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*Greed and Lack of EthicsMuch bigger than the South Sea Bubble and the dot.com bubble (also known as the I.T. Bubble) the sub-prime mortgage financing ponzi game blew up and the watchdogs (Congress, White House, SEC and the Fed) were asleep at the wheel or looked the other way while the rapacious financial entities did their thing -- repackaged mortgage securities to the sky until even they did not know what they were worth. But the executives responsible made money...and were going to make more under Secretary Paulson's plan, the original 3-page plan, asking for $700 billion without any oversight and restrictions!Some conservative Republicans, champions of laissez faire, are not happy about the bailout. The pundits and politicians are scurrying around. The Wall Streeters are looking at how to benefit from the disaster they created. And benefit they will. As always, ordinary Americans will pay the price.Fox News reported comments by Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas: ...

* Weirder and Weirder - "Walla walla, bing bang"Do you want this woman to be a heart beat away from the presidency? The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that on October 16, 2005, Sarah Palin went through a blessing ceremony during which a Kenyan pastor prayed for her protection from witchcraft!(09-25) 12:28 PDT Anchorage, Alaska (AP) --A video on her hometown church Web site shows Sarah Palin being blessed three years ago by a Kenyan pastor who prayed for her protection from "witchcraft" as she prepared to seek higher office.The video, which made the rounds Wednesday on the Internet, shows Palin standing before Bishop Thomas Muthee in the pulpit of the Wasilla Assembly of God church, holding her hands open as he asked Jesus Christ to keep her safe from "every form of witchcraft.""Come on, talk to God about this woman. We declare, save her from Satan," Muthee said as two attendants placed their hands on Palin's shoulders. "Make her way my God. Bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus. ... Use her to turn this nation the other way around." * "My friend the witch doctorHe taught me what to sayMy friend the witch doctorHe taught me what to doI know that you'll be mineWhen i say this to youOoo eee,ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla, bing bangOoo eee ooo ah ah ting tangWalla walla bing bang...Ooo eee ,ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla ,bing bangOoo eee ooo ah ah ting tang Walla walla bing bang" © International Lyrics Playground ...

* Hot Chick * Bailout and the "free marketers" * The SeasonsElection 2008Campaign button reportedly seen at the Republican National Convention: "Hoosiers for the Hot Chick"! Suggestions: Pennsylvanians for the Lipsticked Pit Bull, Montanans for the Moose Hunter. The permutations can keep a campaign button maker busy. In the meantime, the "Hot Chick" is being kept under wraps, protected from the media in case she slips up during questions and her shallowness is revealed.In 2004, during one of his debates with John Kerry, President Bush was caught by TV camera (of Fox News no less) with a mysterious bulge in his suit jacket. There were comments that he wore an electronic device to aid him. The McCain team is not likely to try something like that when Sarah Palin debates Joe Biden at Washington University, St. Louis,on October 2nd but I wouldn't bet on it. McCain staffers include Rovians, and they wrote the book on dirty tricks.With 40 days to go, the candidates have pulled out all the stops. Their speeches contain lies and half-truths. Expediency rules. But issues matter; think about them before you decide.The BailoutNY Times“This administration is asking for a $700 billion blank check to be put in the hands of Henry Paulson, a guy who totally missed this, and has been wrong about almost everything,” said Dean Baker, co-director of the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. “It’s almost amazing they can do this with a straight face. There is clearly skepticism and anger at the idea that we’d give this money to these guys, no questions asked.”AutumnSeptember will soon be behind us. The season of falling leaves has begun. The change in weather is quite noticeable. For many Americans it is an uneasy time. The economy is in shambles and it has affected them, especially those who have lost their jobs and their homes. Others have been caught in the domino effect. No reprieve is in sight.*Try to remember the kind of SeptemberWhen life was slow and oh so mellowTry to remember the kind of SeptemberWhen grass was green and grain so yellowTry to remember the kind of SeptemberWhen you were a young and a callow fellowTry to remember and if you rememberThen follow--follow, oh-oh- Try to Remember, Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey SchmidtSource: http://www.egreenway.com/months/monsep.htmWild Turkeys at Sawyer Camp Trail, San Mateo County ©Frank Yee ...

*Tony Alamo Christian Church * Electoral CollegeCNN reported:Federal and state police raided an evangelist's compound in Arkansas late Saturday to investigate whether any children have been physically or sexually abused, officials said.Arkansas State Police troopers monitor the situation at Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in Fouke, Arkansas.The raid is part of a two-year investigation into a compound near Texarkana, Arkansas, owned by Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, said Bill Sadler of the Arkansas State Police. About 100 agents were on the 10- to 15-acre site late Saturday and met with no resistance, he said.Alamo, reached by phone in Los Angeles, California, denied any wrongdoing.A major operation -- "two-year investigation", "about 100 agents" involved. Reverend Alamo should not be judged before he goes through the legal process. He could be innocent.Who are the members of Reverend Alamo's church ? One gets the impression that they are:Pro gun rightsAgainst Women's RightsBelievers in creationismRabidly anti gayLikely to be RepublicanIn other words, supporters of McCain-Palin presidency.See Tony Alamo News - HumorElection 2008Projections about Electoral College count remain fluid with various polls giving McCain the lead one day and showing Obama ahead the next. The margin is razor thin. This election will be what they describe as a "cliffhanger".

*45 Days before November 4th * "Bigotry is the Sacred Disease" - Heraclitus 535-475 BCCool, misty Saturday morning. We are two days away from Fall. The seasons come and go, and I like them all. In the San Francisco Peninsula, the changes are not anticipated with dread. For the outdoor activities enthusiasts, Fall offers many pleasures. I look forward to walking and running through the woods, and gathering wild mushrooms (mostly chanterelles).Listening to: Goldberg Variations, Johann Sebastian Bach BWV988Glenn Gould, Piano - 1955 recordingSONY S3K87703 *Do the Right ThingThis year, the presidential election is of special significance. While it would be great to see the end of the Bush Administration -- eight years of misdeeds, too many to list -- are we going to end up with the McCain-Palin team who will continue the reign of dark forces?CBS News Voters and BigotryHow America votes could come down to the economy, and that could be especially true in many of the so-called battleground states where voters have been hit hard economically.But a new AP-Yahoo News poll shows that race could also play a big role in how some voters make their choice - and this may not bode well for Barack Obama.According to the poll released Saturday, a little over one-third of white Democrats and independents agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks, and they are less likely to vote for Obama than those who don't hold such views."There are a lot fewer bigots than there were 50 years ago, but that doesn't mean there's only a few bigots," said Stanford University political scientist Paul Sniderman, who helped analyze the exhaustive survey.Obama is not free from warts but compared to the dark side he is preferable by far. McCain has become like a man possessed. The once principled man is a pitiful caricature of his former self. A McCain victory will put Palin a heart beat away from the presidency! Just thinking of that scenario sends shivers up my spine. Do you want Todd Palin as a decision maker behind the scene ? * End of Summerby James Richardson (The New Yorker Sept.3,2007) Just an uncommon lull in the trafficso you hear some guy in an apron, sleeves rolled up,with his brusque sweep brusque sweep of the sidewalk,and the slap shut of a too thin rental van,and I told him no a gust has snatched from a conversationand brought to you, loud. It would be so differentif any of these were missing is the feelingyou always have on the first day of autumn,no, the first day you think of autumn, when somehowthe sun singling out high windows,a waiter settling a billow of white clothwith glasses and silver, and the sparrowsshattering to nowhere are the Summerwaving that here is where it turnsand will no longer be walking with you,traveller, who now leave all of this behind,carrying only what it has made of you.Already the crowds seem darker and more hurriedand the slang grows stranger and stranger,and you do not understand what you love,yet here, rounding a corner in mild sunset,is the world again, wide-eyed as a childholding up a toy even you can fix. How light your stepdown the narrowing avenue to the cross streets,October, small November, barely legible December.

*50 Days Before November 4th "Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve." -- George Bernard Shaw The excerpt below from Maureen Dowd's Sept.13 column "Bering Straight Talk" in The NY Times made me wonder once again about Palin supporters. There are many, including droves of women who were previously for Hillary Clinton! Amazing. How can women who supported Hillary Clinton turn around and become Palin groupies? Republicans or Democrats, no doubt they are the same women who emptied optical stores of Kawasaki rimless frames after watching Sarah Palin at the convention. Ya Habibi. Sarah Palin stands for nothing that Clinton represents; she lacks Clinton's depth of knowledge, her vision, her position on women's right to choose, and her world view. Yes, Hillary Clinton supported the Iraq War resolution but she never claimed that we were fighting God's war in Iraq. “We must not, Charlie, blink, Charlie, because, Charlie, as I’ve said, Charlie, before, John McCain has said, Charlie, that — and remember here, Charlie, we’re talking about John McCain, Charlie, who, Charlie, is John McCain and I won’t be blinking, Charlie.”The quotation was taken by Maureen Dowd from Charlie Gibson's televised interview with Palin. Gibson was "Charlied" ad nauseam but, leaving that aside, was there anything substantial that Sarah Palin said during the interview? It was obvious that she stumbled when Gibson mentioned the Bush doctrine -- she had no clue what he was talking about. She created noise and voters liked what they heard.But she has assured America that she "won't be blinking". Is that all that we expect from the vice-presidential candidate?PalinxedThe sad fact is that if the McCain-Palin team wins it will not only be due to the support of hardcore Republicans who became hoarse screaming "Drill, baby drill" but also because of desertion by a large number of Democrats -- call them blue-collar, conservative, unaware, unable to differentiate between issues and sound bites -- who are once again proving vulnerable to scare tactics and the God factor. The sad state of economy; continuing casualties in Bush's war that McCain and Palin champion; spiraling health care costs; and the deteriorating environment mean nothing to them.And then there is the color of Obama's skin.

*56 Days to November 4th"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."--Winston ChurchillDespite the dismal record of the Bush Administration and consequences of its policies American voters seem to be edging toward electing another Republican to the White House, a Republican who does not want to be seen campaigning with Bush but supports most of what he has done. Whether it is Iraq war, the environment, Supreme Court appointments, efforts to curtail women's right to chose, John McCain is on the same wave length.Yet, support for McCain has gained momentum after the Republican Convention. His gains are partly due to his vice presidential pick. It is becoming clear that the red state/blue state divide, which was a major factor in Bush's victory in 2004, not only exists it is perhaps more stark because this time the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, is a black man. Whether they admit it or not, come November 4th many Americans in the so called "red" states, and even some in "blue" states, will not vote for a black presidential candidate. Real issues confronting us and our country have receded into the background. Republicans, adept in creating smoke and mirrors, have succeeded in implanting fear.Then there is the God vote. The war and God; energy crisis and God. According to Sarah Palin all problems facing our country can be solved by prayer. It is obvious that many voters believe that. At the convention she spoke about hockey moms being like pit bulls with lipstick. They lapped it up. I read a comment that she would be like Cheney with lipstick. ...

*Vice President of the USA or a Padded Cell in a Mental InstituteSoldiers of the Wehrmacht wore belt buckles that read Gott Mit Uns (God is with us). We know what took place during the infamous Third Reich. We do not know what would happen if John McCain wins the White House. But articles about his vice presidential pick Sarah Palin often contain the phrase that she would be a heartbeat away from the presidency. That is a frightening scenario to think about.Adolf Hitler is long gone. Reading about Sarah Palin and her views gives the impression that there is not much difference between her and fanatical leaders of Islamic groups. No middle ground, no compromises. Tolerance is a word that does not exist in their vocabulary. ...

*Collateral DamageHeadline in The Washington Post:U.N. Finds Airstrike Killed 90 AfghansMost of Fatalities In U.S.-Led Attack Said to Be ChildrenFrom Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize (Literature, 2005) acceptance speech: Death "Who was the dead body?Who was the father or daughter or brotherOr uncle or sister or mother or sonOf the dead and abandoned body?" President Karzai, our puppet in Afghanistan, made the usual noise. Nothing will change. Innocent civilians in Afghanistan will continue to die in air strikes claimed to be directed against the Taliban. Except surviving members of their families, no one will remember the dead. ...

*Pajaro Dunes * A Poem by Robert Haas * Reading Patrick Leigh FermorA warm Sunday. We haven't had too many warm days this summer. Between overcast days and forest fires, clear, blue sky has been absent. Labor Day is around the corner. Of course, we could get a few blistering days as summer's parting kick.Returning home after a run last evening I saw the fog rolling in over the hills in the west and thought that Half Moon Bay must be cool and misty.Pajaro Dunes, where I was earlier this month, was not cold but the sun stayed out of sight most of the time.Wanderlust"very strong or irresistible impulse to travel [syn:" -- definition of "wanderlust" in the OnLine Dictionary. That is how Patrick Leigh Fermor's A Time of Gifts makes me feel. Leigh Fermor was 18 when, in 1933, he began a walk across Europe to Constantinople. Spellbinding; it is hard to put down. The first part covers his journey from the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube. I can hardly wait for Part II -- Between the Woods and the Water"Recovers the innocence and the excitement of youth, when everything was possible and the world seemed luminescent with promise" --Jeremy Lewis, Literary ReviewImages of Pajaro DunesWalkers in the Mist ©Musafir ...