People need to take a deep breath and relax. I know its hard to do, but there's some things that are just beyond the pale, even for politicians, and I am especially ashamed of Fred Thompson, who was actually my second choice for President during the last election cycle, behind Giuliani (and he actually quickly became my favored choice).
Yet, the nonsense being promoted by him and others, such as Rush Limbaugh, claiming that a new government medical policy would pressure senior citizens to opt to end their lives by denying themselves nutrition and hydration is just nuts. Never mind the idea that Democrats might or might not support such an idea. The plain fact of the matter is, it would be politically insane to promote such a policy, even behind the scenes in a small item buried in thousands of pages.
For another thing, no doctor or hospital would put up with that. In fact, not only would it be against the Hippocratic Oath, it would be going against their own financial best interests. It just doesn't make any sense.
There is one potential problem with senior care if the bill were to pass as is, but it revolves more around a one-size fits all approach to elderly care, especially regarding plans to establish government financed homes that would be staffed mostly by nurses. Of course, it might well turn into a bureaucratic nightmare, and probably would at the least be inefficient and expensive. But that's a far cry from an insane plot to knock off old people to save money. So unless there's something specific that might lead to such a policy, or encourage it in any way, conservatives need to tread lightly. There is such thing as political backlash. I would think they would not need me to remind them of such lessons they have already been taught numerous times just over the course of the last decade.
Besides, how bad can government run health care be? I have my own two ways of looking at it. Either it ends up pretty good, or with mixed results, in which case it can always be improved upon over time. Or, it can be a failure to one degree or another, in which case it can be revisited with a better set of policies once it contributes to a return to power of Republicans. But at least the groundwork is being set down, whatever the case.
I would prefer to see a system where doctors are relieved of their debts and insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are not taxed, though still subjected to reasonable state regulations with federal oversight. Those things in itself would do more to reduce the cost of health care than anything currently on the table. As for reducing the level of bureaucracy that also adds to the expense, that would be a given. It would have to be reduced to make up the difference in lost tax revenue. Government would reform the medical system by getting out of it while expecting results. If the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, for example, don't keep prices low, or reasonable, there are always price-gouging and other such laws, and there can still be assistance for the disabled, elderly, and poor.
In fact, if businesses in general were not taxed, while all individuals were taxed at any equal rate-with no end of the year tax refunds for anyone-then over time the majority of our tax and economic problems would wither away, provided there was an understanding that minimum wage would have to be raised and certain regulations would have to remain in place, while certain others should be loosened or abandoned all together.
That is the kind of thing Republicans and conservatives need to promote. Leave the horror stories around the campfires and come back down to earth for a while.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The WHole Thing Just Makes Me Sick
I think both sides of the health care reform debate need to tone it down a notch or two, not that either side wants or cares for my opinion. Frankly, I almost don't care anymore. Whatever happens, happens. What I do know is, if the Republicans, however right they think they are, or actually might be, succeed in driving away in disgust a large portion of the independent voters that they cannot prevail without, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
Having said that, I have to ask, where were the fucking Democrats and others on the left when Anne Coulter was being hit in the face with pies, and when Congressman Tom Tancredo had to cancel a scheduled speaking appearance at a North Carolina University. In fact, he had to flee for his life from an onslaught of liberal student protesters who refused to allow him to speak to the students who had invited him to appear at the campus.
Where were Democrats and their objections and calls for calm and civility when leftist protesters all over college campuses were disrupting speaking appearances by other conservatives?
By the same token, where was all this love for conservative, small government principles when the Republican Party controlled the White House and both houses of Congress for four years, up until the 2006 mid-terms? It seems the only time their alleged devotion to those principles apply in reality is when there is a Democratic President in the White House. Strangely, once a Republican took over residence at Pennsylvania Avenue, they showed what some with not a little merit might proclaim to be their true colors.
I never considered myself a conservative. The term just doesn't always apply to me. I used to consider myself a liberal, but the term meant something far different than what it has come to mean over the years. I have come to the point now where I have a hard time recognizing a common humanity with most of those who now call themselves liberal, or "progressive".
I have taken now to calling myself a Federalist, and I think that term fits me in a bunch of different ways. An old party, that really wasn't a party at all, and has now ceased to exist save in the history books. Maybe that's where my views belong and should be viewed, as a political anachronism.
One thing I do know. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have the best interests of the American people in mind, and they sure as hell don't care anything about the constitution. They just care about holding on to power and are willing to bribe their constituents in whatever way possible to do that. Whether the Republicans take power in 2010, or whether they don't, I don't know. What is obvious is that, either way, not one god damned motherfucking thing is going to change, in any real way, certainly not in the long term.
Having said that, I have to ask, where were the fucking Democrats and others on the left when Anne Coulter was being hit in the face with pies, and when Congressman Tom Tancredo had to cancel a scheduled speaking appearance at a North Carolina University. In fact, he had to flee for his life from an onslaught of liberal student protesters who refused to allow him to speak to the students who had invited him to appear at the campus.
Where were Democrats and their objections and calls for calm and civility when leftist protesters all over college campuses were disrupting speaking appearances by other conservatives?
By the same token, where was all this love for conservative, small government principles when the Republican Party controlled the White House and both houses of Congress for four years, up until the 2006 mid-terms? It seems the only time their alleged devotion to those principles apply in reality is when there is a Democratic President in the White House. Strangely, once a Republican took over residence at Pennsylvania Avenue, they showed what some with not a little merit might proclaim to be their true colors.
I never considered myself a conservative. The term just doesn't always apply to me. I used to consider myself a liberal, but the term meant something far different than what it has come to mean over the years. I have come to the point now where I have a hard time recognizing a common humanity with most of those who now call themselves liberal, or "progressive".
I have taken now to calling myself a Federalist, and I think that term fits me in a bunch of different ways. An old party, that really wasn't a party at all, and has now ceased to exist save in the history books. Maybe that's where my views belong and should be viewed, as a political anachronism.
One thing I do know. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have the best interests of the American people in mind, and they sure as hell don't care anything about the constitution. They just care about holding on to power and are willing to bribe their constituents in whatever way possible to do that. Whether the Republicans take power in 2010, or whether they don't, I don't know. What is obvious is that, either way, not one god damned motherfucking thing is going to change, in any real way, certainly not in the long term.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The Manson Family-A Rock Opera
Hey, Happy Anniversary there, Tate-LaBianca murders!
We're right now at the anniversary of that storied time forty years ago when you caused the deaths of Steven Parent, Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Voytek Frikowski in a bloody display of brutal violence that can only be described as horrific. You shocked our sensibilities to the point that you changed life in America forever. Up until that point, most people went to bed with their doors unlocked-even in California. No more of that. You came along and pummeled our innocent naiveties until we were numb from the shock. But you were not content with that display of wanton savagery. You made our hearts shudder in fear and caused us to catch our collective breaths as we spun wildly and dizzily to the news of yet another set of murders, those of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Since those halcyon days in the immediate week preceding Woodstock, your legacy has endured in numerous books, movies, televisions specials, interviews, and conspiracy theories. You have become a cottage industry in your own right, and as such the recognition heaped upon you is certainly well-merited. After all, you are a signpost of the sixties. As much as Woodstock which followed you signified the capacity for peace, love, and communion with mankind's natural harmonious desires and aspirations centered around a love of life, music, and the abandonment of societal repressions and pretension, you were the other side of the coin. You signified the unmitigated, cold and calculating evil that lay in wait to corrupt the innocent and open the gates that released the demons of hatred, fear, and rage.
Now, devoted Manson disciple Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, imprisoned since her attempted though bungled assassination attempt on the life of then President Gerald Ford in 1975, will soon be paroled from the prison in which she is held, a prison which specializes in the treatment of those hard-core convicts with mental and emotional problems. There is no word as yet on what she plans to do-or where she plans to go-upon her release.
In the meantime, rumors are circulating to the effect that Charles Manson himself wishes to have a face-to-face meeting with fellow inmate Phil Spector, who incidentally famously recorded two songs-Across The Universe and The Long And Winding Road-for the Beatles final released album, Let It Be. Given Manson's reputed fascination with the Beatles and their songs-especially of course the allegedly hidden meanings of their lyrics-one can only wonder as to the potential of such a meeting of the minds.
Almost forgot-hiya Mary. And-just to make sure this post gets at least one hit a day from now until the end of time-heya, Ouisch.
We're right now at the anniversary of that storied time forty years ago when you caused the deaths of Steven Parent, Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Voytek Frikowski in a bloody display of brutal violence that can only be described as horrific. You shocked our sensibilities to the point that you changed life in America forever. Up until that point, most people went to bed with their doors unlocked-even in California. No more of that. You came along and pummeled our innocent naiveties until we were numb from the shock. But you were not content with that display of wanton savagery. You made our hearts shudder in fear and caused us to catch our collective breaths as we spun wildly and dizzily to the news of yet another set of murders, those of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Since those halcyon days in the immediate week preceding Woodstock, your legacy has endured in numerous books, movies, televisions specials, interviews, and conspiracy theories. You have become a cottage industry in your own right, and as such the recognition heaped upon you is certainly well-merited. After all, you are a signpost of the sixties. As much as Woodstock which followed you signified the capacity for peace, love, and communion with mankind's natural harmonious desires and aspirations centered around a love of life, music, and the abandonment of societal repressions and pretension, you were the other side of the coin. You signified the unmitigated, cold and calculating evil that lay in wait to corrupt the innocent and open the gates that released the demons of hatred, fear, and rage.
Now, devoted Manson disciple Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, imprisoned since her attempted though bungled assassination attempt on the life of then President Gerald Ford in 1975, will soon be paroled from the prison in which she is held, a prison which specializes in the treatment of those hard-core convicts with mental and emotional problems. There is no word as yet on what she plans to do-or where she plans to go-upon her release.
In the meantime, rumors are circulating to the effect that Charles Manson himself wishes to have a face-to-face meeting with fellow inmate Phil Spector, who incidentally famously recorded two songs-Across The Universe and The Long And Winding Road-for the Beatles final released album, Let It Be. Given Manson's reputed fascination with the Beatles and their songs-especially of course the allegedly hidden meanings of their lyrics-one can only wonder as to the potential of such a meeting of the minds.
Almost forgot-hiya Mary. And-just to make sure this post gets at least one hit a day from now until the end of time-heya, Ouisch.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Effervescent Adolescents by Arctic Monkeys (Lughnasadh Song Video)
The first time I saw this video, I thought, Ah hell no, evil clowns, but as I watched it, it sucked me right in. I don't know what the band had in mind when they made it, but I see it as symbolic. The clown and his main protagonist here are representative of man's dual natures. The clown is our true selves, the other the face we present to the world. During childhood we are closer to our true selves, but as we grow older, we drift further apart from our true natures.
Nevertheless, there will always be occasions during which we will find ourselves face-to-face once again with our true natures, in the course of an often times unexpected and unwelcome "reunion", one that often results in disastrous consequences. In the end, we can hide our true natures, whatever they might be-be they good or be they bad-but only up to a point. We can never get rid ourselves of them completely. Sooner or later, they will manifest, as often as not at the worse possible times.
It seems kind of a fitting video with which to celebrate what amounts to a trickster deity.
Also, it happens to be one kick-ass rocking song. Enjoy. And have a blessed and happy Lughnasadh.
Justice
I didn't know at first how this card fit in with this Sabbat of Lughnasadh, but on reflection, the chart for this day is all about oppositions, and thus the need for balance.
We have the Moon speeding it's way through Sagittarius at the beginning of the day, in varying degrees of sextile with Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius, and squared Uranus in Pisces, while heading toward a rendezvous with Pluto in the first degree of Capricorn, where it started out the year. Once it gets there (and by the time I write this it has gotten there and a little beyond) then it reaches what might well be an ominous, to some, opposition to Venus in the first degree of Cancer.
Meanwhile, Uranus in Pisces is also in opposition to Saturn in Virgo (which the Moon barely avoided aspect with on this day). This cries out for balance, seeing as how Uranus and Saturn are opposites. One counsels patience, while the other seems to stress the need for immediate action, a clear conflict. The balance is slightly tilted in favor of Uranus this day, as it is strengthened by an aspect with Mars in the fourteenth degree of Gemini. Mars gains slight strength by a slight trine to Jupiter (which the latter does not share with Neptune), but more importantly, there is a sextile between Mars and the Sun, now in the ninth degree of Leo, the only aspect the good Sun notes on this day.
Finally, Mercury is aspected by opposition to Jupiter and Neptune, but also enjoys an easily overlooked sextile to Venus.
All in all, a need for caution. One should not overindulge in food over the next few days, something that a celebrant will find difficult to avoid. There will likewise be a tendency towards daydreaming about future travel plans, with hopes of kindling old flames and seeing old friends. As Lughnasadh is typically a day for feasting and for enjoying family reunions and catching up with old friends and acquaintances, the message here will be to proceed, but to exercise some degree of restraint.
Certain aspects, such as the Moon to Venus, Venus to Mercury, and also Venus's very pronounced trine to Neptune and Jupiter, to say nothing of Pluto, and finally the input of Pluto, warns of the possibility that a romantic liaison could become unexpectedly intense. In the case where there is no outlet, I would take heart in the myth of the origins of masturbation.
Hermes taught it to Pan in order to ease the stress of his constant rejections by those beautiful nymphs who could simply not abide the idea of sex with such a horrid looking creature.
Again, some restraint is appropriate.
Perhaps because of this, reunions with old friends, as well as family, might prove uncomfortable. I know this was the case with me over the weekend, but take heart. That turned out fairly well.
Masturbation, by the way, can also be a powerful means of utilizing magical energy with the use of personal power and visualization.
And now that I have given you more information perhaps than you ever wanted to know, I will bid you adieu, and Happy Lughnasadh. Or, if you insist, Lammas.
Hermes
I'm feeling drawn to the God Hermes for some reason, and its pretty easy to see why. He's the messenger of the gods, the bringer of dreams, and a god of commerce, messengers, travelers, and thieves, just to name a few of his attributes. I should add I suppose that he is a patron of athletes, and especially of wrestlers and any sport that involves racing (thus the motorcycle video that appears in a later/earlier post).
More importantly, the natal chart I drew up for an individual "born" at the exact moment of the last Winter Solstice practically screams Hermes, particularly as the Ascendant seems to reside in the sign of Sagittarius, Hermes sign. This puts the God's "birth" sign in Capricorn in the 2nd House of money, wealth, and possessions, one of the God's strong suits. Of no small importance is the placement of Neptune in Aquarius in the 3rd House of Communications, which fits with Hermes tendency to speak in symbolic riddles. And there are other indications as well.
A series of dreams I had, one in particular of which involved an entity I have come to know as the Mother of Bones, speaks strongly of his influence. No, I will not relate the dream. Some things are better kept private.
Strangely, I generally perceive of Hermes as an old man, not as a young athletic man as generally pictured. I have had numerous dreams of him throughout the years and he most generally assumes this aspect when he appears. Who knows, perhaps it is a sign that I will lead a long and prosperous life. Well, no time like the present.
Hermes's importance in Graeco-Roman religion is somewhat underestimated, but not so in the frozen north, where he has been identified with Odin. As such, he would be of more than passing importance to the Asatru, even if they choose not to identify Odin and Hermes as one and the same. Frankly, I am sympathetic to such reluctance on their part, though for different reasons. As a trickster god, I tend to identify Hermes with Loki, while Odin I see as a Norse personification of Hades.
This is one of the areas in which me and Reconstructionists in general part company. Many and probably most of them do not view the gods as manifesting in other forms in other cultures, preferring to see the various deities of other religions as separate deities of importance only within the confines of their ancient cultures, assuming they exist at all. I however see the wisdom of these identifications in general, though I concede that in some cases they are overworked and forced to an extent in the case of those ancient Greeks and Romans who automatically looked for the presence of their deities amongst the gods and goddesses of foreign lands.
Hermes has also had a strong and long-standing identification with the Egyptian God Thoth, and in fact this is probably the better known of all of his, shall we say, aliases. And in fact, if any of the deities were to take on another identity, Hermes would be just the guy who would relish such an activity.
There are a number of sites where those interested in him can learn more about him. I would recommend first and foremost this site. There are a couple of others, blogs in fact, both of them LiveJournal sites. Sannion is a devotee of the ancient Egyptian and Greek religions, while Gavin is a devotee of Hermes in long-standing.
More importantly, the natal chart I drew up for an individual "born" at the exact moment of the last Winter Solstice practically screams Hermes, particularly as the Ascendant seems to reside in the sign of Sagittarius, Hermes sign. This puts the God's "birth" sign in Capricorn in the 2nd House of money, wealth, and possessions, one of the God's strong suits. Of no small importance is the placement of Neptune in Aquarius in the 3rd House of Communications, which fits with Hermes tendency to speak in symbolic riddles. And there are other indications as well.
A series of dreams I had, one in particular of which involved an entity I have come to know as the Mother of Bones, speaks strongly of his influence. No, I will not relate the dream. Some things are better kept private.
Strangely, I generally perceive of Hermes as an old man, not as a young athletic man as generally pictured. I have had numerous dreams of him throughout the years and he most generally assumes this aspect when he appears. Who knows, perhaps it is a sign that I will lead a long and prosperous life. Well, no time like the present.
Hermes's importance in Graeco-Roman religion is somewhat underestimated, but not so in the frozen north, where he has been identified with Odin. As such, he would be of more than passing importance to the Asatru, even if they choose not to identify Odin and Hermes as one and the same. Frankly, I am sympathetic to such reluctance on their part, though for different reasons. As a trickster god, I tend to identify Hermes with Loki, while Odin I see as a Norse personification of Hades.
This is one of the areas in which me and Reconstructionists in general part company. Many and probably most of them do not view the gods as manifesting in other forms in other cultures, preferring to see the various deities of other religions as separate deities of importance only within the confines of their ancient cultures, assuming they exist at all. I however see the wisdom of these identifications in general, though I concede that in some cases they are overworked and forced to an extent in the case of those ancient Greeks and Romans who automatically looked for the presence of their deities amongst the gods and goddesses of foreign lands.
Hermes has also had a strong and long-standing identification with the Egyptian God Thoth, and in fact this is probably the better known of all of his, shall we say, aliases. And in fact, if any of the deities were to take on another identity, Hermes would be just the guy who would relish such an activity.
There are a number of sites where those interested in him can learn more about him. I would recommend first and foremost this site. There are a couple of others, blogs in fact, both of them LiveJournal sites. Sannion is a devotee of the ancient Egyptian and Greek religions, while Gavin is a devotee of Hermes in long-standing.
Zucchini Bread
Yo, I see the image of the Goddess in the light portion of this picture of zucchini bread. That's what happens when you're fighting with an isp that goes off on you fifty times in one day on two hour's sleep.
Just the same, if this happens to you should you make the recipe below, don't sell her on ebay. Eat her.
From AllRecipes
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 1/4 cups white sugar
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* add to recipe box Add to Recipe Box
My folders:
* add to shopping list Add to Shopping List
* Customize Recipe
* add a personal note Add a Personal Note
DIRECTIONS
1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
Happy Lughnasadh, or Lammas if you prefer.
Just the same, if this happens to you should you make the recipe below, don't sell her on ebay. Eat her.
From AllRecipes
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 1/4 cups white sugar
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* add to recipe box Add to Recipe Box
My folders:
* add to shopping list Add to Shopping List
* Customize Recipe
* add a personal note Add a Personal Note
DIRECTIONS
1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
Happy Lughnasadh, or Lammas if you prefer.
Bast Goes To Baltimore
A dialogue of sorts between Christians and a group that might very likely include some Pagans might have gone unnoticed by most, when the Northside Baptist Church of Baltimore agreed to allow the feeding of feral cats on property that it owns.
The cat advocates are of course not identified as pagans, and most of them are probably not, but I have a suspicion that at least some members of what has been described as a "trap and neuter program" are, and most certainly the mediator group between the two opposing forces in the debate, a national cat advocacy group known as Alley Cat Allies, based out of Bethesda, probably have a few pagans in their ranks as well.
It would be difficult not to sympathize with the church's problems, as described here-
Volunteers, part of a citywide trap-neuter-return program, have been feeding a colony of cats on the church's lot for two years. But a couple weeks ago, the church ordered the cat tenders to dismantle the feeding station. Church officials said the cats not only bother parishioners, they leave droppings all over their otherwise manicured lawn.
Thanks to the intervention of Alley Cat Allies, Northside Baptist has agreed to allow the other group to feed the cats, while Alley Cat Allies has promised to donate decorative stones for the church's flower garden, in addition to devices that will emit a high-pitched noise that will serve to drive cats back and away from more sensitive public areas.
In the meantime, it is worth noting that Baltimore has an estimated 185,000 feral cats. And probably very few rats and pigeons, at least in comparison to what they would have. So even feral cats are useful, for even if being fed, their natural instincts to hunt will lead them to continue to do so, even if they don't eat the slain carcasses. Cats, though, love the taste of hot blood.
Their hunting skills at leveling off rodent populations led to their worship in ancient Egypt, with their own patron goddess, Bast, probably the second most important feminine divinity in Egypt. Her center was in Bubastos. Her importance can not be overstated. After all, her charges very likely prevented famine on more than a few occasions. They were also popular as pets, and many families had their favorite cats mummified and entombed with them.
It is good to know that some Christians have learned the harsh lessons from the Middle Ages, when a superstitious fear of cats led to the attempt to exterminate them in an act that resulted in a horrific increase in the rat population, which in turn led to the bubonic plaque.
In honor of your cat, and it's value as a friend and companion, and possibly as a guardian against rodents and other pests, do not forget it this Lughnasadh. They are not that hard to please. A can of tuna, or the juice extracted from the can, will probably be the equivalent of a gourmet meal.
Hail Bast-
The cat advocates are of course not identified as pagans, and most of them are probably not, but I have a suspicion that at least some members of what has been described as a "trap and neuter program" are, and most certainly the mediator group between the two opposing forces in the debate, a national cat advocacy group known as Alley Cat Allies, based out of Bethesda, probably have a few pagans in their ranks as well.
It would be difficult not to sympathize with the church's problems, as described here-
Volunteers, part of a citywide trap-neuter-return program, have been feeding a colony of cats on the church's lot for two years. But a couple weeks ago, the church ordered the cat tenders to dismantle the feeding station. Church officials said the cats not only bother parishioners, they leave droppings all over their otherwise manicured lawn.
Thanks to the intervention of Alley Cat Allies, Northside Baptist has agreed to allow the other group to feed the cats, while Alley Cat Allies has promised to donate decorative stones for the church's flower garden, in addition to devices that will emit a high-pitched noise that will serve to drive cats back and away from more sensitive public areas.
In the meantime, it is worth noting that Baltimore has an estimated 185,000 feral cats. And probably very few rats and pigeons, at least in comparison to what they would have. So even feral cats are useful, for even if being fed, their natural instincts to hunt will lead them to continue to do so, even if they don't eat the slain carcasses. Cats, though, love the taste of hot blood.
Their hunting skills at leveling off rodent populations led to their worship in ancient Egypt, with their own patron goddess, Bast, probably the second most important feminine divinity in Egypt. Her center was in Bubastos. Her importance can not be overstated. After all, her charges very likely prevented famine on more than a few occasions. They were also popular as pets, and many families had their favorite cats mummified and entombed with them.
It is good to know that some Christians have learned the harsh lessons from the Middle Ages, when a superstitious fear of cats led to the attempt to exterminate them in an act that resulted in a horrific increase in the rat population, which in turn led to the bubonic plaque.
In honor of your cat, and it's value as a friend and companion, and possibly as a guardian against rodents and other pests, do not forget it this Lughnasadh. They are not that hard to please. A can of tuna, or the juice extracted from the can, will probably be the equivalent of a gourmet meal.
Hail Bast-
Asatru Metal
Varg, German, Pagan/Black Metal band, Live at the yearly European Metal fest "Wolfszeit" in 2007.
Valhalla Rising
This is an Asatru event, I guess something of a Norse version of a Renaissance Fair, apparently, that I stumbled upon while searching YouTube. Actually looks fun. Well, in parts. The music kind of sets it off. This is just one of a big series of videos posted in a similar vein.
Beer Fest
So there you have it. The beer summit-
Barak Obama-Bud Lite.
Professor Gates-White Stripe (import from Jamaica).
Officer Crowley-Blue Moon, with a twist of orange.
Joe Biden-Some kind of non-alcoholic crap.
Well, nothing was cleared up in the way of race relations, nor did any teachable moments emerge. Two people pretty much agreed to disagree over what everybody else already pretty much knew was a load of shit. It was all really a rather silly, petty distraction.
On the other hand, one memorable thing did occur.
Barak Obama did the impossible.
The President of The United States managed to make the choice of Budweiser Lite seem pretentious as hell.
Barak Obama-Bud Lite.
Professor Gates-White Stripe (import from Jamaica).
Officer Crowley-Blue Moon, with a twist of orange.
Joe Biden-Some kind of non-alcoholic crap.
Well, nothing was cleared up in the way of race relations, nor did any teachable moments emerge. Two people pretty much agreed to disagree over what everybody else already pretty much knew was a load of shit. It was all really a rather silly, petty distraction.
On the other hand, one memorable thing did occur.
Barak Obama did the impossible.
The President of The United States managed to make the choice of Budweiser Lite seem pretentious as hell.
Holy Shit
Thanks to Kate of Ephemeral Thoughts for the following-
Taoism: Shit happens.
* Confucianism: Confucius say, “Shit happens.”
* Buddhism: If shit happens, it isn’t really shit.
* Zen Buddhism: Shit is, and is not.
* Zen Buddhism #2: What is the sound of shit happening?
* Hinduism: This shit has happened before.
* Islam: If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.
* Islam #2: If shit happens, kill the person responsible.
* Islam #3: If shit happens, blame Israel.
* Catholicism: If shit happens, you deserve it.
* Protestantism: Let shit happen to someone else.
* Presbyterian: This shit was bound to happen.
* Episcopalian: It’s not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve the right wine with it.
* Methodist: It’s not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve grape juice with it.
* Congregationalist: Shit that happens to one person is just as good as shit that happens to another.
* Unitarian: Shit that happens to one person is just as bad as shit that happens to another.
* Lutheran: If shit happens, don’t talk about it.
* Fundamentalism: If shit happens, you will go to hell, unless you are born again.
(Amen!)
* Fundamentalism #2: If shit happens to a televangelist, it’s okay.
* Fundamentalism #3: Shit must be born again.
* Judaism: Why does this shit always happen to us?
* Calvinism: Shit happens because you don’t work.
* Seventh Day Adventism: No shit shall happen on Saturday.
* Creationism: God made all shit.
* Secular Humanism: Shit evolves.
* Christian Science: When shit happens, don’t call a doctor – pray!
* Christian Science #2: Shit happening is all in your mind.
* Unitarianism: Come let us reason together about this shit.
* Quakers: Let us not fight over this shit.
* Utopianism: This shit does not stink.
* Darwinism: This shit was once food.
* Capitalism: That’s MY shit.
* Communism: It’s everybody’s shit.
* Feminism: Men are shit.
* Chauvinism: We may be shit, but you can’t live without us…
* Commercialism: Let’s package this shit.
* Impressionism: From a distance, shit looks like a garden.
* Idolism: Let’s bronze this shit.
* Existentialism: Shit doesn’t happen; shit IS.
* Existentialism #2: What is shit, anyway?
* Stoicism: This shit is good for me.
* Hedonism: There is nothing like a good shit happening!
* Mormonism: God sent us this shit.
* Mormonism #2: This shit is going to happen again.
* Wiccan: An it harm none, let shit happen.
* Scientology: If shit happens, see “Dianetics”, p.157.
* Jehovah’s Witnesses: >Knock< >Knock< Shit happens.
* Jehovah’s Witnesses #2: May we have a moment of your time to show you some of our shit?
* Jehovah’s Witnesses #3: Shit has been prophesied and is imminent; only the righteous shall survive its happening.
* Moonies: Only really happy shit happens.
* Hare Krishna: Shit happens, rama rama.
* Rastafarianism: Let’s smoke this shit!
* Zoroastrianism: Shit happens half on the time.
* Church of SubGenius: BoB shits.
* Practical: Deal with shit one day at a time.
* Agnostic: Shit might have happened; then again, maybe not.
* Agnostic #2: Did someone shit?
* Agnostic #3: What is this shit?
* Satanism: SNEPPAH TIHS.
* Atheism: What shit?
* Atheism #2: I can’t believe this shit!
* Nihilism: No shit.
* And of course we must add…Alcoholics Anonymous: Shit happens-one day at a time!
Taoism: Shit happens.
* Confucianism: Confucius say, “Shit happens.”
* Buddhism: If shit happens, it isn’t really shit.
* Zen Buddhism: Shit is, and is not.
* Zen Buddhism #2: What is the sound of shit happening?
* Hinduism: This shit has happened before.
* Islam: If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.
* Islam #2: If shit happens, kill the person responsible.
* Islam #3: If shit happens, blame Israel.
* Catholicism: If shit happens, you deserve it.
* Protestantism: Let shit happen to someone else.
* Presbyterian: This shit was bound to happen.
* Episcopalian: It’s not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve the right wine with it.
* Methodist: It’s not so bad if shit happens, as long as you serve grape juice with it.
* Congregationalist: Shit that happens to one person is just as good as shit that happens to another.
* Unitarian: Shit that happens to one person is just as bad as shit that happens to another.
* Lutheran: If shit happens, don’t talk about it.
* Fundamentalism: If shit happens, you will go to hell, unless you are born again.
(Amen!)
* Fundamentalism #2: If shit happens to a televangelist, it’s okay.
* Fundamentalism #3: Shit must be born again.
* Judaism: Why does this shit always happen to us?
* Calvinism: Shit happens because you don’t work.
* Seventh Day Adventism: No shit shall happen on Saturday.
* Creationism: God made all shit.
* Secular Humanism: Shit evolves.
* Christian Science: When shit happens, don’t call a doctor – pray!
* Christian Science #2: Shit happening is all in your mind.
* Unitarianism: Come let us reason together about this shit.
* Quakers: Let us not fight over this shit.
* Utopianism: This shit does not stink.
* Darwinism: This shit was once food.
* Capitalism: That’s MY shit.
* Communism: It’s everybody’s shit.
* Feminism: Men are shit.
* Chauvinism: We may be shit, but you can’t live without us…
* Commercialism: Let’s package this shit.
* Impressionism: From a distance, shit looks like a garden.
* Idolism: Let’s bronze this shit.
* Existentialism: Shit doesn’t happen; shit IS.
* Existentialism #2: What is shit, anyway?
* Stoicism: This shit is good for me.
* Hedonism: There is nothing like a good shit happening!
* Mormonism: God sent us this shit.
* Mormonism #2: This shit is going to happen again.
* Wiccan: An it harm none, let shit happen.
* Scientology: If shit happens, see “Dianetics”, p.157.
* Jehovah’s Witnesses: >Knock< >Knock< Shit happens.
* Jehovah’s Witnesses #2: May we have a moment of your time to show you some of our shit?
* Jehovah’s Witnesses #3: Shit has been prophesied and is imminent; only the righteous shall survive its happening.
* Moonies: Only really happy shit happens.
* Hare Krishna: Shit happens, rama rama.
* Rastafarianism: Let’s smoke this shit!
* Zoroastrianism: Shit happens half on the time.
* Church of SubGenius: BoB shits.
* Practical: Deal with shit one day at a time.
* Agnostic: Shit might have happened; then again, maybe not.
* Agnostic #2: Did someone shit?
* Agnostic #3: What is this shit?
* Satanism: SNEPPAH TIHS.
* Atheism: What shit?
* Atheism #2: I can’t believe this shit!
* Nihilism: No shit.
* And of course we must add…Alcoholics Anonymous: Shit happens-one day at a time!
Bullshit Is Not Much Of A Policy And It's Damned Sure Not A Cure
People need to take a deep breath and relax. I know its hard to do, but there's some things that are just beyond the pale, even for politicians, and I am especially ashamed of Fred Thompson, who was actually my second choice for President during the last election cycle, behind Giuliani (and he actually quickly became my favored choice).
Yet, the nonsense being promoted by him and others, such as Rush Limbaugh, claiming that a new government medical policy would pressure senior citizens to opt to end their lives by denying themselves nutrition and hydration is just nuts. Never mind the idea that Democrats might or might not support such an idea. The plain fact of the matter is, it would be politically insane to promote such a policy, even behind the scenes in a small item buried in thousands of pages.
For another thing, no doctor or hospital would put up with that. In fact, not only would it be against the Hippocratic Oath, it would be going against their own financial best interests. It just doesn't make any sense.
There is one potential problem with senior care if the bill were to pass as is, but it revolves more around a one-size fits all approach to elderly care, especially regarding plans to establish government financed homes that would be staffed mostly by nurses. Of course, it might well turn into a bureaucratic nightmare, and probably would at the least be inefficient and expensive. But that's a far cry from an insane plot to knock off old people to save money. So unless there's something specific that might lead to such a policy, or encourage it in any way, conservatives need to tread lightly. There is such thing as political backlash. I would think they would not need me to remind them of such lessons they have already been taught numerous times just over the course of the last decade.
Besides, how bad can government run health care be? I have my own two ways of looking at it. Either it ends up pretty good, or with mixed results, in which case it can always be improved upon over time. Or, it can be a failure to one degree or another, in which case it can be revisited with a better set of policies once it contributes to a return to power of Republicans. But at least the groundwork is being set down, whatever the case.
I would prefer to see a system where doctors are relieved of their debts and insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are not taxed, though still subjected to reasonable state regulations with federal oversight. Those things in itself would do more to reduce the cost of health care than anything currently on the table. As for reducing the level of bureaucracy that also adds to the expense, that would be a given. It would have to be reduced to make up the difference in lost tax revenue. Government would reform the medical system by getting out of it while expecting results. If the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, for example, don't keep prices low, or reasonable, there are always price-gouging and other such laws, and there can still be assistance for the disabled, elderly, and poor.
In fact, if businesses in general were not taxed, while all individuals were taxed at any equal rate-with no end of the year tax refunds for anyone-then over time the majority of our tax and economic problems would wither away, provided there was an understanding that minimum wage would have to be raised and certain regulations would have to remain in place, while certain others should be loosened or abandoned all together.
That is the kind of thing Republicans and conservatives need to promote. Leave the horror stories around the campfires and come back down to earth for a while.
Yet, the nonsense being promoted by him and others, such as Rush Limbaugh, claiming that a new government medical policy would pressure senior citizens to opt to end their lives by denying themselves nutrition and hydration is just nuts. Never mind the idea that Democrats might or might not support such an idea. The plain fact of the matter is, it would be politically insane to promote such a policy, even behind the scenes in a small item buried in thousands of pages.
For another thing, no doctor or hospital would put up with that. In fact, not only would it be against the Hippocratic Oath, it would be going against their own financial best interests. It just doesn't make any sense.
There is one potential problem with senior care if the bill were to pass as is, but it revolves more around a one-size fits all approach to elderly care, especially regarding plans to establish government financed homes that would be staffed mostly by nurses. Of course, it might well turn into a bureaucratic nightmare, and probably would at the least be inefficient and expensive. But that's a far cry from an insane plot to knock off old people to save money. So unless there's something specific that might lead to such a policy, or encourage it in any way, conservatives need to tread lightly. There is such thing as political backlash. I would think they would not need me to remind them of such lessons they have already been taught numerous times just over the course of the last decade.
Besides, how bad can government run health care be? I have my own two ways of looking at it. Either it ends up pretty good, or with mixed results, in which case it can always be improved upon over time. Or, it can be a failure to one degree or another, in which case it can be revisited with a better set of policies once it contributes to a return to power of Republicans. But at least the groundwork is being set down, whatever the case.
I would prefer to see a system where doctors are relieved of their debts and insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are not taxed, though still subjected to reasonable state regulations with federal oversight. Those things in itself would do more to reduce the cost of health care than anything currently on the table. As for reducing the level of bureaucracy that also adds to the expense, that would be a given. It would have to be reduced to make up the difference in lost tax revenue. Government would reform the medical system by getting out of it while expecting results. If the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, for example, don't keep prices low, or reasonable, there are always price-gouging and other such laws, and there can still be assistance for the disabled, elderly, and poor.
In fact, if businesses in general were not taxed, while all individuals were taxed at any equal rate-with no end of the year tax refunds for anyone-then over time the majority of our tax and economic problems would wither away, provided there was an understanding that minimum wage would have to be raised and certain regulations would have to remain in place, while certain others should be loosened or abandoned all together.
That is the kind of thing Republicans and conservatives need to promote. Leave the horror stories around the campfires and come back down to earth for a while.
HIV/AIDS Vaccine May Be Just Over The Horizon
Although you probably haven't heard much about it, if anything at all, we may be on the way to the development, finally, of a vaccine that might, depending on the results of the clinical trials now being conducted in South Africa, lead to the drastic reduction and hopefully the eventually elimination of HIV/AIDS. It's literally a matter of life and death for South Africa, the most infected country in all the developing world.
It doesn't take much more than a cursory glance at the article linked to discern the reason for this-politics, of course, which feeds on superstition and, more importantly, ignorance. For example, from the article-
South Africa launched clinical trials of the first Aids vaccine created by a developing country today, as its own scientists overcame deep skepticism from political leaders who had shocked the world with their unscientific pronouncements about the disease.
In the 1990s, South Africa's then-President Thabo Mbeki denied the link between HIV and Aids, and his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, mistrusted conventional anti-Aids drugs and made the country a laughing stock trying to promote beets and lemon as Aids remedies.
I remember hearing once how AIDS and gay activists were responsible for the lack of research in the US for the creation of an HIV vaccine. They wanted the bulk of funding to go into finding cures, not something that would merely prevent the further spread of the disease. While this might be true to a point, it is worth pointing out that there might be yet another reason for the lack of vaccine research and development. That being, in order to conduct such a clinical trial, any person used in any experiment must risk actually becoming infected with the HIV virus in the event the tests are unsuccessful or have mixed results.
Yet, so dire are the circumstances now in South Africa, there seems to be no choice, nor lack of willing subjects where hundreds of people are infected daily, and an almost equal number succumb from the ravages of the disease-or more accurately, any of a number of those diseases the victim's immune system can no longer ward off.
At a ceremony in Cape Town's Crossroads shantytown, one of the first of 36 healthy volunteers was injected today before officials and journalists.
I suppose somebody somewhere decided they had better proceed with the trials while there were still a sufficient number of uninfected individuals upon whom to test the vaccine. Clinical trials are also currently being conducted in Boston.
American health officials manufactured the vaccine at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and have given further technical help and assistance to the South African researchers. Here's hoping the first fruits of these much needed clinical trials bear worthwhile fruit.
It doesn't take much more than a cursory glance at the article linked to discern the reason for this-politics, of course, which feeds on superstition and, more importantly, ignorance. For example, from the article-
South Africa launched clinical trials of the first Aids vaccine created by a developing country today, as its own scientists overcame deep skepticism from political leaders who had shocked the world with their unscientific pronouncements about the disease.
In the 1990s, South Africa's then-President Thabo Mbeki denied the link between HIV and Aids, and his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, mistrusted conventional anti-Aids drugs and made the country a laughing stock trying to promote beets and lemon as Aids remedies.
I remember hearing once how AIDS and gay activists were responsible for the lack of research in the US for the creation of an HIV vaccine. They wanted the bulk of funding to go into finding cures, not something that would merely prevent the further spread of the disease. While this might be true to a point, it is worth pointing out that there might be yet another reason for the lack of vaccine research and development. That being, in order to conduct such a clinical trial, any person used in any experiment must risk actually becoming infected with the HIV virus in the event the tests are unsuccessful or have mixed results.
Yet, so dire are the circumstances now in South Africa, there seems to be no choice, nor lack of willing subjects where hundreds of people are infected daily, and an almost equal number succumb from the ravages of the disease-or more accurately, any of a number of those diseases the victim's immune system can no longer ward off.
At a ceremony in Cape Town's Crossroads shantytown, one of the first of 36 healthy volunteers was injected today before officials and journalists.
I suppose somebody somewhere decided they had better proceed with the trials while there were still a sufficient number of uninfected individuals upon whom to test the vaccine. Clinical trials are also currently being conducted in Boston.
American health officials manufactured the vaccine at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and have given further technical help and assistance to the South African researchers. Here's hoping the first fruits of these much needed clinical trials bear worthwhile fruit.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Kaitee Page And Elyse Haran-A Drunken Revelry Of Music
This will be my last post until my Lughnasadh Sabbat posts on or near August 2nd. Until then, I hope you enjoy this video by one of my YouTube friends, Kaitee Page of the band Lunic. Check out her MySpace page and YouTube page.
In this video, she teams up with one of her friends, Elyse Haran of Elyse And The Aftermaths, who also has her own YouTube page.
It's not a show, it's just two friends jamming to Alanis Morissette's Joining You. The two of them were both drunk and obviously having a great time. I think this was actually recorded in somebody's bathroom. Regardless, it's very good, until a series of mishaps leads to the session pretty much falling apart. Quite funny. By the way, Kaitee is the one singing and playing violin.
In this video, she teams up with one of her friends, Elyse Haran of Elyse And The Aftermaths, who also has her own YouTube page.
It's not a show, it's just two friends jamming to Alanis Morissette's Joining You. The two of them were both drunk and obviously having a great time. I think this was actually recorded in somebody's bathroom. Regardless, it's very good, until a series of mishaps leads to the session pretty much falling apart. Quite funny. By the way, Kaitee is the one singing and playing violin.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sarah Palin-The Truth
Well, by God that proves it. Shameless hussy Sarah Palin had the unmitigated gall to wear an Arctic Cat coat during a recent snowmobile race, knowing full well Arctic Cat was the sponsor of husband Todd's snowmobile team. Or something like that. I guess its a good thing they finally managed to run her out of office. Had such corruption been allowed to proceed unhindered, who knows how far she would have gone? Thankfully, somebody had the guts to file an ethics complaint about this outrage.
In fact, various people filed a total of nineteen ethics complaints, which according to Alaska state law had to be investigated by an independent investigator appointed by the governor in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. Naturally, this necessitated enough court time and expense to the state that it threatened to keep legitimate government business perpetually bogged down. There was no end in sight to the frivolous charges and filings.
Naturally, none of the Palins critics, such as Frank Lupica in this hit piece in the New York Daily News, bothers to point out that fact when they talk about her recent resignation from the governor's office. The real irony is that it was Sarah Palin who, in one of her first acts as governor, signed a law which made it easier to file such ethics complaints. It was one of her signature issues, and a weapon which she wielded to great effect against her own party.
This was only one among many things that endeared her to the vast majority of Alaskan voters and helped lead to her choice as the running mate of much harried GOP presidential candidate John McCain, whose campaign by the time of the Republican National Convention was practically on life support, and sinking fast. For an all too brief time, until the financial meltdown, Palin breathed new life into his hopeless campaign.
John McCain was beaten by John McCain, of that you should make no mistake. Even at that, Palin came close to dragging the decrepit old bastard across the finish line on top, but it was just not meant to be. Even the most hardy of us can only drag so much dead weight for so long.
And it is worth noting that, since the election, the criticisms of Palin have continued almost non-stop. McCain is almost forgotten. Palin lives on in the fevered nightmares of every Democratic politician and strategist who fears her fund-raising ability and endorsement value, now that Obama's numbers are slipping dangerously toward negative territories.
But just who are these people who hate Palin so much they are willing to do anything possible to sabotage any potential she might have to achieve higher office or exert any degree of national influence?
You might be surprised to learn that a good many of them are Republicans, such as Andree MacLeod. The following snippet from a CNN report should be illuminative-
Although the governor and her supporters have criticized the investigations, Andree McLeod, who has filed four complaints against Palin, thinks they are entirely appropriate.
"I don't really care what other people think. I am holding the governor accountable. Other people's ignorance is not going to stymie me," McLeod told CNN, surrounded by stacks of state documents she has collected from filing information requests and ethics complaints.
"I am exercising my right to get these public records to discover what Sarah Palin is up to," McLeod said.
McLeod, a registered Republican, has filed four complaints, including one alleging a friend of Palin's was given preferential treatment in getting a state job. That filing was dismissed by a state board which investigates the claims.
McLeod has also filed two lawsuits, including one regarding whether it was appropriate for state business to be discussed using private e-mail addresses.
When ethics complaints are filed against the governor or her staff, the state has to hire an independent counsel to investigate the claims to avoid conflict of interest.
That an influential Republican of Alaska might be behind so many frivolous, expensive, time consuming ethics complaints might come as a surprise to outsiders, but of course it will come as no great shock to anyone who has the slightest familiarity with Palin's record as Governor of Alaska or as a candidate for the office.
The following, taken from the Alaska Dispatch, shines much light on Palin's relationship with her own party-
In early 2003, in a move reminiscent of a Greek tragedy, Murkowski paired Palin and Randy Ruedrich on the state's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, an agency that oversees state energy industries.
Ruedrich was then, as now, the head of the state Republican Party, although he also holds a Ph.D. in engineering and has been involved in the oil and gas industry for 30 years. Besides running for lieutenant governor, Palin had been a Wasilla councilwoman for one term and Wasilla's mayor for two, and already was regarded as a rising star in the Republican Party of Alaska. She had the looks - the Frontiersman, her hometown paper, once called her "the most beauteous mayor in the world" - as well as the right conservative politics and religious convictions, and she'd campaigned hard for Frank Murkowski when he ran for governor. So she was loyal, apparently, and she'd be serving in a relatively low-profile position on the commission.
At least, that seems to have been the plan.
But in 2004, Palin ended up busting Ruedrich for conducting party business on state time, and for leaking a confidential memo to a lobbyist for one of the energy companies he was supposed to regulate. It was a big shiner for Murkowski's administration, one that still hasn't healed, and at the same time it cemented Palin's reputation as a squeaky-clean reformer.
A reformer who advocated for and signed into law the bill that would lead to her own downfall, it seems, with the moderate wing of her party more than happy to nail her to the cross. They have had plenty of eager and willing help, to be sure, but from whom?
Well, Democrats, of course, but that's just too simplistic. It's even too simplistic to point fingers at "The Left" or to the "Liberal Wing" (the flapping one) of the Democratic Party. The usual suspects of course have had their influence. The radical feminists, the Pro-Abortion advocates, gay activists, the anti-Second Amendment crowd, and of course anyone who looks with alarm at Palin and her expressed devotion to fundamentalist Christianity, have all joined in the chorus of condemnation, but I hold that the main ring-leaders of the virtually non-stop assault on Palin has been spearheaded, by and large, by environmental activists, concerned about her record and positions regarding Arctic drilling and her views on Global Warming. The above link details the following, from a post published in the environmental publication Grist-
Grist reports that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin strongly opposes the Alaskan gas tax, threw money at Alaskans to quiet their concerns over rising energy costs, and "recently sued the Interior Department over its decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species."
Ah,but here is another irony, in a press release from the Pew Report on Climate Change.
On September 14, 2007, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin signed Administrative Order 238, establishing the Climate Change Sub-Cabinet. The sub-cabinet will consolidate the state’s knowledge of climate change in order to recommend policies and measures to guide the state’s mitigation and adaptation efforts. It includes the commissioners of the Departments of Commerce, Community and Economic Development; Natural Resources; Fish and Game; Transportation and Public Facilities; and Environmental Conservation (Chair). The Administrative Order also directs the group to consult with the president of the University of Alaska and explore ways to promote development of renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, hydroelectric, and tidal resources. Governor also signed a letter adding Alaska as an observer to the Western Climate Initiative.
Is it possible that they feared that Palin's stance as what they might consider a moderate, hence technically a lukewarm, supporter of renewable energy and adaptation to climate change might in the long run make her a more dangerous foe than someone who was outwardly opposed? After all, this was a woman who expressed a belief in climate change, and the need to pursue policies to deal with it, while at the same time advocating for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the construction of a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope, and other measures which might over time be difficult to resist. Oh, and of course she shot wolves and bears from helicopters in what was an admittedly non-politic way to encourage and promote a reduction an overabundance of these wild populations.
Every other complaint leveled against Palin has been almost as frivolous as the for the most part unbelievably stupid ethics charges filed against her. She is a Christian, she is Pro-Life, she is against gay marriage (supposedly), she wants to force a right-wing Christian agenda on the nation (she does not). Oh, and of course, that old chestnut that has been leveled against every nationally known Republican of note and influence since the days of Eisenhower-she is stupid. Yet, somehow, she is at the same time not only some kind of far-right wing radical, but an incredibly devious and manipulative one to boot.
Doesn't that all seem contradictory? It does to me, even more so than the idea of radical Alaskan and nationally based environmentalist wackos joining forces with RINO Republicans. But then again, that's not really a contradiction when you know the whole story. Remember, John McCain was an early and vociferous proponent, at the time of the election, of the Cap-And-Trade policies of the radical environmental activists, and his selection of Palin was as much as anything an attempt to heal the fracture within his party that was caused by his position on this issue, among others. McCain, in his delusion, simply forgot to ask the permission or the input of the oil companies and other big business enterprises who support cap-and-trade, not only because they see the hand-writing on the wall and hope to cut their losses, but even more importantly, because they have so much to gain in the way of a leg up on those competitors who might not be in as good a position to take the hit to their bottom line that such a policy might bring.
When you stop to look at the real under-handed, back-stabbing deviousness that passed these days for power politics in America, it is astounding that so many people are taken in by such relatively trivial issues as a person's religious beliefs, or their views on such a relatively inconsequential issue like abortion.
But that's just the world we live in-a world that needs all the Sarah Palins it can find. Don't count her out just yet.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Orphan-Just One Evil Little Bitch
Recent criticisms of the horror movie The Orphan are for the most part, let us say, out of all proportion to the films artistic merits. In fact, they have little, if anything whatsoever, to do with the film's artistic merits, regrettably, and almost everything to do with sociological matters which are wholly irrelevant.
Anymore, if you find a film objectionable, take heart. All you have to do is search through Twitter and there’s a chance you will find any number of people who share your views, and will go all out to do their part to insure the movie in question crashes and burns on its opening weekend. One case in point is the recent Sasha Baron Cohen film “Bruno”, which was roundly trashed on Twitter, so much to the point that it might have been the main factor behind the film’s dismal showing. Its first night garnered sixteen million dollars. Based in no small measure on what is probably the first unholy alliance between the Christian Right and gay activists, the following night’s take plunged to less than half of that.
Is this a portent of things to come? We might soon learn, depending on the overall performance of the latest offering in the evil child/bad seed horror genre, The Orphan.
The first half of the film is a psychological thriller. From there, the second half veers into what some might regard as a typical slasher flick. Some have complained about the movie’s length, clocking in just at two hours. Others have complained about too great a reliance on the standard horror film clichés that have become almost trite-the running up the stairs, the sudden apparition of evil in the closing medicine cabinet mirror, the suddenly ominous soundtrack that leads to absolutely nothing but dashed expectations, etc.
Moreover, of course, some have complained about the so-called gratuitous violence and, especially, the role of the title character itself, some pointing out that the level of violence and language exhibited by a character portrayed by a preteen child might even rise to the level of child abuse.
Mainly, however, the vast majority of the complaints center not on these, many of which are valid enough criticisms of the film on its artistic merits, but on the idea that this film is exploitative not only of little Miss Fuhrman and the other child stars, but of the whole idea of child adoption. Some adoption advocates have even called for a boycott. In a seeming effort to take up their cause, a film critic for the Washington Post has written what amounts to about one half of one percent film review, while the bulk of the hit piece is basically an editorial about the sociological implications of the film, which she calls a “piece of filth”.
A more balanced review (among many others) is posted by Kurt Loder on MTV, and I am happy to note that in the latest MTV on-line poll, the majority favor the prospect of seeing “Esther” over the other weekend offerings, The Orphan drawing well over fifty percent of the vote. This might well be a case of backlash against what many with not a little merit feel to be an unfair propaganda campaign run by yet another would-be entitled special interest group-adoption advocates.
A good gauge of the films actual impact and worth might well be the IMBD comments to the review itself. Out of a considerable number of posts, the vast majority seem to like the film to one degree or another. I never read one in fact that described it as a bad film.
Esther, the title character played by eleven year-old (at time of filming) actress Isabella Fuhrman, is one evil little bitch, but she somehow manages to worm her way into the hearts of adoptive parents John and Kate, despite the suspicions of the couple’s older son, who advises them at one point that they should send Esther “back to retard camp”. Before long, a box-cutter held strategically to his genitals convinces the suspicious little boy to put his dislike of his newly adopted sister in perspective.
Before long, though, other things happen, including the near murder of a neighbor’s child, which induces Kate to start viewing Esther with a great and growing deal of alarm. One wonders well before this point why alarm bells did not go off upon learning that Esther was the lone survivor of a house fire that destroyed her previous adoptive family. On the other hand, Esther, in addition to being a prodigy, is a charming little devil, not at all the way she appears in the film’s trailers (at least not at first). She has John suckered in a big way, to the point he is blind to the obvious and growing signs that, indeed, something might be wrong with Esther.
Eventually, in fact, Esther, the charming little psychopath, makes an attempt to seduce her very adult albeit naive adopted father, who has previously had a tendency to stray from the confines of his marriage, especially following the stillbirth of the couple’s last child. This in fact is the event, portrayed at the movie’s beginning in a horribly grotesque and bloody dream sequence, which leads to Esther’s adoption. Due to Kate’s tendencies to engage in alcoholic binges, John blames her for the miscarriage, just as he blames her for the accident that lead to the near-deafness and muteness of their daughter Alex, due to an accident on a frozen pond that occurred while Kate lay passed out drunk.
John and Kate is in fact a delightfully dysfunctional couple, and they play their roles to the hilt, as do the film’s child stars. Another treat for fans of the old FX television series The Shield will be the appearance of an old friend, CCH Pounder, in the role of the nun who runs the orphanage from where our hopeful couple meets and adopts Esther.
Finally, while it is true that this at first glance seems to be a typical standard evil child movie, this film has a twist that should be so unexpected, it would leave you stunned, breathless and, yes, even horrified. Unfortunately, it is easy enough to find out what the plot twist is merely by browsing the internet. It is so devious, so calculatingly cunning and diabolical, it is all I can do to keep from shouting it out in bold all caps, but I will restrain myself.
I advise you to similarly restrain yourself from reading any spoilers and just go see the damn film. The character development and the acting (especially from Isabella Fuhrman as Esther) are on their own reason enough to see this film, but if you positively have to have a clue as to what the surprise twist of the film is, I will give you one hint, and one hint only.
There is a very good reason why no one can find any records pertaining to Esther’s birth and origins.
That’s all I can say, though I will add one observation for the sake of those adoption advocates who seem determined to read something into this film that just isn't there-that Esther, at least on some deep, subconscious, symbolic level, is somehow representative of your average adopted child. If you do happen to stumble across a prospective adoptive couple who might be swayed against child adoption by the subject matter of this film, I would advise you to refer them to a good animal shelter.
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