I guess the day calls for a candy recipe, and the only one I can think of is luckily among the easiest to make.
Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients
Two cups sugar
Two thirds cup evaporated milk
One cup Peanut Butter
One cup Kraft Marshmallow Cream
One teaspoon pure vanilla extract
In a large saucepan, combine sugar and evaporated milk, allow to come to a rolling boil for five minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly yet gently, not too briskly. After five minutes, remove from heat and add first the peanut butter, and then the marshmallow cream, and finally the teaspoon of vanilla, taking care to mix each ingredient thoroughly before adding the next.
Pour into a margarine a butter lined cake pan and allow to cool uncovered at room temperature until candy is firm, which usually takes no longer than an hour.
This is a variation of the popular chocolate fudge recipe that is included on every jar of Kraft Marshmallow Cream and is every bit as delicious wile not being quite so rich. However, it doesn’t make quite as much candy as the chocolate version, so if you want to make a large batch you might want to consider doubling the ingredients.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Dead People Of The Year
I list Heath ledger first, because his role of the Joker in the Batman movie The Dark Knight should be one of the most popular Halloween costumes this year. His death is also perhaps the most tragic of all notable deaths for the year, coming as it did at the height of such a successful acting career.
Others of note include-
William Buckley-one of the founders of the modern conservatism movement in America and the founder of the National Review, who might well this night pay a visit to his son Chris Buckley. Chris should leave all the lights in his house on tonight.
Tim Russert-I used to criticize him for being so obviously in the tank for the Democrats and for John McCain for the Republicans. I'm just sorry he didn't live long enough to see Sarah Palin named as McCain's VP nominee. That probably would have done him in.
Bob Fossett-I never could wrap my head around this. If I were a billionaire, I would spend my life trying to do good, but I would damn sure make sure I kept myself safe while I was doing it to the best of my ability. I would also enjoy my life to the fullest. I guess you could make the argument that Fossett was doing precisely that by putting himself in constant danger. When poor people do that kind of stuff, it's generally referred to as a "death wish". When wealthy people like Fossett do it, they are "pioneer adventurers". He finally got it by smashing an experimental plane into the side of a mountain. It took a year to find the crash site in the California mountains. There was no conceivable way he could have survived.
One of my favorite lines in a book is from The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy, and one of those lines, paraphrased, sums up Fossets life and death-
"You only got so much good luck in life and you've used up all yours on stupid shit."
Quincy Jones-Not much of a fan of his, but his influence on the music world is undeniable, and he will obviously be missed.
Benazzir Bhuto-I think was this year, or maybe just this Pagan year following the last Samhain. She was the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was deposed and at one point run out of the country, yet returned and seemed on her way back to an easy election to a return performance that in all probability would have amounted to more of the same. I consider her one of the leftist world's most beloved corrupt politicians, a pickpocket on an international scale. She built up a cult of personality in a country that almost assured eventual martyrdom.
There are others of course. The lead singer of the Four Tops, for example, as well Arkansas news anchor Anne Pressley, whose assault and eventually resulting death I blogged about. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the brutally tragic and senseless deaths of the mother, brother, and nephew of actress-singer Jennifer Hudson at the hands of an in-law who seems to be a habitual criminal offender with a violent past.
Although I don't have his name handy, one of this years deaths was that of a man who might well have been the last surviving World War I veteran. If he wasn't the last, he was certainly one of the very few remaining. He had entered the war by lying about his age, a mere fifteen at the time, and though he saw no action to speak of, he was there, and his passing certainly marks at least the final approach of the end of an era.
As of now, so far as I know, cult film director Kenneth Anger is still alive, though he predicted his death would happen this Halloween. He says he is dying of prostate cancer, and it could well be he is planning a doctor assisted suicide. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it doesn't become a film, maybe starring himself and Jack Kevorkian, which would probably mark it as a probable Halloween prank.
It would probably feature one of his patented typically shitty musical scores.
Communing With Ancestors
When it comes to a person's ancestors, you can never learn too much. More often than not, the truth is never as fanciful as we would like to imagine. For my own part, I surmised pretty quickly that I was more than likely not related to the Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, nor to President George Washington, although both of those myths have been current in my family for generations. I am also equally unlikely to be descended from the Plantagenet Kings of England.
It's a curious aspect of human life and it seems common among mountain folk to imagine such illustrious ancestries, probably as a mechanism for imparting some meaning into their humdrum existences and to give their own children an ideal to which to aspire. The irony is, it wouldn't make a dime's worth of difference if it were true.
It's actually unfair to your ancestors to try to paint them as something they were not. A second irony is that this is equally true of those ancestors who circulated these fanciful tales with for the most part the best of intentions.
One of my ancestors, I know for a fact, was, at an advanced age, a two year Kentucky legislator in the Kentucky House of Representatives in the early twenties, having been handpicked to replace another elected representative who for some unknown reason became incapacitated. He served his two years in obscurity during the Presidency of Warren G. Harding, and then retired into even greater obscurity. He was in his eighties at the time and established himself as one of the more unimportant notable bench warmers in the Kentucky legislator. But, he was there.
The rest of them consisted of a few rogues of various stripes, various soldiers of the Revolutionary War and both sides of the Civil War (one was a ferrier for the North), but for the most part, basically farmers. One owned land in Oklahoma and had the reputation as being quite the mean ass. One uncorroborated story relates that he beat a man to death with a board on election day. The exact term used for his weapon of choice was "fence post", which seems unlikely, if not impossible. I'm not sure to what party he belonged, but most of them were Republcians, though it seems I heard he might have been a Democrat himself.
Of course I have already related how yet another was an accused "witch" which in those days legitimately meant devil worshiper. This too however is unproven and may be more legend than fact.
Anyway, the point to all this is that your ancestors are a part of you, and to some degree or another helped to shape the person that you are. Their experiences culminated throughout the generations, passed down in ways subtle and not so subtle, until you became the end result. Everything about you, both good and bad and every shade of in-between, is traceable to an extent to them. This of course does not negate your own personal responsibility. You still have choices in life and must make the best of them or suffer the consequences. But it helps to know where you are coming from.
There are many genealogy websites of various degrees of worth, many of which charge a fee. The Mormons have quite an extensive list of records they have culled through many generations, and they can and will assist you in any way possible for a nominal fee. There are also generally genealogy sections at your local libraries, or you can turn to your local historical society for aid.
It is interesting and addictive to learn about your genealogy. If I were to dress up for a Halloween Party, I would feel more inclined to dress up as an old time Kentucky farmer. It wouldn't be much of a costume, but it would be yet another way of attuning with one's ancestors, at least in the privacy of ones own home. If you could happen across some old period clothing from the time in question of a particular ancestor you might have in mind ao much the better.
Another manner of attuning with them would be to extract some dirt from the gravesite of the ancestor of particular interest, place it in a pot, and carefully grow some plant suitable for indoor growth. Use the growing plant as a mean of attuning with the spirit of the ancestor under the glow of a white or light blue candle. It might help to leave an offering of food at the gravesite. I have a relative who lost her father, and leaves a candy bar on regular occasions, along with written notes. She never quite got over his death, and this amounts to a coping mechanism, of course, but it is probably helpful to her. It helps her feel connected.
Some people believe the spirits of the ancestors in some cases hover around us and provide guidance at necessary times. Still others believe they reincarnate, and that wee ourselves might in fact be such an incarnation.
Although it has become an article of faith with most Wiccans and other Pagans, I have had serious doubts of late about the potential for reincarnation. I think that if it happens at all, it happens rarely, and is not something to aspire to. It is in fact a natural event, not at all spiritual or "supernatural", but based on attachment to the world you just can't bear to leave behind.
If you hold to this idea, you are far from alone. In fact, some among the ancient Greeks believed that on certain nights, the spirits of the dead walked among men, much as we believe the veil between the lving and the dead becomes thin on the night of Samhain. During these periods, they believed the spirits entered into beans which, if eaten by a woman, would potentially lead to the spirits rebirth into the material world.
I don't advise leaving a bowl of pinto or other dried beans out overnight on the night before Samhain and eating them the next day as a means of giving birth to a reincarnated soul, but it might be a good manner of communing with the dead. Any ritual energy expended toward that end would be a legitimate method of communing with ones ancestors.
Of course, the main goal should be your own personal growth in the here and now. It is far too easy to get drawn into some fantasy world of the past and lose yourself in the process, thus missing the point all together.
Of course, some people really do believe in vampires too, so what the hell.
It's a curious aspect of human life and it seems common among mountain folk to imagine such illustrious ancestries, probably as a mechanism for imparting some meaning into their humdrum existences and to give their own children an ideal to which to aspire. The irony is, it wouldn't make a dime's worth of difference if it were true.
It's actually unfair to your ancestors to try to paint them as something they were not. A second irony is that this is equally true of those ancestors who circulated these fanciful tales with for the most part the best of intentions.
One of my ancestors, I know for a fact, was, at an advanced age, a two year Kentucky legislator in the Kentucky House of Representatives in the early twenties, having been handpicked to replace another elected representative who for some unknown reason became incapacitated. He served his two years in obscurity during the Presidency of Warren G. Harding, and then retired into even greater obscurity. He was in his eighties at the time and established himself as one of the more unimportant notable bench warmers in the Kentucky legislator. But, he was there.
The rest of them consisted of a few rogues of various stripes, various soldiers of the Revolutionary War and both sides of the Civil War (one was a ferrier for the North), but for the most part, basically farmers. One owned land in Oklahoma and had the reputation as being quite the mean ass. One uncorroborated story relates that he beat a man to death with a board on election day. The exact term used for his weapon of choice was "fence post", which seems unlikely, if not impossible. I'm not sure to what party he belonged, but most of them were Republcians, though it seems I heard he might have been a Democrat himself.
Of course I have already related how yet another was an accused "witch" which in those days legitimately meant devil worshiper. This too however is unproven and may be more legend than fact.
Anyway, the point to all this is that your ancestors are a part of you, and to some degree or another helped to shape the person that you are. Their experiences culminated throughout the generations, passed down in ways subtle and not so subtle, until you became the end result. Everything about you, both good and bad and every shade of in-between, is traceable to an extent to them. This of course does not negate your own personal responsibility. You still have choices in life and must make the best of them or suffer the consequences. But it helps to know where you are coming from.
There are many genealogy websites of various degrees of worth, many of which charge a fee. The Mormons have quite an extensive list of records they have culled through many generations, and they can and will assist you in any way possible for a nominal fee. There are also generally genealogy sections at your local libraries, or you can turn to your local historical society for aid.
It is interesting and addictive to learn about your genealogy. If I were to dress up for a Halloween Party, I would feel more inclined to dress up as an old time Kentucky farmer. It wouldn't be much of a costume, but it would be yet another way of attuning with one's ancestors, at least in the privacy of ones own home. If you could happen across some old period clothing from the time in question of a particular ancestor you might have in mind ao much the better.
Another manner of attuning with them would be to extract some dirt from the gravesite of the ancestor of particular interest, place it in a pot, and carefully grow some plant suitable for indoor growth. Use the growing plant as a mean of attuning with the spirit of the ancestor under the glow of a white or light blue candle. It might help to leave an offering of food at the gravesite. I have a relative who lost her father, and leaves a candy bar on regular occasions, along with written notes. She never quite got over his death, and this amounts to a coping mechanism, of course, but it is probably helpful to her. It helps her feel connected.
Some people believe the spirits of the ancestors in some cases hover around us and provide guidance at necessary times. Still others believe they reincarnate, and that wee ourselves might in fact be such an incarnation.
Although it has become an article of faith with most Wiccans and other Pagans, I have had serious doubts of late about the potential for reincarnation. I think that if it happens at all, it happens rarely, and is not something to aspire to. It is in fact a natural event, not at all spiritual or "supernatural", but based on attachment to the world you just can't bear to leave behind.
If you hold to this idea, you are far from alone. In fact, some among the ancient Greeks believed that on certain nights, the spirits of the dead walked among men, much as we believe the veil between the lving and the dead becomes thin on the night of Samhain. During these periods, they believed the spirits entered into beans which, if eaten by a woman, would potentially lead to the spirits rebirth into the material world.
I don't advise leaving a bowl of pinto or other dried beans out overnight on the night before Samhain and eating them the next day as a means of giving birth to a reincarnated soul, but it might be a good manner of communing with the dead. Any ritual energy expended toward that end would be a legitimate method of communing with ones ancestors.
Of course, the main goal should be your own personal growth in the here and now. It is far too easy to get drawn into some fantasy world of the past and lose yourself in the process, thus missing the point all together.
Of course, some people really do believe in vampires too, so what the hell.
Life, Death, And Resurrection
That last YouTube post was a little hard, I know, especially if you watched and listened to it all the way through to the beginning of the Keane video. Let’s face it, though, there’s nothing fun about death. Even people who actually want to die do not do so joyously. If you could figure out a way to eliminate the fear, agony, and regret from the experience of death in a way that did not involve pharmaceuticals or other such artificial mind-altering tactics, you might well become the world’s first trillionaire. However, the individual’s grief ends with his last breath-or so we like to think. The bereaved surviving loved ones, the friends and families of the deceased, are a different matter. Some people never get over the death of a loved one.
I think this might be one of the unspoken reasons for the objections to Halloween from some quarters. It is too easy to make the devil a convenient scapegoat, when in reality it is possibly in some cases a reaction by those who have never come to grips with a personal tragedy.
Not trying to be a downer here, but remember, Samhain and its Christian counterparts, All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, or Halloween, was originally all about remembrance of the dead and respect for the spirits of ancestors.
In my own case, as in many other pagan traditions, we have extended it beyond that to the process of ritually “dying”. Put another way, we allow some aspect of our lives to “die”, to descend into the underworld of the subconscious to undergo transformation into a more positive form. This can be some inner part of our natures, such as a habit or a long-held attitude, possibly in some cases a destructive part of our natures. It can entail letting go of some aspect of the past, from things as profound as personal tragedies to something as relatively simple as the end of a relationship or the loss of a job or position. It is never easy to undergo such an undertaking to say the least, nor is it always successful to put it completely at rest.
It does give you a clue into the nature of dying, because in a very real way, a part of you is indeed dying. Samhain, while honoring the symbolic death of the Sun God, enables us to attune with the spirits of our ancestors and draw on their strength as we embark towards our own inevitable journey to death.
Halloween and Samhain though does have its more joyous aspects, and it is not good to minimize them any more than it is to do so with the more somber aspects. In fact, the ritual celebrations are a kind of wake-a recognition and a celebration of the past while we strive to look forward to a new beginning. However, it is a hollow celebration without that drive towards transformation, which should actually be an on-going process. Samhain should actually mark the final death, and the beginning of the grieving process, and this requires some guidance. At the same time, the Wake of the celebratory aspects makes for a necessary coping mechanism.
Coven members-those involved in true covens-probably have an upper hand, because they constitute a unique kind of intimate support group that a solitary practitioner cannot hope to realize. They can help to ease the individual through the dying process, and assist in strengthening him towards his approaching “new life”.
Without this, then life becomes a never-ending vicious cycle of living death and constant guilt, anxieties, and recriminations, mostly self-imposed. The person who strives to face these cycles in their lives and become part of the regenerative and transformative properties inherent in the process will not have an easy life, but they will have a far easier end of it. They will know they did the best they could do. It won’t eliminate the natural fear of death, but it will ease the pain and suffering and bring some degree of contentment, satisfaction, and even happiness.
That is the end of a truly successful life. And that calls for a wake.
I think this might be one of the unspoken reasons for the objections to Halloween from some quarters. It is too easy to make the devil a convenient scapegoat, when in reality it is possibly in some cases a reaction by those who have never come to grips with a personal tragedy.
Not trying to be a downer here, but remember, Samhain and its Christian counterparts, All Hallow’s Eve, All Saints Day, or Halloween, was originally all about remembrance of the dead and respect for the spirits of ancestors.
In my own case, as in many other pagan traditions, we have extended it beyond that to the process of ritually “dying”. Put another way, we allow some aspect of our lives to “die”, to descend into the underworld of the subconscious to undergo transformation into a more positive form. This can be some inner part of our natures, such as a habit or a long-held attitude, possibly in some cases a destructive part of our natures. It can entail letting go of some aspect of the past, from things as profound as personal tragedies to something as relatively simple as the end of a relationship or the loss of a job or position. It is never easy to undergo such an undertaking to say the least, nor is it always successful to put it completely at rest.
It does give you a clue into the nature of dying, because in a very real way, a part of you is indeed dying. Samhain, while honoring the symbolic death of the Sun God, enables us to attune with the spirits of our ancestors and draw on their strength as we embark towards our own inevitable journey to death.
Halloween and Samhain though does have its more joyous aspects, and it is not good to minimize them any more than it is to do so with the more somber aspects. In fact, the ritual celebrations are a kind of wake-a recognition and a celebration of the past while we strive to look forward to a new beginning. However, it is a hollow celebration without that drive towards transformation, which should actually be an on-going process. Samhain should actually mark the final death, and the beginning of the grieving process, and this requires some guidance. At the same time, the Wake of the celebratory aspects makes for a necessary coping mechanism.
Coven members-those involved in true covens-probably have an upper hand, because they constitute a unique kind of intimate support group that a solitary practitioner cannot hope to realize. They can help to ease the individual through the dying process, and assist in strengthening him towards his approaching “new life”.
Without this, then life becomes a never-ending vicious cycle of living death and constant guilt, anxieties, and recriminations, mostly self-imposed. The person who strives to face these cycles in their lives and become part of the regenerative and transformative properties inherent in the process will not have an easy life, but they will have a far easier end of it. They will know they did the best they could do. It won’t eliminate the natural fear of death, but it will ease the pain and suffering and bring some degree of contentment, satisfaction, and even happiness.
That is the end of a truly successful life. And that calls for a wake.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I Want A Hematite Ball
Yo if this ain't the perfect accompaniment for the Halloween-Samhain season what is? Hematite, which is an iron oxide, is the perfect scrying instrument in any polished shape or size-though of course the bigger the better, and this perfectly rounded orb is a real beauty.
Of course if you can't find one of these, or if you can't afford one, a regular old polished hematite stone is good enough. They are also relatively cheap. Michigan is practically saturated with the stuff. So is, it seems, the planet Mars. Well, let's just assume the recent Mars expeditions didn't just accidentally happen on one of the rare deposits on the planet.
Meditate over your hematite stone through Samhain and continue on a daily or nightly regimen on through to the coming Yule, when the Sun will be ushered into the New Year (the Wiccan-Pagan Yule, around the 21-22 of December) in conjunction with the dark, mysterious, powerful, disruptive and cathartic Pluto. Mars should be in close proximity as well. What does the future year hold in store as this one fades into the background and vanishes? What lesson have you learned from the past year? What do you need to let go?
Discern what it all potentially might mean to you personally by meditating on the hematite under the glow of a white candle annointed with anise essential oil, as you attune with the elements and become as one with the natural order of the cosmos, distilled unto the universe of your own little world, and all that good shit.
Be careful with your hematite stone, in whatever form you acquire it. It is a hard but brittle stone and easily damaged, so keep it in a place of protection, covered with a cloth, and cleanse it regularly, both psychically under the glow of the moon and with the elemental powers of earth, air, fire and water. Gently and cautiously, of course. Don't subject it to direct heat. The warming glow of a candle at a comfortable distance and for a brief period is sufficient.
Have you figured out yet this is one of my favorite stones?
Astrological Guideposts For Samhain
Ruh-roh!
Strange things are in the skies over our pointy little heads for Halloween night, and I wonder what it all portends. For example, we have the generally beneficent aspect known as ye Trine, which is when two planets are four signs apart separated by nine degrees or less. In this case, Mars in Scorpio is in Trine with Uranus in Pisces in an almost perfect trine. This is augmented by a sextile involving Mars with Saturn in Virgo, which hints that the night of smooth sailing offers potential for great possibilities, if we only know how to patiently and determinedly reach for it. Of course, there is an inherent problem here with Uranus in opposition to Saturn, but this as well heralds the potential to tap into great reserves of power.
So far so good, but then we are hit with the aspect of Jupiter sextile to both Mars and Uranus and trine with Saturn. This makes a good aspect even better. But of course, no night is not without its share of potential problems.
This brings us to the influence of Neptune, which is squared Mars, warning of the potential for deceit and manipulation, especially when paired with the trine Neptune will enjoy with Mercury which is at the 22nd degree of Libra, which is-yikes-from where it had just started to go retrograde during our last reading, during Mabon. A perusal of the news of that day might be in order, as well as the news of events that might have occurred during the sixth-seventh of this month (when the Sun came into inferior conjunction with retrograde Mercury).
More important than the national news, this might be a time to reflect on the personal events of ones own life during these periods, in addition to the period from around the 14th through the 18th. What of importance has been relevant to your life during these periods on a consistent basis? It could all congeal tonight into an answer of personal importance.
One other aspect to take special note of is that of Venus which at fourteen degrees in Sagittarius is in conjunction with the lunar node. This might be the night to meet a new love, or to become reacquainted with one from the past. However, since there are no other aspects to this pairing, it might not be apparent at first.
The Sun, at roughly seven degrees of Scorpio, stands alone, as does the Moon as it traverse the first twelve or so degrees of Sagittarius, drawing to a close conjunction with Venus’s node enchantment by about midnight on Halloween.
When the Sun god dies this year, he dies alone, apparently, though the Goddess watches his departure and urges him gently on from afar, while Pluto also stands alone in wait to greet him, only to herald and hasten his return to the land of the living at the onset of Yule.
Strange things are in the skies over our pointy little heads for Halloween night, and I wonder what it all portends. For example, we have the generally beneficent aspect known as ye Trine, which is when two planets are four signs apart separated by nine degrees or less. In this case, Mars in Scorpio is in Trine with Uranus in Pisces in an almost perfect trine. This is augmented by a sextile involving Mars with Saturn in Virgo, which hints that the night of smooth sailing offers potential for great possibilities, if we only know how to patiently and determinedly reach for it. Of course, there is an inherent problem here with Uranus in opposition to Saturn, but this as well heralds the potential to tap into great reserves of power.
So far so good, but then we are hit with the aspect of Jupiter sextile to both Mars and Uranus and trine with Saturn. This makes a good aspect even better. But of course, no night is not without its share of potential problems.
This brings us to the influence of Neptune, which is squared Mars, warning of the potential for deceit and manipulation, especially when paired with the trine Neptune will enjoy with Mercury which is at the 22nd degree of Libra, which is-yikes-from where it had just started to go retrograde during our last reading, during Mabon. A perusal of the news of that day might be in order, as well as the news of events that might have occurred during the sixth-seventh of this month (when the Sun came into inferior conjunction with retrograde Mercury).
More important than the national news, this might be a time to reflect on the personal events of ones own life during these periods, in addition to the period from around the 14th through the 18th. What of importance has been relevant to your life during these periods on a consistent basis? It could all congeal tonight into an answer of personal importance.
One other aspect to take special note of is that of Venus which at fourteen degrees in Sagittarius is in conjunction with the lunar node. This might be the night to meet a new love, or to become reacquainted with one from the past. However, since there are no other aspects to this pairing, it might not be apparent at first.
The Sun, at roughly seven degrees of Scorpio, stands alone, as does the Moon as it traverse the first twelve or so degrees of Sagittarius, drawing to a close conjunction with Venus’s node enchantment by about midnight on Halloween.
When the Sun god dies this year, he dies alone, apparently, though the Goddess watches his departure and urges him gently on from afar, while Pluto also stands alone in wait to greet him, only to herald and hasten his return to the land of the living at the onset of Yule.
Drinks For Halloween And/Or Samhain
It's hard to come up with the perfect Halloween drink, or one for Samhain for that matter, but it's especially difficult to come up with one that might be appropriate for either one, or both. I think I might have hit on a couple of ideas that might do the trick as well as the treat.
Strega, known in America simply as "The Witch" is good as a dessert drink in it's own right. Add it to taste to a mug of steaming hot coffee and you can't go wrong. Flavored with numerous aromatic herbs and spices, it's a witches brew of great power.
Add it to coffee and you have "Witch's Coffee" or, as it is known in some circles "The Kennedy Assassin". The poster to the left, by the way, is an old Strega poster from the fifties, a collector's item among aficionados
Another coffee drink of note is the Monkarita, made up of a delicious and wildly popular regional coffee liquor from Kansas known as The Evil Monk. Named after Rasputin, it is made of a secret recipe inspired by the classic Black Russian drink. Unfortunately, being a regional product it is only availiable in Kansas and parts of Missouri, so in order to appreciate the full effects of this drink, you might have to make some adapatations should you decide to make-
The Monkarita
One part Evil Monk
One part Cherry Vanilla Coke
Drink from a Margarita glass (or any other kind, for that matter) after lining the rim of the glass with sugar and cinnamon.
Advisory-The Evil Monk advertises itself as having more caffeine and potency than Red Bull Energy Drink, so as you can see, this would be the perfect accompaniment to a night of Halloween hi-jinks, or would provide sufficient energy for a coven ritual gathering for Samhain.
In the unfortunate event that The Evil Monk is not available to you, substitute Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, and add just a dash of flavored vodka. Or, just enjoy Kahlua for its own special character.
Naturally, no Halloween list of drinks would be complete without the mention of chocolate. Luckily, there are many chocolate liqueurs available. This, or an anise based licqueur, such as Ouzo or Anissette, would also do well mixed with coffee.
This Year's Halloween Joke
This guy decided he was going to the neighborhood Halloween costume party, and worked hard at assembling the various items he would need to win the "Halloween Costume Prize".
Finding a can of black shoe polish, he set it off to the side as he sucked on one lemon after another, until his lips were swollen to more than twice their normal size. He then applied the black shoe polish until his face was black as pitch.
He then found some white greasepaint and applied it around his eyes and lips. He then applied red lipstick to his swollen lips. He then picked up an old raggedy banjo he found at a flea market and headed to the contest, dressed in his baggy pants with a rope tied around the waist and an old worn out pair of tap-dancing shoes.
He knocked on the door and, when the door opened, he started strumming the banjo and, to the horror of the party's host at the door, he began tap dancing.
"What in the hell are you doing?" the man asked. "Are you trying to be a smart-ass or something?"
"Why, Nawssuh," the young gentlemen replied with a broad grin. "I'sa jess lookin fer my friend Razmus. We's a' spose to go get us some watermelons to have for dee-sert after our fried-chicken and chitlins dinner."
A crowd gathered at the door, trying to get a peek at the commotion, but the doorkeeper motioned them away.
"Young man, I don't know what you're trying to prove, but we don't tolerate racist stereotypes at this party. I'm going to have to ask you to kindly leave, or I will call the police."
Dejectedly, the young man turned and walked away as the door-keeper and host of the party shut the door in obvious disgust, only to turn to meet the questioning gaze of his wife.
"What was that all about?" she asked. "Who was that?"
"Oh, it was just some smart-ass racist kid dressed as a racist stereotype," he replied.
"What was he dressed as?"
"A socialist."
Monday, October 27, 2008
Vincent Price's Halloween Special
This Saturday Night Live sketch is a hilarious send-up of television holiday specials. In this one, the ghost of Vincent Price hosts a Halloween Special with "guest stars" the ghosts of James Mason (played by guest-host John Hamm), Gloria Swanson, and Liberace. One of the funniest skits I've seen in a long time.
Possum Kingdom
"I promise you I will treat you well
My sweet angel
So help me Jesus"
What better way to start off this years Halloween/Samhain season than with a kick-ass song about a psycho-sexual serial killer.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA
My sweet angel
So help me Jesus"
What better way to start off this years Halloween/Samhain season than with a kick-ass song about a psycho-sexual serial killer.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA
Friday, October 24, 2008
Anne Pressly, Little Rock News Anchor Beaten, Near Death
UPDATE-Anne Pressly has died of her attacks, after a brief period of seeming recovery. The swelling in her brain had gone down considerably, which the doctor's took as an encouraging sign. Her pain medication was lowered, but unfortunately, she never regained consciousness or communicated with anyone. Obviously, she was unable to identify her attacker, who the police suspects was a burglar. There is evidence that whoever the perpetrator was used her credit card Monday at a gas station a few miles from her home.
The following is taken from the KATV news website. Pressly was a popular local morning news anchor for the station, and recently had a small role in the recently released Oliver Stone film W, in which she portrayed conservative pundit Anne Coulter.
Little Rock - A Little Rock police spokeswoman says detectives still haven't been able to speak with a television anchorwoman critically injured in an attack earlier this week.
Sgt. Cassandra Davis says Anne Pressly's medical condition still stops investigators from asking who attacked her and what happened at her home. Pressly's mother found her daughter battered and bleeding early Monday morning in bed at her home.
Davis says investigators have "no idea when we'll be able to talk to her."
Davis says detectives continue to search for the blunt object used to beat Pressly, 26, around her head and upper body. The sergeant wouldn't say what evidence officers recovered from Pressly's home or searches of her neighborhood near the Little Rock Country Club.
Could be any number of things. A tire iron, baseball bat, hammer, or even a pistol. One thing is for sure, whoever did this wanted to make sure that Pressly was either incapacitated, dead, or disfigured, or any combination thereof. Since everyone who knows her insists that she had no enemies, nor so far as any of them know, any stalkers, it could just be a simple matter of an amateur burglary that got out of hand.
It seems unlikely to have a connection to the movie, although her status as something of a celebrity in the area, and the fact that she lived alone, might have made her something of a target.
I also doubt there is any connections to any news stories she worked on, as she basically just reported the news, which in her case for the most part consisted of restaurants and events, and other kinds of human interest stories. In the picture above, she is seen with a co-worker and wrestling legend Ric Flair.
She did however interview Dick Cheney after meeting him by happenstance, as described here, from the station's website profile page.
Anne Pressly has had more job titles than she can count at KATV, but the one she loves most is Reporter. In her years at Channel Seven, Anne has covered everything from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s run for the White House to Toad Suck Daze in Conway. She has traveled to farthest corners of the Natural State, and has interviewed such notables as Bill Clinton, Maya Angelou, and Alberto Gonzalez.
One of her most memorable interviews happened by chance. On the return trip from a news story in Humphrey, Arkansas, the highway was blocked in front of waterfowl outfitter Mack’s Prairie Wings in Stuttgart. Turns out, Vice President Dick Cheney was inside shopping. He allowed Anne to interview him while he was on the ammo aisle. Cheney told Channel Seven he loves Arkansas. Not as much as Anne does.
Naturally, there is speculation that this might be a hate crime connected to her movie role and, while that seems unlikely and even far-fetched, it does seem strange that it has received little notice in the national press. That hasn't stopped some on the left from speculating that it might be a right-winger angered at her appearance in an alegedly anti-Bush film, nor has it discouraged some on the right from theorizing that it might be a leftist wanting to lash out at a symbol of the despised Coulter.
Neither would seem to make much sense, but on the other hand, neither does the assault, for whatever reason it occurred.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Electoral Magical Mischief III-Obamabot Temper Tantrum
I have to thank Mr. Beamish of The Crank Files for this beauty. A pretty accurate depiction of an Obamabot. Do you really want these people to have their way? If not, send this video to everybody you know, and just remind them how much fun it will be to listen to them whine like this if Obama loses.
No ritual required, in fact it might be superfluous.
No ritual required, in fact it might be superfluous.
Bonewitz Banishing Magic-Censorship And Making Money Disappear (From Your Wallet To Theirs)
Due possibly to some complaints from the predominantly leftist pagan blogosphere, or maybe just because he can, Isaac Bonewitz has censored my last two comments from his blog, both here and here. In the last case, he left his own reply to my previous comments, where he says-
They don’t mind if they purge some of their own, as long as most of the folks they purge were likely to vote Democratic.
This was his response to my statement that, since according to him the election officials were supposedly planning on purging Democratic voters from the roles, and since I myself am a registered Democrat, I should call and let them know ahead of time that I intend to vote McCain-Palin, as it would be most ironic were they to purge me from the rolls.
In the meantime, Bonewitz is spreading the malicious rumors of a widespread racist assassination plot against Obama, and urges all the little leftist pagans to cast protection spells. Actually, I think I'll have to pass, as I'm too busy these days casting protective spells against the sexist and unfair attacks aimed at Sarah Palin and her family, which many of them and others have engaged in with such vicious glee since the Republican convention.
In his latest post here, he is heading off to Amsterdam and, as usual, asks for contributions for his trip. For such a successful witch this guy sure does seem to have a hard time making it. I guess you could call him and Phaedra the Jim and Tammy Faye Baker of Paganism.
At any rate, it seems the crux of Bonewitz spell-casting abilities revolves around censoring dissenting voices on his blog, and bumming money. I think I'll follow suit by excluding him from my new blog roll. Nothing much there anyway.
If you need a reminder of what it is he felt (or maybe was convinced by others) should be censored, here it is reproduced and expanded on in an earlier post from this blog.
No cussing, though admittedly somewhat of a smart-ass response to what was, after all, a silly post to begin with. Typical leftist attitude, and just a small example of what we'll have to contend with if the Democratic Party wins this election. Censor dissent while hypocritically ranting about freedom and democracy, and in the meantime try to get your hands in peoples wallets any way you can.
They don’t mind if they purge some of their own, as long as most of the folks they purge were likely to vote Democratic.
This was his response to my statement that, since according to him the election officials were supposedly planning on purging Democratic voters from the roles, and since I myself am a registered Democrat, I should call and let them know ahead of time that I intend to vote McCain-Palin, as it would be most ironic were they to purge me from the rolls.
In the meantime, Bonewitz is spreading the malicious rumors of a widespread racist assassination plot against Obama, and urges all the little leftist pagans to cast protection spells. Actually, I think I'll have to pass, as I'm too busy these days casting protective spells against the sexist and unfair attacks aimed at Sarah Palin and her family, which many of them and others have engaged in with such vicious glee since the Republican convention.
In his latest post here, he is heading off to Amsterdam and, as usual, asks for contributions for his trip. For such a successful witch this guy sure does seem to have a hard time making it. I guess you could call him and Phaedra the Jim and Tammy Faye Baker of Paganism.
At any rate, it seems the crux of Bonewitz spell-casting abilities revolves around censoring dissenting voices on his blog, and bumming money. I think I'll follow suit by excluding him from my new blog roll. Nothing much there anyway.
If you need a reminder of what it is he felt (or maybe was convinced by others) should be censored, here it is reproduced and expanded on in an earlier post from this blog.
No cussing, though admittedly somewhat of a smart-ass response to what was, after all, a silly post to begin with. Typical leftist attitude, and just a small example of what we'll have to contend with if the Democratic Party wins this election. Censor dissent while hypocritically ranting about freedom and democracy, and in the meantime try to get your hands in peoples wallets any way you can.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Alec Baldwin Answers Criticism From His Fans
I was a little wary about Sara Palin's appearance on Saturday Night Live, and honestly, I think it helped their ratings more than it helped her or the McCain-Palin campaign. She was just okay, nothing spectacular, but the main thing that struck me was the lack of interaction between her and Tina Fey. I could not help but think, here are two people that don't really like each other.
The Weekend Update Skit with Amy Poehler doing a rap that Sarah supposedly refused to do was standout hilarious. Of course Sarah Palin probably is not suited for rap, which is a very complicated skill. Even if she had the talent, she would not have had the time to learn and rehearse the verses. That's too bad, because it was a bad ass routine. The bit with the moose dancing and then falling to the sound of gunshots was especially hilarious. Overall, Amy Poehler has a career in rap if she wants one. She was that good.
Perhaps the most amusing part of the show, however, occurred off-camera in liberal homes across America, later played out on the pages of the Huffington Post. Alec Baldwin's fans were angered at Baldwin, a noted and outspoken liberal, for appearing with Palin. Leave it to the left to resent someone actually humanizing someone they disagree with, as opposed to demonizing them.
I don't like his politics, but both the left and the right could learn something from the gentlemanly behavior of ALec Baldwin, who in response to the criticism from a large segment of his and the SNL fan base, published this post in the Huffington Post where he pretty much called them out for their juvenile attitudes.
You might as well face facts, Alec. A good many of your fans are what I might call fucking pigs-if I might be so bold, sir.
The Weekend Update Skit with Amy Poehler doing a rap that Sarah supposedly refused to do was standout hilarious. Of course Sarah Palin probably is not suited for rap, which is a very complicated skill. Even if she had the talent, she would not have had the time to learn and rehearse the verses. That's too bad, because it was a bad ass routine. The bit with the moose dancing and then falling to the sound of gunshots was especially hilarious. Overall, Amy Poehler has a career in rap if she wants one. She was that good.
Perhaps the most amusing part of the show, however, occurred off-camera in liberal homes across America, later played out on the pages of the Huffington Post. Alec Baldwin's fans were angered at Baldwin, a noted and outspoken liberal, for appearing with Palin. Leave it to the left to resent someone actually humanizing someone they disagree with, as opposed to demonizing them.
I don't like his politics, but both the left and the right could learn something from the gentlemanly behavior of ALec Baldwin, who in response to the criticism from a large segment of his and the SNL fan base, published this post in the Huffington Post where he pretty much called them out for their juvenile attitudes.
You might as well face facts, Alec. A good many of your fans are what I might call fucking pigs-if I might be so bold, sir.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sarah Palin-Its Now Or never
I hate to break it to all you Sarah Palin fans, which does include me, but if you have the slightest idea that she will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012 if she and McCain lose the 2008 election, you are seriously deluded. It's not going to happen.
If McCain-Palin lose this election, which as of now seems more and more likely, start making plans to support the 2012 ticket of Mitt Romney and Bobby Jindal. Barring any unforeseeable eventualities, that is your 2012 ticket.
If McCain-Palin loses this election, she will run for re-election to Alaska, and will win handily. Her career following this will probably consist of three or four terms in the US Senate from Alaska.
I just had to say this because I've been reading posts from some well-intentioned bloggers who consider Palin the next Ronald Reagan. There is a flaw in this reasoning. The woman has no support from anyone with the power and finacial clout to put her over the top in a race for a presidential major party nomination against the likes of not only Romney, but a myriad of others who would come much closer to garnering the support of the Republican establishement. The last thing this group wants is another reformer. They went along with McCain this time because-and only because-they saw him as their one and only hope of overcoming dissastisfaction with the Republican Party among the general electorate, the independents and Reagan Democrats whom they must win in order to-well, win.
McCain still yet paid dearly for their tepid support this year, as he put his Maverick credentials under serious debate in order to garner their support. Now, that is coming back to bite him. We've all seen the ads I'm sure where McCain is seen in the last debate telling Obama he is not George Bush, and then the voice over reminding us how he did vote with Bush over ninety percent of the time, and then McCain bragging that he voted with Bush more often than even some of his fellow Republicans did. The last four years has consisted of McCain trying to make nice with the Republican establishment in order to win the election, even though he still almost torpedoed his chances with support of the constroversial Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.
Because of things such as this, and despite his other efforts at reconciliation with his party, he still might not have won the nomination if other conservatives had not divided the vote. Even Duncan Hunter, a relative unknown to most Americans, would have won if he had been McCains sole opponent. Still, the Republican establishment hoped to benefit from McCain's maverick status, and so they overlooked a lot they will not be so unwilling to overlook from Palin. In fact, some of them, such as George Will, are already among her most ardent detractors.
Yes, she would win easily if it were a matter of popularity among the Republican base. I think its safe to say, however, that it takes a lot more than that. It takes money and an appreciable amount of financial support which she just does not and will not have.
Therefore, I am telling you all, in all earnesty, if you want to see Palin in the White House, you had better concentrate your efforts on seeing her and John McCain win this coming election. If they do, there is a very good chance that McCain would step down after one term, at which point Palin would have the power of incumbency to see her through to winning the nomination. That is the only way you will ever see it happen.
If they dont win, there's at least the very real plus that she can continue to reform and build up Alaska to where it could easily become one of our most important states in a variety of ways. There is the further plus that she would probably be one hell of a great US Seantor at some point after that.
Just don't expect to ever see her as Presdient if she and McCain don't win this year.
Let that be motivation for you to get back out there, forget the nonsense about a future that will never be, and work your conservative asses off for McCain-Palin '08.
If McCain-Palin lose this election, which as of now seems more and more likely, start making plans to support the 2012 ticket of Mitt Romney and Bobby Jindal. Barring any unforeseeable eventualities, that is your 2012 ticket.
If McCain-Palin loses this election, she will run for re-election to Alaska, and will win handily. Her career following this will probably consist of three or four terms in the US Senate from Alaska.
I just had to say this because I've been reading posts from some well-intentioned bloggers who consider Palin the next Ronald Reagan. There is a flaw in this reasoning. The woman has no support from anyone with the power and finacial clout to put her over the top in a race for a presidential major party nomination against the likes of not only Romney, but a myriad of others who would come much closer to garnering the support of the Republican establishement. The last thing this group wants is another reformer. They went along with McCain this time because-and only because-they saw him as their one and only hope of overcoming dissastisfaction with the Republican Party among the general electorate, the independents and Reagan Democrats whom they must win in order to-well, win.
McCain still yet paid dearly for their tepid support this year, as he put his Maverick credentials under serious debate in order to garner their support. Now, that is coming back to bite him. We've all seen the ads I'm sure where McCain is seen in the last debate telling Obama he is not George Bush, and then the voice over reminding us how he did vote with Bush over ninety percent of the time, and then McCain bragging that he voted with Bush more often than even some of his fellow Republicans did. The last four years has consisted of McCain trying to make nice with the Republican establishment in order to win the election, even though he still almost torpedoed his chances with support of the constroversial Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.
Because of things such as this, and despite his other efforts at reconciliation with his party, he still might not have won the nomination if other conservatives had not divided the vote. Even Duncan Hunter, a relative unknown to most Americans, would have won if he had been McCains sole opponent. Still, the Republican establishment hoped to benefit from McCain's maverick status, and so they overlooked a lot they will not be so unwilling to overlook from Palin. In fact, some of them, such as George Will, are already among her most ardent detractors.
Yes, she would win easily if it were a matter of popularity among the Republican base. I think its safe to say, however, that it takes a lot more than that. It takes money and an appreciable amount of financial support which she just does not and will not have.
Therefore, I am telling you all, in all earnesty, if you want to see Palin in the White House, you had better concentrate your efforts on seeing her and John McCain win this coming election. If they do, there is a very good chance that McCain would step down after one term, at which point Palin would have the power of incumbency to see her through to winning the nomination. That is the only way you will ever see it happen.
If they dont win, there's at least the very real plus that she can continue to reform and build up Alaska to where it could easily become one of our most important states in a variety of ways. There is the further plus that she would probably be one hell of a great US Seantor at some point after that.
Just don't expect to ever see her as Presdient if she and McCain don't win this year.
Let that be motivation for you to get back out there, forget the nonsense about a future that will never be, and work your conservative asses off for McCain-Palin '08.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Colin Powell's Endorsement of Obama-Just Another Skirmish In The Ongoing Civil War Between The Rival Foreign Policy Factions Of The Republican Party
It looks like there is a big split in the military wing of the Republican Party, and it might result in the end of Republican domination of the military. We should have seen that coming a long time ago. People generally make a big mistake when they refer to the military wing of the party as “foreign policy conservatives”. This is actually more of a contradiction in terms than the old joke about “military intelligence”, maybe on a par with “conservative Democrat”. Like it or not, if you want to find a true foreign policy conservative, you are required to venture into Patrick Buchanan territory. I have, and intend to stay there.
Unfortunately, this sector of American politics is as welcome in American political life as the KKK at an Obama rally. If you adhere to the principles of true foreign policy conservatism, the naysayers immediately tar you with the brush of isolationism. I prefer another, more accurate label-Washingtonian.
Be that as it may, when the internationalists took over the Department of Defense, sometime during the Truman presidency, they grew roots which have grown so deep it will be probably impossible to dislodge them, at least in the short term. The closest anybody has come to venturing into realization of the reality of the attitude of entitlement that has permeated the military-industrial complex was Dwight D. Eisenhower, when he gave his farewell address at the end of his second term. Ironically, liberal Democrats of the sixties and seventies were much more conservative in economic terms regarding military spending than their conservative Republican opponents. Of course, this was chiefly because they had other more urgent spending priorities of their own.
Both parties are unfortunately internationalist. Both parties have experienced divisions in their foreign policy wings, one made up of what we usually call hawks, which tend to dominate the Republicans, and the doves, which tend to dominate the Democrats, in both cases in terms of foreign policy and military affairs.
Now, Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barak Obama has signaled a potential shift along the fragile fault line of American international affairs that could result in a massive earthquake, one that goes beyond the simplistic view that Powell’s support for Obama is based solely on race.
Race is of course a part of it. Just as important as race is the fact that both men are outsiders in regards to their race. They are both a son of immigrants, Powell’s parents having emigrated from the Caribbean. As for their connections to slavery, no word yet on whether any of Powell’s white ancestors, if he had any, were slave owners. There will of course be the inevitable backlash among those who resent the accusation that their refusal to support Obama is racist. It is all too tempting to point out that Obama’s support amongst blacks is of course race based.
There is actually no way of resolving this to anyone’s satisfaction. I might point out, for example, that I would gladly vote for a conservative black candidate over a liberal white one, but then of course you will hear something along the lines, “oh sure you would vote for that god damn Uncle Tom over a decent white man or woman that wants to help black people.”
The obvious slur aside, this is in fact getting closer to the root of the problem. It is a matter of ideology, and I am reasonably convinced this is the case with Colin Powell. Powell has been a fixture in Washington for decades and began his official career under the Carter Administration. A vocal supporter of Affirmative Action, he is a known moderate, more left than right of center on economic and social issues and, of course, he is an internationalist.
However, so in fact were most of the foreign policy experts and officials of preceding Republican administrations, beginning with Nixon, and on through Ford, Reagan, and Bush I. The only difference with Reagan was a determination to go beyond mere containment of the old Soviet Union. He openly sought its destruction, and succeeded beyond his or anyone else’s wildest dreams.
So where did the split come in, and how did it come about? After all, true foreign policy conservatives have been as rare in Washington inner circles and official decision-making processes as John Birch Society members in a multi-cultural think-tank.
Remember, however, how I said that there have always been factions in both parties? The hawks controlled the Republican foreign policy wing while the doves came to control the Democratic foreign policy wing. Still, both parties had stalwart members of both sides of the equation. It was the Democratic Party hawks who bolted and went to the Republican side and began to influence policy for the first time during the George Bush II Administration, where they became known as Neo-cons.
Much has been made, by some of their detractors, of their domination by American Jews and Zionist Israeli supporters. As sure as night follows day, this has culminated in a charge of anti-Semitism thrown at anyone who disagrees with, opposes, or otherwise disparages Neo-con policies, which is a bit of nonsense engaged in even by some otherwise intelligent, reasonable, and thoughtful people (you know who you are).
The fact remains, it is Neo-con policies which has resulted in the shift and possibly, maybe even probably, realignment of military party loyalties. The Democratic Party knows they can only go so far in reducing military spending, even in those areas where restraint is appropriate. It is too easy to tar them with the brush of anti-Americanism, and the Republicans have used that tactic to great effect. The Democratic Party has learned from this and will probably use at least some caution, at least at the outset of the likely on-coming new Democratic Party dominated Washington power structure.
The great irony is that the debacle in Bush Administration foreign policy that has resulted in widespread dissatisfaction with the party, even among party regulars and the rank-and-file, owes its origins to the same Kennedyesque foreign policy philosophies and adventures that brought us the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam. It is the same kind of foreign policy blunders under a different banner-the Republican label.
Colin Powell held off his endorsement of Obama for some time, and I have no doubt he will figure prominently in a prospective Obama presidency, doubtless at the cabinet level-possibly as Secretary of Defense, maybe even reinstated as Secretary of State (although I would not be greatly surprised if Obama retained Condoleeza Rice in that position). Whatever position Powell might find himself in, we can assume this had a lot to do with his endorsement as well as the other things I mentioned, to say nothing of some degree of resentment over his treatment in the Bush Administration.
It might have been John McCain, however, who gave Powell the final shove, during the last debate, when he said there should be some spending cuts in defense, along with his assertion of waste and corruption in the awarding of contracts. This is in fact McCain’s one legitimate claim to a conservative foreign policy position. It may be the one thing that ultimately served to cost him the support of Colin Powell, however tenuous and unlikely that potential support might have always been.
Even at this, the Neo-cons will not go away easily or quickly. They will hold tenaciously to their grip on power until the last possible moment. What you are seeing is a civil war in the form of an inter-party rivalry for control of foreign policy of the Republican Party, but these two rival sets of internationalist hawks do not fight over ideology so much as military spending contracts, in my opinion.
Still, there is a profound ideological divide between them. One of them believes in the old Republican ideal of continued and growing defense spending and international American leadership of traditional treaty allies such as NATO. The other believes in controlled chaos, in upheaval and sustained and on-going crisis management and manipulation. The Democratic foreign policy, meanwhile, consists principally of moderate defense spending with a posture aimed at leadership by way of international cooperation. It will be as easy, and possibly even as necessary, for the Republican traditional foreign policy wing to gravitate to the Democratic Party as it once was for the old Democratic Party war philosophy adherents, inspired by the ideals of the early Vietnam era, to migrate to the Republican Party.
The Neo-cons have almost single-handedly wrecked the Republican Party, and despite the potential for backlash, they have induced Colin Powell to hand the Democrats and Obama a vital and important strategic and symbolic victory.
In the meantime, George Washington is still spinning in his grave for going on sixty years now. Some people say we are heading toward a new world, a new America, one that would be unrecognizable to our founding fathers.
Don’t look now, but that already happened long before most of us were ever born. I just happen to be one of the very small percentage of people that want to take us back. I won’t be holding my breath waiting for any mass movement to join with me, and that includes so-called “conservatives”.
Conservatives, like liberals, will always go where the money is. Their only ideological difference when it comes to defense spending isn’t so much how much to spend, but simply how and where to spend it. It still spends, and whoever doles it out will still spin it to look like its in America’s vital national interests, whether it is or not. If it is not, it can be made to be so. Perception is reality.
That’s why I have no doubt our allies will love and respect us more if a Democrat such as Obama takes power this year. It might be true that you can’t buy love, but you can lease a degree of temporary loyalty, while not in reality changing anything.
Unfortunately, this sector of American politics is as welcome in American political life as the KKK at an Obama rally. If you adhere to the principles of true foreign policy conservatism, the naysayers immediately tar you with the brush of isolationism. I prefer another, more accurate label-Washingtonian.
Be that as it may, when the internationalists took over the Department of Defense, sometime during the Truman presidency, they grew roots which have grown so deep it will be probably impossible to dislodge them, at least in the short term. The closest anybody has come to venturing into realization of the reality of the attitude of entitlement that has permeated the military-industrial complex was Dwight D. Eisenhower, when he gave his farewell address at the end of his second term. Ironically, liberal Democrats of the sixties and seventies were much more conservative in economic terms regarding military spending than their conservative Republican opponents. Of course, this was chiefly because they had other more urgent spending priorities of their own.
Both parties are unfortunately internationalist. Both parties have experienced divisions in their foreign policy wings, one made up of what we usually call hawks, which tend to dominate the Republicans, and the doves, which tend to dominate the Democrats, in both cases in terms of foreign policy and military affairs.
Now, Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barak Obama has signaled a potential shift along the fragile fault line of American international affairs that could result in a massive earthquake, one that goes beyond the simplistic view that Powell’s support for Obama is based solely on race.
Race is of course a part of it. Just as important as race is the fact that both men are outsiders in regards to their race. They are both a son of immigrants, Powell’s parents having emigrated from the Caribbean. As for their connections to slavery, no word yet on whether any of Powell’s white ancestors, if he had any, were slave owners. There will of course be the inevitable backlash among those who resent the accusation that their refusal to support Obama is racist. It is all too tempting to point out that Obama’s support amongst blacks is of course race based.
There is actually no way of resolving this to anyone’s satisfaction. I might point out, for example, that I would gladly vote for a conservative black candidate over a liberal white one, but then of course you will hear something along the lines, “oh sure you would vote for that god damn Uncle Tom over a decent white man or woman that wants to help black people.”
The obvious slur aside, this is in fact getting closer to the root of the problem. It is a matter of ideology, and I am reasonably convinced this is the case with Colin Powell. Powell has been a fixture in Washington for decades and began his official career under the Carter Administration. A vocal supporter of Affirmative Action, he is a known moderate, more left than right of center on economic and social issues and, of course, he is an internationalist.
However, so in fact were most of the foreign policy experts and officials of preceding Republican administrations, beginning with Nixon, and on through Ford, Reagan, and Bush I. The only difference with Reagan was a determination to go beyond mere containment of the old Soviet Union. He openly sought its destruction, and succeeded beyond his or anyone else’s wildest dreams.
So where did the split come in, and how did it come about? After all, true foreign policy conservatives have been as rare in Washington inner circles and official decision-making processes as John Birch Society members in a multi-cultural think-tank.
Remember, however, how I said that there have always been factions in both parties? The hawks controlled the Republican foreign policy wing while the doves came to control the Democratic foreign policy wing. Still, both parties had stalwart members of both sides of the equation. It was the Democratic Party hawks who bolted and went to the Republican side and began to influence policy for the first time during the George Bush II Administration, where they became known as Neo-cons.
Much has been made, by some of their detractors, of their domination by American Jews and Zionist Israeli supporters. As sure as night follows day, this has culminated in a charge of anti-Semitism thrown at anyone who disagrees with, opposes, or otherwise disparages Neo-con policies, which is a bit of nonsense engaged in even by some otherwise intelligent, reasonable, and thoughtful people (you know who you are).
The fact remains, it is Neo-con policies which has resulted in the shift and possibly, maybe even probably, realignment of military party loyalties. The Democratic Party knows they can only go so far in reducing military spending, even in those areas where restraint is appropriate. It is too easy to tar them with the brush of anti-Americanism, and the Republicans have used that tactic to great effect. The Democratic Party has learned from this and will probably use at least some caution, at least at the outset of the likely on-coming new Democratic Party dominated Washington power structure.
The great irony is that the debacle in Bush Administration foreign policy that has resulted in widespread dissatisfaction with the party, even among party regulars and the rank-and-file, owes its origins to the same Kennedyesque foreign policy philosophies and adventures that brought us the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam. It is the same kind of foreign policy blunders under a different banner-the Republican label.
Colin Powell held off his endorsement of Obama for some time, and I have no doubt he will figure prominently in a prospective Obama presidency, doubtless at the cabinet level-possibly as Secretary of Defense, maybe even reinstated as Secretary of State (although I would not be greatly surprised if Obama retained Condoleeza Rice in that position). Whatever position Powell might find himself in, we can assume this had a lot to do with his endorsement as well as the other things I mentioned, to say nothing of some degree of resentment over his treatment in the Bush Administration.
It might have been John McCain, however, who gave Powell the final shove, during the last debate, when he said there should be some spending cuts in defense, along with his assertion of waste and corruption in the awarding of contracts. This is in fact McCain’s one legitimate claim to a conservative foreign policy position. It may be the one thing that ultimately served to cost him the support of Colin Powell, however tenuous and unlikely that potential support might have always been.
Even at this, the Neo-cons will not go away easily or quickly. They will hold tenaciously to their grip on power until the last possible moment. What you are seeing is a civil war in the form of an inter-party rivalry for control of foreign policy of the Republican Party, but these two rival sets of internationalist hawks do not fight over ideology so much as military spending contracts, in my opinion.
Still, there is a profound ideological divide between them. One of them believes in the old Republican ideal of continued and growing defense spending and international American leadership of traditional treaty allies such as NATO. The other believes in controlled chaos, in upheaval and sustained and on-going crisis management and manipulation. The Democratic foreign policy, meanwhile, consists principally of moderate defense spending with a posture aimed at leadership by way of international cooperation. It will be as easy, and possibly even as necessary, for the Republican traditional foreign policy wing to gravitate to the Democratic Party as it once was for the old Democratic Party war philosophy adherents, inspired by the ideals of the early Vietnam era, to migrate to the Republican Party.
The Neo-cons have almost single-handedly wrecked the Republican Party, and despite the potential for backlash, they have induced Colin Powell to hand the Democrats and Obama a vital and important strategic and symbolic victory.
In the meantime, George Washington is still spinning in his grave for going on sixty years now. Some people say we are heading toward a new world, a new America, one that would be unrecognizable to our founding fathers.
Don’t look now, but that already happened long before most of us were ever born. I just happen to be one of the very small percentage of people that want to take us back. I won’t be holding my breath waiting for any mass movement to join with me, and that includes so-called “conservatives”.
Conservatives, like liberals, will always go where the money is. Their only ideological difference when it comes to defense spending isn’t so much how much to spend, but simply how and where to spend it. It still spends, and whoever doles it out will still spin it to look like its in America’s vital national interests, whether it is or not. If it is not, it can be made to be so. Perception is reality.
That’s why I have no doubt our allies will love and respect us more if a Democrat such as Obama takes power this year. It might be true that you can’t buy love, but you can lease a degree of temporary loyalty, while not in reality changing anything.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Devil Wears Pravda
Man, I had this weird dream last night that the media, all of them-CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and even MSNBC, all went out in force armed with the bulwarks of the print journalism establishment-The New York Times, the Washington Post, etc.-all united in a quest to learn the truth. Was Barak Obama on the level when, during last night's final debate, he denied that his political career began in the living room of the home of former Weather Underground leader and domestic terrorist bomber William Ayers and his Charles Manson adoring wife Bernadine Dohrn? Was McCain's assertion to this effect actually the truth of the matter? Did Obama begin his career by seeking and obtaining the blessing, encouragement, and support of Ayers and Dohrn, or not?
In my surrealistic dream, all of the media journalists were crawling all over each other in their mad scramble for the truth. When I woke up to realize it was only a dream, I pondered the possibility that I had in fact experienced some rare form of psychic vision, and ran to my television eager to catch a glimpse of the morning news.
No such luck. Nothing whatsoever about the truth of the extent of Obama's relationship with Ayers and Dohrn.
I did however learn that Joe The Plumber, who asserted that Barak Obama's tax plan was a socialist scheme, made only 40,000 dollars a year, owed over a thousand dollars in as yet unpaid taxes, had a lien placed on his home, and was not really a license plumber after all.
So it wasn't such a loss at that. I did learn some things to be facts, things I had previously only strongly suspected.
Thank you media.
In my surrealistic dream, all of the media journalists were crawling all over each other in their mad scramble for the truth. When I woke up to realize it was only a dream, I pondered the possibility that I had in fact experienced some rare form of psychic vision, and ran to my television eager to catch a glimpse of the morning news.
No such luck. Nothing whatsoever about the truth of the extent of Obama's relationship with Ayers and Dohrn.
I did however learn that Joe The Plumber, who asserted that Barak Obama's tax plan was a socialist scheme, made only 40,000 dollars a year, owed over a thousand dollars in as yet unpaid taxes, had a lien placed on his home, and was not really a license plumber after all.
So it wasn't such a loss at that. I did learn some things to be facts, things I had previously only strongly suspected.
Thank you media.
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