Monday, October 30, 2006

Celebrating SAMHUINN WITH THE SUDANESE


Enough already with the doom and gloom! Samhuinn is upon us! This year, I helped Africans and Guatemalans celebrate our ancient European end-of-summer festival.

On Saturday, up north near Lewiston, the Maine Immigrant Farmers held their annual harvest Festival. Since we were having a Nor’easter, the entire event moved into two tiny rooms of an old Maine barn (see pic above). All summer, immigrants from the Sudan and Guatemala had sweated to grow gorgeous pumpkins, squash, and a zillion other veggies with land, seeds, tools, and expertise granted by various funding agencies. Now they had a chance to show them all off – and cook ‘em up and feed all of us who came.

Inside, the barn groaned with people. To move from point A to point B, one inched one’s way sideways at the pace of a car in a stalled line on the highway. Against one old plank wall on a table sat piles of pumpkins and white squash. With their dark skin, the Sudanese were hard to see in the dark barn. Luckily, the women were all bedecked in bright red, yellow, green and blue head coverings and long dresses (all under no-color Maine parkas).

Organized by a twenty-something mother and fulltime student, the festival left a bit to be desired. Heat for one. Light for another. Not to mention a distinct lack, for the first hour or so, of those quintessential essentials: porta-potties.

Little children carved pumpkins and milled around at waist level. Decorated with glittered faces striped with cat’s whiskers and other décor, they’d come up and tap me for help getting caps off magic markers and glue out of glue sticks.

Outside, the wind howled and the rain beat at the old barn planks. It took no time for my feet to become blocks of ice. For a while I stood next to a hot-coals-containing stove the Guatemalans were cooking on, just to get warm. The barn was so dark I could barely see to dish the food onto my paper plate. Then there was the problem of moving sideways at a snail’s pace, balancing a plate of food, to find a place to sit. All the work paid off handsomely, however; the food was to die for (I saw very little of it, but it certainly tasted good).

Happy Samhuinn, everybody!

Frog BOY AT WORK IN IRAQ


At last, my friends, we discover why Iraq is sinking into the mud of the Tigris & Euphrates faster'n you can shake a stick at a snake: Bush handed it over to the Fundies. You think I joke? Bush has put untrained Fundies in charge of Iraqi hospitals and such:

"'God's war needs God's warriors, and the White House was ready to supply them.... [T]he first director of Iraqi health services, Dr. Frederick Burkle, was dismissed. Burkle, a distinguished physician, was a specialist in disaster relief, with experience in Kosovo, Somalia, and Kurdish Iraq. His replacement, James Haverman, had run a Christian adoption agency meant to discourage women from having abortions. Haverman placed an early emphasis on preventing Iraqis from smoking, while ruined hospitals went untended. '"

"This may suggest the policy on appointments that put Michael Brown in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the parallel is [insufficient. The] Washington Post reporter who had covered the CPA in Iraq, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, ... said, 'There were a hundred Browns in Iraq.'"
From Echidne of the Snakes.

Any doubt in your mind now that Bush is mentally ill? (See Oct. 27 post, "He Began by Blowing Up Frogs.") This goes beyond incompetence and lust for power. It's a continuation of the sadism that Bush began showing as a kid, when he inserted firecrackers into frogs and lit the fuses.

This is akin to Bush firing all surgeons across America. You go in for your open heart surgery, and there's a masked, trained bug exterminator standing over you waiting to begin the job.
_________
Thnx to pixelfreak for the frog foto

Sunday, October 29, 2006

WAR GAMES Begin ON IRANIAN COAST

This just out today:

Iran Criticizes U.S.-Led Nuke Exercise
By JIM KRANE
The Associated Press
Sunday, October 29, 2006; 3:16 PM


DOHA, Qatar -- A naval training exercise led by the U.S. and aimed at blocking smuggling of nuclear weapons began Sunday in the Persian Gulf….

Iran called the two-day maneuvers "adventurist," but the Foreign Ministry said the Islamic Republic's response would be "rational and wise."

snip

Iran insists its program has peaceful aims, saying it is intended only to produce fuel for nuclear reactors that will be used to generate electricity. The Iranians contend Washington seeks to punish them for opposing U.S. policies.

snip

Brown said the exercise was not openly aimed at any country and would not affect Iranian vessels or ships heading to Iran.

snip

But a U.S. State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the topic, said PSI members can halt and board Iran-bound ships if they are suspected of carrying banned shipments.
Along these lines, see US naval war games off the Iranian coastline: A provocation which could lead to War? by Michel Chossudovsky, October 24, 2006, GlobalResearch.ca

Trick OR TREAT


The Next War, from Harper's Magazine, October 2006. By Daniel Ellsberg

“Articles by [Pulitzer-Prize-Winning journalist] Seymour Hersh and others have revealed that [Bush] has secretly directed the completion, though not yet execution, of military operational plans — not merely hypothetical ‘contingency plans’ but constantly updated plans — for attacking a country that, unless attacked itself, poses no threat to the United States: … Iran.

SNIP

“Several of Hersh’s sources have confirmed both the detailed operational planning for use of nuclear weapons against deep underground Iranian installations and military resistance to this prospect, which led several senior officials to consider resigning….”
MORE>>>>

Looks like the Bushlet might be planning to trick you into voting Republican next week -- by starting a nuclear war with Iran -- and making it look like Iran started it.

Don't be fooled! Vote early. And drag a few middle-of-the-roaders to the polls with you when you go. Treat Bush to a buncha Dems moving into Congress. Dems who can pull the plug on the war funding. And guess what? Goodbye moo-lah, goodbye war!
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Thnx to rippe for the foto

Bypassing THE BRAIN


"Other presidents were evangelicals. Three of them belonged to the Disciples of Christ—James Garfield, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan. But none of the three— nor any of the other forty-two presidents preceding Bush (including his father)—would have answered a campaign debate question as he did. Asked who was his favorite philosopher, he said 'Jesus Christ.' And why? 'Because he changed my heart.'"
From The New York Review of Books; review of A Country Ruled by Faith by Garry Wills. MORE>>>>

My question: Why did Bushlet push off Jesus Christ as a philosopher?

A. Bushy could not name even one single philosopher and was using Jesus to cover up.

B. Bushy knows many evangelicals (his major supporters) don't know what a philosopher is, so this was a golden moment to impress them by tagging their boy Jesus.

C. Bushy does not know what a 'philosopher' is.

D. Bushy has never heard the word 'philosopher,' and was just taking a stab in the dark about what one might be.

E. Bushy is so mentally ill (see earlier posts a la Justin Frank) that he has to keep Jesus on the brain 24-7 to keep from slipping over the edge.

F. All of the above.

G. None of the above.
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Thnx to tdbiii for the foto

Friday, October 27, 2006

C-Span: Target Iran

This weekend, C-SPAN will broadcast Target Iran, the public conversation produced by The Nation Institute featuring Scott Ritter and Seymour Hersh on the Bush Administration's plans for military action in Iran. This program was filmed last week in New York City, with The Nation Institute President, Hamilton Fish, as moderator.

The Ritter / Hersh event is scheduled to be shown on C-SPAN this Sunday, October 29th at 11:30am and 11:30pm Eastern Standard Time. Please check your local listings for other time zones.


MORE>>>>

HE BEGAN BY Blowing Up FROGS


TREASURE FACTS about our fearless leader:

O As a kid, he used to torture frogs by pushing firecrackers into them, and then lighting the fuses.

O In college, he branded frat pledges on the buttocks with red-hot coat hangers.

O As Governor of Texas, he went on national TV and mimicked a woman who’d pleaded with him to spare her life by waiving the death penalty. (“Bush felt able to mock Karla Faye Tucker in conversation with conservative reporter Tucker Carlson: “’Please,” Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, ‘don’t kill me.’”)

All this is from Bush on the Couch, 2004, by Harvard-educated applied psychoanalyst Justin Frank. Frank says these and other of Bush’s behaviors strongly suggest he’s a pathological sadist.

Sadist. N. “Person driven to administer pain in such a way that he can see and enjoy the effects of his efforts….”

Interesting, isn’t it, that Bushy presided over more executions than any governor in American history? (Frank, p. 111) That as we speak he’s breaking the law in order to torture people? (Or did he force his lap-dog Congress to pass a law letting him get his jollies legally,here? I can’t remember.)

Unfortunately, sadism is just one of the mental problems Frank suggests is troubling our fearless leader. He notes that Bush has a lifelong pattern of breaking the law (and getting away with it). He makes a strong case for Bush having an “alcoholic personality.”

The most troubling of all: Frank makes a great case for the possibility that Bush is just plain out of touch with reality.

DEAR GODDESS, Bless MARIJA


I've been surfing the web for a bit of reading to give my new Goddess group, and stumbled upon a fantastic interview with Lithuanian archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. Here's just a tiny taste:

Rebecca: The patriarchy has been around for about five thousand years compared to the Goddess culture which was around for possibly millions. Why did it endure for so long?

Marija: Because of what I've been talking about. It was natural to have this kind of divinity and it is absolutely unnatural to create a punishing God and warriors who are stimulating our bad instincts.

David: What relevance do you think that understanding our ancient past has to dealing with the problems facing the world today?

Marija: Well, it's time to be more peaceful, to calm down, (laughter) and this philosophy [i.e., Goddess spirituality] is pacifying somehow, bringing us to some harmony with nature where we can learn to value things. And knowing that there were cultures which existed for a long time without wars is important, because most twentieth-century people think that wars were always there. There are books still stressing this fact and suggesting such crazy ideas that agriculture and war started at the same time.
Go HERE to read the entire thing. Oh Dear Goddess, please bless Marija Gimbutas.

DON’T Thieves GO TO HELL?

Last I looked, thieves were on top of the list of people who will end by dropping down those long, black stairs into the GodFather's fiery pits of burning pitch and eternal torments.

So I guess in a few years the Bush Crime Family will be dropping down those very stairs.

Haven’t you, like me, been scratching your head over why we haven’t been hearing about election reform since Bushlet (almost certainly) stole the last two elections?

Turns out the man Bushy himself put in charge of election reform, DeForest Soaries, said he tried. Got nowhere. Said neither the White House nor Congress was serious about election reform. In a taped interview that never got aired, he’s using words like “charade” and “travesty.” Go HERE to read about the whole sordid mess.

I’m madder than hell. Why don’t you and I know the name of this guy? Why hasn’t the mainstream media been airing him?

And why wouldn’t the White House and their lap-dog Congress be interested in fixing the no-paper-trail problem? Even if they didn’t steal the last two elections, it certainly shows they’re verrrry interested in stealing elections.

Please get out and vote. Drag a friend or two with you. To get these head lice out of our hair we can’t just win on Nov. 7 – we have to win big.
_____________
The pic is DeForest Soares. Republican Baptist minister. Selected by Bush to fix our elections so they can't be tampered with. Soares said he tried, said Bush stood on both his feet whenever he tried to move.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Hitting BACK

Amanata left this comment on an earlier Post:

"Actually, I believe part of why we are in 'this mess' is because women DON'T hit back when they should. And I believe slugging them back in the face IS a teaching lesson at a very gut level.

"I've been in too many situations which were brutally violent to swallow some fairy tale that if I'd just explained everything to the violent abusive men in just the right way, they would have suddenly said 'OMG you are right!' and apologized and done what they could to make up for the crimes they had committed."
Wow. Amanata. I guess I didn’t expect this kind of response from anyone. Thanks for being very honest. It sounds as if you’re living in an environment with quite a bit of violence in it. Below is a list of my responses. They’re not very organized. They show my dis-ease with this issue, and my indecision.

1. Hitting back brings us down to their level. It lumps you in with the bad guys. How am I supposed to tell that you’re a “good guy” if you look just like the bad guys? When I find a way to sweep away all the bad guys, you’ll have to go along with all the rest!

2. I believe that institutionalized warfare comes from, or is strongly related to, interpersonal violence on the micro-level.

3. Do you want to live in a world that has more hitting in it than it does even now? Policemen who hit you when they stop you for speeding? If you can do it, so should everyone else be allowed to do it back to you….

4. There are many ways to “teach.” I don’t think any of them have to involve violence.

5. There are many kinds of “bad” things that happen to people, and different kinds will need different kinds of teaching to resolve.

6. BUT – In some ways I’m on your “side” here. Here’s how: I think the last “good guys” disappeared from the earth around 1500 BC. Why? Because they didn’t learn how to defend themselves against the bad guys. So now we don’t have any good guys as role models. How are we supposed to learn to be good guys when the good guys let themselves all be killed by the bad guys?

This line of thinking makes me think our only hope is to pass an international law that ya hafta take a parent-fitness test before you can have a baby. And, no one can have more than two babies. RESULTS: Our world population gets smaller -- and healthier.

I can already hear the thunderous Boo-ing from the peanut gallery.

But Amanata, bottom line: I urge you to go to a help organization in your town for help with any violence that's going on in your life. There's someone out there who can lend a hand with whatever you're going through.
_______
thnx to EdwinP for the foto

Heard Any of This on the Mainstream Media Lately?

The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent [Canadian] research and media group of writers, scholars and activists. Some of its credentials:

O Numerous universities, libraries and research institutions have linked to its website, GlobalResearch.ca.

O Several CRG authors have received awards for their writings. In 2005, two received the "Project Censored Award” from the University of California at Sonoma.

O Global Research is classified by Alexa (the web-ranking organization), as The Number One Globalization Site.

O Global Research has for four years in succession, received the Goodwriters Democratic Media Award, classified among the best 80 alternative news sites.

Look like a fairly credible organization to you? Yes?

Okay, whaddya think of some of their latest articles?:

* The March to War: Naval build-up in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. - by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya - 2006-10-01
“A powerful naval armada has been sent to the Persian Gulf.”

* US Naval War Games off the Iranian Coastline: A Provocation Which Could Lead to War? - by Michel Chossudovsky - 2006-10-24
"’An incident’ in the Persian Gulf could be used by the US as a pretext for war against Iran.”

* The American Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group Joins US Build-up Opposite Iran
- 2006-10-23
“Three US naval task forces now opposite Iran in the Persian Gulf.”

Fairy TALES

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Trapped WITH SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS


Toddler Gets Stuck in Vending Machine

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 24, 2006
Filed at 6:29 p.m. ET

ANTIGO, Wis. (AP) -- Three-year-old Robert Moore went fishing for a stuffed replica of Sponge Bob and ended up trapped in a vending machine. The toddler's adventure began with a Saturday evening shopping trip with his grandmother, Fredricka Bierdemann, and three siblings...." MORE >>>>
And you thought you had it bad! All that work, and the poor tot didn't even get to walk away with his stuffed Sponge Bob.

For MEN ONLY

If we want to save the Earth, Mother-ness must become our model. For men as well as women. But here’s what Jean Shinoda Bolen has to say about it:

Until women are equal partners in setting values, it is not safe for boys and men to be feeling and nurturing people without suffering from patriarchal judgments that they are not man enough. Patriarchy is endangering all species and the planet itself. Mother Earth and mothers need women to set the priorities, take care of the resources, and stop wars and other abuses of power.”
From Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World. 2005. Jean Shinoda Bolen, p. 97. This book "… is a message from Mother Earth, Mother Goddess, Mother archetype. The words evoke an intuitive recognition, a wisdom whose time has come….” From Jean Bolen’s website.
_____
Thnx to the ancient non-violent Minoans for the pic of the boxing boys. Minoans worshipped female divinity and had a 1000-year peace record, but their men were still what we'd call 'manly' even today: active, smart, strong, and always looking for a risk to take, a challenge.

Monday, October 23, 2006

2nd Strike Group to Iran

DEBKAfile reports: Tuesday, Oct. 17. The Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group steamed into the Persian Gulf to join the US naval, air and marine concentration piling up opposite Iran’s shores.
MORE>>>>

DEBKAfile seems to be an Israeli website. Have you heard anything on the American mainstream news about this? I certainly haven't. No one seems to be talking much at all about Iran. Hm. Wouldn't it be a nice October Surprise to find that, right before America streams to the polls, we're in a war with Iran?

One thing's for certain: Shrub the Privileged-Class Multimillionaire is going to surprise us with something he thinks we unwashed rank and file will fall for. Let's not let him fool us again.

And when the Surprise hits, make sure to tell all your middle-of-the-road friends that The Shrub thinks they're too stupid to see what he's doing.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Summoning GRANDMA AT SAMHUINN

Or, The Thinning of the Veil

This post was inspired by anne at “The Gods Are Bored.” Anne’s been shaking her family tree lately.

On the Samhuinn I remember best, I called my great, great, great grandma Elizabeth to come and commune with me. It was a cold, pitch-black night in the country, around a bonfire. All I could see were orange sparks dancing on black bonfire logs, spiraling against the pitch black sky. Grandma came, I could feel her there, and that was enough at the time. But I’ve decided I need to call her again, because I have questions to ask her.

In 1813, at the age of 20, Grandma married a guy who moved lock, stock and barrel from her home in Bedford Co. Pennsylvania to the Ohio wilderness, for gosh sakes! Around 1830 or so, she’d had enough of Ohio. She had a yearning to see her kinfolk in PA again. Apparently no one took that yearning seriously, so Grandma Elizabeth just saddled up a horse one day and struck out on her own. She rode alone through wilderness for twenty days, back to Bedford County. (The women in my family have never let the men forget this.)

I want to know more. Were you scared, Grandma? Where’d you stay at night? Did you attract any trouble – a lone woman traveling over 500 miles on horseback through the 1830s wilderness? How’d you carry things -- saddle bags? Did you take the Old National Road? Were you afraid Grandpa would ride after you? Where’d you get your spunk, Grandma? What made you different? What are your secrets?

At the thinning of the veil this Samhuinn, I’m gonna call Grandma again. Maybe she’ll relate the details of her tale this time. Maybe too she’ll have some pointers on how a woman can be powerful in the world.

IT'S TOO EASY!

All we have to do to halt our country’s hemorrhaging is win one house of Congress in two weeks! Also, with one house under our belts, we can start the investigation into impeachment. And impeachment might rid us of Shrubbery for good:

''If he loses one house [in Congress], President Bush will enter the last two years very wounded,'' said David Gergen, a former White House adviser who served in the administrations of Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.
''He will have the capacity to say no to Democratic legislation, but he won't have the capacity to say yes to his own legislation,'' said Gergen….

SNIP

“Loss of either chamber also could subject his administration to endless congressional inquiries and investigations….”
MORE>>>

So trip on over to your house of voting, podnahs, and cast your ballots now. If you can’t vote early, vote with an absentee ballot. That way you can be certain your vote will count. Call your city or county Board of Elections to find out how. Or go to Can I Vote.com.

LILY-LIVERED, No-spine, FEARFUL Nervous-nellies?

One of the world’s major problems says Jean Shinoda Bolen is that “boys and men are afraid to be like women.”

She goes on to say, “If Mother Archetype, Mother Goddess, Mother Earth... placed a classified ad in the ‘Help Wanted’ section, the attributes needed would apply to most women and some men…. The ad might read:

‘HELP WANTED: Everywoman. Home keepers for Earth. Must keep premises safe for all. Have concern for children’s needs and development, ability to manage resources, resolve conflicts, work collaboratively, ask questions, listen, and learn from the experience of others, be empathic, and act with compassion for the benefit of all, including generations to come.’”

(From Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World. 2005. Jean Shinoda Bolen, p. 74. This book "… is a message from Mother Earth, Mother Goddess, Mother archetype. The words evoke an intuitive recognition, a wisdom whose time has come….” From Jean Bolen’s website.)
What do you think? Men, are you lily-livered, no-spine, fearful nervous-nellies? I mean we women really need help, here, with Mother Earth! Oh sure. Lotsa you can pop off a gun. But can ya do the tuff stuff – like stand up and be the right kind of person when it’s hard? Women, when it comes to the majority of men, is the gain worth the pain?
__________
thnx again to DawnAllynn for her fotos

Friday, October 20, 2006

IS your state ON THIS LIST?

Here’s a cool site: Can I vote Dot Com.

This site lays out everything you need to know to vote. Starting with, Are you registered? And so on. The rock-bottom nitty-gritty.

If yours is one of the states below, you can vote early. That way you get a paper-trail on your vote. Bushy won’t be able to BushWhack you by turning your vote into a digestive burp in the bowels of a Diebold machine. And, you can vote any day & time you want – how’s that for making your life easy?!

AK
AZ
ARK
CA
CO
FLA
GA
ID
IA
KS
ME
MO
MNTANA
NEB
NEV
NM
NC
ND
OK
OR
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
WA
WV
WY

Climbing TO HEAVEN


If Bush bombs Iran next week, here’s what we do:

On November 7, we rush to our voting places.

We VOTE all the DEMOCRATS WE CAN INTO CONGRESS.

If we vote tons of Dems into Congress, they’ll cut all the funding for the war. The war will come to a screeching halt. Then they’ll impeach Bush and Cheney. Wouldn’t that be heaven?!

Better yet, don’t wait until Nov. 7. Go vote early. You can do that in most states, and it leaves a paper trail. This way your vote won’t disappear somewhere in the digestive bowels of a Diebold voting machine. I just heard this on CNN last night.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

THE GODDESS IS THE Third EYE

Here's a test to take:

(1) Someone hits you. Whaddya do?

A. Hit back.
B. Turn the other cheek.
C. Teach the person hitting is wrong.


(2) Someone calls you a dimwit because you’re _____ (Fill in the blank: black, gay, female, poor, old, WASP-privileged male, etc.). Whaddya do?

A. When the person's not looking, fill his/her office desk drawers with whipping cream and drop ex-lax into his/her coffee cup.
B. Turn the other cheek.
C. Airmail the person an information-packed book on blacks, gays, etc.


(3) Someone spreads false rumors about you. Whaddya do?

A. Send low-lit nudie photos over the internet with that person's name underneath.
B. Forgive and forget.
C. Send the person a note explaining how spreading rumors hurts the workplace environment, and makes things worse for everyone – including him/her.

Okay, how’d you do? Did you answer 'C' on every question? You’re a Goddess Wonder. 'B'? You're a Jesus Sweetie, but a bit of a door mat. 'A'? You are an eye-for-an-eye throwback who’s helped get the human species into the quicksand we're sinking in right now. Shape up!
______
thnx to elais for the foto

"The Con Media"

Know how the NeoCons are always talking about that big, bad bogyeman “the liberal media”? Well, kiddies, just like the bogeyman, the "liberal media" don't exist. I think we ought to start talking about what does exist: “the Con media.” Did you know that every single one of the major media are owned by Big-Money Conservatives? Go look for yourselves:

"...The bottom line is, Goldberg can't prove a liberal bias in the media because there is none.

"Look at the op-ed pages. Compare the number of conservative columnists with liberal columnists. Listen to talk radio. Count the number of nationally syndicated liberal talk-show hosts. Watch the cable TV talk shows. Count the number of liberal and conservative pundits. Conservatives far outnumber liberals.

"And whatever liberal voices may have existed before September 11 have almost disappeared since. With few exceptions, the media today is no more than a cheering squad for George Bush."

MORE >>> at CNN.com

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thnx to markstout for the foto

BUSH ON THE Couch


I’m into a delightful read: Bush on the Couch by Harvard-educated applied psychoanalyst Justin Frank. Know how you always hear this debate?

“Bush is dumb.”

“No, he's evil. Playing dumb is just part of his evil plot.”

"I don't think so, I think he's just dumb."

"No, he knows exactly what he's doing...."

Etc.

Well, Master Frank delights us with a further possibility: Bush is mentally ill.

That would explain a few things, wouldn’t it? Like, why Bushy would drop an atomic bomb on someone’s head -- just to stay in power. Go HERE for reviews on the book; the first one is titled "We are in BIG trouble."

Here are snippets from the latest on Bush’s mental illness:

By Jorge Hirsch, at antiwar.com:

“The 150,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq will be at great risk if there is a war with Iran…. Americans will support a nuclear strike on Iran once the administration ... can argue that such action will save ... American lives.

SNIP

“…Bush will use the fact that North Korea has joined the nuclear club, and [will say] he was not "tough enough" on North Korea, as justification for attacking Iran....
SNIP

“No nuclear country is likely to intervene ... so there is no military deterrent.

"The U.S. ... is about to demonstrate ... that its $5 trillion nuclear arsenal is not ‘unusable.’

SNIP

“If the U.S. attacks Iran and does not use nuclear weapons, it will incur military losses that will vastly outweigh any benefits of such a war.

"If there is no Iran war, the Bush presidency will be remembered ... for the disastrous Iraq war…. To the (however unlikely) extent that [a war with Iran] results in an advantage to America, Bush's achievement could ... be hailed by future generations.

“Like desperate gamblers in a losing streak, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld have nothing to gain and everything to lose by not attacking Iran with nuclear weapons.

SNIP

"Whether the military would refuse to carry out immoral orders is uncertain…."

_____________
Thnx to carin and stock.xchng for the foto

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Handling BAD PEOPLE

One of my favorite Goddess parables is the story of the Goddess Macha and the brothers who raped her.

The interesting part of the story is Macha’s response. Did she beat the brothers up? Punish them in some other way? No.

Did she turn the other cheek, as Christ counsels? No.

The Goddess Macha neither punished nor played dead. She taught the men. She taught them rape is wrong.

Actually, Macha went out of her way to get each brother to rape her in turn, removing each from the pack to let him do his evil deed. Then she tied each to a tree, and taught that rape is wrong: “With Her magic She had tied them. With Her magic She then taught them, so that each became a faithful servant of the mighty Goddess…” (Stone, Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood)

In our god cultures, we don’t teach wrongdoers, we punish them. Even our best role model Jesus doesn’t teach us to teach. Jesus teaches us to play dead, to tell people who hurt us to “hurt me again. Here: let me give you the other cheek to smack.”

In contrast, in our goddess cultures we don’t hurt people – and we don’t let them hurt us. We teach people the right way to be and behave.

Let's gently replace God the Father with God the Mother now. Male gods are dangerous, to men as well as women. Female deities are ROLE MODELS for UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. People are biologically programmed to need religion of one kind or another.
_____
Thnx to Susan Sedon Boulet for the image of the Goddess Hel (it comes from a copy I own and photographed for this blog)

egg ON MY FACE

Okay, now I'm really going nuts. I'm sending this Iran War stuff to MY MORTGAGE BROKER, for gosh sake!

Hi, Judy,

I wanted to write to thank you for your support re: my sewer pump. It's all fixed now, and it apparently broke because A.G. (the previous owner) installed it incorrectly. Hadda work mucho overtime, and just gave up the ghost eventually.

Thanks again.

Athana

P.S. Did you know Karl Rove's promised his Repuglicans a great October Surprise? Something to knock America for a loop and keep us from voting Dems into Congress? Lots of us think it may be a third war -- with Iran. Why? Just because a war with Iran would be totally nuts, and therefore something no one would expect.

So warn all the Independents and on-the-fencers you know this may be coming -- so it won't surprise them so much it keeps them from voting Dems into office.

There's continually-updated stuff on this at afterdowningstreet.org/irannews
On the other hand, I know Judy's a good Dem. And, she knows tons of people. And, what's a little egg on my face if I help sweep Congress clean of NeoCons in November?

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Kisses

It's an October day-and-a-half over here in Maine! Duncan sends you all his warmest regards and wettest kisses.

My sister always complains you can't see Mr. Dunk's eyes in the photos I take. So I asked him to pose for this closeup:












Gave Mr. D a buzz cut for the summer, but as you can see, he's busily busy growing a new coat for the cold weather that's fast slapping at our heels around here.

May Goddess and Her plants and animals kiss us all, and may we show ourselves worthy of their gifts. So be it.

Playing CHESS WITH YOUR LIFE

If in the next few days Bushlet bombs Iran (or launches some other brainy move -- provoking an attack on U.S. soil?), I doubt we can stop him.

What we can do is stay calm. We need to refuse to let Bushy’s upcoming surprise, SURPRISE us -– or our friends -- into voting Nov. 7 to keep the NeoCons in Congress.

If we let the air outa Bushy’s surprise before it hits, then we can and will vote a new group of sane people in to Congress. [Sound of Athana taking a deep, cleansing breath]

Then these sane people can mop up whatever damage Bushy’s begun.

So sweeties, let’s keep our cool! On November 8, I'm going to ask each and every one of you to report that you made a November 7 trip to the polls.

Wha? They Think We Have CHEESE for BRAINS?!?

The Democratic Party agrees with me (see letter below): Bush & Company might be planning to start another war in the next few weeks. They think if they do, you’ll be dumb enough on Nov. 7 to vote to keep the NeoCons in Congress.

Unfortunately, when we’re scared, many Americans do tend to vote conservatively.

Now, let's think about this. Imagine your high school is holding a class election. The day before voting, Candidate X secretly sends half the class envelopes of anthrax. On election day, of course, X has a plan all in place for handling the disaster. Guess who gets everyone's votes.

Candidate X is Bush and his handlers. They are every evil character in every movie you’ve ever seen, all wrapped up in one.

Dear Athana,

While North Korea is dominating the headlines, the threat of an "October Surprise" U.S. attack on Iran has not diminished.

Pentagon planners have moved from routine "contingency" war plans to "second-stage" war plans. And the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier U.S.S. Eisenhower and its accompanying strike force of cruiser, destroyer and attack submarine are sailing towards Iran.

How would Iran respond to an attack? Iran has three times the population of Iraq, and a modern military capable of firing missiles at our oil-producing allies and shutting down all shipping in the Straits of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil travels every day. The 140,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq would be attacked by Iran's Iraqi allies, and Hezbollah would attack Israel.

So why would Bush want war with Iran? For one obvious reason: to prevent Democrats from sweeping the November elections, as all polls now predict.

How could Bush attack Iran with all of our soldiers tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan? By relying entirely on bombs and missiles delivered by planes and ships. After all, Bush threatened to bomb our ally Pakistan back to the "stone age" if Gen. Musharraf refused to help us after 9/11. If conventional bombs won't cause enough destruction, Bush's neocon supporters are urging Bush to use nuclear weapons.

How would Bush start a war? By provoking an Iranian attack on U.S. forces - most likely by sending a U.S. warship near Iranian waters, or flying a U.S. warplane near Iranian airspace. After all, Bush planned to send a U.S. spyplane over Saddam Hussein's Iraq painted in U.N. colors to provoke an Iraqi attack that would get Bush the U.N. resolution he desperately wanted.

Bush fooled America once already with his invasion of Iraq. How can we stop him from invading Iran?

1. Tell your Representative to support Rep. Peter DeFazio's resolution requiring a Congressional vote prior to military action against Iran.
http://democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/80

2. Join 60,000 people who have signed our petition:
http://www.dontattackiran.org

3. Forward our message to your friends.

4. Call talk shows and write letters to your newspaper - and don't hesitate to express your fear and anger.

5. Challenge your Congressional candidates to declare their opposition to a U.S. attack on Iran.

6. Register to vote immediately and vote on November 7.

7. Read Scott Ritter's new book, Target Iran.

8. Follow important Iran War news at afterdowningstreet.org/irannews

9. Be prepared to march peacefully if the White House starts signaling an imminent attack on Iran.
Above all, go to your conservative and middle-of-the-road friends now. Tell them this buncha bottom scum could be about to kill thousands just because they think we're dumb enough to vote them back in power if they do. Remember: half the power of a surprise is that it's a surprise. Let's let the air out of this surprise before it's wheeled out in front of our fellow voters.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cornered RATS

Polls show America poised to vote the NeoCons out of Congress -- and probably out of power for good. Do you think the Cons are going to roll over and play dead? Former senator Gary Hart thinks their "surprise" will be a new war:

The October Surprise” Gary Hart 9-23-06

“…The president will speak on national television. He will say this:

‘Iran is determined to develop nuclear weapons; if this happens, the entire region will go nuclear; our diplomatic efforts to prevent this have failed; Iran is offering a haven to known al Qaeda leaders; the fate of our ally Israel is at stake; Iran persists in supporting terrorism, including in Iraq; and sanctions will have no effect (and besides they are for sissies).’

“He will not say: ‘...and besides, we need the oil.’

“’Therefore,’ he will announce, ‘our own national security and the security of the region requires us to act. Tonight, I have ordered the elimination of all facilities in Iran that are dedicated to the production of weapons of mass destruction..... In the narrowest terms this includes perhaps two dozen targets….’” For MORE go HERE.
Cut from the pResident to a black TV screen – night in Tehran – with fireworks blazing like brilliant red, white and orange diamonds.

Cut to 300 million Americans sitting in front of TV screens jaws hanging open.

200 million are seething with anger. 50 million are jumping for joy. 50 million are brain dead and just sitting there because everyone else wandered into the TV room. But all 300 million of us will share one thing in common: fear.

And a few days later, when we walk into polling booths, we'll be saying, “Do I really wanna vote in a new Congress? I mean, the Congress we have now stinks like an old rug, but at least they’re used to working together...."

I'm not saying in the next two weeks we're gonna jump into a second war. I am saying let's prep for the possibility -- so it won't hit us as a surprise. So we won't let it keep us OR OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES from voting Democrats into Congress. So that we've thought about it ahead of time, and know it for what it is -- the actions of cornered rats trying to keep themselves afloat.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

WHICH SURPRISE? Place YOUR BETS HERE


Get Ready For It: Bush & Co. are going to come up with an "October Surprise" -- something to force you to vote against the Democrats in November. Secretly, Karl Rove -- "Bush's Brain" -- has even promised Republicans one.

Back in August, Chris Weigant at the Huffington Post gave us ten choices as to what Karly Rover has in mind. Go HERE to place your bets on one of the following:

(1) Announce the capture and/or death of Osama Bin Laden. Odds: 10 to 1
(2) Gas price relief at the pump for average Americans. Odds: 5 to 1
(3) Bombing Iran's nuclear facilities. Odds: 3 to 2.
(4) Bombing Syria in support of Israel. Odds: 8 to 1
(5) Bombing Ned Lamont's house in Connecticut. Odds: 1000 to 1
(6) The GOP brings the troops home from Iraq. Odds: 15 to 1
(7) Exploit the Fidel Castro situation in Cuba. Odds: 7 to 1
(8) Announce Cheney will step down as Vice President after the election. Odds: 25 to 1
(9) Announce the U.S. has thwarted a huge terrorist plot to ... (fill in the blank). Odds: 5 to 4
(10) Announce that Barbara and/or Jenna Bush has joined the Marines and will soon be deploying to Iraq. Odds: 17.5 billion to 1
HINT: Chris says, "Remember, the last time we were in this situation (the 2002 midterm election), President Bush demanded a vote from Congress to authorize him to go to war with Iraq...."

The mind of Karly Rover is sick but slick: He knows a whale-load of Americans adore war. Many are called "Christians," and their Holy Book is thick with references to war as the way to solve all sandbox problems -- or at least the way to God & Glory.

I know, I know. We already have a war going. But it’s not going *well*. Also, it's past the fireworks part we all love so well, where we ride in in a blaze of rockets' red glare, and bombs bursting in air. We need our start-a-war fix! The part where we just let 'er rip, boys! Bust 'em up! Show 'em who's boss! Ride 'em cowboy! HEEEE - yaw!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

OH GOODIE! A War WITH IRAN!


Kiddies: Auntie Athana here.

Looks like the (p)Resident camped out in our White House is more of a googly banana than we thought. Seems he’s crying crocodile tears over his NeoCons losing control of Congress in November (which every crystal ball in the country predicts will happen).

So Baby Dubya’s plan seems to be this: Start a war with Iran right before the election. Or, better yet, prod the Iranians into attacking us first.

Bushlet knows Americans freeze in disasters. They get frumpy, and wanna keep who's ever in power, in power (in this case it’s the NeoCons – or just plain “Cons” as some call them).

So don’t be fooled. Warn everyone you know about the possibility that Bush plans to fool around with our heads right before the election. Then, if we do find ourselves in a war with Iran the day before we vote, everyone will say. “Ahh! That’s Dubya trying to dupe us. All the more reason to kick those Elephants outa office.”

If you need info, I’ve listed some below. Or, go to the original source: Dave Lindorff, author of The Case for Impeachment (featured on C-Span; it reached #42 on the Amazon best-seller list)

Monday, October 9, 2006

BREAKING NEWS: Eisenhower Carrier Group Sails for Iran Theater

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Eisenhower and its accompanying strike force of cruiser, destroyer and attack submarine slipped their moorings and headed off for the Persian Gulf region on Oct. 2, as I had predicted in a piece in The Nation magazine a few weeks back.
The Eisenhower strike force, according to my sources, is scheduled to arrive in the vicinity of Iran around October 21, at the same time as a second flotilla of minesweepers and other ships.

SNIP

It seems increasingly clear that the Republican Party is going to lose its grip on the House of Representatives, and that it may even lose control of the Senate, barring some dramatic October Surprise by the president.

This means that the worse things look for Republican chances in November, the greater the likelihood that a desperate President Bush will order a disastrous attack on Iran….


Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The Crime of Treason and the Treasonous Crime of Silence

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Bush administration is planning another unprovoked war, this time against Iran....

SNIP

Skeptics are saying it's impossible--the president and his cronies are not crazy, whatever else they may be, so why would they do something that would inevitably be a disaster, militarily, politically and economically?
The answer is that Bush and his gang don't care. They are focused laser-like on one thing--retaining control of the Congress. And the only thing, at this point, that has a chance of salvaging Republican control of the House, and perhaps even the Senate, is yet another war.

The other thing skeptics say is that Bush would first have to obtain Congressional approval for an attack, as he did in the case of Afghanistan and (sort of) in the case of Iraq.

But while most legal scholars would agree that this is the case, the sad truth is that Bush, in his megalomania … thinks he doesn't need any approval.

SNIP

Congress could--and should--also vote a resolution opposing an attack on Iran. At a minimum, this would give the generals and admirals, who reportedly are unhappy about the idea of an Iran War, a basis for opposing the president's mad scheme.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

OCTOBER Surprise, Surprise

Looks like we're beginning the war with Iran. For more, go to BUZZFLASH.COM, 10/9/06, "Dave Lindorff: Iran Attack Looks More Likely as Eisenhower Carrier Group Sails for Iran Theater."

Or, tune in to Air America, Randi Rhodes, who's been talking about nothing else all afternoon. Apparently the officers on board the Eisenhower are angry. Have been complaining to anti-war activist Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner that it's Congress, not the White House, who should have ordered them to attack Iran. They left Norfolk, VA, on Oct. 1., and will arrive in Iran -- guess when? Oct. 21. Right before the November elections.

Please Goddess let AMERICAN VOTERS see what this is: Bushlet and the NeoCons shaking in their booties 'cause they're losing power.
_____
Thnx to winterling for the foto of what we're all gonna look soon if we don't return some sanity to the U.S. government.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Smoking THE DOPE OF GOD


Or, GET YOUR Drug-Highs HERE

As usual, paxton’s gifted us with an excellent question: “I’d be interested to know what you mean when you say ‘your spirituality works.’” (See comments to Wednesday’s post, “The Mysterious Dying God.”)

Paxton could mean a coupla things, here:

o Does Goddess spirituality work to make me -- Athana -- feel better?

o And/or, Does it work to better the world, and to make every earthling feel better – by ending war and violence, environmental trashing, overpopulation, and abuse – of children, the elderly, women, the poor, people of color, and so forth?

My answer to both is “Yes.”

Any religion or spiritual practice can rip some of the sting outa life, the uncertainty. You also get a support group outa the deal. And to top it off, research now says religions dump powerful drugs into your bloodstream:

“… endorphins,… brain chemical(s) that operate on the same opiate receptors as alcohol – with the effect of suppressing pain – can also be released after deep expressions of religious faith. Perhaps most widely associated with strenuous exercise, endorphins are thus also part of the brain’s response to spirituality – not just moments of religious ecstasy, but a steady, calming diet of faith” (from Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, by Justin A. Frank, M.D., 2004, p. 57).*

THE TRICK IS, does your religion trash the earth while it’s giving you your drug high? Or does it teach you how to keep Mother Earth alive? Does it push war and violence down your throat while feeding you your drugs? Or how to sacrifice your life for peace instead of war? Does your religion create poverty and abuse, or erase them?

Paxton, my love, we’ve given your war-god religions 6000 years to show us they “work.” All they’ve done is spread like cancer, suffocating religions that do work. To keep their bloody claws in you, they stuff you full of fear – of hell, of burning in hell, of being powerless, of being ‘born bad,’ and on and on and on.

In ending, I offer these enlightening verses from your own “holy” book: Exodus fifteen-three: ‘The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name.’ Joshua eleven-twenty: ‘For it was the Lord Himself who hardened their hearts to wage war….’ Isaiah forty-two twenty-five: ‘So He [Jehovah] poured out on them His burning anger, the violence of war….’ Samuel fifteen-eighteen: ‘And He [Jehovah] sent you on a mission, saying, “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them….”’ Jeremiah fifty-one twenty: ‘You [Jehovah] are my war club….’ Isaiah forty-two thirteen: ‘The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior ….’ Psalms one-forty-four one: ‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war….’

_______
*Unfortunately, Frank fails to give a source for this research.

______
Thnx to narasqa for the foto

Friday, October 06, 2006

THE Courage OF AMISH GIRLS





Just heard that one of the Amish girls in the recent Pennsylvania massacre, one 13-year-old Marian Fisher, stepped forward to the gunman and said, “Shoot me first.”

Apparently she was trying to buy time for the younger girls.

In part I’m bringing this up because of our recent discussion on this blog about self-sacrifice in religion.

Also, I'm thinking about “culture” -- the overall life ways of a people. Culture is hugely important, yet few understand it. Are Marian Fisher and other Amish genetically distinct? Is genetics behind their non-violence and monumental courage?

Not on your life. They’ve just been stuffed and saturated, day after day after day, with certain ways of thinking, believing and behaving. Any of us reared Amish would be as Amish as Marian Fisher.

The problem is, most of us have been stuffed and saturated with another way of life: Starvation Culture. In my opinion, Starvation Culture constantly whispers "there’ll never be enough. You'll never squirrel away enough nuts to be safe. War and violence are fine -- if needed to get what you need. Mother Earth is a betrayer and can be trashed at will." Go HERE for more on Starvation Culture, or HERE (scroll down to March 1 - 8 posts, "The Origin of Patriarchy"). Go HERE for more on Marian Fisher.


________
These pics come from the book Out of the Past: Amish Tradition and Faith by Mary Ann McDonald.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

New Goddess Group Forming

Well, here's the flyer I've been posting for starting my new Goddess group:

ANCIENT-GODDESS SPIRITUALITY GROUP FORMING

Are you a Goddess woman looking for a spiritual, nature-based, and supportive small group to call your own?

If so, I invite you to join what I am hoping will become such a group. I envision about 13 women meeting eight or more times a year. I’m also envisioning a thealogical group as well as a ceremonial-ritual group -- one that will, through time, construct itself – and possibly a new spiritual path.

I’d like to pattern the group after the old Goddess religions – the ones offering us lives free of war, violence, poverty, sexism, racism and so forth. Since these religions were destroyed long ago, we need to rebuild them from bits and pieces of the remaining evidence. As an archaeologist, I hope to help guide the group through this process.

WHERE: My home.

WHEN: At the eight pre-Christian sacred European ceremonies (solstices, equinoxes, etc.). Thealogical sessions to be held at the eight ceremonies, or separately.

HOW: I envision all members convening for ceremonies, and as many as possible gathering for thealogical sessions.

WHY: The world is crying out for the feminine divine -- the divine that preceded the Kali, Athena, Isis and other Goddesses altered and weakened by the patriarchy. We will be searching for, and interacting with a much older, non-violent, anti-war Goddess – the Goddess of the Old Europeans, Catal Huyukians, Minoans and others.

WHO: I would like to begin with women. It is my belief that the loss of female divinity has weakened women, and that before we can interact effectively with men we need to heal ourselves. Once we heal, we can help men, too, find Goddess.

INTERESTED in finding out more? Please email or call me.
We'll see if it works. So far two of my friends are excited about joining. If it's just the three of us to begin with, so be it!

Sunday, October 01, 2006




"Instead of going after Osama, we invaded Iraq. Now W. says we must stay in Iraq or it will be run by Osamas. We must kill all the terrorists we are creating." Maureen Dowd NYTimes

From the blog Delawhare