I have two children. Both of them are in college now and dealing with those stresses every day. Paying for their educations isn't easy. Tuition, housing, food, books, etc. It's a struggle.

Then I think about Cindy Sheehan. She would trade with me any day for all the stress I have. She would trade with me any day for the opportunity to hug her son again.

Multiply that by 2,558 and you have the base number of mothers who would trade their situation for mine any day.

When I think about it this way it makes me ashamed to feel that I have any problems at all. I have my son who is brilliant and motivated and eager to get into politics after law school. He has been very active in Model UN since junior high and he is nationally known in that organization for his achievements. This year he took a trip to New York and sat in the actual United Nations chamber where the world's decisions are discussed. He took a trip to Washington, DC for a week of Model Arab League education so he could better understand the political discourse around the world.

I wish George W. Bush cared as much about global security and diplomacy as my son does. I wish George W. Bush was a better man. I wish George W. Bush would have studied and traveled before his puppet masters placed him in the position of power he occupies now. I wish George W. Bush could pronounce "nuclear." I wish George W. Bush hadn't sexually harassed Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, at the G8 summit.

I wish George W. Bush would learn to close his mouth when he's eating. I wish George W. Bush weren't so arrogant. I wish George W. Bush hadn't lied us into this abyss in Iraq. I wish George W. Bush were competent. But that's all just a fantasy. George W. Bush can't do any of those things.

My beautiful daughter is so talented. She wants to pursue an acting career. I hope she gets an opportunity to show the world how great her abilities are and how large and wonderful that sweet heart is. I hope she can become a part of the "Hollywood elite" as the right wing monsters love to call them. I hope my daughter has an opportunity to tell stories and make people laugh and cry through her acting abilities. She is so wonderful and smart.

I love both of my children. I love them more than words can say. You know what I mean, parents. You know, that love that makes one hold back tears of pride on each small accomplishment a child achieves. The happiness of a spelling bee or a play is a joy I couldn't have dreamed of before I had children. You know, that love that makes you shed tears any time they cry or have pain. You know, that kind of love that has NO conditions.

2,558 smart, young, talented Americans have died since George W. Bush lied us into the war in Iraq. 18,988 brave, young Americans have been wounded since George W. Bush lied us into the war in Iraq. An estimated 50,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since George W. Bush lied us into his pre-emptive war in their country. I hope all those souls greet him at his judgement.

How can any American not be ashamed of this monster and what he has done to, and in the name of, our country?

God, I detest him and all the Neo-Con supporters of his evil, arrogant and incompetent administration.

The right continues to demonize Cindy Sheehan, George Clooney and any other American who challenges George W. Bush and his arrogant bunch of incompetent yes-men and women.

Somehow there are still around 30% who approve of this man and his policies. Wow! I'm always amazed when I see the polls and realize there is a base of over 30% who will never comprehend what these monsters have done. There will always be a base of over 30% who are blind to his arrogance and incompetence. Hell, they act PROUD of it.

Since George W. Bush started WWIII the world has known what he is. World opinion knows what he has done. The world knows what he really is: An ignorant, arrogant, incompetent redneck. The world knows... Everyone knows... Except 30% of Americans who listen to their gurus, Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingraham, Coulter and the rest. Wow! I wish there were a Hell. I may pretend to believe in all this religious crap just so I can pray for them all to burn for eternity in Hell.

No, I can't do that. Because I think.

Think.. You might want to try that sometimes, George W. Bush. You might want to try to learn to tell the truth sometimes, George W. Bush.

You're an arrogant, incompetent monster, George W. Bush!

NEW DIET PLAN

I've been considering a new diet plan to help those of us who carry some extra baggage. The plan would be to only eat a meal when George W. Bush says something smart. Unfortunately all the animals in our test program have died of starvation so I think this "Diet" won't be approved by the FDA. I'm afraid of the negative feedback from PETA too so I have decided to end this quest for the perfect way to lose those excess pounds.

Other suggestions for easy weight loss would be to only eat when Joe "Zel" Lieberman acts like a Democrat or when Dick "The Monster" Cheney sticks his hideous head out of the "undisclosed location" and sees his shadow.

Maybe everyone could have a snack anytime Condi Rice says something she really thinks instead of all the ridiculous rhetoric planted in her head by "Georgie's" puppeteers.

Whenever Rummy smiles or tells the truth we could all have a Twinkie.. That would have been two this year (Smiles, not truth)! Could be something to look forward to though.

I'll keep trying to come up with new and fun ways to lose all those unwanted pounds. Until then we can all just keep using the exercise plan which is perfect for this administration... Run around looking for your civil liberties they've taken away and hidden in that undisclosed location.

"Georgie" will have no problem maintaining his boyish figure. With his poll numbers sliding downhill like a ski racer, he can only eat crow from this time forward.

Until next time, be careful what library books or movies you check out! Don't say anything suspicious to Aunt Mable or Grandma when you call them on the phone.

Remember... Big Brother IS watching!

YEARS OF ACTIONS SCREAM LOUDER THAN A FEW MINUTES OF EMPTY WORDS.

I watched with great sadness as "Georgie" spoke, for the first time during his "reign of terror," to the NAACP. It felt like Hitler speaking to a Jewish group in the 1930's. Sincerity and honesty are two things this guy lacks. I've begun to believe that he isn't as stupid as I have always believed. He knows how to get those votes. He knows his party has terrible trouble coming in November. He thinks by speaking to this group he can get that 2% of the black vote back for "his guys" in the mid-terms.

Judging from the half dozen or so in the crowd who applauded occassionally, he's well on his way. He should pull at least 2% for his party now that he has pretended to care about NAACP issues.

What an unspeakable monster!

He played the "religion" card. "America should stop discrimination one soul at a time," the idiot said with all the sincerity of the liar he is.

Bush managed to read the speech written by Rove's minions without too many stutters or "losing-his-place" issues like he usually has.

We watched him at the G8 summit as he slobbered all over himself eating like a pig in a sty, sexually harrassing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, talking to Tony Blair like the ridiculous redneck that he is and neglecting his duty to help stop this insanity in Lebanon.

Every American should call for the impeachment of this embarrassing fool.

"Georgie" used his first veto today to stop stem cell research in its tracks. China and India will now pull ahead of America in this important area in the treatment of so many tragic diseases. FIRST VETO

This ridiculous decision was made in order to get some of his base back for the November elections. Poll numbers have been slipping since he supported the immigration bill which allows those illegally in this country to remain after meeting certain conditions.

Once again this idiot has made a foolish decision for purely political reasons. It would be sad if he winds up with Alzheimers which this decision might have prevented.

Congress doesn't have enough votes to override the veto. It is probably dead until a more enlightened person is elected president in 2008.

Until then the rest of the world will continue to laugh at our country and this moron who thinks he is King.

Revising History

The "Chicken Hawks" in the Bush administration who took us into the bog in Iraq continue to blatantly lie and revise history with every speech. I'm tired of hearing their rhetoric about how Democrats want to "cut and run" and how Democrats are disrespecting our troops. The fact is this administration showed the lack of respect for our brave troops by sending them into another political war without a plan or strategy. I'm a Vietnam veteran who has great respect for what our troops are doing. I'm a democrat who sees through the revisionist rhetoric of this administration. So, Mr. President, stop lying to the American people. Ask Karl if you can tell the truth for a week or two and see how that makes you feel. Have Laura read to you about the truth from your favorite book. It might set you free. Better yet find the courage you lacked in your youth and fire that evil, unethical criminal, Mr. Rove. Ask Dick if you can really do that. I'm sure he and Rummy will confirm that, with their permission, you have the power to do almost anything.

Your administration continues to spew misinformation. If we "cut and run," all your talking heads say, there will be anarchy, civil war and a place for the terrorists to train. Truth is, that's all going to happen no matter when we leave Iraq. Your actions have guaranteed a future for those who would do us and our country harm. Unlike Afghanistan though they will now have Billions in oil revenue to use against us. Good job.

As we saw it was fairly easy to remove the regime in Iraq. It is more difficult, however, to control millions of people who have had their country invaded and held at gunpoint for years. Our invasion has only strengthened the terrorists and given them a recruiting tool. If we had continued to contain Saddam for this much time their might have been a legitimate coup through which the Iraqi people themselves would have removed him and taken their country back. (This would have happened in 1991 if our CIA and the other Bush administration wouldn't have abandoned the heroic Kurds who were ready to take action at that time. Instead the American government stood by and watched as they were slaughtered. No wonder they don't trust us.)

Mr. President, I hope your dreams for the rest of your life are haunted by the thousands of american and tens of thousands of Iraqi souls which your actions killed. There probably isn't much hope of that though. If you had a conscience you wouldn't be able to live with the way your "Puppet Masters" manipulated our system to put an incompetent and unethical man like you in the position of power which you occupy. Shame on Karl Rove. Shame on Cheney. Shame on you. Shame on Rumsfeld. I have listed the four of you in the order of power you hold in our government. I hope there is a "Judgement Day" for all of you in the future.

We all need an occassional break from serious discussion. George W. Bush has the world in such a mess that it's difficult to smile.

Here are a few of my poetic attempts at humor. I hope they generate a few smiles and give a little break from all the sadness in the world.

ONE “HALL” OF A TRAFFIC JAM

With three kids, two dogs and a mate

I think that I should install

A signal light to regulate

The traffic in the hall!

WILL POWER

Motoring west toward sunset...

An object in the road

Caught my eye and by and by

It wasn't a stone or toad

But a freshly tossed (someone had lost)

Glazed Donut lying there.

My sympathies heard the pleas

Of a much, much stronger soul

Who had sacrificed... Paid the price..

And tossed that pastry, whole

From their moving car, will power far

Beyond my understanding...

Their diet intact... The strength I lacked

No matter what the landing.

Then I wondered.. Like storms that thundered

Which set my mind to buzzin'

Possibly he was as weak as me

And that was the last of the dozen.

THE LAST RECORDING

On a flight from coast to coast one cold and rainy night

The pilot, o’er the intercom, was sober and polite.

He said, “Look out the window, not the left side but the right.”

And when we did we saw our crew, with parachutes, in flight.

The pilot’s voice broke in again and told us that on boarding

He’d thought there might be engine failure so he’d made this last recording

To let the people on the plane know what we all should do

If we were left inside the craft without our fearless crew.

He said that we should say our grace and pray we wouldn’t die

And then should bend our heads down low and kiss ourselves goodbye!

WHAT CIVIL WAR?

By Chuck Keller | bio

On July 10, I blogged this:

The Bush administration still claims there is no civil war in Iraq.

At least 58 people in Iraq were killed yesterday in sectarian violence. They might disagree with the administration... But they are dead. WHAT CIVIL WAR?

HUNDREDS or maybe THOUSANDS have died since the bombing of the mosque which began the "civil war" in Iraq.

Yesterday Shiite gunmen set up a checkpoint and took Sunni people out of their cars and executed them on the spot... At least 41 people were killed. Men, women and children.. shot dead. How can this happen?

Then Sunni murderers killed more at Shiite mosques with car bombs in revenge for the killings.

I looked up civil war in the dictionary. The definition is: "A WAR BETWEEN PEOPLE, REGIONS, RELIGIONS, ETC. IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY."

Which dictionary are you using, "Georgie?" Which dictionary are you using, Dick "The Monster" Cheney? Which dictionary are you using, "Rummy?" One of you read the definition to "Georgie" so he knows that what's happening in Iraq IS a civil war.

Today this happened: CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ

If it looks like, smells like, kills like and feels like civil war... It's civil war!

Bring our troops home before they're caught in the middle of an all out slaughter!

The far right wing of the Republican party is growing stronger as "Mega" Churches flourish all over the country. People are desperate for an "answer" to the fear and hatred which has permeated our political system for too long. CHURCH AND STATE

If Democrats don't get out to vote in the upcoming midterm elections and again in the 2008 presidential race, I'm afraid this trend could cause our country to make a sharp "right" turn in the next decade. If you don't want your grandchildren to have mandatory church attendance and state sponsored Christianity, please vote!

They are using the same tactics as the lobbyists have to gain control of Washington D.C. Pool a lot of people, take their collective wealth and use it to influence political elections. What could be worse? Hopefully the Democrats will use the internet as our "church" to collect enough in donations to fight this "vast right wing conspiracy."

In a way I wish they were right about there being a Hell. Karl Rove would have to pay for all he has done to this country.

VOTE! Then impeach Bush!

Keep Church and State separate for our kid's sake.