War is all hell

Here's a famous quote that merits repeating:

"I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. Some of these young men think that war is all glory but let me say war is all hell."

William Tecumseh Sherman

Quote compliments of Information Clearing House

Christina Romer, mother figure + Neptune of the Veils

Yeah, I like this interview with 'mother figure' Christina Romer on the economy as she tosses buckets of cold water from Old Man (or Woman in charge) Saturn, the Teacher and Lesson-Bringer, who continues to tangle with America's natal Neptune, planet of dreams, ideals, illusions, the masses, and mass media, in Virgo, sign of the dedicated worker...the same worker who is now getting a pink slip for often obscure reasons.

But Neptune of the Veils is comfortable with 'obscure'...it's Saturn's grim reality that's numbing the sensibilities and tamping down confidence, however illusory confidence may have been in the past.

And thus closeth (Saturn) another newspaper (Neptune) - unless they're very savvy and do what they do best, then link to the rest.

A benchmark? That Mark Twain would approve, I suspect.

Pollution Photo Gallery: China

Here's a small collection of 8 photos showing pollution in China which pains me to see no matter where on the globe it's allowed to harm the populace while enriching the greedy and powerful.

Particulate matter from a belching smokestack eventually affects us all!

Truth to be probed on Capitol Hill!

In an ironic and hilarious turn of events, political thespians on Capitol Hill are discussing the setting up of a truth commission to probe law-breakers in the Bush-Cheney administration...as long as Bush and Cheney are kept safe.

"Truth" commissions, like the Warren Commission set up to obfuscate the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy, tend to find only truths they can hide. And Sen. Arlen Spector, of Warren Commission fame, is on the "truth" case again and making sure that Bush won't be harmed by Sen. Patrick Leahy's grandstanding on behalf of truth, the concept.

Wonder what will result from a 'truth probe' in Washington DC? Lots of talking done on our dime, no doubt, with no guarantees that anything of note will actually occur other than the uncovering of legal inconveniences and the smoothing of the populace's ruffled feathers.

Bulldozing the District swamp and starting from scratch might do the trick if you can get the grandfathered-in, wealth-addicted politicians shoveled on down the road to an ordinary life.

Then they might learn to truly appreciate what their sell-out of our nation has meant to and for...

Controlling Wall Street

Corruption-US gives account of how the US Congress slowly sold out to Wall Street.

The results we know. And the culprits still walk free.

Origins of Public Relations and Consumerism: video link

Zeeks! Propaganda Galore! Our Brains on Propaganda! Pluto-Chiron's consumerism yet another -ism!

This four part BBC series captured on video, The Century of the Self, concerns the rise of consumerism, the business and political uses of it, and reveals its guru, Edward Bernays, and his role in inventing public relations in the 1920s based on his Uncle Sigmund Freud's work on the Unconscious.

Turns out...funny story...in America, the very foundations of democracy were cracking fissures while Dr. Freud was spouting on and on about the irrational, dangerous desires and fears lurking just underneath Average Joe's calm surface - a threat which totally crumbles the concept of democracy as run by rational people making well-considered choices.

Freud's unleashed monsters had been seen expressed in street riots and in the barbarism of Nazi Germany, and they were definitely not invited to tea in a status quo society of button-down types and their quiet little wives making apple pies and brewing Maxwell House at every opportunity.

Now if you haven't time to view all four parts of this BBC-produced series, my recommendation is to watch Part Four at the very least.

The series is a fascinating view of public relations and the manipulation it is based on and has old film footage interspersed - including some cheesecake of Dr. Freud himself (just kidding about the cheesecake.)

Also revealed is the tight team effort of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, whose similar ruling styles were not as coincidental as they may have appeared at the time. Yet one thing I must disagree with the BBC on - I assert that Clinton and Blair knew very well that the manipulative Freudian techniques had been developed by people in order to control the masses, not to "liberate" them. I mean, puh! give me a break on that one.

So given my fascination with propaganda, its methods and supposed justifications, it seemed a good idea to make this video report available here in case someone else has a similar fascination...and so I can find it again quite handily.

You know, I published the first-ever US Inauguration chart with hour verified by historical record (George Washington's Inauguration, of course), and I remember writing on the chart image that changing we-the-people's mentality was a goal because of its 10th house Chiron in (mental) Gemini...if you wish to view the chart and read my notes, try American Presidency Apr 30, 1789 which, being the first, is the archetype of all US presidencies following.

Now I must mosey because my favorite new show comes on at 9 pm...Tim Roth in Lie to Me.

I love how they divilge what various gestures mean, including politicians' rhetoric tricks, flourishes, and avoidances which the show drops in by way of tapes of modern day political thespians - at podium or elswhere - because Lie to Me is all about reading faces and gestures, and with great acting, too.

Just my style - steamy Lie to Me Tea served with crusty Propaganda Biscuits nestled on one of the dessert plates Madison Avenue told me I had to have to make my life complete.

So as we-the-dupes know, completing-the-set in this manner simply never works. But it will send you a snowballing credit card balance from h*ll - as enabled by the politicial thespians of Capitol Hill.

Of bailout schemes and ugly things

Michel Chossudovsky says the 2010 budget which the president submitted to Congress on Feb 26, 2009 is a war budget and that's not all he says.

The Bush-Obama bailout schemes are serving the interests of mystery financiers - deliberately, says Chossudovsky.

And as David Letterman keeps asking, where'd the money go?

The market is 'poised to open higher after 5 straight days of selling," says NPR this morning.

Yeah well, it's another Wednesday at NY's gaming tables. But who's being gamed?

Pres Obama's Weekly Address video 2.28.09

You've seen Pres. Obama's Weekly Address everywhere else so you may as well see it here, too.

Video: Saturday, February 29, 2009, when the spirit of "Bring It On" was apparently left to haunt a teleprompter from one of Bush's gigs.

~:~

btw: Secret Moon Art has been spruced up with Blogger's fresher Layout, so you're cordially invited to mosey by and sit a spell if you find yourself with a moment's Art Break. And there's more sprucing on the way!

Plus, you'll discover that Art Downloads are available at Jude's Storefront at Lulu whenever you're in the mood.