Neil Young News: Comment of the Moment: 1-20-09

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Comment of the Moment: 1-20-09 - A Sea Change Begins

Our posts related to politics have a drawn a lot of heat here over the years. We've stated on numerous occasions why politics in music matters. Our post last week on 1-20-09: A Sea Change Begins generated the usual backlash and attacks.

But in the spirit of bi-partisanship we're offering a different perspective with the following comment. We post this not to say that we agree with the position but that they we agree with style of argument.

We'd like to encourage a healthy dialogue of varying viewpoints. More to the point, can't we just have respectful disagreements rather than the standard cut and paste diatribes?

From Roger:

Although Thrasher has the right to include whatever content he wishes on this site, political or otherwise, it's disheartening that anyone who questions the excessive Obama content is immediately assumed by some readers to be right-wing Bush supporters who are unwilling to embrace change. Many who criticize Obama do so because they believe, as I do, that no amount of good intentions are going to fundamentally alter U.S. policy and that Obama has already demonstrated by his words and his appointments that the world is in for more of the same, albeit with a nicer face.

As someone from a country outside the U.S., I can safely say that by world standards Obama is certainly not left of centre in his policies. But rather than write a long diatribe, I will just recommend that readers check out William Blum's blog at killinghope.org. Every month he releases what he calls an Anti-Empire Report, the latest of which should be required reading for all U.S. citizens (http://www.killinghope.org/bblum6/aer66.html).

One last thing: I can't help but agree with the comment above that referred to "Neil's kindergarten slogans." Despite Neil's good intentions, one thing that always bothered me about 'Living With War' is how little mention he made of Iraq or Iraqis in any of his songs. On his LWW site he has a tally of the number of U.S. soldiers who have died. What about the million+ Iraqis who have died, why is no attention paid to them? I know Neil's heart is in the right place, but it seems he so embraces the American view of the world that all his attention is focused on repairing the damage done to the U.S. Interestingly, the desire to "reclaim" their country that so many Americans are now expressing mirrors the Christian notion of redemption: as long as you repent your sins, everything will be okay. Unfortunately in the real world lost lives can never be reclaimed.

Peace to all!

Roger

Thanks Roger.

More on the Sea Change from business as usual, making a difference, the intersection of music and politics and what happens when musicians speak truth to power.

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50 Comments:

At 2/05/2009 09:18:00 AM, Anonymous said...: So politics in music matters, huh? Music is entertainment. Politics and not entertaining, unless it's laughing at the hypocricy of liberals.

You and Neil need to get rid of your sense of self-importance.
At 2/05/2009 09:51:00 AM, Nother Nature On the Run said...: "Politics and not entertaining, unless it's laughing at the hypocricy of liberals."

Music as a "product" can be entertaining, true. Just ask anyone who saw Bruce entertain during the half-time show earlier this week. But if you trace all human histories, some of the most beautiful music is born from human compassion.

Our capacity to show our compassionate side in music, as in Neil's LWW, is often times the end product of the political games that we have seen played out in history over time. The anquish and pain of feeling loss for human life.
At 2/05/2009 10:01:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Living Without War was the immature rant of a narcassitic, self-centered, spoiled, uneducated individual who wanted to make a buck off of his sycohants.

Even most of them hate that album.
At 2/05/2009 10:13:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Roger,

It might look like "redemption" to you but I think a lot of us are feeling liberated.

I personally have seen in the past 8 years, a dismantling of laws and safeguards that were put into place to protect our children's future, the land they live on, the water they drink, and the food they eat.

It would be nice to be forgiven as a nation for our past trangressions and move on, but that, too, comes in the form of healing.

As for you comment about LWW and Neil's oversite of Iraqis. It was very clear from the compassion generated by lyrics and music where his heart was ...

Sending all my love, peace, and wheat,

Mother Nature
xoxoxoxoxoxo
At 2/05/2009 10:31:00 AM, Anonymous said...: 'Anonymous' posted at 2/05/2009 10:01:00 AM,

Would you care to enlighten us as to what 'Living Without War' is?
At 2/05/2009 10:37:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: "Living Without War was the immature rant of a narcassitic, self-centered, spoiled, uneducated individual who wanted to make a buck off of his sycohants.

Even most of them hate that album."

Do you think when Picasso was painting "Guernica," he was only thinking of himself?

What sustains most true artists is their ability to connect to their humanity.

If Neil was truly the person you have created in your head, he would have been devoured by the mercenaries who control the music industry. He would have been long gone, not filling coliseum -size venues around the world.
At 2/05/2009 10:40:00 AM, Anonymous said...: I think we've already seen Neil's "Living WITHOUT War" stuff," it starts with "On the Beach" and dead ends with "LWW"
At 2/05/2009 10:56:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Thrasher,

Keep your blogs coming, whatever they may involve. I'm not from the US, so I cant really comment, but I do know that Freedom of Speech is an important right, and I'm glad you exercise it here.

Neil would be proud, and most of us are too.

And I do wish the anonymous whiners would leave a signature. Gives me the impression its just 1 pathetic guy.

Davie From Scotland
At 2/05/2009 11:13:00 AM, J Neo Marvin said...: "immature rant of a narcassitic, self-centered, spoiled, uneducated individual"

I'll leave aside for now the thought that one should be careful with one's own spelling when calling other people uneducated, and just say that "Anonymous" gets it half right without trying. The strength of Living With War is the brute simplicity with which Neil is able to reach the immature, narcissistic, self-centered, spoiled, uneducated Americans out there who have been swayed by years of right-wing propaganda.

Roger, I hear what you're saying, but if you haven't been in the US, you may not realize just how bad our media has become and how misinformed our population has been. Neil's album is the perfect shock therapy for Americans, and I really think it made a difference.

On the same note, I humbly submit a belated review of CSNY Deja Vu, which I only recently saw for the first time. feel free to comment.
At 2/05/2009 11:24:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Well, now that you think of it, Anonymous was right about LWW being a "ranting."

It should be.

As to the other human characterizations he mentions, does it really matter?

I'm sure Neil's as confused as the next human asking "why me?"

So instead of waiting around for answers, he tries to make things happen with the resources he has. Like his LincVolt. The Bridge School. Farm Aid. Just to name a few.

I see that as a sign of intelligence, compassion, and resiliency.
At 2/05/2009 11:44:00 AM, MARIAN M. said...: Music a heck of a lot more than entertainment!!!!

Music can be very healing; I've never seen politics in that way.

Marian M.
At 2/05/2009 01:04:00 PM, A K said...: for a site that claims to support free speech there sure seems to be a lot of guidelines for posting and overt attempts to frame the debate to the blog owner's liking.

here's an alternative. you don't like what you are reading? quit reading it.
At 2/05/2009 01:36:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Hiya Dark Helmet,

Where've you been? Good advice.

And the next time we run into Bruce's doppelganger, turn it off, right?
At 2/05/2009 01:43:00 PM, A K said...: "And the next time we run into Bruce's doppelganger, turn it off, right?"

you might as well. it's not a pretty sight to see one of the best live backing bands in the world miming the instruments.
At 2/05/2009 09:52:00 PM, Anonymous said...: For all the foreigners who want to put down Ameria, including the one we're commenting on I say ... where was your county when Saadam was gassing kurds? Where was your country when Germany was gassing people during WWII? I'm not condoning Bush or his actions but most of the world is not interested in problems outside their borders ... its not by accident that the Gates Foundation, the largest endowment, focused on curing some of the world's worst ills, is funded by two Americans Gates and Buffett ... America is the world's most generous nation, America with Obama's election to Presidency has shown again that liberty and freedom do ring true here ... its easy to criticize from the sidelines ... Monday morning quarterback ... but its hard to lead that's what America does and sometime we make mistakes ... by the way the enemy is Al Queda and terrorists, not America ... Neil in LWW was focused on the ill effects the war had on our troops ... what have YOU done to help the Iraqis other than criticize Neil for not doing more?
At 2/05/2009 10:38:00 PM, Anonymous said...: I get your point.

But the US was a little too late on helping the Kurds. About 10 years too late. We went in Iraq to secure the oil fields. And the rest of the world saw through our phoney baloney foreign policy.

I think that's the point Roger is trying to make here...
At 2/05/2009 10:43:00 PM, Anonymous said...: And what is this crap with "foreigners?" What century are you from anyway? Like who's the foreigner here on Thrasher's blog? Anyone who's not American?

How very typically ego centric Americans are about their place in the world.
At 2/06/2009 06:18:00 AM, Anonymous said...: To 9:52..

My country (Canada) also does a lot of harm in the world that most Canadians don't know about (mining in Africa that displaces villages, participating in the 2004 coup in Haiti, etc.) but the U.S. is vastly disproportionate in its use of violence compared to the rest of the world, and on top of that Americans more than any other nationality think of themselves as saviours of the world, so that's why they're singled out for criticism.

The U.S. SUPPORTED Saddam Hussein during his worst crimes.

The 'hero' (if there was one) of WWII was Russia, not the U.S., despite what your media may have told you. Don't believe me, pick up any history book.

"The enemy is Al Queda and terrorists": Al Quaeda is responsible for killing 3000 people on 9/11 while the U.S. has killed over a million people in the Iraq War (and is responsible for as many deaths during 12 years of brutal sanctions before that). BTW, if you don't believe that a million+ people have died in the Iraq War, I would ask if you question the mortality figure of every other war, hurricane, tsunami, etc. you hear about because the methodology used to determine the number of casualties is identical.

From the perspective of anyone outside your country, the 'enemy' is not Al Quaeda but the U.S., which has killed more people worldwide since WWII than any other nation, INCLUDING the Soviet Union. The problem is that your media don't tell you the truth which the rest of the world knows, so when others criticize the U.S. Americans get very defensive and accuse others of being 'Anti-American' (an Orwellian term if there ever was one). Please learn your own history before YOU criticize others.

Also, don't forget that it was the U.S. that put the Taliban into power in Afghanistan. From 1996 to 2001 the U.S. gave billions of dollars in aid and arms to the Taliban, invited them to the White House, etc. Somehow Washington didn't seem to care too much about women's rights back then. Osama bin Laden himself was trained, armed, and funded by the U.S. when it was in their interest to commit terrorism against others.

"What have YOU done to help the Iraqis other than criticize Neil for not doing more?" Unfortunately one individual cannot do very much other than attend protests, write letters to their politicians, and make donations for victims, etc., which I've done. I agree that I could do more, I'm not letting myself off the hook by any means. And I wasn't criticizing Neil for not doing more, I was just saying that the lyrics of LWW seemed to focus more on restoring Americans' own view of themselves than on the suffering of Iraqis.

The point here is not to 'bash' the U.S. - which certainly has done a lot of good in the world too - but simply to point out that Americans' view of their own history is counter to how the entire rest of the world views it. Instead of believing what your media tell you, do your own research and you may discover that you are not as 'free' and 'noble' as you thought you were.

Roger

PS - Thank you Thrasher for highlighting my comment and for allowing us this forum
At 2/06/2009 08:29:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Roger, you have done more than most Americans. You've been paying attention.

Our worst attributes for all the world to see was the complacency we fell into starting with the Reagan years. It just snowballed into mess we have today.

Through this election in the US, we learned once again, that all change comes in the form of new ideas that will hopefully transform our tragic human history.

It will always be our youngest and brightest minds leading the charge and breaking through the political, gender, race, and religious boundaries.

It has always been and will always be ...

Love and peace and wheat,

Mother Nature
At 2/06/2009 09:12:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Roger;

You hit the nail on the head with the comment about things being the same, only with a nicer face. The only problem is you didn't drive it home. Both the Democrats and the Rebublicans in the US have been systematically growing government, sometimes with good intentions, mostly for the purpose of gaining control. Yes, that is what red tape is, Federal control over everything from education to healthcare to the banking system. Bush bailed out the banks for one purpose-to gain control over them. Obama and Pelosi are going to centralize (Federalize) control over many aspects of US citizens lifes. They will accomplish this with their stimulus package. It is really a bunch of give away programs designed to give the Federal Government control over us citizens. They (we) are borrowing money for this. They (we) will be enslaved to the lender(s). How are we going to argue with the Feds when they say, "You must do this or we will take that propgram (entitlement) away." Someday when our federal debt gets so large the lenders will come to the feds and say, "pay up." When we can't, we will be enslaved to them-China? Bullion Banks?-it will be somebody that makes Bush look like a saint. It is simple, just not easily done. So the next time you US citizens sit sown for a drink of sea change kool-aid, please ponder the ultimate price of giving up your freedoms, for they are going fast.
At 2/06/2009 09:16:00 AM, The Never Ending Song ... said...: ... And one more thing.

About Neil. And people like him. The people who are like our Greek chorus singing in the background. Narrating. Commentating.

In every human history, we have similar groups of people acting as a counterweight offering a different perspective of events.

Music, art, sculpture, and architecture are always considered valuable resources gauging the distance we traveled as a humanity and how we filled in the space in between.
At 2/06/2009 09:45:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: To 9:12 a.m.

"So the next time you US citizens sit sown for a drink of sea change kool-aid, please ponder the ultimate price of giving up your freedoms, for they are going fast."

When a car is no longer operable due to years of neglect, the only thing we can do is what? Abandon it? Rebuild it? Buy a new one?

I think it will be best and brightest minds who will lead us out from this bottom of the slippery slope created by neglect, greed, apathy, and ignorance.

SSssllllllllllllrrp! Oh! BTW! It's Mother Nature's green koolaid their drinking and it's yummy!

It's made from ingenuity, creativy, and resiliency.

Look out, Joe!
At 2/06/2009 09:57:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Here's a very nice "Lincvolt style" quote from President Obama on the economic situation: "I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV -- if you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction."
B.S.M.
At 2/06/2009 10:11:00 AM, Anonymous said...: This is 9:12 am

Mother Nature, I will drink your green kool-aid with you. Of course our best and brightest minds will lead us out of this, however, rest assured our best and brightest are not in government.
At 2/06/2009 10:30:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: I've got this gut feeling that there are a lot of really cool people in government who are smart enough to know they're not the experts.

And I don't think President Obama will behave like Bush who had his staff "re-edit" scientific research to fit his personal agenda of protecting the oil tycoons who created that slippery slope over the years.

You are aware of how many federal employees resigned in protest over the censorship, right?

Don't ever lose your faith in people, 9:12 a.m.

Not all people "in government" are low-lifes - sub human grunts like they are portrayed.

There are some really cool people who have watched in disbelief the greatest crime being perpetrated against the American people.

And some even listen to Neil I'm sure of that!
At 2/06/2009 10:55:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Dear Mother Nature;

It's 9:12 calling again. You have a gut feeling there are some really cool people in government? Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama are not amoung them, yet they are very powerful. Please research the way Pelosi transports herself from CA.to DC. Her carbon footprint is HUGE! Harry Reid said of the tourists coming to visit OUR great capital "You could smell them coming." That doesn't sound very cool to me. In the supposed spirit if bipartisanship, Barack Obama told Republicans, "we won, get over it." The truth be known, the great change coming is going to be change for the common citizen, the common citizen to sacrifice more so Pelosi can ride her jet, so Reid does't have to 'smell us common folk,' and so Barack Oboma can do what he does best-speak well and look good. Trust me, I know Bush was not the answer, but these folks are bent on handing our country over to a one world government-like the UN? Study their abuses and backing of tyrants while we give them the majority of funding. Study Pelosis' transportation first, for she truely has Mother Nature on the run, thus keeping Father Time off of our side.

Best regards

Kurt

P.S. Neil Young is my musical hero.
At 2/06/2009 02:14:00 PM, Anonymous said...: From 9:52 to Roger,

"The enemy is Al Queda and terrorists": Al Quaeda is responsible for killing 3000 people on 9/11 while the U.S. has killed over a million people in the Iraq War"

Before you make a personal attack on me for sticking up for America and before you suggest I haven't read the history books, check your facts.

I don't have to be a historian, or a member of the state department, or the chief of Iraq's census to tell you that your quote about America killing 1M people in Iraq is bogus and while we can all agree that the US media is full of it, your writing so far is no better I'm sorry to say. Maybe 1M people have died in Iraq since the war started but it only takes common sense to know that the US didn't "kill" 1M people in Iraq. Reasonable people can disagree about the War and how the US handled itself but to tally the tens of thousands killed by Al Queda Iraq as "killed by America" is dingenuous at best and dishonest at worst.... and worse than that ... to summarize the number of deaths by Al Queda as 3,000 in total is foolish and ironically pretty "American focused" as last time I checked Al Queda was killing people in Pakinstan, Indonesia, Kenya, Europe, Israel, Iraq, India, Afganistan, Russia ... basically in every free and civilized country in the world. Unfortunately your views that America is basically evil (with a few reedeming qualities) and Al Queda only killed 3,000 people ... ect, puts you on the wrong side of history .. I know its fashionable to bash the US right now ... and people, like Neil, who have sympathized with our troops who were forced to fight without a say ... I say get out of your stereotype and your hatred and realize that many Americans and even some American politicians (like Obama) are trying to do the right thing and some Americans actually don't believe everything they read ... including your facts which need fact checking ... sorry all to be a bit combative but free speech is one thing ... misinformation deserves to be exposed.
At 2/06/2009 04:06:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run ... said...: Oh my! I must say Aunt Nancy certainly has created a lot of enemies since she became speaker. It couldn't be all those coal & oil big wigs & contractors that she pissed off, could it? You know, the ones who Uncle Dick had pledged his allegiance to in 1994?

A lot of people these days are sounding more and more like the guy who was complaining about a leaky faucet after inheriting a castle.
At 2/06/2009 06:50:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Dearest Mother Nature on the run;

I do know that Aunt Nancy and Daddy President are hipocrates. Yes, Aunt Nancy needs to fix her leaky faucet before she tells me to fix mine.
At 2/06/2009 07:12:00 PM, Anonymous said...: To 2:14..

I appreciate your response.

The million+ figure is an extrapolation of the 2006 British Lancet study which estimated that 600,000 Iraqis had died since the war began who otherwise would not have died during that time. Iraqis who died of natural causes and illnesses/accidents not related to the war are not included in their tally. Not every one of the million+ who have died were killed directly by U.S. gunfire but they did die as a consequence of the U.S. invasion and occupation of their country. For more detailed information go to: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html.

The number of U.S. soldiers who have died is also much higher than the figure quoted by the Pentagon and news media, as they include only those who have died on the battlefield, not those killed by illnesses related to the war, suicide, accidents, etc.

The danger posed by Al Quaeda has been greatly exaggerated by the U.S. government to keep the public in fear. By constantly telling its citizens that 'this' group is out to get us or 'that' country is a threat they can justify increased use of military power and further restrictions on civil liberties. The crimes of others are given full coverage while their own crimes are concealed. For example, with all the talk today of Iran posing a threat, how many Americans know that the U.S. government overthrew the *democratically-elected* government of Iran in 1953?

Yes, 9/11 was a heinous, unjustifiable, reprehensible act and the perpetrators should be brought to justice. Innocent people never deserve to be killed for any reason. Invading and occupying two countries that are not responsible for 9/11, resulting in the death and displacement of scores of people not to mention damage to the environment, is not a measured response to such a crime.

I don't believe America is 'evil' - as I said in my previous comment America has done many good things in the world. America has much to be proud of and I'm good friends with many Americans myself. Even the blog I recommended in my first post (killinghope.org) is written by an American. My complaint is not with the people but with the corporations and military interests that have hijacked your government. If the U.S. spent even a fraction of its military spending on health care or education for its own citizens, most Americans would be much better off than they are now.

The solution is not smaller government but a government that truly reflects the interests of its citizens. Government, after all, is the only means by which ordinary people can collectively effect change since corporations are only interested in profit. Most Americans are decent people who, if they really knew what their leaders have done, would be outraged as much as anyone else.

A sea change in action can happen only with a sea change in thinking first.

Regards,

Roger
At 2/06/2009 10:27:00 PM, Mother Nature onthe Run ... said...: "I do know that Aunt Nancy and Daddy President are hipocrates. Yes, Aunt Nancy needs to fix her leaky faucet before she tells me to fix mine.

2/06/2009 06:50:00 PM"

Dear 6:50:00 PM,

I don't think you understand. Nobody cares whether you fix your faucet or not. That's not the point.

The point is that Americans can breath a sigh of relief that we won't be seeing science class dioramas of dinosaurs on Noah's Ark in public schools. Or at least not for the next 8 years.

And I don't know if you've been to Aunt Nancy's district lately, but they're way ahead of everyone else in the US creating green zones and following LEED standards renovating their buildings.

As for Nancy HUGE carbon footprint, I think you're playing into the hands of the people who are still holding a grudge for breaking up the frat party in Washington.
At 2/07/2009 11:46:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Dear Mother Nature;

What is going to happen when CA runs out of money for green initiatives? Woops, it happened! So should the Federal government p[ay for it? That's me, and I would rather make my home or my district green before Nazi Pelosi forces me to make her district green. That will be very hard to do when Nancy thinks she is more important than you or me. She is suppose to be a public servant-not the other way around. Anyway; good luck with the pandoras box that is being sold as green. Soon you will be told where you can walk, what you can eat and drink-along with how much because a sewage treatment plant ain't green.
At 2/07/2009 01:26:00 PM, WBKM.org said...: Well, FWIW, as a Christian I definitely don't believe nor was I taught that repentance and consequent redemption = it's all ok now, like when Marty McFly goes back to 1955 and takes the Gray's Sports Almanac from young Biff. Sometimes life still sucks.....its not all you do is this and then its all ok...some of the finest real Christians have never prospered, but they still made a choice to do the right thing. Don't get all flustered if you don't believe it, but to me another of the many very wrong things GW did was to call himself a Christian. That has mislead a lot of folks to dismiss the whole thing. Baby thrown out with the bathwater stuff...its misrepresentation of the highest form, right along with the WMD myth..
At 2/07/2009 01:35:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Years ago, there was an old tale in the Marine Corps about a lieutenant who inspected his marines and told the 'gunny' that they smelled bad.

The lieutenant suggested that they change their underwear.

The Gunny responded, 'Yes, sir, I'll see to it immediately'.

He went into the tent and said, 'The lieutenant thinks you guys smell bad, and wants you to change your underwear . Smith, you change with Jones, McCarthy, you change with Witkowskie, Brown, you change with Schultz. Get to it'.

The moral: A candidate may promise change in Washington, but don't count on things smelling any better

Sun Green
At 2/07/2009 02:39:00 PM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Oh! The more things change, the more they stay the same?

It's like that in nature, too.

The only difference is that there is always struggle in maintaining equilibrium. And afterwords, things always look different.
At 2/07/2009 04:02:00 PM, dr dip said...: Dr dip said,
Alls I know is.."there's no flies on Mars"...Keep on rockin in the flea world!!..."buddy"
At 2/07/2009 08:00:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Dearest Mother Nature on the Run;

So things stay the same after change, yet they look different. Is that change at all-after all?

I suppose it is, due to the fact that perception is reality, and the fact that change is the same.

I would love to just agree to disagree, but I believe you and I can do better than that.
At 2/07/2009 10:32:00 PM, oprah said...: Obama is just more of the same, a big smile with strings attached, and controlled completely by the Illuminati networks that chose him, trained him, sold him and provided his record funding.
At 2/07/2009 11:18:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Dear Oprah,

Who are the illuminati networks and what do you suppose their real motive is?
At 2/08/2009 12:17:00 AM, oprah said...: Dear Anonymous
Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, Ford foundation

There goal NEW WORLD ORDER !
At 2/08/2009 10:34:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Dear Oprah,

A lot good these organizations have done for the US so far, don't you think? Most of whom have been around for at least 50 years?

Look at this way. Wall Street has tanked. The US economy has tanked. Many US citizens are jobless, homeless, and without healthcare, and our only way out from this hell hole created by an old world order feeding an addiction to foreign oil is going in what direction?

The only prospect for our future is the green industry.

Dialogue is good within any organization is good. Keeping the lines of communication flowing both ways between countries is a very good thing.

Want some koolaid? Oh! Look! It's green.

Ssssllllrrrrp.
At 2/08/2009 11:12:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: ... and to whoever wrote this:

"Obama is just more of the same, a big smile with strings attached, and controlled completely by the Illuminati networks that chose him, trained him, sold him and provided his record funding."

I don't agree. He's got plenty of experts advising him about the course of direction we need to be heading if we are going to survive as a species on this planet.

He will keep his promise about researching, growing, and investing in renewable and alternative energy resources.
At 2/08/2009 09:23:00 PM, Larry said...: "I don't agree. He's got plenty of experts advising him about the course of direction we need to be heading if we are going to survive as a species on this planet."

Yeah Right. How many of these experts owe back taxes or thought they did not have to pay taxes because only little people pay taxes........

Sun Green
At 2/08/2009 10:11:00 PM, leaky faucent in big castle said...: Drip, drip, drip.
At 2/09/2009 05:55:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Most humans would still be living in caves clubbing their neighbors over the head blaming them for inconsistencies in the weather had it not been for a few brave individuals who saw the connection between climate changes, cloud formations, wind directions, and associated weather patterns.

I think Obama is one of those individuals who sees something out there that the rest can't even put their minds around yet.

I don't think he sees one world order or world peace because he knows human history has demonstrated no matter how big or small the geo-politial world is, the outcome always balances on human nature which appears to recycle itself. First, there is a struggle to sustain balance. Second, there is resistence.

What one group tries to take away, the other group learns how to preserve. What one group tries to enforce, the other group resists.

And things are pretty much out of whack right now. I mean really, really out of whack. So it's time to recycle and renew. Stuggle & resist.

There was once a great Indian leader who was able to unite his countryfolk and sustain balance for at least 400 years because he practiced the underlying principals of democracy even before the Greeks began using it.

I think Obama is cut from the same cloth. In spite of all his critics & shortcomings & weakenesses, he will be a great leader.

He is only human, afterall.
At 2/09/2009 11:41:00 AM, Richard B. Simon said...: RICHARD B. SIMON: You call it for Obama pretty early ... that song really resonates with me, “Looking for a Leader.” I always see Obama riding into town like the guy in “Blazing Saddles.”

NEIL YOUNG: Oh, yeah. (Laughs.) Well, let’s hope he can keep riding. Let’s hope he makes it, because I think the country’s ready for him. The world is happy about it. They’re very happy about it. I mean, everybody in the world thinks it’s great that a black man is running for President of the United States – and just narrowly beat out a woman. That’s a big turn, that’s a big change.

RICHARD B. SIMON: That’s the America that the myth is about. That we all think it’s about ...

NEIL YOUNG: That’s right, that’s right.

RICHARD B. SIMON: ... and everyone else in the world wants it to be about, and we all want it to be about.

NEIL YOUNG: We do.

RICHARD B. SIMON: And sometimes it ain’t. We always are trying to realign ...

NEIL YOUNG: We’ve had a lot of it ain’t. The pendulum has gone as far as it can go in the wrong direction. And it’s now, it’s at that moment (makes a motion with his hand of a pendulum hanging at the apex of its swing, vibrating with potential energy), just getting ready to come back. And it’s gonna be big. It’s gonna be the age of innovation. We’re gonna be just coming up with all kinds of new shit. It’s gonna be a great time for this country. This next maybe twelve to fourteen years, something like that, we’re going to be thinking of things, we’re gonna replace oil, we’re gonna come up with all kinds of new ways of doing things that are cleaner, and the rest of the -- we’re gonna show, we created the problem, we’re gonna solve it. That’s what I think.

http://scorpionbowl.blogspot.com/2009/02/you-got-to-move.html
At 2/09/2009 02:24:00 PM, dr dip said...: Dr dip says,
Richard B Simon... please authenticate the legitimacy of this interview..or I'll have to dob you in to the wrath of thrasher...thanks
At 2/09/2009 11:13:00 PM, oprah said...: Dear mother nature
Obama's speeches are a mass of mind-control techniques and Neuro-Linguistic-Programming, or NLP, and they are carefully constructed to implant beliefs and perceptions into the mind of the viewer.
At 2/10/2009 12:39:00 AM, Mother Nature on the Run said...: Dear Oprah,

Sorry, but I'm not buying it.

They pulled a rabbit like that out of a hat during the Spanish Inquisition burning all the "heretics," and before that, they used that trick for human sacrifice.

Nope. Not buying it one bit. Change is gonna come. Sorry you're not helping out here.

I know I am.
At 2/11/2009 06:07:00 PM, dr dip said...: Dear Americans, Dr dip here from down under.
Just a few curious questions:
Why is it that for such a dominant politically orientated country that voting isn't mandatory/compulsory?
Do ya think Wacko Jacko is regretting that he decided to go white?
Will Oprah accept the invitation to go on the show "The biggest loser"
Will Neil ever give back Buddy?