The Cosmically Stressed Election of 2008

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[Jana]

Watched Sicko last night on youtube... fantastic!!!very heartening.
The Information Police are presently gathering email trees...there was even some scam about Gates paying people on the email trees money for participating.
So if you are given any chain emails, don't bother forwarding to others unless you know the source.

[Michael]

My friend and colleague Stephen Dinan has written  (and will continue) some good articles for the Huffington Post.

I'll post them below:

Barack: Hold the Higher Ground

This election is about far more than electing a Democrat to remedy eight years of Bush’s policies. What has ignited a movement around Barack Obama is even more fundamental than a desire for political change. It is evolution itself, seeking a higher possibility for America. Our promise as a nation is to always seek the next frontier and we now stand at that frontier.

The dynamic playing out in this election goes beyond the possibility of transcending racial divides to elect a man with both black and white ancestry, as important as that it is. It is about outgrowing an old idea of who we are to become a shining example of the new. The truly tectonic shift of this election is to move beyond America as a country led by warriors to one that is led by peacebuilders.

The psychology of the warrior has permeated every level of the political process in DC, on both sides of the aisle. The psychology of the warrior is built on polarization and enemies, on demonization and grabs for power. It is “us versus them” rather than “we’re all in this together.” It feeds on fear, blockades solutions, and breeds inefficiency as we waste time, money, and energy on activities that do not contribute to human betterment.

President Bush is an example of the warrior-leader who is focused so intensely on enemies that he fails to find common ground, build alliances, or adequately build America’s infrastructure. This type of leadership is quite literally bankrupting our country and dramatically undermining our good standing in the rest of the world.

The warrior in all of us needs to be honored for its service, just as our troops deserve our deepest respect for putting their lives on the line for our country. But our world is now too interconnected and our core challenges too global for us to see the world through the polarizing lens of the warrior’s glasses. We need statesmen and stateswomen who are committed to be uniters rather than dividers, coalition-builders rather than fighters. These statesmen and stateswomen will certainly still need warriors for specialized work but the warrior can no longer be in the lead decision-making roles if America is to align itself again with its purpose and destiny.

John McCain deserves our respect and our honoring for his service to our country and in a previous era, he might have made a fine President. However, the era of the warrior-president has passed; a warrior-president cannot meet the deepest needs of America today, as the Bush administration has demonstrated. While admirable, John McCain represents a continuation of the same psychology that has undermined America’s true strength. President Bush is the last flourish of a dying era, one in which leading with aggression and force was the preferred method. As the sole superpower in the world, it is now our obligation to evolve to a more mature relationship with our power, to truly use it in service to the planet, to build bridges of understanding and healing, reconciliation and alliances.

While this may not immediately stop all acts of terrorism, it will steadily dissolve the conditions that lead to terrorism and hatred of the United States. Over the coming years and decades, the shift to America as a peacebuilder led by peacemakers will ensure our safety and security far better than intimidation by guns and bombs. This shift beyond the warrior-leader era can be seen in the rising power of women on both sides of the political aisle. We can also feel it in the shift in Barack Obama’s call to move beyond red states and blue states to become the United States again.

Barack has become the leader of an evolutionary movement in America because he has maintained his integrity, called for our best, and held the higher ground for truly bringing people together. Part of that higher ground is to honor the importance of every voice in the choir. He now needs to demonstrate that he honors the conservative evangelical base by showing that he respects and honors Sarah Palin, even while challenging her policies. He needs to demonstrate that he honors the warrior by being able to engage John McCain with respect and honor even while making clear that his positions are no longer useful for America. For America to be whole and to truly evolve to another level, we all need to take up this call to honor those with whom we disagree, even while we are rigorous in our telling of the truth and our exposure of the repercussions of certain policies. Our President must fully embody this call to a higher ground so that, as a people, we can all shift towards this higher ground.

I do not want to minimize the importance of giving people the unvarnished truth. We do need to know the truth about candidate’s policies, histories, and personalities to judge their worthiness to lead, a function the news media have been designed to play and in which Internet activists certainly have a role. However, even more important than the exposure of this truth is our capacity to stand on higher ground, to quite literally call America to evolve beyond fractious politics and combative psychologies to create practical solutions that lead to human betterment both in America and abroad, for Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.

In the heat of the campaign, Barack and all those who support him need to remember that this is ultimately a contest for the evolution of America beyond a psychology of warfare, opposition and animosity. How we conduct ourselves now is vital so that the campaign itself is an embodiment of our deepest American values and virtues and that the resulting Obama administration can move forward in a spirit of peacebuilding and bipartisan collaboration.

[Michael]

Announce Hillary as Secretary of State

With the Palin media frenzy still in high gear, it’s imperative that Obama take back the excitement momentum. One powerful way to shake up the race again would be to begin publicly announcing his Cabinet, beginning with the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, assuming she agrees to take the position.

This would not only give the public a deeper sense for what an Obama administration would look like. It would reignite the passions of devoted Hillary followers as they are assured of the power and influence that she would wield in an Obama administration.

Hillary Clinton has, by all accounts, demonstrated her credentials to be the President. The Secretary of State plays a key role in positioning America on the global stage and representing our interests abroad, as well as acting as an advisor to the President. It is the single most powerful and visible role in the Cabinet and a role for which she is eminently qualified. Such a position would also harness more of the wisdom gleaned from eight years of the Clinton administration and augment the foreign policy expertise that Biden brings.

In terms of election dynamics, such an announcement would turn the headlines back to Obama’s candidacy, with some pundits calling it a brilliant tactical move to regain Hillary’s supporters and others calling it a reaction to the Palin buzz. The debate itself would shift the fascination from the Palin pick, as well as subtly highlight the fact that Obama’s Secretary of State would be more qualified to be President than McCain’s VP.

With a defined role in the coming Obama administration, Hillary’s campaign events could have renewed vigor and visibility and those followers who have felt slighted and thus inclined to support Palin would have an additional reason to vote Democratic.

The next logical step with such an approach would be to announce further Cabinet picks, which would grab headlines, illuminate details about his administration’s plans, and add powerful leaders to the campaign trail. As the full Obama team becomes more visible, with specific leaders able to talk about concreate policies that can solve America’s formidable problems, voters can more easily look beyond the personalities at the top of the ticket and instead look at the programs and teams that can implement those policies. And it is in the details of their plans for America where the most important differentiators between McCain and Obama can be found.

By publicly announcing his Cabinet picks in advance, Obama would break historical precedent, demonstrating his role as change agent. Ironically, the stage is already set for this move since both McCain and Obama on 9/11 agreed to a Cabinet level position for Service and offered the position to their opponent if they win. In the long term, a shift towards early announcement of key Cabinet members would make good sense. After all, a venture capitalist will rarely invest in business ideas without assessing the full team that can execute a plan. Similarly, the American people should have a better sense for the full leadership team that will constitute an Administration rather than just the #1 and #2. Even better is a strategic plan for how to implement policies, which Cabinet members can be invaluable in fleshing out.

In today’s world of complexity, a President can only process so much information. It is beholden upon his or her Cabinet to be voices of wisdom, balance, and innovative ideas. The mark of a great leader is that they surround themselves with excellent leaders rather than yes-men or yes-women. Picking Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and announcing that now would give us further insight into the calibre of leadership that Barack Obama would bring as President.

[Michael]

Imagine America as Wasilla

While the initial buzz may be fading about Sarah Palin, her position as potential presidential successor still looms. Loyal Republicans tout her record as an executive as evidence that she is ready to lead our country if necessary.

To test this idea, what if we took Sarah Palin's financial track record from six years as the chief executive of Wasilla (her longest executive stint) and scaled that up to the size of America as a whole? This would give us a sense for how America might look after six years if Palin were given the opportunity to make the same kind of decisions for the country as she did for Wasilla.

First off, Palin inherited a city with zero debt and left with $18.6M in debt. That's $3000 for each of the 6000 residents of the town. As President of the United States, she would be starting with a sizable debt already, but we could assume that her previous experience would incline her to add an additional $900 billion in red ink ($3000 for each of our 300 million citizens) to our national debt. That's about 10% of the total debt we've accumulated in 230 years as a nation -- an impressive accomplishment for a "fiscal conservative!"

In Wasilla, Palin increased the size of the city budget during her term by 33%. Scale that up and we might expect to see our annual federal budget balloon from $2.9 trillion to $3.9 trillion during her watch. An extra trillion dollars in the yearly budget would undoubtedly allow us to do some breathtaking new things -- perhaps a public works programs that builds the world's greatest chain of sports complexes?

Of course, there's the pesky problem of where to get the extra trillion each year. Some of it Palin could simply borrow from future generations as part of her $900B in red ink. But she'd clearly need to raise more as well. Fortunately, Palin demonstrated exceptional skill in getting outsiders to fund projects in Wasilla. During her time as mayor, she got the rest of us American taxpayers to subsidize $27M of infrastructure improvements for her town by successfully lobbying for federal earmarks (commonly known as "pork").

Translate that to the federal level and we'd expect huntress Palin to bag some $4000 in pork for each American citizen from outside sources to fund our internal needs. This would be an unprecedented feat, but undoubtedly the European Union, International Money Fund, and World Bank would be willing to hand over the parallel $1.2 trillion dollars into the begging bowl of our intrepid American President. She could bill it as a reverse Marshall Plan to resurrect America from the financial ashes of the Bush Era.

Alas, even that impressive feat of pork hunting would not cover the full spending tab, so Palin would need to raise some taxes. Rather than targeting the wealthy (whose campaign donations might then be in jeopardy), Palin could implement a federal sales tax to parallel her Wasilla decision to raise their sales tax by 25%. That way, she could make sure not to annoy any billionaires by making them shoulder a higher percentage of the new spending load. We would all truly be in it together.

If there were still budget gaps, Palin could always sell off federal assets at discount prices to her campaign backers, as she did with the much-touted governor's jet, which did not actually sell on eBay but ended up in the hands of one of her campaign backers at a $600,000 loss to the state. Some of our national parks would be good candidates to sell at fire sale prices to developers who contribute to the McCain-Palin ticket. Do I hear $50 million for Yellowstone?

Perhaps the most exciting innovation of a Palin presidency could be a makeover of the White House (which really is due for a new look). While in Wasilla, Palin spent $50K in unauthorized funds, drawn from a highway fund, to accomplish her desired makeover of the mayor's office when she entered office. If she were to do the same thing for America as a whole, that would give her a truly impressive $2.2 billion dollar budget to make over the White House, bringing it into the 21st century after decades of looking so 18th century.

America could indeed be transformed by six years of the demonstrated successes of Wasilla's most famous executive.

For a list of Palin numbers and facts, with references for all the above numbers, see:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-kurtzman/sarah-palin-by-the-number_b_127355.html#postComment

[Michael]

Addressing Root Causes of the Financial Crisis

In the stream of information about the financial crisis on Wall Street and the government's $700B bailout plan, there is a great deal of confusion, both about the deepest causes of the problems and the wisdom of various solutions. With a price tag of over $2000 for every citizen of the United States, fixing the mess is of great concern to us all.

Barack Obama has the opportunity to offer clear leadership by convening an economic task force to address root causes and offer true solutions moving forward. For such a task force, he could include his existing economic advisors, but also harness the insights of people outside of the Democratic Party, outside of the Beltway, and especially outside of Wall Street. By convening a wider range of expertise as well as drawing from groups such as the World Bank, the IMF, think tanks, and independent universities, the task force could develop a more neutral, objective, and wiser assessment of the root causes and thus have a better chance at offering true solutions.

Throwing $700B at the problem in a rash and desperate way could ultimately lead to greater damage to the economy and especially to the American taxpayer. Empowering Secretary Paulson to make unilateral decisions without oversight, as the current proposal stipulates, does not get at the root cause since he's deeply embedded in the very systems he would be seeking to fix. It also sets up the possibility for abuses of power by the Bush administration.

Convening a working council of economic experts from all political persuasions and from around the globe would be more likely to illuminate a truly wise course of action, as well as demonstrate Obama's ability to work beyond party lines and beyond national boundaries.

The way I envision it, he could rapidly convene a five-day American Economic Forum to address the root causes of the American financial crisis. For four days, the experts would work together on a comprehensive assessment of what went wrong at all levels, from legislative and regulatory oversight to the way bonuses were structured. And this analysis would lead to a series of recommendations, with each expert's support or opposition to proposed solutions made transparent. On the final day, Obama would attend and listen to the consolidated recommendations of all of these experts and thus formulate a specific game plan for his administration, which could also be offered now as the Congress struggles with a positive path forward.

By creating a trans-partisan and trans-national economic task force to address the root causes, Obama could begin to act presidential now. This would not only be a great relief to the American taxpayers, who are desperately hoping that their interests will be protected in this bailout of bad business practices. It will also be a relief to the many voters who are watching Obama closely for signs of what kind of leader he will be.

If Obama uses the considerable convening power of his campaign in the service of creating better economic solutions for America now, rather than after he is in office, the political, economic, and practical benefits will be considerable for us all.

[Jana]

The solutions are simple..
• Eliminate Banks, earning interest on money should be illegal.
• Eliminate Wall Street, speculation on money should be illegal.
• Eliminate Insurance companies, capitalization on fear should be illegal
• Eliminate Credit Cards, spending on credit should be illegal.
• Eliminate Treasury Bonds, countries selling their debt should be illegal.
• Eliminate The Federal Reserve, privatized Federal currency should be illegal.
• Eliminate Taxes, the citizen and not the government should decide where their Federal and State donations go.

RECYCLE all assets and jobs toward the Green Economy and quit using tax payers money for illegal militarism.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWbRLLixioE&feature=related  —Meltdown economy, predicted slump in March’09

lorax2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TQhl58GAxI&feature=user —Investing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiv0oy9JW7k&feature=user —Money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=949qqk4WmRo&NR=1  —Most citizens are working as indentured servants to a banking system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmcC_QAzI_4&feature=user —Economic collapse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCKow5RaLNI  —Awesome talk by Burning Man founder Larry Harvey

[VerDarLuz]

Interesting:

Elections Astrology: Obama, Lincoln, JFK, Bailout Games, and Palin's  Potency

VerDarLuz

Obama, Lincoln, JFK

I have recently received a few emails from people who are actively meditating and visualizing healing, protective light energy around Barack Obama and his family.  It is my feeling that we must not only isolate our prayers and luminous meditations to Obama, but also to McCain, the other candidates, and to the bankers and all government officials at this crucial time.  This national crisis is an invitation on a personal level to examine our souls.  We have the power to flow unconditional love out in all directions, without prejudice or preference, but for the healing of the entire nation.

In some of my research over the last few months, I discovered powerful links in the charts of Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and Barack Obama.  Interestingly, Obama wrote an article for Time magazine a few years ago about his connection with Lincoln.  In this article, he stated, "And as Lincoln called once upon the better angels of our nature, I believe that he is calling still, across the ages, to summon some measure of that character, the American character, in each of us today."

Besides the similarities of their personal geographies (impoverished upbringing, Illinois), Obama's South Node, which represents our karmic traces, is on Lincoln's Sun.  And the reverse is true:  Obama's Sun is on Lincoln's South Node.  This powerful reversal may suggest a major spiritual theme that has been circulating between these two souls, trying to be implemented in this country for some time.  It very clearly could point to reincarnant energy of the same soul.

Couple this with Lincoln's Chiron/Sun/Neptune on Obama's Ascendent, and one can feel how Obama channels Lincoln's major life purpose (Sun) to implement the vision (Neptune) of healing (Chiron) the 'Union'.  Obviously, this country is split in ways it maybe has not seen since the Civil War and is headed for an economic crisis of Great Depression proportions. Is the "Republic" about to be torn asunder.  Besides, how does Obama's rise conjure images and tones of Lincoln?

Additionally, there are many astrological links between Obama and Kennedy, including Obama's Moon on Kennedy's Sun and Kennedy's Neptune on Obama's Mercury (allowing Kennedy's dreams to filter through Barack's communication style and message).  The point here is that the auric vibration between these three figures is something many of us feel, and we know the unfortunate ending of the lives of Lincoln and Kennedy. This is increasing the intensity many of us feel with regards to this election and also can help inspire us to send protective, positive energy to all candidates.

Election and Inauguration Day - A Void Administration

Before the elections, I will try to write one more lengthy article on the Karma of the U.S.  In the meantime, I wanted to share just a few interesting paragraphs regarding the elections.  First, there is a really important phenomenon called a void-of-course Moon which occurs the entire Election day as well as at the moment of Inauguration.  Traditionally, actions which begin under a void-of-course moon "will amount to nothing."  It is as if the Moon is in a bardo or in-between state.  This is why astrologers will never counsel clients to marry, perform surgery, or begin a business under a void-of-course moon.  On election day, the moon moves from Capricorn into void, (where it makes no more aspects to other planets) before it changes sign to Aquarius.  This movement of the moon from Capricorn, ruled by Saturn (structures, the old guard, government, status quo, management, banking) to Aquarius ruled by Uranus (innovation, freedom, rebellion, revolution, equality, universal rights) mirrors the Saturn-Uranus opposition I spoke of in the last article, exact on election day.  We can intuit a massive rift or split in the consciousness of the United States on that day and possible violent or crisis energies.

Similarly, a void-of-course moon occurs at the moment of inauguration, when the Moon is at the last degree of Scorpio, the underworld, hidden, deep, secret, volcanic, powerful sign of mystery.  At that moment, the moon is at the same degree it was in during Kennedy's assassination.  It is my feeling that an unpleasant resonance may be felt that day, especially if the majority of Americans feel they have been swindled again.  ALSO, Mercury will be retrograde during Inauguration.  These two points are extremely important.  They reveal that the next administration will be born under a void-of-course Moon and a Mercury Retrograde, two of the worst moments in time to birth any projects, especially an administration of U.S. governance.  This may be the curtain call for the model of governance or even the definition of the United States itself, which will play out over 2009-2012.

I mention this because the happiest candidate come Inauguration day will very likely be the one NOT taking office.  Because of the socioeconomic unrest and many volatile astrological factors in the next four years, including a repetition of "Great Depression" era astrological alignments, and the above points about Inauguration day, the job of President of the U.S.A. will be fraught with overwhelming challenges, hostilities, and dangers.  This is important to keep in mind as we fret over the possibility of a candidate whom many do not desire taking office, as well as an intense, surprise situation unfolding.   Undoubtedly, the shifts and explosive future which is coming will need all the prayers we can possibly send to the angelic forces beyond

Because the majority of us are aware of the rampant fraud and incompetency of the government and bankers, we must remember to maintain positive intentions in all we do, and especially in our thoughts and feelings towards the economic/political situations.  What happens at the voting booth, on inauguration day, and in the next four years will be affected more by our own states of consciousness than by ballots or by hidden agendas.  If we are meant to leave the country, if we are meant to stay, if we are meant to begin movements for state or county secession, if we are meant to revolt through music and art, we must remain clear and clean channels so that Spirit may guide us Where, When, and How, without our reactive or negative body trying to run the show.   I wish you all Godspeed on the journey.

I would like to invite you into a celestial perspective of the elections and the U.S. karma from a recent lecture I gave in Denver, Co.  The first 7 parts (the first hour) of a two hour talk now appears on youtube -- you can search for 'astrology of elections' and you will find the videos.  Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxsp_o5uWkE

Bailout?

FEAR.  love.  fear.  LOVE.  We are shifting vibrationally.  Love and Fear are choices and forces weaving a powerful story during this political campaign and the American destiny.

For those who are not accustomed to the woes of Mercury Retrograde, check out this one effect now: a $700 billion Bill for American taxpayers to bail out the Corporatocracy, the bankers who make people pay fat loans, the guys who like to charge "interest" and then run the U.S. economy into the sinkhole.

In late September, Mercury retrograded back onto the U.S. Saturn in Libra.  Saturn is exalted in Libra because true governance and righteous leadership (Saturn) should be about equal rights and 'justice for all' (Libra).  As Mercury retrogrades back over this Saturn, every American citizen will be able to 're'-consider and 're'-flect on the illusion of trust in the American financial system.  Never has the sordid link between the government and corporations been so transparent.  They have no chance to hide anymore.

During the last Mercury Retrograde in June, I reported on the secret Bilderberg group meetings in West Virginia.  The Bilderberg group consists of corporate and government heads from around the world, who come together each year to make powerful decisions regarding everything from war to oil prices to presidencies, all of which affect each of us.

The next Mercury Retrograde will be in the sign of Aquarius and will take place on inauguration day, more on this powerful day below.

Bilderberg Group meetings, corporate bailouts, inauguration day -- all taking place under the mischief-maker, Mercury, moving backwards, the worst times of the year to begin any serious undertakings, especially related to commerce, trade, travel, and communications, and especially to pass bills and sign away billions of dollars on dotted lines.  Consistently, a contractual deal occurring under Mercury retrograde will flop or one party will get seriously screwed.  The need for our alternative, local, sustainable economies persists and becomes more obvious.

Weirder and Wilder -- the Saturn-Uranus Opposition

As we've seen this year, this is the most unprecedented election in the history of the U.S.  From female and minority candidates, to wild, last-minute tactics, to football stadium size conventions, expecting the unexpected has been an absolute understatement.   This is the nature of the accelerating approach of the Saturn-Uranus opposition, exact on Election Day.  It will continue to approach Hyperreal status the closer we get to the day of the elections.  This same opposition occurred in 1965, with the radical movements for equal rights for minorities and women as complete paradigm shifts in the social and governmental matrices took place.  As Richard Tarnas points out in his brilliant study of history thru planetary relationship, Cosmos and Psyche, the Saturn-Uranus cycle manifests as "the two archetypal principles combine and interpenetrate in contradictory ways: repressive revolution, erratically unpredictable authority, and so forth, as evident during the Terror in revolutionary France and the Cultural Revolution in communist China.  Especially frequent with this cycle were crises and the sudden collapse of structures, crashes, and accidents, grim awakenings, and sudden breakdowns, whether political, economic, or psychological."

Part of the strategy of the Saturnian forces in a time of crisis, where they may lose their governing authority, is to use radical, shocking, inventive, and extreme Uranian means to maintain those very same Saturnian forces.  Advertising which appeals to the rebellious, extreme natures of adolescents is a prime example of how Saturn tries to contain the freedom-impulse of Uranus.  Or, in 1988, as Saturn and Uranus conjoined in Sagittarius, George Bush Sr.'s statement of 'A New World Order,' -- a succinct description of a 'new' (Uranian) version of authority (Saturn).

The whole Obama campaign has been filled with the Uranian vibration, since Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius, Obama's rising sign, Jupiter sign, and karmic traces through his South Node.  Remember the call for text-messaging support during the convention and the massive appeals to younger and disenfranchised voters -- Uranus rules technology, the youth, and the will of the People, not the establishment.   And now the Saturn forces try to suspend the Obama momentum for change -- remember the Promethean/Uranian impulse to awaken and enlighten moves at an electrifying pace.  Saturn forces will do all they can to impede this process.

Over the last few weeks, Obama has been increasing his lead as people become more concerned with the economy.  And then, suddenly, the need for a massive bailout that might be a pretext to postpone the elections appears.  It's not as if this has not been happening for years now, and escalating each month, but it is conveniently timed for the Republicans and Saturnian forces so fearful of change to stop the Obama Uranian momentum.  It's actually quite similar to how the Republican strategists called in Sarah Palin as a running mate to quench the intense, fiery optimism of the Democratic National Convention.  Needing a star and a controversy to compete with Obama's popularity, the Saturnian forces pulled a 'maverick' Uranian move and implemented the hired gun of Sarah Palin to distract people further from the real issues and to try to gain female votes, an attempt to cause derision between male and female, black and white, etc. There is no gray area for Saturn.  "You're either with us, or you're against us."  This is a far different cry than the Uranian/Aquarian plea for hope and vision.  

[Michael]

Elections Astrology: Obama, Lincoln, JFK, Bailout Games, and Palin's  Potency

Continued, part 2

V.P. Potency -- An astrological breakdown of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin has an almost surreal destiny with the chart of the U.S. Her synastry is incredible, beginning with the Sun/Mars/Saturn stellium in Aquarius, vitalizing, activating, antagonizing, and authoritatively pressurizing the soul of the American people, represented by the U.S. Moon, as well as the asteroid Pallas Athena. Interestingly, there is also a linguistic resonance between Palin and the warrior-competitor-strategist goddess Pallas Athena. From sport-hunting to rapping about being state point guard, this woman likes to compete. Remember that the great capital of Athens was named after Pallas (Roman) Athena (Greek) and in her shadow form, Pallas can be devoid of emotions as she strategizes the best way to achieve victory.

On a more karmic level, Palin's early degrees Mercury and Moon in Aquarius conjunct the U.S. Pluto and the U.S. South Node. The Mercury and Moon with Pluto contact signify deeper layers of hidden agendas at play and possible secret, powerful societies (Pluto) bringing to prominence Palin's ability to use media to communicate (mercury) her version of universal, humanitarian, maternal family values (Moon). With the connection to the U.S. South Node, she has been deeply connected to U.S. history before, probably as another powerful woman, perhaps having to do with equal rights for women because of Aquarius. It would be rather ironic if she became the first female president and overturned Roe vs. Wade, ending a woman's right to choose.

Nodal contacts in synastry are literally written in the stars, they're like soul contracts. Not only does Palin contact the karmic trace of the U.S., but her own North Node, where her soul is seeking to go, is within 3 degrees of the U.S. Sun in Cancer!!, and also conjunct the U.S. Jupiter and Venus. All of these U.S. planets greatly enhance her ability to activate her North Node in the sign of the Mother. Remember, that as nurturing as Cancer can be, it can also play its shadow as the most manipulative, overbearing, attached sign in the zodiac. Look at the U.S. history, digging our paws into every nation on the planet as if we own the roof of the earth and can tell all its children what they should do. Sarah Palin's chart fits right in to this formula.

As amazing as all this is, we cannot forget that throughout 2009, on inauguration day, Neptune is exactly conjunct Palin's Sun/Mars/Saturn and the U.S. Moon/Pallas Athene. Either this will be the complete dissolving of her Solar recognition, Mars ambition, and Saturn power, or, and what I feel more likely, a kind of dreamy, hypnotic fantasy begins for this woman and for this entire country as Neptune transits her Aquarian stellium as well as the U.S. Moon. Exact in May, and playing in orb throughout the year, Jupiter conjoins that Neptune in Aquarius, enlarging the mass hypnosis effect. Although there may be a vast feeling of hope permeating the American people, it will likely be a huge smokescreen, a fog of deception and false promise happening at many levels. This portends more issues with clean water, bank bailouts, and oil cover-ups (Neptune rules oil and the oceans). And Palin can't stop talking about untapped oil reserves in Alaska and throughout the U.S.

Election Day

At the moment of her acceptance of running mate, Saturn was within one degree of Palin's Uranus in the first house, giving structure to her individuality, now providing a platform in which to express her first house image. Recently, this woman has been all over the news and been parodied on Saturday Night Live and You Tube like crazy. Saturn is exactly on her Pluto -- this only occurs once in 28 years. The Saturn/Pluto combination always puts one in to contact with underworldly people of hidden power and wealth (Pluto) and places one in a struggle for dominance.

Sarah Palin has a resonant aspect with her own Sun/Mars conjunction in Aquarius squaring the Election day conjunction. When the polls are closing, the Moon in the sky will exactly return to Palin's Moon and conjunct her Mercury. This is highly fortuitous for this woman's fate, as the Moon rules her North Node in Cancer, and Mercury rules her 11th house of success through the collective. Also that evening, Venus conjoins Palin's Ceres at 21 degrees of Sagitarrius in the fifth house of gambling and luck. Ceres was the Great Mother, the grain goddess of abundance and bounty. Since Palin's Ceres sits in the U.S. first house, Venus transiting this point could effectively make Palin appear (first house) as the 'Mother' of a nation.

Inauguration Day and 2009

But the real juice of Palin's chart refers to the inauguration chart and her grand Stellium in Aquarius. A Grand Stellium is when 5 or more planets occupy a sign or house, and Palin has Mercury and Moon conjunct in Aquarius in the 6th house, plus the Sun/Mars/Saturn at 22, 23, 25 Aquarius in the 7th house. As many of you know, the inaugurations take place January 20th, which means that many planets will be moving through the sign of Aquarius at that time, thereby triggering Palin's massive stellium.

The Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, and the North Node will all be on Sarah Palin's Moon and Mercury. Palin's Moon and Mercury represent her feelings of home, nourishment, safety and how she communicates, the transiting Sun will radiate these areas and bring them recognition, Mercury will bring media and a lot of news around these areas, the North Node signifies a point of destiny for these planets. But the core transit of 2009 for Sarah Palin is big benefic Jupiter exponentially expanding and uplifiting her 5 Planet stellium in Aquarius. And the opportunities will emerge from the people around her (7th house) brought on by her new daily work in the White House (6th house).

A Vedic Perspective

Vedic astrologer Joni Patry points out that "Her dasha sequence is Maha dasha Jupiter and Venus bhukti. Both planets are conjunct in Pisces. This combo is amazing since Venus is exalted in Pisces and Jupiter in its own sign of rulership. One thing is for sure, whether or not she wins the race this is a great time for recognition and power. Venus does rule the 10th house from the Moon so this is very auspicious bhukti. Most interesting about her chart is she has the Kala Sarpa yoga, and it is occurring currently in the heavens. People who have this yoga have a life which entails radical fate and karma for good or bad."

We mentioned earlier the exact conjunctions of Saturn to her natal Uranus and Pluto on the day of her Vice-Presidency announcement. On that very day, the Kala Sarpa began. It ended on September 12th. In between this period, both Hurricanes Gustav and Ike occurred, as well as the rise of Sarah Palin and the Republicans. As many Vedic astrologers attest, the Kala Sarpa time period can create much fated intensity in the world, setting off a critical time period in our lives. Kala Sarpa means Time Serpent and indeed it seems that the Serpent's destiny has slithered Palin into the political limelight.

2010 -- 12

A rather frightening scene appears in 2010. The Summer of 2010 has already become much anticipated by astrologers as the most volatile, extreme season to be seen since the Sixties. This is because of the T-square between Saturn, Pluto, and Uranus. Recalling much of the revolutionary, radical energies of the Sixties, an incredible need for change on every level (especially in the realm of energy and resource usage), with the simultaneous increase in military technology and aggression, the transit of Uranus in Aries sq. Pluto in Capricorn will be exact 6 times between the approaching years of pandemonium between 2010 and 2016. But what makes that Summer of 2010 particularly intense, is the addition of the Saturnian status quo governmental structures at war with the people (Uranus) in a volatile, urgent need to transform (Pluto), all expanded, heightened, and increased with the addition of Jupiter. The Jupiter and Uranus conjunction will be exactly conjunct Sarah Palin's Venus in Aries in the Eighth house. This transit will occur at the 0 degrees Aries point, an astrologically intense point which can bring fame to one who possesses it, because 0 degrees of Aries is the beginning of Spring and the beginning of the year. Its sabian symbol is "A woman rising out of the ocean." Lynda Hill describes its shadow as follows: "Using Masculine power to overshadow the emotions or to entertain fear. Refusing to move into a new state of being because one is held back by fears and old life patterns. Falling back into previous, unsatisfactory conditions. People dragging others backwards..."

Venus in Aries is the Amazon warrior, the independent, fierce feminine. Venus in the 8th house has no fear of violence, and is a goddess of the deep, dark, and occult, compulsively obsessed with large amounts of money and other people's resources. With her Venus transited by Progressed Mars, shifting out of 30 years in peaceful Pisces into the first degree of War-General Aries, and crazy madman Jupiter/Uranus, the free radical, uncertain, shocking, extreme combo, the phrase "Get the f*** out of my way, don't tell me what to do" may be a big understatement.

These 2010-2011 transits not only demonstrate the possible violent fear-state that could arise with her position of power, but they could also very much signal a possible ascent to the Presidency because of the leadership connotations of Aries being transited by the unforeseen circumstances of Uranus on that Venus and Progressed Mars. It's very hard to imagine this woman going away in the next four years with these transits. Jupiter does not keep you hidden in any way. You keep growing. And by the way, 2010 is her Jupiter return, amping up her personal fortune as well as any indulgent or extreme tendencies.

Relocation over Washington D.C.

First of all, the karmic points of destiny, the Moon's nodes, blanket the D.C. area in both her Geodetic and Astrocartography lines. In the Geodetic map, Palin's North Node is on the IC, which can present the people around one as a kind of surrogate family. Her North Node "Local Space Line" is very close to D.C., and signifies destiny playing a very strong role, as if meeting people one has known before. Remember our comment about Palin's karmic, past-life connection to U.S. politics. One can reap the rewards of past life actions or suffer karmic retribution. The nodes always signify a loss of something and a grasping towards, a relentless seeking. In Palin's case, that seeking or that loss will be profound, destructive, and massive, because of the parans (latitudinal crossing of planets) she has between Pluto and the Nodes and between Jupiter and the Nodes. With the Jupiter, Pluto and Mercury influences here, there will be a lot of soapbox preaching, and much benefit from others who are in greater power than her or who have religious influence.

She has an astrocartography line of Ceres, the mother Goddess in a wide conjunction to the IC, the home or root of the chart, bringing a sense of abundance and belonging to her home. Palin's closest planetary line to D.C. is an exact paran (latitude crossing) of the planet Pluto and the asteroid Pallas Athena. Remember the reference to the Warrior-Competitor-Creative-Strategist Goddess before and couple that with the Plutonian urge to destroy, rebirth, transform, possess, and obsess.

The name Sarah, means "princess" and the Welsh name Palin means "to serve". Interestingly, in her Geodetic chart, Palin has Jupiter on the Ascendant, a line which can make one appear as royalty, where people will roll out the red carpet for the Queen. She also has the asteroid Vesta, associated with devotion and service, in a wide conjunction to her career angle of the Midheaven. Undoubtedly, even linguistically, Sarah Palin is intricately woven into the fabric of Washington D.C. and the fate of this nation as a whole.

[Michael]

Curbing the Wall Street Addiction

Stephen H Dinan

Wall Street has careened like a drunk the last few weeks, with massive swings in reaction to epidemics of anxiety. While most of the financial world prays that the market has bottomed, another kind of bottoming out is necessary. And that is our own co-dependence with the addict that Wall Street has become.

The co-dependent person enables an addiction by looking the other way, by justifying derelict behaviors, by rationalizing that it will get better, and by taking care of the addict when they bottom. This is, in many ways, what the US government has done with the recent bailouts; we have become even more co-dependent. "Thank God!" we can almost hear the financial titans cry, "We do not have to pay the full consequences and can go back to the game."

The underlying addiction comes from Wall Street's ability to make extraordinary amounts of money in the financial market casino without adding real underlying value. It fuels the gambling instinct for the big win, only unlike gambling, the inside players often act as both the House and the gambler.

The billions in Wall Street bonuses have come from somewhere and it is not primarily because they are adding value to the real economy. What the titans of Wall Street have gotten very good at is playing the insider's game and skimming the cream off the top of the milk. The vast sums of money that are harvested by daytraders, options brokers, hedge funds, and the dozens of financial rackets are, in the final analysis, mostly taking money from the legitimate wealth-building that companies and hard-working citizens do.

In Vegas, the house always wins in the end because the odds are on their side. They manage the game and profit handsomely. Similarly, the titans of Wall Street make their money by manipulating the game -- by injecting billions to boost stock prices and then cashing out their position. By betting against banks and then ganging up on their stock. By getting a whiff of an earnings announcement before it happens and buying fast. By getting early shares of a company before it goes public, allowing them to make tens of millions on the first day. Just this week, billions were made by someone with the stock market rally on Monday and subsequent sell-off. Market volatility is a game that allows insiders to take money that has been created in the real economy by real workers doing real jobs.

How else can we account for the billions in bonuses for companies that don't produce actual tangible products? To use a metaphor favored by investment advisor Catherine Austin Fitts, the titans of Wall Street act as a tapeworm in the digestive tract of America, taking nutrition from the rest of us.

The challenge is what to do about it. As we've seen, governments around the world rush to defend the markets, protect the banks, and reinforce the largest financial players to prevent collapse when a bender has gotten out of control. Collapse would, in essence, be too damaging for the rest of us because we've becoming dependent on Wall Street as financial middlemen. We thus can't let major players or the system as a whole go belly up.

Given that, we need to take very concrete measures to reduce the addict's ability to take money from the real economy or to engage in the speculative gambling that ultimately steals from people's retirements and from solid companies. We have to undermine Wall Street's ability to make money from the game while simultaneously ensuring that the companies and individuals who are creating the underlying value thrive. In other words, we need to starve the tapeworm and bring more of the nutrition into the actual economy.

The most important thing to begin to curb the addictive behavior is a barrier to excess speculation that funds the bailouts necessary to fix the current problems. The clearest, easiest and wisest way to do this has been explained by Thom Hartmann here:

It's called a STET tax and it could be as little as a .25% tax on securities exchanges -- something America did for 52 years and which Europe still does. For the average long-term investor, the tax is negligible. For the average American, it will not touch them. For those taking excessive profits by gaming the system, it becomes a small barrier to excessive speculation. This moves the government into the role of the House, profiting from the gambling (estimated at $150B/yr) and curbing some of the most egregious excesses. The end result is a slowing of the drunken lurching of the markets, more incentive to buy and hold, and the generation of funds to cover the bailout, rather than raising taxes on average citizens or borrowing from overseas. It's brilliantly simple.

Other curbs on Wall Street excess profit-taking and risk-taking will be necessary and they'll need to be done in a way that increases the available finances for good companies and ethical citizens. We need to starve the tapeworm while ensuring that the real nutrition gets to its proper destination. America simply cannot allow Wall Street addicts to take billions in profit, without adding real value, while starving the finances of hardworking, middle-class people across this country.

[Jana]

I wonder how the stock market got set up in the first place, it doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose.
Great article!

[Michael]

I wonder how the stock market got set up in the first place, it doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose. Beats me 

Answer guy: 

Share values have dominated the news for weeks yet for many of us they seem a world away from our day-to-day life. Professor Alec Chrystal explains why stock markets exist.

It is easiest to answer this question with another question which is: why do we need companies?

Companies are legal entities which exist to co-ordinate the production of the goods and services that a modern economy delivers, and in the process provide employment to large numbers of people.

They are where many of us work and from which we buy many of the products we consume. They are not the only form a business organisation can take. Government-owned companies would be called public corporations. Small businesses may be "sole traders" or partnerships, which are not companies.

THE ANSWER

Wherever there are companies, there are shareholders

Shares are traded in a stock market to raise funds

Whenever a company is formed, its owners are the shareholders. Some companies may have only one shareholder and if that is a single person then it will be a private company. If there is more than one shareholder, they own the company jointly, and the size of each share of ownership depends on the proportion held of the total number of shares in existence. So if a company had 100 shares issued then the owner of 10 shares would own 10% of the company.

Why sell shares?

A key reason for forming a company is that the shareholders of a modern company have "limited liability". This means that a shareholder can lose what they paid for their shares in a company but they are not liable for the debts of the company beyond that. This is not true in, for example, a partnership, where partners are jointly liable for all the debts incurred.

Investing in company shares is thus potentially attractive, as shareholders get a share of the profit of the business but know that the worst that can happen is that they lose the value of the original investment.

Thus, wherever we have companies we must also have shareholders. Does this also mean we must have markets in shares?

The answer here is no. The Bank of England is a company and its only shareholder is HM Treasury but there is no market in its shares. Virgin is a private company so its shares are not for sale.

It is entirely up to the existing owners of such companies to decide if they want to sell shares to others or not. However, many companies have taken the decision in the past that they do want to sell shares on an open market and the largest of these companies will have their shares traded on an organised stock exchange.

These are known as "quoted companies" and the prices of their shares can be read in the financial press each day. Anyone who wants to can buy these shares, though most are held by big investment institutions such as pension funds and life assurance companies, which hold these on behalf of their members or customers.

The benefit to companies from having their shares publicly traded is that they can issue new shares to raise capital for future investment. The only alternative source of funding would be to increase debt (by borrowing more from banks or issuing bonds).

The benefit to investors from having shares traded is that they are not locked into the investment for an indefinite period. Shares held can be sold at their current market price whenever the markets are open.

So why are share prices so volatile? A partial answer is that many shares are not very volatile at all in normal times, but the recent past has been a very abnormal time.

And share prices are determined by the balance of demand and supply in the market at any point in time. If there are more sellers than buyers, prices will fall and vice versa. Share prices will move most when there are big news events affecting investors' perceptions of the future prospects for the company concerned.

WHO, WHAT, WHY?

The value of all shares outstanding in a company (the "market cap") is the current market value of the future profit stream that that company is expected to generate. For example, when oil prices rise sharply, investors will calculate that profits of oil companies are likely to rise in future, so prices of shares in companies like Shell and BP will jump up.

There are times when waves of excessive optimism drive share prices up, such as during the dotcom bubble. The recent episode of share price falls has been a product of pessimism about the prospects for survival of many banks, followed by pessimism for the immediate prospects for many other sectors of the economy in a global slowdown.

Share prices convey the message but the existence of traded shares is not the cause of the problem. The problem is the mistaken investment lending decisions of the many financial institutions that forgot that house prices can fall and that most loans are risky.

Shared pain

For individuals who own shares, a price fall represents of real loss of wealth. This may recover over time, but the recovery may be slow and cannot be guaranteed.

For those who are close to retirement and have pensions with a significant proportion of the funds invested in shares, or mutual funds, the effect could be especially significant. The value of their pension pot at current valuations will be significantly lower than earlier in the year. 

The best strategy is probably to postpone retirement (where possible) and certainly to postpone cashing in the pension pot and converting it into an annuity. If in any doubt as to the best course, seek independent professional advice. There can be no guarantees that the worst is over, and even if it is, the recovery may be slow and measured in months and years, rather than days or weeks.   

How bout this quote from above:

Share prices convey the message but the existence of traded shares is not the cause of the problem. The problem is the mistaken investment lending decisions of the many financial institutions that forgot that house prices can fall and that most loans are risky.

 

[jimtzu]

the stock market, like transformation, can be a very messy buisiness 

[Jana]

Check out the podcasts at the bottom of this article.
Reality Sandwich is one of the best places for news these days.
http://realitysandwich.com/upside_down

Apparently there was a bill recently passed which gave the president appropriations for 100 billion dollars for a private homeland intimidation army. So they may still be trying to swing some deviant act.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/  —AM-Generally daily Oz news
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/default.htm —PM
http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/default.htm  —Discussion
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/default.htm —Weekly science show

[Michael]

Sharing the Obama Love

With the final debate chalked as a win in the Obama column, a commanding lead both in the national polls and key swing states, as well as an unprecedented ground campaign, Obama could not be better positioned for a march to victory.

What is vital in the following weeks is that those of us who support him shift into a new mode. Not in the direction of relaxing, getting cocky, or assuming it is all over. Rather, the shift is in moving beyond attacks and critiques of McCain and Palin or even George Bush, towards sharing our authentic love for Obama and what his presidency will mean not only for us but for future generations and the world.

There are certainly strategic reasons for this shift. The more magnetic, joy-filled, excited, and infectious the campaign is at this point, the more likely we can increase participation and voter turnout, as well as draw undecideds into the fold. Everyone wants to be part of making history and America loves a winning team. Fostering that sense of a celebratory, joyful movement can draw people out of the cynicism and hopelessness that has kept so much of our electorate disengaged in the past.

The key, though, is that this excitement can't just be media hype or strategy. It needs to be authentic.

That's where each of our love comes in. As we share openly and vulnerably with friends, neighbors and co-workers what we love about Obama and what his presidency will mean, we allow people to shift from policies and parties, attack ads and critiques into real human connection. That real human connection is essential for us to move beyond bitter partisanship to the kind of unity that will be required for an Obama presidency to face the current challenges of America.

That said, I feel a bit shy about sharing my authentic love for Obama. The truth is that when I imagine him in the White House with Michelle, tears come to my eyes every time. I see that moment as a revolution in the heart of America; we will have broken the final link that has bound us to a history of slavery and racial division. Even more than that, we will have a true world citizen as our leader, a man with profound roots in other countries that do not diminish his love and loyalty to America.

When I first read Dreams from My Father, long before he had declared his candidacy and just after he began to emerge on the national stage, I was touched by Obama's vulnerability, impressed with his intellectual depth, and moved by his spiritual journey. I instinctively knew that, when the time was right, he would be our President. Even then, the prospect of what that would mean for America and the world would crack open my heart and make me weep.

There is a nobility about Obama that restores my faith in our political process. He reminds me of previous eras in which we expected our political leaders to be exemplars of dignity. Not just people who we would imagine having a beer with or someone to "fight for us" but someone who we can genuinely admire and hold up as role models for ourselves and our children. His composure during the debates has reinforced this feeling of nobility. When offered opportunities to belittle McCain or Palin, he almost always defers and acts with the decency we have long craved in a politician.

The more I read about and watch Obama, the better a man I feel called to be. Truly. I have spoken with friends about asking the question, "What would Obama do?" in moments when I am angry about someone's behavior or polarized against another opinion. He does not react to situations and people. He is thoughtful, measured, respectful, and loving, even around those with whom he disagrees. He can simultaneously hold strong progressive positions and find respectful common ground with conservative ones.

Obama also embodies the American dream, from his humble roots to the upper echelons of prestige and power. He shines with the intellectual brilliance of a Harvard Law scholar while he also radiates the compassion of a man of faith who has served the poorest of the poor. That combination transcends divisions of class since he has been intimate with every echelon of American society.

His relationship with Michelle is also inspiring to behold. In each gesture and word, it is clear that he respects her deeply and holds her as full equal, sometimes with the self-deprecating sense that she truly is his better half. That does not mean there are not challenges; the path he has chosen demands extraordinary sacrifice from the family and he is transparent in his books about the strain that has put on her. But as an example of true loving partnership between two remarkable beings, I see few other examples that go beyond them.

Although parodied on the right, there is an authentic sense that Obama has become a spiritual leader in addition to being a political leader, something we have not seen in a long time in national politics. He is a spiritual leader without rhetoric or dogma, without even speaking much about our relationship with God, Spirit, or the Divine. He is a spiritual leader by virtue of his enlightened demeanor, the deep moral clarity in his positions, and his integration of head, heart, and soul. He does not talk about holiness but there is a strong scent of it about him.

In short, I love Obama. Truly. Not to the point of blindness or lock-step agreement on policy issues. Not to the point where I don't sometimes have moments of frustration. But there is something authentic, deep, and powerful that has welled up within me from the moment he emerged on the national stage and that has grown through the books, articles, and breathtaking speeches. The love has deepened as I hear about how he manages his campaign and the myriad ways he has inspired a whole new generation. Obama is here to not only help us be a better country, but inspire each of us to be better people. And that is the kind of change that endures beyond campaigns, Presidential terms, and economic crises.

It is time for each of us to share publicly and vulnerably our most heartfelt impressions of this man and what his presidency will mean for America. That is a gift that we can each give to make this campaign reverberate with the hope, excitement and love that can carry America beyond our current challenges into a bright new day.

[Michael]

 Election Inspiration and Humor

Friends,

As we near the end of an historic campaign, I pray that America chooses the evolutionary path that lies before us, that the election is clean, and the results unquestionable. As we all reach out in our own ways to undecided voters, urging them to vote their hearts and their conscience, I thought I would share my favorite pieces of media that have brought me sustenance, opened my heart, expanded my vision, and made me laugh during the long road of this campaign. Forward freely!

Most Powerful and Heart Opening – Many moments in the campaign have soared beyond pedestrian politics into something transcendent, historic, and beautiful. The following have all deeply inspired me about what our nation can still become:

1. Yes, We Can, by Will.i.am– possibly the best political video of all time, still makes me cry with its soul-stirring sincerity, poignancy, and spirit of hope. Worth watching again and again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

2. New Hampshire primary speech, with Barack Obama - the speech that gave birth to Yes, We Can. Perhaps the most important turning point for the movement Obama began: a tough loss to Hillary sparked one of the truly great speeches about our country's promise and destiny, demonstrating Obama's grace, dignity, eloquence, and indomitable will under pressure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms

3. We are the Ones, with Zoe Kravitz and Will.i.am – a potent sequel to Will.i.am's Yes, We Can that goes to the heart of the yearning for change in our country. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghSJsEVf0pU&feature=related

4. A More Perfect Union – Barack's most transformational speech, given at the campaign's greatest crisis moment over Rev. Wright's controversial comments. This speech will go down as a major turning point in America's journey beyond racism and should be required viewing in schools for decades to come. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU

5. Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents, by Frank Schaeffer. The best article of the campaign: a poetic, inspiring, insightful, and beautifully honoring homage to Obama by one of the founders of the Religious Right. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/obama-will-be-one-of-the_b_132843.html

6. 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote – a rare hush fell over the 2004 DNC gathering as Obama's keynote speech called forth something deeper, truer, and more beautiful in the American soul than partisan politics. This speech convinced many that he would one day be our President, although few imagined then how quickly that day would come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0

7. MC Yogi:Vote for Hope- One of the best grassroots videos created in support of Obama: hip and catchy, but also conveys deep messages of unity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iojPaw8yX0

Humor – This has been a fantastic campaign for humor, which has become one of the most potent ways to go beyond the fierce polarizations of politics and ultimately recognize our common humanity. Some of my favorites:

1. Palin v. Biden debate, Saturday Night Live. Brilliant parody of both vice-presidential candidates, especially Palin. Tina Fey's SNL series of performances have been a true highlight of the campaign.
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/vp-debate-open-palin-biden/727421/

2. Understanding Real America in Wasilla – The best Jon Stewart segment of the campaign, which sends a reporter to Palin's hometown. The scenes with the current mayor of Wasilla are devastatingly funny. http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=188638&title=Understanding-Real-America-in-Wasilla

3. Palin and Clinton, Saturday Night Live. Another Palin parody by SNL that was absolutely nailed the comedic elements of Palin's candidacy. http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

4. McCain and Obama at the Al Smith Fundraiser. In the midst of a heated campaign in October, both McCain and Obama proved their ability to take (and give) a joke at this fundraiser that is famed for presidential candidate roasts. The speeches were hilarious, playing upon all the inside jokes of the campaign. Both candidates reveal their ability to parody themselves. I found this a particularly refreshing way to reconnect with the best in McCain. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20081017/pl_ynews/ynews_pl95

5. I've Got a Crush… on Obama , with ObamaGirl– the viral video that proved influential in early stages of the primary race. It's a parody that nonetheless reflects how deeply the Obama candidacy touches people's hearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU&feature=related

6. Ron Howard's Call to Action – A playful endorsement mixed with TV nostalgia, featuring both Andy Griffith and The Fonz. http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d/ron-howards-call-to-action-from-ron-howard-and-henry-winkler

7. Time for Some Campaignin' – JibJab's clever bipartisan roast of the whole electoral process. http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/1191/time_for_some_campaignin#/teaser/1191

8. McCain vs. Obama dance-off – worth watching for the sheer entertainment value and absurdity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlAKnSCRWQM

May we succeed in spreading hope, expanding freedom, and opening a new chapter in American history this coming Tuesday!

In spirit,
Stephen Dinan