One of the most important needs of human beings is to be acknowledged

[live love laugh]

We the people are no longer acknowledged by our government and it hurts. It hurts that we see and know about incessant pervasive corruption but it is minimized by the press, and ignored even when subpoenas are issued and hearings are held. We have watched Condi lie and stonewall before and Gonzalez's performance was a slap in the face to any individual who has ever had to face true justice.

We are like children who have been attacked by one parent and tell the other parent only to be ignored and abused even further. For those of us who have seen a hopeful America the reality of UhMerka is a harsh one. I am both angry and hurt that the thievery and corruption that I see which affects me financially, is spreading like ebola and nobody's working on a vaccine.

People who are not acknowledged, wither and die. We may not die literally, but politically, as the corruption progresses through its last throes and we continue to be ignored, death is certain.

We are no longer the land of the free, home of the brave but a land of proles.

[Aviation Pro]

1. Not so...

...I still believe, which is why we are doing everything to right the ship.

[Radio_Lady]

2. This is the syndrome: Is the glass half empty; or is the glass is half full?

We are leaving for Europe in a few days. Usually, I wear red/white/blue colors in my travel clothing -- not ostentatious, not the ugly American (God forbid!) I just like the color combination. This summer, I am not proud to be an American. Yesterday, I decided I will wear black and white -- a symbol of the two sides of this country and how they are unable to interact. Different as day and night... I felt that was a fit compromise.

Previously, I had a children's bedroom decorated in r/w/b with "flags and flowers" motif. We lived in ZIP CODE 01776 (Sudbury, Massachusetts) for almost thirty years, and we were there for the Bicentennial in 1976. I took some pride in the fact that the American revolution started near our home and the militias of Lexington and Concord joined in.

When we moved to Portland in 1998, I eagerly purchased over $200 worth of comforters and shams, which went into a closet. I set up a little nursery room for my granddaughter and grandson with echos of pink and blue. As they grow up, I recaptured the r/w/b look with drapes and bedding -- smaller, to echo the bedroom in our last house, which I loved.

In the year 2000, after the voting debacle, the air just came out of me. Then it was September 2001. We felt we had to keep our commitment to go to New York and see it for ourselves. We were there just before Thanksgiving, and people were glad to welcome us. My husband bought the NYPD cap and a fireman's sweatshirt, and I added a scarf to my collection.

Now it's 2007. The ugly reality of what the Supreme Court did, including the much heralded folks who were supposed to be liberal in their thinking, is now upon us. The upshot is -- we are seized up in this black and white world.

Is the glass half empty, or are we AT THE VERY LEAST working to get it to half full and hopefully ALL FULL SOON?

Ask me hourly and I might be able to give you some kind of a rational answer.

[live love laugh]

3. I know what you mean about feelings changing hourly. It seems that mine

are leaning toward the side of hopelessness for more of the hours of each passing day. There is just so much corruption that it flies in the face of everything that I have ever believed about truth and good and justice and fairness and evil. I find it difficult to express how much it hurts to see all that we know about here and not be able to even discuss it with most of the people in our lives because they are so unaware of what's going on.

I hope that you enjoy your trip and thanks for responding.

[Radio_Lady]

5. Hold close those around you whom you hold dear -- do some fun things --

and stop watching cable news. I'd start with the last thing first.

I listened to country music on the radio for about two hours yesterday while preparing a dinner for company. I don't know much about that music and not sure I like it, but there's always a story there.

[melody]

4. 1776 and our American history are intact and something to be proud of

Bush and his co-conspirators are enemies within. Our people are above and beyond this government.