As you can see from the public reaction to Congress and the president concerning the amnesty bill (80% disapproval by republicans and 55% disapproval by democrats) our lawmakers have become isolated, arrogant, out-of-touch elitists. They really can’t understand what all the fuss is about. But they, at last, realize people are upset at the sneaky attempt to ram the amnesty bill down our throats in one week. As a result of this latest stupidity, approval ratings for Congress are at a record low, 14%, the president is at about 28% and falling, and John McCain’s campaign is swirling down the toilet, soon to disappear – thankfully. But in spite of the low approval ratings and the death rattle of McCain’s campaign, they still aren’t convinced. Can you believe it? They still want to grant amnesty, apparently because the republicans want cheap labor for industry and democrats because they want new voters. They are going to try again to ram this bill through Congress. How? They’ll wait until you’ve been angry for so long you throw your hands up and quit caring. So I ask you, both republicans and democrats, to quit being upset. Be calm, cool, and patient. Be quietly determined that these elitists will not succeed. Don’t vent angrily – you’ll wear out. Be polite and immovable. These self-absorbed “representatives” don’t care about America, they care only about power. We really, really need term limits for Congress. Bottom line – we’ve succeeded so far, but the fat lady ain’t sung yet. Be calm, be determined, and we will win. Grimgold

Once there was a restaurant - a very popular one. It was called The Donkey Diner. The owners and managers created a menu that catered to a wide variety of people. You couldn’t find everything on the menu you liked and no one was completely happy with it, but there was enough selection to keep you coming back and that is what made it a success. And the prices weren’t that bad, either. Not surprisingly, the eatery attracted people from varying walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, and economic classes. At some point, a few of the patrons felt the menu lacked a sufficient amount of items they liked and some of the dishes weren’t prepared they way they thought they should be, so they began complaining to the management. The management said, “hey, look, we’re trying to make everyone happy. But naturally, if a type of menu item is popular, we feature more of it. If a dish just isn’t selling well, we’re not going to push it.” This explanation didn’t set well with the dissatisfied patrons, so they decided (in the spirit of true competition) to start their own restaurant. But they really couldn’t agree on how to do it, which resulted in several little diners opening and closing on various street corners. Soon, the complaining former patrons began to think it was unfair that the big restaurant they used to go to was so popular that it prevented other ones from having a chance at success. So they hatched a plan. They began returning to the big restaurant. Eventually a few of them applied for, and got, management positions. Soon thereafter, they began calling themselves “the real managers” of the restaurant and tried altering the menu to better fit their tastes. This experiment, though successful at times, ultimately backfired. The rival restaurant across the street, the one they’d competed with for years, began to attract more customers. Soon, that shiny eatery with the assorted menu began losing money. The newer managers, the original complainers, looked to blame everyone else but themselves. Their justification was if the restaurant had concentrated even more on the items they’d wanted, instead of making a few concessions here and there, the business loss wouldn’t have happened. But the original owners and managers knew better. Which brings us to today. The newer managers, and the newer patrons who like them, are wondering whether to support a manager applicant who does things the old way or support one who does things their new way. Some are even suggesting they start their own restaurant. Again. DonkeyDigest

Cindy Sheehan, t r u t h o u t, June 21, 2007 To everything there is a season. A time for war, a time for peace. --Ecclesiastes, Hebrew Scriptures I wish I could say I thought of something profound as I saw the picture of the president and his wife's on that billboard on Highway 317 in my rear view mirror on my way out of Crawford, Texas, today. I will be back for the final weekend farewell to Camp Casey on July 6, but I won't be back as the owner of property there, or as a leader of the American peace movement. The protests that were Camp Casey I and II that evolved into the five acres on Highway 317 (Lone Star Parkway), which was known as Camp Casey III, definitely were effective and served a relevant purpose in the national discourse of the pros and cons of the Iraq war. In an occupation that was and still is kept far from apathetic American eyes, summer '05 was one of the first times the cost of BushCo's Iraq fiasco was made public, and many people sympathized and resonated with and some even traveled for miles to be with the Mom in the ditch. When I announced that I was going to put my five acres up for sale in Texas, the horrible anti-peace, anti-American group, Move America Forward, announced it would buy it to erect a "Memorial." This group still cheer-leads and supports a war where our troops are clearly being misused and maltreated by their civilian leadership, and celebrates each death as a sacrifice for the neocon, obscene and Orwellian idea of "freedom." Move America Forward is still collecting money for the memorial, which will never be built on my old property, and if they really wanted to buy it, they wouldn't have sent out a press release. They just wanted a few more minutes of fame off of my misery! Into all of the drama, radio talk show host Bree Walker enters. She could not bear the thought of Move America Forward or any other right-wing fascist group buying Camp Casey, so she cashed in her corporate buy-ins and bought my land to leave as a legacy to peace - a true memorial to our children and the people of Iraq who have been killed for corporate and political greed. Bree is putting her money where her mouth is, too, and we Camp Casey-ites were relieved and overjoyed when she purchased it! I was in Crawford this past week to transfer the deed to Bree and to take care of some last-minute business. Selling my land and kicking the Crawford dirt off of my flip-flops was bittersweet. I have had some of my highest highs in that horse town, but also some of my lowest lows. Read More Here

Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, June 20, 2007 WASHINGTON - Would Carmela, she of the pans of baked ziti and casseroles of veal parm, ever deny the omnivorous Tony onion rings? Nah. But the Carmela-Tony pact was a lot less strict than the Hillary-Bill pact. Besides, this is a Hillaryized Carmela, or a Carmelized Hillary, so Bill Clinton must munch carrot sticks in their diner scene. Actually, Hillary's probably playing Tony, since she's the one studying the songs on the jukebox and checking out a cruel-looking stranger at the counter. Either way, the Clintons joined forces yesterday in a comic sendup of that last scene of "The Sopranos," complete with a Journey soundtrack and an exchange about how Chelsea would be joining them once she got past her parallel-parking problems. The satire was a video on Hillary's Web site to whip up attention for the winner of her online contest to choose a campaign song. Unfortunately, the winner, "You and I," is definitely not for you and me. (I look forward to Obama's new campaign ditty, "I Am Thou.") It doesn't bode well for the cultural health of the country that Hillary picked a song by Celine Dion, who combines the worst of Vegas and Canada. It was an acid flashback to the cultural wasteland of Bill Clinton's reign, when instead of Pablo Casals, we got Kenny G. During the 1992 campaign, young Clinton aides obsessed on how they could get the boss to change from Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)" to something hipper and less baby-boomer middlebrow. Even Christine McVie, one of the band's singers who wrote the song, said it might be better as a jingle for an insurance company. Read More Here