And Little Fishes

Sanford's Couchtime

2009-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I've been away for months, but I heard such a jaw-dropping statement this morning that I just have to unload. Unless you live in the antarctic and have lost your generator, you have probably heard of Governor Mark Sanford's recent indiscretions, lying to everybody, cheating on his wife with some Appalachian Trail, I mean Argentinian Tail, and, like most proven Republican hypocrites, planning to stay on in charge of an entire state despite his apparently total lack of judgment and trustworthiness.
What knocked my socks off this morning, though, was a statement made by Sanford's spiritual advisor, Warren "Cubby" Culbertson. Speaking about MARRIAGE, Cubby said, "For most Christians, if you're married long enough, you do it because that's what we're called to do, out of obedience instead of out of passion."
Really? Is this guy married? More to the point, if so, does his wife watch the news, and do you think he'll still be married NEXT week? Ye Gods, if that's the kind of advice he has for the Governor and his unfortunate wife, it's no wonder Sanford comes across as a volume or two shy of a trilogy. It's just too silly for words. Maybe you have to be Christian to see otherwise, but I believe that people marry for love, or they marry unwisely. They STAY married for love, or they stay married unwisely. Nobody is helped by a marriage built on lies, least of all Jehovah, who I'm sure has bigger worries.
Do I think it's newsworthy that Sanford is a liar, a cheat, and seemingly only loosely screwed together? Yes, I do; he was elected to a position of great trust and responsibility by the people, and he lied to them, served them recklessly, and made half the population (men) look bad by association. I mean really, his bland assumption that his wife will take him back, given enough time, disprespects women blatantly. Has it not occurred to him that she might LEAVE him there by the curb? I'm sure it has occurred to HER.

Andy

Palin is E E Cummings

2008-10-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out what's going on with Sarah Palin. It's not that she's stupid. It's not that she doesn't read, other than maybe "The Assembly of God News and Jew-fixin' Manual." It's not that she got kicked in the head by a moose as a child. It's simply that she is E E Cummings reincarnated. Think about it!

"next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
that the terrorists do not cross borders
in a position of attackin' America
we're gonna do what we have to do
never to show our cards um to terrorists my
country tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it if Americans
so bless us and um soldiers on a task
from God acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh Joe Six-pack
rulings there have been rulings
a vast variety of sources
so I can do whatever I want until
the courts tell me I can't"

She spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

Sarah Palin. Who?!

2008-08-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, my, but the pundits are running in circles. John McCain (remember him?), who has attacked Barack Obama for relying on his superstar status, has chosen Sarah Palin, a former beauty queen, to be his running mate. A quick scan of opinion runs the gamut from "Yay, I can vote for McCain because she's conservative enough" to "this is a hail-mary pass in the wrong direction." Paraphrased, since I didn't take note of sources while skimming.

My initial thoughts, in no particular order. It will be interesting to see how her beauty pageant history plays with feminists. I don't expect environmentalists will be tempted for a moment, given her positions on drilling and polar bears. I noted that one Alaskan blogger refers to her as "Governess." Am I wrong in finding that weird? Her executive experience comes from being on the council, then briefly mayor, of Wasilla, population 8,471, followed by less than 19 months so far as Governor (governess?) of Alaska, population 683,000.

She opposes same-sex marriage, doesn't want polar bears protected, supports teaching Creationism in the schools, and would be a heartbeat (this guy's heart beat) away from the presidency if elected.

The notion that "attractive and a woman" equals electability is a far cry from the idea that it is a measure of readiness to stand first in line to succeed to the presidency. Her Washington experience is exactly the size of Karl Rove's heart, and her foreign-policy experience, a factor declared critical by conservatives when discussing Obama, is nonexistent.

It's looking more and more as if the next president will have to not only keep Bush's pledge
to capture Bin Laden (remember HIM?), but also repair our disastrous standing with other world powers after his cowboy "diplomacy." I can't see where Palin fits into that need.

Back to the attractive-woman angle, if McCain thinks the women who supported Hillary Clinton so ardently will see Palin as a replacement, he's in for an enormous surprise.

Not all sacrifices are voluntary

2008-07-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

I once helped a woman to cut a small branch from a tree so she could fashion a ritual wand from it. I remember being astounded that, given a sharp knife, the use of both hands, and a branch within reach, there would be any need for help. I was younger and dumber then; now I know that the skill sets possessed by perfectly regular people vary widely, and that some people really shouldn't be left to handle sharp tools without close supervision.
A case in point is the story of Katherine Gunther, who went to a cemetery in order to give thanks in a ceremony for a recent run of good luck. Non-Pagans reading this, rest assured that this, while not off the charts, is not representative of everyday Pagan behavior. I myself give thanks from a cozy chair next to a small fire-circle in my yard. Anyway, Katherine was aiming to stab her 36-inch sword into the ground shortly after midnight (sheesh), when she accidentally put it through her foot.
Lest anyone think Wiccans are silly for having practices which can cause injury like this, take a moment and read this story about a pastor whose use of a dirt-bike during a sermon, in a church, caused at least as much suffering. Or this one about a Pastor who does "Priesto Magic" blowing off part of his finger with a malfuncioning wand while making a duck disappear.
I can't find a reference for it online, but I once saw a news item about the subject of an exorcism dying accidentally as the result of a crucifix having been shoved down her throat. I guess we could all use a little more common sense sometimes. My advice to Gunther is this: Don't give up your rituals, quirky as they may be, because even the Gods like a little entertainment now and then. Don't even get rid of that sword, although a good cleansing ritual might be in order. Just add steel-toed boots, and maybe a flashlight, to your ritual gear. See? Problem solved.

Pagan Faith Community

2008-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

The latest entry in The Wild Hunt, my favorite Pagan news blog, got me thinking (as it often does). The entry has to do with a community in Texas that is concerned about proselytizing. No, really! Residents are worried about the motives, the pushiness, of religious adherents who would go so far as to leave a holy book on a stranger's doorstep. Well, okay, the books being left on stoops are Qurans, and in the minds of too many Christian Americans, that's not THE holy book. I've been trying to put my finger on just why this kind of thing pisses me off. It's too pervasive and nasty-minded to simplify into a cogent argument, though. I have a cartoon pinned up in my office, I think from the New Yorker, that shows a spare and forbidding church on a well-kept lawn. It's a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, and there's a No Soliciting sign on the lawn.
That's funny, but maybe not, because I bet you wouldn't have to search hard to find a real-world example of that.
Christians want to proclaim their beliefs, because they think they've got religion right. Interfering with their right to do so provokes claims of persecution and religious intolerance. But then the same people jump all over others who feel the same way, and want to proclaim their religion. Why should they, on their way out the door to distribute tracts, have to trip over some Godless "holy book"?! Where's the respect for other people's beliefs?
I'm tired of it. I'm not going to suggest that Pagans take up proselytizing, because I do believe that people should find their own way to their own beliefs. Nor do I advocate tracting church parking lots with copies of "The Other People." I just think it's time we Pagans claim our place as a "faith community." Too many articles, polls, and studies have an underlying assumption that "religious" means "Judeo-Christian," that "faith" means "belief in Jesus," that "values" means "Judeo-Christian values."
I am a practicing Pagan. I have faith, I belong to a faith community that is vibrant and positive, I consider myself to be very religious, and I have values. I am clergy, an elder, and a leader in my church. Many of us can say the same, but do we say it publicly?
I confess that I often allude to it generally, but not bravely. I decline a position on a committee because I have "so many commitments," not because my clergy leadership roles, both in my church and statewide, require my attention.
That's going to change. You other Pagans out there, I hope you consider following along. From here on out, I'm further out of the broom closet. I describe my religious activities in terms that make it perfectly clear that I am a Pagan, one of many in my area, and that my people comprise a faith community. We're here, we're values voters, we're religious.
Get used to it.

Faith-based Obama

2008-07-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama, making an early move in the traditional post-nomination shift toward the center, is touting the Bush program which provides public money for religious institutions that perform public services, often called faith-based initiatives. The Washington Post article quotes Obama: "What I'm saying is that we all have to work together -- Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and nonbeliever alike -- to meet the challenges of the 21st century."

I never liked the program before, and I'm not going to start liking it now. It assists mainstream religions to become more mainstream, leaving other faiths outside the circle of firelight, certainly out of reach of the pork-barrel, if I may combine metaphors into a nice barbecue. Just one example of the kind of problems that have been exacerbated by the cash influx is given here. Teen Challenge, one recipient, actively converts Jews to Christianity while getting them off drugs. GWB made it plain early in his first term that he didn't consider Paganism to be a real religion, and I'm waiting to hear word from Obama.

I still support Obama, don't get me wrong, but I'm not happy about this. According to the Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, "Other" religions are big democrats. In the shift to the center, I hope he doesn't leave them behind. I believe, as do many, that the government should not subcontract social work, education, or indeed anything, to religious institutions.

Bud Wise Errrrr

2008-06-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Belgian mega-beverage company InBev is offering 46.3 Billion for Anheuser-Busch company. I'm flabbergasted, and have just one question: have the Belgians actually tasted Budweiser?! The well-known trope has it that American beer is like making love in a canoe (fucking close to water), and Budweiser is the iconic American beer. At my favorite bar, I was only slightly done in, probably by Black and Oranges, when I thought there was Bud coming out of the bathroom taps. Hey, it's an honest mistake! If those silly Belgians had tasted the stuff, they would have considered buying something drinkable, like Anchor or Guinness.

Anheuser-Busch seems to be trying to nip this in the Bud (hee!) by merging with Mexico's Grupo Modelo SAB. According to the AP article linked above, "Anheuser-Busch approached Carlos Fernandez, chief executive of Modelo and an Anheuser-Busch director, about a deal in recent weeks." Oh, great! So where you can't drink the water, you can at least get fucking close to it by drinking El Bud.

I did not know this: John McCain's wife, Cindy, according to the AP article above, "shares roughly $1 million worth of Anheuser-Busch stock with the McCain children. Cindy McCain's father founded...the third-largest Anheuser-Busch wholesaler in the United States." If the offer goes through, it might leave the Republican nominee wealthier from the trend of foreigners buying up a weakening America. I wonder if he has finished reading Greenspan's book yet?

Adam Cote's ill-fitting donkey suit

2008-06-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Adam Cote, one of the six Democratic candidates for Maine's open congressional seat, was once a Republican. Nor is it a secret that Republicans, aware that they won't win the seat any time soon, have changed their registration to "D" temporarily, in order to vote for him in the Primary tomorrow.
I think, however, that not enough Democrats know just how little he thinks of the party that he is nominally belongs to now. I just received campaign literature from the Pingree campaign that spells out his disdain for Democrats. In giant type, "While most Demodcrats spent from 2000 to 2006 trying to stop the Republicans, ADAM COTE was a Republican!"
There's more. "Adam Cote's priorities aren't the priorities of Maine Democrats...oppses raising Maine's minimum wage...dismisses discussion of single payer health care...endorsed by BI-PAC, a...Republican PAC...wants to continue funding the war in Iraq."
Maine Democrats, there are several better choices. Cote wants the Republican vote, and that's fine, but he doesn't need yours. We have Ethan Strimling, Chellie Pingree, and Steve Meister (another Veteran, and an actual Democrat), for starters. Check them out. Then Vote! That would be TOMORROW, June 10, in case you've missed how fast it came along...
Are you willing to gamble that Adam Cote will REMAIN a Democrat if elected? I'm not.

Christian Civic League: No Public Discourse!

2008-05-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

We wondered why the Christian Civic League hasn't trespassed on any Pagan property, nor outed any already out Pagans lately, so we went to their "news" site to see what's up. They've been pushing through an effort to put a referendum on the ballot which would move Maine closer to the Dark Ages, gender-issues-wise, as well as stripping the funding for the Civil Rights teams that have been so good for promoting tolerance in our public schools. Tolerance, tsk, tsk, can't have that, you know!
The new "news" written by "staff" and quoting Director Michael Heath as though he weren't feverishly typing the thing up himself in his dank lair, is this. They (he) have discovered to their (his) horror that their scapegoats, er, opposites in this matter, plan to stand at the polls alongside anyone gather referendum signatures. These people would be clarifying the situation for the public in order to convince people that signing this one isn't a great idea. Hey, it's a free country, right?
Not if Mr. Heath has his way. He (oh, sorry, "Staff") characterizes this plan to talk to people as a plan to harass Christian grandmothers, and as a "totalitarian campaign of intimidation." I encourage anyone not familiar with the League's tactics to check out some of its past activities, just to see how laughable that is, considering the source.
These are the people who only believe in first amendment rights for straight Christians who don't wear lingerie. They can speak, but you can't. They can propose laws, but you can't. They know what Jesus wants, but you don't. They have a history of attending events that they disagree with, take pictures, protest what's going on, publicize who's participating, then write a "news" story about how they weren't tolerated. Nice.

Family Values

2008-05-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is just too precious. Republican congressman from Staten Island Vito Fossella, in fallout from a DUI incident, was found to have been keeping a second family in Virginia. In addition to having a wife and three children, he has a mistress and a "secret love-child." (Can't a child of an above-board relationship be a love-child too, I have to wonder?) What was our first clue? Well, his mistress, Laura Fay, showed up to bail him out, when he was arrested for DUI while on his was to visit the 3-year-old love child.

Just because I can't NOT say it...now we know what they mean by "Family Values." It's like a two-for-one special. Who knew? Or buy three kids, get one free-love child.

My conservative friends assure me that a key difference between Democrats and Republicans is that, when they are caught doing something wrong, the Republicans know enough to resign in disgrace. Not so this time, and minority leader Boehner seems to be giving up on trying to get this guy to do the right thing. He's starting to make Spitzer look good, by those conservative standards!

Big-ass Hole in Texas

2008-05-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Breaking news! There's a big-ass hole in Texas, and even the experts don't know how far it will go, or how much damage it will cause. Thus far its appetite for destruction seems to know no bounds. One theory is that it got its start from oil drilling. The Department of Republican Nomenclature hasn't settled on a name for the Big-ass Hole in Texas yet, but is expected to go with something like the Normal Terrain Initiative, Perfectly Safe Backyards for America, or simply the Democrats' Fault.

To the tune of "Yellow Rose of Texas:"

There’s a Big-ass Hole in Texas, that’s wide and fairly deep,
No other state will claim it, we say it’s theirs to keep,
It got its start from drilling, destruction knows no bounds,
Republicans have seen it, and named it “Level Grounds.”

Go ahead, I bet you can write the next verse without half trying.

Maine Pagans

2008-04-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

New stuff from what the Civic League has called a thriving Pagan underground. First, this weekend will be the 26th annual very public, non-secret, Beltane on the Beach potluck and Sabbat observance. This kicks off at around ten on Sunday, April 27th, at Popham State Park. All welcome, and anyone wanting to participate in the maypole dance, bring a 9-yard piece of fabric ribbon. Other attractions include a Torch Race Honoring Pan.
This is an Earthtides event. (Earthtides is a very nifty networking organization here in Maine, officially formed back in 1989, but the event predates the group.) Many years this event draws a couple hundred of those secretive Pagans. Details about this, along with other recent Maine Pagan stuff, can be read on the EPNN newsletter (pdf), which is very much worth subscribing to!

First Baptist Church Wins

2008-04-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

First, sorry it has been so long between posts. Would you believe I was learning to Rhumba? Nah, anyway, on to today's item of interest...
Like everyone else, I've been getting the news on the raids on the Polygamist FLDS Compound in Eldorado, Texas, where authorities have taken hundreds of children from their families, ostensibly to protect them all from sex abuse. I get that forcing middle teens into undesired marriages with older men, so they can immediately start making babies, is not good. I understand that someone claiming to be a sixteen-year-old mother in this situation called a 911 line asking for rescue. I watched Big Love, so I know as much about it as most Americans.
What I don't get is how, with a straight face, the state authorities can actually cart all these kids away in First Baptist Church buses! Hello, separation of church and state? Ring a bell? Everyone has been careful to say that this is all about the safety of the young girls, and I'm not diminishing that concern, but it looks a lot like the root cause of concern is really the polygamy, and I have always wondered why in the world polygamy is against the law. Any reason? People getting hurt? Please, I've been married myself, and two people can do enough damage to one another, so that's not going anywhere.
I see those church buses as a great visual aid in a future Supreme Court case against th state of Texas. It looks like nothing more than faith-based kidnapping to me.

Racial divide in Mississippi?

2008-03-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, yesterday Obama won the Mississippi primary with 61% of the vote. The one thing that bugged me about the punditry was the notion that he only did so well because there are so many black people in Mississippi, getting 70% of the black vote. Here's the page on that from the exit poll. The idea is that he can't "reach across the racial divide."
Yeah, right. Here in Maine, which is whiter than Obama's teeth, he won the caucus 60/40. 'Nuff said? Here's another way of looking at it. Go back to that page, and see how the white lady did reaching across the racial divide. Clinton won 8% of the black vote. Obama won 26% of the white vote. Check my math, but that sounds like Senator Obama, yesterday, performed across the racial divide 325% better than Senator Clinton. And that's without going negative.

Clinton, Obama, and Mixed Fruit

2008-03-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

How about those Texans? Media reported a Clinton win, based on the primary, which went for her by a close margin, but the cold molasses that passes for an information stream this week projects Obama as a big winner in the caucues, which are the second part of the Texas two-step. According to NPR, he is likely to net three delegates from Texas when all is said and done.

Here's my only other insight today, and for this, put on your mathematical thinking cap. I saw a figure showing the "popular vote" between the two having only a three thousand vote difference in the race taken as a whole, thus far. If that number was a combination of caucus and primary results, it's an apples/grapes problem.
Obama does better in caucus states, Clinton does better in primary states.
Good so far? Think of an apple as a caucus vote. It's bigger, and while being only one piece of food, is MORE food. Think of a grape as a primary vote. While being one piece of food, it is LESS food than an apple.
Still good? If Obama has ten apples and five grapes on his table, and Clinton has has twelve grapes and four apples on her table, she has more pieces of food, but less food. Of course, they're both out in the yard picking fruit, so who knows?
The upshot is that any reporting of a so-called popular vote in the primary is misleading, seeming to indicate a level of support for Clinton that isn't really there.
Last thought for the day: when did she stop being Hillary Rodham Clinton? Did it just occur to her one day that it might finally be okay to be closely associated with her husband again?

Andy

Occupied March

2008-02-29T06:19:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in a cruel joke of an extra day of the F-month. I'm too fully frozen to be able to think of any great material, so I'm just going to bitch about the weather. There are years when it doesn't really start adding up until March.
Okay, news on the Maine Pagan scene (the "Thriving Pagan Underground" of Christian Civic League fame) is that Jane Raeburn, the creator of the long-running Maine Pagan List-serve, has a new thing up and running. Check it out!
The underground has been happily building it's world-takeover, er, I mean steeple fund, and this year has been particularly good. The Pagan Preserve Project, which is Immanent Grove's effort to buy a property in central Maine for Pagan use, now has over five thousand dollars! Part of this is due to the Civic League's free publicity. A grateful Pagan underground thanks Mike Hein and Michael Heath for their help.

Obama and Clinton in Maine

2008-02-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend, for the first time I can remember, Maine mattered in national politics. We got a couple of days of that attention that New Hampshire and Iowa get for months on end, and it was fun. I’m just a simple country boy, to whom a minivan with no space left in it is a big crowd, and “security” means a donut-hunter with spare tires is on hand to watch out for shotguns we may have forgotten to leave in the truck.

A friend I ended up with didn't plan for that either, and went ahead with his weekend coat, the one with the flask of Yukon Jack in the pocket. It has been a long, snowy winter, so packing some Down-east anti-freeze is S.O.P.

Long story short, when we got to the new Rec Center at UMO to see Sen. Clinton, the Secret Service folks and their metal-detector doorways found that right away. I was only thankful that I had remembered to leave my carry gun at home, or we would have been all over the news! He offered to leave it at the desk, or whatever, but they had other ideas.

“Can you take a drink of it, Sir?” they queried. “That way we know it’s not dangerous.”

You’re kidding. “Aw, do I have to? Glug. Want some?”

Surprisingly, once he had demonstrated that his flask contained nothing dangerous, he was allowed to go in with it, and we even got great seats with some people we know. My friend Debbie was next over, then that raving Kossack Eddie-from-Maine, who diaried the day on DailyKos, with good pictures, then Rita Moran, Maine’s newest Superdelegate. She told us that the campaigns haven’t found her yet, and that she would be attending both events to help her decide how to vote. We were in the third row, within ten feet of the lectern. In front of us were Virginia Manual, Libby Mitchell, the University’s President Kennedy and Dean Dana, among other notables. Except for Debbie and Rita, who are classier than we are, we shared the Jack while we waited.

Eventually, Governor B and Emily Cain, our youngest state legislator, introduced Hillary Clinton, and she spoke very well for about an hour. Green Jobs, saving education, saving Social Security, saving Health Care, saving the environment, been dedicated to service for many years, caucus for me, etc. Seemed like about a thousand people were there.

Out the door (easier than getting in), South to Bangor, find the city’s auditorium, and WOW IS THAT THE LINE?!?! Okay, find parking, leave the (now empty) flask in the car, wait in line forever, get inside to wait even longer on the pullout bleachers, wishing there were more Jack. The difference between the crowds was like night and day, and that’s not a color joke. The Hillary crowd was well-behaved, well-dressed, clapped at the right times, and occasionally shouted something supportive. The Barack crowd was motley in the best way, chatty, laughing, stomping, shouting, and forming new friendship up and down the rows. There were also about six thousand of them, and I later learned that Barack also spoke to the two thousand who were turned away. He had more than twice the media attention, eight times the attendance, and applause you could hear all the way to Fort Kent.

Sean Faircloth, Glenn Cummings, Jeremy Fischer, a Senator and two Representatives from Bangor, Portland, and Presque Isle, introduced Barack Obama. Faircloth is the Senate’s majority Whip, Cummings is Speaker of the House, and Fischer chairs Appropriations. Obama spoke very well for about an hour. Green Jobs, saving education, saving Social Security, saving Health Care, saving the environment, been dedicated to service for many years, caucus for me, etc. Seemed like about a thousand people were there.

I found two differences between the candidates significant, though, and one difference between their detractors. First, there was a difference in style. Obama went for passion, sympathy, and hope. Clinton went for detail and respect. The second difference was with the attendees. Who’s fired up for Clinton? I saw older people who appeared to be middle class, along with many students, who had traveled a few hundred yards to hear her. Who’s fired up for Obama? I saw older people who looked like farmers, truckers, waiters, and unemployed, and many, many young people who looked like they came from all walks of life, and who actually traveled on a ten-degree morning with a storm coming in order to hear him. More people with evident disabilities, more people who were plainly living one alternative lifestyle or another, more people from among Maine’s very small non-white population. I grew up here, and believe me, seeing hundreds of black and beige people in the same place NEVER HAPPENS. Except for this weekend.

More about the crowd. I saw a sign in a car window, “FAMA FOR OBAMA (farmer for Obamer)” When Obama mentioned his “cousin” Dick Cheney,” there was a fun moment. He waited for the laughter to die down a bit, and said, “You know, when people do these genealogy studies, you kind of hope you’re related to somebody cool.”

From right behind me, somebody yelled out, “HE IS!”

I have plenty of conservative friends. Whoever said that the only candidate who can unite the Republican party at this point is Hillary Clinton was right. There’s a visceral disgust for her there, and I believe they will turn out in droves for the opportunity to vote against her. Barack Obama inspires nothing like this level of hatred. If the hordes of people who feel that they have hope because of him aren’t enough to convince me, that difference is.

Note: I wrote the above on Sunday morning. Then I caucused for Obama, when my town, and Maine as a whole, went for him sixty-forty, and will happily represent him as a delegate to the state convention. For the first time that I’ve seen, there was stiff competition to be delegates to the state convention; talk about being engaged! As I upload this, I'm looking at the papers, reporting that record numbers of Democrats caucused, giving Obama 60% of the vote.

Andy ><> ><>

Diss Canada Plus

2008-01-28T12:49:00.001-08:00

Okay, a cool story with a cranky finish. Stephanie Conover, the reigning Miss Canada Plus (sixth on the page), has outed herself as a Wiccan who is interested in Reiki and tarot. First, in case the "plus" sneaked by you, the MCPP is a beauty pageant for non-skinny women. I like that, since attractiveness (only one measure of worth to begin with) is certainly not a quality solely owned by the underfed. This value is not news among Pagans, but it deserves to be reiterated. Goddesses come in all shapes, and women are splendidly modeled after Them.
The cranky part of the story is that, as covered by my favorite blog, The Wild Hunt, when Miss Conover responded to an invitation to judge the Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant, she sent her bio, which listed her interests as, among other things, tarot and Reiki. The people at the pageant, while not wanting to offend anybody (right), turned her down flat due to the occult nature of her beliefs. Shame on them; cancel my trip to Toronto (unless I can meet Stephanie Conover)!
So, the good news is, a. Plus-size hot Canadian Wiccan wins a major pageant and b. She seems to be willing to stand proudly by her beliefs. However, c. another pageant brings religious intolerance to bear against her. Regardless, Hail Stephanie Conover!

Andy ><> ><>

The Gods Must Be Angry

2008-01-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

When the New England Patriots win the superbowl, crowning a perfect season, they can thank the Gods! The game many of us expected to see, Patriots v Packers, would have been a tough shootout between Brady and the legendary Favre. Instead, Brady is up against the relatively green Manning of the NY Giants, who have already lost six games this season!
Why? My guess is that the Gods are angry at Green Bay. First, Mayor Jim Schmitt declared his own little battle in the war on Christmas, installing a nativity scene on City Hall to make a point. Then, under duress, the city allowed a Wiccan Pentacle alongside the nativity scene, which was quickly stolen. In the wake of the incident, officials decided to leave the Christian display up, and to forbid any other displays, pending the creation of display guidelines. Shame on them; they have chosen sides where they ought not, backing Christ and Jehovah against all other contenders (never mind the the other contenders only want equal place in the public square), thus disenfranchising all non-Christian people of faith in their city.
Are the Gods going to take this lying down? Certainly not! They waited until it would really hurt, then gave Green Bay something to think about in a 23-20 overtime loss, kicked in on a 47-yard field goal that could only be explained by divine intervention!
My advice to Green Bay's mayor and council: make an offering, and start by offering a level playing field to all religions. Maybe the Gods will relent.

Beer Prices Soar on Hops

2007-12-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

WMTW in Maine reported last night that beer prices are going up, driven by a one-year tripling of the price of hops. They talked to somebody at Shipyard, one of Maine's larger brewing companies, and explained that the number of farmers producing hops has declined abruptly after a period of overproduction.
My answer? Use less hops! By Odin's baggy left...eye...there's no need to put so damned much of the stuff in beer! I like supporting the local breweries as much as the next guy, and microbrews in general, but seriously, I will order an Amstel sooner than I'll order a Shipyard or a Geary's. There's room in the marketplace for beers with a rich, warm character to contrast with all that trendy IPA-like stuff. Have a taste of some of the finest beers around from Anchor, Sam Smith, Dogfish Head, and see how they do it.

Andy ><> ><>

Theft or Civil Disobedience?

2007-12-26T11:20:00.001-08:00

One of the oddest ongoing stories in the cultural wars here in Maine this year is that of JoAn Karkos, a concerned citizen who checked out It's Perfectly Normal from the Lewiston Public library, never intending to return it. She feels that it is indecent and has no place in a public library. The award-winning book, a favorite choice of parents who want a resource with which to help their children begin to understand sexuality, contains cartoon images illustrating various aspects of sexuality, body image, behavior, and the like. The written content is thorough, I believe in good taste, and fairly progressive. Maybe that's the real problem.
When Karkos declared her intention to keep the book, instead sending a check to pay for it, the library staff declined the check, instead having her charged with theft. Kudos to them! What I find interesting about all this is that conservatives are defending her actions as appropriate civil disobedience, saying that her actions harmed no one and are not criminal. Many of these same people would be all over somebody who burned a flag in protest or otherwise trampled their conservative values.
To Karkos' credit, she seems willing to "do the time." Kudos to her, a principled thief!

Andy ><> ><>

Happy Solstice!

2007-12-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Solstice, everybody! If you thought the War on Christmas is pretty quiet this year, it's because it has morphed into a War on Yule. The Wild Hunt has been covering this very well, so I'll be brief. In two towns, Olean, New York and Green Bay, Wisconsin, Nativity scenes on public property prompted Pagans to ask for, and receive, permission to put up Yule displays. Sort of an equal time thing.
The one in Olean way deliberately run over by a disapproving citizen, not yet caught. Someone with a ladder was in the process of removing the one in Green Bay, but was interrupted. He fled the scene, leaving the ladder, and hasn't been caught. The people owning the Nativity display in Olean have moved theirs to a church, which seems reasonable. Green Bay is still working out what to do.
I have heard different justifications for this double standard (our religion deserves space in the public square, and yours doesn't). The favored one is that Christianity is the civic religion of our country, and that no other religion is so much entwined with public life. There's a good answer to that: so what?
It's public space. Pagans pay taxes too. We carry around money that's Christian, we have an official Christian National Prayer, we have a president who holds bible meetings in the White House, but dammit, the second amendment has been interpreted often enough as "equal opportunity for religion" that it ought not to be something we keep needing to argue about. Why the hundreds of millions of Christians in this country feel threatened by the mere existence of minority religions is beyond me.
In bumper sticker fashion, would Jesus steal a Yule display? Or run over it with a pickup truck? Honestly?
--Andy ><> ><>

Priests and Teachers

2007-11-30T13:30:00.000-08:00

Someone wondered recently why it is that the media covers teachers who abuse children less prolifically than they cover Priests in the situation. First, I'm not sure there is a disparity, but for that sake of argument, here's what came to mind.
The reason a church sex scandal might get even more media (and public) attention is that a teacher is just that, a teacher. Someone who knows a field, and teaches it. Might be math, might be writing, but it's not holiness and godliness. A priest is someone who is very much defined around notions of goodness and purity. It's like a chef poisoning people in a restaurant, as compared with just anybody doing it. Or a game warden poaching, a police officer stealing, or a newscaster making up news...sorry, that's another whole topic!
And no, I'm not at all suggesting that teachers abusing children isn't awful, important, and awfully important. I'm just sorting out why the media might not splash that story as much.

Andy ><> ><>

Black Friday

2007-11-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

I have a problem with the rise of "black friday" as a new twist of commercialism. Initially, the evening news purveyors would do a piece where they interviewed some big-store managers or owners about the phenomenon of hordes of customers on the day after Thanksgiving. Somebody called it "black friday", as though there is something dreadful about having your business overrun by people trying to spend money. I still don't get that. It would be like priests calling the Christmas service "too-many-parishioners day".
Now we have the big chain stores actually marketing events around the concept of "black friday", which seems totally nuts to me. This morning I watched footage of store mascots revving up the crowd, so when they charged into the mall they'd be devoid of any sense of perspective. Gotta get this, it's on sale! Gotta get that, they only have 150 of them left! Aaaah!
Not for me. Give me a nice, locally-owned, downtown store for my shopping, a place where they view too many customers as "a good day"!

Andy ><> ><>

Liberty Dollar Raided

2007-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen anything from a news source that I recognize yet, but if this is not a hoax, it's a huge story. The headquarters of the Liberty Dollar was just raided, and all of their gold, silver, currency, and records have been seized. If you're not familiar with the LD, it's a privately minted currency, stamped out of actual precious metals, and fully backed. Private currency is legal. Counterfeiting American currency is not, but that's not what they're doing.
My first thought was aha, that's how they'll recover some of that money they sent by the pallet-load to Iraq, and lost track of! But I think the story is bigger than that. It's the Bush administration trampling all over yet another freedom. I can think of no excuse, but I bet we'll hear some!

Andy ><> ><>

Whattayagonnado?

2007-10-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

I don't have a lot to say about this one. Yesterday a man on a bicycle set off an explosive vest in Iraq, killing 29 people, and wounding 19, including seven policemen, and a woman with a baby. Here in Maine, the sight of somebody in a vest on a bicycle doesn't raise any eyebrows. What can you do? Shoot 'em? Shout for them to stop if they look suspicious? I sure wouldn't want to try to physically stop one, that's for sure. I simply can't imagine a life where a straightforward, non-threatening thing, like a guy on a bike, can mean death and destruction without warning. Then I imagine being the colonists in such a place.

Andy ><> ><>

Hillary and Power

2007-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

Senator Clinton has dropped what I see as a rhetoric bombshell. I'm not sure what I think about this, but she has declared an intention to, if elected, review the new powers stolen (my word for it) from the people by President Bush. She feels that it would be appropriate to relinquish those powers.
I'm conflicted. On the surface, it's great. He stole the powers, and the executive branch should revert back to pre-Bush form, as provided for in the constitution. Remember that document? More powerful than any signing statement, or it should be. On the other hand, I've thought all along that it would be fun to watch the Republicans squirm as a Democratic president wielded the expanded powers that they have been so happy to see Bush appropriating. Would they bitch? You bet your ass!
But then again, how exactly could she "give back" the powers in a way that would be binding on subsequent presidents? Or would she just try to set a good example by not using them? That, in my opinion, would be stupid. There is no honor among thieves, and the next one to hold that office would certainly pick up Bush's mantle without any qualms. I'm sorry, I meant the next "Republican," not the next thief. What was I thinking?
Andy ><> ><>

Black and Gold

2007-10-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

The other night I was out with some friends, Maine's only Drinking Liberally chapter, if you must know. The guy next to me tried to get a Black and Blue, which is a crazy seasonal riff on the now-traditional Black and Tan. Ethan, our waiter of the day, said, "This close to Halloween, we don't have the blueberry ale, just Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale."
Well, that was an easy leap. "See if the bartender can make me a Black and Orange, then," says my friend. Ethan rolled his eyes, but complied, and the pretty and aromatic beverage arrived in minutes, smelling like a pumpkin pie, and tasting like pie spice and dark malt.
It was so good that I guzzled my Guinness in order to have one just like it, and can heartily recommend it to any stout fans out there. Two great beers from opposite sides of the Atlantic come together in a single splendid drink...I bet we're not the first to think of it, though!
Andy ><> ><>

Got it backwards!

2007-10-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, first let me apologize for being so long away. Busy. No excuse. Swamped. No excuse. Abducted by aliens. No excuse. I'll do better, I promise.
For today, just a fun story from the local paper here in central Maine: "One misstep at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery during a Sept. 20 burial service, and the longtime funeral director from Augusta found himself in a grave, looking up through a cloud of dust."
The story goes on to say that the elderly funeral director was rushed FROM the grave TO the hospital, where, I suppose, he was pronounced Alive On Arrival. Gotta love it!
Andy ><> ><>

Dragging children for Jesus

2007-08-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am not making this up. According to MSNBC, a fifteen-year-old girl was tied to the back of a van and dragged because she did not keep up with the group at a Christian "boot camp." Can somebody explain the connection to Jesus' message? I realize that the ten commandments don't address treating children like humans, but I thought it was implied somewhere in the rest of the text? If I may dip into Exodus 21:22 for some suggestions as to punishment fit for those responsible, (Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand). I say they should drag the bastards behind their own van for a while.

Pack Donkeys

2007-08-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

I swear that I didn't even know about the two laws that Maine's Democratic Governor Baldacci signed last week, after they had passed through Maine's two-house Democratic majority. Honest. But I approve, as you might guess if you saw my previous post on the subject. In some parts of the country, "Democrat" might be synonymous with "anti-gun", but not here. Mainers grow up with guns in the house, we learn to shoot, and to safely handle guns, at an early age, and many of us are for the right to "bear" as well as "keep."

Two things that make carrying a gun for protection and protecting your home with one problematic (until now) are 1. You shoot an armed intruder, and do it legally, but still have to defend yourself against a civil suit. Didn't do anything wrong, lose your shirt anyway. And 2. Maine has had no reciprocity with other states as far as honoring concealed carry permits. Depending on where you go in the US, you are unlikely to be able to bring along the handgun that you can legally carry here, in many cases because Maine has not wanted other permitted carriers to be able to come to Maine under their permits.

Now both of those obstacles to second amendment rights are being largely removed and I, left-wing though I may be, applaud Governor Baldacci and the legislature. I'll go fire some shots into the air to celebrate. -no, kidding, just kidding!

Andy ><> ><>

Caffeina and Songbirds

2007-08-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended an author event put on by the Kennebec Land Trust, a group that I admire greatly. The author, Bridget Stutchbury, was there to talk about her new book, Silence of the Songbirds, available at your local booksellers. I'm one of those birders who says, "Look, a bird!", thus embarrassing my more intellectually curious birding friends and relatives. Still, I was saddened by the picture painted by Stutchbury of the decline of the migrating songbirds. That they are declining is known; exactly why is the topic of hot debate and study.

One factor that is known is that much of the environment at the southern end of the birds' migration patterns has been cut over or otherwise altered so as to make it no longer songbird-supporting. The striking example that she gave was the difference between traditional shade-grown coffee, and modern monoculture methods. A big field of nothing but coffee plants is not enough of a complete ecosystem to support the songbirds at the end of their journey each year. So, obviously, fewer of them survive.

What can be done? Well, this one's easy; stop buying coffee by price, and shop instead for shade-grown coffee. I'm told it's better, and will soon know for sure, as I've just placed an order. The goddess Caffeina, a long-time member of my personal pantheon, tells me this is a good thing. Blessed Bean!

Andy ><> ><>

Lobstah Wiccah?

2007-08-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear. Once more the misguided folks of Rockland are promoting Paganism under the guise of a "Lobster Festival." All the signs are there, from the scantily-clad Sea Goddess to the inappropriately shaggy King Neptune. Jehovah's gotta be mighty jealous of that beard! There's even a sculpture of two mermaids, unveiled for the event. Does the CCL know about this? Mermaids weren't on the ark, were they?

But seriously, even though I've never been able to get to this festival, reading about it always warms my heart. Poseidon is not forgotten. The possibility of fabulous denizens of the deep is not lost to science and repression. How cool is that? Next time I'm in Rockland, I'm going to find that statue (I hope it's being left in a public location), and make an offering to Poseidon.

Andy ><> ><>

Armed Democrats!

2007-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm reading my NRA magazine, finally, and I come across a story about Cleveland Democrat Michael DeBose, a state representative in Ohio. It seems he was firmly in the "no-right-to-carry" camp until he was chased down the street one evening by some muggers. Then, after due consideration, he changed his mind. Now he thinks carry permits are a good thing.

So I think, this is good, and I Google the story for details. It turns out that the event happened in May of this year, and the right-wing blogosphere has already taken its shots. You'd think that seeing the error of his ways, then being big enough to admit it, would be a good thing. You'd think wrong; the right wing only thought it was hysterically funny.

My take on gun issues, based on my experiences here in Maine, is that it is not divided along party lines at all. I was recently at a meeting of eight non-Republicans, totally unrelated to guns, and the topic came up. Seven of the eight not only support broad second amendment rights, but were carrying, with the appropriate permits, at the time! (The unarmed eighth person is all for carrying, but chooses not to.) I hope that Maine's elected Democrats are in tune with this, and plan to bring it up as opportunity arises. The right wing-nuts (we have ours, they can have theirs) don't seem to know about us Carry-Dems, and I can't decide if that's good or bad.

Okay, I have a question. Is there already, or can you think of, a good name for generally left-leaning people who still go armed? Pack Donkeys? Concealed Asses? Locked, loaded, and Liberal?
Andy ><> ><>

Graven Images are Good?

2007-07-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Capital Weekly recently printed a letter to the editor decrying the invasion of modern art into Gardiner, Maine. I found it reposted by the so-called Christian Civic League
in their online "news" section. I can only assume that it was reprinted because the busybodies there agreed with it. The main point can be summed up like this: I can't tell what it is, so it's bad. In fact, modern art is immoral and unnatural.
It's a viewpoint, and I even sympathize a little. I find myself baffled by some modern art myself. What confuses me is the apparent endorsement of this view by the people at Gaywatch, er, sorry, the Civic League. For an evangelical group like this to come out against modern art is shocking, SHOCKING! Doesn't it say in the only correct book in the universe, in Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make thee graven image, any likeness that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters..."?
So, help me out here, first you can't make likenesses, then you can't make NON-likenesses? Are crayons the instruments of the devil? Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I made swirlies with a crayon. But it was only because drawing little fishies is against the second commandment.
Andy ><> ><>

Christians defile flag, murder many, and more.

2007-07-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Christians, notably members of the Westboro Baptist Church, continue to defile the American Flag, trampling it, flying it upside-down, and so on, as part of their campaign to discredit the United States for being too tolerant of gays. Further, they insist they have every right to protest loudly and crudely at the funerals of fallen soldiers.
Also very disturbing is this story about the Virginia Tech killer, from a good Christian family, who attended bible classes, and then went on to gun down so many innocent people. He seems to have been disillusioned with the church, but still...
Christians killing in order to save souls happens more than we think. This 8-year-old autistic boy was crushed and stifled to death by his well-meaning congregation. Another boy, this one six years old, was killed by forced drowning in the name of God. I could go on, but I won't. The evidence is overwhelming.
Okay, here's my point. I don't believe that Christians are bad. I can easily see that when Christians stick a symbol of Christ down someone's throat until he dies, that doesn't reflect mainstream Christian belief, and that I shouldn't judge all Christians by that act. A handful of Christians stomping on the US flag shouldn't tarnish the reputation of the others. A few dozen trusted priests molesting hundreds of children, covered up by well-meaning bishops, don't put other Christian clergy under suspicion, no, not at all. Why is it that when a killer admits to, or is suspected of being, Pagan, that becomes news? His beliefs are picked up by the media, mainstream and crackpot, like they are relevant. I'm willing to bet good money that the majority of murders committed in this country are by people who have attended mainstream services, and never had any connection to Paganism. Does the media report "Christian murders neighbor over girlfriend?" No. I found a similar complaint by a Muslim blogger who wrote, "I say that if religion is a trait to be identified in criminal cases, that it be done for all accused perpetrators, not just for Muslims. If an accused serial killer attends church or believes in the Gospel, his Christian identity is part and parcel of his failings." It seems that Muslims are similarly targeted.
Should I imply negative things about Christianity because of a few bad apples? Of course not. Should I, as a Pagan and a law-abiding citizen, expect the same courtesy and respect? Of course I should.

Bumper Stickers

2007-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just saw a car sporting two bumper stickers. One read "Maine is #1...in taxes!"
The other was the classic jingoistic slogan, "America, love it or leave it!"

We all know what the second one means. It's like, "United we stand," telling us that dissent is bad, supports the terrorists, gives comfort to our enemies, like that. If you love your country, you shouldn't yell if it heads down a wrong path. Just follow. Protestors are evil. Like it or lump it. It's a bumper sticker that implies a whole Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, "I declare that I am right, so you must be an imbecile" attitude.

And that's one way to be patriotic. It seems to work for a lot of people, so who am I to judge. So then the owner of this car, who is promoting that attitude, parks his car in MY state, MY beloved Maine, and has the GALL to criticize the way it's being run! Why not leave it, if you don't love it? What's that? You DO love it, you just think it should be run better? Hmmm...

Here's a prediction. The same people who are annoyed at those of us who keep their Kerry stickers on their cars, countering with "You lost, get over it" stickers, will soon be trumpeting the Son of Tabor stickers, proud to continue to promote an idea that Mainers have shut down twice now. You lost, get over it.
Andy ><> ><>

More War on Science

2007-07-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

It seems that high-ranking non-scientist Julie MacDonald has been very busy rewriting endangered species science so the government can avoid protecting them. See the actual report on this here. The species involved, and the locations affected, are all over the place, but some of the story sounds as though Plum Creek managed to get her to rewrite for their benefit, getting that project out of the area proposed to protect the Canadian Lynx.
This is a huge story, and I hope the mainstream media get all over it. How did she get where she is, and who's her boss, who should have kept her doing her job, rather than helping to gut environmental protection? How fast can decisions affected by her behavior be revisited? Is there anything this administration won't do to the environment, our environment, in order to help rich people get richer? Anything?

Maine Christian Civic League and "Pubic" Issues

2007-07-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was curious as to how an avowedly Christian organization could condone trespassing onto private property, trying to remove people from jobs based on their religion, criticizing people who wish to raise their own children according to their own religious beliefs, and so on. To shed light on this, I went to their website, and read through their extensive statements of belief and policy. Just for chuckles, and I'm sure this is a typographical error, but section 15C of this page states clearly that they support open public discussion of "pubic" issues. At least it says so as of this writing. I needed the laugh after reading the rest of the hypocritical statements.

Section 5A states that parents should have the ultimate responsibility and authority in the education of their children".
Section 10 is all about religious freedom.
Section 11, after supporting full religious freedom for all people, and sincere respect for the rights of others, goes on to oppose discrimination on the basis of creed or religion, among the usual other bases. Then they condemn bigotry or hatred against any person or group.
Section 15A and 15E in particular must be seen to be believed. Let's just say that "deep and abiding respect for others" figures prominently.

I encourage you to go read through that page, then this one...particularly the part about inviting all citizens into the political process with graciousness and respect. Once you have gotten the idea about how these people, with the financial support of a number of churches in the state, work hard to make things so wonderful, with respect, honor, openness, and tolerance, then see the treatment they have subjected a Pagan church to, and the attacks on individuals based on their faith. Read here, and here.

Note how when non-Christians wish to raise their children in their own beliefs, that is a big, big problem, despite their stated beliefs in section 5A mentioned above.

In a letter dated June 25, Mike Hein, using the return address of the Civic League, not his own, wrote to the Democratic Party Leadership:
"Because she worships Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft and magic, and publicly promotes this evil paganism to children, she has disqualified herself from this leadership role in Maine's Democrat Party. As a Christian, I condemn paganism, witchraft, sorcery, and the like."

A person commenting on a conservative board as "Augustaneocon", whose profile gives the IM address "MikeHeinCCL", fervently agreed with someone who characterized the Democratic Partly Leadership as "irrational nuts". This was by way of discussing the whole point of Hein's articles on the CCL website. This is not out of context. He wrote, "Spot on, nailed it."

I wonder if the Churches that send money to the Christian Civic League actually support this brand of sincere respect, opposing religious discrimination, and welcoming all citizens into the political process with graciousness and respect. Or if they even know what their donations are really supporting.
Andy ><> ><>

3,611 Dead

2007-07-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Just for those keeping count, we're missing 3,611 troops so far in Iraq. They won't be coming back. Their names will be read with honor in front of the Muskie Federal Building on Sewall Street in Augusta at noon tomorrow, 7-19-2007. Well, starting at noon, and going on for several hours, I imagine. That's a lot of names.
Regretting their loss does not give comfort to the enemy. Wishing we had a president who believed in diplomacy, even though four syllables is a lot for one word, does not support terrorists. Asking for an accounting of the colossal miscalculations that have cost us so much, is not "fuzzy math". My step-son is going back to Iraq, again. The son of a man I went to school with, who still lives a few doors down from me, is going back, again. Real children of real people, just like you and me, continue to risk their lives and limbs, continue to shore up the disaster that has come from hubris, tunnel-vision, and colonialism.
More of the cost can be measured by the systematic stripping of the Bill of Rights by the Bush administration, by the lack of attention and resources available for all the other very real problems we are facing. You know what they are. Those rights are part of what we are so proud of when we say we are patriotic Americans. That's what goes through my mind. I salute the flag, and what goes through my mind is this. Please, Gods, help this country to be the source of pride that it can be. Don't make me overlook corruption, human rights travesties, indifference to tragedy, and rampant religious bigotry before I can feel that pride.
This is the land of the free, and the home of the brave, remember? Let it be so in truth.
Andy ><> ><>

Harry Potter Finals

2007-07-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Along with everyone else whose reading diet includes the odd fantasy novel, I'm looking forward to the last Harry Potter book. From day one, I was impressed to see how many kids got excited about reading for the first time because of HP. My only worry there is that too few parents are cashing in on that interest by providing more and more similar books in the home. There are so many directions to go, and many families have that shelf of six books in the house, but nothing else to show for the last eight or ten years. Why don' they try out Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson stories, Terry Pratchett, Charles De Lint, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Ursula Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, and on and on...?
Adults who only read one or two top popular authors often go the same route. "I love James Patterson, but he only writes four books a year. The rest of the time I have to rent movies." Oh, please! Why not try Lee Child, Harlan Coban, Nelson DeMille, J.A. Jance, Michael Connelly, and on and on...?
Try this: when you pick up your HP7 book this weekend, ask your friendly local bookseller for an additional recommendation, and bring a second book home. I won't say it will change your life, because only you can do that.
Andy ><> ><>

Republicans and pipes.

2007-07-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

What is it with Republicans and pipes, anyway? If Freud were still around, I bet he'd have something to say about this. Remember when Senator Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, likened the internet to a series of tubes? Now we have Dr. James Holsinger, Bush's nominee for Surgeon General, who has written papers likening sex organs to pipe fittings, concluding that gay sex is biologically unnatural.
Setting aside the amusing notion of Republicans with pipe fixations (and possibly oversimplification issues as well), I find that kind of logic objectionable. One can define "biologically unnatural" however one likes. Dr. Holsinger appears to be the kind of guy who trims his nails, trims his beard, clips his ear-hair, and wears fibers not found in nature wrapped around his person. Oh, and is that artificially-shaped silicone distorting the light that should naturally strike his retinas without distortion? Does anyone close to him have tattoos, piercings, surgury, fillings, artificial heart valves, stents, manufactured vitamin or medicine intake? Is that all biologically natural? Of course not. He's simply anti-gay, and wraps that opinion in medical terms because people don't question doctors.
People choose to do all sorts of things that could be seen as unnatural, and some of those things cause health problems. We need a Surgeon General who will address those issues as problems to be solved, not one who sits in judgment on people's lifestyle choices.
Andy ><> ><>

New Hippocratic Oath

2007-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick one: in today's New York Times, page A21, is a "New Hippocratic Oath", submitted by Michael Feldman. In case you missed it, former Surgeon General Carmona revealed on Tuesday that he was ordered to mention President Bush at least three times per page in any of his speeches. To anyone who voted for him, not that many are owning up to it any longer, I have one thing to say. He's your decider; deal with it.
Andy ><> ><>

You say "pagan" like it's a bad thing

2007-07-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Mike Hein, of Maine's so-called "Christian" Civic League, took a break from picking on gays to try his hand at picking on Pagans. The back-story is that a darling of the religious right, Penelope Morrell, an anti-abortion candidate, lost to Deane Jones, a pro-choice candidate, in a recent election for an open seat in the state house. The chair of the Kennebec County Democrats, Rita Moran, was prominent in the campaign. Obviously unhappy that the Dems have some effective leadership, Hein demanded that the Democratic party fire Moran from her elected position on the grounds that she is a Pagan. At the same time, he fired off a "news" story about her involvement in "underground" Pagan activity. The fact that the Pagan group in question has a website, a published location, and is involved with numerous public Pagan activities, seems to have been lost on Mr. Hein. Underground?
When the responses reached over eighty, and nearly all of them chastised Hein for the article, the League stopped printing them, and stopped accepting more. It looked as though Hein had misjudged the public's reaction to his "news". Maybe that would be the end of it?
No way. Today, the League (Exactly who are they in league with? One wonders.) took another shot, this time targeting Edward Lachowicz. News flash: if you're going to "out" somebody, pick somebody who's actually "in" a closet.
This time there are pictures--oh, no! There's a bench! And a statue showing a woman's face! Is that Hecate? I bet she's bad, like so many wars have been fought in Her name, right? No? Well, moving on, oh look, there's what must be some kind of outdoor fireplace! Dear God, have the godless heathens discovered FIRE?!
Okay, enough poking fun. Here's why this pisses me off. These are the people who think the first amendment is all about protecting people's right to be CHRISTIAN. They think it's just fine to discriminate on the basis of religion if someone has the bad taste to believe in Ganesha, Zeus, or Allah. Free rein for Christians, everybody else watch out. This is so contrary to the American way, that I can't find the words for my outrage. This is not what I expect from Christians, and I hope some of them step up and tell Mr. Hein what an embarrassment he is.
The League is looking for money. There's shocker, right? God forbid they have to work for a living. Anybody who sends them some will be standing up AGAINST the freedom of religion, a core American value. Think about it.
Andy><> ><>

At least he's straight in the closet

2007-07-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

The DC Madam story has been slow to produce names, and I'm sure there will be embarrassments on both sides of the aisle before it's over. The latest development is that Senator Vitter, R-Louisiana, a bastion of conservative "family values", has become the second name. Don't get me started on family values. Federal prosecutors have been very much against letting Palfrey's phone records get out. Why would the self-annointed party of morality have anything to worry about? You don't suppose (gasp!) that there are any number of prominent Republicans listed there? Say it isn't so!

Interestingly, according to today's NYTIMES, the madam of a New Orleans brothel has said that Vitter was one of her clients in the 90's. She called him "one of the nicest and most honorable men I've ever met." Damned by fragrant praise...

So while he was climbing the political ladder one morality-proclaiming rung at a time, he was living a less than squeaky-clean extra-marital life, and not just in one instance. While conservatives can often forgive lifestyle lapses, unless they are committed by Bill Clinton, nobody likes a hypocrite.

But the news isn't all bad for the Republicans. At least Vitter's indiscretions don't make them face up to another closet gay in their midst. That's just the worst! Drug addicts, gambling addicts, chronic serial monogamists, liars, cheaters, are all welcome in the "family values" party, defender of morality and marriage. Gays, not so much, so they can breathe easy for now.

This is touching on a wind of change that I've noticed recently. Through the last election cycle, a popular conservative refrain was that the liberals "can't agree on their message". Have you noticed that conservatives are having trouble with that lately? Not just in the obvious way, like they pretend to be for values and upright living, while acting like guests on bad daytime talk-shows off-camera. Also, are they for or against stem-cell research? Amnesty for illegal aliens? Benchmarks in Iraq? Increasing the national debt? Abortion? Gun control? Holding traitors accountable? It's getting harder to tell, isn't it?
Andy ><> ><>

Another, and another, and another.

2007-07-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Kennebec Journal informs us that yet another Maine soldier, Pfc. Jason Dore, has been killed in Iraq. On the back of the first section is a list of twenty-six others lost there. I don't see the most recent two, Sgt. Richard Parker and Sgt Joel House. Put these together, and we have lost twenty-nine soldiers so far. There will be more. They were proud to serve, and their families are rightfully proud of them. Remember why we went? Weapons of mass destruction. Imminent attacks on us. Just because the weapons inspectors couldn't find anything, didn't mean we shouldn't believe the appointed president when he told us the weapons were there, right?

He insists so well, after all. Remember how many times he has insisted that we are "turning a corner" in Iraq? No wonder we're lost there.

Here's my point. Mainers, by and large, want us out of this war. We've got two senators who have been yes-men (women, but you get my point) for the Decider from day one. Why is that? If we want out of this war, we need to decide now to vote for any candidate whom we can trust to help get us out. In my estimation, that person will not be Susan Collins. She may start making waffling noises in the lead-up to the election, but her voting history speaks for itself. The fragile balance in the senate is what has been holding congress back from being able to effect real change. Every (so-called) G.O.P. senator who gets shown the door next year brings us that much closer.

How many more must die for this failed war? I have attended some of these funerals. These are real children, husbands, brothers, of real people, just like you and me, and they are really dying. They are not numbers. They all had so much more to offer. Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, is that enough yet, Senator? Thirty-three, thirty-four, say when...
Andy ><> ><>

Another lefty blog

2007-07-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know there are seven million left-wing blogs out there, but what harm can just one more do? Besides, I'm not a raving, far-lefter, just more or less left. I signed onto the idea that the bill of rights is a good thing long ago, so I can't be right-wing, or even moderate, that's for sure. Oddly, though, having a soft spot for the SECOND amendment can bring your let-wing credentials into question. Go figure.
Okay, here's me. I am a Mainer of old Maine stock, but have spent enough time elsewhere to keep me from being too provincial. I am politically active in various ways, but I do not hold elected office. I am a polytheist. That means, in my case, that I believe in ALL gods. Even yours, though that doesn't obligate you to believe in any of mine. Around the Winter Solstice, you can count on me to get pissed off about the so-called war on Christmas. I have a step-son who has done one tour in Iraq, and who will soon go back for another, so the stupid war is very personal to me.
If you want to help turn up the heat on Bush's cheerleaders, -er, I mean Maine's senators, check out the Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. They want to convince Senator Collins in particular that her constituents want us out of there. It's like global warming, I guess; we can have Muslims plotting to bomb our airports 'til the cows come home, and somehow that doesn't prove anything, like we're making enemies instead of deterring them. The country's on fire right now, but global warming is Gore's delusion. Riiiiiight.
Andy ><> ><>