Save the Country
-Laura Nyro

Come on people
Come on children
Come on down to the glory river
Gonna wash you up
And wash you down

Come on people
Come on children
There's a king at the glory river
And the king loved to sing
In the sun -"We shall overcome"

I got fury in my soul
Fury's gonna take me
To the glory goal
In my mind I can't study war no more
Save the people
Save the children
Save the country

In my mind I can't study war
In my mind I can't study war
There'll be trains of blossoms
There'll be trains of music
There'll be music...


Katrina. She exposed the cruel divide between the rich and poor in America. It's a divide that may rival the Grand Canyon if the Republicans push through their next round of tax cuts. These tax cuts reduce funding for programs that benefit the poor and vulnerable. Right now is the time for our representatives, regardless of party loyalties, to stop this tax cut madness.

In January, the CBO proved that tax cuts are the cause of our deficits and without them, we would now have a surplus with which to deal with the billion dollar a week war in Iraq, with the billions needed to save the American Gulf Coast, billions needed to strengthen America's infrastructure, First Responder security forces, health care system and many more priorities. I know the tax cut train is on the track, but where is this track going? Looks like it's headed over a cliff if we do not change directions soon.

Last night, WYNTON MARSALIS was interviewed by Charlie Rose about the effects of this disaster on New Orleans. He addressed accusations of race and class discrimination and did not dispute that America is shocked at the poverty and crime New Orleans has had to endure for decades. His comments were articulate and thoughtful and his bottom line is that Americans can and will survive any disaster, but we eventually lose our resolve to remain united and make the changes needed for a free, healthy and progressive society. We live from crisis to crisis and fall back into complacency and apathy as soon as the crisis passes. No follow up and no resolve.

The Bush Republicans are not even waiting for our complacency to kick in this time. They are so confident that we will look the other way or be distracted by our fear of looters, refugees, the poor and the criminals, they will cut taxes, again, and go play some golf with their corporate sponsors. These corporate sponsors are the same ones that greased the wheels for the new punitive Bankruptcy laws that will put the nails in the coffins of most of the displaced, homeless and jobless.

Our focus must be on the long haul and what must be done to protect and respect all people. This means we care about each other. This means we recognize that the poorest among us is us. We are all one. There is no separation by class, color, creed, geography. We must resolve to remain united and to promote compassionate public policies. We must not let government, media, lies and deception divide us and convince us that we are abandoned and destined to fall.

"The harmony and friendship that we need in our families, nations, and the world can be achieved only through compassion and kindness."
- Dali Lama

May all beings know love and peace.

Another Predictable Cat 5 Disaster...

..for the poor and people outside of Red State America. Chief Justice Rehnquist died of cancer today. Now our Clueless leader, George Dubya, will be able to appoint another neo con, religious right winger. I vaguely recall that the world was supposed to end when President Reagan appointed Rehnquist as Chief Justice in 1986. The world of "big government" and entitlement programs definitely bit the dust, and it is debatable whether Rehnquist assured GWB's first presidential election by allowing the Supreme Court to intervene. For a Justice who's main goal was to return power to the States, his support of GWB's request to have the Supreme Court intervene in the Florida recount was startling and hypocritical. As bad as he was, he looks good compared to what Bush has up his sleeve.

Right now, with millions of displaced Southerners raging against the Bush administration's policy of "slow" response to domestic crisis issues, more layoffs and another banner year for poverty statistics, any sane person would conclude that the Repugnantans will never get elected or re elected again, but they now have the majority in the House, the Senate, the judiciary and the Executive Branch. That's power. This week we witnessed the arrogance of that kind of concentrated power, It is slow, ponderous, out of balance, self-serving and not accountable to anyone anywhere in the world.

Unless the Red Staters wake up and smell the napalm, America's decline into the "third world" will be complete in my lifetime.

Pray hard for peace, healing and intelligence in these troubled times.