Thorn-A New Pagan Magazine

Without any doubt, what the world needs is another pagan magazine-not only the pagan world, but the world at large. There have been various attempts at such projects, the most notable being the fabled Green Egg, which finally folded for the second and last time as a print magazine due to overwhelming financial difficulties, and which has now been resurrected as an on-line e-zine. Although you have to subscribe to read the entire thing, you can read parts of the new Green Egg

However, this is not so much about what is probably a vain attempt to revive something whose best days are probably long gone, but about a new, fresh attempt at an endeavor that is stunning in the boldness of its sheer audacity-an attempt to go where few would seek to venture, into the seemingly endangered world of print journalism.

Thorn Magazine aspires to be the new Green Egg, and as it now can legitimately be viewed as past the embryonic and birth stages, and well on it's way to growing into a promising young venture, I would be remiss if I did not mention it in the context of this Imbolc Sabbat.

I don't buy for a minute that the print media is in danger of vanishing completely. There is something about the look feel of a newspaper or a magazine in your hands-whether it is a treasured collector's item that shows slight signs of again, or whether it has the freshness and scent of newly printed and delivered pages with all the vibracy of the colors that caress the senses-that will never be equalled or even approached by the process of sitting in a hunched position, rigidly bound by the natural boundaries imposed by a computer monitor.

Because of this, Thorn can grow and prosper over time, provided it receives the proper care and guidance. It certainly has great promise and potential. I have read a few sample articles and segments that are offered as samples on the on-line site.

There is a bit of something for everybody, from poetry to scholarly articles, magical theories, biographical sketches, historical ruminations-and as one might expect from a pagan magazine, a smattering of nonsense that I could do without. I have high hopes tht this journal can transcend what seems to be an obvious ploy geared towards the less sophisticated among the growing pagan community, whose numbers are legion.

By this I refer specifically to an article entitled Hanging With Thor. A sample of the article should suffice to make my point-

As I brought the beers out of the back room, I was not surprised to hear a familiar voice in the back of my mind, not unlike a clearing of the throat. I knew that it was Thor, making sure we remembered to fill His cup on the altar when we poured ours. What was surprising to me was our guest, who suddenly looked around and asked, “What was that?” Since our kids have all been brought up to listen for the voices of the gods, the whole family suppressed smiles at our non-pagan friend’s surprise. “That’s just Thor,” we reassured him.

There is more along those lines, including the assertion by one of the children as to having spotted a unicorn, which the author seems to think is not undue cause for concern, but rather is evidently something to be encouraged. I frankly have to wonder if the kid is having her jollies at the author's expense.

ALl that aside, this magazine does have the potential to transcend such obvious drivel, and hopefully as it grows, it will reach a level of maturity that will look at such absurd posturings as not conducive to reaching status as a respected and respectable bastion of journalistic responsibility.

And of course, as this is a pagan magazine, you can expect there to be a preponderance of concern over environmental issues, which might or might not be a good thing, depending on whether or not it is carried to an extreme. I seriously question the need to burden what should be a joyous occasion such as the observance of Yule with a fundamentalist, finger pointing and condescendingly environmentalist approach, as seems to be urged in an article, from the December issue, on Tips For Yule.

Don't get me wrong, encouragement of responsible behavior towards the environment and other matters are to be encouraged, of course, but at the same time, I sincerely hope that this magazine doesn't end up going down the same fundamentalist and dogmatic path that I for one am reasonably certain contributed to the demise of the aforementioned Green Egg. After all, we learn from the mistakes of others or we follow in the footsteps of their failures.

That being said, the seeds are certainly there for this magazine to blossom into something that could indeed be special, if it is given the proper care and guidance. I am encouraged by the focus towards real scholarship, for example, when it comes to such things as supposed matriarchal societies and the dubious as best theory of a Near Eastern Great Goddess who some seem to think answers for all manifestations of goddess worship, no matter how varied and widely spread.

To the great credit of many in the pagan community, including those who comprise the staff of this magazine, they do sincerely want to move us beyond such crap as the Burning Times cult of victimhood. Re-evaluating the Work of Marija Gimbutas
Christine by Hoff Kraemer is an example, and well worth your time for an evaluation of how the work of Miss Gimbutas may have been influenced by the necessity of adherence to Soviet orthodoxy, which interestingly enough seems to have been insistent on the belief in a pre-historical matriarchy.

The Ogham Alphabet: Hyperlinks of the Gods by Edwin Chapman is an interesting article that ponders the meaning behind an ancient Druid alphabet that might have been constructed as much as a code for secret communication as for magical purposes.

Walking the Broken Path by Jimmy Two-Hats is an interesting take on the importance in paganism of the practice of magic, and of doing it correctly-and for the right reasons. It touches on the difference between pagans who mostly view religion as a private matter as opposed to most other faiths who put their faith in the divine as the main if not sole impetus for change.

Kitchen Magic might appeal to those more interested in the specifics of a specialized form of magic.

Cherry Hill is an article about the establishment, in South Carolina of all places, of a theological school that offers degrees for those interested in pursuing a career in the pagan clergy.

I for one prefer coven settings, with all the privacy, mystique, and intimacy that entails, but for those who are interested in pursuing such a path, or merely learning about it, well, there it is.

There is more, but I will end this with the following passage about the life of Wilhelm Reich and his controversial theory of orgonomy-

Reich's credentials are impressive. While he was still a student, he was given membership in the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, directly under Sigmund Freud. As a veteran, he was allowed to graduate from the University of Vienna's six year course in four years and did so with a degree in medicine and top honors. He did postgraduate work both at University Hospital in Vienna and at the Neurological and Psychiatric University Clinic and started a private practice at the same time. He was Director of the Seminar for Psychoanalytic Therapy at Psychoanalytic Polyclinic in Vienna for six years, publishing a distinguished book of psychology, Der Triobhafte Charakter, before the age of thirty. He became Vice-Director of the Polcyclinic in Vienna, publishing half a dozen more books before fleeing Hitler's takeover of Germany. Possibly, he fled fascism itself; possibly, he fled death threats and book-burning. As is characteristic of Reich's life, accounts vary.

His was clearly a distinguished career from an early age, and he had a very promising career ahead as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. However, his path would take him elsewhere. During this time, Reich began what he viewed as his greatest success, indeed his life's work— research that would see him hounded from country to country, eventually jailed and, after his death, frequently reviled as a crackpot, madman, or fraud. That was his journey from adept young therapist to researcher in the literal energy of orgasm— as he called it, "orgonomy."

Reich of course may have been ahead of his time, or he might well have been a crackpot, but one thing is for certain-he was interesting, to say the least. Hopefully the publishers of Thorn will take that as a kind of road map to success. It doesn't so much matter whether or not you're or right or wrong, so long as you are willing to learn from your mistakes. In the meantime, if you follow your dreams, that is all that really matters. If the two previous statements sound contradictory, consider this-in almost every case, being right or wrong isn't a matter of the dream, it's a matter of the approach to fulfilling it.

If Thorn evolves into a magazine that is consistently fresh, inspiring, invigorating, and compelling, it will grow and prosper. If it falls into a rigid form of dogmatism and obligatory PC orthodoxy, especially if it offers little to no dialogue in the way of debate on given matters, they will suffer the fate of so many before them, including the legendary Green Egg. Their readership will dwindle until it too folds like all the rest.

For now, though I am sure there are many who will try to push them down that path, I am trying to be hopeful they will not heed such advice.

My "Sermon" For Imbolc

I thought the following comment I made to an anarchist by the name of Larry Gambone on the socialist blog Renegade Eye constituted what amounts to a pretty good sermon, and if I do say so myself, is worthy of reprinting here as a part of this day's Imbolc festivities-such as they are.

The message here is simple and timely. If people want to change the world, they have to start with themselves. In our Western society, our own decadence and profligate spending has been our undoing. The main point to this can be boiled down as-if you don't like it, don't buy it. If it tastes bad, don't eat it. If it smells, don't fuck with it.

The beauty of the capitalist system, at it's best, is that people already have the power, if they would but exercise it. Many of my comments will seem inexplicable, because they are in the context of earlier conversations. Still, the gist of it is there. A new age might well be dawning, and it might well be more difficult than anything most of us have ever transitioned. However, we can not only adapt, we can adopt and make it our own.

We do have the power to grow a brave new and young world the way we want our world to be, out of what might well turn into the ashes of the old. Nor do we have to adopt something radical to do so. We just have to go back to the basics, as I explain in the following reproduced comments-

I don't mean to be coming off like an apologist for big business, because I am not that at all. I think they should be reined in to a very great extent more than what they are. But you have to be careful with how you go about doing that, with what laws you use and how you implement them, because you are setting a very serious precedent.

If you use government power to break up large corporations, then you had better make sure you are on solid ground. We have anti-trust laws, and we have notable exceptions to those laws (major league baseball is one example of of this). Aside from those anti-trust laws, which should be rigidly enforced, what can you do?

I've already told you, people have to change their habits, their lifestyles, in fact they have to change their hearts. This rampant consumerism is what is driving this. Nobody is holding a gun to people's heads and forcing them to spend money that in a good many cases they don't even have to spend. The government isn't doing that, nor is business, though they go out of their way to promote and encourage it.

Get with the program, Gambone, I thought you and Ren were all about giving power to the people. What do you think you are going to accomplish taking a few people out on the streets shouting with bullhorns.

Reason it out in your head. How many people have changed their minds about having an abortion because some right-wing fanatic shoves a picture of a chopped up fetus in their face.

I'm not saying that you do anything anywhere near that disgusting or reprehensible (though I can somehow see you throwing a pie with horse semen marangue in Donald Trump's face), I'm just saying that these kinds of things have limited value at best-and that's usually limited to entertainment value.

If you want to do something constructive to change the system, start a movement to discourage people from profligate spending and dependence on credit cards. If people were more frugal with their money some of these behemoth corporations would collapse from the weight of their own debt. What ones survived would have to adopt to a more viable business model that was more human and community friendly.

I know it might not quite have the dramatic appeal of burning flags and blocking street traffic, but the difference is, my way might actually accomplish something.

You're addicted to politics still and are still hooked on the notion of political solutions by way of organized party activities. Me, I believe in people power.

As Madison told Jefferson once "your people, sir, are a great beast".

He was never more right than when he uttered those words, and it's time to rouse that beast. Screw the government, and screw political parties-all of them.

So there you have it. In our society, consumers have the power to bring down the government and the huge corporations on which they are dependent, and can do so without firing a shot. You merely ceases and desist from spending more than you have to spend. You can make allowances from time to time, of course, but as a general rule, exercise your power judiciously while you still have a modicum of it to wield.

The real beauty of this idea is, you can do this legally. If everyone would refuse to buy into the consumer culture to the extent that luxuries become seen as near-necessities, the nonsense would stop. As I said, businesses would adapt or die.

Moreover, what can anybody do about it? A person who tries to overthrow the government through force or rebellion, or even by supporting an alternate party, will accomplish little to nothing. In the worse case scenario, they can be tried for treason or sedition, and in the best of circumstances, their party of choice, if victorious, eventually becomes a part of the same establishment, and thus a part of the problem, at least sooner or later (or they substitute an even bigger set of problems in some cases).

No one can be prosecuted or tried for failing to take out a credit card or for buying things they don't really need, or for making do with less (especially since what they usually purchase in many cases is well beyond their needs). You can do this merrily and cheerfully, and change society.

The best thing about it is it doesn't require scrapping the constitution or adopting communism or fascism, far from it. In fact, it might be the very thing that could save our system and make it once more function in the way it was originally meant to function-a nation where the people rule and the government is their servant, not as the enforcers of a corporate or any other kind of special interest elite.

Obama, McCain, Palin, etc.-none of them can save us. We have to save ourselves.

Imbolc-A Druid Meditration

The following is a Druid invocation for Imbolc which was forwarded to the Missouri Druid Alliance by group owner Shadowhawk.

With your eyes closed, take a few moments to breathe and
feel your place on the Earth.

Close your inner eyes and when you open them, find yourself
standing in the corner of a meadow bordered by a mixed hedge. The
ground slopes away from you towards a wood that lies just beyond a small
stream. It's winter and the meadow grass looks tired and flat; but
cobwebs tangle the dry and rattling remains of willowherb,
meadowsweet and hogweed, catching the last of the light as
the sun sinks behind the trees. You see your breath rise in clouds
of vapour and the air feels cold and damp against your face, but you
are dressed warmly for your journey. From where you stand,
there is no obvious way into the wood, but as you start towards it, you
notice a robin perched in the top of a hawthorn beside you. He cocks
his head and makes his fluted call as though in greeting, then flits
a few yards further on; pausing to look back.

You take this as an invitation to follow him and so begin
to make your way along the line of the hedge towards the place
where the stream emerges from among a stand of trees. You can see
enough in the failing light to identify hazel with its hanging yellow
catkins and elder with its tangle of gnarled branches, but they are
dominated by a group of alders, their catkin-laden branches making
distinctive patterns against the clear sky. As you come closer, you
notice how the roots of the alder reach into the stream; allowing the
water to flow through them and yet the trees stand secure and solid.

A blackbird, disturbed by your presence, flies from the
bramble thicket, calling in alarm and draws your attention to a
deer track through the scrubby undergrowth on the other side of the
stream. You cross, using the support of the alder branches for help and
then start to make your way into the wood, your feet crunching
softly on the forest floor.

There is much less light here and you begin to feel a
little apprehensive, not sure of your destination. Crouching low
to avoid the snagging branches, you can just make out the track
through the trees as it winds its way up a slope, through the damp and
decaying leaf litter. There are more mature trees here; you can feel
their age and the weight of their presence above and around you as
you make your way onward. Soon the gloom turns into true darkness
and you feel your way forward with each step; using your hands as you
climb the slope, the rich scent of the earth fills you with each
breath. You seek the peace of your intention within yourself and
whisper to the spirits of the forest to guide you and, raising your eyes,
you see a pale glimmer ahead of you.

You make towards it in wonder, discovering a clearing at
the top of the incline which is carpeted by snowdrops, seeming to glow
under a quarter moon. You murmur your thanks to the spirits and
move to sit in the shelter of the tangled roots of an old oak tree,
wrapping your arms around yourself for warmth. Beneath the benign gaze of
the moon, with the solid presence of the oak against your back, you
begin to drift into a trance-like state.

You feel yourself sinking; down. Down into the leaf litter
beneath the mighty oak. Down into the cold, damp earth. Down into
the dark.
You are small. A tiny seed in the heart of the forest and
you feel the press of the Earth all around you as you sleep safe
within her
womb. Your brothers and sisters are all gathered around you
and you can hear the soft humming of their song joining with your
own as you dream beneath the frost of winter.

It is hard to say what changes, but suddenly there is a
stirring; the first tiny flickering of wakefulness sends out shimmers
through the darkness. You hear a change in the cadence of the song and
know that your brothers and sisters are waking and you respond.
Tentatively, you stretch out; unfurling from your foetal ball, drawing
energy from the remembered songs of summer and the earth around you,
you begin to push upward. You can feel the weight of winter pressing
down on you, but you have untold power within your tiny form and you
push against it, seeking to break through, as the songs of your siblings
draw you ever onward into wakefulness.

Suddenly you feel the first touch of warmth on the crown of
your head and you find a new strength. Stretching upward, you raise
your arms to embrace the first rays of the sun; your head bowed in
honour, yet fully awake and alive to his presence and blessed by his
message of hope for new life…

The robin trills somewhere close by and you are aware once
more of your human form, resting against the oak tree. Opening your
eyes, you see the dawn light bringing a glow to the sea of pale
flowers all around you. You feel a kinship with them and the air seems
to be full of their soul song and the story of their growing. You give
thanks and reach into your pocket for a gift; an offering to the
forest.

Then, stretching out the stiffness in your limbs, you rise
from your resting place beneath the oak and face the sunrise,
revelling in even the small warmth it offers after the chill of the night.
You breathe deeply in the frosty air, allowing it to dispel the last
clinging traces of sleep and make you fully alert and aware of the
world around you.

As you make you way down the slope between the trees, it
strikes you how different the woods look in the morning light. Great
tits call to one another in the branches above you and somewhere ahead,
you can hear the chattering song of the wren. You follow the deer
track to the edge of the wood, hearing the music of the stream by
the foot of the alders and, coming closer, you see more clearly the
patterns made by the flow of the water.

You pause to give thanks for all you have been shown and
then cross the stream and make your way back up through the meadow. As
you climb, slowly become aware of your physical body; feel
yourself here upon the earth; become aware of the space around you.
Return to this place alert and refreshed.

© The Druid Network 2003-2008

This Site Is NOT Harmful To Your Computer (I Hope)

And if it is it's not my fault, blame Blogger for that, because evidently, according to Google search results, not only might this site be "harmful to your computer" so is evidently any site on the internet that turns up on their search engine. This is a big problem. I for one found it impossible to proceed to any sites, despite being informed that I could at my own risk, for the simple fact that they failed to provide a working link by which to proceed. Good luck finding out what's going on. I don't feel like jumping through hoops over this bullshit, and most of their procedural instructions are incomprehensible to me. I just don't have the time for it.

Result-
Bye bye Google
Hello Yahoo

When you get right down to it the difference between Google and any other search engine is pretty fucking minimal once you get past all the Google add-ons which one, are in themselves pretty fucking useless and 2, you could probably find on myriads of other site engines, or a version thereof.

Try this experiment. Google a name of someone you know, someone that you know good and damn well is listed somewhere on the internet. Let's pick a fictitious name at random, like say, Christopher Billingley. Type name of your choice into a searh engine-any god damned one of them-and this will likely be your result.

CHRISTOPHER Jones; Myron Davis; Alicia Bell; David Hackworth; Sylvia BILLINGSLY; Marcus Young: Debra Sowder

Get it? This kind of crap will usually be in regards to a list in which all these names appear, and the fucking so-called advanced Google search results can't even differentiate between the name of one person with several different people who have just one of those names. If you're lucky, and you have the motherfucking time and patience, you might eventually find the person you are looking for if you wade through oh, say fifty-seven pages of results.

So what happens if you use quotation marks in your search query, like so-"Christopher Billingsly"? Nine times out of ten you'll get a page saying there are no search results. Bear in mind, this is for a query for a person you know good and damn well has been listed on the internet. How do I know this? Because I have done it and seen it all. That's not the least of it. I have found four or five separate people on the internet, only, in following up at a later time, to see their listings have vanished, almost as it they never ever existed.

I have always accepted this as an unfortunate aspect of a flawed technology and let it go, and when I see these dumb shits on the internet promoting how great Google is, I usually just laugh it off and shake my head in amazement. These are the kind of fuck heads that would be deliriously impressed by a motion detector in a towel dispenser at a public washroom. But when I read apologies for the kind of nonsense that's going on with Google today, I just can't take it anymore. It's time for people to get their heads out of their asses and off the bandwagon. No, Google is not rocket science, stop acting like it is, and don't you dare try to tell me that it's anywhere near that advanced. Rationalizing this fucking shit is like typing the letter "K" and getting the number "8" and making excuses for it.

The only conceivable explanation that absolves Google of some degree of blame in this mess is if it were to turn out that this is the result of a hacker who somehow sabotaged them.

I have an idea its more than likely the result of a policy that requires a bunch of geeks to always be doing something to justify their continued employment. Sooner or later that is always going to result in one kind of fuck up or another, and in this case, boy is this ever one hell of a fuck up.

More Republican Angst-And Oh Yeah, The Return Of The Romneylan

The Republicans have been meeting to try to map out a strategy to regain power, and they might well make it-if they can only figure out who they are and what they stand for. One of their slogans is "Republican For A Reason" which is on signs strewn throughout the meeting hall, and to which one of the attending delegates remarked the following-

"Republican for a reason?" says Stephen Scheffler, a committeeman from Iowa, pausing before a banner carrying the slogan. "I don't know what that means."

Evidently, even among those who have a vague clue as to what it means, there is a variety of opinions, and not all of them are good. To those people wanting to drag the Republican Party into the Twenty-First century, it might be helpful if you could start out by dragging a good many of them out of the nineteen sixties. Like for example the fellow that said the following-

All the Obama love in the air isn't helping their moods, either. Jim Bopp, a committeeman from the Great State of Indiana, grumbled before coming into town that "there's kind of a 'Kumbaya' feeling in the country."

Yes, there is, and yes, this is lame, but so is using a reference that makes you look like a Bull Connor apologist. It's like some churches I've been to, and though that has been a while, it has been in this decade, and believe me if you go to any Baptist Chruch long enough, you will invariably hear some preacher at some point complain about the philosophy of "If it feels good do it" which of course was an old sixties saying (and a song, by the way) that almost nobody but them ever says anymore, or for that matter remembers, if the truth were known.

So why do they do this kind of stuff? You take a good look around you sitting in the pews and it becomes pretty easy to figure out. There is always a large section of elderly folks who still never quite got over the shenanigans of the sixties, back in the day when they were thirty and forty and actually started to first feel like they had wasted their lives, that the world had certainly gone to hell in a hand basket, and here they are stuck in the son-of-a-bitch, getting carried along for the ride and not in the least bit enjoying it.

This is pretty much the state of the Republican Party today, wondering what the hell went wrong, how their leaders went astray, why they never reined them in, why they just turned a blind eye to the corruption and the hypocrisy, all the time the Democratic Party looked to be laughably trying to position themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility.

Here's the bad part. They still haven't figured it out yet. The major focus of the meeting seems not to be so much about staking out party positions based on principles, but on adopting policies most likely geared to win them elections. Rush Limbaugh pointed out the obvious flaw in this line of thinking-

On the airwaves and in print, the Republicans keep blasting away, gnawing on each other's tender wounds. There's former congressman Tom Davis, once the chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee, declaring in op-eds that "our party is broken" and tsk-tsking the GOP for pushing away "soccer moms" with its social policies and "NASCAR dads" with its ethical failings. And there's Rush Limbaugh giving fellow Republicans what for, and getting some grief in return.

"The Republican Party is making a big, big -- the conservative movement, too -- making a big, big mistake in planning for the future," he told Fox's Sean Hannity. "You hear things like 'Well, the Republican Party needs to identify the middle class, the Wal-Mart voters, and come up with policies for them. And then we've got to come up with policies for the Hispanics because they hate us due to illegal immigration.' "
And the ultimate insult from Limbaugh: that's the way Democrats do things

Of course there is also a major flaw in Limbaugh's thinking. The Republicans do have to adapt, and they do have to reach out to a broader cross section of America. Still, it is true they can best do that by offering concise explanations as to how conservative principles will benefit them as members of this or that community, not by trying to be the party of big government with a conservative face. That, I tell you, is a sure pathway to utter annihilation.

Voters who want big government want it for a reason. They want it because they are "liberal" or "progressive" and want the government involved to a large degree in most if not all aspects of American society, and this is mainly because they perceive some benefit to them by supporting this. It does not follow that these voters are going to support a big government party who tells them to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It actually makes so little sense it might be considered a sign of mental derangement to imagine they would.

No, the big government folks are firmly settled within the orbit of the Democratic Party. That only leaves folks who by natural inclination want government out of their lives as much as humanly possible. To them preaching big government in any form in an earlier time in some extreme cases would result in your body being pulled down from the sturdiest branch of a secluded oak tree in the wee hours of the morning. In most cases you would simply be laughed off as a deluded crank, or cursed as a communist sympathizer or fellow traveler. You would not win their vote, and in some cases might even have it cast against you as a protest.

That is in effect what has been going on. I and some others warned about the very real danger of nominating John McCain, a man who lost twenty percent of Kentucky primary voters after he had the nomination sealed. He got back a significant portion of such voters as this when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate-including myself. Had he not picked her, or someone similar, he would have lost worse than he did. As it happened, it still wasn't enough. The same people who are now worried sick over the Republican Party's ability to win elections are to a great extent the ones actually responsible for the hateful and malicious rhetoric aimed at Palin and her family. They were incensed at McCain for bringing this knuckle-dragging cave woman into such a position of prominence within THEIR Grand Old Party.

Now that the sons-of-bitches (and some cunts) helped destroy what chances McCain and Palin had of winning, after they went out of their way to help him secure the nomination, they are at a loss as to comprehend the reason for their fall from grace with the American public.

I wouldn't really know where to begin, but I do know where to end. If you are against big government, then you can't pick and choose when it's all right to suit you. That includes such things as abortion and gay marriage. It's fine to be against those things and speak against them, but it's quite a different matter when you want the government to get involved in stopping them on the federal level. That is NOT the essence of conservatism, and the idea of making it so by pushing for constitutional amendments is actually missing the point.

There is a far better reason to involve government in such things as energy legislation, health care reform, and reducing pollution than there is to get involved with these social issues. You can make a case, for example, that the rising costs of medical care affects everyone adversely. If someone runs up a huge bill and, through inability to pay, that cost is passed on to the other consumers, it adds up to a significant percentage of the negative drag on our economy.

However you feel about abortion, it does not have that kind of effect. Overturning Roe v Wade might well be an admirable goal, and probably is. However, it does not follow that such a goal should be followed, if successful, by an equally odious extreme involving the long arm of the federal government. Simply put, Republicans need to do a better job at explaining why the states should handle these matters, and the federal government is best left out of it, either pro or con.

Mitt Romney was at the meeting, and one of the things he pointed out, with some justification, was Obama's recent reversal of an executive order which previously prevented federal funds from going to international agencies that performed or counseled abortion. But see, here again, this is just more red meat that will not move the dial past the party faithful. There needs to be more than just disgust and dismay due to religious or moral objections to a medical procedure that is in at least some cases arguably justified.

The whole picture of international aid needs to be thoroughly examined. Why should any of them receive American taxpayer money? If a case can be made that they are putting it to good use and it is helping those it is supposedly meant to help, then make that case, and if it is going into the bank accounts of tin-horn dictators, then make the case with equal voracity that it should be cut. After all, as someone has recently reiterated, foreign aid is money that is taken from the working poor of wealthier nations to line the pockets of the wealthy and corrupt rulers of poor nations.

This is what needs to be hammered home, not that some agencies are performing abortions.

Words and how they are expressed mean a lot, and in this day and age of the seven second sound bite, carelessly chosen words can be all the difference between majority and minority parties.

In the last election, Americans were called to choose a hope they could believe in. Their choice was between "Yes we can" versus "Bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb-bomb Iran".

It's not always Americans fault that they sometimes make the wrong choices.

Under The Carpet And Out The Door

The indictment of now former Governor Rod Blagojevich by Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgeral on corruption charges, followed by his impeachment in the Illinois House, and finally the conviction in the Illinois Senate which finally removed him from office, happened so fast its breathtaking.

In a way you have to wonder why politicians can't work this fast more often. Just think how much they could get done if they but would. On the other hand, there is a reason that is not always such a good idea. A lot of time, actions taken in haste do not always result in the best outcome. The more serious is the matter, the more appropriate the scrutiny. In this case, do we really know all there is to know?

As I've said before, I know this guy is probably corrupt and doubtless did at least a great deal of what he was accused of doing. Still, would this have gotten that far under ordinary circumstances, with a Governor whose state controlled not only both houses of the legislature, but all but one state-wide office? It would seem unlikely. So, what's the story here? Why did Patrick Fitzgerald pounce on this so quickly? No one seems to know or to even care as to what his original impetus was to conduct an investigation of the governor to begin with.

I think the following paragraph from the Wikipedia entry on Blagojevich might just tell you all you need to know-

As of October 13, 2008 (well before Blagojevich's arrest), an unprecedented 0% of Illinois voters rated him excellent in a Rasmussen poll, with 4% rating him good, 29% fair, and 64% poor.[62] Blagojevich ranked as "Least Popular Governor" in the nation according to Rasmussen Reports By the Numbers.[12]
On October 23, 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported that Blagojevich suffered the lowest ratings ever recorded for an elected politician in nearly three decades of Chicago Tribune polls. The survey of 500 registered likely voters conducted showed that 10% wanted Blagojevich re-elected in 2010, while three-fourths said they didn't want him back for a third term. The survey also showed only 13% approved of Blagojevich's performance, while 71% disapproved. Only eight percent of the state's voters believe Blagojevich has lived up to his promise to end corruption in government. 60% of Democrats did not want him to serve another term in office, and 54% disapproved of the job he had done. Among independent voters, 83% disapproved of his performance and 85% of them rejected a Blagojevich third term.[63] Blagojevich said in October 2008 that if he were running for re-election this year, he would win, and the economy, not his federal investigations, had caused his unpopularity.[11]
In February 2008, Blagojevich's approval ratings had been, by various accounts, 16% to the low 20s, which was lower than those of then-President George W. Bush in Illinois.[18]

So there you have it. Assuming Blagojevich had no intention of stepping aside at the end of his term and fully intended to fight for re-election, the Illinois Democrats, state office-holders as well as the Illinois Congressional delegation, had every reason in the world to get rid of him by any means possible. Unfortunately for Blagojevich, he made it far too easy for them to do so.

This man had no friends in Illinois. He was successful in acquiring office through the influence of his father, first to the state legislature and then to the US House of Representatives, until he finally won election, and then re-election, as Governor. But somewhere in between the beginning and the end, he seems to have alienated every potential ally he ever had, including those within his own party. He was in fact a pariah well before this scandal became public knowledge. He has even long been considered mentally unhinged well before it became popular to give such assessments public utterance. He almost came to blows with a member of the Illinois legislature, and has had more than his share of problems with Mayor Dailey of Chicago, at one point pressing him to fund the Chricago Transit Authority with the proceeds of the sale of city property as related in this article from 2007.

He has constantly been at odds with the Illinois legislature over such things as the legalization of Keno. He has also engaged in other kinds of funding schemes, for example by pressing for education funding, but in such a way as to potentially endanger state pension funds, according to his critics, who are legion. He has constantly harangued the legislature to remain in session until such budget matters are satisfactorily resolved. This by the way could be the source of his charge that they want to get rid of him in order to pave the way to raise taxes on Illinois citizens.

A look at his record, however-a statewide smoking ban, gun control legislation, comprehensive education initiatives, etc.-would seem to tag him not so much as a tax and spend liberal but as a spend and borrow populist. In all honesty, the state is probably better off without him.

Nevertheless, more should be troubled at the implication that the office of Federal Prosecutor in the person of Patrick Fitzgerald should be co-opted for the purpose of an inner-party housecleaning. Not that I find that to be all that surprising-just disturbing.

The New York Times Chances Are Slim

I don't even know where to begin in trying to figure out this story I lifted from The Fat Guy. I'll give it a shot though. These days, nobody really wants to read this rag, so its losing money like a drunken sailor in a Bangkok whore house. It's hemorrhaging cash to the extent that in the last five months it's stock value has lost more than fifty percent of its worth, just within that span of time.

Naturally, to many this would be an opportunity, so up pops a Mexican billionaire by the name of Carlos Slim, who is reportedly the second wealthiest man in the world. Worse, this seems to be a trend, with oligarchs from all over the world buying up cash strapped American companies.

What this means in this particular case, of course, is that the New York Times editorial policy might conceivably reflect the views and opinions of this Mexican foreign national who is as of now majority stockholder. In other words, not a hell of a lot would change. That's the sad part. The Times has lost a large percentage of its readership due to the understandable perception among many that it is biased in its news coverage, to say the least.

So now, what happens? Somebody comes along to make sure the paper gets to stay in business retching up the same daily bilge, as though it will somehow influence people, given an extra lifeline of support. Why else buy this fish-wrapper, but as a propaganda device? He sure as hell can't be thinking he's going to make a decent profit, and so far as I know this would not qualify as charitable donation. Well, I guess it could amount to a tax write-off to some extent, but hell now.

Below are some excerpts from the Yahoo News article-

The $250 million investment by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim could provide some synergies with his telecommunications holdings in Latin America, analysts say.

The Times, which also publishes The Boston Globe and International Herald Tribune, has been trying to conserve cash as advertising revenues continue to slide. Newspaper publishers across the country are hurting amid the economic downturn and as advertisers shift spending online. The Times slashed its quarterly dividend by 74 percent in November and plans to raise $225 million from its new, 52-story Manhattan headquarters, either by selling the building and leasing it back or borrowing against it. It also put its stake in the Boston Red Sox up for sale.

Slim is part of a crop of emerging-market billionaires, from Mexico to Russia, who are on a shopping spree now that the recession has slashed the prices of some of America's best-known companies.

The Times announced late Monday the financing agreement with Slim's companies Banco Inbursa and Inmobiliaria Carso for $125 million each. Times President Janet L. Robinson said the cash infusion will be used to refinance existing debt and will provide the company with increased financial flexibility.

New York Times shares slipped 8 cents to $6.33 in morning trading Tuesday, the first trading day after the company announced the deal.


Slim and members of his family purchased 6.4 percent of the company's publicly traded shares. The Times said the value of Slim's investment has since fallen to $58 million from $128 million.

Note how the Times is losing so much money they are considering making up the shortfall by selling their stake in the Boston Red Sox, probably one of the few enterprises they are involved with that has at least the potential to be profitable. Now that is determination.

Oh well-so many American products are made overseas, I guess its just a logical progression that anything with the by now rare slogan Made In America should be run by CEOs from anywhere but. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can in many cases be a positive trend if it bolsters the economy and saves American jobs, and should not be viewed with undue alarm.

Regardless of that general idea, however, when foreign nationals purchase the so-called "newspaper of record" I would think that should be cause for at least some concern over the prospect of conflict of interest, not only in the editorial pages, but in potential for continued slanted news coverage for which the paper is more renowned than anything else. Just imagine how heads would have turned if it turned out that the New York Times of the nineteen sixties, seventies, and eighties was really controlled by Soviet nationals with connections to Pravda or the KGB after all.

That has in fact long been a suspicion, one that was well-founded, though unproven. In this case, maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe Slim will turn the paper around and make it profitable again, as unlikely as that seems.

The question is, why bother?

Ceiling Cat Nose You Tohts, K?

I don't like to link the same blog more than one time within a short period of time, and it's especially unusual to link the same post more than once, but this one by Patrick at Born Again Bourgeois is just too good to pass up.

It seems that almost the entire Bible has been translated into LOLCat, and is available on-line. LOLCat, for the uninitiated, is an internet meme of humorous cat photos with captions, and it has led to the development of its own form of internet shorthand.

Here is the main page of the LOLCat Bible and following is an excerpt from the Book of John-

Teh Cat Macro Becamded Flesh

1 In teh beginz is teh meow, and teh meow sez “Oh hai Ceiling Cat” and teh meow iz teh Ceiling Cat.

2 Teh meow an teh Ceiling Cat iz teh bests frenz in teh begins.

3 Him maeks alls teh cookies; no cookies iz maed wifout him.

4 Him haz teh liefs, an becuz ov teh liefs teh doodz sez “Oh hay lite.”

5 Teh lite iz pwns teh darks, but teh darks iz liek “Wtf.”

6 And teh Ceiling Cat haz dis otehr man; his naem iz John.

7 He tellz teh ppl dat teh lites is tehre, so dat teh doodz mite bleev.

8 Him wuz not teh lite; he jsut sez teh lites is tehre.

9 Teh tru lite ov lotz of lite wuz comes, k?

10 He iz liek, “Oh hai, I mades u,” but teh wurld duznt sees him.

11 He iz comes to his stuffs, but his stuffs sez “Do not want!”

12 And sum guyz did want, and sez “Teh Ceiling Cat pwns,” and deez guyz iz liek his kidz—

13 But not liek reel kidz, k? Iz liek teh Ceiling Cats kidz.

Ceiling Cat is of course God, and The Meow (The Word) is Christ. Although he is not mentioned in the preceding passage, the Devil is Basement Cat.

It's a pretty cool little project by people who obviously have way too much time on their hands. Maybe eventually they'll get around to doing a version of The Iliad or some of the other Classics and ancient myths, which would be a real blast. For the record, I strongly recommend they avoid the temptation to translate the Koran.

Globish-A New Language Of Few Words

A new world language is here, and actually has been for some time, and it has the potential of spreading and winning wide acceptance in a way Esperanto could have never hoped to achieve. Perhaps you have noticed how, when non-English speakers learn the language, they are all remarkably similar. Well, someone has noticed it, and as a result is now pushing this potentially ground breaking and unifying new language which he calls Globish.

It contains a very basic vocabulary of just over one thousand words, and about the only people in the world who are at a disadvantage in a conversation involving Globish are speakers of English. Yet, could this possibly evolve into something more complex over time? Might we eventually have journals and novels written in Globish? Could it possibly become the world's second language of choice, and eventually, depending on its evolution over time, into the first?

Many are not thrilled at the prospect, to say the least, but there are those who find the idea appealing. I don't know, though, I think they might help their cause were they to adopt a different spokesperson, however appropriate he might seem as a model for the Globish speaker of the world.



Hat Tip to Patrick at Born Again Bourgeois

Conservapedia-aka You Have Got To Be Joking

You might consider the following exhibit A as to why the Republican Party has lost the last two elections. It is supposedly from a site called Conservapedia. Although it was founded by a son of Phyllis Schafley (based on the proposition that Wikipedia, from which it was modelled, has a liberal bias) as a conservative learning tool for home-schooled conservative children and a reference guide for social conservatives in general, this entry at least seems to read more like Landover Baptist. Click on the picture to enlarge. I have more thoughts on this matter below, as this might not be so cut-and-dried as it seems.



Sometimes it's really better to just keep your sentiments to yourelf, isn't it? Or, is this a legitimate representation of the site's views? Bear in mind, I found out about this from Wonkette.

I have to wonder if this might be a matter of trolling. Conservapedia prides itself on being harder to disrupt than Wikipedia, in that they have more stringent guidelines for posting and editing. Still, how hard could it be to open an account, wait a few weeks or even months, possibly post a few minor entries in order to secure status, and then make a submission designed to embarrass the site and make waves? One possible clue is the title of the above picture, which is "killem", but of course anyone who saves a picture from a site onto their computer can change the name of the image. If it was a legitimate or semi-legitimate (posted by a true conservative who is about three bricks short of a load), the name may have been different. Or maybe not.

To be sure, there are undoubtedly conservatives who genuinely feel this way, just as there are more than a handful of liberals who are as bad or worse. A few random samplings of the more lunatic postings of Democratic Underground, for just one example, would certainly attest to that.

Nevertheless, this is quite remarkable. Bear in mind one or a few conservative posters does not necessarily represent the majority, even on Conservapedia, which for the time being is down for "maintenance". A visit to their site reveals the following temporary posting-

Conservapedians,

We are working on some maintenance now. Conservapedia will be back up shortly.

Thank you for your patience, Conservapedia Staff

When the site is back up, I have an idea the offending posting will have been removed. In the meantime-Wonkette, if you did that, (1) you ought to be ashamed of yourselves and (2) okay, yes, that was hilarious.

And if this really was an intentional posting by Conservapedia-yes, I know many leftists and liberals are every bit as bad, but remember, the conservative movement is the one at a severe disadvantage, for now, and these kinds of antics are not helpful, to put it lightly.

UPDATE-Well, the page is back up-kind of. Yeah, the page is there, with the title Democratic Senators From States With Republican Governors. However, aside from that tile, the page is a blank, empty, save for the usual side-bar links and whatnot, the things that appear on all pages, like for example a link to the home page. Judging by this, I was correct in my assessment that the page being down for maintenance was precisely due to this article, though as far as I know they have not directly addressed the controversy yet. Maybe in time they will. I would like to see some kind of attempt at an explanation, denial, accusation of sabotage, or something, even if its something stupid. Come to think of it, that would be so much the better.

Jerusalem

Now that Hamas has claimed victory in the face of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, maybe people will finally start to catch on that this problem is never going to be solved, at least not within the lifetimes of any of us living now, if ever.

Oh, it could be solved, but there are a very few limited ways in which this could be accomplished, none of which is feasible.

1. The world communities establish a separate nation for the Palestinians away from Israeli borders. My idea would be for donated land-preferably with a coastline to facilitate trade-somewhere in an area of land somewhere near Oman or Yemen, with Saudi Arabia contributing a share of the land as well. They and the international community could help develop it. A further compensation package for Palestinian heads of households of families who are descended from those who lost property at the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 could be added. Though it might seem inordinately expensive, it would pay for itself in a decades time if it produced the desired result-peace, at long last.

The problem-The world community would never go along with this, and in fact I have been accused of promoting ethnic cleansing. So, there's one potential solution more or less out the window. What's next?

2. Hand Jerusalem over to the Palestinians. Not just the eastern part of it, all of it. Although it might seem radical, I am reasonably certain a deal could be arranged to insure the rights of Jews and Christians. The problem would be finding a significant number of them who would be willing to stay aside from Christian Arabs. It might help if Jews were allowed to rebuild the Temple, though of course they would not be able to do so on the original spot, which is now occupied by the Dome Of The Rock.

The problem-Israel is highly unlikely to accede to handing all of Jerusalem over to become the capitol of a proposed Palestinian state. It galls them beyond belief that they might have to hand over East Jerusalem back to Arab control, but most Israeli politicians seem reluctantly amenable to that in theory. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that East Jerusalem on its own will be enough. If it is ceded to the Palestinians, or to the care of the Jordanians as a protectorate much like Lichtenstein or Andorra, or even if it becomes a state in its own right like the Vatican (which would probably be impractical) it would still be a useless gesture if the entire city was not included in the package.

Why is Jerusalem such an important piece of the puzzle? Simply put, Jerusalem is the only reason this controversy continues on, and has for the last sixty years. All other issues are sideshow distractions at the least, but more to the point, they are tactical maneuvers.

Consider-if upon the formation of the state of Israel in 1948, the city of Jerusalem, all of it, were not included, but instead was given over entirely to the proposed Palestinian entity at that time, yet every single square inch of Israel was otherwise the same-this would not be such an issue, if indeed it were an issue at all.

Certainly there would have been objections, possibly even war. It might have dragged on for a decade or two, conceivably even three. But it would not have dragged on for sixty years. It would not be dragging on now, with no conceivable end in sight.

If Israel would simply give up all of Jerusalem and vacate the premises, the problem would be solved. Such non-relevant issues as the so-called "right of return" and even objections to the "apartheid wall" would vanish like the morning dew, only unlike that phenomenon, they would never be heard from again. All of the other cities lost in the formation of Israel, such as Haifa, Joppa, Tel Aviv, etc., would suddenly become distant memories in the minds and hearts of the Palestinians. And really, think about it. What is the real connection of the average Palestinian living today to those places? For the most part, their sole connection to them is through old weathered photos of a great-grandparent and in some cases a few land deeds. The vast majority of Palestinians living today have never set foot in these places, let alone lived there. Their emotional connection is hyperbolic sentimentality manufactured and encouraged by a manipulative power structure in the form of such political and religious entities as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah.

All of these entities receive their funding, what doesn't come from the international community, by way of donations from corrupt secular Arab rulers and from religious Islamic charities who draw heavily on upper middle class and upper class Muslims who adhere to a very conservative view of the Koran and Islam. Let me make it clear, this is not to say that they are all radical extremists, though some are, but for the most part they are just very conservative and orthodox in their religious views, and to them the Palestinians are a just cause. But that cause has next to nothing to do with Haifa. It has everything to do with Jerusalem.

Even Saddam Hussein, though a secular tyrant, donated money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. He did this not because he thought they were a legitimate threat to the Israeli state, nor did he do so as a means of sticking his thumb in the eye of the Zionists and their American allies. He did so because he sought to curry favor with the average Muslim not only in his country, but on an international basis.

So what is the reason that this would be such a popular issue that a blood-thirsty dictator like Saddam would use it to curry favor? The idea that Palestinian youths have been deprived of a home in Haifa taken from their great-grandparents fifty years before they were born just doesn't fly with me. Nor does anti-Jewish sentiment even serve to explain it, as Jews had lived in the area for centuries, in all parts of the Arab world, and for the most part got along seemingly well-every bit as much as they did in the hell hole for Jews that was Europe, for the most part, and when you get right down to it, probably better on the average.

Again, all of these other issues are sideshow issues and tactical maneuvers. Jerusalem is now and always was the key. It is, after all, the third holiest city of the Muslim faith.

Of course there is one third and final option for a lasting and permanent peace, aside from the two I have mentioned, and that is, as I see it, a final war resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and ending in one side or the other going down to a crushing, humiliating, and undeniable defeat. "You should see the other guy" will not be a reasonable retort.

Naturally, the international community does not want this, and will do everything in their power to prevent it, while inadverdantly serving to keep the hostilities smoldering. The real problem with that is, they might not always be in the position to forestall the inevitable. The way it stands now, the international community can barely keep its collective heads above water from an economic standpoint.

How much longer can they possibly keep the lid on this ever-boiling pot of anger, resentment, and hatred? If and when it finally blows, it's going to be a mess, but at least maybe then it will finally all be over with.

UPDATE-

Just as an afterthought, as one indication of how emotionally charged this issue is, you can go to the blog of Renegade Eye, where this has been over the course of the last month an on-going topic of discussion. It would seem that the more the topic is hashed out, the more vitriolic it becomes-

here, here, here, and here.

It would seem as though there is no realistic hopes for any kind of genuinely peaceful solution in sight-even among those of us sitting in relative comfort half a world away. What must it be like among those for whom this is more than a mere ideological concept and ideal, but instead is a day-to-day reality of life, a reality over which for the most part they have little if any control.

Obama Kicks Bush In The Nuts

This article might well be reading too much into Obama's inaugural speech. Then again, maybe not. The article points out many examples of how Obama's speech in very many ways amounted to not just a repudiation of the Presidency of George W. Bush-seeing as how Bush was present during the speech, the speech pretty much amounted to a kick in balls of the former President.

Following is just one excerpt from among many, which gives a portion of the speech text, followed by the author's rather interesting interpretation.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West –– know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.


This was not just a comment to leaders around the world. This was a comment for George, first and everyone else second. George has built nothing, he has only destroyed. His administration was shockingly corrupt, deceitful and he was just told so by an adult. “Unclench your fist.” My God. Brutal. Those three words could not describe Bush more. And it was obvious, throughout this speech, who he was talking to. Today, some historians have said no president has repudiated another so harshly during an inaugural address since Roosevelt handed Hoover his ass on a plate. And you can be sure the message was received this time.


Like I said, the author may have been reading too much into the speech. For one thing, it's hard to see how a leader blaming their problems on the west would apply to Bush-but on the other hand-well, go read the article in its entirety and judge for yourself. If anything, it's at least entertaining.

Well, after all, this is Suicide Girls.

Emmonak Alaska-American Community In Need

Rufus on Grad Student Madness originally posted about this article about the severe hardships faced by the townsfolk of Emmonak Alaska. I just thought I'd pass it on.

Emmonak Alaska, pictured above, might not look like much, but it is just one of a string of small communities in Alaska that has been hard hit by what has been called a "perfect storm" of disasters. First, the salmon catch on which these communities are so dependent has gotten so low it has necessitated the closing of a fishery which was the major employee of Emmonak. As if that weren't enough, the Yukon River experienced an early freeze in late fall. Below is a picture of an earlier freeze which transpired in the nineteen nineties.




As you can tell by the picture below, at times these freezes can come about suddenly and unexpectedly.



Most of the time, though, they are predictable enough so as to insure timely deliveries of heating fuel. This year, unfortunately, the freeze occurred too early for the usual deliveries by river, therefore forcing deliveries by air lift, which caused an exponential increase in the cost of the fuels to the extent that people found themselves paying hundreds of dollars for two weeks worth of heating fuel.

Now, roughly ninety percent of the community of Emmonak is drawing food stamps. Community leaders have urged Governor Palin to declare the entire region a disaster area, but this takes time for some reason which I'm not sure I understand. Evidently there is a bureaucratic demand that a significant amount of the population must be demonstrated to be beyond help from any other source. State officials have visited the area and attended a town hall meeting to gauge the needs of the community, which does seem to be in dire straights. Yet, according to one official in attendance, the Governor simply can't step outside her office and declare an emergency. To the outrage of many of the affected townsfolk, it was explained that these things take time, a commodity of which they are in especially short supply.

In the meantime, here is a page you can go to if you might be interesting in offering assistance in the way of donating needed goods.

When White Will Embrace What Is Right

In the above photo, we see a group of lazy, shiftless union soldiers engaged in a game of dominoes, a wanton leisure activity, instead of doing what they should have been doing, working non-stop 24/7 to destroy the evil confederacy and free their enslaved black brethren.

They should have made the attempt to embrace what was right, in other words, and we white folks of today should do likewise, just like Reverend Lowery said at President Obama's inauguration.

I guess there's just no hope for us white people, and I'm so thankful to Reverned Lowery for having the courage and integrity to point that out to all of us.

Not So Ambiguously Gay Super Heroes

Something tells me the folks at this site are kind of kidding around, but you can expect this kind of thing to become widespread the more the news circulates about the expected Showtime series about a gay superhero.

Comics legend Stan Lee is developing a new drama for Showtime about the life and times of a gay teenage superhero.

The hour long show will be based on the 2007 novel Hero by Chronicles of Narnia producer Perry Moore, who is also writing the pilot for the series. The novel tells the story of Thom Creed, a high school student just awakening to both his superpowers and his sexual identity. Afraid of the reaction of his homophobic home town, Creed struggles to keep both aspects of his life a secret.

Actually, though, it is a mistaken assumption on the part of many that this will be the first gay superhero. It will undoubtedly be the first on television, to be sure, but in reality gay and lesbian, and even transgendered heroes-and villains-have been around for some time now.

The first actual gay hero in the comics is generally considered to be Marvel's Northstar. Yet, while he may be the first, he is far from alone. In fact, their numbers at this point would appear to be legion, as proven by this list.



In fact, long-time comics fans of old might be surprised at some of the names they might out in the way of more recent developments in modern comics storylines. Robin, for example, at one point went through a villainous phase. Reason-his unrequited love for Batman. An old Marvel western hero, the Rawhide Kid, recently outed himself, but this seems to have been a ruse, probably geared toward teaching a lesson in tolerance. A renegade Skrull named Skyppi, who befriends Hercules and the Recorder, becomes their partner, and though he doesn't seem explicitly gay, he does seem to favor taking on the form of beautiful women. In one of the more well-known examples, Batwoman came out of the closet, revealing herself to be a lesbian. Nor are villains immune. The long-time Marvel villain Electro realized he was gay after a particularly long prison stint.

Where will it all lead to? One thing that has been pointed out in this Harper's article is that gay characters tend to suffer horrible fates. It is worth noting that after the much publicized outing of Northstar in Marvel's Alpha Flight series, in which he was a team member of some duration, he was quickly dropped. He was later killed, in three separate incarnations, the later two being in the context of two different examples of the bizarre and by now much overused and abused parallel universe story lines which have turned the reading of comic books into an exercise in sheer banality.

The trend will doubtless reach it's zenith with the introduction of the world's first not only openly and proudly gay super hero, but flamboyantly so. After so long, The Human Torch might want to consider adopting another battle cry.

In the meantime, if you would like to have some fun with this, you can join a forum discussion on superhero names. The moderator of one particular forum, in initiating the topic thread which asks that you suggest names for gay superheroes, put it this way.

Not gay, nothing wrong with being gay, just wondering might use it for when I write a book or something? Remember keep it kosher.

Of course, in very short order, it descended into total chaos, with the same moderator joining the fray.

My favorite name so far suggested-Assassin.

Remember, keep it kosher now.

My Own Private Little Greek Goddess

To hell with Obama and his inauguration. All you little Obama-bots are welcome to him. Here's what I'm going to be digging on today.

Agents Sentences Commuted

Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two former US Border Patrol agents previously convicted on a number of charges stemming from the shooting of an alleged drug smuggler in the course of their jobs, have had their sentences commuted in a last act of clemency by outgoing President George W. Bush. Originally sentenced to eleven and twelve years respectively, both men's sentences are now set to be served in full by March 20th of this year.

They probably never should have been charged to begin with, but the one thing that may have hurt them the most in the minds of federal prosecutors-a tempering with evidence charge-was probably the precursor to the accompanying charges. Ironically, that was the only charged overturned on appeal. The two guards had allegedly removed shell casings from the scene of the incident.

In the meantime, the smuggler in question was found not to have been armed, contrary to the agent's claims, and a van in the area, which apparently contained significant amounts of marijuana, was never proven to have belonged to the immigrant, who was shot by one of the men in the ass while attempting to flee. He was later granted the right to sue the federal government. He was later apprehended smuggling marijuana across the border.

I always wondered why Bush never pardoned the men, which, assuming the accounts I have heard are correct, he should have-and should yet. A commutation is not quite the same. They will probably never be able to regain their former jobs. Of course, that might be just as well with them, but they could also recover damages. By limiting his actions on their behalf to a commutation of their sentences, as opposed to overturning them entirely, Bush has offered a degree of protection to the federal government they probably do not deserve.

But at least after a relatively short time, they will be free men, albeit with a probably undeserved record.

Insert Not Included

That's how these crooked damn companies hook you every time. They make you think you're getting a great deal, and then you have to turn right around and buy something else before they will work. There oughta be a law.

People's Cube

Mormon Family Values And Proposition 8

I guess it won't be long now before the gay marriage issue will figure prominently as a plot device in the HBO series Big Love, a show about a polygamist Mormon family which is produced by Tom Hanks. Hanks has come out swinging in response to the recent Proposition 8 which outlawed gay marriage in California.

“The truth is this [show, "Big Love,"] takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here’s what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who’s responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let’s have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

Which, it seems natural that the show broach the subject matter, and that's fine as long as it does it in a thoughtful, non-condescending way, without becoming preachy about it. It might actually make for some interesting television if, for example, one of the three wives portrayed on the show had a gay brother-or if she herself were gay. If the husband turns out to have been a Proposition 8 supporter, or even donated money to the cause, it could turn out to be even more interesting.

One things for sure, under the circumstances in which the polygamist husband lives his life, he damn sure wouldn't want to end up on this map.

Across The Universe

I guess if this story is true, that our universe is in reality a giant holographic reflection from some unknown extra-dimensional universe, somebody has some 'splainin' to do. For example, to that great big giant pagan sitting somewhere the universe getting ready to smoke his umpteenth cigarette before he finally goes to bed and jacks off-come on, cut it out.

On the other hand, if I really am a nothing but a hologram, what the hell do I know? I'm probably nothing but a reflection of some superior being who has probably decided to not smoke and jack off any longer, and my current angst over my habits is just a reflection of his greater wisdom, sort of like this article of a man giving a presentation in holographic form.



I have a better idea, however, one that at least is more comforting, whether it is right or not. How about as we spread out across the universe, and accelerate due to decreasing levels of gravitational pull exerted from our central point of origin, we take on a more complex form and actually over time add dimensional depth due to the ease of restriction. Thus to those of you who see our universe from your present perspective, you are seeing a continuing process of evolution.

See, under my scenario, the best is yet to come. We are the best of what has come to pass so far, and yet, things can only get better, wouldn't you think? We should grow increasingly more complex and, as a result, more evolved. Of course, we could also all just eventually dissipate. Just in case, whatever I do between now and then, I promise not to tell.