2009 TEACHER OF PEACE AWARD by The Cosmic Messenger

“For many of us, Bishop Matthiesen is one of those true religious leaders who not only preach the peace of Christ but witness to it in action and with his life. His willingness to speak truth to power and to suffer the pushback that comes from proclaiming the gospel of peace and justice is an example to all of us.” ... Dave Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA.

With dissension on the rise both in the United States and abroad it seems fitting Pax Christi has decided to honor retired Bishop Leroy Matthiesen with their prestigious national award later this month. The organization represents peace and justice activists globally.

Bishop Matthiesen is in esteemed company as past recipients of this accolade include Dorothy Day co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, poet/ priest Daniel Berrigan, S.J., actor Martin Sheen and Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking. Matthiesen has worked unremittingly throughout his life to end racism and for the abolishment of nuclear weapons.

President Obama, Congress and the Iranian religious zealots could all significantly learn from his example. These leaders are faced with civil discord of their own making which could become volatile if not addressed passively. As we pause to celebrate America's independence let's remember what it means to be truly free of the man-made tyranny imposed by money, greed and international corporations.

Watch the three minute musical video by Zak Smith which asks the question:

HAVE YOU LOOKED OUTSIDE ?

I will be taking the next three weeks off but will return August 5 with new, timely commentary. Until then, you can visit my Blog whenever you choose to read past editorials or the informative news links I've provided.


Peace,
Cosmic

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RESTORING AMERICA by The Cosmic Messenger

"Revolution is not something fixed in ideology nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit." ... Abbie Hoffman

The harmonius atmosphere amongst President Obama and his multitudes may be over accelerated by internal and foreign dissonance in recent weeks. Clashes within Congress over financial and health reform fueled the strife while rumors of Iran's vote rigging motivated our leader to adopt a more conciliatory stance.

All of the recent policy bickering does nothing to strengthen the case for American democracy. The only thing it proves is we've become a deregulated society, governed by corporate money for its sole perpetuation. Lobbyist wealth is the name of the game now. Congressional votes are bought and sold until a majority consensus is attained to legislate the desired objective.

Need further validation ?

Lisa Pease, an occasional guest contributor to Consortium News charges American politicians are phoneys in their criticism about the Mideast ballot scandal. She claims our country must get its own house in order before speaking out for the rights of other nations.

"If no one had checked the paper ballots in the Minnesota Senate race, Norm Coleman would be seated there now," Pease said. "The original tally put Coleman 477 votes ahead of Al Franken. At the start of the hand recount, that margin dropped to 215. By the end of the hand recount, his lead was down to 192 votes. When challenged ballots were reviewed, Franken ended up in the lead by 251 votes. After additional reviews, Franken’s lead stands at 312."

The historian and mystery writer goes on to warn electronic and internet voting make these methods suspect because there's no verifiable paper trail.

"People have tried to steal elections for years. Because most people aren’t programmers they don’t know what's possible. It’s hard for them to imagine, much less believe anyone would deliberately try to swing an election in this manner. American democracy is seriously at risk so long as many of our votes are counted solely by machines. Once you move to all-digital records, you can never know for certain if the ballot you are examining is the one the voter actually cast."


American voters have been down this path before having been robbed of the 2000 presidential election. Like the Iranian Ayatollahs, U.S. elected bureaucrats failed them when the masses spoke out in protest. We are seeing the same artful gambits repeated as Congressional efforts to modify the current system are set in motion. Suddenly "special interest" dollars rain from the sky to unfairly influence the final results. The electorate are told by the corporate media this is the established way of doing things and meekly bow to their wishes.

What passes for American-style democracy today is an oppressive government state run by Washington insiders corrupted with the same valueless lifestyle destroying us all. It's a scheme that has chosen wealth over constitutional principles. We, as a nation have traded implicit trust for the ineffectual, futility of our egocentric desires. Throwing more money at the economic crisis won't solve the problem. The only way to mend this financial Depression is by fostering genuine, honest leaders again.

Obama came into office promising change but quickly reverted to the insincere rhetoric of his predecessor. His approach to problem solving is no different than the Bush Congress. Let the influence of free-flowing currency buy a solution for you. If that's the kind of transformation he had in mind then we may be seeing an uprising of our own here in the U.S. soon. The lingering question still undecided is whether it will be passive or bloody.

Peace,
Cosmic

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DEAL WITH THE DEVIL by The Cosmic Messenger

"The cartoons which I enjoy have caused some kind of outrage but they've got people talking about these issues out in the open and in essence that's what its all about." ... Jonathan Shapiro

Mainstream media blowhards such as Rush Limbaugh have always been attracted to wealthy, powerful elitist types because presumably that's where the material originates for a program. Their only concern is spinning the day's events to startle listeners with.

Known in the industry as "shock jocks", they wager those who tune in will be fascinated by their slant and convert them into habitual "dittoheads" with a daily addiction. Shaping the truth is the routine they use to foster this dependency with.

Normally I dismiss Rush's outbursts as being inconsequential whenever I encounter them but now that some opinion polls assert he's become the leader of the Republican Party my own inhibitions about the man must be voiced. In the video below, I've decided to adapt the tactics of these right-wing media personalities in anticipation it will jolt you back to a more realistic perception of him.

Actors from the featured comedy troupe assert Limbaugh and similar critics like Ann Coulter made a confidential bargain with Obama to get him elected. The comedians claim it was an act of simple self-preservation and the alliance was necessary because the prospect of a McCain presidency would have left them unemployed with no one to vilify.

As incredulous as the video avowals are they allude to the some of the more odiferous decisions Obama has made since entering office and the reasons for them. The comics suggest Rush may have traded his soul for a chance to acquire the skull of a dead President from a member of a certain Yale secret society.

Whether the accusation is true or not is beside the point. What's relevant is it reminds people of how gullible they can be and makes them laugh at their own foibles. Join me in the humor.


Peace,
Cosmic

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THE POLITICS OF FEAR by The Cosmic Messenger

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy." ... Ernest Benn

Provocateurs from the GOP impulsively reemerged last week with dire warnings to agitate our insecurities with. Despite the corporate media's attempt to rehash old issues, my guess is most of the public yawned and were fixated on health care reform instead.


It was déjà vu for Iowans as a slate of Republican presidential wannabes aired their alternative to the Obama phenomenon. Visiting already have been Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who won the GOP caucuses in 2008. Expected in the weeks ahead are Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

"Most of the old war horses hear the bell and start responding again," exclaimed Richard Schwarm, former state Republican Party chairman.

Schwarm's statement is exactly what the nation can anticipate from these dinosaur politicos as they lay the foundation for an outdated public appeal to give them another chance in 2012. Notably absent was Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and conservative chief executive candidate for the highest office in the land who decided to present his views before an audience at the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C.

In his lecture before the victorian gathering, Romney conveyed incisely what the audience wanted to hear. His theme for the evening focused on the increased social spending by the President and how this consideration was jeopardizing defense outlays. He also found fault with Obama's recently apology tour to the Mideast alleging America's past mistakes are miniscule compared to the good our country has accomplished.


"Backing away from missile defense and depleting the defense budget to fund new social programs, particularly in the face of global turmoil, would put America and Americans at risk," the ex-governor said. "I know the liberals have opposed missile defense ever since Ronald Reagan came up with it but this is too big an issue for ideology or politics to prevail over national security."


Although Romney's rhetorical head games were targeted at a specific assembly, this routine has been dramatized by the two dominant political parties in America endlessly. Both use dread of the unknown about the domestic economy or overseas threats to frighten us with. The corporate media then plays each against one another in a greedy pursit of ad revenue to sustain itself and assure the same chaotic system remains in place. During these intense expressions the public is supposed to determine if what the politcians and media are saying is accurate based on their ability to perceive an issue without bias.

It's been implied that elected officials in America, like diapers need changing regularly. If we're just swapping one party for another every four years though, we're accomplishing very little because both now have unregulated capitalist designs on the rest of the planet. Perhaps the prudent thing citizens can do in this instance is nonviolently invade our nation's capitol and not leave until democracy is restored to the people.

Peace,
Cosmic

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