singletailwhip

Hot off the presses, I have two invites available for anyone who needs one....

I smell a new icon....

I have recently signed up for Project Censored, a group out of Sonoma State running a news list dedicated to disseminating the stories that they feel *ought* to be read, but seem to be discouraged or ignored in the mass media.  The effort was started by journalists (and students) who are tired of the endless "infortainment" that passes for news these days, and have dedicated themselves to covering stories without regard to corporate opinions/pressures.

Today's story is lovely - a grass-roots effort to bring the criminals in the Bush Administration to justice for their crimes against humanity in beginning the Iraq war.  I'm not sure I'd hold my breath that it will be successful, but I like the idea a LOT.

(Trying this "behind the cut"  thingy for the first time - my apologies of I end up doing it wrong and the whole post... uh, ~posts~...  really, I'm hopeless on the whole computer-savvy plane  :-)

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Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:23:21 -0800
From: Peter Phillips <peter.phillips@sonoma.edu>
Subject: [Project-Censored-L] Brewing Trouble for George W. Bush/Press
       Release
To: Pizzo Stephen <Stephen@Pizzo.com>, project-censored-L@sonoma.edu
Message-ID: <B922243C-D663-4D98-B24D-21D171099F53@sonoma.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brewing Trouble for George W. Bush

 For more information contact:

 Bob Alexander

http://prosecutegeorgebush.com

Toll-Free 1-866-394-9571 Email: bobalex@superbeans.com

 Vincent Bugliosi

626-568-2756: Author

 Stephen Pizzo

The Bush Project: http://www.bushproject.com

707-829-7038: Email: stephen@pizzo.com



 SEATTLE, WA. Feb. 17, 2009  A 57-year old Seattle coffee bean entrepreneur hopes he just brewed a pot of trouble for former
president Bush and others in his administration.

On February 7th Bob Alexander his wife, Arminda and local volunteers, mailed a copy of legendary prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi's
book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, to 2,200 local district attorneys across the US.  Each of these prosecutors has had at least one soldier from their district killed in Iraq.

Bugliosi is best known for his prosecution and conviction of Charles Mason. As a Los Angeles County Assistant District Attorney,
he successfully prosecuted Charles Manson and several other members of his "family" for the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and six others.  He lost only one of the 106 felony cases he tried as a prosecutor, which included winning 21 out of 21 murder cases

While Bugliosi's name may be familiar to some, Bob Alexander's is known only to customers who purchase premium coffee from his SuperBeans.com Web site. Bob and his wife were motivated to take personal action after reading Bugliosi's book.

"Last Summer, I read Vince's book," Alexander said. "After years of thinking that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice would walk away from their crimes, here at last was hope that something could be done to help put right their horrible wrongs. In his book Bugliosi clearly lays out how any district attorney can indict and prosecute Bush, and other administration figures, for murder. All any DA needs to prove they have jurisdiction is to show that a soldier from his or her county had been killed in the War in Iraq."

Taken by the simplicity and clarity of Bugliosi's legal argument, Alexander initially used his web-based business to promote both the book and it's central premise. Customers who logged on to purchase another pound or two of Kona coffee beans, were instead met with the message:

"In lieu of buying coffee this month ... please consider picking up a copy of Vincent Bugliosi's book instead. When you're finished reading the book ... send your copy to your State Attorney, or your county District Attorney. Or better yet ... deliver it in person."

The next day, Jude Morford, founder of "woman standing," called and told Alexander that she was taking him up on his challenge and planned to hand-deliver her copy of Bugliosi's book directly to her local district attorney, and wanted Bob to accompany her.

"That's when it struck me."  Alexander said. "Although I wanted as many Americans as possible to read this book, district attorneys
should be at the top of the list. So I suggested, let's mail this book, written by one of America's preeminent prosecuting attorneys,
to every DA in the country since it sets forth such a prime facia argument for prosecution."

Alexander set up a new Web site, http://www.prosecutegeorgebush.com, asking for donations and volunteers. The goal was to raise enough money to buy 2200 books and to mail one to every district attorney in America.

"The site went 'live' Wednesday night, September 17, 2008," Alexander said. "The only media promotion we received was from radio talk show host, Mike Malloy. His audience alone donated more than 95% of the money we needed. By January his listeners had sent in enough $3 to $15 donations to put us over the finish line."

After negotiating an "at cost" deal from the publisher, Alexander was able to cover the $17,000 for the books and postage. By February 7 all 2,200 books in the mail making to district attorneys from New York to Hawaii. In all it came to 5 pallet loads of Bugliosi's book, weighing in at two tons.

Reached for comment, the author, Vincent Bugliosi, voiced hope that Alexander's efforts will finally prod at least someone with criminal legal authority to act.

"I hope that this increases the possibility that a courageous prosecutor, committed to the rule of law, will hear the cries for
justice from the graves of the thousands who had their lives violently cut short and take the ample case I have laid out in this
book before an American jury to let them decide whether George W Bush and others from his administration are guilty or not guilty, and if guilty and, if found guilty, what the punishment should be" Bugliosi said.

When asked what he thought about the prospects of his efforts sparking a Federal, state or local investigation and prosecution
Alexander said he had little faith that either federal or state systems of justice will rise to the occasion, which is why he mailed
Bugliosi's book only to local prosecutors.

"I don't believe we should wait to see what the feds or states will or won't do,"  Alexander said. "Or to paraphrase a popular bumper
sticker - 'Think Globally - Prosecute Locally.'"

Is it too early to start this year's Christmas list?

Current Location: Work work work
Current Mood: distracted
Current Music: KFOG

Current Mood: artistic

Current Mood: Resigned

Current Mood: giggly

Yeah. This is just. Amazing.

Apparently, it isn't standard for some Christians to actually READ their bibles, so this publicity stunt happened without any sense of irony whatsoever.

EPIC FAIL, people.

Current Mood: astonished
Current Music: Joe Jackson Tuxedo Junction

Happy Samhain, everyone.  This article made me laugh and think of all of my "alternative community" friends, across all sorts of interests and spiritual practices, who pretty much despair over rejoicing with their chosen "community" because after all we're all pretty unique and MAN is it hard to get you lot to agree on anything….  :-)

.
Direct link - http://www.slate.com/id/2203117/
Witches' Brouhaha: Fending off religious tourists and struggling to organize a coven on Halloween.
By Lee Ann Kinkade  Posted Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008, at 6:56 AM ET
In a grove near you, pagans are gathering to celebrate Samhain, the night when the veil between the living and the dead, between this world and others, is thin. We will wear cloaks and have ritual daggers, called athemes, at our waists. The prerequisite silver jewelry will gleam in the firelight. Natural fabrics flow as freely as the mead. There will be an unfortunate excess of tie-dyed material. In other words, we will look most like your picture of witches.

This picture leaves out an important detail, and I don't mean the whole human-sacrifice-and-stealing-Christian-babies thing. Planning a ritual, whether it's for Halloween or any other holiday, is a conflict-filled battle. It's like trying to herd jack rabbits on horseback. Those who practice witchcraft tend to be strident nonconformists, and the very nature of paganism, which has no unifying body or text, means that we have no obligation to believe the same thing or listen to anything beyond the dictates of our own consciences to unite in perfect accord. Often we flow together, achieving unity in which we are transported beyond ourselves, connected with the earth we love and the energy we feel from it.

And just as often, we don't.
A few weeks before the ritual comes the discussion. It may begin with a priestess asking what song we should sing for the Spiral Dance, the part of the ritual in which we dance clockwise ("sunwise" is our term for it) to generate energy and to unite us with the god and goddess. One person suggests "There Is No End to the Circle." Any number of coven members nod; the rest groan. Somebody says, "We did that last year." Somebody else: "Exactly. It's traditional with us." Another person asks, "So, we're faux fam-trad now?" A new coven member tries to remember what, exactly, a fam-trad coven is. Inspired by the discussion, someone spontaneously sings out, "There is no end to this song, there is no end." The high priestess glares. Eventually, the debate is resolved simply because everyone is sick of talking about it. Now the rest of the ritual has to be planned—and it's just more of the same. Scintillating debates may rage on such issues as vegan vs. nonvegan cakes and alcoholic vs. nonalcoholic ale. The more essential parts of the ritual, the invocation of the elements and the arrangement of altars, seem to work themselves out fairly easily. Like most family fights, any acrimony is focused on the details.

Mark Oppenheimer argued that Wiccans should back off some of their historical claims. Tim Harford said that it's dangerous to be a witch in a recession. In 1998, Walter Shapiro examined witches as a voting bloc. A Wiccan reader asked Slate's advice columnist, Prudence, for advice on coming out of the "broom closet" to her family. Emily Bazelon praised store-bought Halloween costumes, and Torie Bosch explained why celebrities and politicians can't stop their faces from being made into masks.

Once we've agreed on the parts of the ritual, we actually have to execute that plan—and the nonconformists have to remember what they agreed to do and do it, which is a challenge in and of itself. The Samhain ritual in which we performed "There Is No End to the Circle" was lovely and went relatively smoothly, though we started late, just as we always do. I've given up on that score—I'm the only witch I know who has any interest in punctuality. The song itself is broken up into three parts, sung by the maiden, mother, and crone, each corresponding to an aspect of the goddess. As the youngest woman in the coven (this was depressingly long ago), I danced the part of the maiden. Sadly, between my cerebral palsy and the pack a day I smoke, song-and-dance routines are really not my thing. Further complica ting things, several people seemed to have forgotten when they were supposed to come in, which led to hissed directions from about five self-appointed stage managers. But everyone was pleased by the time we sat down for the traditional cakes and ale.

These problems aren't restricted to our Halloween celebrations. A few years ago, I led the Lughnasadh ritual. The festival, which takes place on Aug. 1, 2, or 6 (we can't even agree on a date), honors the beginning of the harvest and the sun god, which bring me to my two major complaints about Lughnasadh. I hate making corn muffins in August. It makes the house much hotter than it ever needs to be. In addition to corn muffins, the festival calls for a bonfire—in August. In Virginia. There's nothing quite like a grumpy high priestess to set the tone for a spiritual experience. As soon as we had cast the circle, it began to pour. As members of a nature-based religion, this seems like the sort of condition we should be able to cope with. And I suppose we did. My sister removed my wrap (it's a good thing it was a private ritual, because that's all I was wearing), and we held it over the as-yet-unlit bonfire until we successfully ignited it. So far, so good. But the spell, as it were, was broken. As I was invoking the relevant deities, I heard a crack and a hiss. Someone had opened a beer. I glared. She ignored me and began to chat with somebody else. I began to think longingly of religions that stress obedience, remembered that those traditions tend to have poverty and chastity associated with them, and felt a certain nostalgia for of my days as a solitary witch.

These sorts of events inspired me to leave the coven behind. I currently work with one other witch, whom I've known since we were 3 and 5. We plan our rituals with little fuss and no doctrine. Our litmus test is, Does it feel right? One decision we've made is to rebuff curious friends who ask to join our Halloween rituals. It seems like half the people I know want to be pagan on Halloween. I have no problem with a little religious tourism. I'm a bit of a spiritual slut. I have never turned down an invitation to a Seder. Bach thundering through a church transports me. But when I see visions of bacchanals dancing in my nonpagan friends' heads, I get a little testy. Certain experiences are too comforting, too sacred to be spectacles. For me, Samhein is one of them.

So it will be just the two of us this year—imperfect people doing our best to honor the pagan ideal of "perfect love and perfect trust." We will light the candles, cast a circle, honor our dead. We are aware of our connection to all other pagans, who are doing the same thing in big rituals, in solitary practices, celebrating with children who will behave like kids at any religious celebration: with wide eyes, wondering attention, giggles at the wrong moment. My working partner and I will close the ritual with words that Starhawk, one of the leaders of the neopagan community, wrote not long before we were born but that nonetheless feel traditional to us: "The Circle is open but always unbroken. May the peace of the Goddess go in your heart. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again."

Current Mood: relieved
Current Music: Smashing Pumpkins Rotton Apples

http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Mine was "Big Girls Don't Cry" by the Four Seasons... and yeah, at least one friend has already said "how appropriate"....  not sure if that's a compliment or not.... :-) 

Current Mood: sleepy

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Raider Game

Long, long ago in the dark ages (1982) I bought a fantasy novel that I just fell madly in love with, by a new author named PC Hodgell. It wasn't terribly long, it was a dense, difficult read because there was so much going on and so many characters, and I adored it. It took forever for the sequel to come out - 3 years to be exact. After that, and quite disappointingly to me, I thought she'd actually stopped writing, because the *next* in the series came out a whole NINE years later, 1994, and I didn't find it until '95.

As the internet came into being, I would occasionally look her up to see if anything new was on deck. I found a Yahoo group dedicated to her books about 8 years ago - very little traffic because there wasn't much new to talk about, but it was a small, fervently dedicated group of her fans none-the-less, that dissected every word and had long discussions on the concepts of honor she had created. She had an omnibus version of the first 2 books re-printed in 2000, a collection of short stories in 2002, and finally a new novel in the series came out in 2006. I despaired that the series would ever finish before she died of old age.

Over that span, she had the absolute worst luck with publishers - they all went belly up, and she was hosed financially every time, as they always owed her money when they did that she never saw a dime of. The last one even went under with a huge stash of her last book in its warehouse - she drove to Atlanta from her home in Wisconsin to see if she could at least save the stock only to find out they'd destroyed them - so she saw not a single payment for her last book.

This spring, she finally started her own Live Journal, and I joined it like the squeeing fangirl I am. She has long been a person who has been challenged with depression - I'm fairly sure she's a bit manic-depressive, like so many writers, and absolutely detests reading her own books - and we have been serving as a bit of a cheerleading team when she gets down. We also answer questions about what happened in the old books so she doesn't have to go re-read them, lol, after all she started writing her 1st book as a teen almost 40 years ago and can't always remember the details.

She has a new publisher, the next book will come out in the Spring, and her first 2 books are again being re-released in an omnibus version in January in anticipation of the new one, which is all fabulous news for her fans, but is also freaking her out because she now has deadlines, which isn't something she deals with well. I'm likely to meet her next year if she gets a book tour going, as I sent her a ton of info on the fantasy book store in the Bay Area (of which there are MANY), and heck she may end up staying on my couch.

This past weekend she posted that she was really down, as the deadline for proof reading the manuscript for the omnibus was Thursday, she'd barely started, it was interrupting the new novel, and it was sending her into that spiral of depression that meant she was crawling into bed and anesthetizing herself instead of working. So, I asked if we could help, which led to everyone else jumping in and offering, which astonished her immensely but led to her immediately farming out the chapters she had left to all of us. I got 3 in the second book.

So, 25 years after reading and falling in love with this book, I have a teesny part in its re-publication, and a heartfelt thank-you from one of my favorite authors, which just tickles me to no end.

 

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: Jim Byrnes Fresh Horses

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