made buttons and bumperstickers to survive the w yrs. wish i had the energy to do it now.

I miss being able to protest in the same manner as I did a quarter- or half-century ago. We were good at sparking the nation's conscience. One of the best things was when the Elders stepped up, and played the role of Elders. Since my mind is young at the same time this bag of bones & lard suffers, I have to accept I actually am old now, and take on the responsibilities of being old, kind of pathetic, but with a heck of a lot of experience to share with those darned younger generations.

my back has turned to shit. every protest reminds me i’m a has been.

In 2001, a gentleman on a cell phone changed my life. Being Irish by nature and nurture, I avoided surgery until a doctor from the gentleman's insurance company told me, "Kid, if you don't get that surgery very soon, you will be in a wheelchair wearing diapers." After much surgery, I was told that I would need even more within five years. Later for that noise! I have decided to never have any surgery for any reason ever again.

I'm satisfied being a "has been," or even a "never was." When I attend protest rallies, my friends recognize that I'm not able to walk far, or be on my feet for extended periods. It seems like in one's 40s, every old injury starts visiting one's body every now and then, despite not being welcome. In one's 50s, they move back in full-time. Then in one's 60s, they seem to want to evict you.

have tried pain shots, meds, and pt. nothing has even been helpful. i do know it is likely to set off a chain reaction, but at least i shd have a few more good yrs.
it’s either that or sit down and rot.

are so much better than they were twenty years ago. Back then, although they didn't tell one beforehand, it was to reduce the pace that things became worse. Today, the goal is to make things better. Surgery is never pleasant, of course, but these days there are very real advantages to it. I think that you will start feeling better after you do.

i def hope they have more to offer these days. it was great, tho. i was in soooo much pain, and woke up feeling pretty fine. necks r easy, tho, compared to lower back.

Rec

Watching the news, it is obvious that some people haven't even considered the question, much less the answer. Certainly the fella in the White House hasn't. He is only concerned with how to declare victory.

I'm curious if you have seen any of the podcasts regarding a new weapon that Iran has acquired?

Will have a look

🎶

A lot of people are critical of Billy Jack today, but I still find it very effective even if it was rather low budget.

But it had an impact on many. It was discussed for a long time among my Jr High friends at the time. The words to the song were what really stuck with me.

but went on to gross $98,000,000 worldwide. People were really receptive to the message in spite of the low budget and amateur performers. It has stayed with me all these years and especially that song.

Still do.

I only saw the original. The sequels didn't seem to do very well at the box office.

The first was "Born Losers," followed by "Billy Jack," then "The Trial of Billy Jack," then "Billy Jack Goes to Washington," and finally "The Return of Billy Jack." The second is the best known, and the third is very good. The others were not of the same qualit.

I didn't know there was one BEFORE "Billy Jack". At least that one is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. I'd like to see "The Trial of Billy Jack", but I can't find it anywhere for streaming and I feel $5.99 is too much for a rental of an old movie.

Thank you!

The MAGA anthem.

Thank you!

Well done! And thank you!

Last edited Sat Jun 6, 2026, 03:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Not irreparably broken, but extremely disappointed and discouraged.

I joined DU in 2002 when GW Bush and his neocons were ginning up lies for war in Iraq. It was here that I learned about PNAC and their need for a "new Pearl Harbor" to gain public approval. There were loads of information on their deliberate campaign of deceit about WMD and conflation of Iraq with the 9/11 terrorists.

As the vote by Congress on the Iraq War Resoltion approached, I looked to strong Democratic leaders to speak truth to power against this needless war of choice based on lies.

More than anyone else, I looked to John Kerry, who rose to prominence speaking truth to power about the senseless waste of blood and treasure he experienced.

But when the vote came to empower Bush with the authority to launch his war, nearly half the Democrats in Congress voted for it -- including senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.

Today, we look again to strong Democratic leaders to stop the madness. We are more united now against a stupid war and an existential threat to our democracy.

Will it be enough?

But when the vote came to empower Bush with the authority to launch his war, nearly have the Democrats in Congress voted for it -- including senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.


The sad truth is that the vast majority of them support US hegemony

I have been thinking about posting an essay I put on another forum yesterday. In it, I spoke about a time long ago, when I was discussing what I viewed as a complicated situation. My brother-in-law said, "Actually, it is simple, and not complicated. We have too many of the wrong people in office in Washington."

The IWR vote came just before the 2002 midterms. First and foremost, support for the war was a political calculation.

But you are correct, as was Smedley Butler -- war is a racket, and a bipartisan one at that.

The war in Vietnam grew from the Democratic administrations of JFK and LBJ. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution should live in infamy along with GW's IWR.

The USA was full of promise for a better future when JFK asked Americans to ask what they can do for their country. The Peace Corps was a good start, then our young men were sent to kill and die in the jungles of Vietnam for the nebulous "Domino Theory" of communist takeover.

On the home front we had a lot of liberating counterculture and great music, but I long for the better future in which our war in Vietnam never happened.

There is a good book, "Vietnam: A History of Documents" that shows the US involvement started under Truman, who was supporting the French effort to regain control of the country after WW2. Truman said that "yellow people were not ready for democracy." Ike expanded the number of "military advisors" after the 1954 defeat of the French in Dien Bien Phu. The Geneva Accords then divided the country into the north and south, to avoid Ho from winning a national election. Then came JFK, and then LBJ. Then Nixon. So both parties played a role.

There is reason to believe that Kennedy was going to end direct involvement if he was re-elected, but that obviously didn't happen.

I think that one does well to look at the campaign funding the Democrats who supported the Cheney war in Iraq were getting. That can lead to examining the funding of the current pro-war politicians today. It's not a coincidence.

In one of the books after the 2004 election, the author told of a discussion Kerry had with top campaign people just before the election. He expressed concern about what his administration faced in Iraq if he were to win.

I felt betrayed by ALL who voted to support the Iraq War Resolution. It seemed so clearly a wrong move at the time, never adequately explained or justified. Even so political leaders I most respected gave George W the war he always wanted. And likely helped him get reelected.

agree with others who mentioned their disappointment with Dems who voted for the IWR ... some Dems did not.

War is good for the stock market though, I remember the day 10/10/2002 when the market bottomed after 2 1/2 years and lost about 50% ... somewhat another topic, though everything is connected. My foray into politics began with looking at the market.

https://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/10/11/iraq.us/

About war, sad thing is there are those who were forgotten like the unknown soldier and the line "war is over" is over for them, but not so for others who survived and still struggle every day.

It never is over for those who served, my Dad was a Marine in WW2, I saw how it affected him at a certain time of the year, most likely when most of his unit was wiped out, being a survivor has challenges.

Decades later I learned he told my male cousins he would take them to Canada if they were drafted for Vietnam. He also said it is not what you know ... but who you know. We're seeing that now with this administration.