A Letter from MICHAEL MOORE

Some Final Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden …a letter from Michael Moore

"The Nazis killed tens of MILLIONS. They got a trial. Why? Because we're not like them. We're Americans. We roll different." – Michael Moore in an interview last week


Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Friends,

Last week, President Obama fulfilled a campaign promise and killed Osama bin Laden. Well he didn't actually do the killing himself. It was carried out by a very brave and excellent team of Navy SEALs. Not only does Mr. Obama have the overwhelming support of the country, I think there are millions who gladly wish it could have been their finger on the gun that took out bin Laden.

When I heard the news a week ago Sunday, I immediately felt great. I felt relief. I thought of those who lost a loved one on 9/11. And I was glad we finally had a President who got something done. This is what I had to say on Twitter and elsewhere on the internet in that first hour or two:

I want to point out that Barack Obama took two years to do what Bush couldn't do in over seven. That's the difference between STUPID in charge and SMART in charge. STUPID pursues two reckless wars, lets OBL escape from Tora Bora, keeps looking for him in caves and invades the wrong country. He bankrupts us to the tune of $1.2 trillion for the Iraq War (it will eventually actually be over $3 trillion), and worse, he cost us the lives of almost 5,000 of our troops, not to mention hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan – and, after all that, he STILL couldn't bring the perp to justice. In fact, in 2005, Bush closed down the CIA station that was devoted to looking for bin Laden! What does SMART do? He sends in a small elite strike force, no troops are killed, and the perpetrator is stopped for good.

I was thrilled that the Osama bin Laden era was over. There was now an end to the madness.

Being near Ground Zero that night, I decided to head over there and join with others who saw this event as a chance to have some closure. On 9/11, Bill Weems, a good and decent man I knew and worked with (we had just recently completed a shoot together in Boston), was on the plane that was flown into the Twin Towers. I dedicated 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' in part, to him.

But before leaving to go to the former World Trade Center site, I turned on the TV, and what I saw down at Ground Zero was not quiet relief and gratification that the culprit had been caught. Rather, I witnessed a frat boy-style party going on, complete with the shaking and spraying of champagne bottles over the crowd. I can completely understand people wanting to celebrate – like I said, I, too, was happy – but something didn't feel right. It's one thing to be happy that a criminal has been captured and dealt with. It's another thing to throw a kegger celebrating his death at the site where the remains of his victims are still occasionally found. Is that who we are? Is that what Jesus would do? Is that what Jefferson would do? I was reminded of the tale told to me as a kid, of God's angels singing with glee as the Red Sea came crashing back down on the Egyptians chasing the Israelites, drowning all of them. God rebuked them, saying, "The work of My hands is drowning in that sea – and you want to friggin' sing?" (or something like that).

I remember my parents telling me how, on the day it was announced that Hitler was dead, there was no rejoicing in the streets, just private relief and satisfaction. The real celebration came six days later at the announcement that the war in Europe was over. THAT'S what the people wanted to hear – not just the demise of one evil madman, but the end to all the killing.

When the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, people didn't pour into the streets to whoop it up. Yes, people were happy that it might help end the war, but there was not a public display of "Yippee! A hundred thousand Japs have been fried!" If they had done that, well, who could have blamed them after so many tens of thousands of their sons and fathers had been lost in the war (including my uncle, a paratrooper, killed by a sniper near Manila). But the sailor kissing the girl in Times Square was on August 14th, 1945, when the Japanese surrendered and the war was officially over. That's when America went crazy with joy – not over a killing, but over an announcement of peace.

We are a different people now, aren't we? Well, sorta. There was no bloodlust euphoria on the day Timothy McVeigh was executed. We were silent. The families of the Oklahoma City dead were silent, relieved. What is the difference between McVeigh and bin Laden, other than the number they slaughtered? I wonder. I think we know the answer.

Though bin Laden is dead, we are told that Orwell's Permanent War – the "War on Terror" – must continue! Not allowed to have our V-J day and run into Times Square with exhilaration! No, there could be terrorists there. So all we're left with is to cheer the death of one evil man, and that is supposed to make us feel powerful and good. There can be no celebration for the end of the Afghanistan War because the war isn't ending. The war must continue! Even though our own CIA tells us there are no more than a few dozen al Qaeda left in Afghanistan. We still have 100,000 troops there fighting a few dozen crazies? We say we're fighting the Taliban, too, but the Taliban are Afghan citizens, not an invading force, and, for better or worse, they seem to enjoy the support of many of the common people throughout Afghanistan. (If you don't believe that, ask any soldier who has served there and seen it. Every day is like 'Apocalypse Now.' Poppies, anyone?)

Meanwhile, we – me, included – get lost in the weeds of how this one madman was killed. The official story from the Pentagon changed four times in the first four days! It went from OBL firing on the troops with one hand and using his wife as a human shield with the other, to, by the fourth day, not single person in the main house, including bin Laden, being armed when killed. Instantly, this created a lot of suspicion about what really happened, which itself was a distraction.

Here's my take: I know a number of Navy SEALs. In fact (and this is something I don't like to talk about publicly, for all the obvious reasons), I hire only ex-SEALs and ex-Special Forces guys to handle my own security (I'll let you pause a moment to appreciate that irony). These SEALs are trained to follow orders. I don't know what their orders were that night in Abbottabad, but it certainly looks like a job (and this is backed up in a piece in the Atlantic) where they were told to not bring bin Laden back alive. The SEALs are pros at what they do and they instantly took out every adult male (every potential threat) within a few minutes – but they also took care to not harm a single one of the nine children who were present. Pretty amazing. This wasn't some Rambo-style operation where they just went in guns blazing, spraying bullets. They acted swiftly and with expert precision. I'm telling you, these guys are so smart and so lethal, they could take you out with a piece of dental floss. (And in fact, one of my ex-SEAL guys showed me how to do that one night. Whoa.)

In a perfect world (yes, I would like to reside there someday, or at least next door to it, in Slightly Imperfect World), I would like the evildoers to be forced to stand trial in front of that world. I know a lot of people see no need for a trial for these bad guys (just hang 'em from the nearest tree!), and think trials are for sissies. "They're guilty, off with their heads!" Well, you see, that is the exact description of the Taliban/al Qaeda/Nazi justice system. I don't like their system. I like ours. And I don't want to be like them. In fact, the reason I like a good trial is that I like to show these bastards this is how it's done in a free country that believes in civilized justice. It's good for the rest of the world to see that, too. Sets a good example.

The other thing a trial does is, it establishes a very public and permanent historic record of the crimes against humanity. This is why we put the Nazis on trial in Nuremberg. We didn't do it for them. We did it for ourselves and for our grandchildren so that they would never forget these horrors and how they were committed. And we did it for the German people so they could see the evidence of what their elected leaders had done. Very helpful. Very necessary. Very powerful.

And for those who wanted blood back then – well, the majority of the Nazis all hanged in the end. So, it doesn't mean the bad guys get away – they still swing from the highest tree.

My own spiritual beliefs do not allow for capital punishment, and I was raised in the state (Michigan) that in the 1840s was the first government in the English-speaking world to outlaw it. So, I'm just not inclined that way. I don't believe in "an eye for an eye." I know the old book said that, but I like its sequel better (a rare case in which the sequel – like Godfather II, Star Trek II, Terminator II – is better than the original). If you don't believe the way I believe (it's also the official position of the Catholic Church, for whatever that's worth these days), then that's your right, and I understand.

Perhaps there was no way to bring him back alive – I sure as hell wouldn't want to be in that dark house trying to make that snap decision. But if the execution was ordered in advance, then I say we should be told that now, and we can like it or not like it.

For nine years I wrote and I said that Osama bin Laden was not hiding in a cave. I'm not a cave expert, I was just using my common sense. He was a multimillionaire crime boss (using religion as his cover), and those guys just don't live in caves. He had people killed under the guise of religion, and not many in the media bothered to explain that every time Osama referenced Islam, he wasn't really quoting Islam. Just because Osama said he was a "Muslim" didn't make it so. Yet he was called a Muslim by everyone. If a crazy person started running around mass-killing people, and he did so while wearing a Wal-Mart blazer and praising Wal-Mart, we wouldn't automatically call him a Wal-Mart leader or say that Wal-Mart was the philosophy behind his killings, would we?

Yet, we began to fear Muslims and round them up. We profiled people from Muslim nations at airports. We didn't profile multi-millionaires (in fact, they now have their own fast-track line to easily get through security, an oddity considering every murderer on 9/11 flew in first class). We didn't run headlines that said "Multi-Millionaire Behind the Mass Murder of 3,000" (although every word in that headline is true). You can say his wealth had nothing to do with 9/11, but the truth is, there is no way he could have kept Al Qaeda in business without having the millions he had.

Some believe that this was a "war" we were in with al Qaeda – and you don't do trials during war. It's thinking like this that makes me fear that, while bin Laden may be dead, he may have "won" the bigger battle. Let's be clear: There is no "war with al Qaeda." Wars are between nations. Al Qaeda was an organization of fanatics who committed crimes. That we elevated them to nation status – they loved it! It was great for their recruiting drive.

We did exactly what bin Laden said he wanted us to do: Give up our freedoms (like the freedom to be assumed innocent until proven guilty), engage our military in Muslim countries so that we will be hated by Muslims, and wipe ourselves out financially in doing so. Done, done and done, Osama. You had our number. You somehow knew we would eagerly give up our constitutional rights and become more like the authoritarian state you dreamed of. You knew we would exhaust our military and willingly go into more debt in eight years than we had accumulated in the previous 200 years combined.

Maybe you knew us so well because you were once one of our mercenaries, funded and armed by us via our friends in Pakistan to fight the other Evil Empire in the last battle of the Cold War. Only, when the killing stopped, the trained killer, our "Frankenstein," couldn't. The monster, you, would soon turn on us.

If we really want to send bin Laden not just to his death, but also to his defeat, may I suggest that we reverse all of that right now. End the wars, bring the troops home, make the rich pay for this mess, and restore our privacy and due process rights that used to distinguish us from any other country. Right now, our democracy looks like Singapore and our economy has gone desperately Greek.

I know it will be hard to turn the clock back to before 9/11 when all we had to worry about were candidates stealing elections. A multi-billion dollar industry has grown up around "homeland security" and the terror wars. These war profiteers will not want to give up their booty so easily. They will want to keep us in fear so they can keep raking it in. We will have to stop them. But first we must stop believing them.

Hideki Tojo killed my uncle and millions of Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos and a hundred thousand other Americans. He was the head of Japan, the Emperor's henchman, the man who was the architect of Pearl Harbor. When the American soldiers went to arrest him, he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest. The soldiers immediately worked on stopping his bleeding and rushed him to an army hospital where he was saved by our army doctors. He then had his day in court. It was a powerful exercise for the world to see. And on December 23, 1948, after he was found guilty, we hanged him. A killer of millions was forced to stand trial. A killer of 4,000 (counting the African embassies and USS Cole bombings) got double-tapped in his pajamas. Assuming it was possible to take him alive, I think his victims, the future, and the restoration of the American Way deserved better. That's all I'm saying.

Good riddance Osama.

Come back to your ways, my good ol' USA.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Someone posted this article on Facebook and I reposted it there, so I thought I would post this here too.

Kenya's Kickboxing Grannies: Elderly Women Learning To Protect Themselves From Rape In Nairobi



Nairobi's elderly community faces an increasing threat of sexual assault, with almost 20 percent of reported rapes in Kenya's capital city involving women over the age of 60 last year.

But now, some strong-willed grannies are taking tough measures to protect themselves by attending self-defense groups that cater to the elderly, GlobalPost is reporting.

"At first when we were starting with the grannies, I would say they were fearing...they were kind of, 'Karate for us? No, that's for young people,'" says Sheila Kariuki, who began organizing the classes in 2007. "But when we sat down with them and showed them that these were simple techniques, they took up the training...and now it's three years down the line, and they will faithfully come to the class and they are willing to learn."

Kariuki's efforts seem to be paying off -- as one 70-year-old grandmother describes, she was recently able to defend herself against attackers after attending the classes. "One day these young men came to house...one grabbed my dress, but I was too quick for him," she says proudly. "With my hand I grabbed his privates...when he screamed, the neighbors heard and the men ran away."

Watch GlobalPost's report on Kenya's kickboxing grannies here:

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Be generous with your love. you are never going to be alone if you are generous with your love. What makes you happy is love coming out of you, and if you are generous with your love, everyone is going to love you.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love is the medicine that accelerates healing. Love yourself, love your neighbor, love your enemies, but begin with self-love. You cannot love others until you love yourself. You cannot share what you do not have. If you do not love yourself, you cannot love anyone else either.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

Sometimes, you come across a news story that is so unbelievable, that you just have to say well, "YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!" well, this story fromThe Raw Story is one of those times, and the 3rd time in this blog.

Nation
Fox News guest says women ‘are asking for sex if they’re dressing immodestly

Fox News’ Sean Hannity invited Christian pop singer Rebecca St. James to discuss recent “slutwalk” protests.

The first demonstration was called earlier this month after a Toronto police officer claimed “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” Since then, protests have spread through cities across the U.S.

“I think there has to be responsibility though for what a woman is wearing,” St. James told Hannity Monday. “When a woman is dressing in an immodest way, in a proactive way, she’s got to think about what is she saying by her dress?”

“They’re asking for sex,” she continued. “They’re asking for sex if they’re dressed immodestly.”

Watch this video from Fox News’ Hannity, broadcast May 9, 2011 and clipped by Media Matters.

President Obama on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

This is the official speech that President Obama gave announcing the death of Osama Bin Laden.



There are also pictures and videos of people celebrating Bin Laden's death, but I won't post those here. I just don't feel that we should be celebrating the violent death of another human being that way, even if that person was a mass murderer that quite frankly, had it coming.

However, I will post this spoof video. I like this video because it has a real catchy song and it conveys much the same message that obama conveyed to the world in the official video:

WE AMERICANS REFUSE TO LIVE IN FEAR!!!!!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

To master transformation is to live in the present moment, all the time. Life is an eternal now because the force of life is creating everything right now, and it is transforming everything right now.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Obama on bin Laden: The full "60 Minutes" interview

I copied this interview with President Obama from the CBS News website.

A riveting 30 minutes with President Barack Obama as he describes the weekend that made history



On Wednesday, May 4, 2011 -- three days after he announced that American troops had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan -- President Barack Obama talked with "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Below is a transcript of that interview. The video of this interview is also available on this Web site.

STEVE KROFT: Mr. President, was this the most satisfying week of your Presidency?

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, it was certainly one of the most satisfying weeks not only for my Presidency, but I think for the United States since I've been President. Obviously bin Laden had been not only a symbol of terrorism, but a mass murderer who's eluded justice for so long, and so many families who had been affected I think had given up hope.

And for us to be able to definitively say, "We got the man who caused thousands of deaths here in the United States and who had been the rallying point for a violent extremist jihad around the world" was something that I think all of us were profoundly grateful to be a part of.

Watch part one, part two and part three of Steve Kroft's report.

KROFT: Was the decision to launch this attack the most difficult decision that you've made as Commander-In-Chief?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Certainly one. You know, every time I send young men and women into a war theatre, that's a tough decision. And, you know, whenever you go to Walter Reed [Army Medical Center] or Bethesda [Naval Hospital] and you see the price that our young people pay to keep this country safe, that's a tough decision. Whenever you write a letter to a family who's lost a loved one. It's sobering.

This was a very difficult decision, in part because the evidence that we had was not absolutely conclusive. This was circumstantial evidence that he was gonna be there. Obviously it entailed enormous risk to the guys that I sent in there. But ultimately I had so much confidence in the capacity of our guys to carry out the mission that I felt that the risks were outweighed by the potential benefit of us finally getting our man.

KROFT: When the CIA first brought this information to you . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right.

KROFT: What was your reaction? Was there a sense of excitement? Did this look promising from the very beginning?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It did look promising from the beginning. Keep in mind that obviously when I was still campaigning for President, I had said that if I ever get a shot at bin Laden we're gonna take it. And I was subject to some criticism at the time, because I had said if it's in Pakistan and, you know, we don't have the ability to capture 'em in any other way, then we're gonna go ahead and take the shot. So I felt very strongly that there was a strategic imperative for us to go after him.

Shortly after I got into office, I brought [CIA director] Leon Panetta privately into the Oval Office and I said to him, "We need to redouble our efforts in hunting bin Laden down. And I want us to start putting more resources, more focus, and more urgency into that mission."

Leon took that to the CIA. They had been working steadily on this since 2001, obviously. And there were a range of threads that were out there that hadn't quite been pulled all together. They did an incredible job during the course of a year and a half to pull on a number of these threads until we were able to identify a courier who was known to be a bin Laden associate, to be able to track them to this compound.

So by the time they came to me they had worked up an image of the compound, where it was and the factors that led them to conclude that this was the best evidence that we had regarding bin Laden's whereabouts since Tora Bora.

But we didn't have a photograph of bin Laden in that building. There was no direct evidence of his presence. And so the CIA continued to build the case meticulously over the course of several months. What I told them when they first came to me with this evidence was: "Even as you guys are building a stronger intelligence case, let's also start building an action plan to figure out if in fact we make a decision that this is him or we've got a good chance that we've got him, how are we gonna deal with him? How can we get at that?"

And so at that point you probably had unprecedented cooperation between the CIA and our military in starting to shape an action plan that ultimately resulted in success this week.

KROFT: When was that when you set that plan in motion?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, they first came to me in August of last year with evidence of the compound. And they said that they had more work to do on it, but at that point they had enough that they felt that it was appropriate for us to start doing some planning. And so from that point on we started looking at the time what our options might be.

The vigorous planning did not begin until early this year. And obviously over the last two months it's been very intensive in which not only did an action plan get developed, but our guys actually started practicing being able to execute.

KROFT: How actively were you involved in that process?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: About as active as any project that I've been involved with since I've been President.

Obviously we have extraordinary guys. Our Special Forces are the best of the best. And so I was not involved in designing the initial plan. But each iteration of that plan they'd bring back to me. Make a full presentation. We would ask questions.

We had multiple meetings in the Situation Room in which we would map out -- and we would actually have a model of the compound and discuss how this operation might proceed, and what various options there were because there was more than one way in which we might go about this.

And in some ways sending in choppers and actually puttin' our guys on the ground entailed some greater risks than some other options. I thought it was important, though, for us to be able to say that we'd definitely got the guy. We thought that it was important for us to be able to exploit potential information that was on the ground in the compound if it did turn out to be him.

We thought that it was important for us not only to protect the lives of our guys, but also to try to minimize collateral damage in the region because this was in a residential neighborhood. I mean one of the ironies of this is, you know, I think the image that bin Laden had tried to promote was that he was an ascetic, living in a cave. This guy was living in a million dollar compound in a residential neighborhood.

KROFT: Were you surprised when they came to you with this compound right in the middle of sort of the military center of Pakistan?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I think that there had been discussions that this guy might be hiding in plain sight. And we knew that some al Qaeda operatives, high level targets basically, just blended into the crowd like this.

I think we were surprised when we learned that this compound had been there for five or six years, and that it was in an area in which you would think that potentially he would attract some attention. So yes, the answer is that we were surprised that he could maintain a compound like that for that long without there being a tip off.

KROFT: Do you believe it was built for him?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We are still investigating that, but what is clear is that the elements of the compound were structured so that nobody could see in. There were no sight lines that would enable somebody walking by or somebody in an adjoining building to see him. So it was clearly designed to make sure that bin Laden was protected from public view.

KROFT: Do you have any idea how long he was there?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We know he was there at least five years.

KROFT: Five years?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah.

KROFT: Did he move out of that compound?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: That we don't know yet. But we know that for five to six years this compound was there, and our belief is that he was there during that time.

KROFT: What was the most difficult part? I mean you had to decide. This was your decision -- whether to proceed or not and how to proceed. What was the most difficult part of that decision?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The most difficult part is always the fact that you're sending guys into harm's way. And there are a lot of things that could go wrong. I mean there're a lot of moving parts here. So my biggest concern was, if I'm sending those guys in and Murphy's Law applies and somethin' happens, can we still get our guys out? So that's point number one.

Point number two, these guys are goin' in in, you know, the darkest of night. And they don't know what they're gonna find there. They don't know if the building is rigged. They don't know if, you know, there are explosives that are triggered by a particular door opening. So huge risks that these guys are taking.

And so my number one concern was: if I send them in, can I get them out? And a lot of the discussion we had during the course of planning was how do we make sure there's backup? How do we make sure that there's redundancy built into the plan so that we have the best chance of getting our guys out? That's point number one.

Point number two was: as outstanding a job as our intelligence teams did -- and I cannot praise them enough they did an extraordinary job with just the slenderest of bits of information to piece this all together -- at the end of the day, this was still a 55/45 situation. I mean, we could not say definitively that bin Laden was there. Had he not been there, then there would have been significant consequences.

Obviously, we're going into the sovereign territory of another country and landing helicopters and conducting a military operation. And so if it turns out that it's a wealthy, you know, prince from Dubai who's in this compound, and, you know, we've spent Special Forces in -- we've got problems. So there were risks involved geopolitically in making the decision.

But my number one concern was: can our guys get in and get out safely. The fact that our Special Forces have become so good -- these guys perform at levels that 20, 30 years ago would not have happened -- I think finally gave me the confidence to say, "Let's go ahead." I think that the American people have some sense of how good these guys are, but until you actually see 'em and meet them, it's hard to describe how courageous, how tough, how skilled, how precise they are. And it was because of their skills that I ended up having confidence to make the decision.

KROFT: I mean it's been reported that there was some resistance from advisors and planners who disagreed with the commando raid approach. Was it difficult for you to overcome that? And what level of confidence did you have?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know one of the things that we've done here is to build a team that is collegial and where everybody speaks their mind. And there's not a lot of snipin' or back-biting after the fact. And what I've tried to do is make sure that every time I sit down in the situation room, every one of my advisors around there knows I expect them to give me their best assessments.

And so the fact that there were some who voiced doubts about this approach was invaluable, because it meant the plan was sharper, it meant that we had thought through all of our options, it meant that when I finally did make the decision, I was making it based on the very best information.

But as I said, you know, there were sufficient risks involved where it wasn't as if any of the folks who were voicing doubts were voicing somethin' that I wasn't already runnin' through in my own head. You know, we understood that there were some significant risks involved in this.

KROFT: How much did some of the past failures, like the Iran hostage rescue attempt, how did that weigh on you? I mean . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I thought about that.

KROFT: . . . was that a factor?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Absolutely. Absolutely. No, I mean you think about Black Hawk Down. You think about what happened with the Iranian rescue. And it, you know, I am very sympathetic to the situation for other Presidents where you make a decision, you're making your best call, your best shot, and something goes wrong -- because these are tough, complicated operations. And yeah, absolutely. The day before I was thinkin' about this quite a bit.

KROFT: It sounds like you made a decision that you could accept failure. You didn't want failure but after looking at . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah

KROFT: . . . the 55/45 thing that you mentioned, you must have at some point concluded that the advantages outweighed the risks . . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I concluded that it was worth it. And the reason that I concluded it was worth it was that we have devoted enormous blood and treasure in fighting back against al Qaeda. Ever since 2001. And even before with the embassy bombing in Kenya.

And so part of what was in my mind was all those young men that I visited who are still fighting in Afghanistan. And the families of victims of terrorism that I talk to. And I said to myself that if we have a good chance of not completely defeating but badly disabling al Qaeda, then it was worth both the political risks as well as the risks to our men.

KROFT: How much of it was gut instinct? Did you have personal feelings about whether . . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, the thing

KROFT: . . . he was there?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The thing about gut instinct is if it works, then you think, "Boy, I had good instincts." If it doesn't, then you're gonna be running back in your mind all the things that told you maybe you shouldn't have done it. Obviously I had enough of an instinct that we could be right, that it was worth doing.

KROFT: After you made the decision to go ahead, you had like this incredible weekend where you were you surveyed the tornado damage in Alabama.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right.

KROFT: You took your family to the shuttle launch and met with people down there. With Gabby . . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: With Gabby . . . .

KROFT: . . . Giffords.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Giffords, yeah.

KROFT: You attended the White House Association dinner. There was a commencement address. And this was all going on, I mean you knew what was gonna happen.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah. Yeah. The decision was made. I made the decision Thursday night, informed my team Friday morning, and then we flew off to look at the tornado damage. To go to Cape Canaveral, to make a speech, a commencement speech. And then we had the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. So this was in the back of my mind all weekend.

KROFT: Just the back?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Middle, front.

KROFT: Was it hard keeping your focus?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes. Yeah.

KROFT: Did you have to suppress the urge to tell someone? Did you wanna tell somebody? Did you wanna tell Michelle? Did you tell Michelle?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know one of the great successes of this operation was that we were able to keep this thing secret. And it's a testimony to how seriously everybody took this operation and the understanding that any leak could end up not only compromising the mission, but killing some of the guys that we were sending in there.

And so very few people in the White House knew. The vast majority of my most senior aides did not know that we were doing this. And you know, there were times where you wanted to go around and talk this through with some more folks. And that just wasn't an option.

And during the course of the weekend, you know, there was no doubt that this was weighin' on me. But, you know, something I said during the campaign that I've learned over and over again in this job is the Presidency requires you to do more than one thing at a time. And it is important for you to be able to focus on somethin' that matters deeply to you, but still be able to do the things on a daily basis that are makin' a difference in people's lives.

KROFT: I want to go to the Situation Room. What was the mood?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Tense.

KROFT: People talking?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah, but doing a lot of listening as well, 'cause we were able to monitor the situation in real time. Getting reports back from Bill McRaven, the head of our special forces operations, as well as Leon Panetta. And you know, there were big chunks of time in which all we were doin' was just waiting. And it was the longest 40 minutes of my life with the possible exception of when Sasha got meningitis when she was three months old, and I was waiting for the doctor to tell me that she was all right. It was a very tense situation.

KROFT: Were you nervous?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes.

KROFT: What could you see?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: As I said, we were monitoring the situation. And we knew as events unfolded what was happening in and around the compound, but we could not get information clearly about what was happening inside the compound.

KROFT: Right. And that went on for a long time? Could you hear gunfire?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We had a sense of when gunfire and explosions took place.

KROFT: Flashes?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah. And we also knew when one of the helicopters went down in a way that wasn't according to plan. And, as you might imagine that made us more tense.

KROFT: So it got off to a bad start?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, it did not go exactly according to planned, but this is exactly where all the work that had been done anticipating what might go wrong made a huge difference.

KROFT: There was a backup plan?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: There was a backup plan.

KROFT: You had to blow up some walls?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We had to blow up some walls.

KROFT: When was the first indication you got that you had found the right place? That bin Laden was in there?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: There was a point before folks had left, before we had gotten everybody back on the helicopter and were flying back to base, where they said Geronimo has been killed. And Geronimo was the code name for bin Laden. And now obviously at that point these guys were operating in the dark with all kinds of stuff going on so everybody was cautious. But at that point cautiously optimistic.

KROFT: What was your reaction when you heard those words?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I was relieved and I wanted to make sure those guys got over the Pakistan border and landed safely. And I think deeply proud and deeply satisfied of my team.

KROFT: When did you start to feel comfortable that bin Laden had been killed?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: When they landed we had very strong confirmation at that point that it was him. Photographs had been taken. Facial analysis indicated that in fact it was him. We hadn't yet done DNA testing, but at that point we were 95 percent sure.

KROFT: Did you see the pictures?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yes.

KROFT: What was your reaction when you saw them?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It was him.

KROFT: Why haven't you released them?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, we discussed this internally. Keep in mind that we are absolutely certain this was him. We've done DNA sampling and testing. And so there is no doubt that we killed Osama bin Laden. It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence. As a propaganda tool.

You know, that's not who we are. You know, we don't trot out this stuff as trophies. You know, the fact of the matter is this was somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received. And I think Americans and people around the world are glad that he's gone. But we don't need to spike the football. And I think that given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk. And I've discussed this with Bob Gates and Hillary Clinton and my intelligence teams and they all agree.

KROFT: There are people in Pakistan, for example, who say, "Look, this is all a lie. This is another American trick. Osama's not dead."

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, the truth is that - and we're monitoring worldwide reaction -- there's no doubt that bin Laden is dead. Certainly there's no doubt among al Qaeda members that he is dead. And so we don't think that a photograph in and of itself is gonna make any difference. There are gonna be some folks who deny it. The fact of the matter is, you will not see bin Laden walkin' on this earth again.

KROFT: Was it your decision to bury him at sea?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: It was a joint decision. We thought it was important to think through ahead of time how we would dispose of the body if he were killed in the compound. And I think that what we tried to do was, consulting with experts in Islamic law and ritual, to find something that was appropriate that was respectful of the body.

Frankly we took more care on this than, obviously, bin Laden took when he killed 3,000 people. He didn't have much regard for how they were treated and desecrated. But that, again, is somethin' that makes us different. And I think we handled it appropriately.

KROFT: When the mission was over . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Uh-huh.

KROFT: . . . and you walked out of the situation room . . . .

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah.

KROFT: . . . what did you do? What was the first thing you did?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah, I think I walked up with my team, and I just said, "We got him." And I expressed my profound gratitude and pride to the team that had worked on this.

I mean keep in mind this is something, first of all, that that wasn't just our doing. Obviously since 2001, countless folks in our intelligence community and our military had worked on this issue. President Bush had obviously devoted a lot of resources to this, and so there was a cumulative effort and a testament to the capacity of the United States of America to follow through. And to do what we said we're gonna do. Even across administrations, across party lines and the skill with which our intelligence and military folks operated in this was indescribable.

So it was a moment of great pride for me to see our capacity as a nation to execute something this difficult this well. And obviously, it also made me think about those families that I had met previously who had been so profoundly burdened by the fact that he was still runnin' around out there.

You know, I got a letter the day after, an e-mail from a young person who had spoken to her dad when she was four years old before the towers collapsed, he was he was in the building. And she described what it had been like for the last ten years growing up, always having that image of her father's -- the sound of her father's voice, and thinking that she'd never see him again, and watching her mother weep on the phone. And that's what I thought about.

KROFT: When you announced that bin Laden had been killed last Sunday, you said "Our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden in the compound where he was hiding." Can you be more specific on that, and how much help did Pakistan actually provide in getting rid of bin Laden.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, I've gotta be careful about sources and methods and how we operate and how we pieced together this intelligence, because we're gonna still be goin' after terrorists in the future.

What I can say is that Pakistan, since 9/11, has been a strong counterterrorism partner with us. There have been times where we've had disagreements. There have been times where we wanted to push harder, and for various concerns, they might have hesitated. And those differences are real. And they'll continue.

But the fact of the matter is, is that we've been able to kill more terrorists on Pakistani soil than just about any place else. We could not have done that without Pakistani cooperation. And I think that this will be an important moment in which Pakistan and the United States gets together and says, "All right, we've gotten bin Laden, but we've got more work to do. And are there ways for us to work more effectively together than we have in the past?"

And that's gonna be important for our national security. It doesn't mean that there aren't gonna be times where we're gonna be frustrated with Pakistanis. And frankly, there are gonna be times where they're frustrated with us. You know, they've got not only individual terrorists there, but there's also a climate inside of Pakistan that sometimes is deeply anti-American. And it makes it more difficult for us to be able to operate there effectively.

But I do think that it's important for the American people to understand that we've got a stake in continuing cooperation from Pakistan on these issues.

KROFT: You didn't tell anybody in the Pakistani government or the military.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: No.

KROFT: Or their intelligence community?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: No.

KROFT: Because you didn't trust?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: As I said, I didn't tell most people here in the White House. I didn't tell my own family. It was that important for us to maintain operational security.

KROFT: But you were carrying out this operation in Pakistan.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Yeah.

KROFT: You didn't trust 'em?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: If I'm not revealing to some of my closest aides what we're doin', then I sure as heck am not gonna be revealing it to folks who I don't know.

KROFT: Right. Now the location of this house, the location of the compound just raises all sorts of questions.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Uh-huh.

KROFT: Do you believe people in the Pakistani government, Pakistani intelligence agencies knew that bin Laden was living there?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan. But we don't know who or what that support network was. We don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government, people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate, and more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate.

And we've already communicated to them, and they have indicated they have a profound interest in finding out what kinds of support networks bin Laden might have had. But these are questions that we're not gonna be able to answer three or four days after the event. It's gonna take some time for us to be able to exploit the intelligence that we were able to gather on site.

And I just want the American people to think about this. These guys, our guys, go in in the dead of night, it's pitch black, they're takin' out walls, false doors, gettin' shot at, they killed bin Laden, and they had the presence of mind to still gather up a whole bunch of bin Laden's material which will be a treasure trove of information that could serve us very well in the weeks and months to come. It's just an indication of the extraordinary work that they did.

KROFT: Do you have any sense of what they found there?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We are now obviously putting everything we've got into analyzing and evaluatin' all that information. But we anticipate that it can give us leads to other terrorists that we've been lookin' for for a long time, other high value targets. But also can give us a better sense of existing plots that might have been there how they operated and their methods of communicating.

All of this should help us continue to push harder and harder. And one of the things that I said when I came into office was we had to remember what our primary focus was. Who carried out September 11th and how do we make sure that we are laser-focused on getting them.

We have done a great job even before we got bin Laden in degrading their capacity. And we now have the opportunity, we're not done yet, but we've got the opportunity, I think, to really finally defeat at least Al Qaeda in that border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. That doesn't mean that we will defeat terrorism. It doesn't mean that Al Qaeda hasn't metastasized to other parts of the world where we've gotta, you know, address operatives there. But it does mean we've got a chance to, I think, really deliver a fatal blow to this organization, if we follow through aggressively in the months to come.

KROFT: Is this the first time that you've ever ordered someone killed?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, keep in mind that, you know, every time I make a decision about launching a missile, every time I make a decision about sending troops into battle, you know, I understand that this will result in people being killed. And that is a sobering fact. But it is one that comes with the job.

KROFT: This was one man. This is somebody who's cast a shadow in this place, in the White House for almost a decade.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: As nervous as I was about this whole process, the one thing I didn't lose sleep over was the possibility of taking bin Laden out. Justice was done. And I think that anyone who would question that the perpetrator of mass murder on American soil didn't deserve what he got needs to have their head examined.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Accept your own divinity. Everything is a manifestation of God. When you know that the power that is Life is inside you, you accept your own divinity, and yet you are humble because you see the same divinity in everyone else.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

IT'S MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Although my Mother has passed and won't read this, I want the world to know that I love you very much and thank you for everything that you ever had given me, including the priceless gift, life.

These videos I found on Youtube, is for all the mothers and expecting mothers out there on FB. To the whole world, you may only be one person, but to one person, you may be the whole world.



I sent this particular video to a friend of mine named Sandy last year and she loved it... and I think it would have been perfect for my mom too, except for the fact that she didn't speak spanish...



Mother's Day Quotes(from 123holiday.com)

"Who ran to help be when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My Mother."

-Ann Taylor
"Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Who is getting more pleasure from this rocking, the baby or me?

-Nancy Thayer
"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at de sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground."

-Zora Neale Hurston
"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother."

-Lin Yutang
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."

-Abraham Lincoln
"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

-Author Unknown
"Making the decision to have a child-it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

-Elizabeth Stone
"Is my mother my friend? I would have to say, first of all she is my Mother, with a capital 'M'; she's something sacred to me. I love her dearly...yes, she is also a good friend, someone I can talk openly with if I want to."

-Sophia Loren
"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."

-George Washington
"Nobody knows of the work it makes
To keep the home together.
Nobody knows of the steps it takes,
Nobody knows-but Mother."

-Anonymous


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love is unconditional. In love, there are no conditions; you love for no reason, with no justification. You are free to be what you are, and you allow others to be what they are.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love is responsible for it's actions. Everything you think, everything you do, has a consequence, and you are going to experience the consequences of your actions in one way or another. All human beings are completely responsible for their actions, even if they don't want to be.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

When you believe something, you assume you are right, and you may even destroy relationships in order to defend your position. Let go of the need to defend your position.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We don't need to escape from life; we don't need to deny our own nature. What we need is complete awareness and self-acceptance. We need to learn to make our own choices and finally control our will from the inside. That is what makes us a dream master. Where we choose to put our attention is what creates the miracle.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

It's that time of year...

Click here to learn more about this wonderful holiday...

There is a celebration of Cinco de mayo in the old Pueblo De Los Angeles in Downtown L.A. this weekend. I hope I can make it, but anyway,

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Surrender to God. Suffering is nothing but resistance to God. The more you resist, the more you suffer. It is simple. Once you surrender to God, there is no struggle, there is no resistance, there is no suffering.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

DONALD TRUMP'S ROAST...

Well, I had a boring night so I thought these videos would make me feel better...

Roast of Donald Trump

Seth Mcfarlane
Lisa Lampnaelli
Larry King
Whitney Cummings
Anthony Jeselnik
Marlee Maitlin
The Situation
Snoop Dogg
Jeffrey Ross
Donald Trump

President Obama Roasts Donald Trump At White House Correspondents' Dinner!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Forgive yourself. The supreme act of forgiveness is when you can forgive yourself for all the wounds you've created in your own life. Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Know that truth, forgiveness, and love can heal the world. Imagine if all of us could be truthful with ourselves, start forgiving everyone, and start loving everyone. We would no longer be selfish, gossiping would be over, and we would no longer judge one another. The world would become a place where all of us live in love.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

This is SO CREEPY, but OH, SO FUNNY...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Miracles happen when you forgive. You are born with the capacity to forgive, but you learn the opposite behavior. You learn not to forgive, you practice not to forgive. When you learn to let go of your pride and ask for forgiveness, miracles start to happen in your life.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Monchy y Alexandra - Hoja en blanco (bachata music)

I just HAD to post this... Thanks for sharing it Sandy!!!

THE SWORD OF ELI!!!

The Bolo machete used in the movie "THE BOOK OF ELI" has been replicated and offered for sale by a number of different knife and sword making companies. For those of you who, like me, loved that movie and the machete used, here are some reviews of the machete...

Review 1
Review 2
Review 3


Here's some scenes from "The Book Of Eli" where Denzel Washington is fighting with the machete...

Scene 1
Scene 2

O'Donnell Boots Birther Queen Taitz

Obama Birth Certificate Released By White House

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Forgive others. Forgiveness is the only way to heal your emotional wounds. Forgive those who hurt you no matter what they've done because you don't want to hurt yourself every time you remember what they did. When you can touch a wound and it doesn't hurt, then you know you have truly forgiven.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sometimes, you stumble across something that just makes you ask yourself, WHAT THE FUCK??!!!

And this thing just happened to me. I got this story from Raw Story Check it out.



Huh? Fox stages fake debate between Ron Paul, Obama impersonator
Posted on 04.29.11
By Stephen C. Webster
Categories: Nation
You’ve heard of a “staw man” argument, but this is ridiculous.

In a Fox Business broadcast, libertarian opinion host John Stossel hosted Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) in a fake debate with a pretty lousy Obama impersonator.

In his best, uh, what Wonkette called “squirrel voice,” the presidential impersonator delivered up thinly veiled talking points culled from Obama’s speeches, offering very little competition to the iconoclastic Texan and smiling as if he were “in” on the joke.

It almost defies description. Just watch.

This video was broadcast by Fox Business on Thursday, April 28, 2011, as snipped by liberal watchdog group Media Matters.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Be aware of the quality of your communication. The quality of your communication depends on whether you tune your emotional body to love or to fear. If you know what love is and what fear is, you become aware of the way you communicate your dream to others, and you can choose to communicate with love.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

To begin a great relationship know what you want. Know what the needs of your body are, and what fits well with you. There are millions of men and women, and some will make a good match for you and others won't. The two of you only need to be like a key in the lock- a match that works.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You can live in heaven right now. Heaven or hell is here and now; you don't need to wait to die. If you take responsibility for your own life, for your own actions, then your future is in your hands, and you can live in heaven while your body is alive.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Create new agreements based on respect and love. Take the responsibility to make new agreements with those you love. If an agreement doesn't work, change that agreement and create a new one. Use your imagination to explore the possibilities.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

A little bit about me...

I just finished my workout a couple of minutes ago, so I thought I would tell you about the martial art that I practice in a little more detail than what I put in the sidebar. I am in NO WAY an guru, or an expert. I am TOTALLY a beginner.

I'm learning a martial art called SILAT. Silat is the native martial art of The Malay archipelago(Malaysia and Indonesia). In Malaysia, the art is called Seni Silat, in Indonesia, it's called Pencak Silat. It is a martial art system that came from the influences of Indian styles, Chinese Styles, and other styles & techniques brought over from visiting/invading cultures, as well as the native fighting systems already in place. In fact, you can say that Silat is the original MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Silat, as a fighting art, is a unique system of combat that is much more savage and brutal than other arts like Chinese Shaolin and the Japanese DO arts, that have that “Martial Arts are for self-development and peace” attitude. The techniques of the various Silat systems are mostly close-range, done usually with some kind of bladed weapon. And some of the most exotic, and down-right nasty looking knives around, are found in Indonesia and Malaysia, where Silat originates. For some examples look for my weapons links on the sidebar. But if you're too lazy to do that, just click HERE.

Now for you scholarly types, here is a more in depth definition of Silat from Wikipedia:

Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts of the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what are now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, it was also traditionally practiced in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Ikatan Pesilat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from Singapore.

Terminology

The origin of the word silat is unknown. Although one theory states that it comes from the Minang word silek,[1] the etymology of silek itself cannot be traced. Another theory is that it comes from the Tamil word silambam, which has long been practiced by the Indian community of Malaysia. The Tamils also use the word silatguvarisai to define their silambam movement patterns. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed but none have been proven.
Originally the word silat was used as a generic term for any system of fighting. Burmese martial arts, for example, would be called silat Awa. Some Malay-speakers (especially in Indonesia) still use the word as such, as can be seen in the term ilmu silat (knowledge of silat) which can used for any fighting style. Today, the word has a formidable arsenal of terms used to refer to martial arts in Southeast Asia.[2] It is usually called pencak silat in Indonesia or silek in the Minangkabau language. Some examples of the word's application in Malaysia and Singapore include seni silat (art of silat) and seni bela-diri (art of self-defence).

History


Fighting arts in the Malay Peninsula and Malay Archipelago arose out of hunting methods and military training by the region's native inhabitants. The descendents of former headhunters still perform ancient wardances which are considered the precursor of the freestyle form in silat. While these aborigines retained their tribal way of life, the Indon-Malay diaspora instead based their culture on China and India. By adopting the Indian faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism, their social structure became more organised.[3] Evidence shows that silat was influenced by both Chinese and Indian martial arts.[4] Many of the region's medicinal practices and weapons originated in either India or China, and silat's thigh-slapping actions are reminiscent of Hindu wrestling.[5] The Chinese community also practiced their own localised martial arts known as kuntao, which both influenced and borrowed from silat.
Although numerous myths attempt to explain the institutionalisation of silat, most of them concern only a specific style. The earliest evidence of silat taught in its present form is found in Sumatra where, according to local legend, a woman based her combat system on the movements of animals that she had seen fighting. Masters still believe that the first styles of silat were created by observing animals, and these styles were probably derived from animal-based Indian martial arts.[6] In the fifth or 6th century, pre-determined sets are said to have been introduced by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma who came from India to Southeast Asia via the Sumatra-based kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang.[3] Through this connection, silat is also used as a method of spiritual training in addition to self-defense.[4]
Silat was eventually used by the defence forces of Langkasuka, Champa, Srivijaya, Beruas, Melaka, Makasar, Aceh, Majapahit, Gangga Negara, Pattani and other kingdoms in Southeast Asia.[7] Except for generals and royalty, Indonesia-Malay warriors wore minimal armour, if any at all. A rattan shield, or a breastplate at most, was the only protective gear available to the average soldier. This may have been one of the reasons why the older styles relied more on agility than they do today. Despite the Hindu caste system which held sway in ancient times, silat was never confined to any particular social class or gender but was practiced by all without restrictions. Even today, it is often taught in families who have inherited cultural traditions such as woodcarving, dance, herbalism or the playing of musical instruments.
Southeast Asian trade had already extended into Okinawa and Japan by the 15th century. The number of Japanese people travelling the region increased after the Battle Of Sekigahara. By the early 17th century there were small Japanese communities living and trading in Indochina. Some arrived with the official red seal ships while others were warriors and pirates from the losing side of the Sekigahara war. Although mostly confined to Siam, some Japanese escaped to Cambodia and Indonesia after Ayutthaya was attacked by the Burmese. Silat shares many similarities with Okinawan karate as well as the throws and stances of weapon-based Japanese martial arts[5] which probably date back to this time. Trade with Japan ended when the country went into self-imposed isolation but resumed during the Meiji era, during which time certain areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore became home to a small Japanese population. After the Japanese Occupation, some silat masters incorporated the katana into their styles.
Since the Islamisation movement of the 1980s and 90s, there have been attempts to make silat more compliant with Islamic principles. It is now illegal for Muslim practitioners in Malaysia to chant mantera, bow to idols, practice traditional meditation, or attempt to acquire supernatural powers. This has given rise to various misconceptions that silat is inherently Muslim or can only be practiced by followers of the Islamic faith. In actuality silat has existed long before Islam was introduced to Southeast Asia and is still practiced by non-Muslims. The Hindu-Buddhist and animistic roots of the art were never eradicated, and remain very evident even among Muslim practitioners of traditional styles. Some of these old methods have been lost after silat masters in pre-dominantly Muslim areas could no longer teach them, but others still endure among conservative training schools in Indonesia and Thailand.

Training Salutation


Silat practitioners begin and end each routine and practice session by saluting their teacher, partner or any spectators as a show of respect. The handsign used is dependent on style and lineage. The vast majority of silat exponents use the Hindu-Buddhist namaste in which the palms are pressed together at chest level. This represents the balance of two opposing forces such as light and dark or hard and soft. The head or upper body is usually bowed as a sign of humility. This was used as a greeting in ancient times, as can still be seen throughout much of Indochina, and until recent decades it was also a form of apology among Malays. The practical purpose of the salute is to trigger the proper state of mind for training or fighting. Additionally, it serves as a technique in itself to block attacks aimed at the face.
Some traditional Javanese schools use another handsign apparently borrowed from the Chinese in which the left hand clasps the right fist. In the context of silat, the fist symbolises martial skill while the opposite hand is a sign of courtesy and camaraderie. This is meant to convey mutual respect and shows that the fighters are willing to learn from each other. Like the namaste, it recalls the idea of duality. This concept is referred to as jantan betina (male-female) and is equivalent to the Chinese yin and yang. A few styles, such as silat Pattani, may have their own salutation unique to that particular system.


Stances and footwork


Every style of silat incorporates multi-level fighting stances (sikap pasang), or preset postures meant to provide the foundation for remaining stable while in motion. The horse stance (kekuda) is the most essential posture, common to many Asian martial arts. Beginners once had to practice this stance for long periods of time, sometimes as many as four hours, but today's practitioners train until it can be easily held for at least ten minutes. Stances are taught in tandem with langkah (lit. "step"), a set of structured steps. Langkah consist of basic footwork and kicks made to teach how best to move in a fight. The langkah kuching (cat step) and langkah lawan (warrior step) are among the more prominent examples of langkah. After becoming proficient at langkah, students learn footwork patterns or tapak ("sole") from which to apply fighting techniques. Each tapak takes account of not only the particular move being used but also the potential for change in each movement and action. Among the most common formations are tapak tiga, tapak empat and tapak lima. All together, the stances, langkah and tapak act as a basis for forms-training.

Forms


Silat is an important part of randai performances
Forms or jurus are a series of prearranged meta-movements practiced as a single set. Their main function is to pass down all of a style's techniques and combat applications in an organised manner, as well as being a method of physical conditioning and public demonstration. While demonstrating a form, silat practitioners often use the open hand to slap parts of their own body such the shoulder, elbow, thigh or knee. This reminds the pesilat that when an opponent comes close there may be an opportunity to trap their attacking limbs. Aside from solo forms, they may also be performed with one or more partners. Choreographed forms pitting one fighter against several opponents are common in silat. Partnered forms are useful for teaching the application of techniques, particularly those attacks which are too dangerous to be used in a sparring match.
Tari ("dance") are freestyle forms which haven't been arranged beforehand but are created spontaneously. With a partner, tari is used as a way of sensitivity training similar to Chinese chi sao.[3] The aesthetic aspect of forms is called flower (bunga) or art (seni) forms. They are performed in slow, graceful movements with a dance-like quality. Once the student has learned basic techniques, forms, and footwork, they are taught how to attack before being attacked, in self preservation. Silat exponents are entrusted to use their knowledge confidently in its rightful place and to ensure that their knowledge does not fall into the hands of the irresponsible.[8]

Weapons


Along with the human body, silat employs a wide variety of weapons. Prior to the introduction of firearms, weapons training was actually considered to be of greater value than unarmed techniques and even today many masters consider a student's training incomplete if they have not learned the use of weapons. Except for some weapon-based styles, students must generally achieve a certain degree of skill before being presented with a weapon which is traditionally made by the guru. This signifies the beginning of weapons-training. Among the hundreds of styles are dozens of weapons. The most commonly used are the kris (dagger), parang (machete), tongkat (walking stick) and sarong. The kris is accorded legendary status in Indon-Malay culture and is the primary weapon of most silat systems, although some styles prefer the stick for its versatility. Silat's traditional arsenal is largely made up of objects designed for domestic purposes such as the flute (seruling), rope (tali), sickle (sabit) and chain (rantai).

Energy

In silat culture, the energetic body consists of interlocking circles called cakera. The cakera's energy rotates outwards along diagonal lines. Energy that emits outwards from the centre line is defensive while offensive energy moves inwards from the sides of the body.[3] By being aware of this, the silat practitioner can harmonise their movements with the cakera, thereby increasing the power and effectiveness of attacks. Energy could also be used for healing or focused into a single point when applied to sentuhan, the art of attacking an opponent's pressure points.


Music

The movements of silat are often performed as a dance during festivities such as weddings or a royal installation. These performances can be done either solo or with a partner and are accompanied by music played by a live band. Several traditional dances were influenced by silat, such as the inai dance from northern Malaysia. In the Minangkabau area silat is one of the main components in the men's folk dance called randai,[1] besides bakaba (storytelling) and saluang jo dendang (song-and-flute).
The music played during silat performances is known as tanji silat baku or gendang baku in Malaysia, and gendang pencha among the Sunda people of West Java. The instruments vary from one region to another but the gamelan (Javanese orchestra), kendang (drum), suling (flute) and gong are common throughout Southeast Asia. The Minangkabau of west Sumatra play a set of gongs known as talempong and sometimes use a type of flute called saluang. The most common instruments in Malaysia are the gendang (drums) and serunai (oboe). Music from the northern Malay Peninsula more closely resembles Thai music.
Types of silat drums include the gendang ibu or "mother drum" and the gendang anak or "child drum". The serunai, which also comes in long and short variations, is what gives silat music its distinct sound.

Terms of address

In Indonesia, anyone who teaches silat is addressed as Guru or teacher. In Malaysia, instructors who are qualified to teach but haven't yet achieved full mastery are addressed as Cikgu or Chegu, a contraction of encik and guru. Masters are called Guru while grandmasters are called Guru Agong or Mahaguru meaning supreme teacher. The terms cikgu and guru are often interchangeable. An elderly male master may be addressed as Tok Guru or Tuk Guru (lit."teacher-grandfather"), often abbreviated to Tok. In both countries, the honorary title of Pendekar may be officially bestowed onto a master by royalty or unofficially by commoners.

(End Article)


So, Why did I choose this particular art to learn?

Well frankly, I didn't choose Silat. It chose ME. From the very first time I saw the movements of it's practicioners, I told myself, "That's how I want to move, that's how I want to fight, that's how I want to live..." and at that moment, Silat invited me in. And, it hasn't let me go. Like I said, I'm a beginner. I'm a BABY in this art. I have a very long and painful road to achieving mastery in this art ahead of me, but I'm going to travel this road, and no matter how long it takes, I'm not ever going to stray from it.

Now it's getting close to bedtime and I gotta go, but probably tomorrow, I'm going to post some info about a copule of famous silat styles... Oh yeah, and speaking of silat styles, I put together a video playlist of the 2 styles I practice. The link is in the sidebar, just look for GADO GADO. I'll be posting more about these styles as well.

If you want to know more about this fascinating martial art, there are a lot of links in the sidebar.

You need a "Girlfriend"!

Well, God knows I need a girlfriend... but I SURE AS HELL DO NOT NEED NO GODDAMN CROTCH POP!!!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Heal yourself, and your relationship will heal, too. If you can heal yourself, then you are going to be ready for a relationship without fear, without need. If you and your partner each work on yourselves, you will see how quickly progress is made.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Well, Easter's just about over...

So, I wonder what the Easter Bunny does the other 364 days of the year...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Lies can only survive if I believe them. The solution for taming the liar in my head is to stop believing what it tells me. If I don't believe myself, and I don't believe anybody else, then all of the lies won't survive my skepticism and will simply disappear.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Today is Easter!

Does anybody know the true meaning of Easter? Well, I didn't until I looked around google and read a few articles about it. This particular article on the meaning of easter was found at www.everythingeasier.com

The Meaning of Easter

by Kristen Machut

When you think of Easter, you probably think of the Easter Bunny, colored eggs and lots of candy... but to Christians around the world it is much, much more. Easter is the most important Christian holiday of the year.

Easter Day is the day Christians remember Jesus rising from the dead. After his brutal crucifixion, a large stone was rolled over his tomb. But shortly after his death when followers went back to honor Jesus, the stone had mysteriously been moved and only the cloth that wrapped Jesus' body was laying there. As the story goes, Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb and he had in fact risen from his death in order to save us all. An angel nearby this tomb told his followers of the miracle that had taken place.

The resurrection, as described in the Bible, means that at the very moment Jesus rose from the dead, was the very moment we would be given everlasting life. Christians would now receive new life after death. The Easter holiday celebrates this belief. Easter is therefore the last day celebrated during a 40 day Easter season.

The season begins with Lent, a 40-day period before Easter Sunday. During Lent, Christians prepare for Easter. Lent is considered a time for penance, a time to show sorrow for sins and to seek forgiveness.

One way many Christians show their sorrow is by fasting, which limits the kinds and amounts of food that are eaten. Christians may also give something up during this 40 week period as patronage to the suffering of Jesus. While not all Christians fast during Lent, those that do pattern their behavior after Jesus who prayed and fasted in the wilderness before his death on the cross.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and most churches hold specials services in the evening. At many of those services ashes are placed on the foreheads of worshipers to remind them to have a humble spirit. Lent continues until Holy Week, which is the final week of Lent and recalls the events leading up to Jesus' sacrifce and ultimate death, a death he freely accepted.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, where people spread palm branches and clothing before him. Good Friday is the day Jesus died on the cross and many believe it happened between the hours of 12 noon and 3pm. Many churches hold services during this time to reflect on the last three hours of darkness while Jesus suffered on the cross.

On Easter Sunday Jesus' resurrection is celebrated. Outdoor Easter services sometimes take place at sunrise to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, Christians believe they too will rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven. It's important to note that Easter is not a time to dwell on death and sorrow, but rather the fact that Jesus did rise just as prophesized in the Holy Bible. This miracle of renewed life has given Christians hope, faith and love since they know Jesus died willingly in order to save the human race.

Easter is also closely associated with the season of Spring. The new plant life that appears in spring symbolizes the new life Christians gain because of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Easter is also considered a day of "white" because newly baptized church members wear white clothes at Easter observances.

Now, on that note, I'm going to post up this week's Sunday school video here. Now personally, I think that Jesus Christ being portrayed this way is just wrong... but I'm posting it here because all too many bible freaks and Right-Wing "christians" tend to portray Jesus Christ THIS WAY to the world, although they like to preach to everyone that jesus is a god of love and mercy,the prince of peace, etc.




O.K.

Now, in conclusion, I'm posting my REAL sunday school video on the Jesus Resurrection, followed by a couple of easter day poems...






Easter Holiday

Easter holiday, is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ!
Jesus Christ, The Son of God, bled and died for us in a sacrifice.

This Spring day's celebrated, generally in the month of April.
All of the bright and pretty colors, of the Easter outfits with frills.

Women and children will wear their Easter bonnets.
In the Spring, you'll hear the various musical sonnets.

April will bring many rain showers.
That'll bring us various beautiful flowers.

One special flower for this day is the Easter Lily.
It's color is white, and yet snowy & milky.

The birds will sing their songs of praise.
As we begin to feel the warmth of the sun's rays.

As we say "Goodbye" to the winter's gloom,
The flowers and trees have already begun to bloom.

All of life's beauty, The Lord created, for us all to share.
Spring breezes begin to flow, sending fragrances through the air.

The winter's thawing will let the rivers, lakes, and streams rise and flow.
The beauty of the Earth will make us all feel aglow!

Farmers and gardeners will start to hoe.
And then they'll begin to sow.

On Sundays, we'll hear the various church bells ring.
Let's be grateful for the LORD, let's rejoice and sing.

If it wasn't for the Lord, we wouldn't have anything!


Meeting the Easter Bunny
by: Rowena Bennett

On Easter morn at early dawn
before the cocks were crowing
I met a bob-tail bunnykin
and asked where he was going.

"Tis in the house and out the house
a-tispy, tipsy-toeing,
Tis round the house
and 'bout the house a-lighlty I am going."

"But what is that of every hue
you carry in your basket?"
"Tis eggs of gold and eggs of blue;
I wonder that you ask it.

"Tis chocolate eggs and bonbon eggs
and eggs of red and gray,
For every child in every house
on bonny Easter day.

He perked his ears
and winked his eye and twitched his little nose;
He shook his tail -- what tail he had --
and stood up on his toes.

"I must be gone before the sun;
the east is growing gray;
Tis almost time for bells to chime."
-- So he hippety-hopped away.


HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

It's my nature to make up stories, to interpret everything I perceive. Without awareness, I give my personal power to the story, and the story writes itself. With awareness, I recover the control of my story. I see that I am the author, and if I don't like my story, I change it.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Touching on a touchy subject...

So apparently, a month ago on YouTube there was some kind of debate or something where a "feminist" was accusing all men who didn't agree with her ideology as rapists.

I can't find the words to express about this subject, so I thought that as usual, I would just let these videos do the talking...



VIDEO DESCRIPTION FROM YOUTUBE:
Uploaded by xxxThePeachxxx on Mar 19, 2011
Touching on a touchy subject. Iremythpurr (NuclearNight) seems to have rape tourettes, which does a serious disservice to survivors who don't take kindly to their experiences being equated with consensual sex, or good people being branded "rapists" simply because they don't subscribe to the same fanatical, political, dogmatic ideology.

Representative Christopher Smith seems to think that evil abortion is only okay for some forms of rape. Apparently, other forms of rape aren't so bad.

Representative Kathleen Passidomo is probably a genuinely good person. Unfortunately, she's a public figure reinforcing a dangerous and highly offensive misconception about sexual assault victims and their choice of dress. Clothing is no excuse or deterrent.




VIDEO DESCRIPTION FROM YOUTUBE:
Uploaded by ZOMGitsCriss on Apr 22, 2011
I apologize for subjecting you to this drama. I needed to say something, it would have nagged at me forever if I didn't.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I don't take anything personally. I am a secondary character in other people's stories. I know that whatever people say about me is just a projection of their image of me. It has nothing to do with me.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I change my story by changing what I believe about myself. When I clean up the lies I believe about myself, the lies I believe about other people change. Every time I change myself, my whole story changes to adapt to the new main character.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Everything I believe about myself is just a story. In my story, everything is about me, and it has to be that way because I am the center of my perception. The story is told from my point of view.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

More Black Men Now in Prison System than Were Enslaved

Man, I'm finding all kinds of outrageous shit tonight...

so I guess this means our public education system did exactly what it was intended to do..... There's a time to sit still and do nothing, and a time to take ACTION!we MUST act now to save our children. Everybody's gotta DO something!

More Black Men Now in Prison System than Were Enslaved

ONCE AGAIN, YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

Republican linked to Obama 'ape' email (photo) | party, photo, obama - Gaston Gazette

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Respect is one of the greatest expressions of love. If other people try to write your story, it means they don't respect you. They consider that you're not a good artist who can write your own story, even though you were born to write your own story.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!!!

This is just unbelievable...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I create an image for every secondary character in my story. The only thing I know about the secondary characters is the story I create about them. The truth is that I don't know anyone, and nobody knows me either.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sunday School Video

Here is this week's installment...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

God, the supreme artist, uses our life for the creation of art. We are the instruments through which the force of life expresses itself. We express our art in everything we say, everything we feel, and everything we do. The creation is ongoing, it is endless, it is happening in every moment.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Heaven is here, but we need to have the eyes to perceive it. When our spiritual eyes are open, we see heaven all around us - we experience truth, love, and joy. When lies hook our attention, all we see are lies. Our spiritual eyes close, and we fall from the dream of heaven.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

WOW!!! I see that country music is not only for rednecks...

Video description taken from YouTube: Assalamualaikum Warahmatullah,
This is a s song sang by Kareem Salama, it is about the story of two soldiers who are in oppose teams of each other and then they find the truth.....

Try visiting: http://rezakareem.blogspot.com

I have added lyrics with it to ease to understand. Feel free to vote and share the comments.

Kareem Salama - Generous Peace (Official Music Video)

Continuing my thoughts on violence vs. non-violence...



I think it's always better to look for ways to solve problems peacefully than with violence. Like the song says, "We can fight, but we don't need to fight tonight, yeah we'll put out the fire If I'm gonna fight, then I'm gonna fight for what's right let's go a little higher..."

Violence never solves anything... except for the times when it does.

Just taking another look at an age old argument...



But personally, I believe that violence is RARELY the answer. But when it is.. it's the ONLY answer.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I co-create with God, and with life. Life creates what is real, and I create a story about what is real. The story is how I qualify, justify, and explain what I perceive. My story is my creation, and it's a masterpiece of art.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Drug War Failure In Mexico

QUOTE OF THE DAY

There is only one force that moves and transforms everything. The force that moves the stars is the same force that moves the atoms in my body. This force is always present and obvious for me to see, but I cannot see it when my attention is focused on lies.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am what I am. I accept myself as I am. I don't need to please other people by pretending to be what I am not. I can never be what I am not. I can only be me, and that's it.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I am God's creation. I don't need to be what I am not. I am perfect because I am inseparable from the infinite, the force of life that creates the stars and the entire universe of light.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

Sunday School Video

Hello! On this edition of Sunday School videos, I posted a video of the late, great George Carlin's thoughts on religion...



George Carlin: May 12,1937 - June 22, 2008

May He rest In Peace.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Everything in God's creation is perfect. If we don't see our own perfection, it's because the lies in our story keep us from seeing the truth. The truth is that every human is born perfect because only perfection exists.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We are born in truth, but we grow up believing in lies. One of the biggest lies in the story of humanity is the lie of our imperfection. When we believe this lie, we use the lie to judge ourselves, to punish ourselves, and to justify our mistakes.

~Don Miguel ruiz

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Our true nature is to play and explore, to live in the moment, to enjoy life. As little children, we are completely authentic. Our actions are guided by our instinct and emotions; we listen to the silent voice of our integrity; Nobody teaches us to be that way; we are born that way.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Every human is an artist, a storyteller with a unique point of view. When we see ourselves as artists, we no longer feel the need to impose our story on others or to defend what we believe. We know that every artist has the right to create his own art.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

BLOW ME DOWN!!!

O.K., it's pretty fucking GAY but I had to post this...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love and honor your physical body. To create a relationship that takes you all the way to heaven, you have to accept your body completely and allow it to be free to give, free to receive, without being shy . . . because "shy" is nothing but fear.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Love and honor your physical body. To create a relationship that takes you all the way to heaven, you have to accept your body completely. You have to love your body and allow it to be free to give, free to receive, without being shy ... because "shy" is nothing but fear.

~Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Your heart is like a magical kitchen. Your heart can create any amount of love, not just for yourself, but for the whole world. Open your heart, open your magical kitchen, and refuse to walk around the world begging for love. In your heart is all the love you need.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You are what you believe you are. Humans are powerful magicians. You have the power to make yourself what you are right now, but it's not your reasoning mind that controls your power; it's what you believe.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You are responsible for your own happiness. Happiness never comes from outside of you. If you put your happiness in someone else's hands, they can always take it away. Happiness can only come from inside of you and is the result of your love.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

A FRESH NEW START!!!

And NO, this is NOT SOME APRIL FOOL'S JOKE!!! I got a new Computer, I got a mew computer, I got a new Computer, I got a new Computer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!