"W"

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

Does this count?

It doesn't matter how many people you send this to, just remember if it made you smile, your friends will smile too. Isn't this picture precious?

But earlier in the day before a little girl would pray (See picture above after reading)

Dick Cheney and George W. Bush were having breakfast at the White House. The attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would like, and he replies, "I'd like a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit."

"And what can I get for you, Mr. President?"

George W. replies with his trademark wink and slight grin, "How about a quickie this morning?"

"Why, Mr. President!" the waitress exclaims, "How rude! You're starting to act like Mr. Clinton, and you've only been in your second term of office for a year! ''

As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers..."It's pronounced 'quiche'."

And now, the rest of the story:

Later in the day at the dinner table George W. turned to Cheney and asked if Quail was to his liking.

Cheney said, "I like Quayle. Republicans should stick together but having Quayle for dinner is a bit much don't you think."

Bush said, "Would you rather have a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit?"

Cheney said, "No, Quail would be good." "The bowl of oatmeal and some fruit was needed this morning when I needed a quickie."

Bush said, "Dick, you told me it was 'quiche' and why if you needed 'quiche' did you have a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit?"

Cheney said, "Let's just eat Quail with a bushy salad topped with vinegar and Iraq - I mean oil." He continued, "There's an idea. Let's name the salad dressing 'Halliburton Dressing'."

Bush thought for a moment.................... for a long moment............!

And so was the beginning of the Bush Presidency and the quest for the Bush's salad dressing, known also as 'The Special Halliburton Super Special Secret Service Sauce'.

And know we come to the end of the day.

The End! ---- And, as Edward R. Murrow would say, "so long, and good luck."

And,

For some reason, I hear this in my head when looking at him.

So, Donald Rumsfeld was briefing George Bush in the Oval Office.

"Oh and finally, sir, three Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq today."

Bush goes pale, his jaw hanging open in stunned disbelief. He buries his face in his hands, muttering "My God...My God".

"Mr. President," says Cheney, "we lose soldiers all the time, and it's terrible. But I've never seen you so upset. What's the matter?"

Bush looks up and says..."How many is a Brazilian'?"

In response to the threat of a more intensified war on Iraq

Now a "blog"....uh, what's a blog? Check out Paul's "blog".

www.what-ails-you.com is now live. WAY began with these emails in response to the threat of a more intensified war on Iraq.

A blog, or weblog, is a personal Web site updated frequently with links, commentary and anything else you like. New items go on top and older items flow down the page. Blogs can be political journals and/or personal diaries; they can focus on one narrow subject or range across a universe of topics. The blog form is unique to the Web -- and highly addictive. ( Well, we can do without any more addictions but...

I migrated toward WAY because I:

1) didn't want you to feel that I was badgering you. Your choice now.

2) wanted to reach more people. I don't believe WAY is going to stop this war, or global exploitation, or attack on civil liberties...But I do believe that, if each person does something, we can stop this juggernaut.

3) wanted to give support to others, especially people on the ground or on the front-line. There are folks around the world, often isolated, waging some brave struggles.

4) wanted to give others a podium for their voices. pMachine, the system being used, facilitates publishing in lots of ways.

5) believe the best news, in the US, is to be found on the internet. And "bloggers" can usually point you in the right direction.

Now, it so happens that a more intense war could develop any time. And I have to spend the next two-three weeks on the road. Not the best time for me to launch this publication. But well manage and here's how:

1) pMachine gives me the ability to predate posts so Ill have some in the hopper just waiting for the day to roll around.

2) you can contribute. If there are issues you care about and you agree (or disagree, for that matter), in general, with WAY, then write something up. Opinion (op) pieces are okay but its best if there are a couple of references, both to give context and to give readers options. Unless researched articles, most posts can be short, 50-500 words, with links to groups and/or news sources.

3) posts, if possible, should point the way toward some action. I personally like analyses but have watched some bloggers blog themselves and others to blogdom come. For myself, moreover, I will be working hard on other projects this summer. No time. And if there's full-blown war, there'll be more need for resistance and civil disobedience, as Arundhati Roy suggests, than word-spinning.

4) in time, other authors will be able to post directly to WAY. Right now, just email me. I hope to at least be able to check email every couple of days. Other tools, like archives and search, will also be added.

What am I forgetting? I don't know. I wish I did, though. Oh, pass the word.

Take care,

and check it out: www.what-ails-you.com

Paul

Back On April 28, 2007 --- Spell I-M-P-E-A-C-H for Congress

George Bush and Dick Cheney lied the nation into a war of aggression, are spying in open violation of the law, and have sanctioned the use of torture. These are high crimes and misdemeanors that demand accountability through the Constitutional mechanism of impeachment. Since Congress doesn't seem to get it, we're calling on all Americans who stand for truth, freedom, and justice to join us on April 28 and spell it out for them: IMPEACH!

Let's put the word IMPEACH! everywhere on April 28. If you're in Miami you'll be able to voice your opinion directly to George Bush himself. If you're in San Francisco, you can join 2,000 people who will use their bodies to spell impeachment on the beach in San Francisco and then march to Speaker Pelosi's house. If you're in San Diego, you can join activists at the California Democratic Party Convention who will tell Nancy Pelosi to put impeachment back on the table. And if you're in Cleveland you can give your support to Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who is considering starting the impeachment process.

In New York's Central Park, a crowd will spell out the word IMPEACH on the grass. Another thousand people will do the same at Coney Island, and then spell it out with pizza pies on the boardwalk. Both events are being organized by military mothers with sons who have served in Iraq. A pilot will fly a banner saying "IMPEACH!" around NYC and take aerial photographs of the human murals.

There's an impeachment rally in front of Faneuil Hall in Boston. In Minneapolis, citizens will spell out "IMPEACH!" with canoes on a lake. That evening they'll form the letters with bed sheets lit from below so that people will be able to read it from planes passing overhead. In Washington DC, 1,000 people will form a human mural to spell out IMPEACH! at the base of the Washington monument.

Events are planned for April 28th all over the country and outside of it, and you can find one or create one here:
http://www.a28.org

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What If We All Wear Impeachment Shirts?

Please join us in planning to wear an impeachment shirt each day from April 23 to 27, and to tell everyone you talk to about events on April 28. The details of this plan are here:
http://showitoffnow.blogspot.com

New peach-colored impeach shirts are here:

http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html

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Ten States Take Up Impeachment: What About Yours?

In 10 U.S. states, either this year or last year or both, the state legislature has introduced and considered, though not yet passed, a bill to petition the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Bush and Cheney. These 10 states have acted: CA, HI, IL, MN, MO, WA, VT, NM, WI, TX. These 10 legislators who've taken the lead should be drafted to run for Congress (except for Ellison, whom we've already elected to Congress): Les Ihara, Jr. HI; Lon Burnam TX; Gerald Ortiz y Pino NM; Eric Oemig WA; Paul Koretz CA; Daryl Pillsbury VT; Karen Yarbrough IL; Jamilah Nasheed MO; Frank Boyle WI; and Keith Ellison MN. Special credit goes to Oemig and Ortiz y Pino who have come close to passing their bills.

Dozens of cities and towns have passed these resolutions, and dozens more are trying. At least 16 state Democratic parties back impeachment. A list of all these resolutions, and a kit to help make this happen in your locality and your state can be found here:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

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Support the Feingold-Reid Bill to Cut off War Funding

In response to President Bush's promise to veto the $93 billion supplemental appropriations for the ongoing occupation of Iraq, Senators Russ Feingold and Harry Reid have drafted legislation that will effectively end the current military mission in Iraq and begin the redeployment of U.S. forces.

Their bill requires the President to begin safely redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment, as required by the emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate recently passed. The bill ends funding for the war, with three narrow exceptions, effective March 31, 2008.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/feingoldbill

These senators have said they support it:
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Harry Reid (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Email both of your Senators to support Feingold-Reid:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/104

If you have more time, please call your Senators directly and ask if they will co-sponsor Feingold-Reid. Call 202-224-3121 and ask for your senators' offices. Or find their number at http://www.democrats.com/congress

If you get a substantive response, please post it in the comments here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/feingold-reid

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Vote in the Democrats.com Presidential Primary Poll for April 2007

For a week, the 1st quarter fundraising results for Democratic presidential candidates has been the talk of Washington DC.

But money doesn't elect Presidents, voters elect Presidents. So looking at announced candidates only (sorry Gore fans!), who do you want to be the Democratic nominee in 2008?

http://www.democrats.com/presidential-primary-poll-3

Note: you must login to vote. If you forgot your password click here:
http://www.democrats.com/user/password
If you have no Democrats.com web account, create one here:
http://www.democrats.com/user/register

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Pass Local Resolutions Against Attacking Iran

Cities for Peace has a powerful new tool for grassroots to mobilize against an attack on Iran! Please visit the No War On Iran section of the Citiesforprogress.org website. You will find a toolkit and model resolution stating that your town/city does not support an attack on Iran. Portland, OR, and Berkely, CA, have already passed such resolutions.
http://tinyurl.com/23nj32