The Trojan Donkey-PETA

I am a democrat, because I basically believe in the traditional tenets of that party, more or less, but more so than less so. I would basically describe myself as being a liberal on about eighty percent of the issues, a conservative on probably a mere twenty percent of them. But more and more I'm starting to realize my party is undergoing a severe meltdown from within. And I blame it on the special interests that have infected the party, by infesting the party, and turning it into little more than a trojan horse for a radicalized, mestastisized version of honorable liberalism that can only be described as far left, extremist to the nth degree, in a great many cases. In other cases, they are not so much far left as they are mere careerists, people who have become so embedded that they are an entitlement in their own right, or think that they are.

And then there are the totally, uncomprehendingly silly. Such an example of this would be PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals). The first time I heard of this group was a long time ago, by way of commercials in which their spokesman of the time, Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicutt of televisions M.A.S.H. fame). They sounded extremist to me then, but I had no idea at the time how goofy this bunch actually was.

I love animals as much, and to tell you the truth I would imagine more, than the average person, more so than even the average animal lover. But this is an example of a group that does a potentially worthy cause a grave disservice. It's easy to laugh at the antics of these people, and to not take them seriously, but then you realize, these people are actualy sitting around in board rooms and being paid to come up with this goofy shit. And they have obviously recently scrapped the bottom of the barrel, having way too much time on their hands, and possibly, when you get right down to it, have too much money in their coffers. Where is it coming from? From the usual suspects of course, and seeing as thy are a non-profit agency, tey have to spend it all in a given amount of time, as they aren't allowed to make a profit.

Now this is where a certain little town in New Yoprk State comes in, a little town by the name of Fishkill. Yes, that's right, Fishkill New York. Bear in mind that New York, back in the early days of it's origins, was not an English, but a Dutch colony. Therefore, a great many of the place names in New York State are, as you might expect, of Dutch extraction. Fishkill is an ov\bvious example. It was probably originally Fishkyll, or some such like that, and was later Anglicized, not so much purposely as due to a naturl linquistic evolutionary process. Whatever the case, the name oiginally meant "Fish Stream".

But the good people of the board of PETA are now on record as having embarked on a campaign to urge the city council of the town to change it's name to somehting that is more "fish friendly". As soon as I heard this, I thought to myself, are they kidding? They aren't really serious, are they? Could they really be that idiotic, that stupid? To be honest with you, I keep thinking that maybe after all it will turn out ot be a good natured jibe, just a way to exhibit a sense of humor, to show people they are capable of self-effaccing humor, that they know they have a reputation as being a bunch of extremist nuts, why not embark on a good little good natured fun at their own expense. But I kind of doubt it.

They suggested as a replacement for the name of Fishkill, the name of a web-site which they are affiliated with, I think it is called, if I heard correctly, "Fishfriends.org". Yes, I know I should have googled it before hand so I would know for sure, but I'm kind of afraid to. Who knows what kind of viruses you can be infected with these days, and besides, I just had one hell of an idea. Failing the proposition of keeping the name of the city the way it is-my preferrence-wy not simply change it to it's English translation, "Fishstream". But of course, most fishstreams these days are quite polluted.

The Golden Ass-Edward M. "Teddy" Kennedy

It doesn't do much good to have a Trojan Donkey, if you don't have enough resources to adequately feed "The Golden Ass", but of course you can rest assurred you will get it al back, and then some. In other words, it's "The Golden Ass" that makes "The Trojan Donkey" a worthwhile abode. And this weeks "Golden Ass" would most certainly have to be the senior Senator from the state of Massachussetts. Some may wonder exactly why Teddy needs to be more of an ass than he all ready is-golden wise, that is. After all, the man has plenty of money, he's obviously a multi-millionaire, and can draw on all the resources of the Kennedy clan, but of course you have to remember how those resources were accumulated to begin with, which is of course to say political and business interests, such as banking. Besides, one's own monetary resources can only buy so much loyalty and influence, one might say lukewarm at best. A great deal of the time, it can only get you a certain level of tolerance based on the proposition, "well, he's better than the other option."

But to get the unquantified support of a network of liberal PACS, which might after all be the difference in achieving your overall policy aims, and thus ensuring the continuation of your legacy, and in this case dynasty, sometimes you have to take a step back, take a deep breath, hold it for as long as possible, shake off the malaise, pull yourself together, maybe take another deep breath, hold it for longer now than humanly possible, and finally take a stand-by saying the most outrageous, ridiculous, utterly baffling load of shit you could ever imagine entertaining in your mind, to say nothing of spewing out of your mouth.

This week, Teddy stepped up to the plate, and hit a homer. He took a nice little tour of the prison at Guantanemo Bay, after which he reitierated that the base should be closed, in that it obviously had been used forthe mistreatment of the prisoners, and for the disrespect of Islam. In otehr woreds, Teddy has paroted the party line of such stalwart organizations as MoveOn. org., Amnesty International, The International Red Cross, and, well, Al Queda.

In the meantime, while certain of the prisoners believed to hold vital information necessary to fighting the war on terror at Guantanamo Bay have been cussed and manhandled from time to time (though otherwise ensured their religous rights, prayer times, rituals, and required diets are strictly adhered to, in addition to receiving the best of medical care and time in the exercise yard, and for the most part, with some exceptions are actually treated in such a way that they are living better, for the most part, than they have ever lived in their lives) just this week in Iraq, we saw instances of the utmost brutality, when a suicide car bomber drove an explosive laden vehicle into the middle of a group of children who were receiving candy being passed out from an American soldier. 26 of the children were killed, along wiht the American soldier, while htree other soldiers and a lot more of the children were wounded, some seriously.

Hey, Teddy, guess what? If torture of these animals in Guantanamo is what it would take to ensure incidents like this never happenned again, especially on our own soil, I'm all for it. And until you and the rest of the Democrat Party-my party, I can't emphasize that enough- gets with the program, and gets that throught your thick skulls, you can count on losing more elections, and with my blessings.

Vacation Aruba-A Nice Place To VISIT, Not Stay

It has occurred to me that I may be coming across as somewhat insensitive in my posts pertaining the the semi-regular "Vacation Aruba" series, so I will take theopportunity here to try to explain in no uncertain terms, in a serious matter-but just this one time-why the media is really making a big mistake.

Naturally, I am as sympathetic to the plight of Ms. Beth Holloway Twitty as anyone. Any woman who has sufferred the loss that she has by now it would seem obvious to have sufferred, deserves everyones sympsthy, support, and respect. All the more so, when you consider what the apparently deceased natalie Holloway went through during her final moments, would any normal, feeling person be inclined to have sympathy and respect for her. As such, I applaud the media in their initial efforts to ensure that this story is not swept under the rug, that it is investigated fully and competently, and that it is not allowed to fade until an answer is forthcoming. The family of Natalie do indeed deserve answers, and, if possible and appropriate, justice should be meted out to those respoinsible for her fate.

However, there comes a point in time when enough is enough. One fifteen minute segment on twoor three shows, maybe three or four times a week, should be more than sufficient. However, it seems that this story has taken on such a life that one eight minute, or ten minute, or fifteen minute segment is not deemed sufficient. Without referring here to specific programs and individuals-for I do want to be kind here-it seems to me that certain ones are bound and determined to devote the entirety of their programs, or at least half of them, to this story. And more than just one time, some programs have done this numerous times. There are a number of reasons why this is problematic.

1. As I have mentioned, the vagaries of Dutch Law, as practiced on the island of Aruba, requires that investigation be kept secret, and as such any leakds to the media may be grounds for dismissal of charges. That is just the way it is. The fact that a handful of powerful and influential AMericans don'tlikethat law doesn't mean that law is going to or should be changed to suit them. Therefore, their insistence on knowing every single detail of the investigation could in the long run prove detrimental to the prospect of justice being served.

2. The reason this is being done is obvious to any thinking person. It is of course ratings driven. To the credit of certain in the media, such as Bill O'Reilley of Fox's The O'Reilley Factor, and Bernard McGurk, of MSNBC's and WFAN Radio's Imus In The Morning, they have been more than vocal in poiinting this out on occassion, and they should be applauded. But that hasn't stopped the shameless exploitation by some of the most eggregous members of the media, who are milking this cash cow for all it is worth, with the apparent blessings of the pantheon of network and advertising deities. And it is really quite shameful.

3. There are other news of far greater importance on a mass level that is being under reported, or not at all, due to this indulgence. The Natalie Holloway story, as tragic as it is, and as sympathetic as I repeat that I am to the girl and her family, does not deserve the same degree of consideration as stories about the London terrorist bombings, the war in Iraq, the constant friction in the U.S. Senate, the Karl Rove fiasco, or the coverage of the coming Supreme Court nomination. And mind you, these are stories that have still somehow managed to get enough coverage that I am able to point them out. Who knows what is being missed.

In conclusion, I hope that it isn't taken badly when I post this continuing "Vacation Aruba" series. I certainly don't mean to imply that Beth Holloway Twitty, and other members of her family, are taking advantage of events to secretly enjoy their stay on the island of Aruba. My criticism is directed at the media-not, I will repeat, for keeping on the story and reporting on it on a regular basis. But for going way, way, way overboard on it. And there is absolutely no legitimate excuse for it.

The Lincoln County Fire Sale

In this case, the fire sale in question is that of the Lincoln County Fire Department, who have evidently decided that the best way to selll themselves is to proe their worth, who knows why. Maybe they are up for funding, and are after increased funding. Maybe somebody figures some of that extra money could be diverted into investments in cockfights, or a brand spanking new Meth Lab, the capital venture of choice for all prospective Eatern and Southeastern Kentucky entrepreneurs. It muist be something like that, becuae after all, The Lincold County Fire Department is a volunteer fire department-suppossedly.

So why then, do thee hootzpahs go around setting fires, which they then arrive too late to put out. That's another thing guys, if you're after extra funding, and you want to prove your worth, it might help were you to show up on time to actually put the fucking fires out before they get too out of hand.

Of course, thee could be somethign I'm missing here, but I don't think so. They have been pretty much caught red handed, and as many as seven of the volunteer fire fighters seem to be involved in this scam. But to what end? There must be some reasoning behind it. Surely there si more to it than tying to cover up the theft of some expensive tools and some antique furniture. But maybe not. I forget sometimes, I am talking about Crab Orchard Kentucky here, one of the many communities where people have collapsed their local economies by voting their towns dry-in other words, alcohol is illegal. Of course, boot legging is rampant, the economy is shot to hell, there are dozens of drunks on the road at any given time making the long haul to wet areas to purchase their booze, which of course they then drink while in the process of driving on the Interstate on the return trip home. And if anybody wants to do anything for fun, other than go to a Church to hear some jackass preach about the evils of alcohol, then they are going to make yet another trip to a wet area, where they then contribute to that local economy, while other businesses in their own hometowns either go belly up or barely make ends meet.

A good many others simply move out of these towns, and live where their jobs are. As a result of all this, state funding is piecemeal, and frequently insufficient. So you got these bozos going around setting fires. What can you say?

The tragedy is even now of historic proportions, literally. As one of the three houses that is known to have been purposely set by the Lincoln County Volunteer Fire Department, is-or was, rather-get this now, an historic landmark. Yep, that's right, in fact, not only was it one hundred and fifty years old, but it is believed to have been a house which prior to the days of the Civil War, functioned as a stop on the famed Underground Railroad, which of course, was a euphemistic term to describe places where runaway slaves, on their uncertain way to freedom in the north, were allowed to hide out, in order to rest, get some food and sleep, maybe a clean change of clothing, and some much needed supplies. After a few days, they would be on their way. Now, all that is left of the house, besides a pile of burnt out rubble, is a set of concrete steps that were a part of the property.

It's really a shame. Or, as the present day owner of the house said, "It takes a prety low down person to do something like this."

Vacation Aruba-Arlene Ellis, Attorney

If you ever go to the sun drenched Caribbean tropical island of Aruba, be sure and drop in and say a nice big howdy to the prettiest little lady lawyer you could ever want to feast your sex crazed eyes on. Her name is Arlene Ellis, and the minute you see her, you're going to want to say something witty yet stupid, like, a purty little thing like you shouldn't be taking up all your time on this dirty lawyerin' business, you should be married to a lawyer, living the good life. You could have your pick of the best, most high powered, expensive attorney on Aruba.

But the little woman doubtless loves her work, feels a special calling to it. Lately, she has been called innumerable times, on America's Cable News Channels, such as Fox, just last night in fact she appearred on "The O'Reilley Factor For Kids". Wait a minute, that's not right. What is it here? Oh yeah, for Pete's sake, :"The O'Reilley Factor For Kids" is a children's book Bill is constantly hawking. The show is just simply "The O'Reilley Factor". That's okay, I think Bill gets them mixed up himself from time to time.

But Miss Ellis-I don't think she's married, fellas-has contributed very handily to Bill's show, among others, and my, wouldn't you be surprised at how the little lady explains, in simple and straightforward fashion, the ins and outs of Aruban law, which is of course based NOT ON THE AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM BUT ON THAT OF THE DUTCH LEGAL SYSTEM!!!

Now get this, guys. Not only is the little lady as cute as a bug in a rug. She's actually smart. Sometimes I think she really is an honest to gosh lawyer. And to think that there at first I thought she was just put on TV to be another pretty face, like Greta Van Sustern. She even has a better tan than Greta. Greta is catching up with her though.

But to recap what the little lady explained, with a cute though at times nearly imperceptible impertinence, is that Joran Van Der Sloot will have to be released if no evidence is presented to warrant holding him. Not that he won't ever be charged, mind you. It depends on evidence, such as is required to hold one in American jails, prior to being officially charged with a crime. It's called probably cause. It would be helpful, the little lady pointed out, if there could actually be presented PROOF THAT A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED!!!! Such as is required for one to be charged in, again, an American court.

After Miss Ellis's segment was over, Greta made another appearrance. She pointed out that were it not for the media, the case might never have been brought to light to begin with. Well, now, the case has certainly been brought to light. We see clearly now, the following: If the information the investigators have uncovered were ever to be leaked to a media outlet-such as, say for example, "The O'Reilley Factor" or, weellll, I don't know, maybe ON THE RECORD WITH GRETA VAN SUSTERN- then it so happens that this might very well cause any potential case against any prospective defendant TO BE THROWN OUT OF MOTHERFUCKING COURT BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE DUTCH LEGAL SYSTEM AS ADHERED TO ON THE ISLAND OF ARUBA.

I think Miss Ellis explained this quite well, in fact, at one point, at one time or another, on somebody's show, I don't remember now which one, but I'm sure she did, or somebody did, I don't remember, I don't think too clearly when purty little lawyers like Miss Ellis are on-screen.
There's just something about the way she smiles, then pouts, and kind of explains simple little things that even a child should be able to comprehend. Maybe she should have been a school teacher.

Jessica Lunsford

I am a Lunsford, that is to say my great-granmotehr was a Lunsford, from the hills of Clay County Kentucky. Whether or not I am closely or even related at all to this family, though, I am not sure, but the name caused the case in Florida to get my attention, more so than such cases ordinaily do. And, like Bill O'Reilley, on Fox News' The O'Reilley factor, I am more than a little pissed off that these cretins held this eight year old girl in a trailor for at least three days, pretending they didn't know that the one woman's brother, John Evander Cooey, a convicted sex offender, was staying there, when the sheriffs department deputies came to check out the place. All the time, Jessica was hidden there, in a closet, where Cooey held her for those three days, repeatedly raping her, in who knows how many different vile and despicable ways. Before he left town, courtesy of a bus ticket purchased by his sister, he buried her alive in the back yard. His sister, niece, and sisters boyfriend, all claim they knew nothing about his holding her in the closet of the room in which he slept, but this seems unlikely. According to one report, they were seen at a neighborhood dive, laughing and cracking jokes about the case of the missing girl.

Yet, Brad King, the prosecutor in the case, claims that he is unable to prosecute them, even though they lied about Cooeys whereabouts. Maybe so, it could be his hands were tied by the restraints of then current Florida law. Worse, Cooey was not read his rights, apparently (though I'm not all together certain abut this), and was refused access to a lawyer when he requested one (which I am very certain of). So, his entire confession may be thrown out. Incompentence reigns supreme from day one, and has only recently began to come to the surface. But I believe there are aspects of this case that O'Reilley even hasn't mentioned (though I would be very shocked if he has not considered them)

Cooey's sister, niece, and sister's boyfriend are all drug users, in fact they are crack heads. According to Cooey, the whole lot of them, including himself, were high at the pertinent time in question. That brings up an interesting proposition. I have long been aware, and I would think that it is pretty much common knowledge, that in order for a drug culture to thrive in any given town or area, the people in power, including law enforcement, have to at the very least turn a blind eye to the problem. More often than not, they are more or less active participants. In all cases, the chances are better than not that palms are being greased, with cold hard cash. In other words, without coming right out and making the accusation, I have to wonder whether Sheriff Dawsey, or individuals within his department, or both, might have been all too willing to turn a blind eye however reluctantly- to what should have been an obvious and understanably suspicious set of circumstances. Turn a blind eye, and hope it turns out okay. Hope that if the girl does turn up raped, and murdered, it would be in another neighborhood, due to the machinations of a suspect or suspects previously unknown to them.

Crack cocaine, like all other drugs of abuse, is a very lucrative market in very uncertain times. And the people who stand to gain-or lose-from it's vitality, are more than just the dealers, most of the time, there are shadowy forces at work. Way too often, they are forces that should be shining beacons of light and justice, but all too often may turn out to be the boogeyman inside the closet.

The Ku Klux Klan

I keep wanting to join the Klan, I don't mean really join them, and become initiated into their cult-and that is what it is-but I guess what I'm getting at is, I feel since I am writing a novel based on the life story of a fictitous Klansman, I should go out of my way to be fair to these people. And the only way I can think of that would come close to accomplishing this, is by associating with them. On the other hand, to be as honest as I can possibly be, I'm afraid of them. And I don't mean only that I'm afraid of what they might do to me, although this is indeed a part of it. But I am also afraid of what damage might be done to me due to any association with them, insofar as how that might be perceived by the general public. It's a nagging, gnawing fear, and one not really based on reality. Now, the fear that I might wake up one morning with a cross burning in my yard-that's a fear based on reality. And from what little I know of these people, that would be a mild rebuke.

Still, I keep telling myself, these people do maintain a web site, several in fact, related to nearly every state. Moreover, on this web-site there is a Forums section. This is the area I'm most interested in. But I don't want to be dishonest with them, by coming across as something I'm not. Still, if I posted on their Forums, and identified myself as a Hellenic Wiccan who was researching the Klan for the purposes of writing a novel-even if I assurred them that I intended to be fair to them-I wonder what their reaction would be? Not good, I would imagine.

But at least I can visit their web-site, which contains much information as to their beliefs on about every subject. Their views on Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, are pretty much what you would expect. On the other hand, there is much of interest there. For example, I always wondered exactly what their problem is with Jews. I expected it to be a lot of nonsense about them being "Christ Killers". But there is more-a whole lot more-to it than that. In fact, their fairly extravagant beliefs about the Jewish race are very, very enlightening. In fact, they are very complicated, and apparently drawn from the Bible itself, or at least their interpretation of the Bible.

So I have learned quite a bit about the Ku Klux Klan, without having asociated with them. And I am sure that I will learn a great deal more. Still, I feel as though I am cheating not so much them, as myself, by avoiding direct contact with them. I feel as though I could gauge much from their mind-sets, and perhaps even get honest answers to questions that I have, that they are not forthcoming about. But I'm not very likely to accomplish this by identifying myself as a Wiccan or Pagan. I keep telling myself, the best news reporters, investigative reporters, have to engage in subterfuge, hypocrisy. And why should I worry anyway about deceiving a bunch like this to begin with?

And then it occurred to me. They are likely, to some extent, to welcome any such opportunity for outreach. After all, we do have one thing, possibly only one thing, in common. We both have an appreciation for, and a love and respect for, our mutual European traditions and heritiage. And, yes, that includes racial heritage. So that does give us the one common bond. After all, this respect and love for my heritage is one of the main reasons I am a pagan to begin with. The Middle East holds no attraction for me at all, with it's constant strife, warfare, bitterness, hatred, all a result, in my opinion, of their monotheistic mind-set, with it's "My way is the only way attitude".

It's ironic as hell that the things the Klan are most well known for, bigotry and intolerance, and cultural hatred, and religous intolerance, originated from the Middle East, from those Jews they purport so much to dispise. Maybe, if I ever do get around to initiating a dialoque with them, I just might point that out to them.

Vacation Aruba-Playing The Fool

Last night, I think a rift of sorts came to a head on the Fox News Network, on The O'Reilley Factor, and it came during a roughly ten minute interview with wandering Aruban vacationer Greta Van Sustern. Greta insists there is a good possibility the Kalpoe Brothers may be rearrested on evidence the prosecutors eventually overlooked submitting the first time around. Also, someone had evidently made "a confession". Joran Van Der Sloot, it seems, had told someone-who is yet to be revealed-that he and the Kalpoe Brothers buried poor Natalie Holloway. Greta posited that, perhaps, the recent trip to the beach the investigators treated the three main suspects in the girls disappearrance to, seperately, of course, was done with the intention of ferretting out where this obscure hiding place might possibly be.

O'Reilley laughed. O'Reilley laughed openly. Greta's slightly sunburned face then grew yet a deeper shade of red. O'Reilley somewhere along the line made a statement to the effect that the media has played this story for all it was worth. Not them, of course, but the media in general. Greta kind of stammerred. She did hold her composure, I'll give her that. Come to think of it, I think O'Reilley laughed a second time, maybe even a third, somewhere along the line, but I'm not sure, probably because it was an inconspicous chuckle.

Nevetheless, O'Reilley told Greta to keep up the good work, and in so many words to keep them posted. Of course, Natalie Holloway has yet to be found, nor is there any explanation forthcoming as of now, as to what may have transpired, and what may have occurrd in the aftermath of what is almost certainly a personal family tragedy.

Greta does have a nice suntan.

Invoking Aphrodite By Eating Her Pussy

Yeah, I know, to some people, that sounds downright disrespectful, maybe even sacrilegious. After all, this is a GODDESS we are talking about, right? Well, first, you need to get out of that monotheistic Christian mind-set. The deities are not out to denigrate or degrade us. They have their likes and dislikes, and their everyday pleasures and past times, and it's only a matter of finding out the ones that are appropriate to them. There are, in most branches of paganism, certain deities that are extremely sexual oriented, and there is to them no shame in this.

With this in mind, for a man to invoke the goddess, is quite a simple process. The setting is everything. A nicely decorated room, dark with pink and/or violet candles and flowers, wafting incense of patchouli, sandlewood, or lavender. Speaking of lavender-try a nice warm essential oil of lavender and cinnamon mixed evenly, perhaps with a drop or two of Ylang Ylang, added to a couple of ounces of heated olive oil. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you might want to add a bowl of rice. If you want to really be extravagant, make it a bowl of rice pudding, with plump juicy raisins. Arrange the bouquet of flowers, the candles, incense, oils, etc., along with maybe a bottle of wine, and you are ready to go. All you need then is a comfortable mat, and one more thing-the goddess.

Now, of course, you are not going to physically acquire the goddess. Or are you? After all, the deities are in-dwelling, in us all. So, you know a woman, perhaps a married one even, who is not all that satisfied with her marriage? A prostitute, perhaps, though you should make sure she is free of disease. Hhhmmm, maybe you'd better just stick to the sexy neighbor. Don't be concerned that she may be a Christian woman, or a non-pagan. The deities dwell in us all, including non-pagans. Just the same, she doesn't necessarily have to know what you are up to, as far as you using her for a surrogate substitute for the goddess. And that is what you are going to do, use her as a vessel to invoke the goddess Aphrodite. First, by massaging the oil all over her body, as sensuously as you can. Silently invoke the aid of the goddess as you allow her to guide you in your endeavors.

Then, begin the oral stimulation. You will know you have succeeded when you hear her crying out in ecstasy. Especially, if she says "oh, God!". But you shouldn't get the big head over this. Remember, this is a method of servicing the needs of the goddess, not of pursuing your own lusts, of satisfying your own desires. Put the needs of the goddess first and foremost, and you will be rewarded accordingly (though this should not be your goal or intent).

A word of warning, however. Do not perform oral sex on her if it turns out that she is in the middle of her menstrual cycle. That is not how you would go about invoking Aphrodite. That is how you would go about invoking Hecate. But that will be the subject of a different, future blog post.

The Prince Of Darkness

Robert Novak is a double conservative. He has always been a fiscal conservative, but his social conservatism lagged behind until the last few years, when he converted to catholicism. But he is still CNN's The Prince Of Darkness, a conservative commentator who takes no prisoners in his support of conservative ideology there and in his role as a newspaper columnist. Over the last coupe of years he has earned his nickname, as relted to the Valerie Plume affair, in which he preinted the name of this CIA operative as being the wife of former ambassadoe Joe Wilson, who had rebuffed the Bush administrations assertions that Saddam Hussein had attempted to acquire "yellow cake", used fr the making of nuclear fissionable materials, from contacts in the African nation of Niger. The Bushies were beside themselves with fury at Wilson over this, and this was their pissy little revenge. And they used columnist Novak to put out the information that valerie Plume was indeed a CIA operative, thus ruining her as far as any future use in this position goes.

Evidently, Novak got this bit of information from Karl Rove, Bush's chief poiltical consultant. Rove, and his friends, are now trying to play damage control by ptting it out that they never mentioned Valerie Plume by name, only that they identified the agent as the wife of former ambassador Wilson. Which of course is about the stupidest excuse I have ever heard in my life.

Rove should be tried for treason, or at the very least for potentially endangering the lives of Ms. Plumes past contacts. What a shitty thing to do. I mean, really, this is the most unprofessional, mean spirited thing I have ever heard of, to say nothing of being a prime example of callus disregard for every standard of ethical conduct of national affairs, and national security concerns, I could ever imagine.

As for Novak, he is typical of the Christian Conservatives. As long as what you say or do furthers the cause, the conservative cause, the Christian cause, the cause of morality, then it can be excused, it can even be lauded. Privately, of course.

Hurricane Dennis

I knew before the first hour I had heard the name that somebody, some fool, was going to call this thing "Dennis The Menace", and sure enough, it took a whole day, but who else but Geraldo Riviera would refer to something as potentially devastating as a hurricane by a term that might otherwise be endearing. I wonder if there were any "Mr. Wilsons" that bore the brunt of this not so cute manifestation of nature's savagery. But more importantly, I wonder why local and state governments don't do the sensible thing, and turn off their power in advance of the storms arrival, any storm. I mean, when you know a hurricane is coming, it seems the sensible thing to do, while you're encouraging peoplke to get out of Dodge, that you might want to consider cutting the power, therefore negating the potential hazards of downed live power lines. Now, they might do this in some areas, but I know they dn't do it in Kentucky when there are severe thunderstorms, even when there have been tornadoes spotted. You would think that would be the first order of business. After all, a few ruined groceries couldn't be as bad as a live wire hanging down on the road, maybe being blown up on top of saomebody's roof and setting the whole damned house on fire.

For that matter, I don't understand why power lines, in this day and age, should have to be above ground to begin with. Why not have them undeground, in heavily insulated pipes, like sewers? can you imagine what it wouldbe like if sewer lines wee run above ground, with the pipes snaking through the air in the trees. Okay, maybe it would be worse.

Still though, it should be relatively easy. If there was a power problem in any one area, this could be found easily. Then, after setting up a temporary by-pass system, the affected area is shut off, and the, through use of a manhole, the entire affected wires are extracted, and all of them then replaced. The whole operation would take an hour or less, and in the long run the maintenance issues would probably not be as many as they currently are. There certianly would be no problems with the wind, or the rain (so long as, like I said, they were properly insulated).

There would be a smaller underground pipe going to each individual residence, which would then connect to the house at the base, perhaps at the foundation, going up, not from the rood, which would be far easier to catch fire in the event of an exposed wire, etc.

Why does this matter? Why do I even take the time to think of things like this? Who knows. I guess I'm just wanting to Blog about something.

Shasta Groene

Well, I was pretty far off the mark in my June post entitled "Sex Slaves", which you can find by clicking on the June Archives link. I had determined the Groene children had been taken from their home in Couer D'Alene, Idaho, with the permission of hteir mother, in lieu of money owed to drug dealers, whom I suspected of being connected to the one time White Supremacist movement that was prevalent in the town. I further theorized that, after taking the children, the people than murdered the family anyway. Now, of course, the truth has come out, or at least partially so. In fact, you can read the archives of Joseph Duncan's Blog, "The Fifth Nail, right here on Blogger, or you could anyway, the last time I tried to. I read it to see if I could establish some connection with Coeur D'Alene, but unfortunately as of what few posts I read so far, was unable to.

Perhaps it is like they said, it was a random hit by a sick, disturbed individual. It's possible he was even updating his Blog right in Couer D'Alene the last few posts, and may have iunadverdantly overheard a conversation by one of the children, who may have been at the library where he may have been using public access computers, and somehow got their address. Or, perhaps, as has been said, he simply spotted their house from the Interstate, noticed a party going on, the children playing in the yard, and the people were leaving, and he knew they were easy targets.

Possibly while he was in prison, he had associates who had been involved in the White Supremacist movement in Couer D'Alene, and he may have even become aware of the Groene's or the MacKenzies. Possibly we will never know. One thing we know for cerain, is this was one sick individual, and he was right about one thing that he posted in his Blog. He is sufferring from a disease that he contracted from society. Not to excuse him, by any means. But exactly what is it that creates this kind of monster, and what can be done about it, without fostering and encouraging a kind of frenzy in which no stranger, and very few non-strangers, can be trusted to even the slightest degree? Sure, a reasonable amount of suspicion of anyone is healthy, but too much of it, on the other hand, can be malignant, like a cancer on society that might end up as bad, and even conceivably worse, than the disease that spawned it.

Of course, I always said, I never trust anyone, but myself. Me, I know. I can't say the same for anybody else. And a deck of Tarot Cards, as I found out quite some time ago, can only tell you so much.

Caligula And George W. Bush

Is George W. Bush sufferring from the same mental/emotional malady that best the Roman Emperor Caligula (37-40 A.D.)? There is very good reason to think so. Caligula thought he was a god. He believed this quite literally, and fervently, from all accounts. Unlike his predecessors, who adopted a kind of benign, exalted godhood out of a need to establish a social structure that was consistent and orderly, he took it quite seriously. Bush is similar in this regard. American Presidents have always believed they had a special status, as guardians of a divinely ordained institution. Bush, on the other hand, seems to go well beyond this. If I didn't know better, I would think the man believes he is the messiah, to all intents and purposes The Second Coming Of Christ. And, this would fit in well with the conservative Christian view of the present age as an end to "The Millenium", with all it's myriad supposed signs of the encroaching apocalypse. After all, Bush has made claims as to his special relationship with his supposed "Creator". The implications are obvious, and frightening.

There are other similarities. Caligula, as well as Bush, wrecked the treasury of his nation, which had previously been on not only sound financial footing, but was a repository of up until then unheard of wealth. Caligula, like Bush today, went through the treasury like it was Kool-Aid, and soon the country was bankrupt.

But what really got me interested in this possibility, and caused me to take notice of it, quite by accident, was astrology. I had long been intrigued by the possibilities inherent in the prospect of astrological planetary returns. For example, Neptune is now at roughly the 14th degree of the sign of Aquarius. It takes Neptune roughly 163 and 3/4 years to make a complete orbit around the sun, therefore that amount of time to make a complete run throughout the zodiac. Thus, one return. What do you see then if you multiply that times twelve? Twelve, of course, being a significant number astrologically in that there are twelve signs of the Zodiac. You run it back from there and, sure enough, the twelth time going back that Neptune was at the 14th degree, or thereabouts, of Aquarius, was during the year 40 A.D.-the year Caligula was assassinated.

One needs now to bear in mind that Neptune is the planet of illusion and delusion, of deception and mystery. What it's presence in the sign of Aquarius brings to bear is not to me immediately clear, as I am not, I am sorry to say, that great an astrologer insofar as comprehensive depth of knowledge goes. On the other hand, I did discover these aspects and similarities between Bush and Caligula, so go figure.

Another thing I noticed, quite by accident, is that in 40 A.D. the planet Pluto was at, roughly, the 26th degree of Saggittarius-about where it is at this present time. So we have a double whammy, a double matching aspect pertaining to the two men. What does it mean? I wish I knew. Does it mean Bush will be assassinated. Maybe not. It could augur, however, that he will come to an ignonimous end, though this might not necessarily entail a physical death. It could simply mean a political downfall, one from which he will never recover. And one which, more likely than not, he will have brought on himself.

I will be watching, and paying close attention, that is for sure.

Olympic Gold

Well, there you have it, exactly one day after the announcement that London beat out Paris to be the host city of the 2012 Sumer Olympics, a terrorist attack, courtesy of Al-QAueda Europe, has claimed, at last count, 43 lives, and this shall doubtless grow. By the time I have finished with this post, I wouldn't be surprised to hear there have been another one, or others. If not by then, perhaps by sometime in the day, or the next one, or the next, etc.

The irony is, I for one believe London was chosen to be the host city of the 2012 Olympics for security reasons, more than any other single reason. What amazes me was even that Paris was in the running to begin with, to say nothing of making it up to the top two. True,m there have been no terrorist attacks in Paris. But think about it. There is a large Muslim population in France, more so than in most other European countries, and this has had a heavy, considerable impact on French politics. One need only to look at the recent rejection of the EU Constitution to see this. One of the major reasons the French people voted overwhelmingly to reject the EU blueprint, besides a growing dislike for Jacques Chirac, and dissatisfaction with the state of the French economy, is their wariness, and weariness, with immigration. Specifically, with immigration from Muslim countries. This has been a bad problem which the EU does not deign fit to address, probably due to the fact that Turkey is an important member. Still, the French people spoke with a huge voice on the matter. As did the Dutch.

There are many Arabs and Muslims, currently living in European countries, who have no respect or regard for European people or culture. It seems to be an ongoing policy of immigrate, breed like rats, do not assimilate any more than necessary, and then one day become the majority. Then, rule with an iron fist, doubtless, over a European Islamic state. This I have heard is actually a stated goal of a certain Turkish Islamic fundamentalist group, who are in fact responsible for recent violence in the Netherlands, culminating in the death of Dutch film maker Theogh Van Gogh.

But as uncertain as the situation is in The Netherlands, it is worse in France, in fact, France is a powder keg, getting ready to blow up at any time. Small wonder the Olympic Committee chose London. To be sure, Britain itself has a sizable Muslim population, and liberal policies towards it's immigrants, but it's record and policies toward security are far more comforting.

Until today. I believe the Al-Queda network has really screwed up now, though. I remember when Argentina thought they could bulldoze their way into the Falklands, a small group of islands that belongs to Britain, off the coast of Argentina, that contains a larger population of sheep than it's few thousand citizens. The war that resulted could have almost been missed had we blinked long enough. The British made short work of this bunch.

And Britain has without a doubt the best intelligence service in the world, with the possible, arguable exception of Israel's Moussad. I have always been of the opinion that Britains major contribution to the Allied cause in World War II was not so much it's military (though it's contribution here is more than is generally recognized) as it was it's intelligence services, particularly MI5. I have no doubt the British tradition of efficiency in intelligence gathering and consequent appropriate actions taken will result in a massive apprehension of Al-Queda terrorists, not only in Britain, but probably as well in Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, and France. It may take a while, and there may well be more terrorist incidents in Britain in the meantime, as well as in the aftermath, but the British will do what they have to do, and will not allow themselves to be hamstrung by the so-called "liberal" politics which has afflicted the United States, and so many other European communities. The British, I am certain, will stand together as one people, much like the Americans in the aftermath of 9/11, only the difference will be they will stand united. Those who oppose any necessary actions will be marginalized and shunned, as they should be.

There is just too much at stake, for Britain and for the civilized world, for the British to not take a firm, just stand against this barbaric savagery.

The DaVinci Code: A Big Disappointment

Having finally taken the time to read the book, I have to say, although it was good, it wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped and expected. Maybe it just didn't live up to the hype in my mind. Or maybe it was because parts of it were just too stupid to be believable. For example, when the initial murder occurs, the man somehow knows he has about fifteen minutes to live. So instead of leaving sensible letters identifying the killer (a large albino wearing the cassock of a catholic monk) and maybe a letter to his granddaughter telling her to go to a certain church in Scotland and to ask to speak to a certain person (who she would then learn was her long thought dead grandmother, living there with her likewise long thought dead brother) this dying man goes through a series of incredibly bizarre physical contortions and cryptic clues (which themselves are so well hidden it would take a monumental work of genius to find them) designed to send his granddaughter on an old fashioned treasure hunt. He in effect makes a great leap of faith that she will even realize where or what the clues are, let alone whether she can solve them.

It was just a dumb, dumb, dumb concept. I have this feeling that it was the reaction, and overreaction, and controversy, that made the book an overnight success and international best-seller, and soon to be a major motion picture. I still say it wasn't that good. I did, however, learn one important detail from reading the book. Christians took it far more seriously than it deserved to be taken, and made complete asses out of themselves in deeming it fitting to spend time refuting the allegations in the book. Yet, the book itself treats traditional Christianity, and Catholicism, and for that matter even Opus Dei, in a fair and respectful manner, making it clear that it was fringe elements that were responsible for the crimes being committed.

As for the matter of Mary Magdalene, and the prospect that members of the old Merovingian dynasty of France were descendants of her and Jesus Christ, and that Magdalene was meant to be the feminine counterpart of Christ-"The Divine Feminine"-although this was presented as an intriguing theory, with potentially explosive evidence to support it, this was in no way presented as hard proof, by any stretch of the imagination. Just another belief system, when you get right down to it, that may well have been believed by certain sects and secret societies stemming from the Renaissance Age. But that is all.

So what is the problem? Simply put, The DaVinci Code dares to question Biblical authority, the authority of the Catholic Church in particular, and in general raises serious questions about the history of Christianity, Christian beliefs, and the Church. In other words, The DaVinci Code commits the ultimate sin, that in daring to question Christian authority and supremacy. And in urging that people might possibly want to think for themselves, instead of blindly following and believing Catholic and Christian dogma. For that reason and that reason alone, The Da Vinci Code has turned out to be an important work, important in fact in a way that extends well beyond it's literary merit.

07/02/05-Saturday Random Tarot Reading

Significator: Seven Of Cups; Covering Card: The Devil; Crossing Card: Ten of Pentacles; Crowning Card: The Fool; Base Of The Matter: King of Wands; Passing Influences: Seven of Pentacles; Up-And-Coming Influences: Queen of Swords; Where You Find Yourself: Five of Wands; View Of Others: Death; Hopes And Fears: The Chariot; Fibal Outcome: Three of Wands

Just yesterday, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her impending retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court, after nearly a quarter century as a voice of moderation on that ideologically divided body. Having begun as a Reagan appointee, she has engendered the ire of many on the Far Right by refusing to weigh in on the side of the judicial conservatives on such matters as the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Bush will now feel an opportunity to ensure his conservative support, and his legacy, by seeking to appoint a conservative along the lines of Rehnquist, Thomas, and the Vice President's good hunting buddy, whose name inexplicably escapes me at the moment. Probably I just want to forget it. Bush knows, however, that he will come under fire by both sides in this matter, so he is probably going to announce, or maybe leak, a potential replacement that will draw the ire of liberals throughout the nation. This could well be a ruse, a trial balloon of sorts, and though the person will indeed be of his own liking, he will come to understand the reason in choosing a person more in the mold of O'Connor herself. Unfortunately, when that announcement is made, the person will come under some criticism from the Right, so Bush will make every effort as to ensure her conservative credentials.

There will be a great deal of angst on both sides, as they feel the approach of the end of an era. However, after a lengthy battle and confirmation hearing, Bush's ultimate choice to replace O'Connor will be confirmed. He will need to be aware, however, that his victory may be a pyrrhic one, in two ways, in that neither side is likely to be completely satisfied.

It has also occurred to me that he might try to nominate, or rather renominate, none other than Robert Bork himself to the position. Interesting to see what the reaction to this would be, and what the ultimate outcome would be. Would it turn out different this time around?

Vacation Aruba-Paulus Van Der Sloot's Huge Penis

There are many natural scenic wonders on the small Caribbean island of Aruba, just off the coast of Venzuela. Not the least among these is the recently filmed bulge in the slacks of Paulus Van Der Sloot, filmed as he was leaving the islands lone prison in the company of his wife, having gone there for the purpose of visiting their 17 year old son, Joran. He, of course, has been held recently, along with two friends, in connection with the mysterious disappearance of Alabama High School student Natalie Holoway. For a brief time, Paulus himself was detained on suspicion of complicity after the fact in relation to the disappearance, and is still considered a suspect, though no grounds have yet been provided which are sufficient to detain him further. As he and his wife walked from the prison, hand in hand, the camera crew for MSNBC felt compelled to zoom in on Van Der Sloot's crotch, an event which was then aired on the cable networks "Scarborough Country" with Joe Scarborough.

Someone was reported to have said, "Damn, how long has she been in there, thirty minutes, an hour? He must stay happy to see her."

"Nahh, man, he's just hangin' ten," another is reported to have said. "At least"

Afterwards, in a further development which may in part or in whole be related, or may not be, the various media networks have extended their weekly lots in drawing for which anchors, analysts, and news crews will migrate here in the hopes of covering the story of Miss Holloways disappearance, and of hopefully rescuing her if alive, or otherwise retrieving her body for a return home and proper burial. Many are determined to assist in any way possible in uncovering the truth behind the crime, if indeed a crime has been committed. To these ends, they have all joined together, these media outlets from all over the U.S. , and set up camp in Aruba-a beautiful Carribbean island which has long been noted for it's tropical climate and it's balmy ocean breezes, it's endless miles of sandy beaches and surf, an island paradise of which ease and comfort and leisure is matched only by the glamor and excitement of it's nightlife, it's casinos and nightclubs and discotheques, it's first rate food, it's golf courses and tennis courts, and the many beautiful and natural scenic wonders, in a setting noted for it's cleanliness, and unusually low unemployment, poverty, and crime rate.

They have come, and will continually do so, from a variety of outlets, from all the major television networks and 24 hour cable news channels, and possibly, it is rumored, from other cable channels, as diverse as Nikolodeon, Bravo, USA, Animal Planet, and Turner Clasic Movies. The print media as well may end up being fully represented, from such varied outlets as Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, High Times, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Christian Science Monitor,and a contingent of some fifty odd cub reporters from the Weekly Reader.

Beth Holoway, the mother of Natalie, (who has by now been missing for about a month to the day since she failed to show up for the return trip home from her unofficial High School Senior trip to Aruba), was heartened at the news of the ever increasing interest of the news media, as were other family members and friends. She hopes that this will turn the tide of the investigation, and lead finally to results. She is certain that young Joran is hiding something, and that Paulus, her father, is involved as well.

One things for certain, Greta Van Sustern, of Fox News Channels "On The Record", plans to follow the story as long as it takes, and seems determined to stay in Aruba until the mission is accomplished, however that might turn out. Some may recall that it was an interview with the elder Van Der Sloot, conducted by Greta in the presence of Mrs. Holoway, that lead to the Dutch nationals temporary incarceration on suspicion of aiding and abetting his son and his friends. Despite the fact that he has now been released, Greta is unwavering in her determination to get to the truth.

"Paulus seems to be trying to hide something", she is reported to have been overheard confiding. " I have this idea that it's huge. I mean, it's just too obvious."

A Vacation Guide To Aruba

I have an idea that all the news reporters and pundits of cable news channels, and other media outlets in addition, have a weekly lot drawing contest every week, probably on a Monday, to see which one will get to go the next week to this beautiful Carribean Island off the coast of Venezuela. Ostensiby in search of a month long missing student from Alabama, more than likely long dead, and in hopes of a media exclusive. Perhaps in the hopes of solving the mystery of who committed the crime, and why. Or, rather, of proving what everybody seems to think they know, as to the guilt of one Joran Van der Sloot, with possible aid after the fact from his father Paulus, a "Judge in Training". All they have done so far is got in the way of the investigation, and frankly, enough is enough. Even the normally fastidious Bill O'Reilley, of Fox Channels "The O'Reilley Factor", has gotten caught up in this ratings bonanza.

They just can't help themselves, probing and prodding, knowing full well that, according to the islands laws, which seem to be modeled after that of The Netherlands, of which Aruba is a protectorate, the police are obliged to keep all pertinent information as regards the investigation secret. Any leaks of any consequence would result in the case being thrown completely out of court. Still, Greta Van Sustern, Bill O'Reilley, Joe Scarborough, etc., etc., keep shooting at the walls of the dyke. And Natalie Holloway's mother, step-father, and other relatives, are encouraged to keep digging, keep probing, until they find the truth. This was understandable at first, as it was beginning to look like the authorities had bungled the investigation, and there might even have been a hint of favoritism going on. And I'm not suggesting that the media should totally back off. But they should moderate their stance somewhat. Otherwise, the girl or her body might never be found. Worse, there may never be a criminal case. Now that would be a bungle of monumental proportions.

The Bread Basket Of The Middle East

It just occurred to me, in addition to being one of the wealthiest states in the world in regards to it's oil reserves, Iraq could well revert to it's ancient status as a land of fertility and abundance, with just a modicum of help from us. Of course, first we have to ensure a peaceful existence for the people before any kind of economic vitality can take hold. But Mesopatamia, Sumer, ancient Assyria and Babylon, was long noted as the "Fertile Crescent", as the rich soil that lay between the Tigris and Euphrates provided the nourishment for the developing of the worlds first, most ancient of civilizations.

Three thousand years later, of course, the land may not be that fertile, through centuries of overuse, and out and out abuse and neglect. But this fertility might be restored, with scientific and technological aid from the U.S. This is an important point to consider, as well as the prospect of resettling what may hopefully be left of the so-called "Swamp Peoples" so brutally displaced by Saddam throughout the years of the tyrants reign, despite the fact that these were indigenous people to the land between the rivers since time immemorial. If at all possible, care should be taken to revive this ancient and time honored tradition, in addition to restoring the abundance potential of the region.

This would be important to us, as well. As it would provide an agricultural trade base for Iraq throughout the whole of the Middle East, and serve more than anything to demonstrate the benefits of economic as well as political reform, and could provide a partner in the much needed relief efforts in regards to the famines that, at one time or another, seem to ravage the general area of Africa and South Central Asia.

Of course, efforts have to be made to get this off the ground, after peace and security is established. A good start would be in opening up contracts to companies outside the U.S., and others in the U.S. Caterpillar, for example, as well as John Deere, in addition to other agricultural and construction corporations. By allowing contractual bidding between different corporations, the U.S. can still assist the Iraqis in providing security and oversight, and in more importantly ensuring that the people of the country don't get hosed by crooked would be robber barons who might make crooked back-room deals with the inevitable corrupt politician. As well as providing potential havens for would-be saboteurs and political buccaneers. These problems taken into consideration, it could only be beneficial to opening up the bidding for business contracts, and perhaps more importantly, opening up the flow of capital in the form of loans and grants to qualified entrepreneurs within Iraq, who might help to build the nations economy for the benefit of, first and foremost, the Iraqi people.

I can even envision the return of the ancient splendor of Nebudchadnezzars "Hanging Gardens of Babylon", and maybe even a return to the old days of paganism, in it's more positive aspects. Of course, I realize that would doubtless be expecting way too much. For the time being, at least.

We've Got To Pay For This One Day

Another troubling aspect of the Iraqi War is the funding, which is surely, and not too slowly, draining our reserves, our financial ones, that is. We are going more and more into debt everyday. All because our buffoon of a president, who got us into this mess to begin with under false pretenses (possibly knowingly, but that's another issue) further refuses to fund the war. With this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that there is one, and only one, solution to this dilemma. And that is simply to do something Bush has sworn to never do, which is, raise taxes. Not on the middle class. Not on the working poor. But, quite simply, on those who make more than 200,000 dollars a year. They should be hit immediately with a special ten per cent tax, to fund the war. And, in order to prevent them from passing this tax along to the consumer, we may have to initiate a temporary Price Control Agenda. Not by law, but by levying a further tax on any business or corporation that raises it's prices, or cuts back on it's work force, in the aftermath of this.

If the nation would do this, if Congress would pass this law, which they might have to pass over Bush's veto with a two thirds majority (which might not be all that hard to accomplish as one might initially think) not only would the war be adequately funded, we could probably in the meantime keep all over necessary spending sufficiently funded, and at the same time ensure that the war would soon be brought to a reasonable conclusion. In fact, if this were made the permanent law of the land, I have a feeling the nation would find itself embroiled in very few, if any, wars. And what wars we were to become involved in,you can rest assured, would definitely be necessary.

Moreover, this would be one way to equally share the burden of war, as for the most part it is the sons and daughters of the working poor and middle class who fill the ranks of the military. The wealthy are seldom to be found on the ground in military conflicts. Yet, they seem to be the ones who are the quickest to push for military action. It is the big business corporations who profit in the way of military contracts, but it is the blood of the poor and middle class that is being shed to fight the wars. This policy would eliminate that disparity.

If a policy such as this isn't enacted, on the other hand, the mountain of debt that will be accrued over the years might turn this nation into just another Third World debtor nation, where the wealthy lord it over everybody, and there is no middle class to speak of. Just islands of serfdom in an ocean of feudalism.

Guantanamo-The Perfect Training Facility

I feel that a great many of detainees of Guantanamo could probably be allowed to leave. Some, for example, that were merely innocent bystanders in Afghanistan, citizens of that place, or even those that may have been low level soldiers or mid-level officers of the Taliban. Sure, it would be taking a chance, however, it would at least be an effort on the part of the U.S. to show some kind of conciliatory move, even if some of these folks had indeed taken up arms against us. After all, how would we feel if suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by an invading army from another nation?

On the other hand, there are those that should be brought to trial. Not in our court system, however, but through the use of military tribunals, if there is evidence to warrant this. An example would be fighters who were taken on the fields of Afghanistan, who were from other nations, such as Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Whether they are Al-Queda members or sympathizers, or higher level Taliban members, they should be brought to trial, with of course some judicial oversight and review.

As for those who might have pertinent information, we have every right to extract that information by any means available, in my opinion. They are combatants who target civilians, who are not legitimate members of a recognized military or nation. Therefore, their rights under our constitution, and as far as I'm concerned under international law, ends where begins my rights to live my life in safety and security, for myself and my family. Guantanamo should therefore be closed to any scrutiny by any outside entity, such as Amnesty International, The International Red Cross, or any other group, foreign or domestic, who deigns it fitting to interfere, on whatever pretext, in our national security affairs.

However, I do not condone excessive brutality, unreasonable torture. By the same token, there might be a better way, a way to totally break their spirits. Simply make Guantanamo the training area of choice for the future Iraqi Army. Once the incarcerated terrorists see the resolve, the dedication, that the average Iraqi civilian goes about the process of training in order to protect the security of their state, the love and patriotism they exhibit for the prospect of finally living in an open, democratic society based on the rule of law, and equal protection under the law, of justice for all, a good many might come to see reason, if for no other reason than simple shame. If not, part of the Iraqi training can be in the area of enemy interrogation. The thought of suddenly finding themselves alone in a room of Iraqi military, American trained interrogators, might make some open up out of terror at the consequences, and others more out of the simple religious bonds that supposedly exist on at least a latent level amongst all Muslims.

If that fails, we can always go back to Christina Aquillierra.

The United States Of Iraq

Contrary to current belief, the American system of representative democracy would be the perfect model for Iraq, with only a small amount of fine tuning. There is good news here, possibly. The fact that Iraq is a multi-ethnic country could be a harbinger for true freedom, of majority rule with minority rights respected by law, and even allowances made for representation and participation. It doesn't necessarily have to be a harbinger for civil war, disruption, chaos, and an eventual Shi'ite domination over the minority Kurds, Sunnis, and others.

Hopefully, the nation will adopt a Bill Of Rights, guaranteeing freedom of speech, assembly, the press, and religion. And other legal rights guaranteed for all. Once this is established, it would be a simple enough matter to carve the nation up into a series of states, each with it's own equal number of Senators, and a House of Representatives commensurate with each individual states population. Some of these states will ofcourse be Sunni, others Shi'ite, still others Kurdish, and there should even be a state that is predominantly Assyrrian, and one more that is Chaldaean, or one that is a combination of both. There may be states with a mix of ethnicities, two or more, with none marking a clear majority. Such a state as this might prove to be the model of how well the future Iraqi State might function-or fall apart at the seams.

Whatever the case, the U.S. model might well be the only prospect for the survival and success of the future Iraqi State, and the only thing that might keep it from eventually descending into civil war, with an ultimate return to a tyrannical Ba'athist regime-or what could even prove worse, a Shi'ite (or for that matter Sunni dominated Islamic fundamentalist theocracy.

What Do You Say To A Potential Recruit?

Frankly, I tell them the way it is. I tell them, if you join the military, don't necessarily believe everything the recruiting officer tells you. Once your time of enlistment is up, it is a part of your military contract (one that no one will go out of their way to point out to you) that you will be expected to stay past that expiration time, if needed. In fact, you might even be expected to serve for two or three terms, maybe even more. Joining the national Guard and Army Reserves, in the meantime, is no assured way to get out of combat. It may have been at one time. But that was in the distant past. Now, it is almost a sure thing you will be called to duty in Iraq. As of the present, there is no end in sight to this situation. As a result of this, recruitment is down, across the board, in the traditional military, as well as in the Guard and Reserves.

Parents, as well as some peace activist organizations, have lately taken to protesting the presence of military recruiters on high school and college campuses. As a result, some of these groups are being branded as unpatriotic. Personally, I have mixed feelings about the war, but one thing I am definitely clear on. When a naive young man or woman, particularly one fresh out of high school, is led to enlist in the armed services of this country, be it for patriotic reasons, altruistic ones, or merely out of a sense of respect for family tradition, or even for the more selfish reasons a good many especially poorer recruits choose this route (see the world, education, job training-or simply for a temporary paycheck) then the military has a moral and ethical obligation-and as far as I'm concerned a legal one-to live up to the terms of their contract. By keeping these young people in past their originally agreed time of enlistment, they are breaking faith with their soldiers, their parents, and the American public. And it is counterproductive. They have made matters worse as far as enlistment goes by this action, when a simple substantial increase in pay would help to solve the problem. Ensuring that they are properly supplied with the equipment they need in a timely manner would help at least as much.

If it smells like a lemon, it only makes good lemonade with the right amount of sugar and water.

Bush Will Never Learn-Or Is He Just Drunk?

Drunk with power, that is. Down in the polls across the board, and particularly it seems over his handling of the war in Iraq, which most Americans now believe is not worth the cost, Bush insists that we stay the course, and not impose an "artificial time line" for withdrawal. Both of these points are certainly understandable from a strategic point of view, but then he veers off into the zone of the unreasonable by insisting that we do not need to send more troops. He asserts that if the generals conducting the war ask for more, they will get it, but goes on to point out that an increase might cause the Iraqis to think we are there to stay. He promises that the Iraqis will eventually be trained and equipped in sufficient numbers to defend their own country. But it would seem to me the best way to accomplish this goal, in addition to securing the country, finally, and making serious headway insofar as reconstruction goes, would be by doing the very opposite of what Bush promises, maybe even doubling the troop strength in Iraq, and giving them the tools they need to do the job. Then, getting out of their way and allowing them to do it. With an increased number of troops, the job of training Iraqis can be done more quickly, and more efficiently.

Of course, the true reason for doing this is probably because Bush understand all too well that, since this is an unpopular war, the American people would like to see fewer, not more, troops in the country. If so, this would be an abrupt about face for a president who once promised not to lead by following the polls.

The Way-I Hope-To Stop Smoking

I used to smoke more than two packs a day, then I eventually cut down to a pack and a half. As of the last Summer Solstice, I finally decided, I've had it with this shit. From that time on, I've got myself down to between 16 and 18 cigarettes a day, down from between 26 and 30. In other words I've almost cut it in half, just over the last week. And it's not really been that hard, not hard at all. In the meantime, I've figured something out. There's only one way to stp smoking, and it's not cold turkey. Oh, sure, there's people that's done that. But I, for one, don't intend to go through the rest of my life fighting the craving for cigarettes. You see, I've figured out, in order to quit forever, you have to want to stop smoking more than you want to smoke. The minute a person wants to smoke more than he wants to quit, he is either going to go back to smoking, or he is going to remain miserable, to at least some degree. And I hate misery.

But the longer a habitual smoker goes without smoking, the more he is going to want to smoke. And the more likely he is to, in time, give in to that urge. Therefore, by cutting down gradually, you are keeping it on an even keel, keeping your desire to quit at least even with your desire to smoke, until, eventually, the desire to quit gets stronger and stronger. And then, hopefully, you can quit all together.

So, I am keeping it at the level it now is, until Lughnasadh (August 2nd) at which point I'll cut down some more. I'll keep at that level, then, until Mabon (Autumn Equinox), at which point I'll cut down then some more. I should be able to quit all together by Samhain (October 31st) or, failing that, by the time the sun reaches it's next conjunction with the planet Pluto, around December 12th of this year.

I've always thought this was a better plan than quitting cold turkey, I just never could stay with it. But then again, thanks to the deities, I now understand the mechanics involved, and knowledge is faith giving, life affirming, and, as they say, empowering. So that shall be my mantra. I want to smoke. But I want to quit more. I want to quit more than I want to smoke. As long as I keep it at that level, I should be okay. The minute I get myself to the level where I want to smoke more, say for example by trying to cut back too much too soon, until I have a build up of nicotine desire that suddenly explodes in full fury, it's back to square one. And two, and three, and four, even if I have to pick up discarded "squares" off the street.

Billy Graham And The Last Crusade

I thank the gods every day for Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and "Doctor" James Dobson. If these guys were like the Reverend Billy Graham, I might well have stayed a Christian. I mean, here is a guy that so obviously walks the walk as well as talking the talk, you have to be impressed, you even have to admire, and like, the guy. Here is a man that keeps politics out of his sermons. Here is a man that obviously feels called to spread what he considers the word of his God to every nation, race, color, creed, and political persuasion, regardless of sex, age, and it would seem even regardless of sexual orientation. When he says we are all God's children, and we are all sinners, saved by grace through the glory of God through the sacrifice of His only begotten son on the cross, you know he means exactly what he says. You take him seriously when he says through teary eyes that he loves New York. You understand that he feels every bit as kindly toward democrats and liberals as he does towards republicans and conservatives, whom you would automatically expect to be more open to his message.

You feel for the pain and suffering he is exhibiting with such unbridled courage and stamina, and at the same time are caught in the realization that here is a man on whom there is not the faintest trace of a scandal. No lingering suspicions of the slightest bit of hypocrisy. He is head and shoulders above even Pope John Paul II, whom Graham has expressed admiration for, in that the Pope could not rise above the political morass, interjecting his presence even into the sanctum sanctorum of American domestic policy, where he had no business whatsoever, in an effort to influence the American political scene in favor of what he euphemistically referred to as the "Culture Of Life" as opposed to the "Culture Of Death". One knew instinctively where Graham would stand on this issue. At the same time, you didn't feel he was inclined to beat you over the head with it.

No, once he is gone, which may not be long from now, he will be missed by people of good will everywhere. He will not be easily replaced. Though when he is, there are those who will stand at the ready to take whatever credit they can for it. Jerry Falwell has already positioned himself to take credit for whatever status three of Grahams children, and one of his grandchildren, might attain, as he recently pointed out that they are being taught now at his "Liberty University". The implication, obviously, is that Graham has entrusted him as, in a manner of speaking, the trusted guardian of the sacred path.

Like I said, I am glad for people like Falwell. Had I been exposed to nobody but people like Graham, I might still yet believe in an eternal, all good, all powerful creator god who has always existed and has never changed, one I cannot hope to understand, but must yet accept by faith. I might still hold fast to the fallacious doctrine of "Original Sin", and would believe that evolution is an evil concept, that in reality the world was created in exactly the same manner as portrayed in the scriptures. That the Bible is the literal word of God, and must be believed and adhered to, even when simple common sense dictates the opposite, as is more often than not the case. I might never suppose there was any other way to think, might never imagine that I should indeed think for myself, as opposed to the implications of miraculous stories that are little more than fairy tales. Might never suppose that even when the Bible is at it's best,at times it is more symbolic than literal in it's meaning.

In other words, if I had remained exposed to no one besides Billy Graham, or people like him, I might have become, and gladly remained, a sanctimonious, holier than thou, hypocritical religious fanatic and political religious would be Christian mullah. Much like the reverend Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and "Doctor" James Dobson. Kind of ironic when you stop to think about it.

Bush And Hubble

I am madder than hell about the plans, or lack thereof, as regards the Hubble telescope. It seems that it has been decided to just let the telescope decay into total disuse, become a random piece of floating space debris, perhaps one day to come burning through the atmosphere and crash upon the earth, or the ocean, a useless, worthless wreck. The thought of it is to me worthy of criminal indictments.

Hubble has brought us closer to an understanding of the creation of the universe than had previously been thought possible, or even imaginable. We have seen images that first transpired billions of years in the past, through the magic of light speed travel, as we have captured these images, the light of which has taken billions of years to reach our range of vision. Almost like a movie recording of eternity. How could they possibly let it just decay into worthlessness?

Apparently, someone has decided it would be far too dangerous to the astronauts involved to fly to the Telescope to make the needed repairs. Well, maybe, and I could accept this, albeit grudgingly, if this were the case. But I think there is an untold story here. And I think it might have something to do with the Bush administration and more to the point, their blind obeisance to the Far Right, Evangelical, Christian Conservative supporters of the Administration, who are out for blood in the course of the on going so-called "culture wars". One of their obvious goals is to ensure the teaching of the fallacious theory of "Creationism" as a counter balance to the Theory of Evolution in public schools across the country, as the predominant belief as to the nature of how the Universe came into being. They want God to be taught as the master of this "Intelligent Design" concept, and will stop at nothing in order to assure this. If the truth were known, if they had their way, Creationism would be the only thing taught in schools, Evolution would at most be pointed to as an example of godless atheistic secular humanism, something to be ridiculed and despised.

One has to consider the prospects of Hubbles continuing and potentially improving or improved in order to retrieve further enhanced images, from further back in time than has of yet been the case. What images would Hubble then retrieve?

Would they see The Big Bang, or something similar to this? Or would they see a long bearded, robed figure holding out his hands, as we read his lips saying "Let there be light" immediately before the entire universe suddenly springs into being, as angels fly around him, seeming to be singing as they play harps? I honestly believe people such as James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, in addition to certain politicians such as Rick Santorum and Tom DeLay, had to have given this some thought. Seeing as how most conservative Christians have traditionally held that the world was created in a relatively short span of time, and only a few thousand years ago at that, I would imagine they are not too pleased with Hubble's track record so far.

Scientology-Cruise Needs A psychiatrist

I had to make a comment as regards the subject of the previous post. Cruise is obviously losing his mind, so it is only natural and perhaps fitting that he should grasp so whole-heartedly onto the Scientologist belief on the matter of psychiatry. There is something about religion as a general rule that makes a person so crazy he or she just has to "spread the word". I was this way when I first began my ventures into Wicca, which lead to my own Hellenic Pagan Path. It's an exciting new world, and you can't help but want to share it, sametimes to your own detriment. He will calm down in time, just as I did, as do most of us. In the meantime-

Cruise needs to consider the following facts. The brain is an organic part of the body, and there are times when certain medications may be vital to it's oerall functioning, the same as with all other parts of the body. Not to say that there are not abuses, there most certainly are. I myself have great qualms about the tendency of childrens' parents to put them on Ritalin when the fucking television doesn't seem to keep them out of their hair for very long at a time. Far too many kids are misdiagnosed, and I suspect a great breach of medical ethics here, as well as parental ones.

Nevertheless, there are times when it may be necessary, as is the case of prescriptions to anti-depressants, again a potentially dangerous and probably abused procedure. But Cruise wants to level a blanket indictment against all psychiatrits and their patients, and this is really unjust. He seems to think that a regimen of healthy food, exercise, and vitamin supplements will cure all ills. Prescription drugs, he claims, merely mask the problem. This is really quite extraordinary. I am a big fan of vitamin supplements, as well as herbs, minerals, and amino acids. Having researched these thoroughly, I can state with a degree of knowledge that vitamins and other such supplements can as well be abused. In fact, they too can mask the symptoms of illnesses by making the person who takes them feel better than may be the reality concerning his or her health. Somebody needs to explain this to Cruise. Then, somebody needs to slip him a good tranquilizer.

Saturday Random Mystery Tarot Reading

I won't even pretend to know for sure what this is about, but I am guessing, and gueSsing only, that it is about Tom Cruise. Anyway, here goes. The Significator is the SIX OF WANDS, covered by JUDGEMENT,and crossed by the SIX OF SWORDS. The crowning card is the THREE OF SWORDS, while the base of the matter, is DEATH. PassingInfluences is Six of Cups, while Up-And-Coming Influences is the FIVE OF SWORDS. The card of Where You Find Yourself is the TWO OF SWORDS. The View Of Others is EIGHT OF CUPS. Hopes and Fears is FOUR OF CUPS. The Final Outcome is the NINE OF PENTACLES.

This seems to suggest that Cruises movie (if this applies to him) will be at least initially a box office success, but that it will, when reviewed, be panned by the critics, for the most part. Because of this and other pressures, Cruise is likely to lash out at an iterviewer, or a critic, in the course of an interview, in such a way that will make him seem unhinged for sure, dispelling any doubts that may have lingered to the contrary. Following this, he will declare an end to all future interviews, and go into a state of solitude which may be seen by some as marking the beginning of a public declne and a private turnoil. Her engagement to Katie Holmes may in fact be termnated. On the other hand, she might well be the glue that holds him together. If so, it doesn't show here, in fact, this is a reading of a person who is bereft, totally alone. The Three of Swords may, in fact, apply to the break-up, while the lack of a Court Card could verify the suspicion in the minds of many that there was really nothing real about the relationship.

In time, Cruise will learn to moderate his personna to a greater extent, and will have to answer questions abotu his past behavior, but will be mindful of the image he presents. He will come to fear privately for his reputation and the overall effect on his career. But in time,. he will come to be satisfied with hi slife, and will keep his religous beliefs a private matter, though this will take some time, as the controversy he has stared will certainly not go away overnight.

A Crazy Sick Dream

This is really fucked up, and for once this is a dream I'm not sure I understand the meaning of. In it, I'm at this sort of combo bar/diner, it's a small place, not high class, but then again not exactly a dive, sawdust on the floor type of place either. It's fairly crowded, and here I am yukking it up with the bartender. Suddenly, off to my right, sitting on the far stool against the wall, is my sister, looking uneasy as she listens to our conversation. She seems to be wanting to say something to me, but she's wary of approaching me. The next thing I know, like out of the blue, we are talking, though not at the bar, but at a table in the middle of the room. The next thing I know, we're making out, and suddenly I have her on top of the table. Yeah, there I am, fucking my own sister, right in the middle of the bar/diner. And I can feel my hard dick, going inside her, really fucking her good. Suddenly, I'm looking around and in comes a bunch of cops in uniform, and they're approaching us at the table. They look more curious than angry at what they are seeing. So, I stop fucking my sister, before I even have a chance to come close to cuming inside of her. The scary part of it is, right after I woke up, I was still into the idea. It actually took a while before it started to sink in just how sick the whole thing really was.

So, that settles it. I must really need a piece of pussy, as it has been awhile. Hey, Jeanne, are you reading this? I sure as hell hope my sister never does.

Fourth Of July And The Comet

I can't wait to find out the results of the Nasa experiment due to take place July 4th of this year, when a rocket is scheduled to slam into a comet. It is hoped that this will yield some as yet unknown data concerning the nature of comets, and possibly give some idea of their nature and function in the early creation of life on our planet, and potentially elsewhere.

I am expecting them to discover the element of mercury within the comet. I have a reason for believing this, but I'm not about to go out on a limb by saying why, not just yet. But if I am right, and it is shown that mercury is present in this comet, therefore by implication others as well, it might prove to provide a key to a mystery of some fifty years or more standing, which by then I will be more than willing to divulge. If not, then I guess I'll just shut up about it.

Andrew Young On The Killen Trial

I watched as Edgar Killen, after being convicted of the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers, slapped angrily at reporters microphones as he was being wheeled out of the courtroom, to await a potential sentence of anywhere from 3 years to 60 years for manslaughter. It had been justice delayed for 41 years for the former Klansman, part time preacher, and sawmill operator. But in the final analysis there was not enough evidence to convict him of the charge of murder, but only of manslaughter. His lawyers have promised an appeal of the verdict handed down by the Philadelphia, Mississippi jury of nine whites and three blacks.

But former U.N. ambassador and civil rights activist Andrew Young was circumspect at the decision. He referred to Killen as a "long lost soul", and derived "no satisfaction" from his conviction. At the same time, he stated that the event was "important for Mississippi". He expressed hope that it was a sign of the changing times in the state, and of the south in general. Noting the increase in black football and basketball coaches, as an example of the strides blacks have made in the south during the forty one years since the murder of civil rights workers
James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, he said simply that Missisippians "may not believe in God, but they sure believe in football and basketball."

Michael Schiavo Should Sue The Schindlers

Most of even the supporters of Michael Schiavo seem not to have noticed the real story behind the efforts of the Schindler family over the last decade. A time line might prove helpful in discerning certain facts. The Schindlers first sued for custody of their daughter, Terri Schiavo, within a year of Michael Schiavo winning a lawsuit which netted him 1,000,000 dollars for the care of his wife. It is easy to see that, had they won this initial custody suit, Michael would have been obliged, potentially, to hand over the money he had won in this lawsuit. Now, here is the important thing to consider. It was not until three years after this lawsuit initiated by the Schindlers, that Michael petitioned the courts to remove Terri's feeding tube. Take the time to digest that simple fact. When the Schindlers started their shit, it was three years before Michael petitioned the courts to have the feeding tube removed. Here comes a chronology.

1992: Michael Schiavo wins settlement of 1,000,000 plus dollars for the care of his wife.
1993: The Schindler family initiates a lawsuit to gain custody of their daughter from Michael Schiavo.
1994: Michael Schiavo petitions the courts to remove Terri Schiavo's feedign tube.

So what was the reason for the initial lawsuit on behalf of the Schindlers. It can only be money. Of course, this money was long since dissipated in the course of the numerous lawsuits filed by the Schindlers, which Schiavo was obliged to fight. But the Schindlers cause became the cause celebre' of Right wing Christians and social conservative politicians across the country, so they received, I would suggest, a great deal of metary support for their continuing endeavors. Look out for the book. And for the movie.

Michael Schiavo is a hero in my opinion, one of the few true American heroes (a term which is oft used and abused). And now that the final autopsy report has been released, verifying that Terri was indeed in a persistent vegetative state, the Schindlers, as I predicted, could not let it go. They are still insisting the doctors are wrong, even implying that they are lying, or hiding the truth to protect their reputations, with the assistance, no doubt, of the courts and state agencies which were involved in the matter and had decided time after time on behalf of Mr. Schiavo. Other amongst their long-time supporters will hold fast to the belief that regardless of the veracity of the autopsy, it was still morally wrong to remove the feeding tube. And then there is Governor Jeb Bush, who, in an effort to regain favor with ths crowd, which was tested severely when he refused to intervene with an emergency order to prevent the tube from being removed, has now stated the time line should be investigated as to how long it took Michael Schiavo to contact emergency personnel upon Terri's collapse, implying of course the potential for foul play on Michael's part.

Yet, no one has questioned the Schindler time line, and their obvious, to me, grasping for money and influence. I would strongly suggest that Michael Schavo should sue the Schindlers, as well as several of their supporters, including possibly their priest. Jeb Bush, too, might be considered by some a tempting target, including me. What Michael Schiavo has been going through over the last twelve years amounts to libel and slander of the most obscene variety. A good stiff lawsuit against the perpetrators might send a well needed message to them, and to the right wing smear merchants in general. It's time to bring this shameful episode in American jurisprudence to a close.

Mercury And Autism-Part Two

About the recent controversy concerning the use of Mercury in childhood vaccinations, there is another aspect that is equally troubling, though as of yet it hasn't been addressed. This might, incidentally, explain why a good many liberal advocates have been wary of jumping on the bandwagon. What happens if this results in a massive lawsuit, on the scale of the tobacco industry controversy, or worse. A class action lawsuit, especially, could easily result in a settlement in the area of hundreds of billions of dollars, closing in on a trillion dollars or more. The question to be considered in this case is, who will pay for it?

Obviously, the price will be passed on to the consumer, especially the American consumer. What happens then? This could definitely put a damper on health care initiatives. It could, in fact, make them all but dead in the water, for a great amount of time, way into the foreseeable future, and beyond. The way the current health care initiative recently passed by the Bush administration is going, it is all ready expected to cost more than 700 billion dollars, far more than the roughly 200 billion it was initially estimated that it would cost.

Nevertheless, something will have to be done to address this. Especially since it looks as though this is not just an American problem, but a worldwide one, as American pharmaceutical companies have exacerbated the situation by deluging Third World nations with these vaccines, the populations of which are for the most part ill-equipped, if at all, of coping with the expense and inherent other problems of a widespread autism epidemic. And that is what it could amount to, in a sense, an epidemic. This is serious, as it could easily undermine our foreign policy efforts in all areas. It would be hard to explain the benefits of democracy and capitalism to nations who have suffered the adverse effects of a capitalistic system that has poisoned generations of Third World citizens, and of a political system that has allowed it to continue unchecked.

It could be that the pharmaceutical industry to a large degree might become bankrupted, and be forced to sell out in order to meet any potential judgments accrued in a class action or other type lawsuits. It is unlikely that the industry would be nationalized, though that might be the best and most efficient way of solving the health care crisis that could occur in the wake of this. One thing is certain, something will have to be done, something that will not condemn the American people to suffer from increased prescription drug costs. Something that will still make it possible to initiate broad based and comprehensive health care reforms. And finally, something that will insure that something like this will never happen again.

Summer Solstice

Tomorrow is the summer solstice, which of course is more than just the first day of summer, it is a Pagan High Holy Day. I'm, a solitary, of course, so I will have to do without the camaraderie that accompanies group events, but the idea is still there. Yep, the old sun god will be riding high, at the full force of his power, and the goddess will be-well, she'll do the goddess thing. Funny how with the advent of Christianity, the significance of the seasonal holidays were all but lost. But it is easy to see how ancient peoples would have been inspired by the recurring seasons, the return of the sun on a periodic basis, the phases of the moon, all those environmental and astronomical aspects that go largely unnoticed by non-Pagans.

It's fun being a pagan. You can smoke, drink, watch porn, jack off, or fuck all day, and it's not just all right, it's sacred. Provided you do it responsibly, of course. And, if somebody smacks you up the side of the head, you can knock his fucking teeth down his throat, and it's all right to feel good about it afterwards. Of course, none of this is what Paganism is all about. Paganism is all about the revering of nature, of the worship of nature and all the earth, of seeing the world, nature, and all of life as aspects of the divine. And of seeing the balance and harmony of nature as exemplified by the duality of the deities, the Goddess as well as the God. It is respect for the earth and nature, and all living creatures, yet not in a maudlin sort of way. It is a religion of practicality. Humans are, after all, at the top of the food chain, and I like a big juicy steak as much as the next guy. So to slaughter an animal for food, as long as that is the reason, and as long as you do it humanely, is fine.

It is about respect for the rule of law, yet it is about seeking positive change, be it politically, socially, or with ritual and magic. And it is about respecting all points of view, yet demanding the same consideration for yourself.

I can't wait for tomorrow. Hell, I can't wait for tonight. It's going to be a long, hopefully eventful, fruitful day. As such, it might be another day or two before this Blog is updated. But when I return to it, hopefully it will be with a fresh batch of inspiration, as well as a healthy dose of good old bull shit, just to round things out. Remember, it's all about balance.

George Bush To Go On Drunken Binge, Might Have Affair

The following Tarot Reading is for George W. Bush. The thing about this reading is, I did it with no one in particular in mind. I just said to myself, now what is going to be news worthy here in the near future that is just now bubbling beneath the surface. The following is what I came up with.

The TEN OF CUPS is the SIGNIFICATOR, and speaks of a feeling of permanent attachment, which could describe Bush and his feelings in several ways, toward the nation, his wife and family, his moral and religious principles, etc. However, the COVERING CARD is the SIX OF SWORDS, which means that Bush is now on a hard but necessary journey in this present time of his life as regards to his feelings. Ostensibly, it is a challenge he knows he must face head on, and he is willing to do so. However, his CROSSING CARD is THE FOOL, which indicates a tendency to rush into making snap judgements and rash decisions. His CROWNING CARD is THE DEVIL, which might indicate here a sudden reversal of his prior life style changes, and a jump into binge drinking. This is something I have been expecting to occur for some time now, actually, as Bush has always seemed like a ticking time bomb to me. This might have all ready occurred, the thing of it is, Bush may not be an alcoholic in the way most people define the term. If he hasn't done so yet, this almost certainly implies he will shortly, and in addition, this might lead to a sexual liason, or vice versa. At THE BASE OF THE MATTER, we have the card of THE EMPEROR, which describes the forces at work below the surface of conscious awareness. In other words, this might be Bush's own stubbornness and arrogance getting the better of him. In other words, basically he will fall to this level of behavior just because he can (shades of Clinton), and Bush, maybe as much or more than anybody, is used to getting his way. A part of him wants this, and as a compensation for his recent failings and shortcomings, it is all the more powerful an inner drive. At the position of PASSING INFLENCES, we find the card of SIX OF PENTACLES, which means that e is feeling a slipping away of prior support, and this is or will be reflected in terms of a decrease in financial contributions to Republican and conservative causes. In UP-AND-COMING INFLUENCES we see the card of the EIGHT OF CUPS, meaning that Bush is going to feel more and more alone as the days progress, and will all but give up insofar as accomplishing certain items on his agenda. Suddenly, we jump to a period of about two months from now, where we find the card of THE MAGICIAN in the position of WHERE YOU FIND YOURSELF, indicating that Bush will suddenly reach out to the American people in more effective ways than previously has been the case. It is quite possible that he will give the best speech of his life during this period, and will make an emotional connection to the public in ways unseen since the days immediately following 9/11. The untold story, behind the scenes, could very well be that he is speaking and acting under the influence of alcohol during these times. But it won't be the tough guys, cowboy avenger that is speaking, but a more feminine aspect of his personality, and he will seem at first glance very appealing and likable. His poll numbers might well shoot up to the high fifties or even the sixties. This is all foretold in the card of KING OF CUPS in the position of VIEW OF OTHERS, which rules how others see you based on the way in which you see and project yourself. The card for the position of HOPES AND FEARS here is seen as the ACE OF PENTACLES, which might best be described as Bush seeking to capitalize on his newly regained popularity, and turn it into yet new capital with which to recapture the momentum toward accomplishing items on his agenda, and setting the stage toward a Republican victory in '06. However, disaster will loom in the form of the FIVE OF CUPS in the position of FINAL OUTCOME, which might suggest a betrayal of Bush by someone close to him. Whether this is his wife, or someone close to him in is administration, or the discovery of some form of shenanigans it is hard to say. But suffice it to say that it could very well, and probably will, drive a wedge between Bush and his supporters, and a rupture that will be hard pressed, if not impossible, to be healed.