Topic: US Elections 2008

[Firestarter]

The Hero (Barack himself) and the Amazon (his wife, that btw is the strongest of them two - women are always stronger ...) must now do a heroic performance while he the Hero at the same time should pick up the role and vibrations of the Father (responsibility, trust, stability, solvency etc.).

Behind every successful man there is a woman. But this will not be any "Yes Nancy - No Nancy" rulership.

Hehe! I remember too she got a lotta flack for consulting astrologers as well LOL!

[Firestarter]

During the election I wasnt sure who I was gonna vote for. First, not big on labels, politicians or politics. But also being from AZ, I dont have any animosity against McCain. Matter of fact, if he had become president instead of Bush, I think our country would've seen far different things occur for us after 9/11 - but can only speculate cause whats done is done. Cause at least McCain had been to war, had been a POW for five years (I actually did an interp on his chart when he was shot down, I might bring it later - its elsewhere on web). I wasnt sure, my son was rooting for Obama in home, but esp when I saw that Palin, went and got a wardrobe and $4000 haircut, I said "flower that." But another thot, I did make comments on McCains homes, he has eight of them. But then later the thought came to mind, "He has eight homes, yet spent five years at Hanoi Hilton being tortured - who am I to judge?" So that thought came to mind that, while he may have that, and his wife Cindy may be extravagant (talk about being high maintenance), still, maybe something in his karma to have eight homes - the man went thru hell and I remember a statement he made per being tortured for five years over there, that the experience made him love his home America even more.

But still the party has to be wiped out and out of the white house. Obama I am really crossing fingers and many folks are, that he is the real deal. And of course theres all sorts of conspiracy theories about him, his religion, his ideals and strategy - also cause theres a huge lack of trust in politics in general in this country; however, Im still riding on the deal that hes gonna have to be it - its sink or swim. Im sure we'll pull through the bullshit eventually - but certainly all this drama has made all americans more alert and aware - and I think we all do this everytime, get comfortable for awhile til thrown into the depths of uncertainty - which really is the way things are - nothing is certain never is. And even great governments or countries many of them have fallen and become 'history' like greeks and romans - rome didnt fall in a day, as they say (and no one has ever really been able to solve the mystery on that one precisely 'what' did it, but I think nero really set off a lot of karma for rome - something about playing the instrument whilst rome burned - that comet signal was the beginning of the end or rome as it was known). Always sacrificing something - gladiators, christians to lions, hearts to sun gods - and still we do these things in other ways - men and women on the battlefields fighting in useless wars - now its their whole bodies - whats the difference with anyone from the aztecs, really - if we're sacrificing the young to the hungry war gods? It still goes on.

I liked what he said about striving for perfection though. I was reading a bit today in between calls about the India temples and some leave a corner of them unfinished - as a reminder to keep that we're not perfect as gods yet - and still have a way to go on the road to perfection - which is what its about - impeccability - thats what we're attempting to do - but our views however, arent perfect as the gods yet. We still create gods and project our loves and our wars onto them. Many also have a scapegoat called 'satan' whom they project all their blame for their own actions and ignorance on - the biggest scapegoat of all - the great excuse to not 'be perfect' as we can be. The great duality to see everything as 'us and them' and cause more division til theres a gap, which will take everyone under, no matter what 'side' we're on.

Yet we have to fall into the gap because the gap offers truth - that fine line is there at the razors edge, where its all one and there isnt necessarily any 'good side' or 'bad side.' its a game we play back and forth on the road to perfection.

So I suppose like the quote - thinking on all these doom and gloom prophecies - tis true, destiny isnt written for us, but by us. "Fate" occurs, when we ignore that - the obvious.

[tangerine dream]

one of my favourite quotes I've heard Obama say is this:

"there has never been anything false about hope."

Y'all know how I feel about hope, so of course he won me over.

[Nichi]

Shoot, you all had me persuaded that "hope" was just an American saw, and yet, look -- apparently it's valued in places other than the US. 

In a surprise, Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO – President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

The stunning choice made Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize and shocked Nobel observers because Obama took office less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline. Obama's name had been mentioned in speculation before the award but many Nobel watchers believed it was too early to award the president.

Speculation had focused on Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a Colombian senator and a Chinese dissident, along with an Afghan woman's rights activist.

The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage. The plaudit appeared to be a slap at President George W. Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for resorting to largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Rather than recognizing concrete achievement, the 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Committee said. "In the past year Obama has been a key person for important initiatives in the U.N. for nuclear disarmament and to set a completely new agenda for the Muslim world and East-West relations."

He added that the committee endorsed "Obama's appeal that 'Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.'"

President Theodore Roosevelt won the award in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson won in 1919.

The committee chairman said after awarding the 2002 prize to former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, for his mediation in international conflicts, that it should be seen as a "kick in the leg" to the Bush administration's hard line in the buildup to the Iraq war.

Five years later, the committee honored Bush's adversary in the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore, for his campaign to raise awareness about global warming.

The Nobel committee received a record 205 nominations for this year's prize though it was not immediately apparent who nominated Obama.

"The exciting and important thing about this prize is that it's given too someone ... who has the power to contribute to peace," Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.

Nominators include former laureates; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation welcomed the award on behalf of its founder Nelson Mandela, who shared the 1993 Peace Prize with then-South African President F.W. DeKlerk for their efforts at ending years of apartheid and laying the groundwork for a democratic country.

"We trust that this award will strengthen his commitment, as the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, to continue promoting peace and the eradication of poverty," the foundation said.

In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stipulated that the peace prize should go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses."

Unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded by Swedish institutions, he said the peace prize should be given out by a five-member committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. Sweden and Norway were united under the same crown at the time of Nobel's death.

The committee has taken a wide interpretation of Nobel's guidelines, expanding the prize beyond peace mediation to include efforts to combat poverty, disease and climate change.

___

Associated Press Writer Ian MacDougall contributed to this report.

[Jennifer-]

 

[Nichi]

Obama gets reward for world view 

By Paul Reynolds
World affairs correspondent BBC News website 


In awarding President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian committee is honouring his intentions more than his achievements.

After all he has been in office only just over eight months and he will presumably hope to serve eight years, so it is very early in his term to get this award.

The committee does not make any secret of its approach. It states that he is being given the prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples."

This is of course an implied criticism of former US president George W Bush and the neo-conservatives, who were often accused of trying to change the world in their image.

The committee "attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons." But it also mentioned the UN, climate change and the "strengthening" of democracy and human rights.

The reference to democracy will be noted - perhaps wryly, perhaps with some resentment - by the neo-conservatives, as the spread of democracy, especially in the wider Middle East as they called it, (incorporating Afghanistan) was one of their rallying cries. The Norwegian committee was not impressed and it will probably be a case of vice versa.

The risk for President Obama is that he might not be able to live up to this billing.

It is therefore perhaps worth looking at some of the problems he faces, his intentions in dealing with them and the likelihood of success.

Nuclear weapons: The president has spoken of his wish to see a world without nuclear weapons. A new Security Council resolution (1887) has added momentum to next year's conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, which will focus attention. He also wants the US Senate to ratify the test ban treaty.

But how far is the US really prepared to go? It hopes to get a new agreement with Russia in December to reduce deployed warheads to below the 2,200 already agreed. But having even hundreds of warheads is not living in a nuclear weapons-free world. And as long as others (Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, Israel) have them, so will the US. Some progress is likely but nuclear weapons will remain.

Climate change: President Obama has changed the hostile approach adopted by President Bush. But much depends on the US Senate and Obama's intentions are conditional on congressional acceptance. Intention is there but realisation is problematic.

Human rights: The committee did not spell it out but the proposed closure of Guantanamo Bay and the end to torture by all US agencies must have been in its mind. Guantanamo is supposed to be closed by early next year. Likely to be achieved, though.

Iraq: The president has said that US combat operations in Iraq will stop by the end of August next year though US troops will remain there to train Iraqis and fight al-Qaeda. Intentions are therefore there but are not yet achieved, though might well be.

Iran: There is at least the start of a negotiation on Iran's nuclear work following Obama's "extended hand". But nobody can tell how far and fast this will go. The threat of conflict between Iran and Israel remains. Meanwhile, there are still no meaningful talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Afghanistan: The most difficult current problem for the president. He is facing demands for an increase in US forces there, which would mean more war, hardly encouraging for a peace prize winner. Remains in crisis.

All these problems illustrate the intentions of the president, but also how far he has to go.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee has taken a bold step.

 

[Firestarter]

He's the man!