Blog by Jude (posted by Eric, from Political Waves; mine follows) Politics is to "progress" like bee's are to a picnic ... spoils the whole party. Long before we got the Dub and his kick-ass-kill-em-all notions, common wisdom pointed to lack of opportunity, class struggle and repressive politics as the touch-stone for discontent in the middle-east. That the United States smugly ignored these issues in search of profit added fuel to the fire. The "why do they hate us?" question, answered. Prosperity and opportunity, on the other hand, changes everything -- offering the "carrot" of a decent life and future always trumps aggression. A favorite Arafat story comes to mind when I consider this problem -- years ago, he was at one of those [many] junctures when it was expedient for him to call off his assassins. He was having a hard time controlling them -- so he appealed to Palestinian women to give up their daughters for the cause. The bully-boys were invited to attend a mixer with several young women ... and within a few months the assassins  had become husbands and expectant fathers and wanted no more killing. It seems to me that the world is finally standing ready to "fix" poverty -- and politics is in the way. More impressive yet, even though the economic picture is squirrly and worrisome, rather than run, clutching what it has to it's breast, the world has focused on those with very little and held out it's hands. I'm sensing something quite unique, and I'm ready to put a name to it ... a "soul rebellion," already underway. In the coming months, if the politicians aren't willing to give the people what they have committed their hearts to, I believe they will begin to "move around them." Many state's are ignoring the Dub and his policies ... some are calling for accountability -- some are passing state or local laws to counteract Federal junk -- some are calling for a new vision -- others are beginning to implement saner choices without government "help" ... much of the world is joining to demand changes that aren't being addressed. I see it more and more in what I read. Perhaps the 100th Monkey has already washed it's dinner in the sea. Perhaps we're finally ready to be the people we know we Can Be. -- Jude Much Has Been Done, But... Much more is needed. G-8 leaders must follow up on debt relief with a smart plan to aid Africa By Desmond Tutu Tuesday, July 5, 2005 by the Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0705-27.htm