Three Card Monte, new article on Starlight News

[Nancy Waterman]

http://starlightnews.com

The Truth is a potent weapon and one that the Democrats need to wield far more effectively against a persuasive and devious adversary. Masterful at dissembling and obfuscation, the Bush/Rove juggernaut is also highly practiced in the sly art of distraction. Our pressured entry into Gulf War Two, under the ominous threat of a toxic mushroom cloud, is a prime example. Not only was the entire operation empowered by exaggerations and outright deception, but the real motivating ideas were largely obscured and buried under a demagoguery-inspired fear. Barely a handful of words in the mainstream media dealt with the neoconservative/PNAC plan for global hegemony and its precondition of an American power center established in the oil-rich Middle East. Perhaps if the Democrats had spoken loudly and clearly about the truth behind the military push into Iraq instead of getting caught up in the squabbles about how many weapons and how much actual danger, things might have turned out differently. Instead, we kept looking at the wrong issues and went round and round, while Bush planned and executed his crusade for an American power grab.

Now, as we enter the second Bush term, we are once again being badgered by trumped up charges of danger in order to ensure a policy, like Iraq, fraught with enormously problematic consequences. Like a card shark taking your money with a three card monte, using distraction and deception to keep you from guessing where the ace is hiding, Bush is focusing our attention on a bogus Social Security crisis while distracting us from his ideologically-inspired attempts to destroy New Deal social welfare policy, as well as from two imminent and potentially disastrous tsunamis that are about to hit our shores.

[lancdem]

1. Great piece, Nancy

I really like the passages about Dean. They give me some hope.

BTW, how's your son?

[Nancy Waterman]

2. Thanks, lancdem

My son's fever is way down, but he is exhausted and complaining about going back to school tomorrow. I may have to push him out the door.

[pacifictiger]

3. More great insight and writing.

Thanks so much Nancy.
Your line "Masterful at dissembling and obfuscation, the Bush/Rove juggernaut is also highly practiced in the sly art of distraction" is so apt.
I've been wondering for the past couple of weeks what things are being hidden by Bush's nonsensical budget and this much touted Social Security plan, because it is obviously designed to generate an attention-getting squabble.

And then I see this in the Christian Science Monitor yesterday, regarding judicial reform and moving class action suits from State to Federal jurisdiction - I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0214/p02s02-usju.html

WASHINGTON – As official Washington plunges into the proposed budget for the 2006 fiscal year, there's a quieter race to move a decade of controversial judicial reforms through the Congress and to the president's desk.

Timing is critical. Looming battles over Social Security and judicial nominations could deepen partisan rancor. That's one reason key Senate negotiators and their highly mobilized business allies want to move quickly toward their goal of changing the rules of the game in US courts over everything from class actions and medical malpractice to how workers are compensated for exposure to asbestos.

[Nancy Waterman]

4. I think the distraction issue is key

I felt it strongly during the pre- Iraq demagoguery. I kept feeling that we were embrioled in the wrong conversation. And I feel that way again. There are urgent things to discuss and we are squabbling about Social Security which is fine.

[Cha]

5. Fascinating article, Nancy!

I was really lapping up the analysis you did on Dean..you got the time for the Chairman Chart!

It seems with Dean at the helm that it's going to be more like an opposition party and something to get really excited about as we see the progress we make as a Party ..for the next four years.

At least we will have some real coordinated, maxium effort, in bringing to light to the American public.. the low down on the machiavellian brutes in D.C..without much help from the media to boot.

I know things won't be perfect for the Dean/Chairman Chart(what ever is?) but it looks like we'll have enough star power to get to the finals. I just hope Dean's "benefics" have the power to beat bush's "malefics".

[loudsue]

6. I can't WAIT for Dean to start saying all of the things nobody has had the

courage to say publicly!! :bounce:

It's going to fall to us internetters to send him all the messages of support we can muster. The guy is going to be the target of the entire media demonization, as well as the nastiest of nasties... the Wrath of Rove and the Disdain of Dubya.

The media will be putting pressure on ALL elected Democratic officials, and Democrats in general, and will demonize them one by one to try to get them to tame Dean's message. The bloggers and the internetters are going to have to rise up, with our muted voices, and support the Dems and Dean in some powerful way. The DLC will be trying to push the party further to the right from within, as well, so we've got our work cut out for us.

:hi: Thanks, Nancy, for such a great article! I really hope the stars shine nicely down on Dean!!

:kick::kick::kick:

[Nancy Waterman]

7. I find it fascinating

that Dean will have Uranus square his Moon very close to when Uranus hits the three big charts: Dubya, Inaugural, and US. I wonder what this transit will bring to us. It is also interesting Dean will have the aggressive Pluto conjunct Mars at the same time.


This Podvin article is a must-read. I can really visualize what he is describing and I think it is really the answer. Let us hope Soros and the other big money people agree.

http://makethemaccountable.com/podvin/more/050214_TheLiberalMedia.htm

[loudsue]

8. Thanks for the link! That's the best I've felt in weeks!!....MONTHS!!

As for Dean having Uranus sq. his Moon.... that is tough, tough, tough. I went through it in 1999-2000, and I can't think of many more unpleasant experiences....well, except that I also had Saturn sitting on my Moon at the same time. Ugh!

I hope his experience w/ it is better than mine was!

:kick::kick::kick:

[Nancy Waterman]

11. loudsue - the Saturn Venus may have skewed things a bit downward

Happily, Dean will be under progressed Venus conjunct Jupiter at least til September. He also will have Jupiter square his Ascendant for part of the Uranus station square his Moon. I think he will be pretty wound up (Uranus) but reasonaly cheerful.

[Cha]

9. This article by David Podvin is a

"must read". I remember how full of hope and promise it sounded when I thought Al Gore was going to start a progressive tv station.

You can tell David Podvin has been thinking about this for awhile and has come up with really great ideas. It's so pathetic how the fascists have over taken the airwaves with their malicious propoganda! I hope there are more than a few Dems kicking themselves regarding "The Fairness Doctrine"..

This is the way to go and I hope George Soros rethinks his strategy.

I've heard from different people that bill o'reilly is always shouting what a bad person Soros is..they are obviously scared of him, too.

A friend came into work today and asked me what I thought of Dean getting the DNC Chair..of course, he knew what I would say..Then he proceeded to tell me how limpbaugh was railling against Dean on his hate fest radio show..I said .."why do you listen to that garbage?" He said .."you have to listen to know how they twist things so you can rebutt them".

And our station would be working with the truth in mind..so we wouldn't have to remember as much..but I'm with David Podvin on this.."It is imperative that the network resist the liberal compulsion to value fairness over effectiveness. This nation is in the midst of a great philosophical civil war, and conservatives are waging that war using any means at their disposal. Although liberals can win without adopting the tactics of the right wing, it is necessary to relinquish the idea that there is a unilateral obligation to honor the Marquis of Queensbury rules."


What did he mean by this? "..in nation where a network anchorman recently was fired for telling the truth about his employer’s amoral political benefactor, corporate propaganda is the coin of the realm."

Did he mean Dan Rather for telling the truth about bush?

This article should be spread far and wide..it makes you think about what we've been missing! Thanks, Nancy!

[Nancy Waterman]

10. zidzi - I think he meant Dan Rather

And he is right, Rather got crucified for telling the truth!!!

Today on Air America, some caller said we need an Air America TV show!! We have only just gotten AA in my area and already it has become a habit. It is so energizing. I have also heard them rebutt some of the garbage spewed by Fox. They will quote O'Reilly or another one of the goons and then prove how they were lying or distorting the truth. Just what Podvin suggests for a TV channel. It seems like AA is spreading fairly rapidly, too. They have recently opened in LA, the DC metro area, and Nashville.

[saracat]

12. Unfortunately , according to the National Democratic Bylaws, Dean is not

allowed to say anything that is not approved by Pelosi and Reid.Dean has already started to abide by that in his first press conference .He made mention of the fact he could not comment on war issues or anything relating to policy.
The job of DNC Chair is pretty much a toothless tiger at the mercy of the Party Leaders. The chair is to preside, nothing more really. The committees tend to most else. Dean will be the "face" of the Party, but he must parrot the party line, as set by Pelosi and Reid, and he has already publicly stated that he will.

[Nancy Waterman]

13. I don't think that will be a problem

He will be able to stick with the approved policy but say it in a way that will be memorable. He is very good at pithy soundbites. Lots of good quotable material. And he will be on the TV pundit shows A LOT! I don't think the policy is the issue; it is getting someone to articulate it and frame it effectively. I think he will be great at that.

That being said, the progressed MC/ natal Pluto square coming up in the next few years does suggest some power struggles. It will be interesting to watch it unfold. But he will be 10,000 times more effective than Terry McAuliffe in terms of being articulate and quotable on TV.

[Cha]

14. Thanks for this Nancy..I really enjoyed

reading this post.,imho, you are so right on!

[jrthin]

15. Nancy, Happy Belated Birthday. nt

[Cha]

16. Yes, Happy Birthday! I know you're an

Aquarius!

Have you seen this by John Nichols in "The Nation"?

"Now He Has the Power"
Snips~
Now that Dean is chairman, he'll have to strike a balance between grassroots Democrats, who want the party to be more muscular in opposition, and Congressional Democrats, who tend to believe, as Pelosi has argued, that the chair will "take his lead from us." Dean, who once ran the Democratic Governors Association and knows a lot about party etiquette, won't go to war with the Congressional leaders. But, as one Dean backer said, "He has to prod them. I mean, what's the point of making Dean party chair if he isn't going to get these people to use their backbones?" Dean's aides say he will lie low initially, looking for fights where he can put a charged-up party to work for Congressional Democrats, perhaps in defense of Social Security, perhaps in opposition to a Supreme Court nominee.

Dean will paper over a lot of tensions if he can make the DNC as essential for Democratic candidates as the RNC is for Republicans. Even before Dean's election as chair, the DNC made a major commitment to aid party nominees in 2005 contests for mayor of New York City and governor of New Jersey and Virginia. And the DNC will be all over the 2006 fights for the Senate, where Democrats will struggle to defend more seats than the GOP, and the House, where Democratic prospects should be somewhat better. But Dean's best chance to prove himself will be at the state and local levels, where three dozen governorships, attorneys general slots, control of state legislatures and thousands of county posts that are vital to rebuilding the party's infrastructure will be at stake. Dean's pledge to transform the party into a grassroots organization "that can win in all fifty states" will be put to the test. Dean-energized by the success that Democracy for America, the successor organization to his 2004 campaign, had in aiding successful local campaigns in places like Salt Lake County, Utah, and Montgomery, Alabama-relishes the prospect, an attitude that distinguishes him from predecessors who seldom found time for legislative races, let alone county commission contests.


More at..
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0217-21.htm

[saracat]

17. He will be better than Terry that is for sure! I am hoping he will be able

to unite the many factions of our Party. Even if it is only symbolic that can go a long way. I just don't want some people to be tearing into him for not being able to do the impossible. I think he is going to be a fabulous Chair and my hopes are for the best. I am very proud he decided to run and didn't let the naysayes stop him!

[Nancy Waterman]

18. I just posted this on Astroworld

but thought someone might be interested over here. It is a summary of what is going on right now astrologically as I see it, in response to a question.

Here is how I see the aspects right now:

Transiting Jupiter station conjunct Prog US Mars which is quinunx prog US MC -
We have been very aggressive about Iran and Syria; we had a lot of troops in Iraq for the election (this will begin to go down some after the transit, I think).

Tertiary progressed Inaugural Asc square natal Neptune (2/1 - 2/24) - Jeff Gannon scandal!

Transiting Neptune moving to Condi's Mars - She won't be able to get anything concrete done, just a lot of hot air with inflated expectation that amounts to zero. Her swearing in chart with Mars Pluto conjunction shows lots of aggression that gets continually thwarted and frustrated by the abundance of tight Saturn aspects.

Bush still is protected by Jupiter return through early March, including residual benefits for him due to Iraqi election's seeming success.

Expect a big event in either late March or April, or series of events, that cause upsets and changes in a moment. This will upset and anger Bush, upset and irritate the administration, and cause a stirring among the masses both American and Iraqi, though perhaps for different reasons. Uranus opposite Bush Mars, square Inaugural Moon, square US Uranus, conjunct Iraqi Uranus.

[Me.]

19. Have You Any Thoughts On How This Negroponte Thing

Will play out?

[Nancy Waterman]

20. No thoughts about negroponte

But regarding Gannon, it is now posted on americanblog.blogspot.com that he has known about several stories ahead of time. This clearly sounds like pillow talk spilling over from someone in the White House. I keep thinking of the Saturn station opposite Cheney's Venus right now. He is upset and worried about something. So I am left wondering if it is related to this story.



http://americablog.blogspot.com /


A news producer for a major network just told me that Gannon told the producer the "shock and awe" campaign launching the Iraq war was about to happen four hours before President Bush announced it to the nation.

According to the producer, Gannon specifically told them that in four hours the president was going to be making a speech to the nation announcing the "shock and awe" campaign had begun. The producer told me they were surprised that Gannon, working with such a small news outfit, could have access to such information, but "what did you know, he was right," the producer said today. The producer went on to say that Gannon often had correct scoops on major stories, including information about Mary Mapes and the Dan Rather BUSH/AWOL scandal that this news outlet got from Gannon before any had the information publicly.


<lots more>

[Me.]

21. Pillow Talk, Hmmmmm

I hadn't quite thought of it that way. It has been suggested that some type of sexuality has been in play, and speculation has been that he knew about someone else's homosexuality, and/or a one nighter, but pillow talk speaks to an ongoing relationship. That makes it even more interesting, if only we knew who. Thanks Nancy and a belated HB.

[loudsue]

22. Yep! This is the scandal that is JUICY enough to cause all kinds of

heartburn for the "Kristianists" in the oval office...

The (probably sexual) relationship between Gannon/Gluckert and either bush, cheney or rove would be only too sweet! My $$ is on either bush or rove.... but more likely, bush.

You have to know that rove knew about Gannon to get that press credential legitimized. HOW did he know about him is the juicy question.

The pillow talk issue is the biggest link to higher ups in the administration....I mean, REAL high up! I think this goes to the top three.

I feel fairly certain Gannon's days are numbered before he (reportedly) commits "suicide", and it's blamed on the "ruthlessness" of the bloggers.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Cha]

23. You bet ..we're interested!

Thanks, Nancy.

[Cha]

24. I was trying to look up "Astroworld"

..and I can't find an astrology site under that name..do you have a link, Nancy? Thanks.

[Nancy Waterman]

25. Here you go, zidzi

http://www.astroworld.us/

Push the link for LINK and you get the whole article and all the comments. The discussion is really good with lots of interesting links posted by the Astroworlders.


Regarding the Gannon story, I saw somewhere that people supposedly remember Scott McClellan at some gay bars in Texas. I don't know if the story is a plant or they are trying to scapegoat him or if indeed it is him who has the connection to Gannon. He would have been able to get Gannon into the press conferences and he would have known about things ahead of time.

[Cha]

26. Thanks for this and everything

you're writing. I was trying for astroworld.com and it wasn't cutting the mustard:)

[Cha]

27. Thanks, Nancy..I finally found that

Vis Numar article I was looking for on atroworld.us.

SNIPS~
For Howard Dean, I don't see how he could lose the 2.12.04 race. I also never could see him losing the Presidential race either, to bad the Democratic Party didn't nominate him, as he's just got power written all over him at this time. Here's what I see for Dean.

First, more lasting and transforming of his holding of power, transiting Pluto is moving over Dean's natal Mars in Sag., and then, 5 degrees later, will be transiting over Dean's natal Jupiter in Sag. This is a multi-year aspect just getting underway, first, through 2006, Pluto conjuncting Dean's Mars multiple times, and then, through 2008, Pluto conjuncting Dean's Jupiter multiple times. This transit is powerful for transforming Dean's position in the Democratic party, being a fighter and a leader that becomes the voice of the Democratic Party. While Pluto pulls away from the Democratic Party's progressed Sun, the later trails behind transiting Pluto as the Democratic Party's progressed Sun first conjuncts Dean's natal Mars and then Jupiter. Dean as the forerunner, here showing the path to transformation for the Democratic Party that follows his lead.

I had read this way before Feb 12th and then I couldn't find it again as it got closer to the DNC Chair election..


More at..
http://www.astroworld.us/archives/000454.html#000454

I really enjoyed reading the astroworld's running astrological commentary, also.

[Nancy Waterman]

28. Here is an interesting article on Gannon/Guckert

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/18/opinion/lynch/main675050.shtml

[Cha]

29. Very! I passed it on to this

thread.. Thank you!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3143448