It rained last night here in the Bitterroot valley, western Montana. It's a beautiful sunny morning, Lasky is asleep on the floor. We arrived here on Monday after 6 days of driving. The week has been about relaxing, settling in, and last night watching the VP debate with a bunch of folks. That was a lot of fun, and the debate was...wel it's hard to know what to say. I did post this on a Washington Post discussion...

"I felt like I was watching a kind of charming Barbie Doll last night. She kept flirting with the audience with her winks and her wide eyed exclamations. She clearly disassociated a number of times, and babbled meaningless response to questions she couldn't answer. She changed the subject a number of times, and responded to questions with answers that stayed on the surface, demonstrating a shallow understanding of the issues, at best.

I'm sure the republicans see this as a win, which shows how shallow THEIR engagement is with the issues...all ideology, no real meaning."

I'm glad to be here. It is so beautiful and low key.

I sent out some resumés, made some calls, initiated the process of getting licensed in Montana as a counselor, and my friend who I a staying with, and I, have been working on a plan to create a Community Health Worker program for this area. I'm very excited about it. We have a lot of good ideas. She has lived here for decades and knows the lay of the land.

Now I'm needing to attract money. I have about $200, and the next scheduled cash in comes at the end of November. I really want a 2 cup espresso maker...one of those two compartment thingies...if anyone has an extra one, also looking for a massage table. drop me a line!

Traveling with my dog and cat friends again! They are so great. We are at a campground in Wisconsin about 100 miles east of the Mississippi River. There is no one else camping, so Chloe and Lasky are free to do as they please. They roam a little, snooze a lot. Last night Lasky did her job, sleeping by me, keeping watch. She never needed to be told to do that, she just does it. When we are in a building she sleeps by the door. Chloe was in the car with her food and her litter box but she chose to come out and sleep in my sleeping bag...nice bit of extra heat too! I slept well, had breakfast, taking our time, we are heading out, planning on Badlands National Park tonight.

Yesterday we started in central Pennsylvania. I figure I drove 800 or so miles in about 15 hours. I was pretty tired, had only slept a few hours the night before, but it was a nice drive, beautiful weather, relatively peaceful. Some folks really do like to tailgate, but no other really whacky driving.

Today we cross the Mississippi River which always marks, for me, being "in the west." It's also so beautiful and clean up north, and I am aware of what happens to this living river as it travels through the southern part of North America, where it is used for shipping but also as a toilet for industrial and other human waste disposal. By the time it reaches the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans it's so polluted you could probably die from drinking a cupful. Sad. And yet it is still a living river at it's mouth to the sea.

OK, onward!

P.S. New episodes of my "Stories from the Road" are available on the WBKM archive page.

It's hard to know what to say, as I watch the american fascists in their boldest move yet, forcing the taxpayers into out and out slavery to the corporations.

Bush is bankrupting the country, as he bankrupted every other business he's run. The people must not let him and his cronies get away with this. They should be held accountable for the fortune of taxpayers money they have squandered and absconded. Bush came into office with a surplus! Look at us now.

I urge you to stand up and help impeach George W. Bush by contacting your representatives relentlessly, talking with your friends about what's going on. Bush is clearly a criminal. We all know it. Some of us are afraid to face it, some face it but are scared to speak out, some are speaking out. This our time! The people of the world are behind us and it is our responsibility to bring this criminal administration to justice. The cowardice of the american people, in this hour, will cost the world dearly.

The Bush/Cheney government through massive chicanery, illegal war (and war profiteering) etc. etc. has sucked bazillions of dollars out of the pockets of americans and into the pockets of a few CEOs and politicians. Now the Fed, a privately owned for-profit bank, is going to loan a ton of that money back to us, charging interest of course. And few are talking about it honestly in the media or in the halls of power. This is all a well engineered rip-off. How are the personal fortunes of the Bushes, Clintons, Cheneys, Rumsfelds, McCains, etc etc? ALL GROWING at our expense.

At what point will americans get it that they have allowed themselves to be utterly scammed, and hold the thieves accountable? I know, I know, most people are too busy watching TV and believing what they are told to be as outraged as they have a right to be. But it's time to rally. There are people in every town and city, in the hinterlands and even in the halls of power who see what's going on and are horrified. If everyone just speaks out, it will be a step.

A more effective step is to stop earning enough to pay taxes. That situation is being forced on millions of people who have financial obligations but you know what? Fuck your financial obligations. If you are foreclosed on, stay in the house and invite other potentially homeless people to live there with you. Plant a garden. Live free. There aren't enough police, soldiers, and mercenaries to throw all the people out who are being foreclosed on in this country. Let the banks fail. Fuck'em. Fuck the shareholders and profiteers, Fuck the CEOs with their golden parachutes woven from YOUR blood, sweat and tears. Fuck them. Really.

Check these out:

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009

I wrote a letter yesterday to the president of the APA, Alan E. Kazdin, PhD using the APA website http://apa.org/about/president/ask.html

I encourage others to do the same. Here is the letter I wrote:

Dear Dr. Kazdin:

I have been a clinical mental health counselor since 1985. I have extensive experience in the field as a psychotherapist. I tell you this just as a way of introducing myself to you as a person with appropriate background to make the following statements.

It seems to me that any health care worker who aids torturers knowingly in any way is going against the creed to "...at least do no harm."

I am glad to see that the APA membership rejected torture and aiding torturers, but I am concerned about the very high percentage of the membership who voted to continue to aid in torture. What kind of practitioners are these? What are their values, ethics, and what kind of therapists are they? I daresay these people should not be allowed to practice since their vote demonstrates a shocking lack of ethics, in my opinion.

I am emailing you to ask if the APA is going to issue a statement about what the role of psychological practitioners should be, and how it is incompatible with the values and ethics of the profession to aid in torture. I also would like to know if those who have been aiding the torturers will be held accountable.

I write this to you because I am concerned that there are so many APA members out there who may be causing harm to their clients. A person who supports the use of torture may be doing any number of unethical things in their work.

This is a short note, but I would be glad to have a lengthier discussion with you at some point if you are interested.

Thank you for your time.