YOUR WEEKEND

President Obama, Don’t Become Complicit in their Crimes!
Cynthia McKinney, OpEdNews
http://www.opednews.com/articles/President-Obama-Don-t-Bec-by-Cynthia-McKinney-090130-654.html

Kucinich on the Stimulus: “This Economy is Literally Killing People”
Jan 28, 2009
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=109656

Towards An Even-handed Foreign Policy in the US Congress? Ohio Democrat, Dennis Kucinich, Leads a New Tread
Michael Carmichael, Global Research
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12039

Kucinich on Proposed Pfizer-Wheth Merger
Jan 27, 2009
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=109578

Five-Way Green Primary to Take Place in Illinois; Twenty-Six Candidates in Total
Ross Levin, OpEdNews
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Five-way-Green-primary-to-by-Ross-Levin-090124-764.html

Obama the Imperialist – “Change? In foreign policy, hardly. The new president is in the classic liberal interventionist mould”
Richard Seymour, The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/27/obama-white-house-foreign-policy

Kucinich on the Stimulus: Oversight, not Banking, is a Proper Function of Government
Jan 26, 2009
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=109525

Top 5 Myths About Closing Guantanamo
The Progress Report
http://www.alternet.org/rights/122895/

Kucinich to Obama: Change Failed Bush Policies in Middle East – Calls for Even-Handed Treatment of Israelis and Palestinians
Jan 23, 2009
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=109367

Kucinich Challenges Banks on Hoarding Bailout Funds – “In God We Trust, Not in Banks We Trust”
Jan 21, 2009
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=109044

Are We Civilized Enough to Hold Our Leaders Accountable for War Crimes? The World is Watching.
John W. Dean, FindLaw.com
http://www.alternet.org/story/122186/

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda [TX] and Carol [NYC] in sharing many of the above articles. Three cheers to Kucinich and McKinney in continually speaking truth to power. They are the "real, true" progressives AND always there for ALL Americans. I proudly voted for them in the primary and general election, plus continue to be a firm supporter. Let's bring peace to the world.]

Cynthia McKinney statement on Obama Actions Thus Far re: Gaza -- "Mr. President: Give Us a Clean Break from War"

In a message to President Obama today, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney wrote:

"It is time that the United States negotiate in good faith with Hamas, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. It is also time that the U.S. government tell Israel to release the Hamas Parliamentarians it illegally arrested. President Obama, please say something about Gaza. You have been roundly condemned for your continued silence in the face of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza. Silence is complicity. Not one more bomb for Israel."

Israeli action in Gaza has outraged the world. Starting with Israel's inhumane blockade of Gaza when it didn't like the 2006 election results that put Hamas officially into power. In September 2007, Israel declared Gaza an "enemy entity."

Of course, Israeli efforts to isolate the Gaza Strip can be traced back to Ariel Sharon as early as 2005. In carrying out its military Operation Cast Lead, Israel not only committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, it also carried out a long-standing goal of Gaza isolation. The President's continued silence on Gaza and the Palestinian right of self-determination is unacceptable. I would like to commend President Obama for recognizing that peace is the imperative and that the United States can play a constructive role in its attainment. However, placing a phone call to an irrelevant "leader" in an attempt to revive his political standing is not a route to peace: it is a journey down the same road that we're already on, that is massacres, genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture--all with U.S. weapons, paid for by U.S. taxpayers.The President must call the elected representatives of the Palestinian people and that means dealing with Hamas. President Obama has already spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. George Mitchell, the President's Middle East Envoy, is reportedly scheduled to visit the region, but is expected to meet only with Egyptian, Israeli, Saudi, and Jordanian leaders, and the West Bank's Abbas.

Unfortunately, despite worldwide revulsion and United Nations outrage at Israeli actions in Gaza, Gaza has not been reported to be one of the Presidential Envoy's destinations. Even worse, one of the first officials that Obama called on his first day in office was Palestinian Mahmood Abbas. Abbas, however, is no longer President, heading a government that has no opportunity to govern, from a state that exists only as a construct not made by the Palestinian people. For the United States to embark upon the path of peace, it must recognize and act on the fact that Mahmood Abbas is now irrelevant.I believe that the call to Abbas occurred because of pressure on President Obama from outraged activists around the country and around the world calling for him to do something. But Abbas is irrelevant if the goal is peace. If the goal, however, is to appear to be doing something while all the time doing nothing but allowing the violence of U.S.-sponsored military action to spread including saber rattling against Syria and Iran, then the President is on the right path.

The American people voted for change and peace. President Obama's current path will produce neither. I have implored President Obama to say something about Gaza. He has been roundly condemned for his continued silence in the face of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza. Silence in the face of such criminal behavior is complicity.President Obama must urgently place a call to the elected government of the Palestinian people. President Obama can send a strong message to the warmongers inside his own party and present them "a clean break" from war. I encourage him to do so. We will not be fooled by actions that have the appearance of putting us on a path for peace, but that are public relations projects that buy time for more war. To activists and human rights lawyers around the world I say: Now is not the time to let up. We must be unrelenting in our pressure for justice and recognition of the rights of all peoples embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Those rights include the right not to be occupied. And the right to resist occupation. This is the embodiment of self-determination. And the Palestinian people are holders of these rights.

It is time that the United States negotiate in good faith with Hamas, because it is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. It is also time that the U.S. government tell Israel to release the Hamas Parliamentarians it illegally arrested. While the United States Government spends precious resources to imprison Palestinians in the United States who attempted to ameliorate the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, I will attempt another trip to Gaza to assess the depth of the worsened humanitarian catastrophe now there. I have repeatedly called on the President to ask for and the Congress to vote not one more bomb, not one more dime for the Israeli war machine.

NEWS TO START OFF YOUR WEEKEND

Big Party, Small Change: Baby, We Were Born to Run … the Empire
Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque
http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1684-big-party-small-change-baby-we-were-born-to-runthe-empire.html

Obama Has to Hold Bush Accountable for the Laws He Broke
Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation
http://www.alternet.org/rights/120530/

Urge Congress to Enact Single-Payer Health Care
Capital Times Editorial
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/21-4

Activist Spreads King's Teachings on Nonviolence
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/20-2

Ruling on Records Delivers a Win to Cheney
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/20-5

On the Eve of Obama’s Inauguration
Barry Grey Commentary, WSWS.org
http://wsws.org/articles/2009/jan2009/pers-j20.shtml

Obama’s Economic Plan is Not Going to Save Us
William Greider, The Nation
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/121027/

The Next Real Estate Crisis: Shuttered Stores and Empty Malls
Paul Craig Roberts, CounterPunch
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/121846/

Pete Seeger Deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
Peter Dreier
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/20-1

Historical Mystery of Bush's Presidency
Robert Parry
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/20-5

Mothers for Peace Take on Nuclear Waste Storage
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/21-3

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Carol [NYC] in sharing some of this weeks interesting news articles. Also, stay tuned for more "Personal News" updates.]

LATEST NEWS TO ROCK YOUR WORLD

Kucinich Condemns Israeli Attack on House Floor
Friday, January 16th, Democracy Now!
Speaking on the House floor, Democratic Congressmember Dennis Kucinich condemned the attack on the UN compound, saying, “Using US planes, helicopters and munitions to attack a wounded, starved and thirsty civilian population of mostly children trapped in a box called Gaza has become acceptable, perhaps because we have already accepted the deaths of over one million innocent civilians in Iraq in a war based on lies…When we recognize the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, when we come to grips with the reality of suffering on both sides, we may yet find a way to save ourselves.” Kucinich has been one of the few members of Congress to publicly oppose the Israeli attack on Gaza.

How Republican Is Mr Obama?
George Kenney, Electric Politics
http://www.electricpolitics.com/2009/01/how_republican_is_mr_obama.html

Kucinich Ready to go After the Federal Reserve!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPBE15DIy8E

Kucinich on the Destruction of the UN Headquarters in Gaza
OpEdNews.com
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Kucinich-on-the-Destructio-by-Dennis-Kucinich-090115-621.html

Why Big Finance is Laughing all the Way to the Bank
Rob Larson, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/116859/

Obama’s Perilous Compromise with Wall Street Looters
Jeffrey Klein, Huffington Post
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/117219/

US Weaponry Facilitates Killings in Gaza http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/09-4

Will California Scandals Derail SEIU's Dream of Total World Domination?http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/01/09-9

“An Unconscionable Legacy” – Veteran White House Correspondent Helen Thomas on the Bush Presidency
Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/13/an_unconscionable_legacy_veteran_white_house

Hundreds of Thousands of People Worldwide Protest on Day 15 of Israeli Invasion of Gaza
Saed Bannoura, IMEMC News
http://www.imemc.org/article/58426

Obama Can Pump Trillions into the Economy, But No One Knows if it Will Work
Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation
http://www.alternet.org/democracy/118784/

Memo to Obama: You Can Hold Bush and Cheney Accountable While Still Moving Foward
Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post
http://www.alternet.org/story/119854/

Bank of America: Bad for America
ZP Heller, Brave New Films
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/workplace/120219/

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda (TX), Carol (NYC) and Judith (NYC) for their contributions of articles to the Duchess blog. You all rock!]

Coordinated Action in Honor of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – January 19th – 23rd

A Department of Peace and Nonviolence is directly related to Dr. King’s dream. To honor his memory and to continue his work towards a "beloved community" – New Yorkers for a Department of Peace [NYDoP] is coordinating a specific lobbying effort next week.

All next week, after the MLK holiday on Monday Jan. 19th, please contact Domenic Recchia, Chairperson of the Cultural Affairs Committee at 212-788-7045, fax 212-788-7769 or email recchia@council.nyc.ny.us and ask him for a hearing on City Council Resolution 627.

Looking at some of Councilman Recchia’s past actions, he is a good candidate to move this resolution forward.

"While at John Dewey High School, he joined the Council for Unity, a national non-profit organization, promoting racial harmony. As a member of the Council for Unity, he spread the organization's core message of empowering individuals and groups with the skills needed to promote unity, diversity and safety." Source: http://council.nyc.gov/d47/html/members/home.shtml

Sounds like he’d certainly be open to the idea of a Department of Peace!

After you’ve made that call, fax or email, why not contact your Member of Congress (Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121), and ask him or her to support HR 808, the Department of Peace and Nonviolence bill.

After you’ve made your call, sent your fax or email please let us know you did so by emailing the NYDOP City Council Resolution (CCR) Committee at nydopeace@gmail.com

Have questions? Need support? Call Kevin Fagan at 917.865.4763

With gratitude,
NYDoP CCR Committee

[Duchess Note: FYI ... the Duchess is a proud board member of "New Yorkers for a Dept of Peace" and also on the NYDoP CCR Committee. If you live in the NYC, please, lend us a hand with this endeavor. Thank you so much and be peace.]

“New Yorkers for a Dept of Peace” City Council Resolution Committee mission and history

Councilmember Rosie Mendez first introduced the Department of Peace Resolution on November 29, 2006 with a press conference on the steps of City Hall. Resolution 627 is in support of legislation (HR 808) currently in the U.S. Congress, which would establish a Department of Peace in the Federal government. As of today, there are fifteen co-sponsors of this important Resolution. Since November 2006 several U.S. cities have successfully passed a Department of Peace Resolution … Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Portland. These cities recognize that a Federal Department of Peace would benefit their communities in many ways. At present there are 35+ cities whose local governing bodies have passed similar legislation. This represents more than 12 million U.S. citizens. NYDoP CCR Committee finds this fact to be quite inspiring and we continue to strive towards New York City's residents joining those ranks!

We are looking for volunteers to help us in this quest, and urge you to call or write your City Council member about Resolution 627. We are striving for a hearing within the City Council “Cultural Affairs” committee and then on to a final vote. Please click on http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml to obtain contact info for your City Council member and have them request a hearing on Resolution 627 in the Cultural Affairs committee.

Let us work together, peacefully, in making this a reality. Thank you and be peace.

Inauguration Day Postcard for Peace Campaign 2009

The current national US Dept of Peace group campaign is to send postcards to President Elect Obama on Inaguration Day asking him to make funding violence prevention programs a top priority of his presidency.

Some suggested ideas you can use or adapt:

• Make violence reduction and prevention a top priority in your first term
  
• Invest in proven violence prevention efforts for our schools and homes.
  
• Strengthen peacekeeping efforts internationally through our foreign assistance and diplomacy.
  
• Lead us to peace with all your efforts.
  
• As part of the Department of Peace campaign, I am urging that violence prevention and peacebuilding programs and policy be one of the top priorities of your legacy.

For more information, click here: http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/610/36/

In addition, our New Yorkers for a Dept of Peace chapter had the additional idea to try and get 10 "key community leaders" to send postcards. These are people who represent a lot of others, such as the president of a nonprofit organization dong peace work, teachers, policeman, clergy, college professors doing research on nonviolence, etc. Think about who you might know in your community and ask them to write a postcard too!

Collect as many as you can between now and January 20, 2009!

VERY IMPORTANT: Please email and let me know if you collect any - it will help our campaign keep track of results.

On January 20, 2009, mail all of your postcards to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenuew NW
Washington, DC 20500

Thank you so much for reading - feel free to pass on to anyone you think might be interested!

New Yorkers for a Dept of Peace warmly invites you to join us, and others throughout the US, at the 5th Annual National Peace Conference in Washington, DC

Peace Within Reach - People & Politics Partnering for our Common Security
March 20-23, 2009 at the Hyatt Crystal City, Arlington, VA

Register Today – An historic 4-day event of inspiration, education, empowerment and effective peace action. For more information, go to http://www.thepeacealliance.org

Confirmed Guest Speakers
Riane Eisler, social scientist & social activist
Rita Marie Johnson, Costa Rica’s Rasur Foundation
Azim Khamisa, CEO & Founder of Tariq Khamisa Foundation
Ocean Robbins, YES! Youth for Environmental Sanity
Rich & Yvonne St. John-Dutra, co-founders of Challenge Day
Swami Beyondananda, the Cosmic Comic

Other Guests
Bob Koehler, Tribune Media Services
Dot Maver, Peace Partnership International
Lisa Schirch, 3D Security Initiative
Members of Congress
Plus other leading experts on peacebuilding, global security, human security, domestic and international programs and so much more.

Peace Conference Fee(s)
$255-$355 sliding scale; Student* rate: $100
Those of us who can pay at the higher end make it possible for us to include the broadest cross-section of our population as possible. At the door, registration fees will increase to $275-$375 sliding scale for general registration, $120 for students, so don’t wait. Late Registration Fee – After March 19th and at the door conference fees increase, as stated above. For DC Metro and bus information, check out www.wmata.com

* Note – Students under the age of 18 must have the name and contact information of their chaperone to complete registration. No more than eight students per chaperone.

Violinist in the Metro
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and
started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning.
He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time, since it was rush hour, it
was calculated that thousands of people went
through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed
there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and
stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet
his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first
dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and
without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall
to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and
started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year old
boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid
stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother
pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning
his head all the time. This action was repeated by
several other children. All the parents, without
exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people
stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him
money but continued to walk their normal pace. He
collected $32. When he finished playing and silence
took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor
was there any recognition. No one knew this but the
violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians
in the world.

He played one of the most intricate pieces ever
written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell
sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was
organized by the Washington Post as part of an social
experiment about perception, taste and priorities of
people. The outlines were: in a commonplace
environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive
beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize
the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible
conclusions from this experience could be: If we do
not have a moment to stop andlisten to one of the best
musicians in the worldplaying the best music ever
written, how many other things are we missing?

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY

[Some of the holiday decor in Duchess' Brooklyn apartment]


[l to r - Dad, Michelle, Duane and Mom on Xmas morning in upstate NY]


[Duchess with her brother and sister-in-law on Xmas morning]

[Duchess Note: More photos below in "Personal News"]

ABIT OF NEWS BEFORE 2009 ROLLS IN

Which of These Progressive Positions are Extreme Left?
Rob Kall, OpEdNews
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Which-of-These-Progressive-by-Rob-Kall-081220-249.html

Van Jones and the Green Economy
Leighton Woodhouse, Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leighton-woodhouse/van-jones-and-the-green-e_b_153109.html

Without Systemic Change There is Only Chump Change as the US Empire Continues
Larry Pinkney, The Black Commentator
http://www.blackcommentator.com/304/304_kir_chump_change.html

Madoff’s Shocking Scheme is Just a Microcosm of a Much Bigger Disaster
Maura Stephens, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/115769/

Was the ‘Credit Crunch’ a Myth Used to sell a Trillion-Dollar Scam?
Joshua Holland, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/115768/was_the_
Even as the media continue to repeat the claim that credit has frozen up, evidence has emerged suggesting the entire story is wrong.

Beware of Obama’s Groundhog Day
John Pilger Commentary
http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=515
There is more continuity in Obama’s appointment of officials who will deal with the economic piracy that brought down Wall Street and impoverished millions. As in Bill Murray’s nightmare, they are the same officials who caused it. For example, Lawrence Summers will run the National Economic Council. As treasury secretary, according to the New York Times, he “championed the law that deregulated derivatives, the... instruments – aka toxic assets – that have spread financial losses [and] refused to heed critics who warned of dangers to come”.

There is logic here. Contrary to myth, Obama’s campaign was funded largely by rapacious capital, such as Citigroup and others responsible for the sub-prime mortgage scandal, whose victims were mostly African Americans and other poor people. Is this a grand betrayal? Obama has never hidden his record as a man of a system described by Martin Luther King as “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today”. Obama’s dalliance as a soft critic of the disaster in Iraq was in line with most Establishment opinion that it was “dumb”. His fans include the war criminals Tony Blair, who has “hailed” his appointments, and Henry Kissinger, who describes the appointment of Hillary Clinton as “outstanding”. One of John McCain’s principal advisers, Max Boot, who is on the Republican Party’s far right, said: “I am “gobsmacked by these appointments. [They] could just as easily have come from a President McCain.”

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda in TX and Carol in NY for their contributions to this blog.]

PERSONAL NEWS #158

[Duchess Note – My apologies to all with regards to my tardiness in getting “personal news” out in a more timely manner. Tis the season to be busy … HoHoHo … the following is a condensed version of my “news”. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. Peace, love and joy to all.]

Saturday evening, November 15th, I joined several other NE Tolkien Society members [ie: Anthony, Jessica, Mary, Kathy and Tim] for a Moot at Radegast Beer Hall in Williamsburg. We had a fun time drinking, noshing and touching on a variety of topics.

Next morning, November 16th, I joined other members of TGTSNBN for the second Quidditch match of the season, which was difficult at times due to some muddy areas on the pitch. [See photo below.....] Despite that, two games were successfully played, and then afterwards we had a tasty brunch at TOAST.


On Tuesday, November 18th, I attended the monthly NYDoP board and core team meeting. Discussion centered on what transpired at the Inwood Retreat weekend and developments with City Council resolution.

Friday evening, November 21st, Jackie came over with Michelle [cat] for dinner and we watched “The Queen” on DVD. Great film and I highly recommend it to all. Helen Mirren is brilliant as Queen Elizabeth II.

Tuesday evening, November 25th, I participated in the NYDoP CCR Committee conference call as a follow-up to the call on November 11th, plus further discussion on PowerPoint presentation for future Community Board meetings.

Wednesday evening, November 26th, I volunteered with City Harvest at the Union Square farmers market.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 27th, I volunteered with Project Find at St Paul’s Church on West 60th Street. We worked in groups of three to bring hot Thanksgiving meals, plus bring goodie bags, to homebound elderly in the NYC area. This year I was teamed up with Joelyn and Jeannie. Also saw Kevin and Pearl, whom I teamed up with last year, and we caught up briefly on news.

November 28th through 30th … Spent the rest of Thanksgiving weekend with my parents and brother in upstate NY. Did some shopping for gifts, beads, decorate front porch, watched some movies on cable TV, meal at relatives home, and had a hair salon appointment.

Tuesday evening, December 2nd, I joined Cielito and a few of her friends [ie: Judy, Maggie & Roland] for an evening of drinks, appetizers and fun conversation at the Ritz Carlton near Battery Park. Cielito was celebrating her 20 years in NYC and thankful for those in her life.


[Cielito's Gathering with Roland, Duchess, Judy and Maggie surrounding Ms C]

Friday evening, December 5th, I left work at 5pm and headed up to Holiday Inn on West 57th Street for the annual Smiley’s yarn sale. Afterwards I jumped on the #1 subway and headed down to West 18th Street. I walked over to “Books of Wonder” store for the “Tales of Beedle the Bard” podcast, which was hosted by members from Scholastic and Leaky Cauldron.

Next day, December 6th, I joined my friend Sheila at Grand Central Station for an afternoon of lunch and shopping at several holiday bazaars. We had a delightful time and caught up on news. Love these holiday bazaars and the diverse vendors with all their terrific wares. I was especially attracted to the jewelry and spa items.

Sunday, December 7th, I participated in a conference call with other NYDoP board members on leftover topics from our inspiring Inwood Retreat.

On Tuesday, December 9th, several EY Insurance Tax staff members volunteered at St Luke’s Lutheran church “soup kitchen” in the Broadway district of Manhattan. That evening I participated in the NYDoP CCR committee conference call regarding continued work on DoP PowerPoint presentation and upcoming Community Board meetings.

Friday, December 12th, I volunteered with City Harvest at Union Square farmers market. Afterwards I checked out the booths at the holiday arts and crafts bazaar, plus had some delicious hot chocolate at NuNu’s.

Saturday evening, December 13th, I was invited to a lecture by Gili Chupak at Park Slope food co-op. His talk was on the basics of “Field Theory Principles”. Gili and I know each other via the Park Slope “peace meditation group” gatherings back in 2006/2007.

Next day, December 14th, I attended Joe & Marie’s annual holiday luncheon at a terrific Asian restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Food is delicious, plus I sat with Maria and Kelly [life partners] to catch up on news/gossip from past year. They had some exciting news … they are planning on having a baby. WooHoo … peace baby!

Tuesday evening, December 16th, was NYDoP’s annual holiday dinner party and this year we had it at “Village Natural” down in Greenwich Village. Due to the incremental weather not all attendees could make it, but those of us that braved the elements had a good time. We even exchanged gifts with a “secret Santa”.


Wednesday evening, December 17th, I attended a Community Board meeting for district #8 in Manhattan with Howard and Marianne. Howard gave a 3-minute Dept of Peace pitch during the “public forum” segment and we handed out copies of our presentation. Overall it was okay and we need to improve our “pitch”, plus streamline the presentation. Afterwards the three of us went to a restaurant called SPICE for a meal and drinks, as well as to discuss the meeting and other current topics of the moment.

Thursday evening, December 18th, was the annual EY FSO holiday party at “Tavern on the Green”. The Insurance Tax department sat at a large, round table towards the back and near the windows overlooking part of Central Park. We were near one of the bars and buffets, plus far enough from the dance floor so the noise factor wouldn’t disrupt of flow of conversation. Overall everyone seemed to have a good time and I took some pix of the holiday décor.

[l to r - Dee, Duchess & Angela celebrating at 'Tavern on the Green']

LIVE FROM NYC – IT’S THE NEWS

Time for Change’s Journal – Five Historical Parallels to the Iraqi Shoe Thrower
Democratic Underground Commentary
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Time%20for%20change/399

Will There Be Room for Peace in the White House?
Joanne Herrmann, Interact Jacksonville
http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/2008-12-17/will_there_be_room_for_peace_in_the_white_house

The Seven Deadly Deficits – How the Next President can get the Economy Back Afloat
Joseph Stiglitz Commentary
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/11/the-seven-deadly-deficits.html

[Duchess Note – Many thanks to Linda in Texas for sharing interesting and informative articles.]

THE SEASON OF CHANGE
Poem by Joe Allegro

Tis once again upon us, the holiday season,
We gather to celebrate, validate and give reason.
Our many blessings, friends, family and health,
Could there be any other, true measure of wealth?

We’ve all much to give thanks for, in this I trust,
So many on the planet, not fortunate as us.
Economic turmoil, hunger, violence and despair,
Ubiquitous and ever present, pollutants in our air.

They stifle our growth and our progress impede,
For all of these things, we’ve truly no need.
Let us do all we can, to eliminate the blight,
I am certain my friends, we can all make it right.

Winds of change have blown, cross our land this year
The audacity of hope, replacing doubt and fear.
So let us make a new start, please let me know,
That you’re all fired up! And ready to go!

If you find overwhelming, these things that I ask,
I have every faith that you, can handle this task.
You’re a bringer of peace, joy and love, its true,
These things you bring to us, by just being you.

THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE WEEKEND

“I Don’t Know What His Beef Is”
Commentary by Cindy Sheehan

"I'm not insulted. I don't hold it against the government. The guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is, but whatever it is, I'm sure someone will hear it." George Bush to ABC News after Iraqi Journalist, Muntazar al-Zaidi threw two shoes at him.

I have vacillated over the past 8 years on whether George Bush is the stupidest man in the world, or the evilest. I think that the above statement may prove that he is both. He seriously does not know what al-Zaidi's "beef" is? Does George really believe that his cause was "Noble" and that the Iraqis should be grateful to that "dog" for destroying their country and killing over a million people?

Since the US currently is being governed in the highest office of the land, if not the world (for now), by the stupidest/evilest man on the planet, what does that say about Americans? We elected him, not once, but twice! "But, Cindy" you may protest, "he stole both elections." Yes, that is true and well-documented, but what did you do after Bush stole the elections? Did you storm the White House demanding his resignation? Did you work for election reform? Did you even go to a protest to demonstrate your dissatisfaction? I shamefully did not the first time he (with Al Gore's help) stole an election in 2000, but you can bet I have protested my heart out since 2004. If we lived in almost every other country in the world, the protests against such theft of democracy and lies would have been militantly protested. Calderon stole the election in Mexico in 2006-- from Obrador and the supporters of Obrador shut down Mexico City for five months after! Many Mexicans today claim fealty to the "legitimate" government of Obrador. Here in America, we are lucky to shut down an intersection in DC for two hours.

It is also being reported that al-Zaidi detests "America and Americans." If true, he does not make the distinction between Americans and our government, and he should not. Our government is supposed to be a reflection of us. That means that we are a nation of greedy, self-serving, corrupt and callous people. For years, the majority of Americans have been theoretically against the occupation of Iraq and today it hovers up towards three-quarters of us. We see less than a fraction of a percent of the 225,000,000 US citizens who oppose the wars out protesting them and we saw a popular mandate for a President-elect who NEVER promised to end the occupation and, in fact, promises to increase the forgotten occupation of Afghanistan which will soon vault to the forefront.

I have been publicly advocating for the impeachment and imprisonment of George Bush since November 3rd, 2004, one day after Bush stole his last election. The arguments against impeachment or any kind of accountability have been that it would be: divisive, time consuming, political suicide for the Democrats, or too late now. The shoe incident and the fact that tens of millions of people, perhaps, "detest" America and Americans is enough reason for me to impeach that stupid, evil man and demonstrate to the rest of the world that we are not as stupid and evil as our government is.

Mr. al-Zaida's "beef" does not even need to be explained to most 5 years old children who understand that having a family member(s) killed, or your home destroyed makes most people angry/sad. Most people in the world who are not in the Robber classes also understand the frustration of a population that has absolutely no recourse against humiliation by the world's biggest bully.

We should take this incident as a clarion call for impeachment. George can be impeached after he leaves office. According to many Constitutional experts, he cannot be criminally prosecuted for any crime he has committed in office here in the States. I already know of plans for at least one international war tribunal, though.

Let's hold our government to our high morals. Let's quit allowing it to drag us down to its filthy gutter.

Iraqi Shoe Thrower Captures Mideast Rage at Bush
Alistair Lyon, Reuters
http://www.truthout.org/121608J
"The hurling of shoes at US President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq strikes many in the Middle East as a fittingly furious comment on what they see as his calamitous legacy in the region. Arab and Iranian TV stations have gleefully replayed the clip, sometimes in slow motion, of an Iraqi reporter calling Bush a 'dog' and throwing his shoes at him - the Middle East's tastiest insults - at a Baghdad news conference on Sunday.”

Brought to Heel: The Grim Realities Behind Bush’s Humiliation in Baghdad
Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque Blog
http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1663-brought-to-heel-the-grim-realities-behind-bushs-humiliation-in-baghdad-.html

Thousands Demand Release of Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoes at George W Bush
The Telegraph, UK
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/15-3

Mr. Obama, Weigh the Price of War
Douglas MacGregor, Defense News
http://www.truthout.org/121608L
"Today's world is different from the world of 1991 or 2001. Outside of the United States and Western Europe, nation-building with US military power is a euphemism for imperialism. American financial hegemony has collapsed. As seen in Iraq, the 'total victory' construct as it equates to the imposition of Western-style government and a free-market economy subservient to the US is in full retreat. In the broader Middle East, as well as in most of Africa, Latin America and Asia, 'damage control,' not 'total victory,' is the most realistic goal for US national security strategy."

Obama Slam-Duncans Education
Commentary by Greg Palast
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/16-10

Pearl Jam’s “Ten” Get the Deluxe Treatment with Four Reissues Next Year
Travis Hay, Seattlepi.com
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/earcandy/archives/156610.asp

How We Got the Worst Health Care System Mountains of Money Can Buy
Jeremy Brecher, Tim Costello & Brendan Smith, TruthOut
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/113112/

[Duchess Note – Many thanks to Linda in TX and Carol in NY for their contributions to the Duchess Blog. Terrific and very informative articles!]

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS EVE


[Duchess Note - May the holiday season bring peace, justice, happiness and love to all. Not only here in the US, but also around the world, and may joyful wellness abound in us all.]

Obama’s “Way-to-Go, Brownie!” Moment?
Greg Palast, Huffington Post
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/11-1

[Duchess Note: I agree with Palast, these are crappy appointments. They are far to the right of any philosophy of Education that most Democrats would have. These are bushleague appointments. We need educators in charge of education, not businessmen. Also, one might be interested to know that US policy of education (or rather lack of it), has 2 consequences, first one described by Palast, only the kids of the upper class who can afford private schooling can hope for the best jobs, the second one (has its obvious good sides) is that educated young people from elsewhere need to fill in the gap, not many native highly qualified scientist for instance! We cannot say that Europe is flooded by US scientist for instance, cannot find many, but US lab are a very different picture. I want a new democratic party.... one that respects women would be nice for a change.]

PERSONAL NEWS #157
October 31st through November 2nd … NYDoP board members held their first ever Inwood Retreat. Robert, our facilitator, flew in from Montana to help us through this retreat and guide the group towards a more productive, organized and focused unit. It was great seeing and conversing with my fellow board members, some of whom I hadn’t seen for some time. We shared laughs, hugs and diverse topics of conversation, along with working out some important issues. Robert introduced us to peacebuilding games, log frames and many ways of looking at things. The weekend was, for me, very thought provoking, informative, interesting and inspiring.

Wednesday evening, November 5th, I joined other Harry Potter fans at Borders bookstore near Columbus Circle for a book reading / signing by Melissa Anelli. She talked for almost an hour about her new book [Harry – A History], being web mistress of “The Leaky Cauldron” and the amazing Harry Potter fandom. I’m looking forward to reading about the Harry Potter phenomenon from someone on the inside track.

Thursday evening, November 6th, I attended the Park Slope knitters group at Sweet Melissa’s and still working on a scarf with a slight checkerboard pattern.

Tuesday evening, November 11th, I participated in the NYDoP CCR Committee conference call regarding October 14th faxes to Community Board “district managers” and development of our Dept of Peace PowerPoint presentation. Productive meeting and the committee has two new members … Howard and Dawn. Hurray!

Wednesday evening, November 12th, I volunteered with City Harvest at the Union Square farmers market.

Thursday evening, November 13th, I attended the Park Slope knitters group at Sweet Melissa’s and enjoyed socializing with the other members of this group.

LIVE FROM NYC – IT’S THE NEWS

….The More They Stay the Same
Prisoner of Starvation Blog/Commentary
http://prisonerofstarvation.blogspot.com/2008/12/more-they-stay-same.html

LOST: Flashing Forward and Back with the Producers
Daniel Manu, The Telefile Blog
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2008/12/lost-flashing-forward-and-back.php

PERSONAL NEWS #156
On Tuesday evening, October 21st, I attended the monthly NYDoP board and core team meeting. Main topics of discussion were on fundraising, new NYDoP website, CCR committee, DC Peace Conference in March 2009, and last minute details regarding the upcoming Inwood Retreat. It would be awesome if more “core team” members could or would attend these meetings. Why attendance has dropped over past year or so is abit mind boggling.

On Thursday, October 23rd, the EY FSO Insurance Tax group gave a farewell luncheon to Juan at Heartland Brewery, as he’ll be heading back to Chile within a week or so.

After foot doctor appointment on October 27th, I joined fellow NYDoP board member [Joe] at a City Hall event, which was co-sponsored by Councilmember Mendez and Lower Eastside girls club. It’s great to see community work like this being done for the youth in our city. Afterwards Joe introduced me to some senior members of the Lower Eastside girls club and we engaged in diverse topics of conversation. It was an interesting and productive evening.

Thursday evening, October 30th, I attended the Park Slope knitters group at Sweet Melissa’s and as always had an enjoyable time socializing, knitting and nibbling on good food.

MANY EXCITING HAPPENINGS REGARDING U.S. DEPT OF PEACE CAMPAIGN

West Linn, Oregon City Council Passes Resolution – Students Ask City to Support Peace
Kara Hansen, The West Linn Tidings
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/631/46/

The Peace Alliance on CNN Headline News with Wendy Greene
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/625/46/

More U.S. Dept of Peace Campaign Video’s
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/696/content.jsp?content_KEY=3929

Join “The Peace Alliance” for the 5th annual Department of Peace Campaign 2009 National Conference ... Peace Within Reach - People and Politics Partnering for our Common Security
March 20-23, 2009 at Hyatt Crystal City in Arlington, VA … check out more info at http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=671616

LATEST IN THE PROGRESSIVE NEWS

The Obama Letdown - Ilusory "Mandate for Change"
Michael Hudson, Global Research
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11170

Barack Obama's Kettle of Hawks
Jeremy Scahill, The Guardian UK
http://www.truthout.org/120208J
"Barack Obama has assembled a team of rivals to implement his foreign policy. But while pundits and journalists speculate endlessly on the potential for drama with Hillary Clinton at the state department and Bill Clinton's network of shady funders, the real rivalry that will play out goes virtually unmentioned. The main battles will not be between Obama's staff, but rather against those who actually want a change in US foreign policy, not just a staff change in the war room."

Dow Plunges 680 Points as Recession Is Declared
Michael Grynbaum, NYTimes
http://www.truthout.org/120208K
"The evidence of a recession has been widespread for months: slower production, stagnant wages and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs. But the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research, charged with making the call for the history books, waited until now to make it official - and the announcement came on a day when the American stock market fell nearly 9 percent in a single session."

[Duchess Note: For many of us who are poor or middle class, the recession has been here longer than a few months, more like a year or so. Yes, the Bush/Cheney Regime have contributed strongly to our woes, but the blame also belongs to their cronies in the corporate elite, ultra rich and even from the Clinton Regime. I'm sure some will disagree with me on this observation, and thats okay. Let's "agree to disagree".]

Remaining Silent About Obama
Gilles d’Aymery, Swans Commentary
http://www.swans.com/library/art14/ga261.html

Ten Greens I’m Thankful For
Ronald Hardy, Green Party Watch
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2008/11/27/ten-greens-im-thankful-for/

"Disappointment?" - Poem Commentary by RST2536 on Common Dreams website
Who thought Obama’s advertising
Of ending Bush and Cheney’s reign
Was spot on are now realizing
They might have voted John McCain.
For when Obama was elected
The cabinet that he confected
Was mostly made of neocons
And Democratic woebegones.
Who dreamed Obama walked on water
The liberals in blushing pink
Began to feel their dream boat sink;
That he might even prove a rotter
By choosing those to rule the roost
Whom Washington has mass produced.

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda in Texas for some of the above articles.]

PERSONAL NEWS #155
October 16th through 20th – I took some vacation time from work to celebrate my 50th birthday, entertain my friend Michelle [visiting from Nevada] and enjoy a terrific birthday party at The Parlour on West 86th Street.

On Thursday I took care of errands, laundry, cleaners, groceries and my cleaning lady stopped by to go over the apartment. Michelle’s flight landed around 7:30pm and she took a shuttle bus into Manhattan from JFK. Before meeting her outside Port Authority, I stopped by the office to take care of a few items. Weather that evening had a slightly cool breeze, but overall still showing signs of an Indian summer. Around 9pm I hooked up with Michelle, gave her a big hug and we headed towards the subway. Last time she visited NYC was in June 2003 for the Pearl Jam gigs at MSG. Great seeing her again, looking well and then back at my place we just hung out chatting until midnight. She utilized the sofa bed in the living room for comfy sleeping arrangements.

Next day, Friday, I turned 50 at 10:14am! WooHoo! After breakfast, phone calls and getting dressed, we head out around 11am and took the subways into Manhattan. Weather was blue sky, sunny, and heading up to 70 degrees with a slight breeze. Perfect for touring around NYC! Michelle and I arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art [MMoA] just before noon time and the place was already hopping with visitors. This is my favorite museum in NYC and it is situated on 5th Avenue with Central Park nestled behind it. Paid one dollar each, took the MMoA button and headed to the elevator. Got off at the 5th floor, which is also the roof garden, and Michelle was delighted with the views of Central Park and NYC. [Some of the trees were displaying there glorious fall colors.] The Jeff Koon’s sculpture exhibit was still on display until October 24th. We admired the spectacular views and took lots of pictures.




We took the elevator back down to tour around a few exhibits, one of which is the permanent Egyptian section. At this point we were both feeling abit hungry and head just outside to a vendor for warm, yummy pretzels and ice tea. Not exactly healthy, but gosh darn, they sure were tasty. Afterwards we strolled briefly into Central Park to view Cleopatra’s Needle, which is near the MMoA, and also a good spot to catch some rays from the sun. Before heading to the subway, we checked out the artisan street vendors and made a few purchases.


On the subway we headed downtown to Greenwich Village and got off at Sheridan Square near Christopher Street. I took Michelle to McNulty’s, which has wonderfully fresh loose teas and coffees, plus all the gadgets that go with it. We strolled around several of the charming streets in Greenwich Village, checked out a shop or two, and even strolled through a lovely garden next to a church on Hudson Street.


Headed back to the subway and got off at Times Square to do some shopping at Bead’s World. Both Michelle and I are very much into creating our own bead style jewelry. Michelle was overjoyed with the quantity and quality at Bead’s World on Broadway. From there we walked over to my office at EY to hang out for awhile. The views, even in the evening, are really quite impressive. We then headed back to northern Brooklyn and Michelle treated me to a tasty dinner at Thai Café. After a satisfying dinner, we strolled around my neighborhood abit, and I showed her some of the more attractive streets with charming homes. Upon entering my apartment building we found a parcel in the hallway for me. It was a birthday gift from my friends Nancie and Tim in Virginia. They sent me “petit fours” from Figi’s. The rest of the evening we sat in the living room drinking tea, nibbling on a few yummy “petit fours” and watching the telly.

Next morning, Saturday, October 18th, before walking over to the farmers market in the park, we stopped by the local bagel place for breakfast. Weather was much cooler today with 20 mph winds. At the farmers market I picked up some dairy and bread products. Back at the apartment we changed into warmer garments and strolled over the nail salon. After waiting awhile, and checking the clock, we realized there wasn’t enough time. Before we left the nail salon, I utilized Michelle’s cell phone to reserve car service to Manhattan. I specifically stated pick up time to be 1pm. From there we walked to “The Garden” to pick up the cake I had ordered a few days ago and encountered an obstacle. Well, maybe not an obstacle, but definitely an irritating hiccup in the proceedings. I handed my “paid” receipt to the bakery employee and was told I owe another $20 on the cake. What?!? Excuse me?!? Apparently the employee who took my order a few days before messed up or misunderstood my request. Also, upon viewing the chocolate/hazelnut cake, it looked hideous with large gobs of white, yellow and green icing flowers circled around the Happy Birthday segment. This would not do, not at all. In the display case was a perfect-looking chocolate mousse cake. I asked for that cake instead and they iced on Happy Birthday. Wasn’t in a good frame of mind when I left “The Garden” with Michelle and wondering what else could go wrong that day. Sigh!

Back at the apartment we had limited time to freshen up and change into our party clothes. Next thing we knew it was 12:45pm and the friggin car service was 15 minutes early. Ugh! We grab everything [ie: cake, basket for party favors, petit fours, coats, bags, etc] and dashed out the apartment. The ride into Manhattan was uneventful and we arrived at The Parlour [upper Westside Irish pub/restaurant] around 1:15pm. Upon entering the pub we encountered Paul, our “host” for the afternoon. He announced there were a few slight “changes” to original arrangements for the party and I started to feel abit panicky. Sensing my unease, Paul immediately clarified that arrangements had been upgraded to the more “private” room in the back and not the front room. He said that as long as my guests purchased food and drink, I would not be charged for space rental. Whew! Amen! The back room was large enough to accommodate 20+ people. After taking off our coats and freshening up in the bathroom; Michelle and I were introduced to our waitress, Caitlin. She took the cake, plus the petit fours, into a pantry off the party room, were it would be stored in a small refrigerator until 4pm. Cake time! I gave Paul the guest list to check off those who came to the party. At about 1:40pm Dee, my co-worker and party planner, showed up with balloons and party favors [ie: M&Ms]. Everything looked so pretty in the colors I choose of navy, baby blue, white and silver.

As we were setting up the balloons and party favors my first guest arrived … Judith. Great seeing her and we’ve been staying in touch via email over past 2 years. We met during Jessica Flagg’s 2006 congressional campaign near Riverdale. [We support and proudly voted for the Green Party.] As always, my nerves seem to get the better of me, which makes me abit hyper and added to that sipping white wine on a somewhat empty stomach. Mon dieu! Between 2pm and 3pm the majority of my friends [ie: Stephanie, Robert, Max, Mary, Anni, David, Larry and Kristina] arrived, some bearing cards or gifts, and I greeted them all with warm smiles and hugs. Everyone ordered beer, wine, or soda, along with appetizers or main entrees. As for me, I was busy chatting with my party guests, nibbled on a few potato fries and greeting others [ie: Eileen, Joe, Marie, Cielito, Thomas, Phoebe] that showed up after 3pm. Around this time Dee had to leave and head off to another event. I’ll see Dee Tuesday at work and show her the party pix that Michelle was taking with her digital camera. Everyone was having a good time and many conversations were on politics, travel, protests, health, work, etc.

Before Caitlin came out with the cake at 4pm, I gave a long rambling speech thanking everyone in making my 50th birthday very special and just talking about “things” in general. Many laughs throughout that segment [smiling] and then Caitlin brought out the chocolate mousse birthday cake with 6 to 7 candles on it. Wow! It looked so pretty and festive.


Before blowing out the candles I said, should I make an impossible wish or a practical one. Everyone agreed I should make both wishes. Gazing towards the heavens or in this case the ceiling of The Parlour, I made my two wishes and then blew out the candles. Hell yeah, the lungs didn’t let me down and worked just fine.


Shortly after this two more friends [ie: Margaret & Linda] showed up to enjoy the party. Caitlin also brought out the Petit Fours for those who didn’t want a piece of the cake. The Parlour host, Paul, came in at that time and mentioned we could have the space until 6pm. Hurray! Shortly after I passed around slim slices of the yummy cake, a few of my guests [ie: Joe, Marie, Anni, David, Mary, Kristina, Thomas & Phoebe] had to leave for other events. Michelle took pix of me with my friends, as well as amusing candid pix throughout the party. Thank you so much Michelle, you are a gem! Close to 5pm I finally sat down to eat some cake and further socialize with my friends, plus regale them with some amusing stories [ie: hair brush incident of 2007]. We all enjoyed a good time and shared many laughs. Close to 6pm Caitlin took a few group pix of everyone wishing for universal peace.


Everyone paid their tabs, plus pooled together some donations and gave me a gift of $100. I was so very touched by their kindness and thoughtfulness. Then it was time to pack up all the gifts and cards, grab our coats, say goodbye, warm hugs and then head out towards our respective transportation.

Michelle and I grabbed the downtown #1 subway and switched at Times Square for the #7 and then onto the G subway. By this time I’m feeling abit tired and hungry. When we finally get back to my hood we decided to go straight to the Chinese Musician for a tasty meal. I had chicken, mixed veggies and some brown rice. I felt so much better after noshing on the meal and chatting about the party with Michelle. Before heading back to my apartment we stopped by a deli to pick up some dessert snacks to have with our tea. Back at my cozy apartment, while making tea, I put away the gifts and tacked up the cards, plus put the flowers from Anni/David in a pretty vase. Michelle takes a few more pix of the left over party favors and flowers. Then its time to relax in the living room, drink our tea, nibble on some goodies and watch a movie on PBS. By the time 11pm rolls around we are both yawning and ready for bed.

On Sunday, October 19th, after breakfasting at local bagel place, we head over to Eckard store around 11am. [Weather was abit windy and cool today, nothing like Friday.] While at Eckard we encounter issues with regards to getting Michelle’s digital pix to a CD, so we took our business down the avenue to RiteAid. They were able to help us quickly and we left there with pix from past two days on a CD. Hurray! Jumped on the subway and headed down to Brooklyn Heights for abit of a tour. Michelle really enjoyed strolling around those charming streets, gazing at brownstones, front step displays of Halloween pumpkins and the terrific views from the Promenade. Lower Manhattan is impressive with the Brooklyn Bridge, South Street seaport, Statue of Liberty, NYC harbor and Governors Island. Along Montague Street we stopped into the Connecticut Muffin shop to sample one of their tasty muffins. Montague Street has many nice shops and cafes. Back on the subway we took it a few stops to Wall Street area in Manhattan and walked up Wall Street towards Trinity Church.

At this point we were trying to find a branch of Michelle’s bank, so she could get funds out of the ATM. There was road construction going on and we had to take the long way around. And still we couldn’t get near the bank or ATM, and so we got on an uptown train at Bowling Green. Got off at Grand Central Station and purchased liquid refreshment at Oren’s near entrance to 4, 5, 6, 7 subway(s). Michelle had coffee and I had a tasty vanilla milkshake. Dang that was so good! Along Park Avenue we tried to find her bank and ATM. No luck, so had to settle for one near 101 Park Avenue. In that area are shuttle buses that take passengers to the NYC airports. Michelle’s flight leaves NYC next day and she purchased her bus ticket in advance. From there we walked over to 6th Avenue to check out several terrific bead shops and made some purchases. Michelle was amazed at the abundance of bead selection at these shops. I picked up another case [1/2 price] for sorting some of my beading tools and items at home. From there we strolled over to Times Square, took some pix, checked out a NYC souvenir shop and then ended up at the awesome M&M store on Broadway at 48th Street.

By this time the afternoon is shot and we hop on the M104 bus to the upper Westside. Check out a few restaurants and decide to have dinner at Ollie’s at 1991 Broadway. Dang that place is busy and the food was okay. Afterwards we both agreed to head back to my hood and get a drink at the Black Rabbit. We arrived around 8pm and the place is actually busy for a Sunday night. WTF! After ordering our drinks we learned that every Sunday evening is Bingo night at the Black Rabbit. So we stayed on, had a blast playing Bingo, nibbled on peanuts and had a second drink before heading home around 10am. Michelle actually won one of the games and received a small prize, plus two shots of some kind of liquor. No, not a fuzzy navel, but something similar. Back at the apartment Michelle packed her items, as we had to be up early next morning to head into Manhattan to catch her airport shuttle bus. In the city the next day Michelle caught the 9:15am shuttle to the airport and I headed home to Brooklyn. Overall I had a great time hanging out with Michelle and my birthday weekend was terrific. Be peace……..

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT – Progressive News

10 Tips for a Sustainable Thanksgiving
Sarah Newman, Takepart
Advice for a healthier, humane, sustainable, “low carb(on)” and labor friendly Thanksgiving from some fantastic organizations.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/108637/

Cabinet Full of Corporate Honchos, Lawyers and Shills
Ronald Hardy, Green Party Watch
http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2008/11/20/cabinet-full-of-corporate-honchos-lawyers-and-shills/#comments

Will Nuclear Disarmament Be on Obama's Agenda?
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/11/25

Governors, Activists, and Health Advocates Fume Over Bush's Last Minute Air Pollution Rule
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/11/25-1

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda in TX for sharing some of the above articles]

Progressive Complaints about Obama's Appointments
Glenn Greenwald, Salon
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/11/23/obama/print.html
The new President's positioning in the center-right of the Democratic Party isn't surprising. It's what he repeatedly made clear he intended to do.

PROGRESSIVE NEWS OF THE WEEK

Cheney Indicted, So Impeach Bush, Mr Conyers
Ralph Lopez, OpEdNews.com
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Cheney-Indicted-So-Impeac-by-Ralph-Lopez-081119-772.html

Third-Party Blind Spot
John Kirch, Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.thirdparties20nov20,0,6987411.story
Democracy suffers when the news media ignore long-shot candidates and the ideas they espouse.

Congress Opposes Bush Pardons
David Swanson, OpEdNews.com
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Congress-Opposes-Bush-Pard-by-David-Swanson-081121-877.html

Green Party Candidate for VP Visits Campus
Tim McKee, Editorial
http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=614

Naomi Klein: The Boarderline Illegal Deals Behind the $700 Billion Bailout
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/107458/

This Is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama’s White House
Jreemy Scahill, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/107666/

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Linda in TX for sharing many of the above articles.]

THE LATEST IN PROGRESSIVE NEWS

McKinney: Organize, Mobilize, Agitate
John Kirch, DC Politics Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-928-DC-Politics-Examiner~y2008m11d13-McKinney-Organize-mobilize-agitate

30-Second You Tube Cynthia McKinney challenges Obama and McCain on the Issues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuAi3lpgsaA&feature=related

Cynthia McKinney - on building the Green Party, Ralph Nader and the Debates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYPDXsAj_Xo&feature=related

Today and Tomorrow
Martin Murie, Swans Commentary
http://www.swans.com/library/art14/murie59.html

Kucinich Stands by His Liberal Agenda and Calls on Barack Obama for Change
Allison Kugel, PR.com
http://www.pr.com/article/1112

Discovering Kucinich: The House Bailout Hearing
Dan D commentary at Gather
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977508743

[Duchess Note – Many thanks to Linda in TX for sharing these terrific, informative articles.]

LATEST NEWS ON DC DEMOCRATS

Jonathan Turley Fears Dems Will Let Alleged ‘Bush Crimes’ Stay Buried Forever
David Edwards & Muriel Kane, AfterDowningStreet.org
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37621

The Empire’s New Clothes
Paul Street, Black Agenda Report
http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=879&Itemid=1
But, as The New York Times' editors certainly know, "they" still "put in who they want to put in" to no small extent. The predominantly white U.S. business and political establishment still makes sure that nobody who questions dominant domestic and imperial hierarchies and doctrines can make a serious ("viable") run for higher office - the presidency, above all. It does this by denying adequate campaign funding (absolutely essential to success in an age of super-expensive, media-driven campaigns) and favorable media treatment (without which a successful campaign is unimaginable at the current stage of corporate media consolidation and power) to candidates who step beyond the narrow boundaries of elite opinion. Thanks to these critical electoral filters and to the legally mandated U.S. winner-take-all "two party" system, a candidate who even remotely questions corporate and imperial power is not permitted to make a strong bid for the presidency. Barack Obama is no exception to the rule. Anyone who thinks he could have risen to power without prior and ongoing ruling class approval is living in a dream world.

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Carol in sharing the above articles.]

Wonderful News & Announcement from The Peace Alliance
Join us for the 5th annual Department of Peace Campaign 2009 National Conference - Peace Within Reach: People and Politics Partnering for our Common Security - March 20-23, 2009 at Hyatt Crystal City in Arlington, VA

What some of the February 2007 4th annual Peace Conference Attendees said:

“A most EMPOWERING experience! This is what it means to be a US citizen!”

“Invigorating, empowering, practical, fabulous. It’s an incredible feeling to show up and take responsibility as a citizen.”

[Duchess Note: I attended the 3rd and 4th Peace Conferences in Wash DC. It was incredibly exciting to be with so many other like-minded citizens of the US on the topic of peace. Met some terrific people from all over the US and took away amazing tools to further the DoP campaign. If you want a DoP in our lifetime, as well as peace around the world, please join me and others at this awesome event. Check out the website at www.ThePeaceAlliance.org ]

[Photo: Board members at the successful, fun, inspiring and informative "New Yorkers for a Dept of Peace" Inwood Retreat with Robert our fascilitator.]

LATEST IN PROGRESSIVE NEWS

It Is Not They Who Are The Real Problem
Kellia Ramares Commentary, FogCityJournal.com
http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2008/11/08/it-is-not-they-who-are-the-real-problem/

Can We Talk About the Real Obama Now?
Sam Smith, Undernews, Progressive Review
http://prorev.com/2008/11/can-we-talk-about-real-obama-now.html

[Duchess Note: Many thanks to Carol and Linda for their contributions to fascinating and enlightening articles on current topics.]

LIVE FROM NYC – IT’S THE NEWS

Is Obama Screwing His Base with Rahm Emanuel Selection?
Stephen Zunes, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/audits/106189/
Obama has asked conservative Clinton vet Rahm Emanuel to be his “chief of staff”, its not a good sign for progressives … It is unclear how serious of a blow Obama's selection of Emanuel is to those who hoped that Obama might actually steer the country in a more progressive direction. It's easy to see it as nothing less than a slap in the face of the progressive anti-war elements of the party to whom Obama owes his election, particularly following his selection of Sen. Joe Biden as vice president.

How Rahm Emanuel Has Rigged a Pro-War Congress
John Walsh, CounterPunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh10142006.html

Legal Challenges Filed Against Prop 8
Joe Shaulis, Jurist Legal News & Research
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/106191/

Wall Street Fat Cats Are Trying to Pocket Billions in Bailout Cash
Nomi Prins, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/106195/
They got us into this mess, and now they want to cash out, will President Obama stop them?

THANKFUL THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE LIKE CYNTHIA McKINNEY WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT WITH THE GREEN PARTY & SHOWED US WHAT REAL, PROGRESSIVE CHANGE CAN LOOK LIKE

Yes, I am thankful for Cynthia’s presence and persistence in the 2008 election process. She brought up issues, like Kucinich did during the Democrat Primaries, that normally were ignored and stood through the onslaught of ignorance. Her campaign has planted fruitful seeds that will grow for many generations to come. Also, thank you for helping to expose the truths about 9/11. Please continue campaigning for truth, justice and support for a US Dept of Peace [HR808]. We need more people like you and Kucinich in our government. Always there for the American people … no matter what.

A Strategy for the U.S. Department of Peace to Enhance Our National Security - Transformation to Create a Culture of Peace

By Howard Rosenberg, The Peace Alliance
May 2006

The overarching strategy aims to enhance global and domestic security by building and nurturing strong civil society, thereby establishing an environment of healthy and vibrant communities where human needs can be met as the rule rather than the exception. To accomplish this, we aim to create a "Network of Capability" that links human and community needs to organizations that can contribute to the strengthening of civil society. The focus will be on building the connections among the broad spectrum of organizations that have peacebuilding as a common intention… and as we strengthen civil society, we will simultaneously enhance our national and global security.

Within this strategy, the role of The Peace Alliance/DOP will be the "systems architect" and facilitator to establish a self-organizing network of capabilities (nonviolent conflict resolution, micro-finance, business, environmental stewardship, truth and justice, women and children's rights, healthcare rights, etc.) focused on peacebuilding by strengthening the capacity for civil society throughout the world. The idea is that, while virtually all the "raw" capabilities exist to do this, the management challenge is how do we orchestrate various organizations (NGOs, businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, military, police, healthcare, etc.) to holistically come together, share a common vision, work as a team, and build the capacity for a strong and vibrant civil society, while respecting diverse cultural perspectives.

An intended consequence for this strategy will be that the networks we help create will become part of the very infrastructure for a global culture of peace. The process will be designed to help fulfill Gandhi's profound wish for humanity to "become the change you wish to see in the world".

Instead of our political leadership asking, in our quest for national security, "How can we arm ourselves and defeat our adversaries… like we did during the Cold War?" we now have the opportunity to ask ourselves: "How can we collaborate with the global community to create, by intentional design, a world where humanity thrives" The answers to these two questions may very well be the difference between a fearful society in decline and a hopeful energetic society that can help lead this world out of darkness.

The Peace Alliance can start playing this role now; we are well positioned to do this and we are earning the reputation of being non-partisan, inclusive, and focused on convening all parties who are interested in peacebuilding in its broadest context. We can be a shining beacon of how humanity can work peacefully and constructively together to create a culture of peace; we will strive for what we want, not what we are against. Our means become our desired ends.

A Historical Perspective: The Context

As we look at the events since the end of the Cold War, from the Soviet Union's demise some 16 years ago, we now realize that the very nature of how we establish national security – the very meaning of national security – has changed. But how? The military deterrence and proxy-war approach that contained the Soviet Union since the end of World War II is clearly no longer appropriate. To understand this, let's look at the major post-Cold War crises that have confronted our nation: 9/11 and our military entanglements with failed societies (Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq). We have been surprised and somewhat terrified by each of these events, yet we continue to sacrifice the lives of our soldiers while spending huge sums of money without resolving, or even acknowledging, the root causes and the systemic nature of these events.

Our Challenge and Opportunity

To achieve effective national security, we need to reverse the proliferation of failing and failed societies, the known breeding ground for terrorism, crime, pandemics and human desperation. Vibrant and healthy societies provide opportunities for people to fulfill their human needs, the bedrock of peace. We can't afford a national security approach where we continually react with force to the fallout from failed societies. This is like ignoring an unsanitary kitchen while continuing to pay the exorbitant costs and lost productivity associated with chronic food poisoning and disease. Yet this is what we do when we fail to focus on remediating failing and failed societies.

A powerful example: instead of spending $5 billion - $10 billion to rebuild Afghanistan after their devastating war with the Soviet Union, which would have precluded al Qaeda from establishing a stable operating base, we have now spent in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over $350 billion and suffered over 23,000 killed and wounded as we struggle to deal with the aftermath of 9/11, not to mention the costs in lives and property of 9/11 itself. Add to that the costs associated with Homeland Security and the challenge of the Patriot Act to the integrity of U.S. Constitution, the very bedrock of our country.

Failed societies incubate the pre-conditions that statistically predict war: high child mortality rates, lack of access to markets, and citizens not having a voice in their government. We have learned from North Korea that failed societies do not contribute to or benefit from the global economy. Instead of creating wealth, they destroy wealth, and ultimately become a threat to our security and a drain on the global economy, including ours. Simply put, failed societies can't buy our products or feed their people, but they can destabilize economies and governments, consume our military resources, and overburden relief organizations.

The solution lies in refocusing our will to unite our national and world community on building the capacity in failed and failing societies to nurture and sustain robust civil societies by supporting the institutions of democratic government, economic opportunity, protection of minorities, and the rule of law. The Department of Peace can provide a pivotal role of bringing proven nonviolent conflict resolution approaches to bear on peacefully resolving the inevitable conflicts that arise when creating any change that affects communities of human beings.

It is tragic to witness the human loss in Iraq, as nonviolent conflict resolution techniques have not played a formative role in our "figure it out as we go" strategy for helping the Sunnis and Shiites resolve the highly predictable conflict of how political power is distributed in a new government. The DOP would place capabilities such as this in our Government's toolbox.

The Vision

What is required for effective national security is nothing less than for the U.S. cooperate with others in the international community, over a 25- to 50-year period, to wage peace at an unprecedented scale with the intention to build the capacity and institutions that support healthy civil society. This multi-lateral effort will be designed to include working coalitions of government, NGOs, and businesses to create security across the globe, region by region, in partnership with local communities in the region. When we focus on creating strong civil society, we create a positive feedback loop that leads to stability, providing a firm foundation for economic prosperity, public health, environmental quality, which when all combined, can create real and lasting security.

However, to successfully apply this know-how to create positive change, the political, social, and economic programs and policies must be coordinated. What is needed is to bring the know-how, especially from those who have direct on-the-ground experience, together to address the systemic nature of building civil society. The program could be a series of cross-disciplinary initiatives that address the economic, political, and social challenges.

The logic is clear: a country with a viable, dynamic, creative civil society has the real potential for economic, social, and environmental well being, the very attributes that will enhance our own national security. A country without a viable civil society cannot succeed and will ultimately fail and become a burden to the global community. As we foster civil societies that work, we unleash the power of the human spirit to raise society above a culture of desperation and dependency toward a culture of peace and prosperity.

Gaining an Attractive Return on Global Engagement

Building and nurturing civil society's calls for a basic change in the way we currently engage struggling societies. Currently, we only devote less than one percent of our GNP to foreign aid. The aid we do provide is predominantly allocated directly to American consultants, corporations, and weapons procurement, with very little left over for building capacity for civil society. Studies have shown that there has never been a famine in a functioning democracy.
Furthermore, capacity building for civil society requires a systematic coordination of our foreign aid and trade policies across the board if efforts in one area are not to be compromised by contradictory policies in others. For example, we can now see that our Government's policy of subsidizing our agricultural businesses can be quite harmful to our national security. At risk societies often depend on local agriculture to support their economy while keeping rural farmers from flooding their overpopulated cities. By subsidizing the agricultural products we export, we effectively kill markets for indigenous farmers, thereby destroying their local economy and forcing them and their families off the land into poverty and desperation. Alternatively, other indigenous farmers resort to growing the profitable raw material for illicit drugs, poppies and cocoa for heroin and cocaine. This phenomenon has greatly destabilized Colombia, as we pursue our war on drugs on the backs of Colombian farmers.

Against this backdrop of capacity building, we can readily justify significant investments in building civil societies. These investments can provide the critical mass resources necessary to achieve these promising outcomes. As a benchmark, consider that we have spent over six trillion dollars on military capacity since the end of the Cold War and by key measures (e.g. nuclear weapons proliferation) we now have significantly less security. By asking different questions, we can achieve more security with less money.

We have the Capability to Launch and Facilitate this Global Effort

We can do this. Our country has done something quite similar before, albeit smaller in scale. After World War II, under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, the United States helped the Japanese build capacity to transition Japan from a ruthless militaristic society to a prosperous and peaceful society that has never initiated war again. General George Marshall did the same for war-torn Germany.

The United States military represents a highly capable asset that has the scale, sophistication, and technology to manage the logistics for such a challenge. We need a change in focus and the political will to get it done. The proposed Department of Peace can deploy a broad-based, systematic approach to apply proven techniques for creating the conditions of lasting peace.

Let's apply the painful lessons of our post-Cold War experience to resolving the root causes and not have to pay the price of being unprepared, a price we can no longer afford; our national debt has sailed well past eight trillion dollars, increasing at a rate of $2.4 billion dollars per day. This indebtedness will most likely accelerate until we start making investments in prevention, investments that can yield a positive rate of return.

[Duchess Note: Howard Rosenberg is a proud member of NYDoP ( www.nyc-dop.com ) and firm supporter of US Dept of Peace, HR808 ( www.ThePeaceAlliance.org ).