My cousin at the UN just forwarded me this article written by a well known Brazilian Columnist for a daily called "Folha de Sao Paulo". I have been saying for a while that a third world backlash against the U.S. was building...and this just confirms it. This piece came on the heels of a call in Portuguese to boycott all U.S. made goods and entertainment. I find this very alarming, because I know from spending time in Brazil, that they were one of the countries most devoted to all things American. When I was there, Brazilians idolized the U.S., and I did not know one who did not prefer to buy American brands. I guess that was then.

I have taken the liberty of translating the piece, as I feel it should be read by a wider audience:
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A Folha de Sao Paulo
http://www.folha.uol.com.br/folha/
Author: Paul Coelho
March 8, 2003

Thank you, George Bush, the Great Leader.

First of all, may I thank you for showing all of us the danger which Saddam Hussein represents. Perhaps many of us might have forgotten that he used chemical weapons against his own people as well as against the people of Iran. Hussein is a blood-thirsty dictator, and certainly an embodiment of evil in the world today.

However, that is not the only reason why I am thanking you. In the early months of 2003, you helped show us, sir, many important things about the world, and it is for this that you have my gratitude. I was taught as child to always say "thank you" to someone who has done me a favor, and it is in that spirit that I write these words.

Thank you for showing us all that the people of Turkey and their Parliament are not for sale, not even for $26 billion dollars.

Thank you for showing us clearly the enormous abyss which exists between the decisions taken by leaders of nations and the true desires of their people. Thank you for helping us see with painful clarity that whether it is José Aznar of Spain or Tony Blair of the UK, that our so called elected leaders don’t have the slightest regard or respect for the fact that over 90% of their population are against war. Thank you for allowing us to witness the ease with whichTony Blair was able to blithely ignore the largest public protest held in England in the last 30 years.

Thank you, because your insistence on war forced Blair to go to Parliament with a plagiarized dossier which consisted of notes written ten years ago by an arab graduate student. As a result we were able to witness the unbelievable farce of Blair insisting that these notes represented “proof” gathered by the British secret service.

Thank you for for making Colin Powell descend to the ridiculous by showing the UN Security Council photographs, which a week later were publicly denounced by Hans Blix, the weapons inspector responsible for verifying the disarmament of Iraq

Thank you, because your position on war resulted in the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Dominique de Villepin, in his speech against war on Iraq, being honored by a standing ovation. This is an honor which, if I am correct, has only happened once before in the history of the U.N., and that was during a presentation by Nelson Mandela.

Thank you, because due to your strenuous push for war, for the first time the Arab nations of the Gulf, usually so divided, have found a reason to unite and have recently issued a joint resolution in Cairo condemning your proposed invasion. You have brought about a unity of opinion amongst the arab nations, that they had not achieved on their own.

Thank you, because as a result of your administration’s rhetoric blasting the United Nations as “irrelevant”, even the most undecided and reluctant nations have been inspired to take a position against your country’s attack on Iraq.

Thank you for your extraordinary foreign policy. Attempts to defend your ambitions have caused British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, to attempt to argue a case for a “moral war”, and with each attempt lose more international credibility.

Thank you for attempting to divide Europe, which after a century of war and upheaval has been fighting for unity. This was a warning clearly seen by all of us, and it will not be forgotten.

Thank you for finally managing to achieve what few have managed in the past century: to unite millions of people, across the continents and give them a common cause to fight for, even if that cause is the exact opposite from yours.

Thank you for letting us feel that even if our words are not being heard, they are at least being repeated. This will give us strength in the future.

Thank you, because without your esteemed help, we wouldn’t have known the extent to which we were capable of mobilizing. Perhaps this appears useless today..but it will serve us in the future.

Thank you.

So, now that the drums of war seem to beat with unstoppable ferocity, I want to add an insight, words uttered by an ancient European King to a would-be invader:

“May your morning be glorious and May the sun shine brightly on the armor of your soldiers, because in the afternoon I will defeat you.”

Mr. Bush, thank you as well for visibly trying to stop a movement which has already begun. We will pay attention to the feelings of impotence, and the sensations it arouses within us. We will learn to deal with those emotions, and we will transform them.

In the meantime, may you enjoy your beautiful morning, and all the glory that it may bring you.

Thank you, because I know you will not listen to us, nor take us seriously. Know, however, that we have listened to you and heard you clearly, and we will not soon forget your words.

Thank you, George W. Bush, the great leader!

Many thanks to you.

The writer, Paulo Coelho, is the author of “The Alchemist”, amongst other works, and is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Arts & Letters.

I KNOW EVERYONE IS ASKING the same thing:

What would Mark Twain say on the subject?
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I am the only man living who understands human nature; God has put me in charge of this branch office; when I retire there will be no-one to take my place. I shall keep on doing my duty, for when I get over on the other side, I shall use my influence to have the human race drowned again, and this time drowned good, no omissions, no Ark.

- quoted in Mark Twain, J. Macy, (Doubleday, Page & co., 1913)

HUFFIN' and puffin...

and talkin’ about the aetheric weather....

Despite the rat freezing cold in the U.S. North East, generally there’s been a slight relief from what felt like a vaguely oppressive twenty ton weight hovering over one’s head. If any out there have been experiencing alot of unusual migraines and headaches centered right behind the eyes, today through Friday may bring you some relief. That is because the magnetic interference(!) caused by the massive CME discharge is actually neutralizing and overpowering some of the continuous microwave bombardment you have been experiencing thanks to your local OHGOBLOWs (Overtly Hostile Government Officials Bribing Legislators Openly in Washington). By the way, those funny cement tower thingies aren’t really forty foot trees...but you knew that of course...right?

PREVIOUSLY POSTED 3/4/03

on the air waves today: Sarah McLaughlin, Building a Mystery

weirdest news of the day: The Big AL-Aqaeda Boogeyman Evil Genius captured last week was already dead.

If I've told them once, I've told them twice, when fabricating fake news, try to find NEW arab names. I know they all sound alike to us, but sooner or later there's a slim chance some arab guys are going to catch on.

Just a thought.

Previous post from 3/3/03

DON'T EVEY TRY TO BLAME THIS ONE ON MERCURY IN RETROGRADE...

TODAY ON THE AIR: Talking Heads, LIFE DURING WARTIME

SCARIEST NEWS OF THE DAY: The official announcement of CAPPS II, the new improved passenger harassment system.

Now with "Grrranimals" friendly primary color coding to match your Duct Tape alerts.

Neat.

COLOR ME RED.

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Sybill the Soothsayer recommends..

...jumping straight to the aetheric weather report for Greater United States:

At present there are numerous static storms, with clouds of irritating low frequency bombarding much of the Northeast. All but the highest elevation are finally giving into the relentless assault, made worse since the activation of Greenland station. Expect interrupted sleep pattern, dry mouth and 4 a.m. night sweats. Moments of thought interruption and mental pause are rampant. Fender benders abound. To avoid excessive crankiness drink plenty of water. No, diet pepsi is not a suitable substitute.

Waves of heart palpitating out-of-the-blue alarm gusting over Arizona, New Mexico and much of the Southwest, especially affecting the already depressed and disgruntled. The depressed will experience additional burdens of inertia and inability to concentrate, while the disgruntled will feel additional need to patrol the borders with a new gun.

All those in the lower frequency ranges will be affected by the relentless low frequency bombardment, resulting in increased narrow mindedness of expression, irrational bursts of anger and assumptions, and inability to think in anything but the most limited and immediate terms. Can you say Taos Hummmm? Two higher life forms will quietly move to Hawaii. Good for you, guys.

Higher elevations will experience moments of intense despair and loss of direction, followed by periods of renewed purpose and combativeness. For those fortunate enough to be part of a community of like minds, there will be a strengthening of ties within those communities. Know that at this moment other forces are at work at a level as yet unseen to most, knitting together the connections for what is to come. The loners in the crowd (and you know who you are) will begin to feel a more profound sense of isolation as they witness the lower frequencies around them descend and rally around concepts they cannot understand. At this time, loners will probably feel a growing awareness of the contracted energy (expressed hostility and manifested ignorance) in those around them, and will begin to entertain thoughts of moving to another location. For those people, DLV says: Do not entertain...move. Leave the piggys to enjoy their muddy love fest. You and your pearls are not safe, no matter how high your fence or mean your dog.

FORECAST for the COMING WEEKS:

Variable with a strong possibility of end-times-worthy full-on sunburst activity in April. Sunglasses advised. Bottled water optional.

Comet Watchers: I love you guys, but be aware that there are tricks being played on us all, even behind the guise of tricks. NASA is well aware of the sub-aether and plays us like a fiddle. They have an entire jokey jokey section dedicated to Area51 pranks, dudes. Fake alien poo and so on. That does not mean that while you are watching Neat, that Comet-Not-So-Neat can't appear from nowhere, to shoot through the atmosphere in full un-disintegrated splendor - a Celestial Light Show that does not have the fire marshall’s approval. If that happens, let us hope that the military minds can take a hint. Right now the timing for this event is late March, closer to April 10th or 15th, but I’ve been told they could move that up a couple of weeks for the sake of the truly dense.

If the FOL (Forces of Light) opt for the comet appearance, it will probably be within days of an old fashioned ECONOMIC COLLAPSE you can tell your non-mutant grandchildren about. DLV advises keeping cash in hand, and perhaps buying some ounces of gold metal and holding it under your pillow the months of April through July. Yeah, that sucks, but look at it this way....it’s either financial meltdown or nuclear armageddon: pick one. Rotten choices? Hey...not my fault, I’m just the messenger.