Category: Politics

An Israeli President and Saudi Arabian King Eat Dinner

by Administrator, posted in Islam, Judaism, Politics, Religion

This past week saw a two day meeting at the United Nations promoting dialogue on religion and culture. This interfaith event was attended by seventeen heads of state and government, including Israel, the US, Britain, and several Arab countries. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia organized the conference. The big news was that Israeli President Peres Shimon and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia managed to eat dinner together in the same room.

Not the same table mind you, the same room. And hey, that IS big news. If you want the in depth reasons as to why, I happily direct you to “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict” by Mitchell Bard, Ph.D.. Hopefully you’ll have better luck wrapping your brain around it than I did. However, to sum up, in case you didn’t know, traditionally Arabs and Jews don’t get along.

There was criticism as to how legitimate this conference could be when it was put together by Abdullah, Saudi Arabia not being known for its tolerance of other faiths. Many organizations who I deeply respect spoke out about this, such as Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch. That’s why it pains me to say this….shut up. I’ve spoken out against Saudi Arabia for its lack of what we here in America call First Amendment rights, but you know what? Israeli President Shimon and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ate in the same room. Anyone who really thinks that human rights will be protected by these guys NOT interacting raise your hand. If you’re hand is up, than to you I also say, shut up. If not for this event, I never would have had the joyful opportunity to read this:

When Mr. Peres took to the floor, he broke off from his prepared speech to address King Abdullah directly.

“Your Majesty, the king of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I was listening to your message. I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people. It’s right. It’s needed. It’s promising.

“The initiative’s portrayal of our region’s future provides hope to the people and inspires confidence in the nations.”

Did you see that? They listened to each other. No, there won’t suddenly be peace and all the religious freedom a gal could want in the middle east, but moments like this remind us all, that all governments, religious movements, and organizations are at their heart comprised of individuals. And that lurking inside every individual is the capacity for love, forgiveness, and respect. Except for me, I’m a bitch.

But to prove that even I am capable of forgiveness and respect, I present to you our President.

“Today, the United States is carrying on that noble tradition by making religious liberty a central element of our foreign policy. We’ve established a Commission on the International Religious Freedom to monitor the state of religious liberty worldwide. We strongly encourage nations to understand that religious freedom is the foundation of a healthy and hopeful society. We’re not afraid to stand with religious dissidents and believers who practice their faith, even where it is unwelcome.”

Amen George, Amen.

The Universal Vanessa-Palin Tarot Card

by Administrator, posted in Politics, Products

Ever notice how the faithful seem to see the Virgin Mary everywhere? Trees, food, etc. I’ve found that despite my lack of faith, I seem to see Sarah Palin everywhere. I just want to buy my copy of The Advocate and bam, I see Sarah Palin all over the magazine section. I turn on the television to get all the news in thirty minutes, and bam, all I see is Sarah Palin. I go shopping for new frames for my glasses, and every frame I touch seems to say, buy me, you’ll look like Sarah Palin (which politics aside, physically, she’s a hottie, so perhaps not so bad). In the end I bought round wire rimmed frames. To further prove my point, a clever friend of mine emailed me this…
The Vanessa Tarot, which this card is from, was published over two years ago. Yet, I’m just looking for some fun divination, and bam, you guessed it, Sarah Palin.

For those of you that are curious, “The Pictorial Key to the Tarot” by Arthur Edward Waite has this to say about The Hierophant.

“He wears the triple crown and is seated between two pillars, but they are not those of the Temple which is guarded by the High Priestess. In his left hand he holds a scepter terminating in the triple cross, and with his right hand he gives the well-know ecclesiastical sign which is called that of esotericism, distinguishing between the manifest and concealed part of the doctrine. It is noticeable in the connexion that the High Priestess makes no sign. At his feet are the crossed keys, and two priestly ministers in albs kneel before him. He has been usually called the Pope, which is a particular application of the more general office that he symbolizes. He is the ruling power of external religion, as the High Priestess is the prevailing genius of the esoteric, withdrawn power. The proper meanings of this card have suffered woeful admixture from nearly all hands. Grand Orient says truly that the Hierophant is the power of the keys, exoteric orthodox doctrine, and the outer side of the life which leads to the doctrine: but he is certainly not the prince of occult doctrine, as another commentator has suggested.

He is rather the summa totius theologiae, when it has passed into the utmost rigidity of expression; but he symbolizes also all things that are righteous and sacred on the manifest side. As such, he is the channel of grace belonging to the world of institution as distinct from that of Nature, and he is the leader of salvation for the human race at large. He is the order and the head of the recognized hierarchy, which is the reflection of another and greater hierarchic order; but it may so happen that the pontiff forgets the significance of this his symbolic state and acts as if he contained within his proper measures all that his sign signifies or his symbol seeks to shew forth. He is not, as it has been thought, philosophy-except on the theological side; he is not inspiration; and he is not religion, although he is a mode of its expression.”

After all of that, the “Sarah Palin” tarot card is a naughty Sunday school teacher? Again, the American political machine dumbs down another conversation.

Meet John Brain

by Administrator, posted in Politics

I thought this little treat would be appropriate given the rapidly approaching Presidential elections here in the United States.

What I’m talking about starts at 1:34, “Meet John Brain”. The whole thing is just over 9 minutes.

It takes time and consideration to burrow through the nightly news broadcasts, the internet blogger sound bites, and the campaign’s own spin. Remember that ultimately it’s you, alone in that voting booth, casting your vote. Try to vote based on the issues you care about, and not by what has been on the cover of national magazines. I know, it’s hard!

The big two are Barack Obama for the Democratic Party and John McCain for the Republican Party.

But, don’t forget, although we make it harder than heck to get on the ballot if you’re not from one of those parties, there are in fact other parties who generally have someone up for President as well. The Libertarians are running Bob Barr, the Constitutional Party has Chuck Baldwin, Cynthia McKinney is representing the Green Party, and of course, you can’t forget Ralph Nader.

Don’t vote for the lab rat! Or maybe do, the Brain might be your kind of leader. Take a little time to learn about who wants to become our President!

By the way, the Animaniacs are out in DVD box sets. They’re totally worth the investment!

Brazil Tries to Get it Right

by Administrator, posted in First Amendment, Politics, Religion

On July 7, 2008 LifeSiteNews.com reported that a Brazilian judge has ordered the removal of a Catholic priest’s book from bookstores. Father Jonas Abib’s book, titled “Yes, Yes! No, No! Reflections on Healing and Liberation”, cautions readers about the dangers of the occult, which includes the Afro-Brazilian religion Spiritualism.

According to LifeSiteNews.com, public prosecutor Almiro Sena is quoted as accusing the Priest of “making false and prejudiced statements about the spiritualist religion as well as religions from Africa, like Umbanda and Candomble, as well as flagrant incitement to destruction and disrespect for their objects of worship.” Sena also added that “the State Constitution (of Bahai) says that it is the obligation of the state to preserve and guarantee the integrity, respectability, and permanence of the values of Afro-Brazilian religion.” The court agreed.

Man, where to begin. Banning books, censoring books, seizing books, it’s all wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I’m sure I disagree with Father Jonas Abib, I’m kind of used to not being on the same page as the Catholic Church, that said, he should be allowed to spew out whatever nonsense he wants in a book. I highly doubt his book was going to change any minds. I suspect if you bought the book, you were already on his team. Let’s try this another way, David Icke, who for the record I just love, cranks out book after book of total artwork quality out there-ness. Yet, no one seems overly concerned about the impending lizard threat, and I’m pretty certain he’s sold way more books than Abib!

I find it noble, and wonderful, that the Bahai government is concerned about maintaining the “integrity, respectability, and permanence of the values of Afro-Brazilian religion” but, with all due respect, at what cost? Will it be at the cost of the other faiths in their state being denied those things? The courts also censored an organization that initiated a campaign to condemn homosexual behavior. And just in case you haven’t been playing along, I have no problem with homosexuality…I backed Dennis Kucinich for crying out loud! (One of the only Democrats who ran for the Democratic nomination for President who was for gay marriage. The other one was Mike Gravel.) Yet, they have the right to be against homosexuality, however wrong they are in their belief. I mean, however wrong I find their belief.

Although not always executed the way I would like, America has got it right Brazil. First Amendment, all the way. Protect all the religions and all the speech, and then let God, the free market, or the history books decide which of them has it right.

A Letter: Part One

by Administrator, posted in Politics

Hey Guys! It so good to be back and able to share my stuff in this sweet looking new format. I’ve got so much stuff that has been sitting around that’s been waiting for the website re-launch! I hope enjoy it all!

My mother has always been a letter writer. I speak on the phone with her once a week and still, more often than not, I receive a handwritten letter between calls. More important to this story is the fact that she has never been afraid to write letters to strangers.

My childhood is filled with wonderful stories and experiences thanks to my mother’s letter writing efforts. There was the time we found a small piece of metal in a piece of Oscar Mayer deli meat. I remember watching her sit at the table handwriting a letter to the company and carefully taping the piece of metal to the letter. One day a man in a suit knocked on our door. He was from Oscar Mayer and he was there to personally apologize…and take us shopping! Better still was the time she wrote to a company that made brass polish (I wish I could remember their name) to tell them how great their product was but she couldn’t find it in the town we moved to. Could they suggest somewhere for her to get it? Next thing you know we receive a giant box filled with the complete line of their polishing products!

The point I’m getting to is this, I’ve seen first hand the power that a letter can have. Which brings me to Zimbabwe. Thanks to BBC America World News in the morning I’ve developed a horrid fascination with the country. Anyway, what follows outlines the country’s tale of woe so I won’t lay it out here. However to sum up, one day I just got so mad at the circumstances there I found myself swearing at the television. But what to do? I’m not rich, I’m not a celebrity, I’m not a politician (I know some exist that are neither wealthy nor have a celebrity level profile), I’m just a schmo. Then it hit me, I could write a letter. Not send an email to a website, but an honest to goodness, put it in an envelope and slap a stamp on it letter. And that’s just what I did.

Of course, who should I send the letter to? Well, Obama and McCain want my vote, don’t they? Then of course there are my senators Clinton and Schumer, they need my votes too, right? And since the letter referenced the run off elections in Zimbabwe taking place near the end of June, I begrudgingly acknowledged that perhaps George W. should get a letter. Why choose? I sent the same letter to all of them. I made sure to let them know who else was getting the letter, no secrets here!

See my letter below:

6/7/08

Dear Elected Official:

I never thought I would write this letter. I mean, the possibility of me writing to you, or probably more accurately, one of your staff, always existed. I just assumed if it ever happened it would be to address some of my concerns about the challenges our country faces, such as the need for health care reform, a restoration of civil liberties, the ever-widening gap between the wealthy and the poor, or perhaps my belief that homosexuals deserve the right to marry. Instead, I’m writing to you about Zimbabwe.

I blame the BBC. I never would have known anything about Zimbabwe if it wasn’t for BBC America World News. I took notice when they started reporting about skyrocketing inflation in the country. Eventually climaxing with Zimbabweans making startling statements such as a loaf of bread now costs as much as what they paid for their home when they first purchased it. As a rabid believer in the freedom of speech, what came next was horrifying. Newspaper offices were being raided and shut down. All the foreign press was kicked out the country. Suddenly my BBC reports were coming from Johannesburg. Seriously, who kicks out the BBC?

Then came the elections. How long should it take to determine who wins a presidential election? Yet, Zimbabwe still awaits the answer. Stories keep coming out of people being beaten, detained, and killed, just for voting for the MDC candidate. Now the government has ordered that all aid organizations must re-register because of alleged political involvements, thus depriving millions of Zimbabweans of aid they need while the organizations go through the process. There’s speculation that the government is doing this so that they can offer aid for votes for the current government. To make matters even worse, the opposition candidate keeps being detained by the government when he tries to campaign for the run off election!

Why on Earth do I care so much about Zimbabwe? As a proud American, how can I not? What the people of Zimbabwe are going through is the worst-case scenario that our founding fathers imagined when starting our new country. President Mugabe helped the people of Zimbabwe break free of British colonial rule. Now he and his government, for lack of a better phrase, have become tyrants, unwilling to surrender their authority, seemingly unable to help the countrymen they originally sought to liberate. Some say this is why our country has the Second Amendment.

My husband once told me that you can’t force democracy on people, they have to want it. The people of Zimbabwe don’t just want it; they are fighting and dying for it. The people of Zimbabwe are our kinsmen. Our country more than any other should understand their plight, it’s written into our nation’s DNA.

Please, tell me there is something our country can do to help Zimbabwe.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Elson

cc: President George W. Bush
Senator John McCain
Senator Barack Obama
Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Charles Schumer

To keep learn more about what’s happening in Zimbabwe, visit: www.bbc.com/zimbabwe. I’ll be sure to post any responses I receive here, so stay tuned!

Malaysia is Back Baby!

by Administrator, posted in Christianity/Catholicism, Islam, Politics, Religion

Yep, I’m sidelining the “me agreeing with Billy Graham” blog again!  That’s because there is some tentatively exciting news out of Malaysia!  Yes, it’s back to Malaysia!  Those of you who haven’t been reading my blog for very long may not realize that almost a year ago I wrote a lengthy blog, called “The Malaysian Conundrum”, which detailed how Lina Joy, a Malay Muslim wasn’t allowed to officially convert from Islam to Christianity.  Take a minute to read it and refresh yourself on the topic.  I’ll wait.
 
Back?  Good!  Hold onto your hats folks because on May 8, 2008 a Malaysian religious court granted a woman’s wish to formally renounce Islam!  So, how did Siti Fatimah get so lucky?  It might have helped that she wasn’t originally a Muslim.  She converted to Islam so she could marry her Muslim boyfriend, because in Malaysia non-Muslims must convert to Islam before they are allowed to legally marry a Muslim.  Their marriage ended in 2006, and she requested to have her conversion annulled saying that she had only converted for marriage and had never been an actual practicing Muslim.
 
And it worked!  “It’s a landmark case”, the attorney who represented Fatimah is quoted telling Reuters.UK.  Unfortunately, Reuters explains that Islamic affairs are governed at state level, so the ruling does not necessarily set a precedent for sharia courts in Malaysia’s other states.  The Penang religious council has already signaled that it is likely to appeal the ruling.
 
That’s why I had to write about this so quickly…the victory may be short lived.

The Not So Big News Out of Turkey

by Administrator, posted in First Amendment, Politics

I was planning on posting a wonderful blog about me and Rev. Billy Graham actually agreeing on something, but that will have to wait because BIG NEWS is coming out of Turkey.  At least it seemed like big news when I got the under one minute sum up on BBC World News yesterday morning.  Then I made the mistake of looking into it a little more and I have to say…I’m unimpressed.
 
The big news is that Turkey’s parliament has approved a proposal to amend Article 301 of the Turkish penal code.  This was been lauded as a huge step to free speech reform, and that’s what Turkey wants us all to think.  Unfortunately for them, some of us will actually take the time to read about it on websites such as Aljazeera.Net.  Curse us pesky news readers.  Let’s break it down, shall we?
 
Article 301, according to the folks at Wikipedia.Org, covers:
 
A person who publicly denigrates Turkishness, the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, shall be punishable by imprisonment of between six months and three years.
 
A person who publicly denigrates the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the judicial institutions of the State, the military or security organizations shall be punishable by imprisonment of between six months and two years.
 
In cases where denigration of Turkishness is committed by a Turkish citizen in another country the punishment shall be increased by one third.
 
Expressions of thought intended to criticize shall not constitute a crime.
 
(For those of you like me that were going, what the heck does denigrates mean, it’s like defaming, bashing, bad mouthing, etc.)
 
Now it’s nice that “Expressions of thought intended to criticize shall not constitute a crime”, but who decides the difference between criticism and bashing?  Obviously many scholars and journalists have been hauled into court thanks to Article 301.  Many people have been critical of Article 301, including the folks at the European Union.
 
Yes, Turkey would love to reap the benefits of EU membership and has been doing the dance to become a full member since 2005.  One of the things that would prove a commitment to political reform would be easing restrictions on free speech.  So, the heavens opened up and an amendment was born.  This is sure to have a huge impact on things, right?  I mean, the EU isn’t going to be impressed by some half-assed gesture, are they?  Apparently Turkey thinks they will because the amendment changes very little.
 
After everything is said and done it will be a crime to insult the Turkish nation, rather than Turkishness (again, what’s an insult and what’s criticism, and for that matter, what is Turkishness verses the Turkish nation) and the maximum sentence will drop from three years to two.  And let’s not forget that the amendment has to be approved by the president before it can go into effect.
 
Suddenly the landmark amendment for free speech reform in Turkey seems pretty much like business as usual.

This Just In?

by Administrator, posted in Politics, Religion, Wiccan/Pagan

Celebrated spiritual leader Starhawk was allegedly deported by the Israeli government, the International Middle East Media Center is reporting.  According to IMEMC, Starhawk was there to teach a permaculture course in the northern West Bank and to work with earth activists to develop a project in the Bethlehem area.
 
Really?  Come on, what’s she going to do?  Make you listen to rhythmic drumming until your country collapses?  Starhawk may be a powerful Witch, but somehow I don’t see that happening.
 
Of course, the validity of this news story is in question, at least in my opinion.  As far as I’ve seen, there is no mention of the incident in any other news outlets.  Also, the Middle East is not listed in her schedule on her website.  If anyone has a confirmation of this piece, please let us know.
 
Who is Starhawk?  Click here.

My First Amendment Right to be a Pet Owner

by Administrator, posted in First Amendment, Politics

First Amendment –Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
 
This is the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.  It guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition for redress of grievances.  Got that?
 
Well, a recent Associated Press article discusses a study done by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum that shows only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five guaranteed freedoms of the First Amendment.  More than half the people surveyed could name at least two members of The Simpsons.  More people could name the three American Idol judges than could name three First Amendment rights.  One in five people surveyed thought the First Amendment guaranteed the right to own a pet!
 
This telephone survey was of 1000 random adults.
 
No wonder so many people don’t realize how many of our fundamental rights we’re losing in America.  For crying out loud, they think the First Amendment guarantees them the right to own a pet!  You’re right, our founding fathers were concerned with freedom speech, the right to bear arms, and the promise that every American has a cute little purse dog for a pet!
 
Go back to the top of this blog.  Read it, learn it, and force our lawmakers to respect it!

Freeze! It’s the Vice Squad! Part 3: The Saudi Arabian Edition.

by Administrator, posted in First Amendment, Magic/Occult, Politics

On February 13, 2008 the organization Human Rights Watch sent a letter to King Abdullah bin Abd al-‘Aziz Al Saud on behalf of Fawza Falih, who has been sentenced to death by beheading for the alleged crimes of “witchcraft, recourse to jinn, and slaughter of animals”.
 
The letter highlights in aggravating detail the gaping flaws in the Saudi Arabian justice system.  It starts with her being held in detention at the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for “witchcraft”.  Does this mean Saudi Arabia has their own Vice Squad?  You know, like this or this?  What did this wily “witch” do?  According to my pals with the Vice Squad a man allegedly became impotent after being “bewitched” and a divorced woman (Can there be divorced women in Iran?  With the way the Vice guys are going I just assumed they wouldn’t allow divorces anymore.) reportedly returned to her ex-husband during the month predicted by the witch said to have cast the spell. 
 
Misery loves company.  Read the letter so you can feel my pain.  I’ve got to say, Christoph Wilcke, the letter’s author, has laid out a rational argument for a pardon for Fawza Falih.  Let’s hope it helps.