In E. Eu, the landlord serf relationships were only broken by WWII (and there were beneficent as well as unjust landlord-serf relationships throughout the Euro farmlands of those times prior), which replaced them with Communism (with US and UK approval)… a promise to 'care for all the people through the fruits of their own labors.' Until five minutes later, when the comrades at the top had Mercedes and villas and the people had to stand in line for butter.

There are other options. The how to … ay, that is the sticking place (and re your 'dogs of war' quote, look for a h/t to you in a forthcoming article at tmv soon: here: http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/newsweek-blo... )

I'd agree with you that many persons in high office are battered about by various persons, and I find some of the name-calling and cursing of, and ill-wishes for certain things to be done to Hillary Clinton, most definitely different than the usual… and aimed toward her as a female. And the idioms and images used are so over the top, it seems that more may be going on than just disliking a pol for their politics or choices in life.

dear spirasol corporate managing/ control of communications in very few people's hands–Rupert, Clear Channel, et al, and the huge changes in communications law by the Regan admin and forward which allowed huge numbers of newspapers and radio and television stations to be held by one entity… you are accurate. In some ways, the conglomerates like Bertalsmann and Redstone and Murdock etc, have kept alive what might have died in the Internet age, including magazines. On the other hand, it appears the age of town crier hired by the king to say it the king's way is upon us.

All the more reason to offset by publishing broadsides, in modern times called blogging/ internet.

my .02 worth.

dr.e

It seems to me that Hillary and Bill have been investigated thoroughly at republican insistence and at taxpayer expense. Every aspect of their lives explored, turned over, and finally the crazy impeachment, and endless scrutiny of their private lives and Hillary's decisions about her husband after the affair.

With Bush I feel it has been very different. The press has been swallowed up by corporations and in many cases become the mouthpiece for republicans and for the President. While has low ratings and is reported to be the lowest rated president of all time, it seems to have more to do with his actual record; his decisions, his actual blunders and what's more any attempt to investigate him or his cabinet is blocked by executive priviledge ………..so I think there is enough of a difference there to mention it.

What I'm getting at is we were led to believe, falsely, that the Clintons were up to all kinds of shenanigans and most of came to believe it. Whereas with Bush, he has been up to his eyeballs in shenanigans, breaking laws, torture, etc, etc. and the populace is generally angry and upset over nearly all of his policies.

About complaining: What's wrong with complaining. If you are unhappy or disagree with a policy why not express your self. In a manner your letter is a complaint lodged against the complainers.

About Progressives: Since i think of myself as one, I am not investing all my marbles in either of the democratic candidates. In our system this is the only choice I have– so I will likely choose Obama. But, if you think progressives are sold lock, stock and barrel on Obama, you are underestimating the intelligentsia.

All that said, and all incredible issues at stake in the post Bush presidency, if Obama wants to bomb Iran, or continue to undercut the constitution, etc, etc, –you will hear at least one voice complaining…..mine.

The problem is not that Hillary has been harrangued for years and years and that every nook and cranny of her life has been exposed, talked about till no one even cares anymore.

Enter Barak Obama. The Black Ilinois Senator who literaly just popped out of the woodwork just a few years ago.

HIS life has not. Every nook and cranny are just now being exposed and discused and talked about.

The incensed screaming comes from those who have cherished every moment of time in which other politicians such as George Bush and Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton were and have been castigated.

Yet

Yet they are livid with outrage that anyone would dare to villify, castigate and otherwise throw cold water in the face of the second coming……er I mean their progressive champion.

So let me throw out a proposal to you in which I believe is the absolute truth of things to come.

No man or woman can solve the problems that America and ultimately the world faces. No politician can solve our collective dilemnas. We have not the money to fight a war in Iraq. We have not the money to have health care for all.

What we have is a congregation of babies demanding hand outs……Republicans and Democrats alike……..who will not take no for an answer. As a result we have become a nation of whimps and crybabies whose every whim is met with instant gratification.

And when its not……….or when the other guy gets something and we dont

The result of all this is that Obama or Clinton placed in the White House will go thru the same Castration that George W. Bush went through. They will be whipped violently by the masses as their every whim is not met.

Obama will be razed with hate filled rhetoric just as Bush has been. Just as Hillary has been. The time is rife with conteniousness by political hackeys who think for some bizarre reason that politicans can actually solve those issues that divide us the most.

They cannot. The sooner Americans realize that the sooner the screaming and the hollaring and the hate filled rhetoric will stop and we will once again go back to being what has always made America strong.

Tolerant.

I understand Barak Obama's appeal. This is what he is trying to address. The problem is that if he is indeed God then we want to see some miracles. When he is not capable of presenting those to us then as the famous saying goes……..

“Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war…..”

8 years of Clinton bashing, followed by payback of 8 years of Bush Bashing will only be followed by another 4 or 8 years of Hillary or Obama bashing……….

I think it could be said, for instance, that during Gandhi's time, many Hindus and Muslims painted false faces on one another and then went to war not with the real person(s) but false face fighting false face because of the projections flying. (This can be translated to any opposing groups. Though in a perfect world, it would seem there are enough substantive issues for us all to discuss and solve, without throwing in all the false projections as well)

I'll try to remember to you something I think was said by Gandhi re projections, although he did not call it by that name, but was speaking of how people mis-see one another… that in order to conquer the lesser self… or the over-culture in need of change–
to expect that 'they” will first ignore your claims,
next, they'll laugh at you
then they'll fight you
then finally, you'll win

I think self-knowledge is that way too. We sometimes in our deciding our ideas about the outer world, ignore inquiring of ourselves at some depth; something seems to stand ready in many of us, to ridicule us for even attempting it. Then we fight with our complexes–everyone has them— and eventually, a far more reasoned balance begins to prevail more and more.

There are backslides, even in consciousness. We all have those too. But, part of what Gandhi and others known for trying to understand human nature at deeper levels, were saying in their worlds and words, was that a certain amount of self-knowing withdraws false projections from others… and thereby, self-knowing is a fundament for peace …between warring factions, interior as well as worldly.

Thank you for courage in sharing your process on this topic. You nailed it, and gave a good example of how projection can work in all of us

dr.e