Nobody Told Me

[H2O Man]

by John Ono Lennon

Everybody's talking and no one says a word
Everybody's making love and no one really cares
There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs
Always something happening and nothing going on
There's always something cooking and nothing in the pot
They're starving back in China so finish what you got

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- strange days indeed

Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move
Everyone's a winner and nothing left to lose
There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu
Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground
Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound
There's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama

Everybody's smoking and no one's getting high
Everybody's flying and never touch the sky
There's a UFO over New York and I ain't too surprised

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama

Note: There are at least a dozen very important topics being discussed on DU:GD and DU:GD-P today. These include Autorank's interview with Vincent Bugliosi; information on the crisis in Georgia; threads about the information in Ron Suskind's book, which is closely connected to the Niger yellow cake forgeries and the OVP's exposing Valerie Plame; and other threads about issues that face Americans each and every day.

There are also some threads that discuss some other issues that the corporate media is serving up to distract the country from these issues. Strange days, indeed.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Karl Rove getting his ears massaged.

[H2O Man]

10. Karl is rumored

to have been the 5th Rutle.

[Phx_Dem]

29. ROLF.

Kind of insulting to the pig though.

[Catherine Vincent]

2. K&R!

Don't get hit by any TVs! :hi:

[H2O Man]

3. I worry about that,

sometimes.

[babylonsister]

4. Ha! Great post, my friend. Thanks. And I love that song! nt

[jillan]

5. Love that song!

[stevedeshazer]

6. These are strange days indeed.

We're living it. We're passing it along.

That's what it's all about, no?

[blogslut]

7. Dammit!

Now I gotta go on a YouTube hunt for Lennon songs.

I never should have tossed out my LPs.

:hi:

[yellerpup]

8. You have a gift for keeping it real.

K&R! :kick:

[Coexist]

9. indeed.

[bleever]

11. Keith Olbermann called for Cheney's impeachment tonight.

Call back the Congress and act on Suskind's revelations, is what he said.

I thought that was newsworthy. There's a lot of really important news these last couple weeks.

[Blondiegrrl]

12. Agreed. And, uh ... WHAT THE HELL is he doing to that, uh, pig?

Ear massage? :shrug:

[H2O Man]

13. He was making

a little comment to an old band member, in response to the cover of "Ram."

[Blondiegrrl]

15. Ah ... interesting! n/t

[Joe Fields]

14. If one thing has been made clear, it is that we don't pick the topics

that we discuss. They are picked for us.

[H2O Man]

16. It's certainly true

that we do not pick the topics that are "reported" on the corporate news. Yet we do make a choice if we watch the news when it reports almost exclusively on things such as this. And we also make a choice of which threads on DU that we invest our energy in.

The OP/thread by autorank is, in my opinion, one of the most valuable on DU in years. If the same amount of energy was invested in spreading that message as in discussing the Edwards family's business, I think it would be more beneficial in promoting our values.

[Joe Fields]

30. We talk, we shout, rant and rave, but to no avail.

Again, it's clear that the topics we want to discuss, try to bring out into the open are illusory to the MSM, ergo, they don't really count, because we are unable to spread the truth about a number of important topics to the masses, since the airvaves are so controlled. Therefore, since so many people are told what to think, do and say, many others find that, in order to communicate, we relate to a degree those topics which are widely discussed.

Take an average person on the street, for example, and begin discussing the infiltration of neocons into every aspect of governance, and see how long the conversation lasts. Yet, change the subject to American Idol and now you have a conversation.

As a group, DUers do spend more time on the important subjects, but that is not to say we don't share an interest in the peripheral subjects of lesser importance. There are perspectives on the John Edwads scandal that have opened my eyes and that I place value on. I don't look at the issue as one of voyeurism. I has real consequences. While it may not be as urgent or important as Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran, or a host of other issues, it has relevence and importance.

Many here are able to multitask.

[H2O Man]

31. Everyone has

the potential to multitask. However, it can require the ability to recognize the difference between one's right hand and one's left. A significant percent of the recent discussions on the Edwards' affair show the difficulties that many have in doing that, and the confusion that results.

It's interesting to consider the different experiences that people have in talking to that "average" person on the street. Of course, that can be viewed in the context of people's differing ideas as to what constitutes "average." However, I find that it is rather easy to talk to people about the damage the neoconservatives have done to our country, especially in their activities since 1992. Perhaps that falls into one of the advantages of multitasking in the most effective manner in the context of communications.

[TexasObserver]

17. You're a reasonable man, but I think you miss the mark here.

There will always be major disasters and traumas taking place, and they will always take a backseat to issues such as the Edwards failings.

What you're really saying is that everyone who finds the Edwards issues more worthy of discussion are wrong to do so, because that topic is not as important as the ones you mention. I disagree. Picking the president is more important than all the matters you mentioned. Keeping the party ready for the election and winning the election are more important than all the issues you mention.

And what is more, so what about Georgia and Russia? Our role as a country in that is minimal at this point. Just because there are events in this world that are major, that are tragic, does not mean we should obsess over them today.

The Edwards story is the big story today, and will remain so several days. It is condescending to suggest that the adults here at DU don't have enough sense to decide which matters are more important to them for discussion purposes today.

In summary, I think your assessment of the situation is wrong, because the Edwards matter is more important TODAY to us than the other stories, and I think your implicit criticism of those who find the Edwards story more important for discussion than your other stories is misplaced. If we want to talk about what is more important as a story, the answer is THE EDWARDS story, not those you list. Why? Because importance as a story is based upon interest, not your personal feelings about such things.

[H2O Man]

18. When

one person says, "What you are really saying is .....," they err. What I really said is, by no small coincidence, exactly what was in the OP.

[truthisfreedom]

19. You're right.

But what to do? We're all human.

[H2O Man]

23. One of the basic goals

of family counseling/therapy is to improve communication skills. One of the most easily identified roadblocks to good communications is when one family member tells another what they think, or what they are "really saying." It is impossible for anyone to tell another person what they really think. Of course, when that is noted, the person who does so frequently reacts harshly. But people can learn that there are always options to being wrong.

What to do? Sometimes what seems obvious to one person, seems hidden from others. But I would suggest, as a human being, that we consider our options. Because McDonalds corporation offers unhealthy food, we are under no obligation to consume it -- even if McDonalds assures us it tastes really, really good. Likewise, when the McMedia corporations offer us rancid bacon, we are not obligated to ingest it. The fact that the cable and network "journalists" say it tastes good is not a good reason to bite; rather, the fact that they appear as nothing if not a cluster of maggots stuck on this story might be a warning to us.

We all have options. I am disappointed, in large part because I am under the impression that Barack Obama was seriously considering selecting John Edwards as his Attorney General. I believe that Edwards would have been a great choice, if not for this event. But rather han focus on the negative, I think that it is better to focus onthe positive options. When I communicate with the Obama campaign, I will let them know that I hope Brack Obama will select Patrick Fitzgerald for Attorney General.

[TexasObserver]

20. That's a matter of opinion, again, not fact.

You only perceive what you intend, not what you convey.

Your response is weak and disingenuous. Prideful, too.

You can say what you intended to conveyed, and I can say what you conveyed.

My comments stand, and your inability to refute them stands, too.

[H2O Man]

22. Respectfully disagree.

It is a fact that I said exactly what I said. That is beyond dispute. How you interpret it is, in fact, the only "matter of opinion.

I think it is fine if you want to spend your time concentrating just as much energy as you see fit on the issues involving the Edwards family.

I made my OP at a time when GD-P had a huge cluster of threads expressing opinions on the Edwards matter, that had nothing to do with the presidential election. I am pleased that the moderators have moved those threads to another section on this forum. I prefer that GD-P is used for discussions regarding the issues that face us as a people in the upcoming election.

I would venture that things such as Vincent Bugliosi's stance on prosecuting Bush, Cheney, and Rice for murder for their roles in the war in Iraq; the need to have an intelligent person in the White House to deal with international tensions, such as in the situation with Georgia; and the concept of an imperial presidency (the forged documents) actually are more important topics for the election, than a non-candidate's personal life.

Issues regarding adultry certainly play a significant role in many people's lives. I do not discount that. And many people who previously supported John Edwards may feel that he betrayed more than his wife -- and I would hope that the vast majority of DUers respect Elizabeth Edwards.

I do not expect "leaders" (for lack of a better word) to be perfect. I do not project my hopes and dreams on other human beings, for I have learned that we are all sad and weakly human. There are no "saints" -- for a saint is merely an imperfect human being who has had their live revised and edited after death.

More, I try not to judge too many people based on my own standards. I suspect that most of us would rather that people consider us in the context of a variety of our attributes, rather than by our very worst side or action. One example that comes to mind is Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.: I prefer to think of his best qualities, and tend not to trust those who want to judge him exclusively by his weakness for women.

Years ago (November 22, 1978), one of my best friends was killed, as a result of a "prank" some fools played. He was an "only child." In the years that followed, I saw the amount of pain and suffering it caused for his mother and father. That was one of the things that I've thought of when I have watched the Edwards family, who lost a son in a tragic accident.

That is not meant to imply that I approve of, or seek to dismiss, John Edwards' judgement in the affair. I would think that the same poor judgement played a role in his entering the 2008 primaries. Yet I am glad that, if nothing else, that John and Elizabeth brought issues of poverty into the discussion. I believe that poverty should be more important of a topic in the national discussion for the up-coming elections, than Edwards' poor behavior.

On March 31, my 10-year old daughter was invited to the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference in Washington, DC. The week-long conference was scheduled to include a day with John and Elizabeth Edwards, as well as being there when President Obama takes the oath of office. I have no idea if the "news" will change that. But, as a parent who is pleased that his children watch the news -- my now 11-year old is probably better informed than a large number of potential voters -- I am sad to think that one of the things she most loked forward to (meeting Elizabeth) could be derailed. However, just as I believe that these events are largely the Edwards' family business, I believe that my wife and I are fully capable of discussing "family values" with our children.

I also know that the future of the world that my children live in depends more on the issues that I am focused on, than on what John Edwards did in a weak period in his life.

[TexasObserver]

25. That's the kind of thoughtful response I've come to expect from you.

The earlier one wasn't.

Since we're talking about kids, I have two sons who drove Edwards all over Florida in 2004, when they were working for John Kerry. We all signed on for Edwards in 2007, when we could have gone another way. If I had known he was funneling money from his campaign to his campaign attorneys to his girlfriend/mother of his child, I can assure you that I would have dropped him like a hot potato.

He's not the first politician I've supported who couldn't keep it in his pants, and whose moral failings cost me significant time, money, and effort. I believe a candidate has a fundamental duty to remain above reproach. I don't care what anyone does in their personal life as long they don't ask me to vote for them. Once they do that, they'd better be clean.

[Gabi Hayes]

21. I tried to do my part:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3750690

[PA Democrat]

24. K & R. Sad commentary when you see exponentially more threads bashing Democrats

and engaging in petty gossip than ones attacking the real enemies of this country.

[annabanana]

26. kick. . .n/t

[SalmonChantedEvening]

27. Most peculiar, mama

Roll!

Dr. M :) :hug:

[GeorgeGist]

28. Somebody told me ...

that when all is said and done, all that will be left is the best of everything. Imagine.