NOTE: I did not create all these images. Ask in comments if you want to use any, and I'll let you know whether it's one I created or not.

From Dark To Dawn:

Harry Taylor #1 -- Truth to Power:

Harry Taylor #2 -- A True US Patriot:

Images are CafePress mug-ready; click for full size.

It's right there in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution:

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Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars, do not parse, do not fold, mutilate, spindle, tear, gut, burn or shred.

In keeping with policies and procedures consistent with gutting the foundational principles of our Constitution and democracy, the Bush Administration's Department of Homeland Security has proceeded to ignore the care and handling advice and has engaged in the very actions verboten by those instructions.

Above the fold, two surreal videos. Below, a quick mention of some of the past week's pieces on ePluribus Media that you may not have seen and will probably find very interesting.  Opening volley: Surreal Videos -- "The Googling" Part 1 and Part III:

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After the flip, a brief preview of some of the great pieces currently on ePluribus Media.

Sometimes, it behooves us to take a moment unto ourselves for quiet reflection and contemplation, where we can behold once again the beauty and wonder of a world teeming with brilliant life in the cold, empty void of space.  Individually and collectively, it is easy to lose oneself in the day-to-day chaos that envelops us as social beings: the demands of one's life, complicated by the demands of living and participating in a community of social beings who each have their own individual desires and who, together, form organizational structures that run the gamut from basic family, friends and neighborhoods to cities, states and nations -- all competing for a varied, yet limited set of resources.

We develop patterns and follow them; if they were set to music, the beat and harmony would shift and change to reflect the ups and downs, ins and outs of life, and we would be the dancers -- our lives set to the music, trying to move in sync with it. Sometimes, those harmonies skip and stutter. Other times, they become harsh and repetitive, playing the tune over and over and faster and faster until the dancer, exhausted, can do nothing more than run in place or die, unable to break free.

Okay, so I had one repost request. That's popular enough for me. :)

Maybe I missed something -- that can happen. In real life, things can sometimes occur that are unexpected. But this seems almost surreal:

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Obama website's opposition to successful surge gets deleted

A funny thing happened over on the Barack Obama campaign website in the last few days.

The parts that stressed his opposition to the 2007 troop surge and his statement that more troops would make no difference in a civil war have somehow disappeared. John McCain and Obama have been going at it heavily in recent days over the benefits of the surge.

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Please rec this up for some visibility for a while, unless the Bush Administration is arrested and dragged before court or something.

I just received an email from United Fan Con regarding an interesting and exciting development in the area of Science Fiction: a Science Fiction/Pop Culture event planned to take place July 18th-20th at the Sheraton Boston Hotel was cancelled.  The folks at United Fan Con (UFC) stepped in, in response to fan outcry and determination to come to Boston anyway, and has funded an event running Friday through Sunday at the Hilton Back Bay at 40 Dalton Street -- directly across from the Sheraton Boston. Here's the mini-scoop:

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This Fan Con will be free to all attendees and include; games, videos, fan panels, auctions, vendors and more. The event will take place at the Hilton Back Bay, located at 40 Dalton Street, Boston MA (directly across the street from the Boston Sheraton). The event will run from 3pm – 10pm on Friday, 10am – 6pm on Saturday and 12pm – 6pm on Sunday.

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Crossposted to ePluribus Media, DailyKos, Docudharma and Below Boston

Maybe I missed something -- that can happen. In real life, things can sometimes occur that are unexpected. But this seems almost surreal:

_____

Obama website's opposition to successful surge gets deleted

A funny thing happened over on the Barack Obama campaign website in the last few days.

The parts that stressed his opposition to the 2007 troop surge and his statement that more troops would make no difference in a civil war have somehow disappeared. John McCain and Obama have been going at it heavily in recent days over the benefits of the surge.

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Call, fax or email. It's too late now to send a postcard to stop this heinous capitulating "cave-in to be" but it's not too late to start letting them know that gutting our fourth amendment is not cool.

Why is it necessary, why is it politically expedient, to set in stone and make yet another law that falsely legitimizes the crimes of the Executive, of Congress, of the Department of Justice and the telecom industry?  In light of the FACTS that Bush Committed 30 Felonies and did not do so alone, did not act without support and protection from Congress -- what makes it so important that this must be passed today?  There are ongoing cases that this would shut down -- more reason, not less, to send this disgraceful veil of faux legitimacy to an early and ignoble grave.

Crossposted from ePluribus Media.

I didn't spend my Fourth of July in celebration the way I usually do. I had a lot of other things going on; it was the first time in a very long time that I hadn't partaken.

Last night and this morning, I had a lot of time to reflect on what the holiday meant, and means, to me.

Juxtaposition: July 4th Deadly Duality¹

A comment I happened across on Delphi Forums struck me as particularly significant. It was this:

On this date in 1826, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other.  Today, it's Jesse Helms and Bozo the Clown.  Gives you pause for reflection, yes it does...

Speaker Pelosi, let me begin by saying that it was wonderful to hear the news in the front-page post Speaker Pelosi Coming To Netroots Nation by Adam B. Your presence and engagement of the Netroots reinforces the promise of a new day dawning in American politics, one where the voices of the tired, the hungry, and the poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free can actually interact with and impact the governing of our nation.

I imagine it will be quite an opportunity for both you and those who are able to attend, one that I hope everyone can benefit from.

You had, for a while, posted (either directly or through proxy) a few informative and motivational pieces here on DailyKos. There have been no new pieces in a while. I hope that this will change, even though I understand that you have your own blog to attend to.  Meanwhile, after the jump, there are some items I'd like to call to your attention from your past visits, and request some input on them.

I've been working on a project -- a pseudo-fictional story based in contemporary American history and current events -- that I've hoped to complete for a while now.

Given the current state of affairs nationally, the fast-approaching July 4th weekend, the crumbling economy and growing time constraints, it makes more sense to announce the accompanying stuff now and make it available if anyone wants it.

I've created a section to a CafePress store that has postcards and prints that folks might find interesting or useful, particularly the postcards if they want to do any kind of message-to-Congress thing.  Some folks have seen some of the images created that I've put into comments, so I'm posting this here to let 'em know that they can now pic up something with the images on them -- a physical, tangible item that could be used in activism.  More after the flip, if you're so inclined...

I like writing.

Writing, typing, blogging, crafting -- I enjoy words. Sometimes I'll edge toward biting, caustic sarcasm and other times I'll slip over to goofy, inane and warped. Once in a while I'll swim through a pool of surrealism and other times I'll delve deeply philosophical, or at least what I'll think of as "deep" and "philosophical."  There are the times for deadly serious, sonorous tones or passionate ranting phrase-paintings.

I don't always know what I'll end up with, but I do know when I'm "in the zone" instead of merely tapping out thoughts -- both of which differ from the times I'm simply "zoning."  Why does this matter? Because words are how we express ourselves -- they convey thoughts, feelings and emotions. The way we string them together, the manner in which we punctuate the written word or articulate the spoken phrase, all form the basis for one of the deepest forms of communication we have outside of the touch shared between lovers, friends or family.  Words are how we define ourselves, our relationships, our culture, our society and our government.  And while actions speak louder than words, the two acting together form the basis of something powerful.  Combined with knowledge and experience, reinforced by action, the power of words to do good or ill is nearly infinite.

Posted simultaneously on ePluribus Media, DailyKos, Docudharma and Below Boston.

There are words that comprise paper tigers and those which ignite fires; some words are worth fighting to protect, others are not.

Some words forge new nations and ideals amid the forge-fires of conflict, while others are relegated to the dustbins of history as naught but a footnote at most.

There are words, on the page following, which have worth that appears to vary across the depth and breadth of the nation today.  Once -- long ago, perhaps -- they were words that could inspire and entice the people of a nation to do great things. Now, however, their fate appears uncertain.  I ask, fellow Kossacks, just one simple question: Whither the words necessary to marshal a hue and cry of outrage and demand for restoration, restitution and accountability?

I've seen a variety of pieces asking about VP choices for Obama; now, thanks to LordRag, I've seen this list of possible options from Reuters: FACTBOX: Possible Democratic vice presidential candidates (Reporting by Deborah Charles and John Whitesides, editing by David Wiessler, Tue Jun 3, 8:53 PM ET)

The given list is interesting.  Over the flip, I'm going to provide it as-is in a list lettered from A to Z.  Please read it, and in comments provide your top three picks in order of preference.  I'll post the results tomorrow.

UPDATE: If your favorite isn't on the list, which comes from the linked article, please write him/her in. I'd like to get three choices per response, regardless, to keep the numbers consistent.

When McCain Drops Out is title of Steve Rosenbaum's piece over on the Huffington Post, and it encapsulates his premise that McCain will drop out in September in order to give the Republicans a shot at another Presidency. It's a theory, and one we'd all best consider in order to ensure that the GOP has no further chance at protecting their criminal enterprises from accountability and oversight.

Our nation, and our planet, can't take another Republican fiasco.

Who will the surprise contender be that will be introduced? Rosenbaum has a list:

• Condoleezza Rice (Secretary of State)
• Colin Powell (fmr Sec. of State)
• Marilyn Musgrave (Colorado Congresswoman)
• Mitt Romney (fmr Massachusetts Governor)
• Mike Huckabee (fmr Governor of Arkansas)
• Charlie Crist (Florida Governor)
• Tim Pawlenty (Minnesota Governor)
• Bobby Jindal (Louisiana Governor)
• Mark Sanford: (Governor of South Carolina)
• John Thune (Senator from South Dakota)
• Dick Lugar (Senator from Indiana)
• Chuck Hagel (Senator from Nebraska)
• Michael Bloomberg (NYC Mayor)

What's your take? (more after the flip)

OK, folks -- Now it's time to stop pulling punches.

We've seen what makes them squirm, so let's put a proper face on the war.

A baby's face.  Not just any Gerbified baby-face, mind you.  Very specific baby-faces.

The baby-faces of each and every one of our troops, to be exact, along with their names, ranks and the dates they gave their lives for this illegal, immoral crime.

I need to know -- is this doable? Can we get the Gold Star mothers, the Vets for Freedom, U.S. Labor Against the War and a myriad of others to work together to assemble a website and prepare downloadable posters that have images of all "the casualties" identified by name and rank, and then obtain images of their baby pictures from their families?  

In a recent online conversation, a conservative shill asked if "Obama was as stupid as he looks" -- he was going on about whether Obama would pick Clinton as his VP choice.

I had to ask him to clarify what he meant by somebody who "looked" stupid -- obviously, he had his own opinion.

I shared my idea of what a special kind of stupid looked like -- there's plenty of room for more, too, in the comments if you happen to have any "special" kinds of stupid looks to share.

Make the jump, and see what I shared as my take on the topic...

Throughout the entire tenure of the George W. Bush Administration, they have been lying to us.  Congressional Republicans who served any time since 2001 can no longer deny their role and complicity. The final bits are coming to light now that vindicate the cries of those of us who insisted that the invasion of Iraq was intended from day one of this Administration's tenure -- long before 9-11 happened.

It also bodes ill for Iran's short-term prospects.

There's a dKos diary that hit with this news early -- by Framlingham. Go give Recommends & tips.

The implications -- for the US, for the next President, for the current pResident, for members of the GOP who were in Congress anytime during the 2001-2008 timeframe. Now, we're talking about intention to deceive and malice aforethought.

Now we're assured of an Administration leaving behind a unholy, historic legacy of treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity, dereliction of duty, war profiteering, negligence, graft, corruption, voter suppression, obstruction of justice, and even major violations of the RICO act.