Good point Ken. Yes, I do believe that war will disappear. I also believe it has always been obsolete.

The world already is a Utopia, we simply are being denied that reality because it is currently being run by incompetent opportunists.

The proper way to defend yourself or anything else is by doing good business with your enemies. Instead of fixating on their weaknesses and how to hurt them, concentrate on their needs and how to help them. Find a way to help them and allow them the privilege of reciprocating. By MUTUAL aid and profit, you discourage the very thought of violent attacks. No one attacks the source of their own needs and the source of their own prosperity.

Mutual prosperity, trade, and good business is the answer to war. It always has been and it always will be.

What a coincidence David Abbot, I too am an inventor, among other things. That fart machine sounds like a great idea. If you can't deactivate it I'd recommend bringing it to a Republican Presidential Primary Convention and just let it burn itself out.

As far as those shouting matches are concerned, that's why I refuse to allow myself to be labeled in any way. Once you label yourself you arouse hostility from the other side that shuts down their critical thinking ability and turns on their noise maker.

Palindromedary, you make an excellent point about resorting to women in the military as a result of a shortage of troops. Equally, you make an excellent point that they will go for children next. I might add that that is exactly what Hitler did at the end of WWII was to extend the hand of the third Reich to "Hitler's Youth"--almost like he was honoring and doing the kids a big favor. Oh, how unfortunate that history repeats itself!

The thought of being trapped in a fox hole next to Marcia Brady at the moment her Aunt Matilda decides to visit and watch her suddenly become Lizzy Bordon and realize that instead of an ax she had an AK-47 with 30 round clips, a thirty eight special, a bayonet, and a hand grenade would pose quite a pickle. When she would turn to me with that steely glare and ask, "Does this uniform make me look fat?" What do I do? Do I remove the safety from my own rifle and charge the enemy and brave the hale of bullets shot at me, or do I try to be a real hero and answer her question? Oh how I feel for those brave men in uniform. I for one am glad that I'm old enough to know better and too old to care.

DAnneMarc: I'm not so sure the world is already a Utopia. If that were so there wouldn't be any greedy, murderous psychopaths. And the most dangerous ones are the ones that we take for granted are on our side...looking out for us because we are all Americans. The biggest mistake is to think that foreigners, especially ones who may differ in some way...definition of morality..religious beliefs..are more dangerous than those who wave the American flag and sell us hot dogs. Sure, there are small cliques of people who believe themselves to be enlightened, who want to change the world for the better, but I believe that if you are foolish enough to enter a lion's den (without an AK47) thinking some mystical power was going to keep that lion from devouring you then that is just plain crazy. The problem is when murderous psychopaths control the armies that are supposed to defend us against other murderous psychopaths they tend to murder many innocent people...all for reasons of greed and power. And psychopaths gravitate to positions of money and power. The scum rises to the top.

"Lizzy Bordon took and axe
and gave her mother 40 whacks.
And when she saw what she had done
she gave her father forty one."

Maybe we should ban axes.

I never watched many Brady Bunch episodes but that was kinda funny...took me a while to realize who Marcia Brady was. I certainly remember Lizzy Bordon...that little jingle has stuck with me all these years.

Ken Ware replies: "I cannot follow the logic in your comments, as if war and threats to our world do not exist. Do you believe that someday the world we become a utopia and war and aggression will disappear?"

Ken, what you don't seem to grasp is the destabilizing impact U.S. foreign policy has had on the entire world. As long as this country continues operating like an Empire hell bent on world domination, attacking other countries without provocation, we will have enemies seeking revenge against us. I believe this is why the 9-11 attacks occurred. Frankly, I'm surprised we haven't had more attacks against us in the eleven or twelve years since the twin towers came down.

I believe our government's foreign policy has been the single greatest obstacle to world peace for decades; maybe even this past century. It is foolish to assume we can continue bullying the rest of the world, overthrowing democratically elected leaders in other countries, installing dictators friendly to U.S. corporate interests and trampling on the rights of the people in those countries without consequences. Our own leaders continue thumbing their noses at the United Nations and disregarding international law. As long as this continues, we will have perpetual war. Long as we fail to recognize the real culprits here, nothing is going to change, and we might as well resign ourselves to living in paranoia, looking over our shoulders and bracing ourselves for the next act of retaliation. That is the price we pay for allowing our government to operate as the Almighty Empire of the World.

- Aliceinwonderland

Aliceinwonderland, you expressed it perfectly. Our "empire building", especially since the '80s, has placed the entire world in peril. I posted a link to a series of three books here a while back but I think it's worth repeating. Blowback is what you're describing, Alice, and it's documented very well in the "Blowback trilogy" by Chalmers Johnson: http://www.amazon.com/Blowback-Second-Consequences-American-Empire/dp/B0...

Palindromedary, Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. It is my firm belief that we are all capable of manipulating reality in our favor or disfavor with our beliefs and expectations. This has nothing to do with a "mystical power" or a "religious belief". Though these elements may play a role in your success or failure it is simple psychology of which that I speak.

A hungry lion is only going to eat what it considers to be food. If you convince the lion you are food, it will eat you. If you convince the lion that you are another hungry lion, it will probably leave you alone. In such a scenario, it would appear that you, the intelligent being, has control over the situation and your fate is in your own hands. Remember, you know the lion is bigger and stronger than you because you've scene yourself in a mirror. It hasn't. All it knows is what it sees. Put on a good of enough show that you are hungrier and meaner and are considering eating him and he might start cowering in a corner.

Either way, the worst thing that could possibly happen to you is your last thought will be, "Why did I listen to DAnneMarc!???"

Remember, if you fear no evil, when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the shadow will leave you alone. I suggest taking a good long look at Psalm 23. Fear is your worst enemy!

FDR was famous for saying, "It is my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!" He was right!

I have mixed feelings about that notion David Abbot. I agree that women by and large are more responsible and intelligent then men--at least for about 85% of any given month. For four to five days every month many women of childbearing age become a Hell Hound possessed by Satan! It could be argued that this phenomena is directly--or partially--responsible for the violence against women. Of course no Man is going to report any violence perpetrated against him by a female. But it does occur; and, is it unknown as to it's extent.

I don't want to imply that I don't think violence against women is real or a huge problem. I only want to be sure that we consider all the facts involved before we place blame. Only by understanding the causes empirically will we be able to find a practical and effective solution.

AliceInWonderland what an eloquent way of putting it. Well said. I agree with every word. We have created our own worst enemy. Having been brought up in a state of perpetual fear our perception of the rest of the world has been warped. We have installed Dictatorships in every country we've touched and violated our own Constitutional human rights of everyone in those countries for the sake of our corporate interests. Then we've turned around and blamed the victim for their problems.

Also I have wondered why we haven't been attacked since 9/11. Only a fool would believe that we have thwarted all attempts. Personally, I doubt any serious attempts have been made. There are plenty of missing nuclear bombs available on the black market. It wouldn't take a genius to blow up an American city. I believe right now this threat is the number one concern of our representatives. Rightfully so! Personally, I have to credit the "Terrorists" with some integrity and compassion regarding how far they are willing to go to achieve their ends. George Washington was famous for insisting that his troops refrain from repeating the atrocities of their enemies. He realized that to win that struggle in a definitive manner history and the world would approve of we must act civilized. If that is the case with the Terrorists, and if they stick to it, they cannot fail if they earn the sympathy of the world!

I pray our humanitarian efforts will prevail; but, we must drastically change the way we do things.

And thank YOU, Alice I.W.. Yes, I've read a lot of Noam Chomsky's stuff - guess we're "birds of a feather" on the subject at hand. I wish there were more of a national dialog on these things, but that's probably too much to hope for. I'm thankful for the internet, though, as without it we'd be pretty isolated.

DAnneMarc,

My opinion: every physical process has an emotional corollary; the emotional corollary of a woman having periods is that if she has unfinished emotional business, it often tends to outpicture at that time. A distinct advantage, from my viewpoint, because it is an unmistakable reminder that can be used to wonderful advantage.

Of the 20,000 women I have been with... Oh geez, there I go again, mistaking myself for Wilt Chamberlain. Let me start over: of the few women I have been with, I have noticed that if I treat her with love or at least with respect during the month and make a clear and consistent effort to talk about and resolve any emotional imbalances between us- including any necessary apologies (usually I have at least a few of those to make!), her period would come and go just fine. The exceptional conflagrations that have occurred in spite of my best efforts (when I have applied my best effort...) have been in my opinion still the result of unfinished emotional business, but not unfinished business with me; rather it was typically stuff about her relationships with her parents. The conflagratious blowups can typically be predicted astrologically by looking at progressions and transits to the natal chart, which is advantageous because then both parties can prepare, and you know what the boy scouts say: dig a trench around your tent, and then when it rains most of the water goes around your tent.

So basically what I'm saying is that when she blows up at me, I try to look at my behavior during the preceding month, and usually the connection is pretty clear.

Of course, I'm so great, it is extremely difficult to isolate bad words from our branches.That of course is my most sincere opinion. WTF Just sign me up for low taxes and big refunds. If not possible please go fuck yourself. Thank You! Sincerely,

Thom, I did not write this! Someone has hacked into my account. Please investigate! They used by real name; which, I have deleted. I feel violated!

David Abbot, your experience with "Aunt Matilda" is without a doubt commendable. Being that it may that we both lack combat experience per se, could it be that perhaps you overestimate your ability. I generously bow to your vast experience in the matter; but, do you really think that such techniques as analyzing astronomical charts, exploring emotional issues, and realizing your own personal unfinished emotional business is really going to be successful when an enemy is firing bombs and shooting at you. Don't you think you might be a little distracted to deal with trying to "look at my behavior during the preceding month"...

Not that in anyway I'm I saying your technique is invalid; however, I for one don't buy it's practicality in combat. Sorry to disagree. But I too have desperately tried to stuff Jennie back into the bottle when it inconvenienced me. I certainly don't want to be so distracted in combat that I get my head blown off offering a shoulder to cry on. Of course, that's besides the point for you and I. Whether women are entitled to participate in combat is irrelevant. The question at hand is whether or not combat has a place in a civilized society. I say, NO!

DAnneMarc said "Someone has hacked into my account. Please investigate! They used by real name; which, I have deleted. I feel violated!" And I would too. How creepy! I sure hope this gets resolved in a hurry. Sorry, my friend... - Alice I.W.

AliceInWonderland accept my sincere apologize. I am quite removed from violence against women. I have nothing but respect for women and don't share company with anyone that doesn't. I suppose that makes me quite ignorant of the issue at hand. Perhaps I'm also somewhat in denial that those acts occur. Pardon my naivete. To some extent I exploit the "problems" I am aware of beyond reasonable limits to arouse humor or make a point. Thanks for telling me I went too far.

On the other hand, it is ironic that the simple biological reality of PMS has disqualified women from combat since war was invented, and only now under President Obama's Administration have we realized that we made a mistake. I think Palindromedary was right when he wrote that this decision is more likely the result of a lack of infantry rather than a generous hand-out of equal rights. I also believe that he was spot on when he said they will come for the children next. You can believe that.

As far as my account being hacked is concerned, you bet it was creepy. Closest feeling I've ever had to being raped. Very scary. Of course I immediately changed my password. It's probably my fault for not using a stronger password in the fist place. I wonder if there are any other security issues I should be concerned with. Any advice is appreciated. ~DAnneMarc

DAnneMarc, did you write post #77? This is my reply to whoever wrote it:

I saw combat. In my own home, from birth through age five. Trust me, you don't want to know the details. Suffice it to say that when some gung ho kill-them-all military type starts ranting about how brave he is, I think to myself, "This big bad tough guy wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in the house I grew up in. And those ten minutes would have taught him the meaning of PTSD."

I am not over-estimating my astrological ability at all. Been doing it for over thirty years. I didn't say that I would use astrology for fighting the "enemy" during wartime. I said I have used it with predictable success in relationships with women. String theory, thousands of years of shamanic practitioners from all over the world and throughout history, Buddhism, and Taoism all say that everything is energetically connected. Astrology is simply a way of understanding and predicting one aspect of those connections. Not that big a deal, really. And it's fine with me if you don't believe in it.

Interestingly, military types ALWAYS RETREAT into one statement: "Boy, I'd like to see you say that in the middle of a firefight against charlie. All of your liberal hooey would go out the window real fast. It's real convenient for you to have the freedom to have all that liberal hooey because I went over there and fought for your freedom."

Ok, I get it, lots of American soldiers fought. But how many military types have the courage to stand back from their front line experiences and look at the issue of whether what they were fighting for was honorable? I mean, they always go on and on about honor, but their ONLY definition of honor involves killing and being killed. They never talk about being honorable enough to ask whether any particular war is honorable, either because that kind of honor has never occured to them, or because- let's face it, they just kind of enjoy killing people and/or they are addicted to the adrenalin rush of combat. They're just not honorable enough to admit it. So, we have a government that lies to its soldiers about virtually every war, and we have soldiers who lie to themselves about their reasons for wanting to go to war. Sounds like a marriage made in.... hell, to be frank.

For military types, everything in this life boils down to shooting and getting shot at. And anyone who doesn't enjoy shooting at people and getting shot at, just doesn't get what life is all about. It's the whole Norse heaven thing, where they wake up in the morning, go to the battlefield and kill each other, and then the next day they do the same thing all over again. And this is their idea of heaven. I'm sure that God is sitting up there going, "Oh booyah! Did you see that guy, he just cut off that guys head with one swipe!"

And in closing, I don't understand what you mean when you say, "... desperately stuff Jennie back into the bottle when it inconvenienced me."

DAnneMarc, a simple way to come to a better understanding of the reality of men harming women in America would be to read these books: "The Courage To Heal," by Bass and Davis, and, "People of the Lie," by Scott Peck, and schedule an appointment with a female psychologist who specializes in helping abused women or with a woman who runs a women's shelter, and tell them that you want to understand the dark side of how America treats women. I read those books and saw a number of such psychologists- one of whom was very active in saving women from violence even to the point of helping to run an "underground railroad" whereby women could escape from murderous husbands. It was an eye opener.

I get that you were trying to use humor, but you might not believe the number of girls/women who are regularly threatened with physical harm, beaten, sent to the hospital, or killed by fathers, boyfriends, and husbands, and the way that many courts are rigged against women.

This epidemic of violence against women is incredibly important in and of itself, but a clear understanding of the repurcussions in our country leads one to the awareness that if women's rights are cancelled; if women can be threatened, beaten, or killed with impugnity, if women are not allowed to control their own reproductive choices, America will not survive.

Let's look at it from the yin-yang viewpoint: generally speaking, women are yin compared to men and men are yang compared to women. So humanity is this interactive pairing of yin and yang. Chinese medicine accurately states, "When a patient's yang totally dominates their yin, the patient dies." It's true. And it is equally true that whenever a culture's yang- it's men- totally dominate women, that culture dies.

And conversely, whenever a culture's yin and yang have been in wholesome co-existence, that culture has flourished. It's that important.

AliceInWonderland, thanks, and it's actually kind of nice to relate on the internet where it's just exchanges of information and support.

As far as the yin-yang thing goes, humanity as a whole can be accurately represented by a standard bell curve, and so can women as a subset of humanity, and so can men as humanity's other subset. So we can say, "Most people," "most women," and "most men," while being aware that there's people, women, and men, who are slightly, moderately, or extremely off the main curve- and that the people who are off the curve are just as important for humanity's wellbeing and need to be particularly nourished by society because there are so few of them and their contributions can be so valuable. In fact, I would argue that even sociopaths and psychopaths and other forms of republicans are valuable, for one because they cause rational, human-hearted people to say, "Oh boy, I better be careful not to behave or even think like that." And for me, it's a challenge more often than I would like to admit.

Just remember: these are my beliefs; if you don't like them, I have others.

David Abbot, yes I did write post #77. As far a I've been able to ascertain all the other blog posts in my name have been written by me. Please feel free to alert me if you find something else you think I didn't write.

As far as post #77 is concerned, I think you may have misread my meaning. I don't doubt any spiritual, philosophical, astrological or any other non-mainstream techniques you may have. Nor do I mean to make any light of them. My simple point is that regardless as to your abilities, your effectiveness at exercising those abilities will be compromised in a combat situation. I'm sure your techniques are quite effective, but when you are so distracted by people shooting mortar, machine guns and hand grenades your ability to focus your attention on anything other than the combat will be greatly reduced if not eliminated all together. Of course, I've never seen combat or you in action so what do I really know?

I've been quite blessed and have never experienced violence of any kind in my life. Your early experiences are quite hard for me to grasp. I suppose I'd prefer to stay in my non violent bubble of ignorance than dip my toe in the pool of domestic violence. To that ends I feel it is a privilege to be able to converse with people like you who have that point of view and are able to enlighten me in such matters. Thank you for offering me that enlightenment. In the future I will try to remember to refrain from commenting insensitively on matters that I really am not that familiar with. Please feel free to offer that correction any time. I would hate to offend anyone; especially, people whom I respect. I really appreciate your rebuttal!

LOL. As far as the comment: "... desperately stuff Jennie back into the bottle when it inconvenienced me." is a phrase I heard comedian Ron White say in referring to the PMS his wife had on a vacation and how he desperately tried to vanquish her demon and save his vacation. It was meant as a joke. Sorry.

DAnneMarc, I never said I would use astrology on the front lines during a firefight. Although now that I think of it, I would use it, because astrology saved my life one time. I would do my transits every morning before going into combat. It's not that arcane, just a very small amount of math and some simple psychology and energy stuff. Five or ten minutes.

I readily understand your desire to not get into the subject of domestic violence, it's the darkest side of human nature, because here's these people in a family and family is supposed to be people you can trust... It's worse than war in some ways, because there's no tours of duty, no R&R, no going back stateside; it's happening right there in your home.

You didn't offend me; 13 years of psychotherapy and a bunch of Alanon meetings have a way of smoothing that sort of thing out. My concern is that America's position- as a culture- on domestic violence, including the republicans' desire to revert women's rights to sometime before the old testament, will have a very powerful effect on whether America survives as at least a putative democracy or constitutional republic or whatever they're pretending it is these days.

Ok, I get the joke about pms. The thing is, the women I have been close to, never went off the deep end emotionally at that time of the month unless there was unfinished emotional business, and in all honesty usually that unfinished business was something I had said or done. You know, it's one of those differences between a sexes things, and I was serious when I said I consider such events blessings, because if handled in a courageous, honorable way (oh look, republicans, there's the two most important words in everyone's vocabulary: courage and honor), it works wonders on the relationship, such as increasing her trust of my words because she has seen me repeatedly use my words to admit what I had done wrong and apologize, because I put that much value on our relationship. Women are kind of hard-wired that way, where if the guy just goes through the motions, she might just go through the motions, too. Typically women respond, and the question is, what's the guy going to give them to respond to, and is he going to act surprised when it circles around every 28 days, taps him on the shoulder, and says, "Um, there's this thing..."

I'm just not sure how many republican men have the courage and sense of honor to handle these situations properly. I think they could learn, because they have proven that they have the courage and the sense of honor to kill innocent foreign people on the basis of lies from our government, and that takes a lot of courage and honor. Now the next test is to see whether they have the courage and sense of honor to quit killing innocent people and invest some of that energy in improving how they treat the women in their lives.

But they're going to have to prove that they're man enough to do the job. I mean, this isn't something that some wimpy little girly man can do, it's going to take a real sense of honor and duty.

David A.- All is forgiven. And I am fully aware what a macho, misogynist culture and mind set the Republicans and neo-cons represent, which is what we all are up against. Having people like you, DAnneMarc and Palindromedary in the dialogue - whatever our differences - helps restore my faith in humanity. I can't help but think what a different world this would be if all men were more like you guys. I know, it's just a pipe dream... (SIGH...)

Have a great week, comrades! - Aliceinwonderland

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