Best story of 2009 actually would be a tie for first place!

1. Pilot "Sully" lands jumbo jet in the icy Hudson River and everyone survives.

2. David Goldman brings his son home from Spain after a 5 year battle for his custody.

NO ONE can ever take HOPE AND FAITH from us. These stories reminded me of how much both matter.

Best or biggest ?

Biggest story of 2009 ......hmmmmmm

Seems like there are many to choose from.

Michael Jackson's sudden death was big, to me any ways.

Bernie Madoff.

Octo-Mom.

Best story of 2009:

The orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the amazing, heartwarming response by Americans.

What is sad is the continuity of normalcy presented by the mainstream media. As long as the public can be lulled into thinking that things are normal and as they have always been, serious changes can be made behind the scenes without the public becoming alarmed. ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS all present the same basic stuff that has always been presented. As a matter of fact, programming worldwide appears to be similar. To ensure that the charge “liberal media” can still stick, Rupert Murdoch’s “Fox News” goes so far to the right that everything else seems left wing. An example is when the mainstream media briefly covers Wikileaks. Instead of going into the details of the crimes being committed by the government on our behalf, they only discuss the ramifications of such leaks on U.S. foreign policy, and how such leaks are placing lives in danger. They never once mention the fact that the illegal invasion of Iraq has killed thousands of civilians, and that the U.S. government has placed lives in danger by torturing suspects. Extraordinary Rendition, killing civilians from attack helicopters and UAV’s, and assassination teams targeting anyone labeled as an unlawful enemy combatant, has created more terrorists, and endangered more lives than Wikileaks ever could. Now we have those brave responders on 911 having to fight for health care from a government that seems to care little for the lives of these men or the lives of returning veterans. Considering the fact that 911 was never fully investigated to begin with, is it any wonder the government would like to forget what actually led up to these two wars! None of the mainstream media will talk about the collapse of those buildings on that day. As a matter of fact, even the so-called left wing alternative media of Free Speech TV will not discuss it. I have called the Thom Hartmann program and was told they will not discuss 911. THIS ON FREE SPEECH TV! I guess if the public is led to believe that there is nothing to talk about, or if the media simply believes that by burying its head in the sand the problem of accountability will simply go away, they don’t know history. The fact is that most Americans know things are not “normal” and that the government has a lot to account for. What is sad is they are hoping that time will somehow quell the unanswered questions about 911. If Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda did not bring down those buildings by aircraft and fire, what did? We have all watched the collapse of Building 7, and know that it fell at near free fall speed into its own footprint with a classic demolition crimp. This means that someone with a high level security clearance had to have gained access to that building to place explosives in advance of 911 with foreknowledge that it was to take place.

The Meeting of Wisdom
and Power

I

Oh, hear the cries
that come together,

Two storms, where
chaos of heart discontented melodies,

Lust drives Wisdom as
Power watches from his rest,

Where anger slays
courage and lightning strikes the heart of pain;

Sometimes the willful
memories sink heart to caverness extremes,

Where angels pray for
merciful tears as Wisdom dares to dream;

II

Power sought Wisdom,
her image serene,

As she came to him, coquettish
victory;

Covet was what he knew,
and she only life,

And anger did rape
Thy Word as power turned to pain;

Pain laughed and
vanquished love, for ecstasy for another,

Any bright bloom a
magnetic resonance, a lover.

III

Heavenly commands,
embrace our connection,

Mind to mind, heart
to heart, Soul to soul;

Remembering embracing
from long ago,

Tender touches as
eyes do passionately meet;

For in time, they
will see reflections of you and of me,

While pooling around
us passions collide.

IV

Obedience God
commands, and we must obey,

But Wisdom’s youth
seems to dismay;

Power is sleeping
alone at rest,

Awaiting awakening
power and patience befriend;

Two fold for unions
Wisdom guided by words,

Where thinning smiles
confuse wanting desire.

V

Desire growing inside
and out, deepening thought

As objectivity
yearns, for understanding of Wisdom that deeply burns.

Separated by time and
by space until Angels obey God’s Grace,

Then Authority will
know Wisdom’s delight of slight hand;

And love will cease
crying as joy doth command,

In our eyes light
lingers beckoning hope’s blessings.

VI

Listening deafly to
Thy Commands, pride as succumb to want

As love to the land;
in thy heart rest power, some desire to behold.

Angrily we want that
forgiveness no longer pretends as the lonely

Find comfort in an
unruly hand. Deeply I stare at beauty so rare, love emanates from

A heart formally in
despair.

Now love endures as
promises kept, as hearts weep in pain as

Memories cannot
forget, pain given in innocent lies.

VII

Wisdom lays in
another’s arms as Power, broken hearted, can no longer use

His charms; a heart
breaking in love so deep that power can’t rest but only weep.

Denial of love causes
thee tears, as thy soul weeps in torment for misplaced love,

Now stands Power
alone hearing the truth, where fading forgiveness blinds every night;

Lengthening days
pursue the night, mind to mind listening in pain,

Heart to break as
happiness belies, praying hearts obey souls ordained attraction for we.

VIII

Now thee that cometh
named understanding has gained,

That wisdom hath been
commanded in her way, the angels rejoice

In Thy grace so that
love will come and love will, hopefully, stay.

Now that Power and
Wisdom have met thy charms and in thy arms do they hold,

Enter loves caress as
prayers pray manifest that time will quickly race.

For in thy loom doth
weave our song that hearts will meet at once,

As waters break with
the moons pull their love in marriage is foretold.

Roderick M. F. Petty

6.24.2011

I have not met my wife yet, just needed an interesting place to post this poem.

Thank you all for understanding!