Silenced Majority Portal

Apparently, Democrats Can't Dance Either

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Karen Bradley has done another movement analysis of the candidates, this time of the Democrats. Karen is a professional movement analyst and Professor in DC. In a nutshell, she breaks candidate body language down into: Listening, Accomodating, Grounding, and Complexity.

1. Listening: Here HRC may have the advantage. No one models listening behavior up close the way she does. She had good practice in her Senate race in New York state, where she listened impressively. I have observed Edwards' ability to actually lean over and listen well, but too often, his responses are a little too pat, or canned. Iowans tend to hate that. Obama is a tad remote, and that may work against him in the end. But Hillary has practiced her "listening tour" demeanor and people may be swayed towards her for that reason. However, note that when I made phone calls into Iowa four years ago, she was hated. Universally despised. So her listening demeanor needs to overcome some fairly high negatives.

2. Accomodating/Shaping/Connecting authentically: Shaping is the ability of the candidate to move both posturally and gesturally in three-dimensional patterns that include the back pat, handshake, hug, or inclusive spreading and enclosing patterns. The key here is authenticity. Clinton and Reagan had it, Kerry had it on the stump but rarely on TV, Bush has it on occasion but anyone who thinks it's authentic is fooling themselves.

3. Grounding: Grounding--the ability to "hold the ground" through an energetic connection to the ground beneath, reveals something about commitment and follow through as well as maturity. Chris Dodd is by far the most grounded of these candidates, but it's not enough to overcome the rest of his limitations. Hillary can be extremely grounded but she also tends to access what we call BOUND flow at those moments--she looks a little rigid. When she is grounded, she is her least feminine self, and when she is most feminine, she often loses her grounding. She has clearly been practicing to appear both strong and feminine. Obama needs to be more grounded. If he wins Iowa and NH, he is going to need more help than just Oprah (who may be the MOST grounded human being on the planet). Edwards just does not have much grounding--his character is one of passion and energy and charm, but I am not sure we understand how well he will get the job done.

4. Complexity/Innovation: Movers who are patterned and predictable, but complex and variable (within a range) inspire. Hillary has little variability and she needs to develop more--the droning just does not work. Edwards is almost always the same: predictable without offering anything new or innovative. (I say this despite his having some of the better policy ideas--but if you can't sell it at the dance, no one will buy it). Obama has much more of this than any of the others, which is part of his appeal.

original piece

Fishbone - Party With Saddam

Millions of times the earth has spun We must get dizzy going 'round the sun
It ain't no wonder why minds are gone Can we help them understand
It's like I need a place to run And jump off buildings just for fun
Serve up my flesh before it's done Politicians need a hand

We won't see the end If we party till our colors blend
Party till Saddam's your friend Never drop a bomb again
All right We can break the chains If we party like our blood's the same
Party till we lose our aim Never shoot a gun again

The monsters live and children die The blanket snatched from over their eyes
We're all to blame when we stand by But we don't know what to say
They want a fight and dare us to try And in result the whole world dies
Then who'll be left to answer why There's got to be a better way

We won't see the end If we party till our colors blend
'cause the Bush's and Bin Laden's are friends Never drop a bomb again
All right We can break the chains If we party like our blood's the same
Party till we lose our aim Never shoot a gun again

Millions of dollars are spent on a piece Of what I don't know,
but it sure ain't peace of mind If we keep fighting then war won't cease
Until all have died they'll fight back every time
We'll get together and have some fun then life is won
In that there is no crime Real peace don't cost a dime

Too mucha blood them a spilling Too mucha life them a stealing
They come together for a deal Super power, super money, super killing
A time for true emancipation Don't want no pseudo-liberation
A time for evil get replaced So we love and make it push in outer space
Hey, we won't see the end P-P-P-Party till our colors blend
Party till Saddam's your friend Never drop a bomb again

Can ya imagine Arnie partying with Tookie Smoking and drinking till they lose their cookies
Crips are cousins, Bloods are brothers Family can love one another
We're gonna party with Pinochet He gonna sing the karaoke
We're gonna party with Mobutu A lindyhopping dancing fool
Party with Condaleeza Rice, She like to shake it all night y'all
Party up with Tony Blair Throw your hands up in the air
Party with Fidel Castro He like to do it real low and slow
Party with Vladimir Putin He like to breakdance and headspin
Party with Kim Jong-Il He got the North Korean down-home feel
But let's not forget Hitler We gonna pull up Rwanda
We gonna bring 'em all for dinner To meet mama and papa
Ma ma ma you gotta gotta gotta party Party with Saddam y'all
Party to the end y'all You gotta party Oh yeah, all right

wanna hear it nice, go here now

From Whose Arsenal?

She was wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt, the one with the sassy tongue sticking out, and I recall thinking that Pakistani politics would never be the same once she returned home. D Ignatius, WaPo

article by Medea Benjamin, Code Pink

Arianna Huffington, on debating Benazir Bhutto in college, Yale v Harvard

Huckabee called Bhutto's death a tragedy, but he suggested she had been a threat to Islamic fundamentalists. "An educated, sophisticated, strong, capable woman leader -- that does pose a threat to those who don't believe that women should be given that platform and that level of equality," Huckabee said.

In 1998 then Governor Huckabee was one of 131 signatories on a full page ad in USA Today which praised the Southern Baptist Convention for its defense of traditional marriage and the subservient position of women. The ad declared:

"You are right because you called husbands to sacrificially love and lead their wives.
You are right because you called wives to graciously submit to their husband's sacrificial leadership.
More importantly, you are right because your statement is based on biblical truth."

What a hypocrite.

"I’ve been saying for some time that Pakistan is the most complex country we deal with – and that a crisis was just waiting to happen." - Joe Biden, November 8th, 2007

Holiday Lenin 2007

(photo D. Grieser)

The Real Ahnold

Someone sent a link to this frightening sculpture - apparently it was a contest entry

As one of Bart Simpson's aunts said when she saw Homer in his shorts, "There went my last shred of heterosexuality."

Slug

FEMA Comes to Campus

(photos: D Grieser)

Kapayapaan

Candy Cane Lane's conscientious objector

I read in the newspaper about a 65-year-old woman named Ester who resolutely refuses to decorate her house there, despite 48 years tradition. She hates that it lasts three weeks and fills the neighborhood with slow-moving vehicles with exhaust fumes. She belongs to the Scandinavian Cultural Group of UW, which hosts professors and families from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Holland. Her husband is a retired astronomy professor with Parkinson's disease. Her house is like an elegant black dress at a party with sequined ballgowns with tiaras.

This year this neighborhood's houses had signs with "Peace" in different languages. I saw her house tonight. Someone had put a sign in front of it which said "Fred." That means "Peace" in Norwegian.

(Photos: D Grieser)

Have a Trippy Christmas

THERE IS A WAR ON TERROR. THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS. THERE IS A TOOTH FAIRY.

(credit Norman Rockwell)
commentary at HuffPo
Not believe in the war on terror! You might as well not believe in fairies. And what about Santa Claus? You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.

So it is with the war on terror. It is hard to see, it is hard to pinpoint, but it is all around us at all times, hiding on planes and in toothpaste tubes, but your little friends say these dangers are not real. Your little friends really annoy me, they are little in spirit and mind and body. For the most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Depending on who you live next to, perhaps you have. Oh the times, oh the mores. We are going to hell in a hand basket, and it is foolish in all regards to be seated in a flammable basket while descending toward a furious pit of fire.

No war on terror! Thank God it lives and lives forever. It will truly go on forever, or at least until a few minutes before the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come charging down Pennsylvania Avenue with Chuck Norris and Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham all seated like spectres on their steeds, preparing the way for Jesus Christ to descend from heaven minutes later and finally make clear who is right is this world and who most damnably is wrong, they're wrong, they're wrong.

John Cory | So This Is Christmas?
link to full version
"... here under the tree, dazzling and glossy in sateen bows and velvet ribbons are the gifts of this president: Sparkle-laden paper wrapped around a box of Fear. The plastic paranoia sealed package contains all the
colors of Fear from brown to yellow to pink and purple. A small booklet of instructions is included on how to apply Fear to every situation and person not 'one of us,' and how to brush on racism, homophobia and bigotry with the mascara of mendacity. A flag-covered box of brightly painted brittle toy soldiers and game board, plus interchangeable body parts for when they get broken from too much rough play. Each toy soldier is hand-painted, unnumbered and anatomically neutered to withstand everything but real war. Families not included."
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NORAD TRACKS SANTA

(Thanks Bert)

ILONA MITRECEY v TINY TIM

(Ilona Mitrecey was born in 1993 in France and is a pop singer. Tiny Tim aka Herbert Buckingham Khaury was born in 1932 and died in 1996 and was a singer, ukulele player and musical archivist. Found by Slugbug after listening to 26 versions of White Christmas - gets trippy at about 3:40 so be patient)

DAILY KOS is dead today but the most hoppin' diary is "What Does An Aetheist do for Christmas"
link & comments

Nina Hagen Supports Kucinich

NEWS-FLASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nina Hagen invites you to a funtastik

NEW YEARS EVE - DENNiS KUCiNiCH 4 PRESiDENT - CONCERT & PARTY-EVENT ! !

Nina Hagen Band und friends rock , funk , soul , rap, disco , sing , swing , jazz & fundraise
for Dennis Kucinich 4 President
at : United Pacific Studios 729 EAST-TEMPLE STREET LOS ANGELES /CA 90012

homeless veterans come in for FREE !! vegetarian new years eve-buffet ! valley parking !
superspecial surprize-appearances of true stars for KUCiNiCH !

A MiDNiTE-NEW-YEARS- EvE-PHONE-CALL FROM DENNiS & ELiSABETH KUCiNiCH !
Nina Hagen Band Rocks for Dennis LiVE !

WHERE WiLL YOU BE ON NEW YEARS EVE ???!!!
doors open at 8pm ! slowly and holy will close at 6 am on january 1. 2008 .
GOOD MORNiNG AMERiCA !!

Kucinich Outreach
Why Me Oh Lord
Nina Hagen site

I saw Nina Hagen at The Showbox & she partied at T.U.G.S. in Seattle and, came down in a flying saucer at Bumbershoot. I saw Dennis at a church in the U District here in Seattle and at the Timberline (gay bar, with Congressman Inslee). He was the only candidate who once lived in his car. Nina apparently remembered that Dennis is a vegan and in the '88 Letterman video talks about her own UFO sighting.

(Notification thx to B. Rice)

Merry Christmas, We've Been Bought

Recently, a 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta, which has been very influential on our legal system, was auctioned off for $21.3 million. The copy was owned by Ross Perot, and was sold to the Carlyle Group, with which the Bush family is strongly associated. Casey Morris shared my outrage,and wrote about this a few days ago.

It seemed somehow symbolic somehow, in the Christmas season, when consumer spending is encouraged in order to prop up an indebted economy. It made me wonder, on a larger scale, what else has been bought and sold recently, behind closed doors?

As US debt has soared, foreign investment has also increased, particularly in the mortgage market (which turned out to be a time bomb). Just in the last couple of weeks Morgan Stanley sold almost 10% of itself to China. CitiGroup received a shot in the arm (sold part of itself) from Abu Dhabi. foreign companies own or lease many of our bridges and toll roads.

Here, the conservative Heritage Foundation makes a plug for foreign investment in America, but also reveals that 32% of American assets are now under foreign control. Reading between the lines, they also reveal that our budget deficit and low savings rate make this necessary. Foreign governments can easily invest in American assets, starting by going to an informative website like this). With the dollar so low, there are alot of bargains to be had. We are fairly desperate to deal, as our national debt currently stands at $9,136,418,062,457.29

Congress has been discussing foreign investment in the infrastructure of the US since the controversy about Dubai acquiring control of some ports. Questions have been raised about how to balance economic openness with national security and how much control foreign companies should be allowed to have over U.S. infrastructure.

From their report:
The country with the most holdings in the United States is the United Kingdom, followed by Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and France. At the end of 2004, the sum of all foreign assets in the United States had an estimated market value of $2.7 trillion, though only 2 percent of these holdings are owned by state-run companies. Foreign companies' holdings are most concentrated in the manufacturing sector, but they also extend into several of the eleven "critical" areas identified by the Bush administration.

In the energy sector, British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, and Venezuela's state-owned Citgo all have holdings within U.S. borders. Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson are major telecommunications providers; French-owned Sodexho U.S.A. is the largest food service company in the United States, and even serves meals on Marine Corps bases; and the largest private security firm operating in the United States, Securitas, is based in Sweden.

Middle Eastern entities (excluding Israel) bore the brunt of the ire surrounding the Dubai Ports World purchase. These entities account for about 0.5 percent of foreign investment in theUnited States. However, these companies have some high-profile holdings, including New York's Plaza and Essex House hotels, the Caribou Coffee Co., and the aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Industries, Inc.

What is a consumer to think, at Christmas? As consumers, we depend heavily on foreign products and services. Eighty percent of our children's toys come from China, and parents and nonprofit agencies had a rude awakening this year, as many items contained dangerous levels of lead. Some of us work for foreign-based employers, or have our jobs sent out of the country, or people come into the country to work (a related but different issue). Then, there is Reverse outsourcing, where Indian (and other foreign) companies actually create jobs for Americans rather than the reverse.

Is it xenophobic to wonder where all this is leading, particularly as the government has recently spent billions to bail out some of our banks to cover for bad loans that were partially financed by foreign investors. This is an expensive undertaking, when we are simultaneously involved in wars largely financed through borrowing from foreign investors.

(cross-posted at Democracy Cell Project)