The Knotted Scarf: Remembering the Passing of Elizabeth Edwards

Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Edwards passing. It's been somber for many of us, although I managed to stay busy. Likely Elizabeth would have preferred that I or anyone be productive than dwell on her death.

Still, it is time to pause a little and think about her.

I bet she would have been proud of Cate and Trevor's wedding. Courtesy of one of Cate's guests, Bill Spiegel, here's a link to a picture he snapped of Cate and Trevor cutting their wedding cake. Note: you must be a FB friend of EE's to view it. I was and still am.

The Elizabeth Edwards Foundation (EEF) website is seeing some legs.

Speaking of the EEF, CEO Cate Edwards put out a call on Elizabeth's Facebook wall for folks to share quotes or other thoughts. Iddybud posted a lovely poem by WS Merwin entitled "Rain Light". Nancy Anania, Elizabeth's sister, was open with her feelings when she posted, "My beautiful sister, you know how much I miss you." Yours truly posted a pic of Elizabeth and the two younger ones when Elizabeth was voted Role Mother of the Year by Glamour.

In another part of FB, Dem Debbi, a former JREG blogger, posted the pic of Elizabeth when she learned her cancer had returned and many of the DU'ers contributed money for dozens of pink roses (still my favorite pic, I remember posting it at the DU when the campaign sent it to me) in support of her continuing on in the 2008 campaign.

BW Readers, I also bring your attention to One America Rising, which wove a photo blog tribute to Elizabeth.

I will conclude with a couple of thoughts which may to tie these bloggers to the anniversary of her passing. One of them is by Cate Edwards, who penned an article that was published in Self magazine this afternoon:

There are things quintessentially Elizabeth that will always remind me of her. Some of them are grating (a constant flow of grammatical corrections). Some of them gracious (the constant claim that friends and family--not herself--are to thank for her own strength). Some of them are ill-advised (putting together meals comprised only of 100-calorie snacks). Some of them are good advice (to put together the biggest dream you can for yourself, then go one bigger). Some of them are passing (her idea to buy a bush hog and cut her own path in our backyard). Some of them are lasting (her idea to be herself, regardless, and forge her own path in life). But every Momism that I took for granted during her life has served as a welcome reminder of her every single day during the last year. Some days they make me smile or laugh out loud. Some days they are more burdened with the sadness of losing her. And while I hope that the former overtake the latter as the years roll on, I am glad to know that a year will never pass-- or even a day--when my mom is not with me.

The other is by Elizabeth herself, from Saving Graces. The context is a scarf she received from Christine Lavin (one of my favorite folk singers)in the mail:

Christine had taken it on her tour and had asked the women in the audience to make a little knot tie or knit a little. ...That scarf was everything I believed in. It was a gesture--not a difficult gesture--but a thoughtful one. ...It was pulling people in because you do believe in the grace a community gives each of us. ...This scarf is Christine's gift at the same time that it is the gift of all of those women whose names I will never know. And it is, also at the same time, something I can literally can wrap myself and something I can figuratively myself,, this huge community of people, spread out among the towns she toured--people who were pulling for me and who believed in the strength of that tiny knot they tied." (pages 333-4).

Indeed we were all part of her fabric. And she of ours.

Happy Saturday

Good morning, BW readers. I haven't given you much to read lately. Let's catch up for a few with your favorite AM beverage.

Frankly, I've been working a lot, still trying to do things around the house, taking care of the pooties. One of them is Benny, whom this site is named after. He's funny and just likes to either sleep, eat, or have fun.

In the news this past week that caught my attention:

More stupid pet tricks/comments by money hungryGrizzly Mom, Sarah Palin. The Young Turks discovered this gem of one of her comments, regarding the WH and what it would do in protecting her against ethical allegations:

That's a good one: the Department of Law as a cabinet. Unfortunately for the Young Turks, they keep forgetting that half of the yahoos in Texas wouldn't know any differently from her comment. I think she actually knows there isn't a Dept of Law in the Executive Branch, but she plays to the lowest common denomination, which means any ill-informed regular viewer of Fixed Noise--or perhaps worse--listeners of Rush Limbaugh. The Young Turks' rant is not going to be helpful when our own Democrats, such as Ben Nelson, won't even help the jobless with a little extra helping hand in an economic crisis. See the NYT article about how the uber wealthy were the ones spending--and now even they are watching their vaults more carefully. Geez, is it possible they may have to pay more taxes than their administrative assistants and clerks?

If Sarah Palin is the new heroine of the Tea Baggers, then the picture of billboard in Mason City, Iowa should be plastered on any ad over and over by the DNC come 2012. For some good analysis about the fallout from this controversial billboard, go to Bleeding Heartland. I have to agree with Desmoinesdem that Tea Baggers do not understand how our current President is far from being Mr. Government takeover.

Financial Reform was allegedly passed this week. My reaction after listening to Dean Baker on Countdown? Meh. Here's Baker's comment:

"While the reform bill does improve regulation in many ways, it does not fundamentally change the way Wall Street works. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and the rest will be doing business pretty much the same way the day after reform as they did the day before reform."

(this comment was repeated at TPM Cafe, which is where I got it)

But as always, Senator Jeff Merkley did manage to point out the silver linings in this press release:

“I am pleased that the final bill includes the Merkley-Levin amendment that will ban high-risk trading inside the banks and put an end to conflicts of interest, where giants like Goldman Sachs bet against the very securities they were selling to their customers. This provision will encourage banks to return to the days where their main focus was lending. I can’t thank Senator Carl Levin enough for his tireless work to ensure that our banks won’t engage in high-risk trading and put our entire financial system at risk.

“In addition, I’m pleased that the bill includes provisions I championed to end some of the most egregious mortgage practices that led to the housing crisis and cost millions of families their homes. The bill will ban steering payments, liar loans, and prepayment penalties and give Americans the transparency they deserve when purchasing their own home. It will also create a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dedicated to protecting consumers from financial tricks and traps, such as unfair overdraft fees and exploding interest rates. "

Senator Merkley adds though:

“Now, this bill will not solve every problem in our financial system, and from my perspective, could be stronger in significant ways. Regulators have been given an enormous amount of responsibility to implement the bill as intended. In order to ensure that they hold up their end of the bargain, Congress needs to conduct vigorous oversight of government regulators and our financial markets. "

I agree. So why is Treasury Secretary Geithner wanting to throw Elizabeth Warren under the bus in making her the Chief Oversight of Consumer Credit Protection?

If you want to see what else got left out of the bill, read Chris Bowers' rant at Open Left, as he was one of the New Progressive Fellows who worked on the bill.

And finally, the answer to Senator Inhofe's rhetorical question to Al Gore in at an Environmental hearing in 2007, "where is global warming when you need it?" Answer: when you don't need it. The News-Gazette (my hometown newspaper in Central Illinois) published a report in which U of Illinois scientists have been running models on greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on weather in the Midwest. Chicago could have a month or more of 100+ temp in the near future if we don't cut down on fossil fuel usage.

Time to check the leader board at the Open Championship, which is being played at St. Andrews, Scotland, and to run errands, amongst them, two weeks of recycling!

Happy Saturday, all.

Update: in taking in some recycling this morning, the Recycle Center was gone--or at least I thought it was until I saw a relocation sign on the gate. When I drove around the corner to it, I realized that it became a real drop-off place. The other place was always crowded, with sometimes having to wait to park, and often it took awhile to drive out.

This new facility can be driven in, and it's easier to bring your stuff closer to the bins. And for a change, there was space in each bin. Here's a photo I took with my smartphone:

Progress!

Another Maher New Rules Classic

Spot on with "I Want My Country Forward."

But, but, but: Greenwald Puts Greg Craig on the Hotseat on This Week

Elena Kagan's nomination to the SCOTUS was at the top of the list (or at least a close second to the BP disaster) of the Talking Heads Sunday this morning. I watched MTP and didn't find it very enlightening on the discussion about Ms. Kagan's nomination, especially when Sen Chuck Schumer couldn't really defend her except perhaps she's a New Yorker and he represents her as a constituent. When NBC News puts up the transcript, I'll link to it here.

The more animated conversation took place on ABC News' This Week, and I was very happy to see Glenn Greenwald (who is garnering more respect as real progressive/liberal and not being criticized for it by other journalists) represent a real ideological view, along with George Will and Ed Gillespie --Ed being the big ideologue from the Rethugs--(I bet Glenn had to wash hands immediately after having to sit next to him) and Greg Craig, a centrist/moderate who was an adviser to Obama recently. Mr. Craig asserted that Ms. Kagan was the most qualified nominee in his lifetime.

Greenwald repeated the reasons for his opposition, posited from last week and added that she would have to share a little more of her legal viewpoints. Mr. Craig tried to counterpoint by saying that Greenwald preferred a judicial nominee. Greenwald was allowed to do something very different from Democracy Now nor on Rachel Maddow's show, which was to ask directly to Mr. Craig to point out anything that would illuminate Ms. Kagan's views. Here's the Youtube, courtesy of Firedoglake:



Like Larry Lessig and other Kagan supporters, Mr. Craig failed to be able to point out any clues, but instead that repeated her resume. I think Greenwald nailed it when requested specific articles and Mr. Craig, who took a very defensive tone--instead of one of a healthy debate--she taught students, administered law professors (I guess he was trying to make a weak argument that administration of faculty is equal to law clerks??), but he failed by not being able to point out one solid article she had written in this past decade.

To follow other discussions, Firedoglake has one here, and at Salon, Greenwald has unedited portions of that roundtable up on his page.

Even George Will complemented Greenwald at the end for bringing the left to the debate, but in a thoughtful way. I guess the two hadn't met before.

One note that hasn't been pointed out: Ruth Bader Ginsburg also said very little about her views during her hearings, except about privacy. And she was criticized for not hiring more women and minorities, similar to this year's nominee. I guess many of the Obama supporters are hoping the same on this nominee, but as Greenwald would likely point out: Ginsburg came from the Appellate.

Congrats to Glenn Greenwald, blogger and now a budding talking head liberal on a traditional network news platform. Some of the bloggers at Open Left think this may be the only time we see Greenwald on the bobbleheads. I disagree. I think he harbored a lot of goodwill as he was intelligent, but calm, and was after facts, not just bomb throwing. Of course, one could say he was a grown-up at the table--for opposing this nominee without a lot more answers, but the difference between him and the GOP is still from a liberal perspective, not just to blow more hot air in the room.

A Welcome Rug: Got to Have Friends

Dear BW Readers,

This past week I was at a conference at Duke. While the first few days were the hottest on record and the pollen heaviest ever, springtime in the southland was splendid otherwise. I was treated to a walking tour in the Doris Duke gardens and dinner in its lodge. Many of the participants there are my personal friends I've known for years; felt comfortable.

Thursday night, a gentle rain fell in the area. It lasted several hours, but certainly did not deter me from any activities. On Friday morning, it was nippy (upper 40's--50's), but the sunshine awoke me to a beautiful day. I was looking forward to it albeit I would have to leave early in the afternoon to drive back to Champaign.

Fellow bloggers NCDem Amy and Bettync had e-mailed ahead to meet each other as both live within a hour of Duke and I was in town. I had met NCDem Amy before in person, but not Bettync. Amy and her spouse agreed to pick me up at my hotel, then we would meet Betty at the Red Window Warehouse outside of Carrboro as the store was having a sale. In addition to purusing the furnishings and furniture of the place, it was an opportunity to say hello to Red Window's proprietor, Elizabeth Anania Edwards.

The warehouse sale was housed in a former used tire store on Old Greensboro road. We drove past it, but in the midst, we recognized Elizabeth in the doorway. So we found the nearest driveway, turned around and turned into the gravel parking lot of the store. Amy went in first, giving Elizabeth a hug. Then I walked in, and Elizabeth recognized me as well. I said, "hello sweetie" as we hugged and she said "hello, how are you?" (And I asked, is it OK I call you sweetie?--"Sure")

Then Amy and I saw Betty. Betty was looking at a candle holder and said, "Benny?" I nodded. Then she said "Betty" and we hugged too.

We asked Elizabeth about the concept of her store and warehouse. Elizabeth explained that she enjoyed buying furniture and furnishings around High Point and was able to get many of the warehouse inventory at discount and was able to sale it to potential customers for wholesale or not much above. It was terrific that the profit meant enough to keep her business afloat but wanted to offer customers unique pieces at discounted rates. Much of the furniture was "distressed" to make it look antique, but many customers liked the textures. Indeed, the warehouse had many types of wardrobes, mirrors, as well as rugs.

We also met Elizabeth's sister, her niece, and her grand niece. Elizabeth's sister resembles her except she is a bit taller and has long darkish hair.

I bought a handcrafted rug (that you see at the beginning of the post) that I thought would be great for Mr. Benny's condo in Florida for when he moves. Elizabeth was unware that Mr. Benny was out of work and had looked for a job for over 6 months. She asked where he was moving and I said Florida. Then Betty was kind enough to tell Elizabeth he was moving to where she had given a speech not long ago--at Nova SE. Elizabeth quipped, "Oh that is a nice campus and everyone was so friendly!"

Elizabeth used a calculator to include tax with the price and wrote up all of the orders for us herself. She took credit cards and checks, but the credit card numbers were written down on a special form, which I thought was great in order to utilize low tech, be more approachable to the customer, and not worry about electronic transactions right away.

A funny moment. Amy was purchasing something and filling out one of those forms. She said she needed her reading glasses but didn't have them with her. Elizabeth had a pair on her head, and without missing a beat, handed Amy her glasses to use for better focus. Great timing and so down to earth!

Elizabeth treated all of her customers that way that morning --answering questions, acknowledging their needs, etc.

At one point, Amy mentioned that she (herself) wished that she had gotten into politics at an earlier age. Elizabeth's sister said Elizabeth would have been great at it too when she was younger, but Elizabeth was quick to point out that she grew up in the 60's when she was against the Establishment, so she was wary of politicians then. Touche!

For the most part, Elizabeth shied away from politics in our conversations back and forth in the group--understandable as she was wearing a business owner's hat. Instead, we talked about about Elizabeth's kids and how well they were doing. We found out Cate is working for a judge this year and thinking about private practice in the near future. Elizabeth's treatment is going along; she's adapting to some recent changes in medications.

No, we did not talk about John nor the Gold Dust Woman. Nor did we want to. Not an appropriate venue, and in our view, it's still a very private matter for them.

Elizabeth noticed I had lost some weight (at least when Amy pointed out that she almost didn't recognize me at first earlier that morning) and I was pleased to say I had lost 42 lbs since last anyone had seen me. Everyone beamed along with me.

Amy, Betty, Elizabeth, and I posed for a pic.



When we said good-bye, Elizabeth asked been curious for awhile as to how I came about being called Benny on the OAC/JRE08 blog or naming my blog Benny's World. I explained my story from 2004 from when John was running with John Kerry and I had 2 cats. One of them was from Massachusetts and was more of the personality of Kerry, but the other cat was named Benny. Benny reminded me more of Little Jack. She said, "it's great to know that you named your blog after your cat. " (As aside, Elizabeth is allergic to cats and I alluded to that point to her sister and Elizabeth in saying that I regret I could not have her visit my home, which she acknowledged, "oh yes, I am highly allergic to cats!")

As we were leaving, Elizabeth told me how proud she was of me. I replied, "you too." And a last comment to her, "And you hang in there, sister." One last tug on her left arm. She smiled.

What a classy lady.

The remaining 4 (Amy, Mr. Amy, Betty and I) went to lunch and caught up on the latest happenings of former Edwards supporters. We ate at Elmo's diner, but as many situations when we were volunteer bloggers, we had to go do other things. We also all agreed that the campaign's ideas moved Obama and Clinton from no campaign (it was all about them at first) at least to the middle, if a little more. And like my conference friends, I felt so comfortable with them too. Elizabeth made us feel comfortable too.

Too short of a visit. It was quality visiting though.

Elizabeth seems to be transitioning well; not at all being the politician's wife anymore. She's a mother, a sister, an aunt, a great aunt, an engagement speaker, and a business owner. And we have an opportunity to be a part of her transition as we continue to transition ourselves away from the campaigns.

A song for us all from Bette Midler, "Friends"--which reminded me of that experience altogether--from former politician to volunteers--some stayed or are now friends. That rug I bought symbolizes a welcoming one towards kindred spirits.




Next day--for Elizabeth, a woman who knows literature better than I ever would, but this quote resonated with me when I was in college, and it seems to describe you, as well:

One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield---Tennyson, "Ulysses"

EE and Mr. Benny: Nova SE

Many BW readers know that Mr. Benny has been out of work for awhile, and has been seeking employment in nearly any area of the country except Alaska, Hawaii, California, and New England.

He's about to sign on the dotted line at Nova Southeastern in a couple of weeks.

Now, here's an interesting thing: Elizabeth Edwards is speaking at Nova tomorrow night.

Planets not quite aligned yet, but man, is that coincidental or what?

O doesn't equate to FDR

My pal Montana Maven has a salient post over at FDL about our current administration which shies away from liberal positions, even if they try to sell them (then back away, using the moniker "they make me do it).

From FDL:

Liberals, who I like, from Mark Thompson on Sirius Left to Les Leopold invoke FDR and the idea that he told activists to "make him do it". Or that Martin Luther King made President Johnson do it. Ergo, it is our responsibility to push Obama. It smacks of a variation on the "personal responsibility" meme of Bill Cosby and shifts the attention away from the Obama administration and their responsibility. And is it even true?

FDR was a natural fighter (and so was Johnson) and became even more fierce with his ongoing battle with polio. He had the first female Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, and she was often the last person to leave after a cabinet meeting. Who is last now? Geithner and Gates? And quick, who is the secretary of labor?

FDR saw who the enemy was and it was Wall Street or as he said, "entrenched greed." Obama said in his state of the union that he wasn’t interested in punishing the banksters that brought the world economy down. He reinforced this on February 9, 2010 in is latest statement:

"I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free- market system."

But FDR was not only interested in punishing the Wall Street gamblers, he got laws passed to break their kneecaps.

Yeppers, Obama is afraid of the conservatives. FDR was mindful of other considerations, in which his wife was his conscience.

I'm wondering if Mrs. Obama thinks as ER about all of the windows to present to her husband. I hope so but I'm not so sure since she has two little ones to consider. My point is that while she tries to be somewhat like ER (the garden and a few things), ER's children were already raised.

What do you think about Obama compared to FDR as a sound progressive or liberal?

And please, do not bring up JRE's personal life on this thread but if you think his ideas could have been like FDR's, that's appropriate. Otherwise, this is not an intelligent discussion of ideas, which is what this thread is about. Let's discuss ideas!!!

Sure Miss this Politician

http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/02/john_edwards_vi.php

(Flash 8.0 required)

He was right then. Too bad his personal life was different from the politician I wanted in the WH.

Those ideas, likely EE's too, are still on the backburner.

Christmas Day Reflections

Good morning BW Readers,

It is nippy but our ground is whiteless. We had snow a few days ago, but the rain washed it away. That's OK, I enjoyed the little bit we had.

Last night, I attended a candlelight service at the UU church in town. I went to the 5:00 one in order to be back in time to make a regular dinner for Mr. Benny and myself. The service was very spiritual--as I anticipated--full of readings from the gospels, poems, a children's book, and of course, familiar Christmas hymns which we sung together. The songs brought tears to my eyes as I hadn't sung them in quite awhile, and they evoked memories of my mother singing songs with us when we were little. It was difficult for me to sing the First Noel as it was one of Momma's favorites next to "Silent Night."

I needed that spiritual fellowship at the 5:00 service rather than the 7:00 for another reason: Momma often called me by 7:30 on Xmas Eve, and I needed to console myself ahead in order to get on with our family dinner, knowing the phone call would not come. I needed to be emotionally available for Mr. Benny who has been feeling glum due to looking diligently for work for 3 months. On Tuesday, the best prospect for employment, after Mr. Benny had interviewed 3 weeks before, retracted the position. I had predicted that might happen, but Mr. Benny held out hope. Now, he has to work harder than ever as job pools in his field are shrinking.

The bright light of the night was getting a phone call from my JRE friends, Animal and Karen about the time my momma would have called. They got engaged. You can see the announcement here. The news lifted my spirits as I've known these two for 5 years, and they have been dating long distance for 3.5 years. I said that John and Elizabeth brought them together. They concurred.

This morning, Mr. Benny and I exchanged cards and DVDs. Simple, but what we wanted. I'm doing some slow food today: Peking Roast (cooked in Caribbean coffee), roasted potatoes, asparagus, a berry salad, and french bread. I'm going to try making an Apple Crisp from the South Beach desserts menu.

Next stop: Daily Kos to participate in the WGLB Presents Family Diary.

Happy Xmas all, i will add more later.

Pax.

Quick Dispatch from Kissimmee, FL

Hello BW readers,

It's been awhile since I've posted. Why? I've been on vacation for the past week. It's been beautiful in Central FL, which is where I'm staying. Been doing Disney stuff, also saw the launch of the last flight for the shuttle Atlantis. Most of my photos are on Facebook since they are mobile, and the computer I am on doesn't allow downloads, so I cannot display them here at the moment. I'll try to get those to my flickr account this evening, then repost them here.

Today Mr. Benny continued doing apps for his job searches, and I took the afternoon off, just relaxing by the pool. The temp was identical for the air and water; about 83 deg I would guess. The sunset was fabulous; it looked like a glimpse of Jupiter, fading into the sunset.

I'll try to post once more before I leave. Meantime, what's on your mind? The flailing Senate health insurance bill? Gitmo prisoners moving to Illinois? Obama's campaign playing Chicago politics with the 2008 Edwards campaign? or something else?

More buzz l8tr...

Call to Action for Democracy

Once in a while, I miss JRE's campaign for One America. I was so swept up in the cause of bridging the haves and have-nots, and creating a rising tide for all boats, especially the working poor and the middle class.

This afternoon, Mr. Benny and I went to see Michael Moore's latest film Capitalism: A Love Story. And with its overall populist tone, I felt as though I were back in time being a volunteer monitor for JRE's blog for a couple of hours.

Michael Moore grew up believing that capitalism was supposed to be a rising tide too for all boats. If one worked hard, received decent wages, got a good pension, and received health care for little or as part of the benefits package, then we were living the American dream. As Moore puts it, "if capitalism was like that when I grew up, I was all for it. " That's what I believed too growing up.

Moore smacks the Clinton and Bush Administrations equally for the repeal of the Glass-Stegall Act and the abuses thereof, although Moore could have made a better tie with explaining Glass-Stegall first if he was trying to make comparisons with the FDR era in certain respects. In fact Moore doesn't really mention the name of the act, perhaps recognizing that many of his fans may not know the name of it, and perhaps didn't think it to be as important. However, Moore rightfully admonishes Ronald Reagan for commencing the dismantling the unions, deregulating S & L's, and for being the poster man of Corporate America/Wall Street taking control. Moreover, Moore doesn't let off Congress either for taking gifts and giving so much power away to Wall Street either for the past 20 years, doing nothing to make the CEO's of the manufacturing sector accountable for their short-term shareholder outlooks.

As with any Michael Moore film, some new unseemly corporate practices are revealed and are shocking. I'm a business librarian by trade, and I wasn't aware of some of those practices. To me they are unethical, but as Moore points out, they aren't illegal either. I think they should be and I think Moore would like us to push for more watchdogs.

The title of the movie is somewhat a double entendre, whereby many of the financial services folks, such as Bernie Madoff and the CEO's of many banks, were so into predatory lending practices and derivatives that they got lost. One VIP lending officer at Countrywide gave heavily discounted loan rates to many members of Congress (ie Chris Dodd, Kent Conrad, etc) and friends of the CEO. He believed he did nothing wrong, it was his job as instructed. Thus, he and the others didn't feel remorse. Borrowing from the last line of the 1969 movie Love Story, their work didn't merit "having to say you are sorry." Yet, they all should have.

Moore doesn't really advocate for socialism, communism, etc. Instead, he advocates to make our elected officials more accountable and to have more regulations on industries in which the service is invisible, difficult to understand. Likewise, CEO's can share the fruit of the labor as an alternative business model. One example was Avocado Street Bakery in California.

The most poignant aspect of the movie was the historical film sequence of FDR giving his State of the Union message on the radio, but having a film company film a certain part of it so that folks could see it on the movie screens (if I understood this correctly). The sequence moved me deeply, and that's when I wanted to be part of an One America movement again. It was exactly what JRE and EE talked about, and at least we know EE believes to this day.

This movie is funny and at times, will move you as I mentioned above. I think this is my favorite Moore flick, although I will always be fond of his first one, Roger and Me, maybe as this kind of returned to that sort of theme. Difference is making this more quickly with "heavy capital" producers (which is fine, Moore is not criticizing making a lot of profit, it's exploitation as an intent by companies thereof). In the credits, he mentions everyone, including researchers, etc. And he hired editors instead of attempting to do more of the work himself; he is exercising more vision.

Capitalism: A Love Story is a must see for all JRE, Dennis Kucinch, Bernie Sanders, Al Franken, Alan Grayson, and Jeff Merkley supporters. If one loves the true progressive blogs like Bleeding Heartland, JRE Movement Continues, Old Elm Tree, Docudharma, Montana Maven as well as the DU,Open Left, or Progressive Blue --this film will resonate as this is Moore's finest to date. His remedy is spot on: spreading wider the populist seeds and pushing for extended fruits of democracy but deeper in the bushes and trees, where it be in Congress, the White House (Mr. President that means you as well) or in the workplace. Following our POTUS's new Nobel Peace laureate and his call to action missive, this movie is timely.

Nobel Prize in Peace More about Hope

As we all know by now, President Barack Hussein Obama won the Nobel Prize for Peace. The committee liked his international outlook.

Obviously, this award was not about accomplishment, but more about being a world leader. It was also a smack down of Dubya.

Personally, I thought that Hillary Clinton should have shared this award with the President in this instance. She's been doing all of the ground work.

I also wished this would have happened next year. Oh well, one takes the victories when one can get them.

Ok Dems, pass health insurance reform. It's time. You've got a popular president.

Update: note from the POTUS himself:

Benny,

This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I'd been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.

That is why I've said that I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations and all peoples to confront the common challenges of the 21st century. These challenges won't all be met during my presidency, or even my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.

This award -- and the call to action that comes with it -- does not belong simply to me or my administration; it belongs to all people around the world who have fought for justice and for peace. And most of all, it belongs to you, the men and women of America, who have dared to hope and have worked so hard to make our world a little better.

So today we humbly recommit to the important work that we've begun together. I'm grateful that you've stood with me thus far, and I'm honored to continue our vital work in the years to come.


Good response, Mr. President.

Still Miss You, Momma

Short post on BW. Today was the 6th month anniversary of my momma's passing. I was busy most of the day and I knew I would be. A good thing, but it doesn't mean that I missed her any less. It means that I'm still grieving, but working through the stages of grief as I go along.

One thing I know is that she would have been so disappointed to hear BS about bloggers and the accusations about EE being pseudonymous with the alias "Cherubim", I invite any of those folks to come here.

It appears Eugene Robinson quit circulating the NY Post rumors. Too bad I didn't keep those on my hard drive.

BW to Celebrate 5 years

Benny's World just turned 5 a few days ago. Here's the first post. I used to write more substantively then. Today, we're older, more relaxed.

We'll have a cake and open house for JRE-like (meaning policies, not personal lives) Dems soon.

This week, expect a special comment somewhere about the malicious comments coming against EE which I believe are unfounded. It's not as much about the comments is that there seems to be a perpetual silly season in which one former staffer's comments are more important to the media than EE's intelligent work or advocacy for health care reform, unless one is Keith Olberman or Rachel Maddow.

Stay tuned. Meantime, I'm certain the Edwardses prefer that the Panthers win over the Dallas Cowboys. It's a close contest, so may the best team win. Pokes ahead though 21-7, but the Panthers are still in this game. Meantime, my spouse thinks I'll have a sore throat from my passion in hollerin' for the Cowboys.

Rumors from Iowa

I heard a rumor today from two good Iowans that Roxanne Conlin may consider a bid for the Senate next year.

I met Roxanne in 2004 when she held a meet and greet in her office for JRE before he was to speak at the Iowa Dems Convention. She is a pootie (meaning she loves cats) person and rescues them. It was a great event, and it was the venue where I first met JRE--and many good people, such as Im4JRE, Nanny, etc. JRE got all of the Dems fired up at the convention. He became the VP candidate for John Kerry, which is what many of us wanted.

If she does decide to run, I will make a trip to Iowa to help her out as she is a true blue Dem. I'm sick of Republicans who don't care about our health care issues and are just flat out partisan for AIG types.

John Edwards Mentioned Positively in a New Poverty Book

A book called Breadline USA: The Hidden Scandal of American Hunger and How to Fix It was published in June. My institution bought a copy and I thumbed through it. Sure enough, on pages 156-7, JRE is mentioned twice.

The context is about pensions (and folks getting cheated out of them when companies declared bankruptcy) within a chapter entitled, "Elderly, Angry, and Looking for Work."

First quote:

"And while leading Democrats, such as ex-Senator John Edwards had long pushed for a reform of the bankruptcy process that better protected workers' pensions and prevented the executives of bankrupt companies from walking away with multimillion-dollar handouts, the Bush White House wasn't interested in such safeguards."

Second quote:

"During his campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, John Edwards claimed that from 2005 through early 2008 nearly two-thirds of US companies had frozen their pension plans, and one in five workers had actually seen reductions in the size of their eventual retirement benefits. This trends was a startling reversal of three quarters of a century of government policy aimed to shore up and protect the nation's pension systems."

The point here is that our elderly got ripped off and had to go to Wal-Mart or some where else to earn extra money.

http://tinyurl.com/ljtllx (link to Amazon copy)

You know, I bet this nonsense is still going on and no one is paying attention to it, even with a centrist administration.

I sure miss his voice. I think Earl Ofari Hutchinson did too when he penned his piece this week, "Poverty Is Still a Dirty Word."

If I had a Bell, I'd be Ringing it for Mary Travers

Mary Travers, a beloved member of the trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, passed on this afternoon. She was 72.

I know many of her generation, and those who inspired her, such as Pete Seeger, will miss her. I will miss her as a true "child" of the Sixties, hearing PPM peform great songs, including "Blowing in the Wind", "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff the Magic Dragon."

Along with Burl Ives, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, PPM's folk music became part of my fort, my interest in justice, and great harmonies of music.

The song I still remember the most, and perhaps it is because I saw them on teevee do this song, is "If I Had a Hammer." Here's the clip in honor of Mary Travers.




Mary, I hope you are in peace. May your family be well in amidst the sadness. My momma, who passed earlier this year, would be sad too if she were still alive, but she's not. She's been expecting Mary for a few weeks, if indeed there is such a "meeting" place.

Peace.

Bill Maher as Phil the Flag Guy

Priceless! Great snarks about the Republicans too, especially Joe Wilson. Best Line: The health care plan Joe Wilson doesn't like would get him the prozac he needs.

and here's "New Rules":



I have to agree the White House needs to get tougher with wingnuts.

Rove vs Dean Debate

Someone tipped me off that Karl Rove and Howard Dean were debating at DePauw University. I watched it on a live stream.

Howard's opening remarks were much better than Karl's about generational civic engagement.

(photo courtesy of DePauw U)

"Our generation is a partisan generation," Gov. Dean declared. "People have talked about the culture wars. We've spent a lot of time demonizing each other's side, that makes it very difficult. One of the extraordinary things about this new young generation is they're sick of it. The question I get most often from young people is, 'When can you guys stop fighting about this stuff you've been fighting about for 30 years and get something done about the things you can agree on?' And I think it's going to have to wait until this generation is fully empowered for that to happen."

Dean reminded them that as they voted more in 2008 than other generations in decades, it was up to them to continue the engagement.

Rove made a terrible joke about a mouse in the University President's pool, which made me realize that Rove was initially uncomfortable, but then he got into how important it was to get involved with the community, whether it is business development that creates jobs, volunteer work, or serving on a city commission. I did like that part of his opening remarks.

There were times I was surprised how much they agreed upon when it came to immigration issues, Afghanistan and to a certain extent border security. However when it came to the CIA and investigations about national security, Rove denied that Bush's administration ever tortured any one, but the advanced techniques (meaning waterboarding) were approved by the CIA, and he claimed that the ones being interrogated were told ahead they would not be killed and at that a doctor was always available. Hmm...have a little feeling Rove was acting like Cheney and not telling all of the truth there.

When it came to civil discourse, Rove went on and on about the First Amendment. Dean didn't quibble much here especially at town halls, as he said the one he attended with Jim Moran a few weeks ago was raucous, but fine with him. Rove went off on a rant about Scott Simon's interview recently of a novelist who wrote about having lunch somewhere and Rove (fictionally) was there. The writer said something about grabbing a knife, but valor got the best of her. Simon laughed at the humor. Rove apparently wrote NPR to tell thing it wasn't very funny to him. Dean's debuttal was about Lou Dobbs' remark about him "[H]e's a bloodsucking leftist -- I mean, you gotta put a stake through his heart to stop this guy". Rove did invoke a smile from Dean when he said "Never trust CNN."

Rove's wingnutty kicked in full force when it came to health care reform. He said he didn't want a government bureacrat making decisions about his health care. He repeated John McCain's idea of tax credits, etc. Dean smacked Rove pretty good, saying that he was tired of private insurance coming between him (as a doctor) and the patient. He also wanted insurance where you cannot take it away from you, it is called Medicare.

Here's the video clip:

Howard Dean on health care reform

Overall, I thought it was a lively debate, and while Rove was more snarky than Dean overall, I liked it.

To read more and see more video clips, go here.

Dean debates Gingrich on MTP on Sunday. That's more controlled by a Republican hack, but Dean can handle him any day of the week.

Walk With Me Thru This Day (JRE) about 9/11

From a breakfast in 2004, still one of my favorite speeches by JRE. Remember though this is not about JRE as much as ideals for our country. He had a fine speechwriter to help him put down these thoughts at the time. I happen to believe the speech is timeless.

Good morning. Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord's word to get us through. "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."
And let me show you how we are building and putting cedars in those three hallowed places—the footprints of the Towers, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania. Walk with me through this day and you will see that this is a season of hope.

For at this moment, just outside of New York, a mother laces up her daughter's shoes. And they are ready to start their long walk through this day. The daughter is two and a half. She can say his name, "Dad." She can point to his picture, but she does not know him.

On this day, they go to Central Park to remember with the other families. Then, they head downtown to place a flower where he died—the once tall tower where he left his first, last and only message addressed to her. And they return home still in their Sunday bests after a Saturday of sorrow.

So walk with me through this day.

Today, a town gathers in front of their church. It is a town where so many—53—were taken before their time. For a week after that September day, the Lord's doors were open. The Lord's doors were open for that hour of loneliness just before dawn. That night when the silence inside the house was too much to bear. And for that moment when just missing their wife, their husband and the love of their life was the greatest pain they'd ever known.

But today, they are there to ring a new church bell—a gift born out of their grief. They want it to ring from the bell tower to ensure that "sorrow and sighing shall flee away." That bell will toll for the souls gone home. It will toll for those who still weep. And it will toll for those who rejoice in life's great gifts.

Walk with me through this day.

And across our great river, the men and women who stood at their posts at the Pentagon; who helped rescue the wounded and carried the dying, and who still guard their post at this moment will pause in a sea of stone and valor. They will lay a wreath. They will pray onward soldier you answered your calling here but your work is not done in the Lord's house. And they will pray for those whose wounds have not healed—the burns that cause them great pain every time they reach out to hold their wife's hand until the stars rise and the night falls on this day in September.

So walk with me through this day.

To that field in Pennsylvania where—the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors of that day's warriors—will stand in the middle of all things beautiful. They will read the names of those who charged. Those who fought back. Those who never gave up so that evil never had the chance to finish its plan. They come together, as their loved ones did, to find hope in the middle of the Lord's green field.

They will sing. They will pray. And they will lay a wreath where Flight 93 fell. And in a place where smoke once rose, you and I we will see that cedar rising.

Walk with me through this day.

At this hour and all day long, strangers will follow the Lord's wish. In memory and in the hope that goodwill and grace will always triumph out of tragedy, they will give. In "a day's payment of service," New York City firefighters will give and fly to California to help rebuild homes destroyed in the fires. Businessmen from Long Island will give and take sick kids to a ball game. Men and women in Memphis will give and build wheelchair ramps for the disabled. And there are thousands standing in Afghanistan, standing in the very place where evil grew, giving their service to ensure that evil never rises again.

These Americans will give because so many were taken from us. And for them—the three strangers who came together to start this day of service—a mother who lost her son, a brother who lost a brother, and a friend who lost a friend—for them September 11th is never in the past; it is enduring. It is never just an anniversary; it is a time of renewal for each and every one of us to do God's work here on earth.

So walk with me through this day.

At this breakfast, our prayers will be heard and answered for those who still need comfort. They need a hand to hold as they try over and over again to forget the crashing windows, the fire, and the falling steel that took their coworkers but not them. They need the comfort of prayers as they sit in solitude. They have their head in their hands as they wonder like the other tens of thousands who walked out—why I lived and the others did not. And they need to know that we are with them even when it feels like we aren't as they try to rebuild their lives without.

Whether it's one year, two years, three years or until our short time on this earth comes to an end. Those who lost that day will always miss them. Those who worked night and day until the last cart was carried out of Ground Zero will always know they did their best. And those who unfurled their flags, gave blood, comforted a child who lost their Dad, and made that day the defining day for them to leave their mark on this earth—we will always remember that unity of purpose.

Walk with me through this day. And you will see that while those bricks fell and the sycamores cut down, our people are making those cedars rise.

"And let us not grow weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart."


And let us not grow weary of taking care of those families. Let us not grow weary of praying for those soldiers who defend us from that evil at this hour. Let us not grow weary for giving up a day in our lives for those who are gone. And let us not grow weary in our determination to never forget, to never grow indifferent to what occurred that dark day in September.

This season of hope does not have to end tomorrow. We do not have to wait for yet another anniversary to come and go. We know what we want in this country. We want that one America.

There have been few times when we saw the possibilities of one America more than on September 11, 2001. All Americans, black and white, young and old, rich and poor, were bound together in tragedy and resolve to ensure that once again good triumphed over evil.

Sitting here today, after so long in the desert, it may seem like a mirage. But we know it is real, and that it is possible because we have seen it. We want one America. We want that hope, that faith, and that purpose without the tears, the pain, and the sorrow.

You know, I have learned two lessons in my life. One is that there will always be heartache and struggle in our lives. We can't make it go away. And the other is that people of good will can make a difference. One lesson is sad and the other is inspiring. And walking together through this day, we choose to be inspired because we know that we can fulfill the promise.

In times like these, if we can work together, comfort together, and help communities rebuild together, then let's do that for all of the challenges that exists right now and build one America.

For that child we see every day sitting on the front step, locked out and alone, let's work together to give him a safe place to go with friends and teachers while his mom works.

For that mother who works hard all day—forty hours plus a week—and she still has to sit at the kitchen table and divide her bills into pay now and pay later, let's work together to give her a country that honors work so she can get ahead.

For that whole town that's watched their factory lock its doors, let's work together to make sure that we bring opportunity and an equal chance to their front door.

For that young boy who always sits in the back of the classroom unable to read the basic instructions, but is too scared to ask for help, let's build him a school that's a palace for learning so no child is ever afraid to ask for help.

And for that family we know on every street. The mother and father are working hard. He takes the late-bus to work and she takes the early bus. They're doing what's right, what they're supposed to do to take care of their family. And yet later tonight, they might have to put their kids to bed hungry again because they can't afford dinner on a Saturday.

So let's work together to end poverty. Now some are going to say "end poverty" you can't do that. That's something we've been fighting for centuries. We just have to live with it. Says who?

Anything is possible in this country when you and I work together. If we put a man on the moon; if we conquered diseases like polio; if we can live through a terrible day like September 11th , then we can build the Lord's house in every heart and home across this land.

Some days sorrow just storms in doesn't it. You wake up one beautiful morning and the kingdom is at hand. You're on your way to work, to school, or to fly west to see your family. You're washing down the fire truck or walking the halls in the Pentagon. You're waving good bye to your young son on his first day at his new job. You're just talking on the phone with your child. And then sorrow hits.

It never asks if it can drop by. It doesn't knock. And it never asks if you're ready. It just hits and knocks everything down. And the next day, grief washes over thousands and sorrow surrounds us.

But we know how to beat it back. In America, we always rise up. Sometimes not on the first day or the second day, but we begin to rise up and build something new.

This is who we are, and this is the eternal spirit of America.

That is why that young girl who never knew her father, will feel the comfort of millions as we walk with her through this day and her life. That is why the men and women at the Pentagon will feel the prayers of millions as they salute their fallen. That is why the families in Pennsylvania will know that we weep with them. That is why the firefighters and police officers who miss their brothers will know that we miss them too. And that is why a new bell tolls in a church on the other side of the Hudson River.

You and I, we hear it. It tolls once for the dead. It tolls a second time for the mournful. And the third time, it tolls for us. It tolls for us to seek joy in our families, comfort in our children, and hope in our neighbors.

Each time that bell tolls, it calls us to a greater purpose. It calls us to never forget. It calls us to do the Lord's work here on earth. And it calls on us to always remember that when we walk through this day together—the cedars will rise, the stones will go up, and this season of hope will endure.

Thank you and God bless you, the families and friends who mourn, and our great United States of America.