Chances are there are MILLIONS OF AMERICANS out there who, like me, refuse to vote because they don't trust ANY politicians. HOWEVER, the next elections will not be a matter of trusting politicians. It's a matter OF GETTING THOSE DAMNED REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE!!! Personally, I don't care who I'll be voting for. If they are Democrats THEY HAVE MY VOTE ACROSS THE BOARD: BLACK, WHITE, MAN, WOMAN, GIRAFFE, RODENT, WHATEVER!!!!
01:07 PM ET
Zakaria: Something rotten with American system?
By Fareed Zakaria
Watch "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET on CNN
It is the defining moment of a democracy – when an outgoing leader celebrates the election of a new one, from the opposing party. Think of George H.W. Bush welcoming Bill Clinton, or Jimmy Carter doing the same for Ronald Reagan. Across the world, this is the acid test of a genuine democracy. Mexicans will tell you that they knew that had gotten there when their President, Ernesto Zedillo, after seven decades of one-party rule, allowed free elections and stood with the newly elected successor and affirmed his legitimacy.
The basic and powerful idea behind this ritual is that in a democracy, the process is more important than the outcome. If a genuine democratic process has been followed, we have to accept the results, regardless of how much we dislike them. The ultimate example of this in recent American history might be Al Gore's elegant acceptance of the process – complicated, politicized, but utterly constitutional – that put George W Bush in the White House. It must also have been very difficult for Richard Nixon to report the results of the 1960 election – which John F Kennedy won by a razor thin margin and was marred by voter fraud – but he did. However much you dislike the outcome, you respect the democratic process.
I would have been happy to see President Obama compromise on the budget, taxes, spending, even Obamacare. But he cannot compromise on the principal that the rules of democracy must be respected, whatever the outcome. If Democrats had threatened to shut down the government or default on the debt to force the repeal of the Bush tax cuts or defund the Iraq War, I would have hoped President George Bush would also have been uncompromising.
America's power and influence abroad derive in large measure from the strength of American democracy. If American politicians start playing fast and loose with the rules, doing whatever it takes to get the results that they want, what does that say to people in Russia, Egypt, Iran, and Venezuela who get pious lectures on the rules of democracy from Americans. It tells them that something is deeply rotten with the American system right now.
The part where you had the people believe they could only speak in Chinese was priceless. Great stuff without getting overly sexual. I must admit, I wish I was onstage and in deep trance when you told the hypnotized people that they would not be able to see you. I would have liked to experience that firsthand. However, it was best I was not onstage because as you were bringing everyone out of trance there was a little girl on the floor completely under. Fully catatonic. As you were counting up from 1, I believe, she was completely unresponsive even when her little friend pulled on her feet. The girl's relatives told her friend to stop pulling as you counted up to 5 you got to 4 and the little girl was still completely out. I was certain she was not going to wake up by 5. Then you said 5 'wide awake' and the girl woke up! Now, that really blew my mind and I was glad I was in the audience to see that!
From my studies, hypnosis remains a mystery. Science is still not certain what exactly is going on with hypnosis, but it seems to me...that the voice of the hypnotist become the voice of the subconscious and it is the voice of the subconscious that commands the body. The voice of the subconscious is what determines what is real and is not real to the conscious mind. I don't know. I know that I've been determined for quite a while to go to a hypnotist in order to see if I could have hypnotic anchors established at different levels. However, I feel that once you reach the level of full hypnotic anesthesia you can't move and that would be too deep to be useful for me.
Before I allowed you to hypnotize me I had determined that I would not give you any resistance and allow myself to fully go under. I had set my intent that I would strive to react in the most outrageously silly ways possible. When I was fully under and you started to ask us to do silly things I suddenly remembered how I was determined to react and, here's the interesting thing, I was sending out communications to the universe that were without words. I had no time to really think how I was going to react. I had to get ideas directly from the source of ideas. When you wanted us to pretend we were in a band the silliest instrument that came to mind was a trombone and the silliest person I have ever seen blow a wind instrument was Dizzy Gilespie, with his cheeks inflated like a friggin toad, so I combined the two. When you had the people mess up the hair and that young girl sitting next to me messed up my hair and kept messing it up I was shocked. I didn't know how to react. Suddenly an idea came to me of Stan Laurel, of Laurel & Hardy fame, and how he would react when his hair was messed up and I put on a wide Stan Laurel grin; or so I believed I did.
Then there was the situation where you had us get all afraid and hide behind the chairs. I didn't want to get on the floor and suddenly had the idea of grabbing the chair. To my surprise the tie holding the chairs together easily broke and I hid behind the chair by putting the back of the chair over my head. Then you made it scarier and an instant idea came to me to close the seat of the chair so that I could not be seen. Silly stuff. The point is that I felt connected to the source of all ideas as I did these things. I believe more strongly than ever that ideas are indeed gifts that should be honored. If you are determined to hypnotize yourself with the intent to get extremely funny ideas from the source that are not sexually suggestive I don't see your having any problems doing so. You have to really want those ideas and be extremely grateful for whatever idea gifts you may receive from the Universe. I believe in your ability to do this. The real questions is: Do YOU believe in yourself? When you're just like every other stage hypnotist of this type the only thing you have to offer is your conformity. Don't settle! Go for the best!!!
Science barely has a clue as to the potential of hypnosis. I sense you are really selling yourself short. Put yourself into a deep hypnotic trance then convince yourself that you can access great ideas that you never dreamed possible before and keep doing this until those ideas come. It may take 100 times before a super really life transforming idea comes to you, dude, but IT WILL COME IF YOU DON'T GIVE UP!!! All the greats throughout history are most usually defined by the great original ideas they had and their determination to act upon those ideas and take them as far as they possibly could. Thomas Edison was quoted as saying something to the effect of: 'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.' I mean, how much do you really want those outrageously funny ideas, dude? Success in life is not so much for the talented as it is for the persistent who refuse to give up; and that's a fact!
Look, I will be honest with you here. I didn't want to do so at the fair, but I will be honest with you here: YOU'RE TOO DAMN MUCH LIKE ALL THE OTHER HYPNOTIST ACTS I'VE SEEN AT THE FAIR THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. However, I sense a potential in you that is different from the others. When it comes to getting funny ideas from the source through hypnosis you just may accomplish what no other hypnotist has ever done before. I mean REALLY FUNNY STUFF that is not sexually suggestive. I have faith in your ability to do this and, frankly, you won't be making the Christian families who go to the fair feel uncomfortable once you revolutionize your act. Of course, if you don't want to become REALLY SUCCESSFUL and want to settle for being just another stage hypnotist that is indeed your choice. Personally, with YOUR potential I wouldn't settle, but...that's me.
I am envisioning this: You contact all the places where you have given stage performances and tell them you have decided to make your act much more family oriented and less sexually suggestive; that you've added all new funny routines the whole family can enjoy. Okay, how do you think state fairs around the country would react to that? Do you think religious families across America would be very grateful for that? Do you think they would prefer the stage hypnotist with the family oriented act over the hypnotist with the sexually suggestive act? Well, maybe I'm crazy, but I can easily see all your former bookings jumping at the opportunity for the sake of the families who come to their fairs. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE AT ANY OF THOSE FAIRS!!! At least not at the ones I've gone to. I'm not overly religious and even I was uncomfortable with some of the things you had the people do. That guy grabbing the other guy's ass did not make me laugh AT ALL!!!!
What amazes me is that if I don't tell you these things OBVIOUSLY there is no one else in your world who will. Now, that's amazing alright! Sheesh!
"It was 1969 when Senator Kennedy, recognizing the success of Medicare for senior citizens, first called for universal health care for all Americans. "We must begin to move now to establish a comprehensive national health insurance program, capable of bringing the same amount and high quality of health care to every man, woman, and child in the United States," Kennedy said at Boston University Medical Center on December 16, 1969.
Senator Kennedy has spent his public life fighting for comprehensive health care for all Americans. Over the decades, tens of millions have benefited from his sustained efforts."
MY COMMENT: Unless I am mistaken TODAY OCTOBER 1ST 2013 Will live as a day in history where the dream of Ted Kennedy was FINALLY REALIZED!!! It took over 40 YEARS FOR THAT DREAM TO BE REALIZED!!! WHAT IS AMAZING IS THAT IT TOOK A BLACK AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO FINALLY GET IT DONE!!!!!
No matter how hard they tried, the whites couldn't do it!!
Whoah! That's something alright!!
The Republicans were so angry about it
they made certain the American government was shut down!!!!
I usually don't give a damn about the news,
but today...I have made an exception
for there should be certain days when I do make an exception and watch the news
and TODAY is American history in the making!
According to what I have studied
the Democrats have been fighting a hell of a long time
for what American President Obama accomplished today
it is indeed a day that will be remembering in history
for American President Obama
and a day of infamy for the rich white American Republicans
