Not Such A Laughing Matter

Now there's word out that Stephanie Birkitt, a former Daivd Letterman staffer with whom the Late Night host has apparently been carrying on a fling for some time, has written a slew of saucy letters, as of now not yet sent, which might contain salacious details of the affair between her and her boss.

These, along with an alleged diary, might well be the letters alluded to in the blackmail plot by former CBS "award winning producer" Joe Haldermann, who demanded two million dollars in order that he keep secret his knowledge of this affair-and perhaps a good many others.

Haldermann has plead not guilty to the charge of attempted grand larceny. I can almost guess at his defense. "Hey, I just told him I could make three million off these things if I took them to the Enquirer, I was just being a nice guy by helping him and me out."

And, who knows? It might work. Of course, he's got one legal hurdle to cross. According to this report, Haldermann cared far more about hurting Letterman than he cared about the money. He was jealous of Letterman's relationship with Birkitt, which evidently was on-going well after she and Haldermann broke up. But, seeing as how Haldermann had his own slate of financial problems, I'm sure the money came in a close second, at least.

Haldermann, however you read him, may not be in as much trouble as Letterman, all things considered. This is all out in the open now. Or is it? There have been others besides Birkitt. A lot more. Most of them are younger women, and junior staffers on Letterman's program. He was their boss.

Thus, the man who skewered Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, and Gary Hart for the same kind of behavior now at the very least looks like an unbounded hypocrite. But this is the least of his potential problems.

This could open up a veritable floodgate or sexual harassment charges, and even potentially rape. Although much less likely, it is possible that child molestation charges might be filed if any of the older women Dave had affairs with (there was at least one who was close to his age)had younger teenage daughters he might have had contact with.

Look for Stephanie Birkitt's letters to eventually find their way into the domain of the tabloid press, probably after the inevitable judicial gag rules have served their purpose.

It's going to be one embarassing mess after another. Look for some wag to come out with a "Letterman's Top Ten" list.

The man is sixty-one years old. Letterman can joke about this now, but the joke is going to leave a bad taste eventually, one that will never completely go away. Maybe it's time for him to just ride off into the sunset.

Dark And Bloody Grounds

I have been following with interest the recent charges leveled against former Kentucky Republican state legislator and failed candidate for Governor of Kentucky Steve Nunn, the son of Louie B. Nunn, the former Kentucky GOP Governor from 1968 to 1972.

It is perhaps the most unlikely political story of the century, a story in which politics is of almost a peripheral interest. For it is a story of violence and murder, with a real possibility of the apparent perpetrator, Nunn himself, receiving the death penalty due to the special circumstances involved in the case, in the increasingly probable event that he is ultimately convicted of the crime of the murder of Amanda Ross, his former fiancee.

Nunn was not some ill-fated, lackluster son whose accident of birth placed him in a family that held a social prominence for which he was ill-suited to inherit. He was a successful politician in his own right, occupying a seat in the Kentucky General Assembly for fifteen years.

Nor was he some mere backbencher holding down a seat by virtue of family position that should have gone to a more meritorious office-holder. No, Steve Nunn was, like his father before him, a uniquely qualified and seemingly dedicated public servant who earned the respect of both parties, a man able to work with both sides in order to achieve policy goals and enact legislation, a man to whom compromise and "reaching across the aisle" was indeed a kind of second nature.

This reality was aptly demonstrated when, after losing his bid for re-election to his seat in the General Assembly closely after losing a primary bid to run as the GOP candidate for Governor in 2007, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet For Health and Human Services by the ultimately victorious Democratic candidate, Steve Beshear.

Ironically, one of the things the Cabinet is responsible for is oversight of the investigations and prosecutions of domestic violence cases, a phenomenon for which Steve Nunn turned out to be uniquely qualified in an unfortunate way. His girlfriend, Amanda Ross, took out a restraining order on Nunn specifically on the grounds of domestic violence, claiming that Nunn struck her a number of times-four times, to be exact, a number which, as we shall see, will take on a somber significance. She also accused him of verbally abusing her, and physically assaulting even her property.

(Steve Nunn with Amanda Ross in a facade of seemingly happier times)

Following an investigation, Nunn was placed on administrative leave, later resigning his cabinet post. It was the beginning of the end of what might at one time have been a promising career. Some months later-specifically, of all days, on September 11th, 2009-Steve Nunn allegedly shot his former fiancee four times in a parking lot outside her home, and then fled the scene, leaving her to die of her wounds.

Several hours following the assault, Steve Nunn was apprehended at the Barron County grave site of his parents, the former Governor and his ex-wife Beulah, where, brandishing a gun, presumably the one used to kill Ross, he fired into the air at the approach of police, and then fell to the ground. Upon reaching him, the police discovered that Steve Nunn had slashed his wrists. He was taken into custody and, following a brief stay in the hospital where he recovered sufficiently from his self-inflicted wounds, he was charged with violating the terms of the protective order placed against him at the behest of Miss Ross. In due course, within a few short weeks, he was ultimately charged with her murder.

There are some who claim that it was not a one-sided story, and Nunn's attorney even floated the idea that the relationship of Nunn to Ross, a woman many claim used her relationship with Nunn to further her own career, was a relationship that involved abuse perpetrated by and against both parties towards each other. This charge raised the ire of many feminists, who object to these charges on the grounds that Miss Ross is no longer here to defend herself from any further abuse, even if she does speak from beyond the grave concerning the matter of Nunn's past abuse.

(Amanda Ross)

Nunn is still here, but his defense, such as it is, grows more shallow than the unmarked grave he might well in hindsight wish he had dug for Miss Ross out in the wilds of Barron County. In fact, this is not the first time he has been accused of abusive actions towards those with whom he has had relationships, such as his two previous wives and children. Although these charges are, for the most part, anecdotal thus far, there is one bit of compelling evidence that might form yet another notch in the rope that hangs the hapless former politician, from the words of none other than Nunn's own father, the former Governor. For Louie B Nunn himself accused Steve Nunn, his son from whom he was at the time estranged, of abusive behavior towards him and his family.

“I am too old and disabled to fight with you physically, even if I desired to do so,” Louie Nunn wrote in his letter. “The mental anguish with you physically attacking me is more than I need. I do not want it on my conscience or my record of having to hurt my own son — physically or mentality (sic).

“Therefore, I respectfully request you never attack me physically again. Neither do I intend to take anymore verbal abuse from you.”

He threatened his son with criminal charges if he assaulted him again and added that “this will necessitate my bringing into court your sister, your children and your former wife, all of whom you have abused.”

The charge stems from an affidavit filed by Nunn during the course of his contentious divorce from his wife Beulah, Steve's mother.

Later on, Louie Nunn and son Steve were reconciled, and the former Governor even ran his son's unsuccessful primary contest for Governor of Kentucky. But that will be little help to Steve once the case goes to trial. There is much reason to believe that Louie Nunn was himself abusive towards his children, and even his wife Beulah, which in fact is said to be part of the reason for the divorce of the two.

Like father, like son. Only Louie Nunn never murdered anyone, so far as we know.

The special circumstances of this particular murder, particularly those involving Steve Nunn's violation of the protective order against him, might well bring about an eventual death sentence.

It is remarkable to ponder how much different things might have been, but for one fateful decision made during the Presidential election campaign of 1968, when GOP candidate Richard Nixon, desirous of a running mate from among the border state governors, asked recently elected Kentucky Governor Louie B. Nunn to be his running mate. Nunn declined, on the grounds that, as the first Republican Governor of the state of Kentucky since 1943, his friends in the Kentucky Republican Party would never forgive him were he to so abandon them. Nixon reluctantly chose instead another border state governor, Spiro Agnew of Maryland.

Had the scrupulously ethical (at least politically, by known comparison to Agnew) accepted the offer, he would have almost undoubtedly become President in 1974, assuming everything else proceeded as recorded by history. Had he chosen to run for the nomination in his own right, he might well have split the party, not having the influence of Gerald Ford at the national level, and even if he won the nomination (he probably would not have) Carter would have almost certainly won, as he won against Ford, and as he almost certainly would have won, in that despairing year, even against Ronald Reagan.

Would it have changed his life? Would it have changed the life of Steve Nunn, to be a member, if only briefly, of the nation's first family?

(Governor Louie B. Nunn at far right, with Dave Thomas(?), Colonel Harlan Sanders, and Senator John Sherman Cooper.)

I seriously doubt it, and that's the scariest part of this.

The Nunn family, both Louie and his brother-both lifelong friends of Nixon-as well as Steve, are a family which is almost the closest thing Kentucky has to a political dynasty. They built their political capital on the necessity of compromise, of reaching across the aisle, of finding common cause, of uniting for the "greater good"-they reek of the magic of bi-partisanship.

They are not dyed-in-the-wool conservative Republicans, they are moderates. They are called by a number of names, most of them derisive. They are RINOs. They are Country Club Republicans.

If Blue Dog Democrats are little better than fellow travelers of the Stalinist left of the controlling, liberal wing of the national Democratic Party, moderate Democrats like Steve Nunn, and his father Louie, are something even worse, something even arguably more malignant. They are, in fact, the useful idiots who make it possible to enact the ever-growing cancer of big government, secure in the knowledge that it's growth and entitlement will secure them a place at the conference table.

These then are the people who want power over us all. These then are the people to whom many of us would entrust our futures, and our hopes. No, they are not all killers. No, they are not all violent abusers. They are not all even thieves, arguably. Some of them are, we would hope, men and women of apparent honesty and integrity. They are all people, just like us, and they run the gamut from good, to bad, to abominable.

Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it-and then some.

The inauguration of Kentucky Governor Louie B. Nunn, 1968

The Night Chicago Died

Chicago's humiliating loss in the first round, coming in dead last of the four finalists-behind Tokyo, Madrid, and the eventual winner, Rio de Janiero-came as a shock to me, not being one who keeps up on the ins and outs of all the various political wrangling that goes on every four years with the Olympics. I figured, well, Michelle went to Copenhagen to lay on the charm and will spend her time softening the International Olympic Committee members up, so now it's up to Barak to make an appearance and seal the deal. That deal would have probably involved potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts doled out to various construction and other companies, much of which would make it back into the pockets of some of Barak's various assorted Chicago political allies and cronies. I won't hazard a guess as to what he might have promised any of the individual members. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall, until I started making myself sick thinking about all the shit I would have ended up gorging on.

Then there's Obama. What would he have gotten out of it, other than an opportunity to add some by now much needed political capital such a success would entail, along with the chance to reward old friends and allies and endear himself to newer ones? I would almost bet they pressured him into making the trip and the sales pitch, frankly. But there is one more thing to consider.

It occurred to me that 2016, the year of the games in question, will be Obama's last year in office if he is re-elected. The games held in his home city, possibly with him giving a welcoming speech and possibly even appearing prominently throughout the games, might be an attractive prospect to him, a way for him to showcase what he imagines might be the new America that he has fostered and developed, and to appear as the new "founding father" of a fairer, more just nation, the new envy of an admiring world community.

Note how I am going out of my way to avoid comparing the prospect of Obama appearing at the Chicago games to Hitler appearing at the 1936 Berlin games in an attempt to showcase what he proclaimed the "master race" of which he was the implicit grand champion.

Well, no I didn't avoid it, did I? Shit.

Had Chicago been awarded the games, however, I have a strong idea there would have been no Jesse Owens moments to raise Obama's ire in the face of an unexpected upset and embarrassing defeat. To the contrary, Obama might have been conspicuous by his absence, depending on his state of denial by the time that year rolls around. The nation might have been spared a great deal of embarrassment at any rate. And of course we will all be spared the predictable montage of Olympic athletes in various Chicago settings with Sinatra's Chicago playing in the background.

All of these are good enough reasons feel some relief that the games will not be played here, but the question remains, why did Chicago miss out?

Some claim it is because of the violent nature of the city, and many point out the recent savage beating death of a young honor student by gang-bangers.

This is overlooking the fact that Rio, the victorious city, has a reputation as one of the most violent and crime-ridden cities in the world. From the report just two years ago-

It is no secret that Rio is crime-ridden and quite violent, and becoming more so: the heavily-armed gangs that control the hillside squatter slums known as favelas are growing increasingly bolder in their assaults and threats, even in the city’s most elite neighborhoods.

Perhaps a better explanation might be the antagonism that exists between the International Olympic Committee and its member American Olympic Committee. There has been bad blood between the two for years, for a variety of reasons, a great deal of which seems to involve disputes over media coverage and advertising revenue.

The report linked above, in fact, suggests that, due to this, Chicago never really had a shot to begin with.

There might be a more important and compelling reason that this, however. It seems that, according to one Chicago group who actually traveled to Copenhagen to lobby for the games to NOT be in Chicago-the majority of people there did not want the games. In fact, the numbers cited is something like 84% of the city's population who either did not want the games at all, under any circumstances, or who did not want public, taxpayer funds to be spent on the Olympics.

I won't pretend to know just how much of a factor the groups lobbying efforts against their own city was, but it is at least an attempt at democracy in action. I do have to wonder if it might ever occur to Obama, or to anybody, just how out of touch he is with such a large majority of the people in his own home city.

I seriously doubt that he is that clueless-he just doesn't care, or perhaps more to the point he has other concerns-other, let us say, obligations. If he's not careful, by the time 2016 rolls around, that might well be not the fringe perception of him, but the all too common one. And it just might become his political epitaph.

Dark And Bloody Ground

There is certainly no lack of conspiracy theories concerning the apparent (read-obvious) murder of US Census employee William Sparkman in Clay County Kentucky. Many folks on the "right" are blaming ACORN supporters for the death of Sparkman, while those on the "left" are blaming conservative talk radio and the tea party movement.

I almost definitely think we can discount any connections to ACORN (I mean, come on-really-this is rural southeastern Kentucky were talking about here), and as for the seemingly boundless authority granted by liberals to folks such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck over the actions of disgruntled southern conservatives, I think we can pretty safely discount their impact as well.

Lost in all the speculation and the finger pointing going on amidst the fringe elements and activists is the fact that Clay County, Kentucky, where the murder occurred, is not so much a hotbed of conservative political activism as it is a seeming haven for marijuana growers and methamphetamine production. Furthermore, the most obvious political connotations to Clay County these days isn't how people feel about Barak Obama and the Democratic Party so much as which public officials have been charged, or investigated, for public corruption. At last count, eight public officials have been charged with vote-buying, and/or vote rigging, following a federal probe.

Due to all of these factors, Clay County might not be the best place for one hapless census worker to go sojourning about the sparsely populated area of the Daniel Boone National Forrest with ID identifying him as a US census worker asking what might be considered nosy questions about who lives where and what they do for a living.

When Sparkman's naked body was found hanged from a tree in the forest, the only clue left that it was not a suicide was the word "FED" scrawled across his chest. It was obviously a murder, and not a suicide or, as the Kentucky State Police laughably proposed, an "accident". What then was it?

It would seem at first glance to be the work of more than one perpetrator, as Sparkman seems to have never put up a fight, so far as has been ascertained thus far.

One would think that somebody involved in the drug trade would not be so stupid as to risk the wrath of the Federal government swarming through the area and turning it upside down for clues. One would be hard-pressed to think that any of the more corrupt county officials would likewise be so inclined, especially since they would have been aware of Sparkman's position with the government and therefore that he was no real threat to anyone.

So what exactly is going on here?

My own feeling, although I can't prove it, is that this is a Ku Klux Klan related murder. On the other hand, it might be something wholly unconnected to Sparkman's position. It might even be connected to Sparkman's position as a school teacher, or a Boy Scout leader. The word "Fed" might have been an intentional diversion.

The true nature of the crime, depending on who committed it and why, may never be fully ascertained. But it would behoove all of either political affiliation to resist the urge to look at everything with the tunnel vision that results from looking through the political prisms that seem to encompass the entirety of their existence.

UPDATE: I have recently been informed by Lemuel Calhoun, who owns the blog Hillbilly White Trash, and who as a licensed private investigator has connections with various law enforcement agencies, about the true nature of the Kentucky State Police assertion that Sparkman's death might have been an accident. It seems that there may be a slight possibility that Sparkman's demise came about due to the phenomenon of "erotic asphyxiation".

This in fact makes the KSP statement comprehensible, and even provides a possible example of my statement that the word "Fed" written on his naked chest might have been an intentional diversion. The KSP unfortunately neglected to enlighten the public with this explanation in the face of what seemed on the face of it like a ridiculously ludicrous suggestion, but this is possibly a well-meaning attempt to avoid embarrassing Sparkman's family if at all possible. It might also be a way to avoid giving out too much information during the course of the on-going investigation.

It also makes me wonder whether or not Sparkman might have been lured to the area and intentionally murdered precisely by way of this method. After all, he was naked, and in point of fact, although I was previously unaware of it, his feet were on the ground when his corpse was discovered, despite the fact he was apparently hung from a tree. Could this hanging have even been a postmortem attempt to cover up the true nature of the murder-or accidental death-and the reasons for it?

Also lost or seemingly overlooked is whether or not Sparkman was actually working during the time of his death. His murder was discovered after co-workers expressed concern over his failure to report for work for a couple of days. It would seem apparent that a census worker would report to the office at the end of the day. Did no one notice his absence then? Was Sparkman even working during the time of his death?

Sparkman was a Scout Leader, and a part-time teacher aiming for a full-time position. This makes me wonder whether his murder came about due to other activities involving these aspects of his life, perhaps of a sexual nature.

Lem also pointed out to me, in response to my statement that a drug ring would be wary of the risks involved in the murder of a federal employee, that they might have felt they had nothing to lose. He also pointed out that the Ku Klux Klan has been known in some instances to engage in drug trafficking to finance its operations.

I was of course aware of this, nor do I take very seriously the statements of the various Klan chapters to be law-abiding Christians who do not engage in such activities. There are in fact more than one "Ku Klux Klan" in our modern era. If one of them was involved, it would remain to ferret out the group responsible for the crime, if any was.

Until such time, it is all rank speculation, of course, but it is something that does need to be carefully considered. There are of course more than one Klan group operating in Kentucky. There are at least three, chief among them probably being the Imperial Klans Of America, a group which has recently been sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of a young boy beaten by some of the groups adherents at a music festival here in Kentucky.

Whatever the case, whether or not any Klan or any other hate group was involved, I find it highly unlikely to have been drug related, unless Sparkman just happened upon something he should not have seen.

Why I Believe MacKenzie Phillips

MacKenzie Phillip's public confessions of a ten year affair with her father, John Phillips of the sixties rock vocal group The Mamas And The Papas, while it makes for a compelling story, is nowhere near as interesting as the public reaction to it. Naturally, a good many people seem to insist that it is nothing but a way to promote her auto-biography High On Arrival at the expense of her father, now dead and unable to defend himself. A good many others say she is a deluded addict, and even if the story is partially true, she should just shut up about it.

Interestingly, I have an idea that many people among the latter category would be the first people clamoring to sue anybody that might be remotely viewed as a potential collaborator or enabler of Phillips abuse, were he not a founding member of a much-loved, celebrated, seminal musical group and a pop culture icon from the sixties.

Michelle Phillips, for her part, along with John Phillips third wife, insist that John Phillips, while a drug addict and a bad father, would never stoop so low, and so they lead the chorus of those who insist that MacKenzie Phillips is either lying or deeply disturbed.

Of course, there is a lot on the line here, as many people might be led to wonder just what and how much Michelle knew about certain events during her marriage to John. She also plainly wants to protect her image, and the image of her old group.

Yet, the facts of the lives of the people involved don't just suggest, they scream that this was a highly dysfunctional group of people. During the groups heyday, John Phillips was a notorious drug addict, oftentimes stoned to the gills while making public appearances. In the meantime, Michelle herself engaged in an adulterous relationship with the groups lead singer, Dennis Doherty, which got her briefly fired from the band. Interesting, Doherty was not fired. Michelle was brought back later into the group, which even recorded a song on the groups fourth album chronicling the affair, while Doherty himself continued in a hopeless infatuation for Michelle.

Before long, the group disbanded for good, after releasing a final fifth album for their recording company, Dunhill, which Michelle later stated "sounded like what it was-an attempt by four people to avoid a lawsuit."

So what does this all have to do with an alleged incestuous affair that supposedly happened some six years or so after the group disbanded? Well, nothing, except for the one continuous thread which rears it's ugly head throughout every second of the groups history-John Phillips addiction to hard drugs, which seems to have been the catalyst for every one of the events listed above.

Frankly, knowing everything I have learned about the man, I would be surprised if it did not happen, but even that is almost beside the point.

One of the main criticisms of MacKenzie is that she waited until years after Phillips death to come out with the story, therefore this is nothing but a sordid way to make money promoting her book.

Which, I guess that would be a point, but how does that explain her accusations of Mick Jagger seducing her at a party when she was fourteen (according to some stories, according to other accounts I've since read, she was eighteen) and claiming he had been waiting for the opportunity since she was ten years old?

Apparently, John had taken MacKenzie to a party at an apartment complex, where Mick invited them up to his apartment, claiming he wanted a tuna sandwich. He then noted how he was out of mayonnaise, and requested John go back downstairs and retrieve some, which Phillips obligingly did, thus leaving Jagger and MacKenzie alone for a "few minutes". When John returned, the door was locked.

Or so goes the story, a story which, thus far, has been met with a deafening silence from "Sir Mick Jagger", with not so much as a public statement released through his publicity firm.

The fact that she states that the relationship with her father became consensual, and went on for ten years (until she became pregnant and feared the child might have belonged to her father) seems to have put off more people than the story of the night of the rape, which occurred on her wedding night when, at the age of nineteen, she claims to have awoke from a drug induced blackout to discover her father having sex with her.

Almost lost in all of this mess is the outrage over her assertion that John Phillips began shooting her up with cocaine when she was ten years old. As far as I'm concerned, that incident, if true, was the pivotal moment of MacKenzie Phillips life, the moment when she was taken into a dark place from which, for most, there would be no hope of return. Everything else that followed, as bad, as disgusting, as heinous, as it all was and is-was nothing but a macabre window dressing into a view of a shattered, nightmarish life of living hell.

Sure, she's trying to sell a book. Does that mean she's lying, or greatly exaggerating? Only to those who think there can only be one reason for anything a person does.

Michelle Phillips should take heart. By the time this is all over with, despite all the howls of disgust from the public, I have an idea the Mommas And The Poppas will displace Michael Jackson at the top of the charts.

Like Jim Morrison once said-people are strange.

MacKenzie And John Phillips-New Mamas And Poppas

That's where you want to go to get away from it all.

Roman Polanski-Wanted And Detained

Roman Polanski, the Polsih film director responsible for such movies as The Pianist, Rosemary's Baby, MacBeth, and The China Syndrome, and who was himself the subject of a recent documentary, Wanted And Desired, has been arrested on an old US warrant-in Switzerland, of all places. Polanski was due to appear at the Zurich Film Festival to attend a retrospective of his work and receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. Instead, he had no sooner crossed the border when he was detained by the Swiss authorities.

This is bad-I mean real bad. I've been hearing for months about how Obama's supporters have tried to create a cult of personality around our current President, and they've even encouraged US schoolchildren to sing his praises. But who among even his most vociferous detractors would have ever dreamed that he would be elevated to the status of Pope?

It's even worse than that, though. At least the Swiss Guards are not, so far as I know, an official arm of the Swiss government. Now, it would seem that the most admirably independent nation of Europe is just another European nation. But it's not even that good. Hell, so far as I know, no other country, including France, where Polanski has lived for decades, has ever lifted a hand to honor the US warrant. Now, Switzerland, the one country that has for centuries maintained a fierce stance of political non-alignment in the affairs of foreign nations, does this?

The festival itself is in somewhat of an uproar over this, but has maintained that it will continue with the scheduled retrospective of Polanski's work.

As for Polanski himself, I have mixed feelings. The man broke the law, and then fled before his sentence was imposed following what he alleged was a plea deal which he claims the judge reneged on. He has unsuccessfully appealed to have his conviction overturned on those grounds. All things considered, it looks like he might well now spend the rest of his life behind bars. Remember, he now faces time on two charges-for the initial statutory rape of a thirteen year old girl with whom he alegedly seduced at the home of actor Jack Nicholson, and now an evident slam dunk case of fleeing the US to avoid sentencing.

He probably deserves what he's got coming on both charges, and I'm sure he'll get the max. There will probably be a round of appeals of course, bolstered by some in the Hollywood community and others who will lobby on his behalf, but it looks pretty grim for the Polish born director. Obama would not dare commute his sentence, unless it was as a good fuck you to the conservative movement in the event he is defeated for re-election in 2012. By 2016, in the event Obama wins re-election, Polanski, if still alive, will be too old, and feeble, to care, if he even by then knows who, or where, he is.

It would be really ironic were he to end up in the same prison as Charles Manson.

Mabon Music Video-Creature From The Black Leather Lagoon by The Cramps

Happy Mabon

Persephone

First off, I'd like to thank Rufus for turning me on to the Cramps, which led me to the video I posted above as the opening video for this Mabon. It fits-somewhat-in the context of the above picture, which is of the Greek Goddess Persephone, who is now departing for her tenure in the Underworld as the coerced bride of Hades, who abducted her as a young maiden and tricked her into bonding with him by causing her to drink from the waters of the Underworld. Or at least I think we can all agree that the Autumn Equinox, which marks the time when the days start getting progressively shorter than the nights, is the time when she begins preparing for that journey, accompanied by the God Hermes, who will likewise go to retrieve her from the Underworld at the Vernal Equinox, in what was a desperate kind of compromised arrived at between Zeus and Hades in order to prevent Persephone's mother Demeter from sending the entire earth into a state of permanent famine and despair.

The myth was an agricultural one, but it very cleverly and powerfully makes use of a very common phenomenon of ancient times, that of young children-babies, adolescents, and teenagers-dying well before their parents. One would be hard pressed to find a family which did not experience at least one such death.

This myth, I believe, gave some degree of meaning and comfort to these families, and even, possibly, gave them hope, and helped them pull together as a part of a larger community-a family who pulled together.

Seen in the larger context of the "death" of fertility, it made it easier to find such hope in the symbolic imagery of a return to life in the spring, and to take comfort in what remains.

The Magical Fire Cairn

Okay, granted, this isn't exactly a burning cairn, it is actually-well, supposedly-a bonfire. I chose this to illustrate this post not because it's the best picture I could find to represent the subject of this post, but for no other reason than it has, if you will notice, a vaguely human figure.

Since Hermes is the god most often associated with cairns, I decided to include this little magical ritual quite on the spur of the moment. Cairns of course are not fire, they are semi-permanent structures made basically of stone. They were evidently meant to mark a passage, as a landmark. Some insist they are meant to grant fertility to the land on which they are placed. No one really knows for sure, or for that matter whether they were originally associated with Hermes, although cairns, and "Hermes Areias" (Lord Hermes) date back to the Mycenaean era.

Here is a more or less modern version-



The object of the ritual is a simple one, although of course it requires you to live in an area where it is acceptable to engage in outdoor burning. You will need a large wire or some type of mesh basket in order to achieve the effect you need, and of course-paper, and boxes, etc., and lots of it.

The idea is to visualize the magical goal, and raise sufficient energy to transfer to the materials. You then release the energy by ritually burning them. The wire basket should contain everything within a confined parameter, but you need to stay close by just in case a sudden wind blows. It shouldn't be a problem really unless you have your magical cairn sitting too close to a flammable object-such as a house, for example. Caution is advised.

As you watch the burning, continue visualizing your magical goal. In my case, I burned an old book I started writing years ago on notebook paper by hand, and visualized a fresh, new start, with no more wasted effort and energy. Once released into the elements, the energy should return to me and give me a new outlook, a refreshed sense of purpose and vigor. Well, here's hoping.

On The Road Again

This music video by Canned Heat (or a couple of others), was originally going to be the opening music video of this Sabbat series before I settled on the one you may have viewed above this one-or will view, depending on what time you come here. I included this one anyway, as it fits somewhat with the aspect of Hermes as a god of messengers and travelers. The particular brand of traveler has more than sight-seeing in mind. This is a restless spirit, looking for meaning in life, and engaged in an odyssey of hope and self-discovery.

Hermes as the guide of travelers is also charged with the task of accompanying the spirits of dead mortals to the underworld, and potentially, vice versa. Of course, as mentioned previously, he accompanies Persephone to and from her stay in said Underworld as the Queen of Lord Hades.

A Football Tragedy

I wanted to say something about a tragedy that occurred at a Kentucky high school football practice that resulted in the death of a young player from heat stroke. The coach was tried, and eventually acquitted, but something good did come out of the mess. New rules were instituted which required training for coaches to recognize potential problems before they get too out of hand.

Football is too great a sport to allow it to be tarnished with such wholly unnecessary tragedies. Hopefully, school officials at both the high school and college level will follow this up with a realization that a player's health has to take precedence over the prospect of winning and losing games. They are as much to fault as the coaches whom they put inordinate pressure on to produce a winning season.

Football is one of those games that, had the ancient Greeks known of it, they would have gone wild over it, though I doubt they would have bothered with all the protective gear worn today. Hermes would doubtless have been the patron deity of the sport, and it would have been considered his purview as to whether any died during the course of a game, or during practice. Many people might have died from the battering they received at the hands of other players, but one thing I can pretty much promise is, no one would have died from heat stroke.

Such things as that, in our modern era, are simply inexcusable, in the vast majority of cases.

I always liked this type of ancient Greek vase art, more so than the traditional classical sculptures.



This is Hermes at all of a day old stealing the cattle of Apollo in one of those don't do as I do, do as I say moments so typical of the Greek deities, even though Hermes came to be viewed as the patron of thieves. He was not celebrating the Equinox, I'm sure, though it can be seen as such. I thought it was appropriate to post this due to the nature of how he attempted to avoid detection-by walking backwards in what turned out to be a lame attempt to lure Apollo in the opposite direction. The only thing missing from the scenario was Hermes hiding under a blanket in the middle of the room and thinking there was no possible way Apollo could see him when he, in fact, found him pretty quickly. I would imagine the presence of the cattle might have settled it.

I mention this because, as Hermes was traditionally associated with the planet Mercury by many (the Roman god Mercury certainly was, but be advised that not all the Roman priest hierarchy agreed that Hermes and Mercury were identical), this might have been a myth intended to explain the purpose behind the frequent retrograde motions of the planet. This is especially noteworthy as there are four such retrograde periods this year-there is generally but three.

Could this signify an unusual type of financial or other reversal at the end of the year. We'll see.

The most enjoyable break from the housework over the last few days involved the premiere of the sixth season of House. Since I, maddeningly, could not find a decent YouTube clip from the debut episode which aired Monday night, I decided what better way to lighten the mood than with this brilliant parody from Mad TV. The only problem with it-where the fuck is Wilson?

Mabon Apple Pie

Since Mabon is traditionally seen as the time of the second harvest, what better way to celebrate than with that old popular all-American standby, apple pie? Of course, you don't have to have American blood to appreciate this classic dessert, so long as you have taste buds.



2 store-bought frozen pie shells, thawed.
6 Granny Smith Apples, washed, peeled, and sliced into roughly eight equal sized segments
6 heaping tablespoons granulated sugar
3 rounded tablespoons self-rising flour
cinnamon to taste (optional)

Mix ingredients in a large bowl and allow to sit for at least one hour, preferably two, in order to allow a thick syrup to form. Separate the pie shells, pouring the apple mixture into one, then using the other to form the covering, which you can do in strips as pictured above, or simply spread whole over the top. If you choose the latter, easier method (which is what I do) you will need to make slits in the top crust with a knife. You should also miniscule holes, using a fork, on the sides and bottom of the bottom crust.

Set on a baking pan in an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees. Ovens will vary, but it should be done in approximately 40-45 minutes. Well worth the little effort it takes.

Spin-Short Film For Mabon

Okay, it doesn't have much of anything at all to do with Mabon on the face of it, but seeing as to the nature of Mercury Retrograde which falls during this period, with an inferior conjunction of Mercury and the Sun practically falling exactly during the Autumn Equinox, it does seem to fit somewhat.

Makes for a pretty cool image concept for Hermes, too, even if that was obviously not the filmmaker's intention.

Mabon Astrological Aspects

The astrological aspects for Mabon are pretty intense. Seeing as how there is or was an inferior conjunction of the Sun to Mercury, this might not have been the best time to paint my bedroom. What a bitch. Worse than the living room. Oh well.

Retrograde Mercury is supposed to cause problems, particularly with transportation and communication, with machine malfunctions, etc., none of that happened-well, any more than usual.

In fact, during this period, I think I managed to work out the problems I've been having with my internet service, without actually calling and ranting and making a generally obnoxious ass of myself. I just figured out I need to wait until I turn my computer and monitor on, after I plug in the phone line, before I then plug in and if necessary reset the modem. Then I log on. So far, problems have been minimal.

Maybe Mercury Retrograde just has a bad rap. Maybe it's actually an opportune period to address problems such as that, not avoid them. Or, maybe it means nothing at all.

Otherwise, Saturn is still floating around Virgo in a near direct opposition to Uranus and Pisces, which is compounded further by the fact that Uranus is retrograde. This aspect might best be construed as a need for an extra bit of caution and patience, more so than usual to avoid even greater setbacks in the way of progress. I sure felt that over the last few days.

Neptune has been an assist, being in the off-centered trine to the Sun that it now is-it's retrograde motion though possibly serving to make me wonder if all this hard work is really going to be worth it in the long run. Jupiter retrograde in conjunction with Neptune might well serve to heighten that angst, while adding a little bit of spite into the mix, of the "By God I will get this done" variety. Or, that could be the Mars in Cancer trine to Uranus in Pisces ranting, which would be a considerable influence, especially today when the Moon forms a Grand Trine with the pair.

But ah, Pluto, where art thou? A good solid three signs away from the Sun, a square, which thus gives us the opportunity to concentrate on lessening all the negativities accumulated over the course of the year. It's not been easy though by any means.

Maybe the fact that Venus in the first degree of Virgo is trine Pluto, the combination with the aformentioned Sun square Pluto indicating a need and propensity for sexual release. It's times like this I'm glad this isn't a family oriuented blog, otherwise I wouldn't be able to tell you to go out and get fucked.

The Second Harvest

As a matter of course, the idea of attuning with your power animal is to take it's strength and power inside of you and make it your own-not the other way around.

Nine of Swords

WTF kind of thing is this to draw for a Sabbat? The Nine of Swords signifies an unreasoning fear, a feeling of dread, a sense of impending doom, agonizing over problems that might well be self-created in the first place, and exaggerated in the second. Sometimes I think these cards are more appropriate for my own personal use than they are for general reading on my blog, but I see where they can work both ways.

There are a lot of unreasoning fears out there in a general sense, some of which are certainly based on well-founded concerns, but might be nonetheless exaggerated.

Take Global Warming for instance. Note how when the trickster god of the North Wind started following Al Gore seemingly every place he went, it didn't take too long for people to say, "okay, now hold on here." Suddenly, you rarely hear the words Global Warming uttered. It's now "Global Climate Change."

And it is a real concern. The melting ice releases more moisture into the atmosphere, which in turn might influence the climate in a myriad of ways, depending on the individual locale. I get all that. The question remains, to what degree is manking responsible for this? What, regardless of the answer to that question, can we do about it? Finally, can we do anything about it. SHOULD we do anything about it?

Of course, that is just one of the many agonizing concerns afflicting mankind. There is poverty, health care, the overall state of the economy, global political instability and terrorism.

How much of these concerns are self-created? How many of them are exaggerated for political purposes? Will things eventually resolve themselves of their own accord, over time? Can we afford to wait that long? If we try to change them, what is the best way to go about that? Will we-are we-in many cases only making matters worse?

A good clue might be a study of history. It seems like one decades fears becomes almost a footnote two or three decades down the line. Most people don't spend a lot of time worrying about the Nazi or communist menace, while slavery and Jim Crow seem almost like something that happened on another dimensional plane of existence.

In other words, nothing stays the same for very long. It's commendable to express concern and to work for positive change, but it might be counterproductive to get hysterical about it.

Mabon-What Mabon?

Well, another late series of posts for the Sabbats, but they do keep me hopping, and this one is no exception. Especially since I've taken it on myself to engage in a number of household chores that I've been putting off for far too long-like painting the house, among other things. Bedroom walls, check. Living room walls, check. Then I got the ceilings, doors, door frames, and baseboards to contend with. Then I can feel like I'm about half way done with everything I want to do.

The whole point being, I want this shit out of the way so I can have the time to devote to working on my novel. Make that novels. I have a different idea every day it seems. I still haven't gotten around to doing the rewrite for Radu, the first draft of which I published on this blog some time ago. What thought I give to it now is mainly concerning who will play the lead roles if it is ever made into a feature film of a Showtime or HBO miniseries.

I've settled so far on either Katie Holmes or Thora Birch to play the lead female role, but I'm stumped on the others.

But soon I shall face up to my coming long winter of discontent by actually getting around to hopefully finishing the damn thing first, once I can manage the time without having to worry about spring cleaning being such a bitch.

Anyway, Happy belated Mabon.