God Bless America!!!

I ♥ Our Troops!!

First thing that caught my ear was: "On a spring morning in April of 1775, a simple band of colonists – farmers and merchants, blacksmiths and printers, men and boys – left their homes and families in Lexington and Concord to take up arms against the tyranny of an Empire...... And yet they took that chance.  They did so not on behalf of a particular tribe or lineage, but on behalf of a larger idea."  

I know it's a small thing, just words, but when is the last time you heard of the early colonists referred to as "a  band" or a "tribe" or "lineage"?  This is just so bizarre.  

And this statement:  "So let me say this at  the outset of my remarks.  I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign.  And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine." 

 Well, whoop-de-do.  He doesn't get to decide if and when anybody questions his patriotism.   I think he is saying just that, don't question me, period.  

Then he goes on to invoke the names of Thomas  Jefferson, John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln as being examples of "greater men" than him having their patriotism questioned.  One point, he is not president yet -- the country is trying to decide if he should or should not be.  All questions concerning him are on the table. 

And, of course , he brings up the civil rights movement, counter-culture of the sixties.  I'm sick to the bone of hearing about the civil rights movement.  That's just me.  Enough.  Was that the same time period his buddy Ayers was setting off bombs?  I'm just asking.

"Dissent does not make one unpatriotic."  Right.   And I dissent to the nomination and certainly the election of Barack Obama. 

Sitting on his grandfather's shoulders watching the astronauts come to shore in Hawaii.  Yep, that's right, nothing wrong with Hawaii but it's not the mainland USA. "I remember, when living for four years in Indonesia as a child, listening to my mother reading me the first lines of the Declaration of Independence." 

Surely we are not expected to believe that.  But he is weaving some truth in there.  Does it matter he did not come to the mainland until he was in his twenties?  And almost the first thing he did was hook up with Jeremiah Wright and Trinty church.  It matters to me. 

"As I got older, that gut instinct – that America is the greatest country on earth – would survive my growing awareness of our nation’s imperfections: it’s ongoing racial strife; the perversion of our political system laid bare during the Watergate hearings; the wrenching poverty of the Mississippi Delta and the hills of Appalachia."

And he says: 

"It is why, for me, patriotism is always more than just loyalty to a place on a map or a certain kind of people.  But when our laws, our leaders or our government are out of alignment with our ideals, then the dissent of ordinary Americans may prove to be one of the truest expression of patriotism."  

Well, let me say this -- My loyalty certainly IS TO A CERTAIN PLACE ON A MAP.  America!

He goes on:  "We must remember, though, that true patriotism cannot be forced or legislated with a mere set of government programs.  Instead, it must reside in the hearts of our people, and cultivated in the heart of our culture, and nurtured in the hearts of our children."

 (Yeah, like the sermons of Jeremiah Wright -- I'm sure they really nurtured patiotism in the hearts of the children.  Right.  (As in - The United States goverment injected AIDS in people and participated in terrorism like that of al Quada, just under a different flag.  And how rich white people are the cause of any and everything that has gone wrong in the world.)  Yeah, right.

And he goes on to say - "Too many children are ignorant of the sheer effort, the risks and sacrifices made by previous generations, to ensure that this country survived war and depression; through the great struggles for civil, and social, and worker’s rights.

"It is up to us, then, to teach them.  It is up to us to teach them that even though we have faced great challenges and made our share of mistakes, we have always been able to come together and make this nation stronger, and more prosperous, and more united, and more just."  

Well, give Jeremiah Wright and Pfleger a big gold star for that one!  Not.  

 More - "It is up to us to teach them that America has been a force for good in the world, and that other nations and other people have looked to us as the last, best hope of Earth."  

Well, yes, it is but all I heard was the opposite coming from the Trinity United Church's pulpit  and that is a big deal to me and lots of others as well.

And, oh, Lord, here we go again, he invokes the names of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and the  "most famous son of Independence, Harry S. Truman",  (D) who dropped the atom bomb on Japan.  Rightly or wrongly.

"That is why our heart swells with pride at the sight of our flag; why we shed a tear as the lonely notes of Taps sound."

And ending with :

"That is the liberty we defend – the liberty of each of us to pursue our own dreams.  That is the equality we seek – not an equality of results, but the chance of every single one of us to make it if we try.  That is the community we strive to build – one in which we trust in this sometimes messy democracy of ours, one in which we continue to insist that there is nothing we cannot do when we put our mind to it, one in which we see ourselves as part of a larger story, our own fates wrapped up in the fates of those who share allegiance to America’s happy and singular creed.

"Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

 http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/06/text-of-obamas-speech-from-independence/

Maybe I'll start saying "I love" and "Have a good".

Words aren't really adequate, but...

Thanks to all you men and women who have served or are serving. Without you we would not have what we have today.

God Bless you all!

US Marines, 24th Expeditionary Unit - Afghanistan - taking shelter from a sandstorm

I will add this because it is appropriate to thank Vets for giving us a country where we can do amazing things.

Historic pictures sent from Mars

God chose Moses his loyal servant to write God's book - the Torah (also known as the Holy Bible).  Even though Moses wrote the Torah, each word was written from God's mouth.  God spoke and Moses wrote.  Moses was and always will be the most trusted prophet to God, therefore God chose Moses to be his hand in writing the Torah.  Preventing any doubts, God decided to appear in Mount Sinai and have millions of people hear while God speaks to Moses the Ten Commandments.   There has never been such an event in history, nor will there ever be.  God made it crystal-clear to all, that Moses is God's most trusted servant.  God rewarded Moses for writing the Torah exactly the way God told him, by naming God's Torah after Moses's name - Torat Moshe (the Torah of Moses).

The word Torah can be defined as 'the way of life'.  In the Torah, the following are stated: God's will from all his creations, his commandments to us and also the path to peace and harmony.  Having a letter in God's  Torah is the good deed which merits you the blessing you need.  For more information and to have a letter written on your behalf visit http://www.TorahForever.net.

muku ni ikiru tame ni furimukazu
senaka mukete satteshimau
on the lonely rail

watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless…

todokete atsuku naru omoi wa
genjitsu tokashite samayou
aitai kimochi ni riyuu wa nai
anata e afuredasu Lovin’ you

semete utsukushii yume dake wo
egakinagara oikakeyou
for your lonely heart

yamete uso wa anata rashikunai yo
me wo mite kore kara no koto wo hanasou
watashi kakugo shiteru
kurai mirai datte
tsuyoku natte unmei kaerareru kamo ne
my wish kanaetai noni
subete wa God knows…

anata ga ite watashi ga ite
hoka no hito wa kieteshimatta
awai yume no utsukushisa wo egakinagara
kizuato nazoru

dakara watashi tsuiteiku yo
donna tsurai sekai no yami no naka de sae
kitto anata wa kagayaite
koeru mirai no hate
yowasa yue ni tamashii kowasarenu you ni
my way kasanaru yo
ima futari ni God bless…

♪——————————————————————–♪
渇いた心で駆け抜ける
ごめんね何もできなくて
痛みを分かち合うことさえ
あなたは許してくれない

無垢に生きるため振り向かず
背中向けて　去ってしまう
on the lonely rail

私ついていくよ
どんな辛い世界の闇の中でさえ
きっとあなたは輝いて
超える未来の果て
弱さ故に魂こわされぬように
my way 重なるよ
いまふたりに　God bless...

届けて熱くなる想いは
現実溶かしてさまよう
会いたい気持ちに理由はない
あなたへあふれだす Lovin' you

せめて美しい夢だけを
描きながら　追いかけよう
for your lonely heart

やめて嘘はあなたらしくないよ
目を見てこれからのことを話そう
私覚悟してる
暗い未来だって
強くなって運命変えられるかもね
my wish かなえたいのに
すべては　God knows...

あなたがいて　わたしがいて
ほかのひとは消えたしまった
淡い夢の美しさを描きながら
傷跡なぞる

だから私ついていくよ
どんな辛い世界の闇の中でさえ
きっとあなたは輝いて
超える未来の果て
弱さ故に魂こわされぬように
my way 重なるよ
いまふたりに　God bless...

♪——————————————————————–♪

I run past others with a parched heart.
Sorry, I can't do anything.
You won't even let me
Share our pain together.

To live on without tarnish,
I face your back and head out without looking back
on the lonely rail

This warming affection that reaches me,
It melts my reality and roams my heart.
I don't need a reason for wanting to meet you,
Just my overflowing feelings, Lovin' you

For now, let's paint a beautiful dream
And chase after
for your lonely heart

Stop it, it's not like you to lie.
Look at my eyes and let's talk about our future.
I am prepared,
Even if the future is bleak,
I might be able to change destiny if I become stronger.
But for my wish to come true,
Everything is God knows...

You are here, I am here.
Everyone else has disappeared.
While we paint the beauty of this fleeting dream,
We trace out the lines of our scars.

That's why I will follow you.
No matter how agonizing the world is,
You will shine even in its darkest corners.
Cross over the end of the future,
My weakness will not shatter my spirit.
my way is overlapping with yours.
For the two of us, God bless...

All girls are so strongly influenced by their fathers. In my case, I married a dear sweet version of my brother. And today my father, John Y. Barry, died. I'll comment on it more later. This weekend I am introspective. He is why I love to receive Pink Roses. For my 16th birthday, he sent me a dozen pink roses to me at school. I received them in the administrative offices. I felt like A PRINCESS. To this day, when men give me beautiful roses, I feel like A PRINCESS! Don't you? Shouldn't every woman? God bless and God speed. April Braswell

'DUEL' belum selesai. Raden Haji (RH) Oma Irama mengadukan sebuah tabloid ke polisi. Tuduhannya, mencemarkan nama baik, menyebar fitnah, melakukan perbuatan tidak menyenangkan.

Gara-garanya, tabloid itu memberitakan bahwa Oma kepergok sekamar berdua dengan Angel, semalam suntuk sampai menjelang subuh. Angel adalah lawan mainnya dalam film yang sedang ia garap, Ibnu Sabil.

Baik Oma maupun Angel tentu saja menolak berita yang menurut mereka insinuatif itu. Oma bilang, ia datang ke apartemen --bukan kamar-- tempat tinggal Angel untuk mengambil naskah skenario yang tertinggal di sana. Angel bertutur ia belajar mengaji.

Apa yang mereka lakukan sesungguhnya? Hanya mereka yang tahu. Orang tak perlu usil mengusik dan mengintip-intip apa yang mereka perbincangkan --kalau pun memang sekadar berbincang. Orang juga tak perlu nyinyir menyoal bahwa pasangan bukan muhrim itu berada di ruang yang sama untuk kurun yang begitu panjang, malam sampai subuh.

Ketika ada kabar Oma sedang berduaan di tempat tinggal Angel, kontan saja pers memburunya. Dan, kabar itu pun meledak, menjalar-jalar di setiap tayangan infotainment televisi swasta, dan jadi sajian utama media-media cetak yang haus sensasi.

Ternyata cerita ke arah 'pengungkapan' skandal Apartemen Semanggi itu juga berlika-liku, persis mirip opera sabun colek produksi rumah produksi lokal. Konon, kehadiran wartawan di apartemen itu atas info Pangky Suwito, yang juga tinggal di apartemen yang sama.

Pangky adalah suami Yatie Octavia, aktris sensual pada masanya (tahun 1970-an) dan pernah jadi lawan main dalam film produksi PT Rhoma Film, yang disutradarai sekaligus diperanutamai Oma sendiri. Konon pula, Oma pernah naksir Yatie, sebagaimana ia menaksir --dan kemudian memperistri- Ricca Rachim, juga pasangan mainnya dalam film.

Begitulah, Oma pun perang mulut dengan Pangky-Yatie, kemudian 'duel' tuntutan dengan tabloid tadi. Disebut duel, ya karena memang ini perseteruan langsung antara dua pihak. Berhadap-hadapan. Oma di satu kubu, dan pihak lain di kubu seberang.

Di mata Oma, apa yang menimpanya hari-hari itu, adalah sebuah upaya sistematis untuk memojokkan dia yang sedang gencar memerangi apa yang disebutnya sebagai melawan pornografi dan pornoaksi. Sebuah gerakan moral di tengah arus permisifisme yang kian menggejolak.

Apa pun namanya, tahap-tahap peristiwa yang kemudian diliput luas media massa itu telah membuat Oma kembali jadi pembicaraan banyak orang. Selama pekan-pekan kemarin para penggemarnya bisa memuaskan kerinduan mereka pada Satria Bergitar ini karena hampir saban hari Oma terlihat di layar televisi.

Di luar itu semua, Oma tetaplah Oma. Keberadaannya di tengah realitas kekinian, sebagai tokoh publik --dan karena itu segala tindak-tanduknya jadi perhatian-- pun berangkat dari fenomena yang berkembang, diperkembangkan, dan memperkembangkan dirinya, bersamaan dengan kiprahnya di dunia musik.

Keberadaannya di pentas musik nasional yang hingga kini tampaknya belum tergantikan siapa pun itu, juga dilaluinya dengan duel sungguhan yang menandai sejarah musik negeri ini.

Dangdut. Ya, dangdut --bermula dari istilah sinis dan mengejek untuk irama musik Melayu yang menggelitik-- kini bisa dibilang merajai musik di berbagai lapisan masyarakat di tanah air. Dulu, "Dangdut itu musik tahi kucing!" pekik seorang rocker saat itu (pertengahan 1970-an).

Kalau tak salah, yang menghujat musik Oma itu adalah pentolan Giant Step, grup rock ternama dari Bandung. Boleh jadi, Giant Step pun rocker sejati made-in republik. Sebab grup inilah yang pertama kali berani manggung dengan lagu-lagu rock gubahan sendiri ketika publik musik rock didemami Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin dan Rolling Stone.

Polemik yang disulut 'tahi kucing!' itu akhirnya berpuncak pada dialog yang memperhadapkan Benny Soebardja, pentolan Giant Step dengan Oma Irama, komandan Soneta.

Dan, polemik itu berpuncak di Senayan dalam sebuah duel sungguhan antara dua kelompok musik. Saat itu tahun 1979. Inilah sesengguhnya duel maut pertama dalam pentas musik kita, dan hingga kini mungkin belum tertandingi.

Itu terjadi di Istana Olahraga (Istora) --kini Gelora Bung Karno-- 24 tahun silam. Berdiri di satu sisi adalah God Bless, dengan Achmad Albar sebagai komandan. Di kubu berlawanan, tegaklah Oma Irama memimpin pasukan Orkes Melayu-nya, Soneta.

Seingat saya, ini duel paling spektakuler di ujung dekade itu, sekaligus sebagai puncak perseteruan panas dan tajam lewat polemik yang meluas di antara para seniman. Di situ pula revolusi musik dangdut di tanah air mencapai titik ledak, dan virusnya menjalar serta mendemami hampir setiap orang hingga saat ini.

Kini, rasa-rasanya tak satu pun orang Indonesia tak kenal dangdut. "Sejak rapat‑rapat raksasa di masa Demokrasi Terpimpin, acara panggung yang paling banyak dibanjiri massa adalah panggung Oma Irama," tulis William H Frederick, doktor sosiologi Universitas Ohio, AS, yang pada 1980-an meneliti Oma dan fenomenanya.

"Kemampuannya" mengundang massa itu pula yang kemudian membuat Oma jadi rebutan partai politik, sampai kemudian ia jadi anggota parlemen. Ia juga loncat dari PPP ke Golkar dan balik lagi ke PPP, ketika angin perubahan mulai terasa.

Kini, ia lebih sering tampil sebagai juru dakwah. Jemarinya hampir tak pernah lepas menggenggam tasbih. Kata-katanya pun selalu sarat dengan idiom, istilah, dan pesan-pesan agama. Boleh jadi, ini pula yang membuat orang-orang jadi penasaran, sehingga apa pun gerak-geriknya selalu diperhatikan dan diincar.

Orang bilang, makin tinggi pohon tumbuh, kian kencang angin menerpa. Begitulah. ***

Bandung, 260503

SEJAK Sabtu sampai Selasa 22-26 Maret 2008 ratusan orang, laki perempuan, dan hampir seluruhnya kawula muda, antre mengikuti audisi Kontes Dangdut Indonesia (KDI). Heboh abis!! Suasana Hotel Victoria di tepi Sungai Martapura Banjarmasin, ibarat sedang terkena demam hebat. Demam dangdut.

Konon di kota-kota lain juga terjadi hal serupa manakala berlangsung audisi KDI, sebagaimana pula gegap gempitanya audisi Indonesian Idol yang -- entah kenapa-- seolah-olah membuat Indonesia jadi bagian dari Amerika.

Dangdut memang sudah jadi arus musik "asli Indonesia" yang menjangkau hampir semua lapisan dan strata warga di tanah air. Itu sebabnya, meski dari segi mobilisasi massa sedikit berada di bawah Indonesian Idol, namun KDI --yang sudah memasuki tahun ke lima-- terasa lebih "mempribumi".

Dangdut nmusik pribumi? Ya, dangdut ‑‑bermula dari istilah sinis dan mengejek untuk irama musik Melayu yang menggelitik‑‑ kini bisa dibilang merajai musik di berbagai lapisan masyarakat di tanah air.

Dulu, "Dangdut itu musik tahi kucing!" pekik seorang rocker saat itu (pertengahan 1970‑an). Kalau tak salah, yang menghujat musik Oma itu adalah pentolan Giant Step, grup rock ternama dari Bandung.

Boleh jadi, Giant Step pun rocker sejati made‑in republik. Sebab grup inilah yang pertama kali berani manggung dengan lagu‑lagu rock gubahan sendiri ketika publik musik rock didemami Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin dan Rolling Stone.

Polemik yang disulut 'tahi kucing!' itu akhirnya berpuncak pada dialog yang memperhadapkan Benny Soebardja, pentolan Giant Step dengan Oma Irama, komandan Soneta.

Dan, polemik itu berpuncak di Senayan dalam sebuah duel sungguhan antara dua kelompok musik. Saat itu tahun 1979. Inilah sesengguhnya duel maut pertama dalam pentas musik kita, dan hingga kini mungkin belum tertandingi.

Itu terjadi di Istana Olahraga (Istora) ‑‑kini Gelora Bung Karno‑‑ hampir 30 tahun silam. Berdiri di satu sisi adalah God Bless, dengan Achmad Albar sebagai komandan. Di kubu berlawanan, tegaklah Oma Irama memimpin pasukan Orkes Melayu‑nya, Soneta.

Ini duel paling spektakuler di ujung dekade itu, sekaligus sebagai puncak perseteruan panas dan tajam lewat polemik yang meluas di antara para seniman. Di situ pula revolusi musik dangdut di tanah air mencapai titik ledak, dan virusnya menjalar serta mendemami hampir setiap orang hingga saat ini, (http://curahbebas.wordpress.com).

Kini, rasa‑rasanya tak satu pun orang Indonesia tak kenal dangdut. "Sejak rapat‑rapat raksasa di masa Demokrasi Terpimpin, acara panggung yang paling banyak dibanjiri massa adalah panggung dangdut Oma Irama," tulis William H Frederick, doktor sosiologi Universitas Ohio, AS, yang pada 1980‑an meneliti Oma dan fenomenanya.

"Kemampuannya" mengundang massa itu pula yang kemudian membuat Oma jadi rebutan partai politik, sampai kemudian ia jadi anggota parlemen. Ia juga loncat dari PPP ke Golkar dan balik lagi ke PPP, ketika angin perubahan mulai terasa.

Kini, rasa-rasanya tak pernah ada acara hiburan yang tanpa dangdut. Mulai dari perhelatan khitanan di lorong kampung, hingga acara kaum elit di hotel berbintang. Mulai dari kedai karaoke di tepi-tepi jalan sekitar kawasan pertambangan di pedalaman, hingga resepsi pergantian petinggi negeri di republik ini. ***

"Kayapa Habar Sabarataan?"

BAGI dangdut mania pasti tak asing lagi dengan artis dangdut pendatang baru, Lita Lia di gelaran KDI 4 lalu. Dengan dangdut keroncong dan seriosanya, dia berhasil memukau pedangdut senior yang jadi juri KDI. Bahkan bintang muda KDI duta Banjarmasin masuk di jajaran 6 besar KDI 4.

Sekian lama tak muncul ke Kota Seribu Sungai, tiba-tiba saja Lita memberikan surprise dengan mengunjungi redaksi Banjarmasin Post bersama dua staf Media Relation TPI, Suska dan Pipit. Tak ayal, ketiganya disambut antusias meriah awak redaksi.

Dengan senyum khasnya dibalut baju terusan abu-abu, Lita menyapa pimpinan redaksi BPost, Yusran Pare, Umi Sriwahyuni, Harry Prihanto dan lainnya.

"Senang banget bisa ke Banjarmasin setelah setahun lebih di Jakarta dan Samarinda. Kayapa habar pian sabarataan, baik-baik aja kalo," sapanya kepada awak redaksi BPost dalam Bahasa Banjar.

Demikian halnya staf Media Relation TPI, Suska Dianingka. Menurutnya sagat terkesan dengan kerjasama bersama BPost sejak mulai digelar KDI di Banjarmasin, beberapa tahun lalu.

"Semoga kerjasama kita bisa berlanjut di masa mendatang," papar Suska sambil menikmati wadai Banjar yang katanya baru pertama kali ditemui di BPost.

Di sela-sela acara, Lita dan Suska menerima cinderamata berupa boneka Bekantan dan Kamus Bahasa Banjar. Tak ketinggalan koran kecil berbingkai yang jadi cinderamata khusus BPost. "Kok korannya cepat sekali jadi ya? Bagus banget," kata Lita dengan seang bercampur kaget.

Lita yang juga penyanyi kelahiran Samarinda, April 1988 tak hanya piawai membawakan tembang dangdut dengan gaya keroncong dan seriosanya lho. Pengagum Rita Sugiarto ini juga piawai menyanyikan lagu-lagu Banjar.

Seperti ditunjukkanya saat bertandang di koran terbesar di Kalimantan ini, Lita menyanyikan lagu Rita Sugiarto dan lagu Banjar dengan hebohnya. Bahkan, kalam melantunkan Lagu Banjar, Lita duet dengan awak redaksi, Martini. (ncu)

Selamat menikmati liburan panjang bagi yang plesir keluar kota, bagi yang tinggal di rumah saja tak usah terlalu bersedih hati. S'moga lagu God Bless ini bisa menghibur...

Hanya bilik bambu tempat tinggal kita
Tanpa hiasan, tanpa lukisan
Beratap jerami, beralaskan tanah
Namun semua ini punya kita
Memang semua ini milik kita, oo.. sendiri

Hanya alang alang pagar rumah kita
Tanya anyelir, tanpa melati
Oo.. hanya bunga bakung tumbuh di halaman
Namun semua itu punya kita
Memang semua itu milik kita

Lebih baik disini, rumah kita sendiri
Segala nikmat dan anugerah yang kuasa
Semuanya ada disini
Ouwo... rumah kita ouwo.. wo..

~{}~

Haruskah kita beranjak ke kota
yang penuh dengan tanya?

Lebih baik disini, rumah kita sendiri
Segala nikmat dan anugerah yang kuasa
Semuanya ada disini
Rumah kita

Lebih baik disini, rumah kita sendiri
Segala nikmat dan anugerah yang kuasa
Semuanya ada disini
Semuanya ada disini
Rumah kita...
Rumah kita... ada disini

Si hay algo que a muchos de los venezolanos nos gusta, es el Base Ball, especialmente el de Grandes Ligas. Ver a un compatriota como Bob Abreu en el MEJOR de todos los equipos de TODOS los tiempos y de todo el planeta es algo que nos debería llenar de orgullo.

Así, lo que vemos a otros venezolanos como el Papa, el Gocho, Kid Rod o el Guti Gutiérrez, hemos visto que a la altura del 7mo Inning se detiene el partido para dar lugar a una de las mejores composiciones de todos los tiempos. Si el Alma llanera es nuestro segundo himno nacional, este canto seria el primero en la Unión Americana, pues los babyes se aprenden el GOD BLESS AMERICA antes de aprenderse su himno nacional.

God Bless America – Kate Smith

El himno es obra de Irving Berlin, 1918

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains To the prairies,
To the ocean white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

God Bless the man to who I am married.  He went above and beyond the call of love and servant-hood.  In a bizarre twist of fate my er appointed doctor assumed I left the hospital early and I was with out care for two days in the hospital.  Greg had to hunt down a doctor to care for me. But before the "New Doctor" could care for me he had to get permission to be my Doctor from, brace yourself, my old doctor that abandoned me!   Just in case you ever wondered if this could really happen, it can!  I am also pretty sure Greg deserves combat pay for my hospital stay. Aside from the Doctor issue, the nurses turned my care over to him since I didn't have a doctor anyway, my elderly room-ate had privacy issues.  Serious privacy issues!  She developed a habit of crawling on top of her bed to remove her diaper before she hurled it across our room.  YES!  Eight Glorious Days of this!  He was so kind to her.  God Bless him.

 You know the one I’m talking about, the guy or girl that has to send you those awful,

“Forward this email to 600 other people in the next 6 seconds or your dick will fall off”.

 I fucking hate those; normally I just delete them and put that friend in my SPAM filter. But for some reason this email I just received has peaked my interest. I’m not really sure why… Take a look at it and see what you think.

 If I could sit on the porch with God, the first thing I would do is thank him for you....
Read the bottom and see how it works.

Click on the photo for a better look.

Try this! ... it really works.    If you take this e-mail and forward it to at least 5 people, including the person that sent it to you, a person will appear standing on this bridge          Let me know if you know the person?     OKAY!

Hmmmmm, all it takes is for me to forward this to five victims friends and I get to see who is in the picture. Is this person the same for everybody? Or does God specifically pick who I deserve to see. Well let’s find out…

Ok , hmmmmm, I pick you…. And you… oh this person is a sucker for this shit… I’ll send it to you … and you….and even you.

There, I have sent this email out to 5 or so people so now all I have to do is stare at the picture and see who is on the bridge……

Oh well God bless, there is someone in the picture….

Click on the photo for a better look.

 But wouldn’t the severed heads count as three people?  

source: http://hillaryclinton.com/news/speech/view/?id=5634

FAITH: Hillary's Remarks at Baptist Convention

Atlanta, GA - Good afternoon. This is, as every day is, the day that the lord hath made so let us rejoice and be glad in it. It is a great honor for me to be here with all of you today. I want to thank Dr. Shaw for his leadership; I want to thank Reverend Thurston for his, as well. Dr. T. DeWitt Smith Jr. for his stewardship and leadership and Dr. P.T Robertson. These four leaders, bringing people together today, deserve our appreciation and our prayers. It is a challenging but necessary endeavor.

I should begin by acknowledging that my husband is a Baptist and I have learned during our marriage from sitting around the kitchen table that Baptists have quite the tradition of disagreement. Bill and I have been talking and debating since we first met over thirty-five years ago. Sometimes the decibel level can rise, depending on the passion of the moment, but as you know, that is how we learn - by exploring our differences. By coming to understand that what we share is so much bigger than what separates us. That is how we come to a place of unity and that is what you are doing here, this week. I understand that this is only the second time that the four conventions have come together as one. You are here guided in the spirit of hope by the one who is faithful to us in all things.

As we gather today I am reminded of the scripture from Hebrew, which tells us, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who comes is faithful and let us consider how we may serve one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together - as some are in the habit of doing - but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching."

I grew up in a different faith tradition, as a Methodist. I know there is at least one bishop from my tradition here who came to show solidarity. I appreciate that. Much like all of you, I was taught from a very early age that my faith carried with it certain obligations. It was my youth minister who took us to see Dr. King preach about our responsibility to our fellow citizens. It was that famous sermon, staying awake though the revolution. It transformed my life as it did so many others who had the great honor to hear directly from Dr. King the calling to be more than on our own, any of us could be.

I have been a praying person, luckily, my entire life. I’m often asked whether or not I am. I am quick to tell people that I was raised by parents who were prayerful and by a church that guided me but had I not been a praying person, one week in the White House would’ve turned me into a praying person.

Everyday I try to act on the lessons of my faith, to reach that higher place. Yet, so often, like all of us, I fall short. But each new day, I keep striving and praying to work harder, to correct my imperfections, to improve on the day before and on the day before that. That's what I've tried to do in my personal life but also in every aspect of my public life. That’s how I try to go about the work of breaking barriers and expanding opportunities. Work that I, myself have benefited from throughout my life. That is how I practice my faith. I’m living by the scripture that says we are all members of God’s household. That we are called, not asked, not urged, not requested, nor ordered, but called to love one another as Jesus has loved us.

Now, I’m not talking about love that comes easy. I'm not talking about the greeting card kind of love. I’m talking about the kind of love that is hard. The deeper, more powerful love in Corinthians that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I’m talking about the kind of love that we have seen in action. The love that fills the heart of my friend, Congressman John Lewis, a man that lead the march in Selma that ended with tear gas, hoses and the crack of the nightstick against his skull as he knelt down to pray. As he knelt down the pray, that nightstick came up and down on a praying man’s head. That was just one of the many times John was attacked on his journey for justice. But those of us know John Lewis know that he doesn’t harbor hate in any fiber of his being. That’s the kind of love I’m talking about.

I’m talking about the love that fills the heart of President Nelson Mandela. I’ve had the honor of getting to know him over the years and I attended his inauguration. I will never forget how he stood up on that stage and said how proud he was to welcome all of the dignitaries in attendance, but there were three people he especially wanted to welcome. Then he asked three of his jailers from Robin Island to stand. After twenty-seven years in prison at hard labor, he invited them to share that day. He later told me that, "I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison." That’s the kind of love I’m talking about.

Our faith calls us to do what is hard, to give voice to the voiceless, to lift up the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick. But for the past seven years, our leaders have gotten wrong. They’ve gotten it upside down and backwards.

They have given corporate tax breaks to Wall Street and then cut Head Start, child care and drop out prevention. They have lifted up the drug and insurance companies, but vetoed health care for millions of children in need. They have given tax breaks to the oil companies but cut off home heating assistance for our seniors this winter. They have waged a war in Iraq that has taken more than 3,900 of our sons and daughters. But they also regret the poverty, the disease and violence that afflict our brothers and sisters here at home and around the world.

Every day you perform good work rooted in the values of our faith. Isn’t it a shame when we have leaders that talk a lot about values, but then go and do exactly the opposite in betrayal of those same values. It reminds me of what the writer, Elie Wiesel, once observed: The opposite of love is not hate; it is indifference. And for the past seven years, that’s what we have seen in Washington, an epidemic of indifference. A collective turning of our government’s back on the least among us. It is in every way possible the opposite of love.

When our children attend schools that are separate and unequal in the 21st century, when anyone votes on a broken machine and their vote isn’t counted, that is the opposite of love. When we see nooses hung in a school yard, when the screams of Selma and Montgomery are clouded by the nightmare of Katrina and Rita, that is the opposite of love. When some members of God’s household have every advantage while others are shut out of the circle of opportunity, that is the opposite of love.

While we may have an income gap and a health gap, and an achievement gap, there is one thing we don’t have - a potential gap. It is time we gave every single child in this country the chance to live up to his or her God-given ability and potential. That is what I have strived to do for 35 years. With your help we will continue to make that real.

It is time to reach out and embrace those of the margin and in the shadows. To usher them back to speech at the table in God’s household. To ensure that their voices are once again heard in this country. Too many of our fellow citizens feel invisible. They come to up to me, as a woman did today in Little Rock, and said, Senator, what am I to do? I can’t get the cancer treatment for my chemotherapy anymore-- I can’t afford it and they won’t pay for it. It’s keeping me alive and now I don’t know where to turn.

Or the man who stopped me the other day in New York and said, I’m about to lose my job. I’ve got two children to send to college. Where will I get the help? People feel like their deepest concerns, their love of their families, can no longer any matter to those in the highest positions of power.

Scripture tells us we cannot just be ‘hearers’ of the word we must be ‘doers’. We are told that faith without works is dead. I have lived long enough by now to know that works without faith is just too hard. If you cannot dip into that righteous stream and replenish your soul, it is overwhelming, isn’t it. As I look at the work yet to be finished, I believe we are all called upon to be both hearers and doers. We are called to face the inaction, to deliver real solutions to the real problems that our people are facing. That is the affirmation of our love.

I often taught a Sunday School class when I was in Arkansas, and we talked and talked a lot about loving ones neighbor as oneself. I was struck by how absolutely brilliant Jesus was. We really can’t love someone if we don’t love ourselves, can we. If we don’t believe in and have respect for this great gift we have been given, it’s hard to reach out and love someone, a neighbor, a friend. Then of course to be called upon to love ones enemy seems totally unrealistic in the world we live in. It’s hard enough getting through the day. But it is what we are called to do. We have to put that calling into action, not only in our individual lives but throughout our society.

Let us think about the solutions we can bring about, to give our people hope, but more than hope, results. The tangible evidence that they are no longer invisible, but that their needs, their hurts, their wants, are being tended to. When I say solutions, I mean expanding the earned income tax credit and tying the minimum wage to the congressional wage so that Congress cannot get a raise until the American people do-- especially those who do the hardest work, every day.

I mean investing in clean renewable energy and creating create green collar jobs right here in Atlanta and across America. Jobs that cannot be outsourced, jobs that we can train our young people to do, jobs that will move our dependence on foreign oil and give us a chance to give our economy, our environment, our security once again under America’s control. I believe we need to make it abundantly clear that no one that works full time in America should bring home a wage that keeps that person and his family below the poverty line.

Anybody willing to work a fulltime job should have accommodation of income and benefits that lifts them up. That’s how we build a strong middle class. When I say solutions I mean tuition tax credits, to open the doors of higher education, more grants, more opportunities for national service so that students can earn money to go to college.

When I say solutions, I mean tax credits to open the doors of higher education. More Pell grants, more opportunities for national service so that students can earn money to go to college. I mean doubling the funding for historically black colleges and universities like Morehouse and Spelman and Clark Atlanta right here. These have been a bridge to the middle class for generations of young people. That bridge has a sign on it: "You can not enter if you don’t have the money." That isn’t the way it used to be. Some of us are old enough to remember as I am. I got a loan from the federal government when I went to law school. It was about 2% interest so when I graduated I wanted to go work for the Children’s Defense Fund and work for Marian Wright Edelman. I didn’t want to go to work for a big law firm. I wanted to defend the abused and neglected kids, the kids in the foster care system, the kids without health care and education. But if I had been graduating with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt, I’m not sure I could have done that.

We need also to offer to young people who graduate with debt the opportunity to do a public service job like teaching or nursing or law enforcement and let them pay off their loans over time so they don’t become an indentured servant to these student loan companies that hold them in the thrall of predatory interest rates. Opening the doors of college is not only good for the young people who walk across that bridge, it is essential for the future of our country.

When I say solutions I mean health care for everyone - no exceptions, no excuses - every man, woman, and child to have quality affordable health care because that's the only way we can close the infant mortality gap, close the life expectancy cap, ensure that people get the primary care from a doctor not from an emergency room.

When I say solutions I mean fixing this housing crisis because a house is more than just your greatest source of wealth. It’s the center of your family, it’s where you make memories and develop relationships. No one should take that away from you because of the subprime abusive practices that so many mortgage lenders engage in without any supervision or oversight from the federal government. We’ve got to have a moratorium on home foreclosures for ninety days so we can help people stay in their homes. And let’s freeze those interest rates for five years so they don’t keep going up and forcing more and more people into debt, into foreclosure.

And let’s put a cap on the interest rates that credit card companies can charge and tell them they’ve got to start explaining to people in big print, not little print, what the terms and conditions are. No one should force you into an ocean of debt because your health care costs are going up, your education and energy costs are going up, but your wages aren’t.

The average American family has lost $1,000 in income in the last seven years. African American families have lost $2,600. Contrast that with what happened during the nineties when the typical family, including African American families, saw a rise of $7,000 in their income and more people lifted out of poverty than in any time in our countries recent history.

We know how to turn this around but we have to come together to seek common ground wherever possible and to stand our ground whenever necessary.

And if we truly love our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, then we will end this war in Iraq that has claimed so many of their lives and injured tens of thousands of them.

And we will care for them when they came home, because I believe if you serve our country, our country should serve you. And you should get the health care, the compensation, the jobs that you deserve. Every day in America hundreds of thousands of our veterans are homeless, are jobless, are being turned away from treatment and health care because there’s no space for them. I think we’ve got to do everything we can to make it clear that we will tend to our veterans starting with our youngest veterans with a 21st century G.I. Bill of Rights for money for college, and home ownership, and a business, all the way back to our oldest veterans. Let’s pay particular attention to the Vietnam veterans who fought and served during that conflict who did not get the help and the services that they had earned. And we will restore our moral leadership in the world to ensure that we never fight a war like this again.

Will all of this be easy? Of course not. Will we get it done all at once? No, but we will make our greatest efforts, just as all of you have done. That is at the heart of what brings you together - your work every day on the front lines of our communities addressing some of our most difficult challenges: poverty and hunger, HIV/AIDS and disease, disaster relief and so much more. It is a role that your churches have played throughout our nation’s history. Our churches have served as a bedrock of our community, a refuge in times of need, the heart of our great movement for justice. You cannot have the right kind of change without justice. Change happens whether we want it or not - that is a part of life. What we must be committed to is change with justice, change that makes a difference in the lives of every single American.

We know that we have a lot of work to do but I come before you with the hope that this great nation that we love, that has given all of us so much, whose struggles, trials and tribulations over the centuries have both broken hearts and inspired us, that we will once again begin acting like Americans. There isn’t anything our nation can’t do to heal up the wounds that have been inflicted, make it possible for each and every person to again feel he or she counts. We can do this. We can lift up the spirits of those most in need. And our country deserves a president who rolls up his or her sleeves and joins you as a partner in that work. That is what I wish to do, to work with you to spur not just each other but all Americans towards love and good deeds and to renew the promise of this great nation.

Thank you and God bless America.

Di suatu hari,
Ku duduk sendiri,
Di pucuk cemara,
Ku termenung, kujilat angkasa...

Ini lagunya lagi yang bertajuk Trauma

Sepinya hidup dalam penjara,
Rasa sesal dan rasa bersalah...

Anda benar, itu lagu yang dipopulerkan oleh God Bless. Saya termasuk yang suka ngupingin lagu-lagu band yang mempopulerkan Semut-Semut Hitam ini.

Yah, suatu kejadian yang mungkin bisa merenggut Anda dari kehidupan. Kerja, keluarga, teman, dan semuanya. Pernahkan membayangkannya? Seperti halnya pentolan rocker kita yang menyanyikan lagu di atas. Sekarang dia tinggal dalam penjara, untuk sementara tidak bisa menjilati angkasa lg, tapi dia masih bisa merenung. Merenungi kealpaan yang telah diperbuatnya.

Mungkin dia ini terlalu lama hidup di Belanda, yang menurut kabar burung di sana menghirup marijuana tidak dilarang. Di Indonesia? Jelas suatu tindakan ilegal. Jadi ingat, hati-hati dalam berjalan dan menjalani kehidupan ini. Jangan karena menuruti kesenangan sesaat dan menempuh jalan pintas, kita terperosok ke dalam lubang hitam. Semoga kita semua terhindar dari lubang tersebut. Amien.

C5
semut-semut hitam yang berjalan
melintasi segala rintangan
C5
satu semboyan di dalam tujuan
cari makan lalu pulang

Am    A#               Am
yo.. ikut langkah yang terdepan
Am    A#          Am
yo.. ikut ke kiri ke kanan

G
semut-semut seirama
G
semut-semut yang senada
G
nyanyikan hymne bersama
G
makan ! makan ! makan !

reff:
C5
semut hitam 2x
Am     A#
ooo...
maju jalan ....

[int.] C

C5
semut-semut bagai sisa-sisa
toleransi peradaban dunia
C5
sementara yang katanya manusia
makhluk paling bijaksana

Am      A#         Am
oh .. halalkan segala cara
Am      A#        Am
oh .. menipu soal biasa

G
semut-semut menyaksikan
G
semut-semut mendengarkan
G
teriakan jerit makian
G
gila ! gila ! gila !

[int.] C5... Am A# C
C5... Am A#  D#5 D5 C5 A#5 A5 A#5 C5
C5 F5 C5 F5
C5 C5 F5 G#5 A#5 C5
C5 F5 G#5 A#5 C5...

C A#       F  G#
maju jalan kiri kanan...
C D#       G#  C#
maju jalan kiri kanan...

D#5 C#5 C5 A#5 G5 A#5 D5 C5, C...

Em
sejuta janjimu kota
C
menggoda wajah-wajah resah
D         G     D/F#     G
ada di sini dan ada di sana
C                 B7
menunggu di dalam tanya
C                 B7
menunggu di dalam tanya
Em
tanya

Bm   G D/F#          Em    D/F#  G
mengapa semua berkejaran dalam bising
Bm         G
mengapa oh mengapa
Am                  Bm
sejuta wajah engkau libatkan
C            A     D
dalam himpitan kegelisahan

E         Am         D    G
adakah hari esok makmur sentosa
D/F#  Bm            C   D Em
bagi wajah-wajah yang menghiba

Dm   C           G          F
Pahlawan berkata dengan air mata
Dm   C          G          A
Perjuanganku terbuang percuma
Dm  C         G         F
Keserakahan kini merajalela
Dm     C      G         A
S\'gala derita di mana-mana

Int: Dm F G Bb (2x)
Dm C Bb A G

Dm    C            G          F
Wahai tuan yang berwajah bijaksana
Dm   C    G           A
Ajar kami untuk berkarya
Dm   C          G        F
Perhatikan generasi kaum muda
Dm       C          G         A
Semangat empat lima kami percaya

[Int] Dm... (panjang)
Dm C G F
Dm C G A

[masuk kibor]
F A# A
Em A Bm C
F A# C Dm F G A

Dm  C         G            F
Ibu tertawa bagaikan orang gila
Dm   C      G           A
Anak dijual sangat murahnya
Dm    C        G           F
Harga diri dibuang asalkan harta
Dm       C       G  A
Setan tertawa gembira

Em

Em
Mereka lupa Tuhan ada
Em
Setan tertawa berpesta pora

A

A
Membawa lagu ia berkata
A                  C G A
Tambah kawan masuk neraka
A
Membawa lagu ia berkata
A                  C G Em
Tambah kawan masuk neraka

B
Hanya bilik bambu
E
Tempat tinggal kita
B                       F#
Tanpa hiasan tanpa lukisan
G#m
Beratap jerami
G
beralaskan tanah
B           E          F#
Namun semua itu punya kita
B            E          F#
Memang semua ini milik kita
B
sendiri

B
Hanya alang-alang
E
Pagar rumah kita
B                      F#
Tanpa anyelir tanpa melati
G#m
Hanya bunga bakung
G
tumbuh dihalaman
B           E          F#
Namun semua itu punya kita
B            E          F#
Memang semua ini milik kita

Reff :
B      E          F#
Lebih baik di sini
B           E     F#
Rumah kita sendiri
B        E     F#    D#             G#m
Segala nikmat dan anugerah yang kuasa
E                 B
Semuanya ada disini
E          B
Rumah kita

***Gitar***

E    B        F#
Haruskah kita beranjak kekota
E      B              F#   G#
yang penuh dengan tanya

Reff :
C#    F#         G#
Lebih baik di sini
C#        F#     G#
Rumah kita sendiri
C#       F#    G#         Fm        F#
Segala nikmat dan anugerah yang kuasa
F#                 C#
Semuanya ada disini
F#          C#
Rumah kita

Em
Ku kejar prestasi itu
Em
Seribu langkah ku paci
Em
(Cepat lari) ya aku lari…
Em
(Cepat lari)

Em
Tunggu ku tarik nafasku
Em
Ku basuh dulu wajah ini
Em
(Ayo lari) hei hei tunggu dulu
Em
(Ayo lari)

C            D   Em
Tak dapatkah sejenak
C          D   Em
Hentikan ambisimu
Am
Lihatlah peluhku
Bm
Tengoklah hatiku

Int: Em

Em
Seribu satu problema
Em
Menyesak di dalam dada
Em
(Apa itu) susu anakku
Em
(Apa itu)

Em
Tak kau hiraukan mereka
Em
Walau mereka… walau… walau… walau…
Em
(Walau apa) walaupun lapaar
Em
(Walau apa)

C         D    Em
Masih aku bertahan
C         D    Em
Walau aku paksakan
Am
Sampai batas waktu
Bm
Keadilan datang…

C D      G B        C D       G B
Oh… pikirkan… renungkan… pikirkan…
C              D          Em
Bilakah mereka semua kau pikirkan

Int: Em
Am D G C D/F# B
Am D G C B
C5 A5 D5 B5 C5... A5
Em...

Em
Tak kau hiraukan mereka
Em
Walau mereka… walau… walau… walau…
Em
(Walau apa) walau ku lapaar
Em
(Walau apa)

E B        C#m B      A B
Pikirkan… renungkan… pikirkan…
E B        C#m B
Pikirkan… renungkan…
C              D
bilakah mereka semua kau pikirkan…

Coda: Em B C Am E