Monsoon Dreamin'

It's almost 2pm and a thunderhead is rumbling by, spatting big drops on the pavement but not downpouring like I like. I have a pretty sweet seat here at PRO, in the prosperity corner of the building with windows on two sides and a beam at my back. My plants have grown big enough to screen my windows somewhat.
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Buddhist thought of the day

This from turil:

You are a good and loving person who deserves to be cared for by yourself and by the world. You will probably make mistakes and even do some really harmful things to yourself and others, but you can always use those failures for learning and growing to be a better person and I encourage you to do so, and support you in your efforts.

Financial Contributions from Military Donors Favor--Guess Who?

Yep, Ron Paul. He's getting more from military folks than McCain. On this page one naval officer comments that he has "sworn an oath to support and defend The Constitution of the United States, against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC. That compels me to speak out against candidates who would treat our founding documents with disdain. That is precisely why I support Ron Paul."

Also, since the "powers that be" are firmly against RP, it is easy to imagine that they might begin to suppress reports of his grassroots support by altering the vote counts, starting with the Iowa straw poll. It will not be easy to get him elected when he's up against our computerized voting system installed by the corrupt neocons.

My Job for the last 6.5 Years

has been in the Grand Canyon river outfitting business at PRO. Here's a look at what PRO's customers do with the rental rafts:

MSM = Main Stream Media

This is a sample from an excellent read at: "Ron Paul Leads in Polls of People Who Have Heard Him Speak" by Jennifer Hinman.

"The worst part about the MSM treatment of Ron Paul, is that finally the people have a candidate they really love, and a man who would get this country back on the proper course. They have a man who will follow the Constitutional course that served this country so well for so long. Instead of rejoicing and helping the country and the people find their way, corporate media giants are trying to silence his message by ignoring him completely or reporting on only the most obscure, misleading and slanderous articles (could this be because Ron Paul is also against corporate welfare?). Most recently, even the Associated Press got into the "let's lead with misleading statements" game. In reporting on how Dr. Paul decided to hold his own rally after being the only candidate in the debates to not be invited to a Presidential Forum in Iowa, the AP's first line in the article was that Ron Paul has added "party crashing" to his debate tactics. As any ten-year-old knows, to crash a party you have to attend the party. Ron Paul had not announced he would attend the Presidential forum. Instead, he decided to hold a completely separate event immediately following the forum in the same venue. That is not party crashing, that is called campaigning. The article went on to tell the truth about the situation, but that catch phrase was repeated as a headline across the country impugning Dr. Paul's character. See for example this ABC News headline: Republican Ron Paul to Crash Iowa Forum."

Night Out

I had more laughs and joy hanging out tonight than I have in a long time. I was with a gang of 8 people who just got out of the Canyon this morning. Clearly they had a good trip. I knew they had bonded on the river when the drivers said that they all decided to ride back together in the van, instead of splitting between the two vehicles.

Tonight they needed some guidance on how to find good food, and so we walked to Casa Bonita, which is a favorite Mexican restaurant owned by a family from the Yucatan. Dinner was excellent, and stories flowed. I passed out my "annual letter" to them, offering them a chance to keep in touch as I leave this place and go on to the next. There were several attractive men in the group, one in particular that set my loins atingle. I'm not dead yet. Twas good to feel sexually alive. I have been long dormant, after too many painful failures.

Ironically, though I knew some of this gang when I used to work on the river, we were not close. But they have grown up a great deal, and so have I. It seems there is a more real connection now than there ever was before. And I enjoyed connecting. Thanks, you guys. I totally enjoyed the evening. I will cook each of you a home cooked meal, next time I have the chance.

Nuclear Wastewater Spilled in Kashiwazaki after Quake Today

Kashiwazaki

My birth town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee has a special (guilty but forgiven) connection to Japan. The laboratories in Oak Ridge were where the nuclear bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were created. When I visited the front page of the hometown paper this evening, there was this news ( from Japan )