Dear Gotham,
With all due respect, change must begin Now. 2008 is a pivotal election year, and time ... for a woman U.S. president, perhaps.

I really think the 2 party system in the U.S. is outdated and broken. Voters should have a chance to elect ... younger, diverse, committed, and dare we hope - spiritually inclined - leadership.
Love,
~ Kate

p.s. hope you can swing by the open thread tomorrow evening for a birthday surprise party!

Kabir’s Doha in Hindi:

Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ab
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kub

Translation of poet Kabir’s Couplet:

Tomorrows work do it today, today's work do it now
if the moment is lost forever, when will you accomplish the task

Procrastinate now!

Some people were thinking about 2008 in 1988, now is their time
They are again tempted to think about 2016, how is it not a crime?

Don’t Procrastinate, Procrastinate now!

correction, post#3
I meant 1998, not 1988

Comment 1, I agree that change must not wait until 2016. Nor until 2008. There are very important elections in 2006, in November.

And I must add, with all due respect: in regard to your comment about electing a woman,

Let us not elect a woman because she is a woman, nor a black or brown man because they are not pink. Let us look to integrity in the actions and speech of each candidate, lest we get fooled into More of the Same in a new wrapper.

...Assuming this time the election is not stolen, and votes mean what they should.

Gotham and voters,

I don't see how it can be done. I can't see where

these "QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED" young politicians

are going to come from. Straight out of college

with a degree in political science?

.

Have you ever been to McDonalds for a grand opening?

With a brand new crew...never flipped a burger,

never fried a fry, never had to be accomodating...

.

Why shouldn't big gov. be a graduate school?

I thought it was a business. The biggest spending

machine on Earth, dispensing goods and services,

would stumble along slowly, just like the new kids

on the block I train to drive an effective, yet

powerful and dangerous tool, a fork lift.

.

New people working with me are anxious and fretful.

They only wish to please and do not question

procedures. Their only concern is a check, not a

quality work ethic.

Why would new Democrats be any different?

Just wondrin'...par usual...gotta work, Keith

You think replacing a war-hawk republican with a war-hawk democrat shall bring about profound changes, c'mon now, if you really believe that you have effectively fooled yourself; and self-deception is far more dangerous than being fooled by the 'powers that be'

Will that be a democrat or republican, is exactly like the question, "would you like to b hanged, or would you prefer the firing squad . . .

Navin's posts 81 & 82 in "A Solution to Hatred" pretty much sums up the situation

- We the people - need to be the government, not elect the person with the most campaign money; B/C THEY THEN NO LONGER REPRESENT US, they represent their 'donors.'

Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct (Thomas Jefferson).

Swift-boat 'ads,' 100 million dollar Senate races, personal attacks of every possible kind: PLEASE! This is no democracy, this is a militarized aristocracy, serving the needs of giant corporations and their religious sponsors, and their need to feed their greed til Armageddon do them apart.

C'mon people

peace

Info about mid-term elections November 2006

from Wikipedia, where else?? (giggle)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Senate_election,_2006

my #1 guru, Marianne Williamson, says we need to get involved in supporting candidates that we like who are up for reelection this year---
trying to figure out how to get up the courage to call Senator Nelson's office to volunteer ( i am a shy person and usually post and hide LOL so please forgive if i do not back-and-forth much here-- definitely do lurk, though )

Gotham,

There are two sides to this story.

Young and energetic.
Old and experienced.

We need both. My preference for the top post should be of our generation, since he is the one going to endorse most of our requirements, policies etc and will have a proper view of what the present generation wants. But the Old and experienced should give him advise. Just like we had in the olden days with Kings and Ministers.

Any comments???

Yogi

Guru-Child,
Make friends with this person! Influence him! He will need to know some things when he runs for a really big office one day in the future.
1. His opponents will do nasty things in order to crush him. Nobody is without skeletons in the closet, so he will need to somehow transcend scandal. Bill Clinton helped pave the way for a nation that accepts human flaws in exchange for effective leadership.
2. I don't know #2. Right now I think #1 is really important.

Old Age and treachery beat youth and enthusiasm every time.

It's why people like Dennis Kucinich are mince meat against people like Dick Cheney.

I used to think, when I was young, that when our generation came of age, there would be change.

I forgot to figure in that George W Bush and co are in my generation too.

I remembercrushing milestones in my realizations about this very matter. No doubt, one of them was the first time hearing"Revolution" by the Beatles while riding in an elevator.

Now we get "Born to be Wild" used as the background music to sell SUVs.

So much for the freakin' youth revolution.

I do resonate with the sentiment, Gotham.

But we'll see how much your generation has overhauled the politics and business-as-usual world by you 50th birthday.

Best of luck with it. No, really, I mean that!

The young will be old by then so what would be different for anybody? The machine grinds everyone the same way.

And Craig, we know you an anarchist dude, but don't be so dark. Stay with the moderate x-men, don't go fight with the rebel mutants. The battle is long and boring, but it doesn't have to be so decisive right away, as long as you're in it.

Gee, I thought it was "Anyone but Bush"

Now we have to wait until 2016?????!!!!

Amba

Aye Yogi-1,

A few years back I remember so many different car and SUV commercials just wearing out old Who and Aerosmith songs, all sorts of their tunes ‘Happy Jack,’ ‘My Generation,’ ‘Baba O’Riley,’ ‘Who Are You,’ ‘Sweet Emotion,’ ‘Dream On,’ ‘Walk This Way,’ and many other songs of both groups

Two of my all time favorite bands --- corrupted --- by the evil ways of these capitalistic days . . .

O for shame!

And speaking of being historically minded, that is the biggest challenge an entire generation is going to have to make, b4 literally it is too late. Every generation has their anarchist moment, and then either something happens, or the moment just passes, and ‘the days’ evils pass into tomorrow’s nightmares, and the folly continues, until finally, notable war occurs.

I strongly suspect, the way the United States, China, Russia, Iran, Israel, and, The United States (yes again) are militarily gearing up, I strongly suspect something quite severe, something revolutionizing the entire world’s human populations’ way of interacting and cohabiting, will have to occur, or else the status quo will remain; and we shall plod hopelessly along conservatively liberalizing our beliefs and ways of thinking, until ultimately I suppose, when the last vast corporate conglomerations shall war for more and more of our world’s mighty gifts → → the very sinews and blood of it’s very own body, ‘we’ shall come to a time when exploitation will no longer be humanistically possible‼

Because there shall nevermore exist anything that is economically profitable other than killing your fellow man simply to survive. The greatest of cosmic jests no?

4:7: O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

Sumus Om

Is that a universal chant of usness, or is it some post bang resonance quietly subsiding into never-ending nothingness that finally reveals

we are but a mere accident

b/c if the actions of ‘our’ world leaders reveal ‘our’ intent

this world, and all inhabitants thereof, are in serious trouble,

and have been since the Creation of this universe, uh, what was that, 14,000 years ago . . .

yeah

we are in trouble

peace

Read about Virgin Comics recently. Must admit, I'm all excited and waiting for 'Ramayana Reborn' and the others (Sadh, Devi, Snakewoman) to hit the stands. Why didn't anybody think of this before? Our mythology is probably richer than any other in the world, yes, maybe even Norse. I wish you guys all the best for this terrific venture.

PS: If you find yourself looking for writers in India to join your team, I would be more than willing to apply.

How lovely...nice to hear that there are some classifications of politicians who are considered leaders. I don't know what leader means anymore. What I do know is that I meet people now who are not labelled or classified as anything and impact many people on a day to day basis out in the "streets" doing great work. Politicians can go to their meetings in their haughty lifestyles (regardless of whether or not they wear jeans and t-shirts) but you won't hit up "real" people that way to make any "real" impact. It's pretty common for executives to get away with real casual dress these days anyway.
Wanna do something? take a walk down the street and talk to someone who might be having a bad day if they wanna talk...you can do that no matter where you are.
When you want to do something to help in any way, the opportunity comes to you, you don't have to go to it.
A week ago a lady friend of mine from the Sai Centre popped into my head and I bumped into her a few days later, I have seen her in about 15 years. I found out she has cancer and she expressed the desire to hear some bhajan, so we sang and it made her happy...that was the opportunity coming to me.

Sorry but screw these political/business meetings to brainstorm ideas to do something. JUST DO IT

Ok so maybe I should comment on this 2016 prediction of yours...
I remember when 2000 was going to be a big deal, now 2016, next thing you know 2016 rolls around and then its 2032...sorry...you wanna wait go ahead...nothing has to be defined in life by politicians and I am personally not waiting for them to evolve.
The time is NOW