George Winston - December

Get this album and leave it in your home CD player the entire winter.

This is the first track on the December album.

The video also has some nice nature photography, so stay with it.

America's Torture Disgrace

Many Americans have long known that the horrors of Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay and in secret C.I.A. prisons were not the work of a few low-ranking sociopaths.

A recent bipartisan report by the Senate Armed Services Committee has made what amounts to a strong case for bringing criminal charges against White House officials.

Our highest officials, charged with defending the Constitution and America’s standing in the world, methodically introduced interrogation practices based on tortures devised by Chinese agents during the Korean War.

These top officials ignored warnings from lawyers in every branch of the armed forces that they were breaking the law, subjecting uniformed soldiers to possible criminal charges and authorizing abuses that were considered by experts to be ineffective.

Importantly, our policy of torture swiftly recruited fighters for al-Qaeda. Bluntly, torture and abuse cost American lives. The No. 1 reason foreign fighters flocked to Iraq were the abuses carried out at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo.

I can understand that some Americans are eager to put these dark chapters behind them, but it would be irresponsible for the nation and a new administration to ignore what has happened.

Mr. Obama should consider proposals from groups like Human Rights Watch and the Brennan Center for Justice to appoint an independent panel to look into these and other egregious violations of the law. Like the 9/11 commission, it would examine in depth the decisions on prisoner treatment, as well as warrantless wiretapping, that eroded the rule of law and violated Americans' most basic rights. Unless the nation and its leaders know precisely what went wrong in the last seven years, it will be impossible to fix it and make sure those terrible mistakes are not repeated.

Believe in Clean Coal?

Monday night, 2.6 million cubic yards (the equivalent of 525 million gallons, 48 times more than the Exxon Valdez spill by volume) of coal ash sludge broke through a dike of a holding pond in Tennessee.  

Until I saw this video, I had no idea of the scope.

Apart from the immediate physical damage, the issue is what toxic substances are in that sludge: Mercury, arsenic, lead, beryllium, cadmium. This toxic sludge got into the Emory River, a tributary of the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers: The water supply for Chattanooga, Tennessee as well as millions of people living downstream in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Needless to say, the authorities need to get to the bottom of what went wrong and hold the responsible parties accountable.

This sort of thing really makes the proposition of clean coal so absurd. Even if you can scrub all the CO2 out of it, you still have so many other toxic waste products associated with burning coal that have to be stored that carbon emissions are just a part of the problem.

Christmas Time is Here

Blessings and Merry Christmas every day!

A Buddhist's Merry Christmas

Let's explore how a Buddhist can wish you a Merry Christmas.

First let's recognize two secular things about the holiday:  1. Through the centuries (even before Jesus), winter festivals were the most popular festival of the year; and 2. The Christmas season has become a major event for many retailers.

For Christians, it marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and all the promise found by his living, dying and resurrection.

What is the spirit of Christmas?  Many would say that it is being with family and friends, exchanging gifts, aiding the less fortunate or those who are suffering, and being generous.

This agrees with the Buddha, who taught that what we own or have should be used for the benefit and happiness of others. 

When giving, we should not perform charity as an act of our body alone, but with our heart and mind. There must be joy in every act of giving.

We give because we realize that we have enough. We give to express loving kindness or compassion for another's suffering. 

There are many things which we can give. We can give material things: food for the hungry, and money and clothes to the poor. We can also give our knowledge, skill and time to projects that benefit others. We can provide a sympathetic ear and good counsel to a friend in trouble. We can give our blessings for peace, wellness and happiness to all beings.

We can joyfully give these each minute of every day.

So I say to everyone, "Merry Christmas" every day!

NASA reports 2008 is ninth warmest year since 1880

The year 2008 was the ninth warmest year since instrumental temperature measurements began in 1880. All of the nine warmest years have occurred in the past 11 years.

The new data is from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and other government agencies.  It adds to the evidence scientists have been observing about a warming Earth as fossil fuel burning emits heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

Britain's Met Office, whose records go back to 1850, has confirmed these facts.

Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday summarized these and other trends, including:

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was the third costliest, after 2005 and 2004.

The U.S. had nearly 1,700 tornadoes from January through November, which ranks second behind 2004 for the most tornadoes in a year since records began in 1953.

Arctic sea ice in 2008 reached its second lowest level at the end of the melting season in September, following a record low in 2007.  Sea ice loss is important because ice reflects most of the sun's radiation, but open ocean water absorbs most of it, adding to the warming trend both in the ocean and on land.

Many will ignore or deny this evidence and these facts.

My duty is not to convince them against their will.  My duty is to prevent them from achieving public office.  

My duty is to put into place officials who believe in science.  I applaud Barack Obama's choice of John Holdren as his science advisor.

Iron and Wine - Naked As We Came

For Buddy . . .

Impermanence in Everything

A grandmother visited the Buddha in the middle of the day, her hair, face and clothes wet. Her beloved grandson had just died.

The Buddha asked, "Visakha, would you like to have as many children and grandchildren as there are people in Savatthi (the nearby city)?"

"Yes, Lord," Visakha replied.

"But how many people in Savatthi die in the course of a day?"

Visakha answered, "Sometimes ten people die in Savatthi, sometimes nine... eight... seven... Sometimes one person in Savatthi dies in the course of a day. Savatthi is never free from people dying."

"So what do you think, Visakha: Would you ever be free from wet clothes and wet hair?"

"No, Lord."

The Buddha replied, "Visakha, those who have a hundred dear ones have a hundred sufferings. Those who have ninety dear ones have ninety sufferings. Those who have eighty... seventy... Those who have one dear have one suffering. For those with no dear ones, there is no suffering. They are free from sorrow, free from stain, free from lamentation, I tell you."

The sorrows, and lamentations, the many kinds of suffering in the world, exist dependent on something dear. We can love a wonderful person, or a enjoy a beautiful view or a field of colorful flowers, knowing that all of these things are impermanent. Our pain in life comes to us when we expect a permanence that doesn't exist.

Playing For Change: Stand By Me

For more information on Mark Johnson, the playing for change organization, and this video, click here.

(Grandpa Elliott just blew me away -- a great voice!)

Compassionless State

Let's consider two news articles from this week.

First, as Congress considers extending unemployment benefits, and temporarily increasing Medicaid and food stamp funding, Texas' only governor Rick Perry spoke out.

He said that this aid is not needed, and that Congress should "learn from states that are coming up with solutions that work."  He said that the "federal government would only step in for that which states cannot do themselves."

That brings me to the second article.

Texas has more mentally disabled patients in institutions than any other state, and the federal government has concluded that the state's care system is stubbornly out of step with modern mental health practices.

For the third time in three years, the Justice Department accused Texas of violating residents' constitutional rights to proper care.

In Texas, officials verified 465 incidents of abuse or neglect against mentally disabled people in state care in fiscal year 2007.

One mother said her son spent three months in the Austin State School, which she described as a place of "dingy yellow floors and patients running around without any clothes on." During his time there, he refused to leave his bed and often languished in his own excrement.

To add to the insult, in Texas, government entities are all but immune from lawsuits.

So you are wrong Mr. Perry in saying that the "federal government should stop believing it has all the answers."  Sometimes, in partnership we can find answers better than we do individually.

What I am certain of is that we do not need more of the same compassionless conservatism as is provided to our state's most disadvantaged citizens.

The Change

Sometimes, the change is enough to make your head spin. This is one of those moments.

Here's the status quo: A president who has overt contempt for public opinion, who shields himself from opposing views and whose idea of White House Web site interactivity is a video of his dog.

And here's the change: The Obama transition team is actually soliciting public comments on its Web site, reading them and responding to them.

Change.gov last week asked members of the public: What worries you most about the healthcare system in our country? The site's users responded with 3,700 comments -- and were able to vote each others' comments up or down for good measure.

On Tuesday, former Sen. Tom Daschle, President-elect Barack Obama's point person on health care, posted a video response. "I spent a lot of the weekend actually reading the comments," he said. "And I have to tell you I'm extremely moved by a lot of the stories that you shared with us. We want to keep this a very open process. We want to make sure that you understand how important those comments and your contributions are. We really want to hear from you, and already have begun to follow through with some of the ideas." Daschle's video has now generated an additional 3,800 comments and counting.

This is a big deal. When you consider that for the last eight years, the occupant of the White House has essentially told the public 'you get input once every four years, after that I'm the decider,' this is huge.

Before our eyes, we are witnessing the beginning of a rebooting of the American political system.

(Click on the change.gov link, below my profile.)

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

This is a contemporty version of a song performed by a brilliant Van Morrison in the late 1960's. (In some ways, this performance is but a shadow of the original.)

Use this as a teaser to listen to that original album, which is among the top 100 of all time.

Being Thankful

The most basic area in which to be thankful is in having this human life.  It is only through this life that a human learns of the truth of karma, and can affect the karma in this and future lives.

The Buddha has mentioned that there are thirty-one planes of existence within the universes. They are: 

4 States of unhappiness or sub human realms (life in hells, animal life, ghost-worlds and demon-worlds) 

1 Human world 

6 Heavenly realms 

16 Realms of Fine-Material Forms 

4 Formless Realms  

Therefore, every Buddhist is encouraged to mold his or her life according to the Buddha's teaching. One who adjusts one's life according to this noble way of living will be free from miseries and calamities both in this life-time and in the hereafter. 

So you may discount the Buddha's teachings or the other planes of existence. 

But you can ask yourself how your daily conduct shows your thanks for this precious life.  

Transition to Green

Cleaner ways to produce and use energy will lead to a stronger economy, leaders of environmental groups said Tuesday.

The recommendations from 29 of the nation's most prominent environmental and conservation groups emphasized a clean-energy approach to economic revitalization.

Leaders of the groups rejected the idea that fighting global warming and protecting the environment would be too expensive in an economic downturn.

Our economy is suffering and so is our environment. The solutions to both go hand in hand.

The report said the stimulus plan was an opportunity to invest in things such as mass transit, renewable energy and weatherization — all of them sources of new jobs.

One of the biggest sources of jobs would be weatherizing homes and buildings to save energy. Studies show that about 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are from wasted energy in buildings.

There also would be jobs in building a new grid to move electricity from solar and wind installations to cities. We have the last century's patchwork of antiquated technology that wastes about a quarter of the energy from coal-fired power plants along the electricity transmission lines.

The full report, "Transition to Green," is available on a joint Web site of the 29 groups.

Jace Vek - Forest

Jace Vek is a young composer and pianist, whose composition "The Last Sunrise" is a wonderful experience.

This video is a great companion to my concerns for the environment.

Our First Duty

In Buddhism, a person’s first duty is to cleanse him or her self of the mental defilements of greed, hatred and ignorance. 

The reason for doing this is not because of fear or desire to please some divine being, because if it were so, a person would be considered to be still lacking in wisdom. He or she would be only acting out of fear like the little child who behaves well because he or she is afraid of being punished for being naughty. 

Buddhists should act out of understanding and wisdom. They perform wholesome deeds because they realize that by so doing they develop their moral strength which provides the foundation for spiritual growth, leading to Liberation. In addition, they realize that their happiness and suffering are self-created through the operation of the Law of Karma. 

To minimize the occurrence of troubles and problems in their lives, they make the effort to refrain from doing evil. They perform good actions because they know that these will bring them peace and happiness. Since everyone seeks happiness in life, and since it is possible for each individual to provide the condition for happiness, then there is every reason to do good and avoid evil. 

Furthermore, the uprooting of mental defilements, the source of all anti-social acts, will bring great benefits to others in society. Therefore in helping oneself spiritually, one helps others to live peacefully.

Leaving on the Low Road

Throughout the past eight years, the Bush administration has treated our country’s lands as if they belong to industry.

Through a series of short-cut measures and regulations that have cut science and the public out of decision making, the administration has consistently rolled back environmental protections and sharply favored industrial use and exploitation of our wild lands above all other public concerns.

And they’re not done yet.

With just two months left in office, the administration is leaving on the low road. Political appointees are finalizing land management plans, regulations, and policy changes that could severely damage our public lands for decades to come.

There may still be time to hold off irreparable harm to our wild lands if citizens learn about the final outgoing threats and take action now.

Here are some examples of the new last minute rules:

1. Pushing uranium mining on the edge of Grand Canyon National Park
2. Legalizing firearms in national parks
3. Dumping long-standing protections for streams from coal mining waste
4. Further committing the nation to dirty fuel
5. Weakening the Endangered Species Act
6. Opening proposed Wilderness to energy development

Bob Dylan - John Brown

Let's consider what we're asking and why. Is the continuance of American profligacy sufficient reason?

Five Qualities of a Good Life

Aristotle guided early scientific thinking for most of the Western world. But he also offered what I think is a good pattern for a high quality life. Here is my summary:

Health - You are mortal, so take good care of your body.

Wealth - Money is a source of freedom; so earn enough for all of your needs, and be generous with the remainder.

Love - Experience it, give it; that is why you're here.

Knowledge - Understand the wonder of mankind, the world and beyond.

A Strong Moral Character - Be a light to guide others following you.

Elitest or Educated?

We live in two Americas.

One America functions in a print-based, literate world.

The other America, which constitutes the majority, is dependent on skillfully manipulated images for information. It is informed by simplistic narratives and clichés.

This divide, more than any other, has split the country into radically distinct, unbridgeable and antagonistic entities.

Nearly a third of the nation’s population is illiterate or barely literate. They never read a book after they finish school. Eighty percent of the families in the United States last year did not buy a book.

This majority cannot protect their children from dysfunctional public schools. They cannot understand predatory loan deals, credit card agreements and equity lines of credit that drive them into foreclosures and bankruptcies. They struggle with the most basic chores of daily life. They watch helplessly and without comprehension as hundreds of thousands of jobs are shed.

Huge segments of our population lack the capacity to search for truth and cope rationally with our mounting social and economic ills.

All the traditional tools of democracies, including dispassionate scientific and historical truth, facts, news and rational debate, are useless instruments in a nation that lacks the capacity to use them.

We must strengthen the core values of our open society: the ability to think for oneself, to express dissent when judgment and common sense indicate something is wrong, to understand historical facts, to separate truth from lies, to advocate for change, and to acknowledge that there are other views that are morally and socially acceptable.

Finally, I am talking about being able to function in our modern and complex society, for our own benefit and for the benefit of our fellow citizens. Some may call it being elitist; I call it being educated and a good citizen.

William Ackerman - Bricklayer's Beautiful Daughter

It has been a rough week. This helps.

Buddhists in Congress

A fitting closure to this election week. I had wondered whether a Buddhist could be elected into the United States Congress. I know there isn't supposed to be a religious test, but . . .

Thanks to Barbara O'Brien for this article.

Congratulations to the two Buddhists in the U.S. House of Representatives -- the first two Buddhists in Congress -- who won re-election yesterday.

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono represents Hawaii's 2nd District. A Democrat, she was first elected to Congress in 2006 and was raised in the Jodo Shinshu sect of Pure Land Buddhism. Representative Hirono has told interviewers she does not practice daily, but that the Buddhist values of tolerance and respect guide her judgments.

Congressman Hank Johnson represents Georgia's 4th District and is a member of Soka Gakkai International. The Congressman, a Democrat, also was first elected to Congress in 2006.

A Transparent and Connected Government

President-elect Obama has a new Web site, that gives people a chance to say what they think his priorities should be, track the transition to his new administration, tell their personal stories and even apply for federal jobs.

The site — a down payment on Obama's pledge to create a more "transparent and connected government" — still has lots of white spaces and promises of future features.

But it gives viewers lots more details about the government's workings and more opportunities for input than the Bush administration's site, dominated by first dog Barney.

The site in its infancy, but it's a nice start.

A video of Obama's victory speech is the home page's dominant feature. Inside are lots of Obama issue positions and a promised new blog.

He plainly wants to reach out to people directly. Whether you voted for him, he provides you an opportunity for direct input into his administration.

Visit the site by clicking here.

Out of many, we are one

My hope is that their respective followers will listen to their leaders.  My hope is that we can turn from eight years of rule to the beginning of honorable governance.

Senator McCain said last night:

"These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited."

President-elect Obama said:

"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."

Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad

This is my favorite Springsteen album.

Tom Joad was the protagonist in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath".

The third verse of the song quotes Tom Joad, "I'll be all around in the dark - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build - I'll be there, too."

At the time of publication, Steinbeck's novel was publicly banned and burned. Part of its impact stemmed from its passionate depiction of the plight of the poor. However, although Steinbeck was accused of exaggeration of the migrant camp conditions to make a political point, in fact he had done the opposite, underplaying the conditions that he well knew were worse than the novel describes because he felt exact description would have gotten in the way of his story.

To me, the novel details the state of the Nation before the New Deal and the use of government for the improvement of everyday American citizens.

Be a Constitutional Voter

The next president will become chief executive of a nation that has been greatly weakened. In particular, our freedoms, our values, and our international reputation have been greatly undermined by the policies of the past eight years.

I believe that no one -- including the President -- is above the law.

I oppose all forms of torture, and I support both closing the Guantánamo Bay prison and ending indefinite detention.

I oppose warrantless spying.

I believe that government officials, no matter how high-ranking, should be held accountable for breaking the law and violating the Constitution.

I believe that the Constitution protects every person's rights equally -- no matter what they believe, how they live, where or if they worship, and whom they love.

I reject the notion that we have to tolerate violations of our most fundamental rights in the name of fighting terrorism.

I am deeply committed to the Constitution and expect our country's leaders to share and act on that commitment -- every day, without fail.

For an action plan for the first day, the first 100 days, and the first year of the next administration, click here.

Let's Keep Them Out of Power

Republicans rule, rather than govern.

Ruling must be distinguished from governing, which is a process of finding solutions that will best serve the interests of all Americans.

Republicans' authoritarian rule can be characterized by its striking incivility and intolerance toward those who do not view the world as Republicans do.

Authoritarian conservatives are primarily anti-government, except where they believe the government can be useful to impose moral or social order, or where it empowers the military industrial complex.

Studies show that about 25 percent of the adult population in the United States is solidly authoritarian. It is in these ranks of some 70 million that we find the core of the McCain/Palin supporters. They are people who are so self-righteous, so ill-informed, and so dogmatic that nothing you can say or do will change their minds.

The problem is that these authoritarian followers are much more active than the rest of the country. They have the mentality of 'old-time religion' on a crusade, and they generously give money, time and effort to the cause. They proselytize; they lick stamps; they put pressure on loved ones; and they revel in being loyal to a cohesive group of like thinkers. They are not going to let up and they are not going to go away.

Frankly, there is only one way to deal with these conservative zealots: Keep them out of power.

(This is an extract of an article by John Dean.)

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter

This is from his "O" album. In the future, I'll include some live performance video. This group works so well together.

Why I Vote Democratic

First, let me dispense of the opposition.  The bankruptcy of the Republican ideology has been evident with the financial meltdown. The claim that government is the problem, as espoused by Ronald Reagan, was made ridiculous.  It is the only remaining entity to prevent a national (or global) disaster.  Government was the solution and the rescuer.

Then there is this administration, with their aggressive pursuit of failure at every level of government, because that gives them a stronger argument for cutting regulations and taxes. Why would anyone want to pay taxes to, or have any confidence in such a rotted mess?  

I believe the Democratic Party has a better guide for good governance.

I think that the Preamble to United States Constitution provides an overview:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

But how can this be translated into a Democratic ideal, and rule for governance?

I offer these twelve words: Fair wages, fair markets, health security, retirement security, equal justice…for all. 

The Democrats believe that each American should have the chance to get a good education, to work at a good job with good wages, to raise and provide for a family, to live in safe surrounding, and to retire with dignity and security. We believe that quality and affordable health care is a basic right. We believe that each succeeding generation should have the opportunity, though hard work, service and sacrifice, to enjoy a brighter future than the last.

Why would any rational American have any other view?

Climate Change Is Faster and More Extreme

Climate change is happening much faster than the world's best scientists predicted and will wreak havoc unless action is taken on a global scale, a new report warns.

The bleak report from WWF also predicts crops failures and the collapse of eco systems on both land and sea.

The agency says that the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - a study of global warming by 4,000 scientists from more than 150 countries which alerted the world to the possible consequences of global warming - is now out of date.

WWF's report, Climate Change: Faster, stronger, sooner, has updated all the scientific data and concluded that global warming is accelerating far beyond the IPCC's forecasts.

As an example it says the first 'tipping point' may have already been reached in the Arctic, where sea ice is disappearing up to 30 years ahead of IPCC predictions and may be gone completely within five years - something that hasn't occurred for a million years.

It could result in rapid and abrupt climate change rather than the gradual changes forecast by the IPCC.

The report has been endorsed by Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, the newly elected Vice Chair of the IPCC, who said: "It is clear that climate change is already having a greater impact than most scientists had anticipated, so it's vital that international mitigation and adaptation responses become swifter and more ambitious."

Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot: On The Turning Away

A great video, with Carl Sagan explaining the pale blue dot (about 30 seconds), and a wonderful Pink Floyd song thoughtfully accompanied by the vastness of the universe.

Watch, ponder, be humbled.

For a live performance of "On the Turning Away", click here.

Generosity First

Generosity is the foundation of both virtue and meditation.

It is the idea that you gain happiness by giving things away. After all, when you give, you put yourself in a position of wealth. The gift is proof that you have more than enough.

At the same time, it gives you a sense of your worth as a person. You are able to help other people.

Because the world we live in is created by our actions, the act of giving creates a spacious world: a world where people have more than enough -- enough to share.

From there, the ground is fertile for virtue. Generosity has shown you that you can be happy by doing something counterintuitive. Likewise with virtue: that you are going to be happy by not doing certain things that you want to do. For example, as when you want to take something not given, or when you want to gossip to injure another.

Lastly, the spaciousness that comes from generosity and virtue gives you the right mindset for the concentration practice, gives you the right mindset for insight practice. The mind that you have been creating through your generous and virtuous actions is the spacious mind of a person who has more than enough to share, the mind of a person who has no regrets over past actions.

According to the Buddha's teachings, true happiness is something that, by its nature, gets spread around.

In the act of giving, you gain rewards. In the act of holding fast to virtues, you protect others from your unskillful behavior. In concentration and mindfulness, you gain in your own sense of worth as a person, your own self esteem.

Spreading Democracy at Home

President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices. The Act has been renewed periodically, most recently in 2006.

However, even then a number of Republican lawmakers acted to amend, delay or defeat renewal of the Act.

I provide this as background on the activities of a low-income and minority advocacy group, ACORN.

This week, John McCain warned that ACORN is "on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history" and "may be destroying the fabric of democracy." I know that his statement was intended as a wedge issue, and is just political theater. In 2006, he was ACORN's keynote speaker.

Voter registration is not a crime. ACORN has helped 1.3 million citizens from all parties and all walks of life apply for voter registration. In most states, ACORN is required by law to turn in every voter registration card - even in cases where the cards are not valid. In fact, it is ACORN that has reported almost all of the issues regarding voter registration cards. Finally, invalid voter registration cards do not constitute voter fraud.

While voter registration is not a crime, voter suppression is. As evidenced by the need for the Voting Rights Act, the United States has had a history of engaging in that undemocratic method. Even today, 33 state election directors are elected partisans. Because of their partisan ties, election officials are often presented with a conflict of interest while directing elections. Two crucial states, Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2006, had Republicans as their election officials.

On the other hand, the majority of the world's democracies use independent agents to manage elections.

How about encouraging and spreading democracy here, rather than using voter registration as a wedge issue?

Virginia

Marissa Nadler has a wonderful voice, a relaxed and simple guitar style, and atmospheric yet personal songs.

Ten Meritorious Actions

A fortunate or unfortunate life depends on individual merits and demerits.

The performance of good actions gives rise to merit, a quality which cleanses the mind. If the mind is unchecked, it has the tendency to be ruled by evil tendencies, leading one to perform bad deeds and get into trouble. Merit purifies the mind of the evil tendencies of greed, hatred and delusion.

Merit is important to help us along our journey through life. It is connected with what are good and beneficial to oneself and others, and can improve the quality of the mind. While the material wealth a person gathers can be lost by theft, flood, fire, confiscation, etc., the benefit of merits follow from life to life and cannot be lost, although it can be exhausted if no attempts are made to perform more merits. A person will experience happiness here and now as well as hereafter through the performance of merit.

The Buddha taught ten meritorious deeds for us to perform in order to gain a happy and peaceful life as well as to develop knowledge and understanding. The ten meritorious deeds are:

1. Generosity
2. Morality
3. Mental culture
4. Reverence or respect
5. Service in helping others
6. Transference of merits to others
7. Rejoicing in the merits of others
8. Preaching and teaching the Dharma
9. Listening to the Dharma
10. Straightening one’s views

The performance of these ten meritorious deeds will not only benefit oneself, but others as well, besides giving benefits to the recipients. Moral conduct benefits all beings with whom one comes into contact. Mental culture brings peace to others and inspires them to practise the Dharma. Reverence gives rise to harmony in society, while service improves the lives of others. Sharing merits with others shows that one is concerned about others’ welfare, while rejoicing in others’ merits encourages others to perform more merits. Teaching and listening to the Dharma are important factors for happiness for both the teacher and listener, while encouraging both to live in line with Dharma. Straightening one’s views enables a person to show to others the beauty of Dharma.

One in four mammals facing extinction

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that an "extinction crisis" is under way with one in four mammals in danger of disappearing forever because of habitat loss, hunting and climate change.

Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions.

We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

Visit the Earth Charter, and take the pledge for a better planet.

From The Morning

This is one of my favorite Nick Drake songs, and a good photo montage.

Is Freedom Just Another Word?

Politicians use the word regularly: Freedom.  However, it is too often used as justification for wars of aggression or empire expansion.  

Americans cherish the word, without providing a context.  

What is Freedom and how is it achieved? 

Franklin Roosevelt said that freedom has four qualities: 1) Freedom of speech and expression; 2) Freedom of religion; 3) Freedom from want; and 4) Freedom from fear.

That is as good a definition as I've come across.  The first two are included in the Bill of Rights.  The last two are a political struggle that even today we are engaged with internally as a nation.

But how are these freedoms achieved?

To that, I turn to Thomas Paine, who said that those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigues of supporting it.

I believe what Paine meant is that we have the daily duty of Citizenship.  We have the responsibility of informed and impartial knowledge of the workings of our government.

Let me be clear about one thing, We Are The Government; it's called a representative democracy.  

Our freedoms are contained in the United States Constitution. It is our responsibility as Citizens to know what actions Our government is taking, and to hold our elected representatives accountable.

If we think that government is the problem, it is because we as Citizens have abdicated our duties.

Spend some time this week to know what bills are before Congress, and how your representative voted.  Visit and sign up for alerts from Open Government.

Energy Independence - Electric Vehicles

It is possible to convert our entire ground transportation system to renewable electricity within 10 years. That would require a national mobilization, to be sure, but it can be done.

Such an initiative would prove compelling to the vast majority of Americans. Climate change is abstract, and the strategies to resolve it are remote. Our relationship to our vehicles, on the other hand, is both concrete and visceral. We desperately want to get off oil, especially when gasoline prices rise to $4 per gallon.

But it is more than a pocketbook issue for many of us; it is a moral issue. Americans hate being dependent for our mobility, and therefore for our livelihoods, on countries often hostile to our way of life. Electric cars promise to end that dependency.

We can do this in 10 years because: 1) The average seven-year life expectancy of existing vehicles, and 2) Congress can offer incentives for owners of older gasoline-powered vehicles to trade them in.  (The Republicans have blocked four energy bills this year, all of which included these incentives.)

Let's be clear, the United States is already in competition with the world on manufacturing Electric Vehicles.  We can have a piece of this beginning industry, or we can be left in the electric dust of other nations.  Action or inaction -- our choice.

Here's proof: Norwegian automaker Think Global will be selling its Think electric car in the US. The Think is able to travel up to 110 miles without the need to recharge its batteries, hitting a top speed of 65mph and is 95% recyclable. Two venture capital firms have already been targeted by Think to build the cars in Southern California, hoping to sell around 30,000 to 50,000 of such vehicles annually at $25,000 each.

The Lonesome Death of Sylvia

Marissa Nadler is an undiscovered talent.

Today, I'm in the mood for this kind of song. Go have a piece of chocolate.

No Sinners

In Buddhism, bad actions are merely termed as unskillful or unwholesome, and not as sinful.

Buddhism teaches that everyone is responsible for his or her own good and bad deeds, and that each individual can mold his or her own destiny.

Our sorrow is of our own making. Buddhists do not accept the belief that this world is merely a place of trial and testing. This world is a place where we can attain the highest perfection.

Regarding forgiveness, the Buddhist has no reason to believe that the "sinner" can escape the consequences of his or her actions by the grace of an external power. If we thrust our hand into a furnace, the hand will be burnt, and all the prayer in the world will not remove the scars.

We must realize that evil actions are prompted by evil states of mind.

The wicked person is an ignorant one who needs instruction more than punishment and condemnation.

All that is necessary is for someone to help them to use their reason to realize that they are responsible for their wrong action and that they must pay for the consequences.

The purpose of the Buddha's appearance in this world is not to wash away the sins committed by human beings nor to punish or to destroy wicked people, but to make them understand how foolish it is to commit evil and to point out the consequences of such evil deeds.

Go, now, and develop a skillful life!

It's Easier to Believe

One of my favorite sayings is, "It's easier to believe than to know."

What I mean is that anyone can believe anything about everything. Belief requires nothing but belief.

On the other hand, to know something requires effort. The effort to challenge your belief. The effort to seek and assimilate knowledge outside of yourself. The effort to educate yourself in an area in which you are ignorant (meaning that you do not know).

The effort is all the difference.

Are you willing to make it?

It's nice to have the courage of your convictions; but it's harder and more rewarding to have the courage to challenge your convictions.

Make the effort to know. You'll find rewards you never expected. 

Visit www.factcheck.org and www.wikipedia.org because knowledge is at your fingertips.

Palin-drome

This is a lighter side than I usually show, but it relates to the two articles on propaganda this week. Do you know what a palindrome is? Look it up and then read the cards. Enjoy.

What is Propaganda?

The two articles this week are related to the same issue. The first examines propaganda; the second looks at why people believe it.

Why am I looking at these questions? Most recently, I was blown away by the full bore myth and propaganda created around the Republican vice-presidential candidate, and how emotionally and quickly she was embraced by the media and by that party's faithful. It was not a rational response.

So what is propaganda? Basically, it is a set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. Propaganda often presents facts selectively to encourage an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented.

Also, propaganda also has a close relationship with censorship, by preventing people from being confronted with opposing points of view. Where you find propaganda, you'll see its twin of censorship.

What sets propaganda apart from other forms of advocacy is the willingness of the propagandist to change people's understanding through deception and confusion rather than persuasion and understanding.

So what forms of propaganda did I see surrounding the v.p. choice?

1. Attack your opponents, rather than attacking their arguments.

2. Repeat an idea, especially a simple slogan, so that it is taken as the truth.

3. Appeal to fear by instilling anxieties and panic in the general population.

4. Appeal to the common man by convincing the audience that the propagandist's positions reflect the common sense of the people.

5. Demonizing the enemy through suggestion or false accusations.

6. Flag-waving is an attempt to justify an action on the grounds that doing so will make one more patriotic.

7. Glittering generalities are emotionally appealing words, but which present no concrete argument or analysis.

8. Persuade a target audience to disapprove of an action or idea by suggesting that the idea is popular with groups hated, feared, or held in contempt by the target audience.

9. Use virtue words that are in the value system of the target audience which tend to produce a positive image when attached to a person or issue. Peace, happiness, security, wise leadership, freedom, "The Truth", etc. are virtue words.

Others that come to mind are: Over simplification, quotes out of context, name calling, and scapegoating.

All of these were on full display at the recent RNC, the media buzz and emails following the Republican vice presidential selection.

Combat Propaganda

If you read my post on propaganda, you now know what it is.

So how do you dispel it?

Basically through an openness to impartial information. Unless those two elements exist, the belief generated by the propaganda will persist.

For example, a majority of Americans still believe that Iraq had something to do with 9/11. That view, relentlessly presented by the current administration, has long since been debunked.

Yet it persists.

The problem is that denials and clarifications tend to reinforce the propaganda.

Once an idea has been implanted in a person's mind, it can be difficult to dislodge. Denials inherently require repeating the bad information.

Repetition seems to be a key culprit. One of the brain's rules of thumb is that easily recalled things are true.

In politics, this means that whoever makes the first assertion about something has a large advantage over everyone who denies it later.

The brain is not good at remembering when and where a person first learned something. People are not good at keeping track of which information came from credible sources and which came from less trustworthy ones, or even remembering that some information came from the same untrustworthy source over and over again. Even if a person recognizes which sources are credible and which are not, repeated assertions and denials can have the effect of making the information more accessible in memory and thereby making it feel true.

So rather than denying a false claim, it is better to make a completely new assertion that makes no reference to the original propaganda.

Rather than saying "Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11", which reinforces the connection, it may be better to say that "Osama bin Laden was the only one involved with planning the 9/11 attacks."

Regardless, those who fight propaganda have the odds against them. The keys are openness and impartial information, and the willingness to entertain both.

Akaskero - Sungha Jung

This cannot be learned! It is an enormous talent that is honed into a wonderful skill.

The Buddhist's Lord's Prayer

Every Christian is familiar with the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).  Some say that the purpose of this prayer is to provide a guide as to how to pray.

I suspect that many prayers follow this wonderful and enlightened guide.  

I also suspect that many more prayers are made as an entreaty for some kind of divine intervention: to change the behavior of another, to change the outcome of a severe illness, to change one's financial condition, etc.

But what is a Buddhist's view of prayer?

In Buddhism, prayer is meditation which has self-change as its object. Prayer in meditation acts as an aid to understand one's nature. It attempts to purify three faculties -— thought, word and deed. Through meditation, we can understand that 'we become what we think'. 

The Buddha once used an analogy of a man who wants to cross a river. If he sits down and prays, imploring that the far bank of the river will come to him and carry him across, then his prayer will not be answered. If he really wants to cross the river, he must make some effort; he must find some logs and build a raft, or look for a bridge or construct a boat or perhaps swim. Somehow he must work to get across the river. Likewise, if he wants to cross the river of suffering, prayers alone are not enough. He must work hard by living a religious life, by controlling his passions, calming his mind, and by getting rid of all the impurities and defilements in his mind. 

A Buddhist poet has offered this meditation to cultivate the mind (perhaps as a Buddhist's Lord's Prayer): 

'Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but for the patience to win my freedom.'

Proud Liberal

What would America be like without the liberal advances of the past sixty or seventy years? 

Without the extraordinary contribution of liberals — from the mightiest presidents to the most unheralded protesters and organizers — the United States would be a much, much worse place than it is today.

Civil rights? Women’s rights? Liberals went to the mat for them time and again against ugly, vicious and sometimes murderous opposition. They should be forever proud.

The liberals gave us Social Security and unemployment insurance, both of which were contained in the original Social Security Act. Most conservatives despised the very idea of this assistance to struggling Americans. Republicans hated Social Security, but most were afraid to give full throat to their opposition in public at the height of the Depression.

Liberals gave us Medicare and Medicaid. Quick, how many of you (or your loved ones) are benefiting mightily from these programs, even as we speak. It's telling that Republicans are proud of Ronald Reagan, who saw Medicare as "the advance wave of socialism," while they actively and forcefully demand the benefits of it.

Delusional and hypocritical.

Without the many great and noble deeds of liberals over the past six or seven decades, America would hardly be recognizable to today’s young people. Liberals (including liberal Republicans, who have since been mostly drummed out of the party) ended legalized racial segregation and gender discrimination.

Liberals gave this country Head Start and legal services and the food stamp program. They fought for cleaner air and cleaner water.

Liberals. Your food is safer because of them, and so are your children’s clothing and toys. Your workplace is safer. Your ability (or that of your children or grandchildren) to go to college is manifestly easier.

It would take volumes to adequately cover the enhancements to the quality of American lives and the greatness of American society that have been wrought by people whose politics were unabashedly liberal. 

It is a track record that deserves to be celebrated.

The Times They Are A-Changin

This song rings of hope and despair all at once. May the hope grow and the despair fade.

The Four Immeasurables

I recently saw a sign in front of a church, which said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I am sure that had a profound meaning to the person who put up that sign.

But it got me to thinking about the beginning of wisdom, from a Buddhist perspective. The beginning of wisdom is achieved through the Four Immeasurables.

The Buddha taught his monks to arouse four states of mind, sometimes called the "Four Immeasurables" or the "Four Perfect Virtues."

The four states are equanimity, loving kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy. These four states inter-relate and support each other.

Equanimity is a mind in balance, free of discrimination and rooted in insight. This balance is not indifference, but actively and objectively seeing things as they are, without preconceptions.

Loving Kindness is benevolence toward all beings, without discrimination or selfish attachment. By practicing loving kindness, a Buddhist overcomes anger, ill will, hatred and aversion. A Buddhist should cultivate for all beings the same love a mother would feel for her child.

Compassion is active sympathy extended to all sentient beings. It is compassion that removes the heavy bar, opens the door to freedom, makes the narrow heart as wide as the world.

Sympathetic Joy is taking selfless or altruistic joy in the happiness of others. The cultivation of sympathetic joy is an antidote to envy and jealousy.

These four qualities, nurtured both through meditation and action, are the beginning of wisdom.

Better Aspirations

What have we done lately? Have we had a successful national initiative since 1969 and the moon landing?

If you look back at the recent years, our nation has achieved nothing in which we can take pride in as a nation; some wondrous act that people generations from now will study as examples for an enlightened, productive and just society.

I'm talking about the achievements such as: John Kennedy's challenge to land a man on the moon; Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, and the Civil Rights Act; Dwight Eisenhower's national highway program; Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, the victory in WWII, the G.I. Bill, and his vision for the United Nations; Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal, and the regulation of corrupt and monopolistic industries; Abraham Lincoln's ending of slavery, and his superhuman effort to hold our nation together; and finally, the First Transcontinental Railroad, the Monroe Doctrine and the Louisiana Purchase.

Since July 20, 1969, when an American set foot on the moon, what have we done with commitment and pride?

Since that time, a materialistic corruption has ruled American policies. How else can we explain the incompetence, the scandals, the corruption, the waste, the giveaways to those with much, the convicted lobbyists and the no-bid contracts? My explanation is that some in government want government to fail, so that Americans no longer believe that great things are possible. A disengaged citizenry is easier to manipulate.

I have a different view from this. Here are our next great achievements: lift working families out of poverty with supports for transportation, health care, nutrition, child care, education, housing, and other basic needs; resolve conflicts, reduce violence, and defeat terrorism without preemptive war; institute a consistent ethic of life (reduce abortion, end capital punishment, and stop genocide); strengthen human rights and promote human dignity; protect our planet from the interests and activities that damage it (reverse global climate change and develop clean, renewable energy); skillful measures to strengthen families must become a personal and national priority (without scapegoating gays, immigrants, or people diverse race, faiths or ethnicity).

Forty years of nothing is enough. Better aspirations and goals await us. We have been and can be a better nation than this.

So don't believe the lie that government is the problem. We the American people are the government, and it is time that once again we use it for our own greatness and for the benefit of all peoples of our shared planet.

Hope for a Better Nation

"America, we are better than these last eight years," Barack Obama said. "We are a better country than this."

Government, Mr. Obama argued, cannot solve all of the country's problems. But he said it has basic responsibilities to do what individual Americans cannot do themselves — "protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology."

He said that government had failed in those duties under President Bush. (I say that that failure began with President Reagan, and climaxed with President Bush.)

Mr. Obama promised to rewrite Mr. Bush's tax code to restore fairness to working people and take away economy-busting breaks for the wealthiest Americans. He promised universal health insurance. He offered a grand, perhaps grandiose, vision of ending America's dependence on Middle Eastern oil in a decade.

And he challenged Mr. McCain's absurd charge that because Mr. Obama opposed the war in Iraq, he will leave America defenseless. "We are the party of Roosevelt," he said. "We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country."

To be sure, there is much work and much which will have to be endured, before victory in November.

The Truth is the Wagon Train

There is a historical marker in east Texas. It records that in 1842, one John McGarrah brought his family to Texas and settled there, founding the town of Buckner. Soon a church was built, then a school, then a trading post -- indications that neighbors had settled nearby. Four years later, on July 4, 1846, John McGarrah and his neighbors elected their first public officials and opened a post office. The marker captures the story of civilization, the progression from solitary initiative to social cooperation. First the prime family unit; then the wagon train; then the church and the school for worship and learning; then a trading post for the goods of survival and comfort; then local government for roads and public order; then the post office for communications with others; then a public holiday for celebration and recreation.

It is the story of a political culture that nurtures obligation, reciprocity, and trust.

Yet, many in our society today believe in and promote the myth of John Wayne. It is the fuzzy myth surrounding the embodiment of the rugged individual as savior of the West, and by extension the role of society in the life of the individual. It is the belief that I can go it alone, with my gun and half a reason to use it; I don't need a government that "comes at me".

The truth is the wagon train: if we don't get there together, we won't get there at all.

This is the truth for our society today.

Asturias - Isaac Albeniz

This is worth every minute. John Williams is flawless.

Speech Like a Treasure

The Buddha understood the significance of speech, its power and its potential for good or ill. In his teaching on this the Buddha advises us to abstain from four unwholesome activities: lying, telling tales, harsh language and frivolous talk.

Lying - The Buddha instructs us to tell the truth, to avoid deception through speech, to be reliable and trustworthy. We should never lie for the advantage of ourselves or others. Our answers to questions should be plain and simple: called upon and asked as a witness to tell what he knows, he answers if he knows nothing, "I know nothing", and if he knows, he answers "I know".

Telling tales - Telling tales is an unwholesome activity that breeds discord and distrust. The Buddha instructs as follows: What he has heard here, he does not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what he has heard there, he does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here. What we should be interested in is promoting unity and taking delight in the harmony that can be fostered by appropriate speech.

Harsh language - We should according to Buddha's instructions, avoid harsh language. This is abusive and hateful language that is designed to hurt those who it is aimed at. In contrast he urged us to be gentle and polite in our speech, advising us to be friendly and full of sympathy . . . with heart full of love and free from any hidden malice.

Frivolous talk - Finally, the Buddha gives further recognition of the importance of using language in a wholesome and productive way. What we say should be of benefit to others and ourselves: He speaks at the right time, in accordance with facts, speaks what is useful. Speech, says the Buddha, should be like a treasure, uttered at the right moment . . . moderate and full of sense.

Like any other wholesome actions, Right Speech brings good results such as respect and trust. It is also a social cohesive, bringing unity and harmony between people.

Theory of a Thousand Marbles

A friend sent the following story:

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having a fixed commitment. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities. I'll call it the "theory of a thousand marbles."

You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.

Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail, and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.

There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. Let's use it well.

Iron and Wine - Lion's Mane

What's important.

Ignorance is Optional

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson

Believe it or not, ignorance is optional. We control whether we have the knowledge to be fully functioning human beings. This includes the fundamentals of science, technology, history (and biography), government, politics, and spirituality (and ethics), and the arts. The more we know about the things we need to know, the easier and more fulfilling our lives will be.

But what is ignorance? I think that there are five factors which encompass ignorance, and which lead to a painful and diminished life.

First, is sheer ignorance: Ignorance of critical facts about important events in the news, and ignorance of how our government functions and who's in charge.

Second, is negligence: The disinclination to seek reliable sources of information about important news events.

Third, is wooden-headedness: The inclination to believe what we want to believe regardless of the facts.

Fourth, is shortsightedness: The support of public policies that are mutually contradictory, or contrary to the country's long-term interests.

Fifth, and finally, is a broad category I call bone-headedness, for want of a better name: The susceptibility to meaningless phrases, stereotypes, irrational biases, and simplistic diagnoses and solutions that play on our hopes and fears.

Why does this matter? It matters because mistakes are the products of ignorance. It matters because ignorance limits our options for solving our problems.

One of the first steps that we Americans can do to move from ignorance to knowledge is to become familiar with our Constitution. You can learn more here and here.

Learn -- because you have an option.