More letters of urgency from my dear friends:
Dear Hot Wind,
A handful of politicians, regardless of party, are making me sicker than usual. They're all standing forward and using the Fort Hood shootings as a photo-op by voicing their opinion on what's happened and how they feel about it in the hopes of letting the voters know how intelligent and caring they are. It's too bad that they can't do this through the efforts and results as elected officials. Obama needed to address this nationally, and did so, but the rest of them have crossed that fucking line once again. On a last note, having someone sing "Amazing Grace" while Obama delivered his eulogy was an especially nice touch.
- Hoodwinked in Nevada
Dear Hoodwinked,
Some people have the gift of summarizing complex situations, using brief sound bites to expose the crocodile behind the tears. I question whether you would have been compelled to write if thirteen service men, women and civilians were murdered and our elected officials remained silent. It is certainly tempting to view every twitch and syllable from Congressional representatives as insincere and self-serving, but a time comes when the difficulty of having the office and wishing to express your sympathy and indignation are not mutually exclusive. I think John McCain, for all his polarizing political gymnastics, is an fine example of the many effective members of Congress who used the press to eulogize these fallen soldiers for the purpose of helping the nation through a period of stunned grief. I'm asking you now, to question whether your skepticism is sincere or if you are simply trying to draw attention to your self.
**************************************************************************************************
Dear P. Giov,
And speaking of the Fort Hood shootings, well, I'll keep this really simple. Some guy shoots 40 some odd people, killing a minority of them. He is confronted by the police who, in order to stop the guy from his shooting rampage, shoot to kill him. The shooter is only wounded and now hospitalized. Now, a lot of tax payer money will be used to save his life so we can judge him in court and then execute him; a definite as he is in Texas. We could have accomplished the same goal for the cost of one bullet if the police would have been trained in the art of "the coux de gras". (...I thought I saw him go for his gun, Sir...)
- the Lynch-Tax Kid
Dear Kid,
Its wonderful that your freedoms were protected these past two-hundred and thirty-three years by brave and brilliant men, women and children so you could live healthy, privileged and long enough to make a mockery of their sacrifice. Though Fort Hood is indeed in Texas, with its own rich frontier history of "field justice", don't expect the people of that great state to rally around some disturbing lawless call to forego twenty-first century judicial codes to save a few taxpayer dollars. Adding insult to mockery, you further suggest that our civilian police officers take an interpretive approach to their vows and lie to the courts when they conclude a particular situation begs their judicial intervention. I for one will continue to see that my taxes are used to keep the United States Judicial System a brick and mortar situation, complete with fabulous paneling and wood benches.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Paganism; an appeal
Hi Jeff...
Paganism is a spiritual path that honors the old ways of the triple goddess and her consort the triple god who have many names and visages that vary from culture to culture. The blessings of Gaia, the earth mother, the moon mysteries, and the transcendent wonder of the human body as a reflective vessel of immanent divinity. We celebrate the passage of the season, to honor the goddess and god in their many aspects and guises and to proactively seek personal spiritual growth. It is an expression rather than suppression of the feminine aspect of divinity in conjunction with the male aspect, a hand in hand style of empowered partnership; the journey together through life, and acceptance of feminine wisdom in healing and teaching.
Most of us celebrate the eight seasonal festivals, spaced equally over the year. There are four major sabbaths:
- Samhain (oct.31-nov.6)
- Imbolc (feb. 12)
- Beltane (apr. 30-may 1)
- Lammas (aug. 1-2)
and four minor:
- Spring equinox (mar. 20-21)
- Summer solstice (june 20-22)
- Fall equinox (sept 21-22)
- Winter solstice (dec. 21-23).
Our motto:
As it harm none, do as thou wilt....
Fundamental ethical guidelines of the pagan movement:
- Founded by Gerald Gardner (1884-1964), an amateur anthropologist and British civil servant, in 1954 with the publication of his book Witchcraft Today.
- The triple goddess is split into three aspects...maid-mother-crone. These aspects correspond to the three phases of the moon, namely waxing moon, full moon and waning moon.
maid- childhood, adolescence, purity independence,courage.
mother- mother hood, protection fertility,growth and sexuality.
crone- old age wisdom. change, transformation., death, rebirth/banshing.
The Goddess, recognized for thousands of years as one whole, divided into three aspects, was a concept later adopted by the christian religion as its trinity. Which now brings me to Sgt. Patrick Stewart who died September 25, 2005, a soldier who died in combat in Afghanistan. He was a pagan. The United States Army refused to allow his wife to place the emblem of the Pentacle on his grave. His wife Roberta Stewart announced to the press that America "remember that all freedoms are worth fighting for." And so her fight for the acknowledgement of religious diversity among the soldiers who make up the United States armed forces had begun.
Over the years families have used religious symbols such as the Jewish Star of David, the Christian Cross and the Islamic Crescent and Star, on the headstones of fallen loved ones to honor their lives, service and sacrifice. The office of Veterans Affairs had been considering such a request for 9 years with no decision. This is roughly 234 years after our country first began its fight for civil liberties, religious freedom and the freedom from arrogance and oppression by government. While the stonewalling continues, families of soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice are still waiting for these basic, equal rights.
My son Cory, who recently returned from honorable service with the U.S. army in Afghanistan, was under the impression that if something happened to him, the same U.S. Army for which he fought would honor his spiritual beliefs without prejudice. I am glad that we never had to discover that he was mistaken. Although our country was founded on a Judeo-christian base, the framers of the Constitution understood that religious freedom was for everyone, not just christians. The only way that this freedom can prevail is for christians to stand up and fight for the minority beliefs and religions of others. There is no way to arrive at our goal of democracy and real freedom by ignoring this uncomfortable fact. ( Can you even see this happening?) So on April 23, 2007 Americans United held a press conference to announce the settlement of Roberta Stewart's case, and in so doing, the VA added the pentacle to the list of emblems. ( . . yeah....now!)
Presidential meeting: August 2007, President Bush hosted a meeting with family members of those who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan, including some members of the Stewart family. Very compelling is the fact that Bush failed to invite Patrick's wife Roberta. True to his lack of form, President Bush later called to apologize. So I think to my self, did she really change anything? She got the emblem on his grave, but she still wasn't excepted, was she?
Cory and I talked about this when he was leaving for war and we both had to come up with something just in case. I wanted him to wear the pentacle but I was afraid for him.
- Miss you and love you... peace, Blessed Be,
Karen
Hi Jeff,
I thought I would fill you in on you a few more differences between the Pagan and Christan religion. First, Christianity sees life and the world as linear, i.e.: a beginning or "creation" and a day of judgement, which is the end of thia creation. The Pagan view is circular, the endless cycle of the seasons of birth, death and rebirth.
Christmas celebrates an event that happened 2,000 years ago. Yule celebrates an annually recurring event, the rebirth of the sun. Pagans have no concept of sin or Satan, so there is no fiery hell to worry about either.
We have our own values and ethics. The bible and gospels are the guiding rules for Christian's, Pagans are responsible for their own actions and the consequences that follow. The emphasis is on what is good in life rather than what is bad or sinful. The Pagan ethic "do what thou wilt, but harm none." is a positive morality, not a list of "thou-shalt-nots." We believe in the concept of both Goddess and God, rather then the suppression of either the female or male principle.
The Pagan religion does not have fancy written rules, for the simple fact that they can be broken and bent so easily. Why does a religion have to have these 10 commandments, a list of rules that can be bent and than frowned upon for doing so. Morally you should just know right from wrong. What is the point of the 10 commandments if people like Rev. Jim Jones are going to bend the rules for some. What makes it okay for him to make these changes in the rules? Is it because he is a rev, because he has "power" he can change it at anytime for whoever he wants? What gave him the power to change something that has been around long before his time?
love to all
karen
Paganism is a spiritual path that honors the old ways of the triple goddess and her consort the triple god who have many names and visages that vary from culture to culture. The blessings of Gaia, the earth mother, the moon mysteries, and the transcendent wonder of the human body as a reflective vessel of immanent divinity. We celebrate the passage of the season, to honor the goddess and god in their many aspects and guises and to proactively seek personal spiritual growth. It is an expression rather than suppression of the feminine aspect of divinity in conjunction with the male aspect, a hand in hand style of empowered partnership; the journey together through life, and acceptance of feminine wisdom in healing and teaching.
Most of us celebrate the eight seasonal festivals, spaced equally over the year. There are four major sabbaths:
- Samhain (oct.31-nov.6)
- Imbolc (feb. 12)
- Beltane (apr. 30-may 1)
- Lammas (aug. 1-2)
and four minor:
- Spring equinox (mar. 20-21)
- Summer solstice (june 20-22)
- Fall equinox (sept 21-22)
- Winter solstice (dec. 21-23).
Our motto:
As it harm none, do as thou wilt....
Fundamental ethical guidelines of the pagan movement:
- Founded by Gerald Gardner (1884-1964), an amateur anthropologist and British civil servant, in 1954 with the publication of his book Witchcraft Today.
- The triple goddess is split into three aspects...maid-mother-crone. These aspects correspond to the three phases of the moon, namely waxing moon, full moon and waning moon.
maid- childhood, adolescence, purity independence,courage.
mother- mother hood, protection fertility,growth and sexuality.
crone- old age wisdom. change, transformation., death, rebirth/banshing.
The Goddess, recognized for thousands of years as one whole, divided into three aspects, was a concept later adopted by the christian religion as its trinity. Which now brings me to Sgt. Patrick Stewart who died September 25, 2005, a soldier who died in combat in Afghanistan. He was a pagan. The United States Army refused to allow his wife to place the emblem of the Pentacle on his grave. His wife Roberta Stewart announced to the press that America "remember that all freedoms are worth fighting for." And so her fight for the acknowledgement of religious diversity among the soldiers who make up the United States armed forces had begun.
Over the years families have used religious symbols such as the Jewish Star of David, the Christian Cross and the Islamic Crescent and Star, on the headstones of fallen loved ones to honor their lives, service and sacrifice. The office of Veterans Affairs had been considering such a request for 9 years with no decision. This is roughly 234 years after our country first began its fight for civil liberties, religious freedom and the freedom from arrogance and oppression by government. While the stonewalling continues, families of soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice are still waiting for these basic, equal rights.
My son Cory, who recently returned from honorable service with the U.S. army in Afghanistan, was under the impression that if something happened to him, the same U.S. Army for which he fought would honor his spiritual beliefs without prejudice. I am glad that we never had to discover that he was mistaken. Although our country was founded on a Judeo-christian base, the framers of the Constitution understood that religious freedom was for everyone, not just christians. The only way that this freedom can prevail is for christians to stand up and fight for the minority beliefs and religions of others. There is no way to arrive at our goal of democracy and real freedom by ignoring this uncomfortable fact. ( Can you even see this happening?) So on April 23, 2007 Americans United held a press conference to announce the settlement of Roberta Stewart's case, and in so doing, the VA added the pentacle to the list of emblems. ( . . yeah....now!)
Presidential meeting: August 2007, President Bush hosted a meeting with family members of those who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan, including some members of the Stewart family. Very compelling is the fact that Bush failed to invite Patrick's wife Roberta. True to his lack of form, President Bush later called to apologize. So I think to my self, did she really change anything? She got the emblem on his grave, but she still wasn't excepted, was she?
Cory and I talked about this when he was leaving for war and we both had to come up with something just in case. I wanted him to wear the pentacle but I was afraid for him.
- Miss you and love you... peace, Blessed Be,
Karen
Hi Jeff,
I thought I would fill you in on you a few more differences between the Pagan and Christan religion. First, Christianity sees life and the world as linear, i.e.: a beginning or "creation" and a day of judgement, which is the end of thia creation. The Pagan view is circular, the endless cycle of the seasons of birth, death and rebirth.
Christmas celebrates an event that happened 2,000 years ago. Yule celebrates an annually recurring event, the rebirth of the sun. Pagans have no concept of sin or Satan, so there is no fiery hell to worry about either.
We have our own values and ethics. The bible and gospels are the guiding rules for Christian's, Pagans are responsible for their own actions and the consequences that follow. The emphasis is on what is good in life rather than what is bad or sinful. The Pagan ethic "do what thou wilt, but harm none." is a positive morality, not a list of "thou-shalt-nots." We believe in the concept of both Goddess and God, rather then the suppression of either the female or male principle.
The Pagan religion does not have fancy written rules, for the simple fact that they can be broken and bent so easily. Why does a religion have to have these 10 commandments, a list of rules that can be bent and than frowned upon for doing so. Morally you should just know right from wrong. What is the point of the 10 commandments if people like Rev. Jim Jones are going to bend the rules for some. What makes it okay for him to make these changes in the rules? Is it because he is a rev, because he has "power" he can change it at anytime for whoever he wants? What gave him the power to change something that has been around long before his time?
love to all
karen
From the Desk of . . . . Las Vegas
jt
I was reading yet another article on what will soon be a dead bill regarding Health Care Reform and I came across this excerpt. And I quote, "Catholic bishops also eager to expand society's safety net may yet endorse the final legislation."Now, with the exception of wearing a real cool hat, is there any reason why any should give a shit about what these hypocrites endorse? I can't believe there's still a faction of individuals that actually listen to these fucking guys, not to mention a continued respect for the Catholic Clergy as well.
**************************************************************************************************
Joe Lieberman is my hero. His thoughts about wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, to investigate the army for not spotting the shooter in the Fort Hood incident is a very good idea. There were warning signs and red flags. Didn't anyone see this coming? Lee's see, we can actually do this right here. Will religious profiling be an acceptable tool with in the parameters of our investigative research? Hope so cause without it we won't have a case and neither will he, regardless of how many dollars he'll waste or photo opts he'll be besieged with. It won't change the outcome either. With hundreds of witnesses we should be able to hang his evil ass tomorrow, right? Too insensitive? Oh....I'm sorry.......( sometimes I just don't understand what the Jews are thinking)*************************************************************************************************
I just had to include this borrowed article knowing how interested you are in science:BIGFOOT. It's a riddle wrapped in mystery, or something like that. But it is an enigma because it doesn't exist (say it isn't so) or because we haven't had the technology to properly document the evidence? Members of Sasquatch Watch are definitely in the ladder camp. And a group of intrepid Bigfoot hunters were on the move in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, armed with all the gee-whiz gadgets needed to prove, for sure, without ambiguity, definitely, that Bigfoot exists. Maybe. Although some suspicious footprints were preserved with plaster of Paris in areas where there have been so-called sightings of the beast, un-fun skeptics are unsure if this is the real deal. But enthusiasts of the furry biped have already launched big buzz on the Web. Searches on "latest Bigfoot sightings" shot up 100% overnight. Amateur sleuths also sought out "real Bigfoot pictures", "Bigfoot evidence", and "Bigfoot research organization". I was actually checking into employment opportunities when I ran across this article. I just don't see myself out there with a big net but you can't say that this isn't interesting.
*************************************************************************************************
Pelosi, Reid, and Obama. I just saw a picture of the three standing on the Capital Steps or somewhere important. "The Three Stooges Go To Washington". In all seriousness, I am a very easy going person. I have a very hard time knowing and accepting the fact that I can't seem to agree with anything that our government is doing. I feel like one in a heard of cattle and my resistance is futile. The government that my tax dollars helps to support doesn't hear my voice and for that matter doesn't want to. I don't contribute massive funds, trade sexual favors, bribe or extort into the system. I'm not a threat by being part of a minority group. I'm a regular legal citizen of this country, therefore my beliefs don't benefit the few that have made a career of using me and others like me for personal gain. The display of arrogance from the leadership of this country is unacceptable. I feel dared to oppose their agenda and stared down upon for even thinking that they are unstoppable with what they believe is right for me. Once again, if I don't want the smile of a Hollywood star then I'm not thinking correctly. And Joe Lieberman? All murders are investigate. Why waste everybody's time and money by calling a news conference to state the obvious? Now he's a man that definitely has our concerns in his heart and to the center of his agenda.Fuck them all.
- Hoop
I was reading yet another article on what will soon be a dead bill regarding Health Care Reform and I came across this excerpt. And I quote, "Catholic bishops also eager to expand society's safety net may yet endorse the final legislation."Now, with the exception of wearing a real cool hat, is there any reason why any should give a shit about what these hypocrites endorse? I can't believe there's still a faction of individuals that actually listen to these fucking guys, not to mention a continued respect for the Catholic Clergy as well.
**************************************************************************************************
Joe Lieberman is my hero. His thoughts about wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, to investigate the army for not spotting the shooter in the Fort Hood incident is a very good idea. There were warning signs and red flags. Didn't anyone see this coming? Lee's see, we can actually do this right here. Will religious profiling be an acceptable tool with in the parameters of our investigative research? Hope so cause without it we won't have a case and neither will he, regardless of how many dollars he'll waste or photo opts he'll be besieged with. It won't change the outcome either. With hundreds of witnesses we should be able to hang his evil ass tomorrow, right? Too insensitive? Oh....I'm sorry.......( sometimes I just don't understand what the Jews are thinking)*************************************************************************************************
I just had to include this borrowed article knowing how interested you are in science:BIGFOOT. It's a riddle wrapped in mystery, or something like that. But it is an enigma because it doesn't exist (say it isn't so) or because we haven't had the technology to properly document the evidence? Members of Sasquatch Watch are definitely in the ladder camp. And a group of intrepid Bigfoot hunters were on the move in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, armed with all the gee-whiz gadgets needed to prove, for sure, without ambiguity, definitely, that Bigfoot exists. Maybe. Although some suspicious footprints were preserved with plaster of Paris in areas where there have been so-called sightings of the beast, un-fun skeptics are unsure if this is the real deal. But enthusiasts of the furry biped have already launched big buzz on the Web. Searches on "latest Bigfoot sightings" shot up 100% overnight. Amateur sleuths also sought out "real Bigfoot pictures", "Bigfoot evidence", and "Bigfoot research organization". I was actually checking into employment opportunities when I ran across this article. I just don't see myself out there with a big net but you can't say that this isn't interesting.
*************************************************************************************************
Pelosi, Reid, and Obama. I just saw a picture of the three standing on the Capital Steps or somewhere important. "The Three Stooges Go To Washington". In all seriousness, I am a very easy going person. I have a very hard time knowing and accepting the fact that I can't seem to agree with anything that our government is doing. I feel like one in a heard of cattle and my resistance is futile. The government that my tax dollars helps to support doesn't hear my voice and for that matter doesn't want to. I don't contribute massive funds, trade sexual favors, bribe or extort into the system. I'm not a threat by being part of a minority group. I'm a regular legal citizen of this country, therefore my beliefs don't benefit the few that have made a career of using me and others like me for personal gain. The display of arrogance from the leadership of this country is unacceptable. I feel dared to oppose their agenda and stared down upon for even thinking that they are unstoppable with what they believe is right for me. Once again, if I don't want the smile of a Hollywood star then I'm not thinking correctly. And Joe Lieberman? All murders are investigate. Why waste everybody's time and money by calling a news conference to state the obvious? Now he's a man that definitely has our concerns in his heart and to the center of his agenda.Fuck them all.
- Hoop
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