It is hard to believe that so much time has passed since 9/11.

I can still remember so strongly all the emotions that were running through my heart.  I can still remember watching the towers fall.  I can still remember the hours of not taking a full deep breath, until my father (who worked on the floor of the Stock Exchange) finally walked in through our front door covered in dust and ash.

It was, and is, a reminder of how transient this mortal life can be.
It was, and is, a reminder of how none of us ever know which day is our last.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of red wing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.

Breathe in confusion
and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.

Play music,
memorize the words for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.

Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious:
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.

wage peace – judyth hill – september 12, 2001

Written by Mama KellyTags:9/11, peace, prayer

This started out as a comment over at Anne’s blog, The Gods are Bored and grew so long (and so snarky) that it deserved a post of its own.  Anne write about how in her opinion that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is a moron par excellence.  I happen to agree. But, don’t take it from me, or Anne, read his words yourself.

“Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices.”

I understand now .. its suddenly clear … if only Id realized that I could’ve avoided all of my and my family’s health issues so easily. With diet, exercise and of course (I’m sure) shopping organically at Whole Foods.

My daughter doesn’t REALLY need medication for her depression.  My husband didn’t really NEED that spinal fusion surgery, he did that for fun.  Oh and I got BORED and decided that a hysterectomy would break up the monotony.  And I guess if we’d eaten more carrots that 3 of the 4 of us could’ve SKIPPED on needing eyeglasses.

If only I’d shopped at Whole Foods my placenta would’ve behaved and I wouldn’t have needed that emergency C-section I had with my youngest (and she wouldn’t have required that pesky NICU stay).  When my daughter fell off her scooter there wouldn’t have been a need for stitches – even though I could see bone – she would’ve healed up just fine.

And since I can trust in living to 90 or 100 I can always ignore the risks associated with my genetic condition neurofibromatosis. I can ignore routine checkups, colonoscopies, mammograms, blood work, and my kids’ immunizations.

I guess I’d never again have to worry about our allergies or my all too frequent upper respiratory infections and I can finally “just say no” to annual Pap smears – hooray!

But, the brilliance continues …

“Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That’s because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America.”

Insofar as this lovely but of prose …. technically he’s right.

But, perhaps the fact that food shelter and health care are not guaranteed by the constitution (though one could argue that the right to them is implied by the right to “life”) is the root cause of many of societies ills – literally and figuratively.

In other words Mr. Mackey, that’s the problem.

We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world and yet too many of our citizens lack a permanent, safe place to call home. Even among those who are lucky enough to have a home, many struggle to continue to pay ever increasing rent, mortgages, and property taxes. It’s hard to stay healthy when you have to constantly find a new shelter to sleep in or, even worse, have to sleep out in the elements.

We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world and yet too many of our citizens cannot afford to eat sufficient, healthy, and regular meals. Even among those who are lucky enough to never go hungry still often find themselves struggling to find more room in their budgets as food costs continue to rise. It’s hard to stay healthy when you can’t afford to make the “right choices” at the supermarket.

We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world and yet too many of our citizens lack health insurance. Even among those lucky enough to have health insurance, many struggle to be able to afford to keep it, never mind use it. It’s really hard to stay healthy when you skip on preventative care because you just don’t have the cash to afford to pay the doctor or to afford your copay.

In other words Mr. Mackey illustrates the stumbling block to Health Care Reform perfectly.

He simply doesn’t get it.

Even worse, he doesn’t even care to try.

And that is what makes him a moron.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:health care reform, national health insurance

With tears of sadness and a heart filled with respect, I offer my prayers and support to the people of Iran.

My prayers and thoughts have been with the people of Iran each day as events have underfolded since their election.  Their struggle for freedom, for their votes to be counted and their voices to be heard is inspiring and moving in so many ways mere words can not express my respect and admiration for their courage.

Their struggle can teach all of us a great deal.  As Americans we take a lot for granted including our freedoms. When it comes to the affairs of other countries we too often jump to conclusions before we have all the facts and an adequate understanding of the culture, and too often let the news and political rhetoric blur our thinking.  We paint an entire nation with one brush based on what little we know about the leaders and news soundbites we hear.  But the people of Iran are good people, with courage and respect for life, with traditions and a religion that is honorable and inspiring.  However, their leaders have used these against them and twisted them into lies and deception in order to control the population and try to bully the rest of the world.

The fight for freedom means something different for each country and manifests differently in every culture. However, at the core the struggle is the same for all people.  From this common ground, we can grow our understanding and offer our support to the people of Iran that they succeed in their fight for freedom – a freedom that the people of Iran chose and create. 

As the people of Iran face the harsh retaliation and violence from their own leaders my heart aches for them.  I also realize just how close our country came to having our version of a religion-based government and leaders claiming to speak for God controlling our every move.

Fortunately, last fall the majority of Americans took notice and millions voted to change the course of America that after 8 years of Republican rule was heading even further down a path to right-wing religious control and violence, with fear mongering and ego-based zealots as our leaders who would have trambled our rights and freedoms just as quickly as the government  in Iran. 

I am thankful that in our country we value and put into law the separation of church and state, for the right to vote and for our individual freedoms.  But we can not take these for granted.  The struggle in our country does not manifest as a clashes in the streets or our government sending armed forces to raid our homes.  But there is still a struggle and there are right-wing Republicans who would rule just as strickly and harshly as any mullah. They work behind close doors, use lies and twisted logic to create fear and deceit in their quest for power, and sometimes that struggle does erupt in violence here at home (such as the recent shootings at Holocaust Museum and woman’s health care clinic).

Blessings and Peace to all who have given their lives in the fight for freedom and to all who continue the struggle.    Lady Rose

Related posts:
The Real Lesson Of Iran — Beware America’s Republican Mullahs – by Frank Schaeffer, a former right-wing leader, posted onuffington Post. A look at the behind the scenes goals of the Republican right-wing and the on-going battle between oppressive religion and freedom.
Comparing the Ongoing Struggle Tehran and Anchorage Protests – by Philip Munger, author of Progressive Alaska blog. A look at the importance of keeping religion out of politics.

Written by Lady RoseTags:democracy, individual rights, Iran

A call to action – Friday night a tremor started from Alaska vibrating across the blogosphere that is now being felt around the world.  At risk are the rights of all bloggers to speak freely and keep their identies safe.  I posted about it on my other blog, Sanity Rant, but it important enough that I wanted to bring it to the attention of our readers here.  Any one who blogs about hot button issues needs to know the law and know that there are people, including unethical politicians and journalists, who may stop at nothing to uncover identies.  

What happened Friday to AKM, the anonymous author of the blog Mudflats, can happen to any of us.  I hope you take a few minutes to read about what happened, follow the links to get educated about the situation and the legal information.   AKM is a talented writer, and everything she/he wrote was backed with facts and research, she/he  has integrity and grace.  She/he did not deserve to be put in harms way because of a politician’s ego.  I hope you take a few moments to offer your support.   Also if you do contact legistrators or news sources to express your opinion, please be polite, and please do not use AKM real name.  Even though it has been made public illegally by a politican we in the blogging community respect her rights.

Democrat Representative Mike Doogan from Alaska used state office computers and email lists to stalk the blogger, AKMuckraker, who writes the Alaskan blog Mudflats, and then outed her/his real identity to the world. This is a clear violation of federal law and of the state common law right to privacy, as explained very concisely by Regina who writes the Palin-gates blog. This is clearly an act of vengeance on the part of Mr. Doogan, who is mistaken in his claim that “as soon as she (author of Mudflats) began to influence public policy she gave up her right to remain anonymous. ”

The fallout from his actions I’m sure will be great and I can only hope that he is held accountable, and is put in jail. I am stunned beyond words at this man’s actions.

Others are also going after bloggers, Palin supporters from SarahPAC and RedState and Conservatives4Palin have been harrassing another blogger, Celtic Diva, with all kinds of horrible “christian” violent types of threats in emails and Fox News is making threats to stalk and ambush her.

These are not idle threats. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News has recently stalked a blogger from Think Progress. I urge everyone to sign the petition to stop the O’Reilly Harassment Machine and if you have time to contact other sponsors and politely urge them to follow UPS who pulled their advertising from his show.

The implications of all this is staggering. I urge all bloggers to stand together, be strong, and support and defend the rights of all bloggers to keep seeking the truth, freedom of speech, and protect their identies. This is an issue that affects all of us, regardless of political party or ideology, and is something worthwhile to follow up on and keep up to date on what happens as the fall out from this unfolds.

If you would like to let Mr. Doogan know how you feel about his actions feel free to contact him – please be polite.

doogans@gci.net
email: Rep.Mike.Doogan@legis.state.ak.us
PHONE: (907) 465-4998
FAX: (907) 465-4419
ADDRESS: AK State CapitolRoom # 112, Juneau, AK 99801
Doogan’s NUMBER: 907.561.7990

Followups: Regina has posted a comprehensive list of links of contacts that are based on where you are located so that everyone who wants to help bring justice for AKM and protect all bloggers can do so, Fighting Back.

She also provided this extemely informative link: Anonymity Issues – The Electronic Frontier Foundation informs bloggers of their rights and helps in legal matters. EFF has fought for your right to speak anonymously on the Internet, establishing legal protections in several states and federal jurisdictions, and developing technologies to help you protect your identity. “Anonymous communications have an important place in our political and social discourse. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the right to anonymous free speech is protected by the First Amendment. The tradition of anonymous speech is older than the United States. Founders Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers under the pseudonym “Publius,” and “the Federal Farmer” spoke up in rebuttal. ”

Examples of State cases upholding the 1st amendment protecting anonymous speech over the internet:  Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844 (1997); NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449 (1958); Lovell v. Griffin, 303 U.S. 444 (1938); Talley v. California 362 U.S. 60 (1960).

Post on Huffington about the issue that does a great job of explaining why what Doogan has done is so wrong, definitely a must read, post is HERE.

There is excellant response to Mr. Doogan’s actions post on KOS, includes a letter written to Mr. Doongan, info. from a lawyer explaining the illegal actions of Mr. Doogan (“…a violation of federal law and of the state common law right to privacy. The fact that he did it on state time and in his capacity is what is called “state action” for a section 1983 civil rights claim.”) and info. on Mr. Doogan’s past as an anonymous writer of a political column.

**************
Several of our founding fathers wrote under pen names as a way of discussing the issues and not the person and to protect themselves and their families from potential harm.
 
Benjamin Franklin:
“During the eighteenth century, it was common for writers and journalists to use pseudonyms, or false names, when they created newspaper articles and letters to the editor. (Ben) Franklin used this convention extensively throughout his life, sometimes to express an idea that might have been considered slanderous or even illegal by the authorities; other times to present two sides of an issue, much like the point-counterpoint style of journalism used today.”

**********

I urge everyone to get educated, get active and most importantly stay strong and stay safe.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:blogging, first amendment, freedom of speech

Sarah Palin is once again promoting the shooting of wolves from helicopters and started a big promotion of  it again the weekend of March 14, even though it violates legistration.  Fifty-eight wolves have been killed already, with the possibility of 250 or more.  This also includes gassing pups in their dens.  She also has declared war against black bears (she wants to slaughter 60% of the population), and does nothing to protect endangered species such as the bulga whale and polar bears.

Palin is even willing to clash with the federal government on the policy of aerial killing of wolves.  Gryphen posted on March 19 about how the ”predator control programs” hide behind the fallacy of keeping a predator/prey balance to help the subsistence hunter, who is trying to feed his family the way his people have done for thousands of years, but then either severely restrict the subsistence hunters access or forbid him to hunt altogether in favor of rich trophy hunters. Sarah Palin’s policies favored urban and out of state hunters at the expense of subsistence hunters over the years.

Eye On Palin (Defenders Action Fund’s campaign to expose Gov. Palin’s anti-wildlife agenda has attracted the support of actress and activist, Ashley Judd) – lots of information and ways you can help.

Legistration is in the works to strengthen the law to stop this slaughter, we need to contact our Congress and Representatives and make sure it passes.  Then we need to keep vigilant and help Alaskans to get the laws enforced.  Read more here, Sarah Palin and the Wolves.

Helen posted a list of ways we can all help stop this senseless slaughter, here is a brief excerpt: 
1. RESPOND and get educated on the issues and the false information that Sarah Palin uses to justify the killing.  (Video here)
2. MAKE A PHONE CALL and pass along information and encourage others to add their voice to the protest  - it’s easy, you do it every day, all the time. Dial the US Fish & Wildlife Service &  CALL the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service M-F 8am – 8pm at 1-800-344-9453, select option “3” (for endangered species) and hit “0” to speak with the operator. comment on the de-listing of the Grey Wolf from the Endangered Species Act, decry the “collateral damage” to brown bears that will occur because Alaska has decided to kill 60% of the population of black bears. Mention the fisheries crises and overfishing which hurts rural village food supplies, mention that Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet need protection from Palin’s toxic dumping and drilling policies.
3. EMAIL SARAH PALIN! (http://gov.state.ak.us/govmail.php) Politely let her know how you feel the her wildlife policies and encourage her to change.
4. READ MORE so you are armed with facts, and pass on the information.  Truth about Sarah Palin and Wildlife in Alaska.
Alaska Wildlife Alliance – Pedator Control Facts.
Wolf in Govenor’s Clothing.
Palin’s Faith Based Science Creates Policy.
5. WRITE TO YOUR LAWMAKERS!  Defenders of Wildlife has it set up to make writing in easy, HERE.  Be sure check out other issues and information on the site.
4. WATCH AND SHARE this  video about the dire situation facing the Beluga whales to anybody who still doesn’t know about this issue:  Palin’s Toxic Billions and Belugas
5. CONTRIBUTE if you can to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance to help them protect the wildlife. Every little bit helps.
6. BECOME AN ACTIVIST, START A PROTEST, OR MEET WITH AN OFFICIAL, WRITE AN EDITORIAL. Defenders of Wildlife has a lot of information on defending wildlife in your community.
7. ADOPT A POLAR BEAR HERE – they have lots of cute gift too for various donation levels, so you can shop for gift as well as help the polar bears.

There are many other ways to help Alaskan wildlife and wildlife every where.  I urge everyone to do what they can, become active and stay informed.   Mother Earth needs our help to protect her creatures.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:environment, politics, wolves

Normally I would’ve saved this until next week and a new installment of Pagan Video Tuesday. But, it seemed too important to sit on.

Just in case you missed this story last week, a pagan group in the D.C. area held a ritual to sweep away the energies of the Bush administration as well as to welcome and bless President Obama to Washington. Here are some videos relating to the pre-inaugural “Ritual of Unity and Blessing” in Washington D.C.

1 hour, 20 minutes

Just over 16 minutes of interviews, thanks to MagickTV

a brief video, under 2 minutes, in case you dont have time to watch the longer piece

Thanks to Hecate you can even read about her ire at Comcast Cable in regards to their using video footage of this rite and highlighting it under their “News of the Weird” feature. Thanks to her links you can also read the invocation to the element of water used during the rite as well as a blessing delivered that day.

I personally understand how unusual this ritual must’ve seen to an outsider’s eyes. A bunch of grownups in robes, with drums and brooms, is not something the average American sees on a daily basis. But then how often do you witness any religious rituals outside of your own in a public venue? To have been highlighted as the weird news of the day offends me. Hecate makes a valid point when she says that Comcast would be unlikely to treat any other religious group in this fashion.

As a Pagan, as a Witch, or as someone who obviously has a degree of tolerance toward the faith system (otherwise you wouldn’t be here reading my blog would you) how does this make you feel?

If you are a letter writer, or if this story inspires you to be one for the first time here, again thanks to Hecate, is the contact info:

Comcast’s CEO is Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Comcast Corporation. Comcast is located at 1 Comcast Center, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Their phone numbers are: 215-286-1700 and Toll Free: 800-266-2278.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:news, religion, religious tolerance, video

Since many folks we know who visit here are on a budget, do crafts, and give to charities I felt this information was important to share.

There is a new law that will require all products aimed at children 12 and under to be tested for lead and phthalates, and it could present a hardship for thrift stores and crafters (final rules will be approved after Feb. 10, when the testing rules go into effect).

This means when this law goes into effect – it will even be illegal and punishable by fines and jail time to resell or reuse (donate), outside your own home, any items that would be for a child (12 and under) unless they were previously tested, (until such time as further rules are added or clarified).

For those who shop at thrift stores this means there will no longer be items for children for sale because the small shops can not afford to have testing done.  As things are now this affects all items, including clothing and bedding. 

It will also mean no more used children items being sold at yard sales or on on ebay as well (unless they have been tested). 

The law could also affects crafters, and handmade items made for donations. Project Linus Headquarters has a notice on their front page:

Project Linus has been working with representatives from Congress and the Consumer Product Safety Commission for clarification of how the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act may or may not affect our charity and others. We know that our specific circumstances are under discussion at this time. We do not anticipate that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will have a significant impact on our organization or its mission. We will continue to monitor this situation very closely and provide updates as necessary.

The folks at Etsy and other places are keeping track on the latest developments, more information available at Etsy HERE.

It makes me wonder how this will affect handmade gifts to children.   I gave several gifts to children under 12 last year, and have a blanket I made to be given in May for a newborn.

I am hoping that some common sense is applied to the final rules.  However, with all the problems the government has to deal with I don’t think making changes to this law  is going to be a top priority any time soon.

Written by Lady RoseTags:charity, children, crafting, law

Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey, who some of you might remember from her appearance on TLC’s My Unique Family 2 years ago (Feb. 19 2007), has renounced Wicca, closed her church, and is opening a new Christian-oriented church in its stead. When I originally watched the episode back in 2007 I found her constant adherance to wearing traditional Christian minister’s garb a bit unusual, I found her congregational styled (as opposed to ceremonial circle) worship a bit curious, and now I find her choice of words upon her decision to convert a bit unsettling.

Living Waters Community of Hope will focus on helping people heal from their experiences of inequity from past religions and religious institutions, using Jesus Christ and his teachings in the Bible as the foundation of how to have a meaningful relationship with God, as well as, holistic health of mind, body, and soul.

I point you to The Wild Hunt blog to read more about this story.  He shares a letter that was sent to Rev. Hovey’s former congregants in which the reverend shares the major points with which she finds fault in regards to her former faith. However, reading this letter one has to wonder how well she ever understood the faith she not only claimed to practice, but also taught and served as Priestess in.

 But then, as others have pointed out, her former church’s beliefs weren’t too far away from those her new church will most likely hold in that they stated that:

• “We believe in the teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ, and consistently live
  by His teachings for our spiritual and moral foundation”
• “We believe in meditating, praying, and reading the Bible on a daily basis to
  establish and maintain a direct relationship with the God and Goddess within.”
• “We do not believe in practicing Magick in our church”
• “We do not believe in practicing ritual in our church”

I mean no slight to my Christian readers, but what kind of Wiccan circle/grove/church/group was she running? 

I may find value in the Old and New Testament, but then I am open to finding value in the teachings of any positive faith, but I wouldn’t tell a group of novices to read the Bible as part of their Wiccan training, unless it was part of a larger program of comparative theology.

Apparantly her feelings were that “incorporating the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ (were necessary) in order to provide a spiritual and moral foundation which is most often lost by practicing Wicca alone.”

Huh?

So apparently according to Rev. Hovey – at the time of these words still labeling herself as a Wiccan priestess – thinks that Wiccans lack an appropriate spiritual and moral foundation because they don’t rely on the Bible but instead rely on the Rede (an’ it harm none, do what ye will) and their own consciences to guide their thoughts, words, and actions.

And now, that she is a Christian minister, she holds the belief that having practiced a religion other than Chrisitanity is something that one needs to heal from. 

I am just stunned.

Your Thoughts?

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:religion, rev. hovey, rev. kendra hovey

May today, with the inauguration of our 44th president Barack Obama, mark the beginning of a new age.

May today, mark the first steps of us as a nation, a world, creating a future where jobs are plentiful, where workers are treated well, where everyone has access to health care, paid time off, and education.

May today, mark the time when we as a nation, a world, began to create a future in which the Earth is again treasured as sacred, as worthy of protection.

May today mark a journey toward creating a nation, a world, where everyone has enough, where the color of our skin ceases to matter, where we can finally come to know that we are all part of the same family. In the wise words of Sesame Street, may we come to see that “we are all Earthlings” and find a way to simply get along.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall live in peace someday.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:inauguration

As Jan. 20th draws near there is a swell of national unity, hopefulness, and outpouring of caring.  Times are changing. You can feel the change in the air and I encourage everyone to be a part of that change and to keep the momentum going forward in the weeks, months, and years ahead. 

President Obama as delcared a National Day Of Service on Monday Jan 19th (Martin Luther King’s Birthday). Both the Obama and the Biden families will taking time out of there busy schedules to do volunteer work that day.

There are many ways to take part and join in. USA Service.org  is one website where you can search by zip code for places to volunteer and\or donate to.   I found a place within 10 miles of my home where I can donate books and another to donate old clothing and household goods.  So not only to rid my house of items I no longer need, but I will be helping out.

As an ongoing project I am  using up my leftover yarn to make a batch of 6×9 rectangles for Handmade Afghan Project – they collect the rectangles to make into afghans for wounded vetrans.   Once I have a batch of 20 or so I will mail them off and start another batch throughout the year.

Yesterday I sent in a donation to help the Native American Alaskans, their very rural village is suffering and people are being forced to chose between food or heating oil, and many can’t afford either (so far the political officials in Alaska have ignored their pleas for assistance).

Here at work one of my co-workers broke her leg and injured the other leg as well, so she will be out for several weeks.  We collected donations and used the money collected to arrange for her to have hot meals delivered for 12 days and a gift certificate for Amazon so she can get herself some books and dvds to help her pass the time.

Kindness, giving, and helping others comes in small packages and large, all are needed and appreciated.  Opening our hearts and connecting with those around us, nourishes our spirits and aligns us with the divine energy of the universe.  Giving also expands our minds and possibilities, and helps us set aside fear, worry and depression by replacing the negative with positive action, smiles, warm hugs, and a sense of gratitude from within.

I encourage everyone to participate throughout the weekend, the inauguration and beyond.  We can make this world a better place, with one kindness at time. 

We’d love to hear from all of you on your plans for National Day Of Service and beyond.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:change, charity, Obama