Sherry Glaser's Blog Blog Blog

Do the Math

2011-10-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

A few of the issues spotlighted by Occupy Together are the unrestrained power of Wall Street, flagrant economic injustice and the ongoing financial burden of two or three undeclared wars. ( Not to mention the human cost). If we end the wars and tax the rich a lot of the money problems are solved, obviously the 1% (including the war profiteers) are not happy about this.

Those who occupy identify as the %99.

Who are the 99%?

Well here they are:

If you are unemployed or If you have two or three part-time jobs. If you have a mortgage. If you are a student. If you are a child. If you do manual labor. If you are a teacher, nurse or member of a union. If you have a minimum wage job. If you do clerical work. If you are a farmer. If you receive Medicare or Medicaid. If you pay high premiums for health insurance or don’t have any. If you are paying off a medical bill or a student loan. If you have credit card debt. If you pay into social security or receive social security. If you’re on disability. If you have been foreclosed upon. If you have a family member in hospice or elder care. If you’re a peace activist or a folk singer. If you rely on or provide childcare. If you are undocumented worker. If you work 9-5. If you are a firefighter or police officer. If you work overtime. If you worry about paying your bills. If you haven’t had a vacation in years. If you put off going to the dentist because you can’t afford it. If you have served in the U.S. military. If you are poor or homeless. If you are in prison or on probation. If you native American. If you lost your pension or retirement money in the financial crisis. If you shop a discount stores. If you don’t have a car. If you eat out of your garden. If you’re in the sex industry. If you have been turned down for a loan. If you pay more taxes than Exxon, Bank of America or GE (They paid no taxes last year) If you can’t afford to fill up your car with gas. If you are against the war or want the troops to come home now. If you pay for car insurance. If you have no savings account. If you have less than a million dollars. If you are afraid for your future. You are the 99% and so am I

We personify the democratic, compassionate, intelligent, articulate, non-violent possibilities and solutions that we, as the 99% are capable of. We exhibit the brilliance and capacity of our social network to bring revolution with the nimble dexterity of our fingers. We the People are awakening and we are everywhere

It is not about republicans, democrats, independents, right or left wing, Muslims, Jews, Christians, gays, straights, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, women or men. It’s about people. A lot of people who are paying attention and understand that Wall St. in cahoots with international corporations and the US government have robbed us of our treasury and possibly our future.

I’m excited about the quantum leap that’s on the horizon so when we say %99 percent we’re not just talking about America, We’re talking about the whole wide world. On October 31^st, according to the world-o-meter, the total world population will reach 7 billion people. Here’s some fun math. There are just over a thousand billionaires in the world and their net worth is 3.6 trillion dollars. There are ten million millionaires. Their assets make up about 42 trillion dollars. There’s 44 trillion dollars in the world. That leaves 2 trillion for us. That’s about $300 dollars apiece. No wonder everybody’s so upset. Here’s another equation. Let’s see 7 billion people minus ten million 1 thousand equals. 6,989,999,000. I love math.

Euology for Matt Coleman

2011-08-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

It’s a dangerous world and being a mother I would worry about the fate of my children, especially when they were little. My mother, may she rest in peace, taught me that once they leave our bodies, our children are on their own path and we have to trust them, even if they die.

These words have comforted me throughout motherhood to this day. Fortunately my children are alive and well, but there are other mother’s who have lost their children. And though we may curse the timing of tragic events, no one gets out of here alive. In cases of inexplicable random violence, We can shake our fists at the heavens and demand justice, a refund, a guarantee but alas, this life business does not have a warranty, make any promises or respect contracts. What you see is what you get. This reminds us how deeply precious this very moment is.

Many of you have probably heard by now of the death of our kind and beautiful friend Matt Coleman steward of the land and beloved member of our community. He was murdered last Thursday night a mile or so from highway one 10 miles north of Westport. The Sheriff has no leads, no clues at this point. It’s just a deeply heartbreaking story. It was an ordinary day, one where a simple man, in love with the world went to work which brought him to the Old Thompson Ranch last Thursday to do his job, eradicating invasive species, watching out for the salmon, photographing the birds, taking care of the earth and her creatures. His path crossed with someone at the exact time, who was armed and willing to do harm, irrevocable harm. We can never know what happened at the moment, if Matt came to close to an illegal pot grow, a random crazed hiker, or at first what some rumored was a bear attack. Matt’s love for the world and passion for keeping it green and growing is what he has left us. Besides a loving family coming to bury their son, brother, friend but also an amazing partner in life who’s beauty and childlike joy has touched many of us.

With them we grieve. I would encourage you to allow grief to touch you. Grief is a profound human response to death that is crucial for compassion and healing. It is a virtue often forgotten, neglected in this tragic world. We tend to skip the grief and go for the depression, rage, vengeance, punishment, and revenge, but the act of grief is a synergistic. It’s a blessing and a beauty. And if you and I and you and she and we all take a moment to grieve, we are connected in that beautiful blessing. The Mayans say the Gods drink our grief, it feeds them and lets them know that something precious is lost, something of value. Someone who mattered.

Recently I saw a photo on the front page of the Chronicle. It was of a woman on her knees at an intersection in Berkeley. She was kissing the ground where her beautiful lover was shot dead on the night of his birthday last September. She makes a daily pilgrimage to the spot and grieves for her lover. This photo both touched and haunted me. There are daily, grizzly accounts of murder that are calling for our attention in terms of grief There are so many that perish each day, just think about Somalia. What if we had the presence to take a few minutes each day, perhaps at twilight and mourn for us all, for the questions that will never be answered and that question is Why? Why are some human beings so cruel and violent, heartless, and homicidal??

At this time, we are witnessing a rise in violence in our county where as for the last three weeks we have heard repeated reports of random gun violence and robbery, property destruction and generally scaring the locals. Yes, it is frightening and there is little we can do, but being afraid is not going to change fate or destiny, living our lives completely, staying on our paths and continuing our souls important work like the work that Matt was doing in stewarding this sacred Land trust. That’s where Matt put his trust, in the land, and He is in her arms now and we are left to grieve. We have little time to ask why? because there is no reason, there is no explanation here. It’s just the way it is. What can we do? Well it seems to me that Matt Coleman was doing exactly what he was born to do here on his true path. That his days were full of nature, life, celebration, love and surely a joyful path that he walked till it’s end. You can read Matt’s last contributions to the Mendocino Land Trust newsletters at Mendocino Land Trust.org. There you will also see his photos of the Great Blue Heron. May he forever fly with her and please, watch over us. At their website You will also find ways to volunteer and give to the earth and it’s restoration and pick up where Matt left off. We’ll do this together, No one should walk alone.

Hey You Gaias!

2011-08-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

The 1^st Gaia Festival was born this past weekend on the sacred land called black oak ranch where hundreds of thousands have gathered over the last thirty years. From the Hog Farm Pignick to Camp Winnarainbow, to Kate Wolf Festival, Northern Ca Women’s Herbal symposium and Earthdance. Many have kicked up the dust in Laytonville’s hot sunshine and wondered at the moon in the cool starlight.

Producer, Susy Barsotti had the big idea to take the best of all their years of festival production and the occasion of masses of people gathering together to put some strong intention around it. While it is altogether delightful to celebrate with food, dance and music, with that many people the time has come to gather our energy and turn it toward action, beauty, sustainability, network, connection and healing. It was with that intention that the Barsotti’s gathered the most diverse profound artists from near and far, multicultural, young and old to join us together at the heart. The indigenous presence was deep and quite moving from the Native Pomo dancers, to John Trudell and Bad Dog, youth and elder councils met at the medicine wheel lodge put together the women of the herbal symposium, all of the stages were adorned with sacred creatures, bear. Owl, Raven, each evening we joined in enormous circles and sang down the sun with the voices of Bobi Cesbedes of the Yoruba tradition, Zili Misik bringing Haitian sounds and spirited longings of Ma Muse.

I had the truly extraordinary privilege of being the Mother of Ceremonies on the Earth and Sky Stage along with the inimitable presence of Visionary Activist and Weaver of Context Caroline Casey. . She benevolently mentioned President Obama’s birthday and asked us to see him to live up to his name, the translation of which is “bless the good” and see him in ancestors cloaks, innocent as the day he was born as if in his “birthday suit”.

Her lightning storm dispensation of ancient cosmic consciousness and present day reclamation was enough to make our heads spin and spiral and we both unglued the language and put it back together to fit with the quality of life that we would much prefer. One where we are called Gaias instead of Guys, One which we add the missing l to words like peacefull and beautifull, to fill our mouths and psyches with the completion of our ideals. One which we are willing to give up our addiction to having an enemy visualizing a global community called, Imagine Nation. We repeated the Gaia dream of zero waste, toasted every band with a prayer for the water and constantly reminded everyone that we are in mercury retrograde for another two weeks

Mercury retrograde is a challenge of communication which may lead to confusion and chaos and when one finds themselves in mercury’s mayhem it’s helpful to employ words that start with re- Remember, recall, relate, rehearse, realize, retreat, reorganize, rehabilitate.

We had a birds eye view of the festival audience from that robust Main stage position and could literally see people awaken with new thought and direction. Here’s one of the offerings we made from the stage. Close your eyes. Now imagine you are a dandelion gone to seed, so your head is completely full of the puffiest of puffs giving you the most marvelous hair do. Ok. Fill each seed with the loving message you like to send into the world. Every seed jam packed. Now, feel the wind in your puff, just gently blowing you to and fro. Now you realize you are surrounded by thousands of other dandelions just as poofy. And at the count of three we’re going to blow. Just the look on their faces was priceless was consciousness rising. We counted to three and blew…..and the laughter filled the bowl as we could surely see those delicate envoys sail away with the gentle winds. We remembered that Joy is power and laughter is the antidote to so much toxicity.

The consciousness at the festival included a stage for the children and bands sent there to perform specifically for the little ones. Usually it’s just a play area, but these were main stage artists singing for the children. Paul Stamets was there with his fungi magic mindfulness. We were offered A cannabis forum with Sheriff Allman and John McKowen and others. A psychedelic medicine forum and the morning mystic physical healing of Qi Gong. The Gaia invitation was to play and re imagine our world at the very same time Gov. Rick Perry gathered his minyans at Reliant Stadium in Texas to pray for God’s interference in a women’s right to choose and gay lovers to marry, Caroline advised us to inhale leadership and suck the g out of the word kingdom.

All within the sound of our broadcast were moved and brought to their senses. It was an awakening of a new festival in the heart of Pagan celebration of lamas, the harvest. In answer to the madness, the lies and twisted consciousness that is flooding the mainstream with terrible noise, piranha consciousness and the illusion systems of Dow Jones and Standard and Poor’s ,we laid ourselves down on the Gaia, our mother, and held her as she held us and we knew it was the truth, that we call come from the mother and to her we shall return. Re-member

I Want to Hold your Hand

2011-07-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

I want to hold your hand. I want to give you hope. I want to remind you of the strength you have that has kept you alive and productive your whole life. I want to tell you how much you mean to me. I want to thank you for the beauty you create and generate in this world. I want to take you on a mental vacation, so you can rest and repair and relax. Smile.

I want to make you laugh, tell you a joke. Here’s one. A guy is sitting at home when he hears a knock at the door. He opens the door and sees a snail on the porch. He picks up the snail and throws it as far as he can.
Three years later, there is a knock on the door. He opens it and sees the same snail. The snail says, "What the hell was that all about?"

I want to honor your intelligence and appreciate the small things you do everyday that go unnoticed like making dinner, doing the laundry, taking care of the children, the elders, the animals.

I want to dance around the room with you, play games, swim in the river, dip our toes in the ocean. I want to remind you to rest, take a nap if you can. Sing loud in the car because when I drive by you, it’ll make me laugh. I want you to know that singing helps your spleen and balances the left right hemispheres of your brain. I want to encourage you to hold a baby, visit an elder and tell them a story.

I want to thank you for taking care of yourself. I want to acknowledge how much you contribute to community, all the events, gardens, meals, festivals, celebrations, concerts, benefits and fairs that bring us all together to enjoy our time together. I want you to know that inspite of all the terrible awful things going on in the world that there is most definitely and surely good news. Here’s some of the headlines from the Positive News out OF Bolinas CA. American Indians Granted $760 million in a class action lawsuit settlement. Teachers without Borders connecting teachers Globally to make changes locals. Slow Food movement saves a Vermont. President Obama meets with 11 young climate activists. Huge Palm Oil Company in Indonesia promises to End Deforestation and 12 year old food grower Katie Tagliano from south Carolina donates 2 tons of vegetables to homeless

I want to tell you a story about a guy who photographs individuals who normally go unseen, enlarges them to extreme gigantic sizes and plasters them to buildings to surprise and enlighten neighborhoods devastated by war, crime and poverty. His name is JR and his the winner of the 2011 TED Prize which operates under the concept; one wish to change the world. One of JR’s most recent projects was to photograph Israelis and Palestinians in the same occupations, Taxi drivers, chefs, teachers, army and to put their photos side by side on the Walls which separate the two people. This artistic action has opened so many minds to the idea that we’re not that different.

Help others.org has a smile deck that you electronically shuffle and are given instructions for actions of kindness. Clubs are for people you know, hearts are for strangers, diamonds are acts for yourself and spades are for the world. This is a terrific exercise and could be contagious.

These are just a few of the sentiments and stories that are happening at this very moment in our world. The stories that never make the front page or even the last. The stories that we don’t see on TV or hear on the mainstream radio. We are a planet of 7 billion mostly good people and it is our daily interactions, of Art, compassion, love, kindness and simplicity that very much deserve our attention. We deserve to hear it, integrate it and spread it around. Here’s a challenge. See how long you can hold a smile without laughing. Pass it on.

You can finds links to these stories at my website. Sherryglaser.net

The Age of Surveillence

2011-07-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

If I saw one police car yesterday, I saw a hundred. We were driving up from the Bay Area and it appeared that every couple of miles on 101 there was a cop sitting and watching or actually in the process of harassing or arresting someone or worse. The same was true in Ukiah, 253, and Boonville and the 128. Even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I had that uncomfortable feeling that I was going to get in trouble any minute. Know what I mean?

It feels like there’s somebody always watching. It’s the age of surveillance. Surveillance comes from the French and it means, watching over. I wish it were that benign. For we watch over our grandchildren when they are close to the waters’ edge or climbing on the monkey bars. I certainly wouldn’t say they are under surveillance, but I’m not in France. Surveillance is huge business right now. There are thousands of cameras mounted in cities and towns all over country. In the UK there are more cameras than there are citizens. In fact, George Orwells’ house is surrounded by 32 cameras, Don’t you just love the irony. He’s dead, but still, big brother is watching

Yes, They are watching us, but not with the benevolent eyes of grandmothers, but with the prying, invasive eyes of officials waiting to detain, question and invade our privacy. We have practically given them carte blanche to do this in the form of our social networking. We generously divulge our family’s faces, habits, whereabouts in our innocence and belief that only our friends are being informed, but in our heart of hearts we know, this is public space and whatever we post is permanent, indelible ink.

According to wikipedia, they are listening as well. Remember "Hepting v. AT&T . This was United States class action lawsuit filed in 2006 by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) AT&T, in which the EFF alleged that AT&T permitted and assisted the National Security Agency (NSA) in unlawfully monitoring the communications of the AT&T customers, businesses and third parties whose communications were routed through AT&T's network, as well as telephone calls routed via the Internet". But the case was dismissed and to this day if ATT and the NSA consider us suspects they have warantless access to our daytime and nocturnal transmissions.

In the beginning of our democracy we were protected by the Bill of rights and the 4^th amendment which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures , along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. But this lofty ideal has been whittled away ever so diligently by our previous presidents, and the current one has done nothing to restore privacy in any way.

Privacy is a thing of the past especially at airport security. Not only does the TSA rifle through our sex toys, prescriptions and valuables in our luggage, but now they have the right to look through our clothes, under our underwear and even through our skin. At this point we still have the option to opt out, but that gets you a public molestation which is humiliating and ineffective.

Take me for instance. I have an extremely large bosom. And although I’ve been felt up a number of times by TSA agents, they never really get under my breasts. Let’s assume it’s modesty, or perhaps ignorance about how much storage space is available to me. I know that if I want to smuggle a small child on the plane I could.

But here’s my point; Flying in a plane, Using a social network, or texting on a cell phone is a choice that some of us make in spite of the risk. But when it comes to installation smart meters it appears we have no choice. It is the intention of PGE as an agent of the PUC with the help of a company known as Wellington to install smart meters against the will of the people in California and in our case in direct violation of the decision of the Mendocino Board of Supervisors to Ban these meters. In fact it is also in violation of the Precautionary principle that as a county we also put into effect especially when it comes to health threats, the kind that have been documented in coordination with the installation of electronic meters.

These meters are designed to hook up with our smart appliances. Yes, the ones that I bought thinking I was being responsible and more energy efficient. Yet, it was all a precursor to this. Smart Meters use A remote electromagnetic frequency that zaps our nervous system and watches over our appliances and electric usage, reporting back to PG&E information about our private lives

On the other hand with all our nifty devices we are watching them too. We are recording, downloading, sharing, organizing and getting our communities and attorneys in gear.

Just watch us.

We declare Sovereignty

2011-07-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

As we see the August 2nd deadline looming and the two parties feuding regarding the US debt ceiling we realize that our government is not so much in the business of conducting business, but in the business of waste, lies obfuscations, and destruction of the lives of Americans and immigrants who have worked so hard to make this country a beautiful productive and successful place. For it is on the backs of these working people that the billionaires have made their fortunes and incurred this unfathomable debt. This fact is never mentioned when discussing taxing the rich and that without the poor there would be no rich and without the wars there would be little debt. I have said, a general strike would be an excellent tonic for this nation Like they do in Europe the working class comes out in mass and refuses to participate and hold up the crumbling infrastructure if even for a day. For until then, mass consciousness will remain mired in the thinking that power is in the hands of the few rather than the many because in truth without us they are nothing.

We discussed these very urgent issues last week in syncopation with the 4^th of July celebrations at the Mendopendence conference. Local folks gathered a the Mendocino recreation center in response to a call from the new director of the Mendocino Environmental Center Justin Calvino and his co-worker Sarah Bodnar in an effort to define and declare sovereignty. Much of the panel discussions over the weekend focused on the very question "What is Sovereignty?" The most common definition was “control over local resources, including media, education, energy, food, security, jobs, and health”. We have long relied on the federal government to provide us these things and at the same time we are subject to their mood swings and strange unpredictable behaviors.

Let’s take health care for example. For so long we have been begging the government to provide us with Universal health care and what we got was not. I know there have been “improvements” like the fact that insurance providers can no longer deny coverage to a patient with preexisting conditions or the fact that you can keep your children on your policy until they are 26, bravo. But how much does it cost us and what kind of health care are they providing? Well, we rank 38^th in care in the world behind Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, etc. Most people I know that find themselves in the maze of American Healthcare get a lot sicker before they get better, if they ever get better.

In a state of sovereignty we create a local system of healthcare that sustains our health and prevents disease rather than being dependent on a system tends to be dangerous and near collapse. We have a treasure of natural remedies and herbs growing wild here in Mendocino County that could keep a majority of us in good health for a long time. Last week on Holistic Healing Perspectives we were informed about Kangen water systems that transform our water from an acidic or neutral PH to a Base PH. Listeners chimed in on how miraculously the water changed their lives for the better. Marijuana, is a locally grown medicine and is also a proven anti depressant and pain manager. From the sea we have a valuable resource in iodine rich seaweed a definite protection against free floating radiation.

In fared Saunas are also a huge health benefit and relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia, arthritis, high blood pressure, and many other ailments. Sovereignty advises that we as a community invest in this kind of infrastructure.

We discussed the power grid and a way to generate our own electricity from the Sun, wind and perhaps biomass. As we see the unemployment rate climb we need ask ourselves what kind of industries can we create? What are our assets? What are our talents? For it is not the government or the billionaires that will provide it is we, ourselves.

Of course I dream of President Obama walking out to that bully pulpit to announce a new WPA works progress administration like the one created in 1939 by FDR employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects,^[1] including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. It fed children and redistributed food, clothing, and housing. Almost every community in the United States had a park, bridge or school constructed by the agency, which especially benefited rural and Western areas. Yes, that would be on the heels of him writing an executive order rescinding all tax breaks for anyone who makes over a million dollars a year a removing subsides for things like 126 million dollars from the Horse racing industry. 3 billion in irrigation subsides that provide our nations fast food French fries, or making a change in the the Mining Law of 1872, which regulates the extraction of hardrock minerals Since 1872, land and mineral values have risen considerably.. Between $2 billion and $4 billion worth of royalty-free minerals are extracted each year from public lands, it estimates. But I fear Mr. Obama will do no such thing. He appears to be another puppet on a string. The time has come my friends for us to claim sovereignty and you can do so at the mendopendence website.www.mendopendence.com'

Banning the Rainbow

2011-06-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

June is gay pride month. I am so proud to be a Married Lesbian. I look forward to my other Gay brothers and sisters around the country and the world having that civil right any day now.

Diversity celebrations begin and rainbow parades are paramount from San Francisco to Amsterdam and many other cities and countries in between. Unfortunately there are those who would rain on our parade. Yesterday, In Croatia an angry mob of 10,000 descended on tiny pride parade of 200.

In Ontario Canada, A Catholic School has banned rainbows in opposition to students celebrating diversity at their school. No scary rainbows. Rainbows can make you gay.

I know it’s absurd, but people are very frightened of Gay. Tracy Morgan of 30 Rock Fame joked in Tennessee over the weekend that If his child were gay he would kill him.

There’s the vast amounts of vitriolic banter from the right wing fundamentalists, like Mike Huckabee, that suggest it is also acceptable to kill homosexuals.

Gay teenagers are in terrible danger and we lost some beautiful kids this past year because of bullying and homophobic disease. They claim that our desire to attain the same civil rights and protection status as heterosexuals is ridiculous and shameful. Tennessee has passed a law outlawing even saying the word "Gay" in public school.

At least seven countries in have the death penalty for homosexuality including, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Afghanistan.

We are fighting for the right to stay alive, serve our country, love and marry. We want the right to come out of the closet and feel safe to love, dress, protest, sing, dance and be fabulous. I cannot fathom why that makes people hate us so much or why they think us marrying will affect their lives in anyway?

We are told that marriage is sacred to the heterosexuals. Marriage is between one man and a one woman says the Defense Of Marriage Act signed into law 1996 by Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton? So the bastards that make the laws that discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people violate their own laws that marriage is between a man and a woman, not a man a woman and his prostitute, his secret affair, his staffer, etc, etc, etc. Do you see the injustice? Do you see the insanity? These men who violate the marriage contract of decency, fidelity and trust between a husband and wife are in the business of defining marriage for us.

Let me go on to reference the examples of heterosexual marital behavior we have been subject to just in the last week. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s weiner has been dominating the headlines for the last ten days. We have the sick behavior of Dominick Straus Kahn, Arnold Schwarznegger, John Edwards. They are all just a bunch of weiners. Yes, they who are privileged and able to marry at the drop of a hat, scorn this sacred institution and go impregnate, tweet, grope, fondle, rape and screw with impunity. Lying to our faces. Is that a crime? To me it is.

These men are elected to political office in order to represent the people’s interests. How is it possible for lying, horny, predatory scum like this to make decisions about our rights, our protections when they have absolutely no respect for what they themselves describe as the holiest of institutions.

Marriage is between two people who love each other enough to join their lives together spiritually, physically, financially, emotionally even when the odds against love lasting are astronomical, gay or straight or different races. Marriage is a delicate, balance of giving and receiving, trust and communication. Marriage is about love. If you can find it, you’re one of the lucky ones.

Yesterday, June 12, was Loving Day. It honors the 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia which ended interracial marriage bans in 16 states. I’m so happy that happened during Gay Pride month and that Richard Loving won and was able to marry Mildred Jeter.

There will come a time when the Supreme court will decide that Homosexuals are equal under the law. Tell then, no matter what the hateful, closeted, latent, homophobic religious leaders, celebrities, politicians do to destroy, oppress, threaten, deny us our lives and happiness we will continue live, thrive, entertain and decorate this world with all the style, flair, optimism, flamboyance we can muster with Rainbows, lots of rainbows.

Climate Changed

2011-06-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Mendocino Film Festival for an excellent offering of an independent, inspiring and educational visionary feast attracting a huge turn out that filled up the town coffers, hotels, restaurants, and spirits.

Luckily, the strange weather we're having didn't interfere with the festival unlike dozens of other outdoor venues that didn't take into account the fact that the climate has changed. I know we always talk about climate change but I think we can all agree something has definitely CHANGED.

When it's raining we as a species naturally migrate to the theater. Whether it be movie or live, we thrive in the dark chamber tucked in with our clan, a frosty or hot drink, a pastry and or the traditional buttered popcorn.

Sheba and I flew to New York last week to indulge ourselves in Broadway theater as a birthday present to me. We headed to my motherland to celebrate my 51st year here on earth. Talk about change honey, When I was a kid in NYC, Times Square was a Den of inequity. Prostitutes, drug addicts, a lot of crime. Today it is a sparkly clean Megawattage metropolis blasting beams of 50 story high digital images and eye candy including the Hershey Chocolate Cathedral catty corner to the M&M Emporium, and the Disney Store.

We stayed on 49th and Broadway at the Mayfair a classic old hotel , next to the Eugene O'neill theater, where we could see the Actor's church, St Malarky's from our window. Sheba had made a substantial pledge to KZYX and we received the premium of Dinner and a show with Amy Goodman which was our original motivation to go east.

The show was of course, Democracy Now! and dinner well, Amy was uber busy and so we had to take a rain check on that. We did, however, get to go to her new studio at 7:45 am in the Chelsea district. We got to say hi and have our picture taken with Ms. Goodman, but with pitching for pledge drives and the Arab Spring she was spinning in so many directions. You can tell by the speed of her monologues and sign offs, the lady has a lot on her plate.

We sat with other generous donors in the viewing area of the studio with a big screen TV so we could watch all the international video feed. We could see Amy through the glass partition sitting at her round table next to Juan Gonzales and featured guests. (We actually got to ride in the elevator with Juan. He is a very nice guy.)

One of the top stories of the day was the torture and killing of the 13 year old Syrian Boy, Hamsah al Kateeb, as reported by the recently released Al Jazeera Journalist Dorothy Parvaz who had just been released from Iranian Prison. Two intense stories wrapped up into one. These stories were so painfully heartbreaking. Some things never change.

I had to ask myself, how does she do it? How does she carry on day in and out reporting on this insane violence? I know she says, "this is the war and Peace report." But we rarely hear the Peace report. We wanted to hang out with Amy and basically interview her, not about the news, but about her. The first question we wanted to ask, posed by my friend Mickey was, "What do you do for fun?" I hope there's something truly wonderful in Amy's life besides the privilege of being a broadcast journalist.

We wanted to grab her and take her with us to see the Book Of Mormon, the hottest ticket on Broadway. This outrageously funny, irreverent, uplifting musical comedy was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone creators of South Park along with Robert Lopez creator of Avenue Q. If you are familiar with either of these shows you gotta know, there's a lot of cursing, but besides that, this is the most powerful religious and social satire combined with the most fantastic musical score to invade Broadway since I've been going and that's nearly fifty years.

We follow the story of the virtuous egomaniac Elder Price and the simpleton, Elder Cunningham assigned to Uganda for their missionary posts. Naive as well, Mormons, who according to one of 16 pitch perfect Broadway show tunes, "Just Believe" are immediately introduced to the reality of life for the poor people of Uganda where %80 percent of the people have AIDS, female circumcision is rampant,Warlords are killing people at random and their only defense is to dance and raise their voices in thrilling African unity to essentially give God the finger.

The ensuing comedy is scathing, pathetic, obscene and really truly funny. This show has the unique ability to educate audiences about female genital mutilation and bring important focus to the epidemic. I was very impressed. Everyone at the 1st Wed. Matinee where I overheard one woman say she was 91 years old, gave an instant and enthusiastic standing ovation at the final curtain.

I must say that while I did very much love this show, without the obscenities it wouldn't be as funny. It's as though our sense of humor has stalled in the potty stage. When I was growing up, a show like this would never, never make it to the stage. But that's changed now. So it's not just the climate that's changed, it's everything. And while we've been hoping for change, I wish we'd been more specific.

Re-Membering

2011-05-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's Memorial day and we get a three day weekend to commemorate the somber and serious service of men and women under the illusion that killing people is going to solve political problems. I have never found this to be true. Killing people just leads to more war and violence and anyone that tells you different is lying.
We go back on this memorial day to the first anti war poem ever written by a woman name Enheduana in 2000 BC.

You hack everything down in battle
God of War, with your fierce wings
you slave away the land and charge
disguised as a raging storm
growl as a roaring hurricane
yell like a tempest yells
thunder rage roar and drum
expel evil winds
You are blood rushing down a mountain
spirit of hate greed and anger
you decide all fate
You triumph over all our rites
Who can explain why you go on so?

She is already tired of war 4000 years ago lamenting it's eternal reach and habitual presence in her everyday life. So, Is it really possible for us to remember the all the dead soldiers who willingly go to war? Whether it is to make a living, gain money for education, see the world, save civilians, settle an age old gripe or secure an imaginary border.

Every one who has ever taken up arms had a reason to go to war, even if it was as mundane as boredom. Do we remember only their bravery or the war crimes they committed, the lives they ruined? Or do we simply honor their memory and service to their country. It's confusing because, A soldier fighting in Afghanistan is supposedly defending our nation, but for the life of me, I cannot deduce how that serves us. Is it international security? No. Is it financial security? No. Is it defending our spiritually? No. Is there any logical reason ? No. But somehow we all agree on some level that this is acceptable.

Parents allow their kids to go. I know they are 18 and supposedly can make adult choices, but I disagree. I think they are still children and need guidance especially from people who love them.

I would make an exception however, if in fact there was a foreign, or domestic army coming down Albion Ridge Road, where I live. I do see the benefit of taking up arms and defending one's house, just like they are doing in the countries that we have invaded.

How does that make our Military righteous? Some felt righteous as in the case of the Kaiser or Hitler, it gave them a sense of pride, patriotism, and purpose going after these really bad guys. Innocent people in villages , animals and trees were just casualties along the way. Nobody planned it that way. Battles don't really take place on the battle field anymore.

And it could happen anywhere anytime a stray bullet may find its way to your door and not even have the courtesy to knock. When I even start to consider all the dead soldiers from all the wars I just want to cry my eyes out. Here are some statistics. According to the Washington Post 6,013 soldiers have died in the Iraq/Afghan wars. 500 hundred soldiers in the Gulf war, Vietnam, over 58,168. WWII 41,000. I'll stop there. ouch.

So today we are charged with the duty of remembering. the root of that word meaning to put back together as opposed to dismembering, which is what war does. It's a big job to remember just one person let alone hundreds, thousands. Let's put Sgt. Jesus Rodriguez back together after he was blown to bits by an IED.

Everybody called him Chewy. Last November, He was just walking on patrol with a buddy, they had been looking out for each other for the last 9 months since they were reassigned to Anbar Province. They had a Rat scouting in the field but the rat got distracted. Just that morning Chewt was skyeping with his kids sending them ridiculous stretchy faces on the I-photo. They were all laughing and making promises of a bright future. We remember him 8 years ago, falling in love with his wife, Rachel in High School Biology class and before that, going to school, not doing getting the best grades, but exiling in Chorus with his clear soprano. We remember him well, the youngest of three. Lil brother. The day he was born his father planted a olive tree. His mother almost died after a hard labor, but just having Jose in her arms would revive her. She loved him and kept him in her bed. She was the light in his life.

If we do this for each solider we've lost over only the last two or three wars. Remember each one, put them back into their lives. We will have a whole let of remembering to do, we just may forget about making war and remember why we were born.

Close But No Cigar

2011-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

We’ll here we are again. Luckily, this time, we avoided the Terrible rapture predicted by The Oh so righteous fundamentalist Fred Camping on Family radio.com. There are some who did experience Rapture like consequences in the guise of a 200 mph tornado in Joplin Mo and to them we must say farewell. This was followed by the dramatic volcanic eruption in Iceland, again. I would say the end is near but it’s not about weird winged creatures coming from the sky. It’s mother nature cleaning house. It’s going to be a wild ride.

I was actually down at Rapture Central on May 21^st to see if the devoted flock would be standing ready at the gates of the Oakland airport, because that’s where the radio station is on Hegenberger Ave. All I found in the parking lot around noon was a crazy right wing spoof group excited for the arrival of Jesus, a reporter from the SF Chronicle and a Minister of a nearby church who had his car smothered in bumper stickers from hood to hatchback.

One stood out in particular. Gay = Pervert. I asked him if he had a sticker that said Priest = pervert. He began to rattle off the strangest statistics I’ve ever heard. The first that proportionately because there are only %2 gay people in the US and 98% hetero that the small amount of pedophiles in the gay population are greater that the large amount in the straight population because of the size of the group. Go figure.

He also told me that most violence against gay people is gay on gay. Butches against dykes. I had to laugh. I told him, being of the Lesbian persuasion myself that I assured him that this was misinformation because in Gay linguistics, Butch’s are dykes. He said, “No, they’re not.” He also told me the origin of the word Gay was “Going after youth”. I said, “No, Gay means Happy.”

He clenched his fist to tell me how public school and the left wing media are crushing the souls of our children by legitimizing homosexuality and while he disagreed with the whole rapture prediction and was there to protest, he did feel like our society was going to hell in a hand basket because of the liberal homo agenda.

He also was absolutely positive that Global warming was a hoax. He believed that we are about to be enslaved controlled by some power mad corporate elite. That is the one thing that we agreed on. The corporations are taking over the world. I took that as a good sign. We had something in common. I pointed that out and we shook hands. I wished him luck and hoped he would find love in his Christian heart for all people one day.

With no rapture in sight nor anyone from Family Radio, I had the option to run over to Oakland for the Atheists’ convention or go to Berkeley and see the New Tom Shadyiak film I AM. I opted for the later, feeling like, if we are going to Rapture this evening at 6PM as predicted, I want to enjoy my own religious experience aligned with my divine belief system that underneath it all, everything is beautiful. I also thought if I ran into Jesus anywhere in the Bay Area it would be in Berkeley. In fact, I thought I saw him on Telegraph Ave, but he denied it. I thought everyone would be looking for Jesus. But they were busy shopping and dining.

Tom Shadyac is the Director of the Bruce Almighty and the Ace Ventura movies starring the putty faced Jim Carrey. Funny comedies, on the disgusting side, but I laughed a lot when Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura 2 looked like he was being birthed by a Rhino. Hilarious!

After a terrible bike accident that resulted in severe brain trauma that nearly killed him, Shadyac reexamined his purpose and was reborn with a mission to contribute something really productive, healthy and important to the cultural table. The film I AM is his offering. The documentary asks the questions; "What is wrong with the world and How can we fix it?" He poses this dilemma to a variety of scientists, historians, philosophers and the like including, Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Lynn Mctaggert, author of the Intention experiment and a vast array of other movers and dreamers. It is not hard to express that the most threatening issues we face or a result of profit and greed, just like the preacher man said.

The interview subjects begin by questioning the premise that Human beings are competitive. We are born under that pretense and we are thrust into the classroom, the marketplace, stadium, and warzone with that paradigm as a given. After deeper investigation it becomes apparent that while we may have the competition genome we are also gifted with the cooperative gene and if we are reared with that intention supported by a society that thrives on cooperation we could and will change the world and make it a safer, better, richer, more beautiful place. Because in lieu of the rapture and the forecasting of end times, we find ourselves at a cross roads my friends. We now have glorious opportunity to recast ourselves as companions, allies and friends. We always see that especially when disaster strikes, our innate response is to safe lives even of strangers and enemies. To me this speaks of basic human nature if given the pertinent information and opportunity.

And yes, In I AM, underneath it all they scientifically prove, at least in my mind, that we are all connected, we are all one. So that angry preacher man in the parking lot is me and the best way to convert him, so to speak, is to treat him with such love and appreciation that he is healed from the smile on my face and the warmth of my handshake. Close, but no cigar.

Go to Hell Shell

2011-05-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

There are endless things for me to rave and rant about today, like the fact that a woman is raped every minute in the Congo, or a young girl is infibulated her organs of sexual pleasure are removed), or that Bin Laden is dead yet we are still waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Then there's the ridiculous parade of republican clowns climbing out of the little red car and honking their annoying horns making obscene gestures like a some sick side show. Unions are being stripped of their rights for collective bargaining.

Did you get to see or hear about the Finance Committee hearings on May 12th for the Oilygarchs?

Get this:
The 5 largest oil companies Shell, Chevron, BP America, Conoco Phillips, and Exxon Mobile made 35 billion dollars profit in the first quarter of 2011. Democratic Chairman of the committee, Max Baucus presided over the Senate hearings on May 12th for these big boys to ask whether 2.1 billion dollars in subsides is appropriate under present circumstances. With those unprecedented Profits, admittedly not invested in research and development, but rather distributed as stock buybacks and dividends, it seems that it is...inappropriate. The CEO from Chevron was asked a simple yes or no question by Senator Schumer; "Are oil subsides more important than medicare for the elderly or education for our children?"
The very long answer did not contain either a yes or no.

Why does there have to be a hearing at all?. Why doesn't the Government say, "No more." and simply write a law that ends all government subsides for Oil Company's. The can have loans if they need it, but no free lunch. That's it.

They don't have hearings to ask seniors how they feel about having medicare cuts. They hear from no university students testifying to their right to have Pell grants, and access to education. But, these bleached and bloated white men have the favor of the highest authorities in the land. And still they lament that if they don't receive these vital subsides, well, they could go out of business.

Seven billion dollar profit for each company is not enough. The chairman of Conoco Phillips thinks it's downright un-american to even suggest that subsides be taken from them. These five rich white men sitting before the Senate Finance committee had not one grain of remorse for what they've wrought, compassion, or concern for anyone other then themselves.

I found it entirely astonishing that although the President of BP America was sitting on the Panel, that not one of our esteemed Senators thought to bring up the largest oil leak and disaster in the history of the world. No one mentioned that the Gulf of Mexico is one giant tar ball. No one mentioned the stillborn baby dolphins or dead sea turtles, or the still unknown effects of dispersant Corexit. People are still sick and dying from the negligence, arrogance and incompetence of the Oil companies, and their regulatory agencies.

This year BP had awesome profits and they expect to resume drilling in the Gulf, in fact the Government has already signed off on new drilling permits even though no changes have been made as far a new protections against blowouts and accidents. No one chimed in on the unpaid damages that Exxon still owes from the Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989.

No one mentioned the fact that Chevron has destroyed so many lives and ecosystems in Ecuador that a judge has ruled after 18 year long trial that Chevron has to pay 9 billion dollars in damages. Chevron is appealing that decision. A delegation from Ecuador will be protesting at Chevron Headquarters on May 25th to demand that Chevron pay the relief.

No one mentioned the Nigerian disaster war zone created by Shell.

No one addressed their responsibility for climate change. No one on the finance committee has the intelligence, courage, or information to address these bastards on the crimes against humanity and the planet and Tell them "not only will their subsides be revoked but they will also be ordered to pay for all the cleanup and compensate victims everywhere"

Subsides? How about jail? Evangelicals are telling us that Judgment day is on Saturday. the 21st of May. they say Jesus is coming. Good! I want him to pass judgment on mens deeds and we can finally get answers to these questions:

" Would Jesus condone obscene profits or humble prophets?"
"Who Would Jesus Bomb?"
" Who would Jesus Foreclose upon?"
What would Jesus say about the Poor, The Rich. I can't wait to here it straight from the Savior's mouth. I tell you as far as I know Jesus. He just allright with me.

If the end is near I say it's because these oligarchs delivered us .They are evil and If anyone's should go to hell Next Saturday it should be them.

Mother's Pay

2011-05-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

We had the most marvelous Mother's Day. Our daughters joined forces and created a magnificent eggs Benedict brunch, complete with spinach, local salmon, fresh brewed organic decaf lattes, and chocolate croissants. They showered us with lily , fuchsia, and lavender plants and of course sweet cards with personal sentiments that always makes a mother cry.
The pride and love I feel in my daughters' presence is unparalleled. The fact that they came from my body makes it ever more poignant and miraculous. I with a little help from their father created these brilliant beautiful creatures and they are a true representation of my purpose here on earth. Though I try to teach them all I know about the world and it's severity and wonders, they are in fact, my teachers.
With casual ease they dismantle my ego and highlight the lessons in life that I still have to master/ or should I say mother. Patience and trust being uppermost on that list.

My mother, may she rest in peace, told me that once you give birth to children, they are on their own path, even if they die. Wow. That's a big one. But it's helped me through a lot of serious situations. I realize They have come for to learn particular lessons here and they are given choices to advance into their lives, or stagnate and repeat the karma they were born with.

Tomorrow is Vesak day which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. So it seems auspicious to recognize this truth.

My mother also told me that having a child is like having your heart running around outside your body. I find that to be ultimately true and there are often times when I want to stick them back in there so I am guaranteed their safety and well being, but alas, they are on the loose. When I am afraid, or somehow threatened by their circumstances or behavior I have choices too.

One, I can freak out. Or two; I can trust them and the universe and now ask for the help of my mother is is a certified angel. Once I take this position which I call, surrender, I can function and assist my daughters in a way that is comfortable for them, not just a fulfillment of my agenda. I'm after master's degree, or should I say, Mothers' degree.

Nonetheless, it's full time job. A volunteer position at that. I was fantasizing yesterday about a world where a mother's work is compensated, or a matriarchal economy if you will. Doesn't that just flip your mind out.? Actually getting paid, or at least taken care of for our entire child rearing careers. That's 18 or 20 years depending on the kid.

Let me enlighten you with that vision for a moment. Instead of subsides for Oil and coal industries, financial investments would be made in our children in the form of housing, health and education. Mothers would be responsible for discovering their offspring's' natural talents, skills and abilities and providing, through the subsides, the proper tools and training for it.

Breast milk would be regarded as the most important medicine in a woman's pharmacy and she would be subsidized to share her bounty with the very sick to assist in their healing. Menstrual blood would be the best amendment to any one's garden. Menstrual blood has been used through the ages as an Earth fertilizer par excellence. During planting season, women would plant the seeds and then fertilize the ground with their menstrual blood. And if it were a Matriconomy, you wouldn't say eewww to that. But, hear me out.

There would be a vegetable garden in every yard and at the end of each meal a mother would receive compensation for extra ingredients and the time it took to prepare, serve and clean up.

Payment for Household chores would be allotted on a perdiem basis. And though there would be some form of currency, it would not dominate our existence. There would be no jobs or unemployment, we'd all just make a living

Oh, what a world it would be.

Furthermore, Dreams and oracles like tarot and astrology would have significant influence over decision making processes. All children would learn to sing and dance before they learned to read and write. Beauty would be a different standard. This is A place where teachers are rich and midwives are revered and ritual is as popular as baseball and football. And because of our uncompromised investment in our children they would grow up and be citizens of the world creating art and services that make the planet a better place. And war would cease because no mother would sacrifice her greatest investment for any reason.

This all might be true if the cultures 10,000 years ago had not been destroyed by the rise of war and domination. If this matreconomy were global we would have no child soldiers, no sex slavery, and the mothers in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, the Congo, etc, etc. Would have had a beautiful brunch on mother's day instead of hiding under the bed or running for their lives. Alas, back in the real world, as we sat down to eat yesterday we sent our prayers and strength to these and all mother's who volunteer their entire adult lives for this very worthy cause.

Non-Judgement Day is May 20th

2011-04-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

I had the high honor of being the MC at the Earth Day celebration in San Francisco this past Saturday. As mother of ceremonies it was my job to Shepherd the performers on and off the Gaia,stage while entertaining and enlightening the city folk about the benefits of living on the earth. I couldn't help notice that though we were surrounded by megatons of cement and plastic, right in front of my stage I could see grass poking up through the cracks, green and hopeful as ever. Trees still stood anchored in the ground birds flew gracefully and not one fell from the sky.

I was in the good company of feminist folk singers and activists that have serenaded and romanced mama earth for as long as I can remember and though the general audience was distracted by free samples from Cascadian farms and palm held devices, we had a job to do and we did it. One day we will grace and command the Main Stage at these events honoring our planet.
At first glance one would think we were there to entertain and inform the masses, but upon further scrutiny it became clear we were there for ritual in the name of mother earth. Afia Walking tree, born in Jamaica beat out the tribal rhythms for sacred barefoot dancing,The angelic Operatic aria of Carolluna saturated the city skies.
Joanne Rand belted out her prayer for the redwoods and the Kiowa and buffalo and off her newest CD Rise.
Here's a quote from one of the songs, Bones and All
"I am a woman, wit and will,
And wisdom are my backbone
Steady born, steady still,
All creation’s my home.
There’ll be no stopping hoof or horn,
And all that dies will be reborn, from what I see.
All you strangers hear me say,
There’ll be no stopping corn or grain,
And all that falls shall rise again, from what I see.

She sat in round robin with Kym Mamazon Trippsmith, Megan Mcelroy, and Marca Cassity. of the Raven fame. All of these voices sang out with indomitable spirit, truth, and sometimes fury in the name of Gaia, the Greek work for earth.

I also had the privilege of being on a Womens' Visionary panel. I sat next to Dr. Melanie Nutter Director of San Fransisco's department of the environment advocating controversial remedies such as mandatory composting and a proposal to require pharmaceutical companies to pay for safe disposal of chemical waste.

Delores Huerta was among us, co-founder of the national farmworkers assoc with Cesar Chavez and actually directed the Grape Boycott in 1965. At 80 years old, she has been arrested over 22 times and today she heads the Delores Huerta Foundation for Justice. She is a tireless and brilliant advocate for immigrants, workers, and their children.

Sitting next to Delores was Starhawk. So many of you know her as an author of such great canons of Pagan literature such as the spiral dance, a womanifesto on goddess worship, The Pagan book of Living and Dying and one of my personal favorites, The Fifth Sacred Thing, the story of a future ecotopia that exists in our very own bioregion on the verge of invasion by the "Stewards" who have exhausted all natural resources and are determined to pillage ours. This book is a must for every earth lover's shelf.
Patti Bellasalma represented Bay Area National organization of women, Amanda Cryer spoke in the name of 1 VOICE WORLD, a collective group of Entertainment professionals that have come together to shift the Entertainment and Media business, Cho cosh ho a oh, Chumash elder, reclaimed the definition of apocalypse to be a lifting of the veil, and rapture as ecstatic joy.
We discussed the importance of women taking on leadership roles as we are witnessing more and more of that in the world we encouraged each other and the audience to seek political offices as Ms. Nutter has and change the systems from within.
I then had the opportunity as Ma, the great Jewish Mother of us to bring much needed laughter to the serious nature of things and heard from the children in the audience they were growing gardens in their urban backyards.
Our stage was also graced by the presence of Riffat Sultana a courageous and talented artist from Pakistan defying her country's laws that prohibit women from singing in public. It was a local, international, spiritual, political,emotional ritual that filled us with optimism, passion and strength for what's to come. Because as we stood our ground in the center of this guzzling,buzzing, frantic metropolis the Armeggeddon truck circled the square and sent out it's minyans with signs forecasting the end of the world, complete with a 2012 in a red circle with a line through it and a date of May 21st as Judgment day, that's 26 days from now. That's when the shift hits the fan. Then god will destroy the world on October 21st. Check out the math for these calculations at family radio. com. It's mind boggling. I could not restrain myself from conversing with one of the protesters decked out in flyers and buttons.
I told her according to my calendar, non-judgment day is May 20th and she was welcome to join us. I said God loves us all no matter what, she said, God hates too. I had to laugh, talk about personification. I realize there is no arguing with someone's belief system or faith. So I asked her if prayer might help change things, she said, "I hope so" I said I do to. Ah common ground. Hope springs eternal. Earth Day Celebrations continue through May 21st in cooperation with "A Billion acts of Green" a world wide movement to make paradise, not just in heaven, but here on earth.

Dead Prez! It's Bigger than Hip Hop

2011-04-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

I've been exploring the outskirts of my comfort zone. I've been hanging with the youth lately,
Last week we accompanied 21 Mendocino high school students including our daughter to Yosemite for Alternative Education week. It was intense and exquisite. I thought we were going on vacation, but this was get up at 630AM followed by a Highly disciplined schedule of exercise and education. I'm still sore. The kids, however, seemed supernatural.
On top of all their physical activities they were determined to have a campfire and enjoy smores as a integral part of their experience in the woods. But with ten feet of snow on the ground, (the basketball hoop was the only an inch or two above the snow) the site manager at Crane Flats did not encourage them. He cautioned them to be realistic. He didn't know who he was dealing with. That would be mendo.
So after four days during which the kids hiked up to the top of Yosemite Falls, crawled through spider caves, snow shoed 3 miles to the giant sequoias and cross country skied 6 young men and four young women picked up their shovels and dug. The night before we left Crane Flat we had a fire pit that was ten feet deep and twenty feet in diameter complete with snow benches and we all enjoyed a nice fire, puffy white marshmallows toasted to perfection squeezed between some chocolate and two graham crackers. The students were proud, so proud and I had a new respect for them and also the desire to spend more time with the kids

So this weekend I attended a production of Hip Hop artists Dead Prez at Crown Hall.
Peace Love and Light Productions offered the concert as an all ages show. I would say we were 13 to 65 years old as I saw a very nice showing of my peers there to get jiggy wit it. The vibe was beautiful and safe. Saturday was a bit like an initiation. An invitation to our youth to step up energetically, politically, artfully. to Make a stand because we have to. There is too much injustice in the world and the authorities/politician tell us we don't have the power to have the lives we dream of while they run off with the gold. The politicians say we can't have smores.

I first heard dead Prez in 2006. their Album Let's Get Free was the kind of Hip Hop that made sense to me. The voices of the oppressed rising up with a raging beat. I sure had a good time dancing my kids and their crew Saturday night. DJ Noah and Facillitator one (Johanna Schulz) rocked the house and Crown hall was overflowing with hoodies and thongs, the fruity scents of Fructis shampoo and ganja. Noyo Roots Crew, Cafe Gratitude. It was a benefit for the MEC and the Noyo food Forest. So in essence Benefiting the whole community and the earth.
M1 and Stic man the rappers from Dead Prez from LA had a lot to say, and a lot of it I couldn't understand, but what I did understand was this. These young men are dazzling performers, one is clean and sober two years and he is totally into fitness and good health and prescribes meditation instead of medication.

They sang out for the workers rights saying "I worked had all my life and I got nothing to show for it". Or the declaration that "too many black men are in cages". Confirmed by Michelle Alexander author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, told an audience at the Pasadena Branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, "More African-American men are in prison or jail, on probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850, before the Civil War began." That's what turned me on to Dead Prez is the way they tell it.
their message is so relevant to us all, especially today

tax day when once again the people being shook down
for money to pay for the things we don't want
The corporations getting off scot free
and the bill comes down to you and to me
GE, Exxon, B of A
how many billions did you make today
While my peeps got to work and slave everyday
we won't work for your wage
how bout we do some trade
That's my rap
You could understand what I'm saying more easily than you might understand Dead Prez, but we can listen better, can we not. Listen to the voices that are kids are listening to. I know I get a huge kick when I Find Bob Dylan,The who, or Pink floyd on my daughter's playlist. I'm glad she has the appreciation of the classics and it is my job to tune into her.

Let us not underestimate the truth and our youth, let us take a journey with them and discover who they are. Let them show us through their strength, resistance, humor, hunger, awkwardness, willingness and grace what the future holds. And may the voices of the oppressed make it to the radio waves and crash against the shore of apathy. And may the youth who enjoy the privileges of life dedicate some time to the less fortunate among us. Pick up a shovel, a hammer and drive that nail. Like Dead Prez says, "let's get free"

The 411

2011-04-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

The 4-11

Yes, that's the date today. Information day.
I went to college at San Diego State, majored in English with a minor in Journalism. I was taught that the most important obligation in joining the ranks of the esteemed 4th estate is, objectivity. The facts, and nothing but the facts.

In news today we have a plethora of opinionators who funnel facts through a selective sieve and squeeze out the the details that don't align with their agenda. While I chose not to be a journalist, I do enjoy this editorial position. I do not pretend that I report the news I simply comment on it. The news comes to us here at KZYX through the efforts of local reporters here in Mendocino and at our sister station KMUD in Humboldt. We all remember the timber wars brought to us via the silver tones of Annie Esposito, then came the cutting edge of Christine Anistad, (Both now editors of Mendocino Country, the newspaper left to us by our outrageous and beloved Richard Johnson, May he rest in peace), and our most recently retired news director Paul Hanson.

At the moment we are looking to fill that precious seat with one who knows us well, who respects and understands the woven history of this county and it's wild, active and restless inhabitants. Someone with a keen curiosity and sharp vocabulary. Are you out there?

It seems as though investigative reporters are an endangered species. The blogosphere has become the popular format of professional and amateur journalists of late and Many on the ground journalists are under fire and die trying to tell the story. Almost 150 journalist were killed since 2009 and many kidnapped. Reporters without Borders do their best to go where the danger is and document, witness and do their best to keep us informed. It's terribly courageous to tell the truth these days.

Just think about Bradley Manning who, as we speak, sits in solitary confinement subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, still only accused of leaking vital news information, or Julian Assange who brings us Wikileaks. Straight from the horses mouth, or should I say ass. Journalists in Mexico killed for reporting on the drug wars. Pakistani reporters are extremely vulnerable right now, 11 killed since April. And many may remember the killing of Spanish Journalists at the Palestine Hotel in Iraq when the war was first getting under way. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl beheaded by Al Queda. CNN's Anderson Cooper beaten in Egypt. Yes, it takes courage.

This radio station brings you Amy Goodman, Free Speech radio News, NPR, comity news, Alternative Radio, TUC. Jounalists from Maria Gallarding to Mitch Jesowitz, to Cyntyhia Elkins bring you as much information from those who are directly affected by current events. Amy Goodman's producer, Sharif Abdul Kaduz, present in Tahrir square, during the Egyptian revolution.

Then there's me, not a reporter, but doing my best to bring the 411 from the Elders, the seekers, the solution makers, the grandmothers, the dreamers. Good news and honest discussion that reminds you of your own responsibilities and roles to change the world and make it a better place.

Of late we have the phenomenon of TMI, shorthand for Too much information. like posting how your fart smelled when you first woke up this morning. Sometimes I get that feeling when I'm surfing the WWW. There's just to damn much information and people including myself can get tangled in the web and then have the blood sucked out of us by the spiders of doom, despair and disaster. Or we spun out on stupid silly strings, or get hooked on the fangs of Facebook, but here on the radio, it's like a companion, a friend, a very smart, focused friend, with a balance of information and entertainment. A friend that gives us the 411 and then sings us the sweetest songs to soothe the savage beast, stories that make us laugh, human voices, flaws and all. familiar voices that we have built a mutual trust with and when the shift hits the fan, will be there as long as the transmitters stay up. Hey, I'm not saying that this radio station is perfect, I'm saying it provides the 411 that I need, the most succinct, present, local, global, vital information that we can get. I hope the next news director understands and appreciates the timing here.

As we turn to face 2012 and that they deliver the news and information with a clear intelligent mind and integrity bringing us basic facts and current events. And leave the editorializing to me.

Sick and Tired

2011-04-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

The winds of change are mighty. Yes, Change is coming to the USA. The people are sick and tired. The workers are sick and tired. The families are sick and tired and
April is here. Ah spring, spring and Taxes. We are all getting ready to do our Civic duty and sift through all our crumpled receipts, fill in all forms and pay our taxes.
Woe is we.
It's stressful to think out of what little we have we have to pay more into a system that basically chews us up and spits us out. They waste our precious money on War after war and never have any left over for our basic needs, like education, health, and sustainable living. Many who are traditionally employed already have these taxes taken out of their weekly paycheck.

If you make a living wage, say $20 an hour and you work a 40 hour week That's $800 before taxes. that's 3,200 a month before taxes. Say, you take %30 in taxes that leaves about 2,400 for the month. It's super tight for one person, stressful for two and I'd say impossible for a family. And how many really make a living wage?

Now, let's look at the Corporation like Exxon who in 2009 made a profit of 19 billion dollars, paid no taxes and got a 156 million dollar refund. So not only do they make a ginormous profit, but they are rewarded a tax rebate because the IRS thinks 19 billion dollars, plus government subsides in the millions, is not enough. Exxon is also responsible for environmental disasters, for spending millions of dollars for junk science on climate change and they refuse to pay the remaining 4.5 billion dollars for the Exxon Valdez Spill oh so many years ago. Exxon tops the list of worst corporate tax evaders.

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Saunders was kind enough to put together of the 10 most offensive Corporations evading their taxes. You know who they are by now, Exxon, GE, Bank Of American, Goldman Sachs. The ones that rape and pillage the world and it's inhabitants and were bailed out by us the "taxpayers" to the tune of 800 billion dollars. Because without that bold move, the they gave dire warning that entire US economy would have crashed. We haven't been the same since.

And the reason, the far right tells us, the depression lingers on is because of the collective bargaining rights and benefits for the teachers, the firefighters, police officers, the nurses, plumbers,service employees, garbage collectors, dockworkers, electricians, truck drivers. The workers have to anti up.

Wall Street stole our money,hedged their bets, lost it somewhere, we still don't know where all our savings, investments pension funds went to, but no one feels the need to explain it. No one except Michael Moore in his film, Capitalism, a love story. It's pornography really.

The new Republican assemblies and governors are adding insult to injury by stripping the working class of their civil rights of collective bargaining. Governors are telling these folks to take pay cuts, contribute more for health care and shut the hell up while the Federal government continues to subsidize ,reimburse and continue tax cuts for the rich and infamous who feel none of the pain of this economically treacherous era we are shackled to.

The uprisings in Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan in the face of such hubris and arrogance is exciting. I say Bravo! What a thrill it would be to see President Obama show up to one of these states and speak to the history, value, bravery, courage and necessity of American workers and the unions that protect them.

This was the middle class and now they are hanging like a chad. They are The ones he's always going on about, yeah the middle class, His pet. I know he's never talked about the poor, and while paying lip service to the middle class, other wise known as the working class they are tumbling into poverty where we won't have to mention them at all.

Imagine if Mr. Obama took the bully pulpit and made an executive order that until American Corporations and it's Multi Billionaires pay their fair share of taxes, we the American people are excused. None of us will be required to file anything. That's 138 million taxpayers that would not participate in support our own indentured existence. Imagine if we Forget about those credit cards, forget your student loan, Interest on you car payments. forget the debt, until the richest remember theirs.

And while we are at it, how about a general Strike? Yeah, If the state governments feel that all these working people are such a burden and so insignificant their portrait should be removed from the halls of Maine's Labor department to the economy, then let's give them a taste of something strong and bitter.

At least call in sick and tired for a week. No fanfare, no protestors out to get bashed by private security companies, just call in sick, The Wisconsinites have shown us amazing courage and solidarity. Oh, America find your will call in Sick and Tired and let them
empty the bedpans, mop the floors, drive all night,unplug the toilets,make the beds,pick the tomatoes,put out the fires.

Word of the Day

2011-03-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I wandered into the kitchen the other night and saw an apple on the counter. It had been sliced into 8 perfect pieces by a stainless steel apple corer. None of it had been eaten and the core stood upright in the middle, browning from neglect. My daughter walked out of her bedroom with her laptop in hand ready to do some research for her homework. I said, "Is that your Apple Cored?" She said, "I've told you a hundred time this is my apple cord." dangling her AC adapter for her computer. "Yours is longer," she said. I pointed toward the fruit on the counter. I think we laughed for ten minutes. Yes, the apple cored.

The techno digitalization language is ganging up on us and stealing our language and our spelling (who has time to type our the word "are" as in "how are you?") It is my job as founding mother of the Definition Protection League to speak up once again in defense of words and meaning. I use a dictionary as my shield.

As we progress into this unpredictable era of political insanity, climate instability I want to be intimate and respectful with words that have mattered to me very deeply. When I call their names they resonate clearly in mind, like a macintosh which is a kind of a tart crisp apple that grows on a tree and is harvested in the fall or a raincoat made of rubberized cloth.

Let's examine the phrase "I touch". At present this is a gadget with fancy screen that can download a bunch of aps and so on. But when I say "I touch" I mean; With my hand I reach out and feel you, pet my dog, embrace my wife, Hold my daughter's hand.

My cell is not the portable wireless phone that I carry.

My cell is the very smallest unit of living matter. All living things including plants and animals are made up of cells. The cell membrane contains cytoplasm and the nucleus. All humans start life with one cell and through mitosis cells divide and create the living organism. That makes the question, "Where's my cell?" much more interesting.

A web is something that is woven, usually by a spider. Or a liar " Oh what a tangled web we weave." A duck may have webbed feet as well. Some Indigenous natives believe the universe was woven by spiderwoman and we are connected through her web.

A net is a tool used to catch fish, butterflies or crazy people. Some people use one to keep their hair in place especially in the food service industry.

Windows are transparent and made of glass. One uses them to look outside. Whether in a house of a car windows allow you to see what's going on in the immediate world around you. Right now I'm looking out my window at the ocean, the Albion River and a whole lot of eucalyptus tress, red wood and conifers.

Safari is a trip that you go on, usually related to hunting for big game. Some just enjoy seeing the Lions, Elephants, giraffe's and so on and choose to shoot only photographs.

Yahoo! is a term that one uses when one is especially excited especially if you ride horses.

Googol spelled googol is a number that is equal to 1 followed by 100 zeros or 10 to the hundredth power.

Twitter and tweet are what birds do to talk lightly and rapidly, especially of trivial matters.

Blog, Skype, and Reddit are nonsense words

So at this time I want to encourage everyone to remain calm, not .com. Stay in touch with each other, reach out not just on face book, but call on a telephone, have lunch in a restaurant face to face. Then go to your library or local booksellers and get a good book to read. not a kindle(which means start a fire), not something that will no longer exist if if the satellite fails, or the government doesn't like you or mother nature unleashes her forces, that you will still be able to hold it in your hand and sit in the sunshine or by fire light and read.

Oh Yes, and the word of the day today, according to my calendar is "Aflattus" a noun A divine imparting of knowledge and inspiration. If you have a word that needs protection and to be put on the endangered definition list leave a comment here.

H2 uh O

2011-03-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

After last weeks' snow blizzards, sky cracking thunder, wildly rowdy lightening and super full moon we have at last, crossed the threshold of Spring in Mendocino County. The equinox is upon us. Brrrr. Yes the day is lengthening, now in equality with the night. the sun is shining, but the forecast is wet, very wet and cold. The weather seems extreme, out of balance and the birds the last few days have been shouting at me on my daily walks.
"I hear you" I say. The earth is changing quickly. yes, We know it. Brilliant, shocking, terrible, dramatic unquestionably. This is it. Am I prepared for whatever is ahead and the answer is no. My family and I do not have an emergency plan. How to get back together should we have an earthquake or a monster Tsunami and the bridges go down? How many days supplies do we have? Don't know. Do you? If you do great, if not. It's time

I take these triple tragic events in Japan as a major wake up call and I am answering. I know you are too. So much fades in the shadow of these kinds of threats, but at the same time it is essential for me to keep a bright eye on the future. For my sake, my children and my grandchildren and my great grand children if you will.

I'm not trying to scare you. Fear can be very useful when there is something to truly be scared about, but we spend a good deal of time being afraid of what might happen. That can itself bring disaster and self fulfilling prophecy. It's alright to be scared. But don't make stuff up.
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Check your immediate circumstances. How are you? How's your family. Do you have basic needs and services. Is there an imminent threat in your vicinity?
Yes, there is a real concern about a cloud of radiation descending over the west coast. How will we know? I mean it's invisible right?

Americans are hoarding Iodine and taking it as a precaution to radiation exposure. But wait, taking iodine randomly out of fear will make you sick, kind of like radiation poisoning. symptoms of iodine overdose from supplements or medications that exceed one gram can cause a burning sensation in the mouth, stomach and throat, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, weak pulse, diarrhea and coma. There is a simple test one can take to find our if your levels are normal. This is from Home test for iodine deficiency includes taking some iodine and a swab of cotton. You can find tincture iodine in a drugstore. Dip the cotton swab in the tincture iodine and paint a circle in the inner part of your upper arm or the thighs. Once you have done with that, wait for an hour. After an hour if you find that the circle has disappeared, it means that your body is deficient in iodine. However, on the other hand, if the circle remains as it is for at least four hours, it means that the iodine levels are fine. This is one of the easiest self test for iodine deficiency which you can use, but if you are still not sure, you can get a iodine deficiency test done in a laboratory.
Iodine levels are important nuclear fallout or not. Here's the good news:
One of our great local resources, seaweed is the natural food source for iodine. Local Harvesters are in the process of defending their rights to sustainably harvest now with the introduction of the MLPA (Marine Layer Protection Act) (listen to the Universal Perspective Archives for more info on that). These folks have spiritual,long term, respectful relations with our mama ocean and they have been standing up for all of us. There are three seaweed companies on the coast, rising Tide, Mendocino Seaweed Vegetable Co and Ocean Harvest. Each one has been inundated with orders for Wakame, Kombu, as a protection from and detox for radiation. Many of us have been eating sea veggies for years. Don't stop and make sure your kids munch on Sea Crunchies and Nori as often as you can. Little thyroids are most vulnerable to exposure.
We as a community have a real sensitivity to our environment. We know that our water, our air, and soil have been compromised sometimes to the point of toxicity. What can we do when the threats are invisible to the naked eye.
Prayer is strong, millions, even billions are praying right now and the Japanese are receiving and appreciating that.
Is that real action? I mean we can't see prayers, they are invisible. Well, radiation is invisible but it's real. Think of prayers the same way or even stronger. Direct them toward water. As Japanese Scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto has shown us in his studies and his book "Hidden messages in water" prayers for the water changes it's biochemistry, it's physical form . In experiment after experiment, He shows us water molecules respond beautifully to love, appreciation For my equinox ritual I walked in my backwoods and kneeled by the creek, did water prayers. rushing by so clearly and beautifully, thank you water, blessed water, holy water, knowing that this water is the water in the louisiana gulf, the Niger Delta, the Mekong river, the Tigris and Euphrates. And if our positive thoughts effect water that way, why not the air, the earth around us? Let us imagine it is true for all our elements and daily prayers of gratitude, peace, love, understanding, blessings will change molecules.
And you know how much we love this place and the people in it. I know everyone out there cares. Everyone within the sound of my voice cares. That really matters, literally.

See you on the Other Side

2011-03-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Watching and witnessing the devastation in Japan, after New Zealand a few weeks ago and Haiti, which still suffers unimaginable diseases and devastation, I cannot imagine how one goes about recovering and rebuilding. I have a hard enough time cleaning my house. Image after image over the Television and internet shows us that where there were once thriving towns and cities there is now rubble ,back to the beginning. Looking at similar images of Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq I am also left with the sentiment this is the epitome of a world war. War on the people, the trees, the ocean, the skies, the soil, the animals. This has nothing to do with borders and everything to do with life here on this earth. Mama has been very patient with us and even at this very moment. I can go out into my garden and pick some Kale and chard. The plum tree is in bloom and there crocuses and daffodils everywhere I look.

We have been long calling the violent conflicts on the earth, World Wars. There was I and then there was II. But, you know me and my passion for definitions. For in recorded time, I'm talking biblical, there has been one war after another, and a bunch of simultaneous ones as well. In reality what we had were many, many wars between people. A lot of people, but the world herself, stood idly by. She withstood the blasts of dynamite, the gun powder, the smart bombs, the stupid bombs the nuclear bombs, mining, oil drilling and spilling and the recent blowing up of her mountaintops with impunity. Now the time has come that the earth has begun to defend herself and the best way to do that is to undo us.

I have heard the earthquake Tsunami combination while practically destroying the north eastern coast Japan had the impact of several nuclear bombs NASA scientist Richard Gross reported that the earth’s rotation was also affected. Initial estimates show the rotation of the planet has shortened by approximately 1.8 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second), and also shifted Earth’s figure axis by about 6.5 inches. These are not time scales that would be noticeable by people but can be read by satellites, Gross told CBS News
The quake occurred as the Earth's crust ruptured along an area about 250 miles (400 kilometers) long by 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide, as tectonic plates slipped more than 18 meters, said Shengzao Chen, a USGS geophysicist.
What does this mean for us, for our seasons, our magnetic fields or gravitational pull? The intelligence and delicate perfection of this planet gave birth to life. Microscopic and magnificent elements conjoined to create a living system that with our own creative abilities have manifested both the beauty and the beast. But the violent and subtle changes, shifts in the weather, the chemistry, the temperature will undoubtedly lead to chaos and ultimately regeneration after we've blown our circuitry. As John Stewart said at the Rally to Restore Sanity. Time to Turn it down a notch.

There are many who are rejoicing that these are signs of the apocalypse. And there are many more who mourn and grieve the senseless behavior of those in power who for these many years have been ignoring and abusing the power and privilege of living on a planet such as ours. Forever she has provided us with the organic ingredients to create heaven on earth. To ease our existence to energize to accessorize, to gorge ourselves on the precious renewable resources that come with seeds, with cycles, but alas greed, the mortal sin we see has seized the day and practically rendered us powerless. But wait, with her cunning creativity and natural immune system Mama earth has a plan. A plan which preempts any fatal blows, because with a wave or a shake, eruption or flame she can disable any advanced, billion trillion dollar economy, weapons system or government. And if some of us survive we will be reduced to the simple form. The systems of bargaining trade and cooperation. Then rapture returns to it's true definition of beauty that we will be hold in the dark night, the quiet air when all the systems are washed away to sea and are nothing but a memory. So strap in, hang on to each other, it's going to be a wild ride. I hope I see you on the other side.

Till We Outnumber Them...

2011-02-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

According the the pop clock there are 7 billion 905 million 574 thousand 331, 32, 33 of us. Yes, there are a whole hell of a lot of us human beings. Now out of that seven billion, according to luxist.com there are 24 million millionaires. Now if you think of them as the rich and the richer and then add up, their henchmen and thugs that keep them in power, you could probably quadruple that number and will would only have 100 million. And if not all of them are evildoers, jut because they are rich, let's say that a 1/2 of them are decent folks. That only leaves. 50 million really bad guys. that's not very much. The odds are certainly against them. when you think big.

What we are witnessing today, is a global popular revolt against teeny tiny repressive regimes, (with big guns) and even democratically elected administrations that have stolen our money, livelihoods and our dignity.They are completely out of touch with reality and the power of civil society, now known as the social network. It is strong and growing exponentially and even if a nasty despot, or governor wants to shut down the internet, he will also be cutting off his military's and financial systems from being able to function. We are all connected. We are one. Now, Instead of having to rely on phone trees and leaflets, with the click of a button we can reach thousands, millions, and potentially billions in a moment and they will appear as if out of the woodwork to dispose of unwanted dictators and Corporate rapscallions.

This Weekend in Britain social activists invaded forty banks across the country and turned them into day care centers, classrooms,walk in clinics and launderettes to protest austerity measures that are being inflicted on truly hardworking people. (The ones not responsible for the global financial meltdown). International governments in cahoots with The Wall street tycoons have mismanaged our precious resources and treasuries and now are putting the burden on us, instead of the 24 million millionaires and billionaires and the corporations they use as a magic invisible shield under which they pay absolutely no taxes. We're talking Citicorp, Wells Fargo, Exxon,GE and Boeing who paid no taxes last year. That is not only unfair, it doesn't make any sense. The people, who are hungry and very tired of it, say enough is enough.

The success of non-violent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have inspired those in Wisconsin, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Morroco, Iran, and have fueled the fires of Libyans who are dying as we speak to lift the yolk of totalitarianism from their necks. As of this morning the protests have jumped the Atlantic into Central America, Nicaragua has begun online protests, started by a young blogger, because the people as of yet are so afraid of repercussions from the Ortega regime, (financially backed by the murderous Qaddafi) and are gathering strength in numbers before they hit the streets. It's almost impossible to resist the invitation to rise up.

So many are speculating, especially on the mainstream new stations as to what the future holds. How can anybody really predict what will replace the corporate criminals and defunct dynasties. Will it be worse, fascists? extremists? terrorists? But the Egyptian faces that I saw on the cover of Time magazine don't look like they are ready to destroy anything, quite the contrary, they want life and freedom and peace in this world. A lot of these young adults have lived their whole lives in poverty and war zones. It is not conducive to their artistic, creative desires to have a future. They see the futility and it is my assumption that they believe in human rights, not based on nationality, but rather on, existence. and the right to have food, housing, education,sustainable industries, and decent services, including water, electricity, and sewage.

It is particularly the youthful demographic that has up till now defied labels, to become the revolutionary generation mastering the art of text messaging, twittering and facebooking to organize, expose, and blog the night away,

This is what we've been praying for; Self-made, representative democracy, with the help of digital media, made in alliance with the weary militias and worn out police who realize, they are working class too and their budgets are all but busted. They see that the odds are against them and they become bound to the resistance. Whether it's the police in Wisconsin refusing to kick the protesters out of the state capitol building or the army in Tripoli defecting or the Egyptian tanks that did not fire on it's own people.There's something happening here. The people are on the move. Where there is injustice, poverty, and political greed the natives are restless and willing to lay down their lives for the future. They have so much in their favor and what becomes clearer with every tick tock of the population clock, there's more of us than them.

Valentine's Day/All you need is Love

2011-02-15T21:38:00.001-08:00

Ah dear hearts, what a week. Sending out great admiration and appreciation of the Egyptian Revolution overthrowing a corrupt and cruel regime with non-violent tactics, beauty, song and dance and a social networking that one can only dream of.

Revolution on Friday, into Lincoln's Birthday on Saturday and today it's all about the love. My parents are celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary in Heaven It's my brother's 14th wedding anniversary and My wife and I are celebrating our 4th. Romance runs in the family.

I saw the Egyptian revolution as a love thing as well. That popular uprising had so much love and faith and courage. Did you see how they cared and protected each other? Yes, they have triumphed. Watching this unfold over the last three weeks was a privilege and a duty, or as Obama would say "a teachable moment". What did we learn? We learned that there is an exciting youth movement in the world. That young minds adept at cyber communication are using it to advance freedom and democracy all across the Arab world. We learned that even when "they" send in government thugs demonstrators must remain calm and non-violent. We learned that what seems impossible is only so in our minds. The power of collective cooperation is unstoppable.

The underlying causes of the Egyptian revolution were the thirty years of oppression and dictatorship, the immediate cause was the self immolation of a vegetable vendor in Tunisia who set himself on fire in protest of Failed economic policies and hopelessness. this sparked the revolt in Tunisia and spread like wildfire into Egypt. They say Yemen, Iran, Jordan, Algeria and Syria are poised on the precipice of revolution as well. I say huzzah. In'shallah, That means God willing, or Allah willing.

People wonder if the same kind of popular revolt could happen here, what with the unemployment rate, unprecedented foreclosures, food and gas prices going up, the gutting of the US economy by corporate raiders in cahoots with the Feds. People are scared and angry, but the likely hood of a non-violent overthrow of the gov't doesn't seem destined for us. Why? We'll first and foremost one of the key factors to the success of Egypt's revolution was the fact that they were all Egyptians. Egypt is not a "melting Pot" like the U.S. supposedly is. We are not one people.

We don't care for each other or pretend to love each other in America. Class and Racial divisions are dangerous, mean, violent and resentful. The power of unity/similarity like mindedness common ground is essential for that kind of victory. We have nothing like that in this country.

The other extremely obvious difference is that our civilian population is armed to the teeth. 287 million guns. The Egyptians were unarmed. They did have knives and used them for self defense and defending their neighborhoods, business, hospitals and so on. But they did not have a civilian army protected by a 2nd Amendment.

The other key to their success was the alliance of the military, love if you will. That was one of the most moving images coming across the screen of this popular movement; People sitting on tanks sitting in the street and the soldiers being gifted flowers and food. Can you envision that kind of accord here? I don't think so. Americans are estranged,suspicious, polarized and looking for an excuse to blow each others heads off. So what happens next?

We ignite an American revolution of self respect and love, using social networking tools, we search for the ever allusive common ground.. How do we solicit that kind of fundamental transformation. We start with ourselves. Today is a perfect day to fall in love with yourself. Sure send your sweetheart some chocolate, but give yourself some flowers too and a great big hug and lots of kisses. Call your answering machine and leave yourself a message, everything you want to hear and promise to cherish yourself forever. That could be the key to world's liberation. Because we all know Love makes the world go round in a what? In a revolution.

The Winds of Change/Walk Like an Egyptian

2011-02-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

The winds of change are blowing. Do you feel them? It's inevitable, Everything has been stacked so high with little infrastructure, it all must fall. Remember Yertle the Turtle? There is this underlying tense expectation today because we all know on some level that we are experiencing an acceleration of change, a climax if you will, both natural and man made.

And as we look to the East to our Arab and Egyptian Brothers and sisters. What began in Tunisia has blossomed into the most exciting dramatic display of transformation in human revolution and we are so fortunate to be able to witness this catharsis through the power of the internet. Presente!

How beautiful are these Brown faces flashing peace signs, sweeping up trash, singing, dancing. Seeing the women empowered in the street thrilled to express themselves alongside their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. This is a good sign. Until the intervention of the financially backed Pro-Mubarack mobs we were giddy with pride and hope for the actualization of a non-violent revolution organized in the Streets and on Facebook and twitter.

The symbiosis between the social networking and social activism today is a priceless addition to our progress into a promising future. The silent majority are finding the strengths of a medium that can be extra large. Even as the Dictator ship of Egypt tired to disrupt the internet broadcast of the crackdown on non-violent protestors and journalists, images, stories and audio still leaked into our hands. When the say the whole world is watching they are not kidding, not only is the whole world watching the whole world is witnessing and thinking and comparing our own very precarious positions. As it becomes more glaringly obvious that what we have here is a struggle between the World's rich Corporate Governments and the poor.

American people pay the government through taxes, as though they work for us. And they do, but They then spend all our money on a few social programs but a whole hell of a lot on it on things we said not to invest in, like wars and propping up a banking industry. Now they are telling the people who have worked really hard their whole lives they must work a little longer and endure austerity programs as they shred the social fabric. This is True in so many countries. Like the US; Ireland, Greece, Spain, and Britain. Total financial mismanagement. Then their are countries like Tunisia, Iran, Yemen, Like Egypt. Not only have government officials wasted and stolen money, and completely overindulged themselves, but some have oppressed the civil society through brutality,

So the people are idle, nervous, frightened, broke, with not even enough money for food. When people are hungry and there is food on the shelves but the people can't afford it; There's going to be unrest and uprisings.The revolution in Egypt is a direct response.

The Egyptian people are calling for change,yes, but the change in heads of government is not going to provide them with jobs or money or lower food prices. It appears we cannot rely on the patriarchal system of one leader of a government. It's over. There's got to be a better way.

The majority of The people of the world are good. Most have worked their whole lives to provide a home, food, education, safety, but it is the government assisted by the military that have dominated our lives, stripped us of our precious resources and have feathered their own nests while foreclosing on ours.

As I watch the Egyptians in the streets, doing their best to maintain their dignity and exercise their human rights I long for more signs of solidarity ( I'll make one) and decentralized leadership. The Egyptians are saying this, We take better care of each other than our government.

Governments have failed to advance with the times as far as employment They want to rely on Manufacturing, but, it's over. Our earthly resources are entirely depleted not to mention the cultures who sit on top of them. We must accept the end of the industrial age. Now, We have our selves thoroughly planted in the Age of Technology, but what they haven't figured out is how to manufacture new sustainable jobs instead of robotize the ones we have left. We must find a way for a family today to earn a living an survive.

There are two ways I see going; One is back to the small family farms, like the Heifer International Model. Just getting a chicken coop is a bright beginning. And together we could usher in the age community organizing and of recycling. taking all of our manufacturing infrastructure and using it all to remake, recycle. That takes care of employment and our never talked about garbage crisis. (Like taking those trillion plastic water bottles filling them with some pebbles and making musical rattles). We call for an artistic recycling economy, Shift the paradigm. This is not just a solution for us, but for the whole world. Change isn't easy, Whether it be on the economy, climate, human rights, change is coming. So let the winds blow and fill our sails.

God Bless You and Your Children

2011-02-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

The whole world is watching, and tweeting as the people of the Arab world are rising up with relentless energy, courage, and strength. The revolution started in Tunisia on January 5th with the strike of 26 year old vegetable seller, Mohammed Bouazizi's match. May he rest in peace.
He went up in flames followed by the government in Tunisia, now in Egypt, and it looks like Yemen, Algeria and Jordan all have tons of kindling.

Our prayers of protection go out to all who risk their lives to bring change where change wants to come. Few know exactly what that will look like, but they are willing to find out. They are willing to let go of the familiar oppression. same old dictatorship and have that leap of faith. May God Bless and protect them. Or should I say Allah? It's all God right, God in a different language. Still in doing so we speak to a God who is beneficent not vengeful.

And while we constantly ask for God's protection. We see the hand of Man, especially the Man of the United States happily vending the arsenal to put down the people's revolution. Amy Goodman on Democracy Now today reported that the major weapons systems for the Egyptian regime from Tanks to tear gas are provided by the US. You knew that didn't you? You knew that the US is responsible for 30 percent of the worlds ammunitions. Our economy hinges on people killing people. As of this moment while the Egyptian people struggle to liberate themselves from 30 years of dictatorship they are being put down by chemical weapons made in the good old USA. (I remember those non-lethal weapons well from our uprising in Seattle back in 99. Especially the tear gas. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Many of you who have stood up to Big Timber and Big government are familiar with Pepper spray, rubber bullets, sonar weapons made right here at home.) Does God Bless this?
I think of the Presidents SOTU address and every speech that he makes for that matter because it always ends with God Bless America. Does that mean that God should make America stronger than other countries or does it mean safer than others. Does it mean that God should ignore the 194 others or curse them. Does it mean that God will give us the courage and strength to come to our senses and disarm? What is God blessing? The second amendment? Guns. Don't weapons interfere with God's job? Isn't it up to God when we die? Or is it up to General Petreus, Jarrod Loughner, Mark David Chapman or Dylan Klebold?

They say President Obama is about to address gun control in a speech. I look forward to it. Because everyday we see almost a hundred people killed by guns in this country. We see a new rash of police killings too. Michele Bachman may be pleased to know the people are armed and dangerous. Here and abroad. Yes, by this measure, We're number one and growing stronger every day. We need to stem the rising tide. Just a couple of days ago a mother shoots her two teenage kids in their heads because they were mouthy. So it is imperative that we follow the connection between anti-depressants and homicide. The combination of Pharmaceuticals and guns can lead to death. We're talking major side effects here.
Two weeks ago President Obama spoke at a memorial for the victims of the Tucson massacre. I was moved by his compassion and his call for civil discourse and the idea that our country to live up to the expectations and trust held by 9 year old Christina Taylor Green before she was gunned down. Even the first lady composed an open letter to express her feelings about the tragedy in Arizona. And yet neither of them went beyond our borders with their final blessing. How about extending that prayers to the children of the world who are killed on a daily basis? How can they be so empathetic toward one little girl in Tucson and not the thousands of children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Ivory Coast? How 'bout living up to their expectations and calling for an immediate moratorium on the manufacturing and sale of all weapons? While I do appreciate their prayers for the dead and wounded, actions speak louder than words. And If the President is going to invoke the Lord. Perhaps he could say instead of God Bless America. God bless you and your children. That way any one who is listening, Here or across the world, the sane or crazy, will be given a blessing.
Here's a few of my favorites

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

Make Art Not War

2011-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

The opposite of War is not Peace. The opposite of War is Creation. I first heard that quote in a song from the Broadway musical "Rent". It made immediate sense to me. The opposite of war is truce. It is the end of military operations. But after the ravages of war it takes an act of God, congress and all the people to create peace which is a whole other thing.

We exist here, in a virtual, if not superficial peace. We don't see war, but there's the hidden toxic assault in our air and water and then there's our consumption and taxes that do make us complicit. But, What can we do? War seems to be a contagious epidemic, contiguous and amorphous easily adapting to the 21st century. It's got an assault weapons base and I've recently been informed there are close to 300 million guns in the US. Wow, how do you stand up to that? How do we address violence non-violently?

War is more sophisticated,profitable and personal. It still has the random clumsiness of a botched military operation where innocent bystanders are just "collateral damage" Yet, is more unpredictable because it can interrupt a casual Saturday morning shopping trip to Safeway.

I have dreamed and demonstrated for peace for years and years, like many in this listening audience. We've taken frequent trips to Washington DC to express our sentiments, we've marched, called, petitioned and still war drones on manned and unmanned. Peace will come, I believe, when we choose to express our needs through art rather than violence.

In my constant quest for peace I must look into the mirror and while I have not bombed a village, invaded my neighbors house, or put cross hairs over a political rivals coordinates. I still have a war zone inside of me. It is a daily battlefield of emotions that clash with common sense, intelligence, and self discipline. I still react to situations. My anger is ballistic. I am capable and active in my hate. Of course I hate the right things, but still the verb is combative and tends to leak. I have self judgments that reject me and I want to conquer certain behaviors, physical defects, deformities visible and in visible. So I've tried to make peace with all this, especially myself, because this kind of internal warfare doesn't help my marriage or the raising of my teenager, because I tend to blow up the village to save the town. Art is my only way out. Theater is my cure.
I know I am not alone in this and was confirmed again, last week when I saw the MTC's production of Catherine Trieschmann's play, "Crooked" directed by our own, young, innovative and talented Felicia Fratus. It is the story of Laney, a14 year girl, (played sullenly by Alex Scott) and her eternally patient, Mother Elise (Teresa Hurray) who return to Mississippi after the devastating loss of Husband and Father to Mental illness. Laney finds a new friend in Maribel the daughter of the pastor of an evangelical church. Maribel played with languid deliberation by 12 year old Isla Bowery, is convinced that she is suffering from stigmata, the invisible kind. She is the naive catalyst for conflict and redemption in this complex and fascinating landscape of family drama. Crooked examines the war between mother and daughter, believer and non-believer, Educated and Indoctrinated, Truth and lies.

What we are giving is a mirror of our hidden faces and we are not pretty we are amazing ugly lovable monsters. Watching and listening to the scenes between mother and daughter was a stark reflection of my life. And though I am prone to worry and struggle over raising a rebellious child, I had to laugh. And therein lies relief. A moment of peace. Believe me the play is not peaceful, it was loud, angst. It was art. It was a chance for Ms. Trieschmann to reach into her heavy arsenal and send up a flare. It screams, I am here. I have dreams and hopes and rage and I'm going to share them with the world. I am going to make my mark. I will re-create.

So, like Ms. Trieshmann and so many who make our homes in creative paradise, our job is to make the unbearable beautiful, the horrible inspiring, the obscene humorous, Put it into a monologue, a play, a song, a joke, write poetry, play guitar, splash the canvas with paint and use as much red as you. If we all participate that's one way Art will be bigger than War.

I Am A Queen in Honor of Dr. Kings' I Have a Dream speech

2011-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

This was written on the occasion of Martin Luther King's Birthday with respect to his historic speech in Washington.

There comes a time when women get tired
Yes, a woman does get tired
Tired like a Bengal tiger pacing back and forth at the zoo
Tired like the Mama Polar Bear swimming for hours trying to find a little piece of ice
Tired like the Gorilla running from explosions deep in the congo or the Queen Salmon swimmin' upstream to a dry bed.,
There comes a time when exhaustion is an improvement over her weary existence.
A time when sleep is yet another drudgery because her dreams have become nightmares
just a pause in the reality of daylight yet a fragmented imitation of the constant threat of violence and violation
A woman gets tired of the institutionalized degradation she faces simply because she has the physical form of the feminine.
Yes, she is tired. this is not only the struggle of an elderly neighbor, or the young girl studying in high school on our block,
but of a world wide epidemic that infects the very fabric of our woven existence.
It frays the careful stitching that provides the blanket of our lives.
A woman is tired of the unrelenting fist of poverty striking her pregnant belly.
A woman gets tired of being bought and sold, stolen from the life she deserves.
She is tired of being skewered and flayed at the rough hands of dangerous armies, she is tired of being thrown on the funeral pyre,
Stoned to death in the municipal stadium at halftime, yes, she is tired of being owned, possessed, enslaved by cruel husbands that shroud her in darkness even in the early morning light.
She holds a secret longing beneath of burqa that she will one day walk freely, dance in the street, sing out loud and adorn her silky flesh with satin and lace and declare
I am a Queen.
You will bow down for I am a Queen.
I am initiated as the maiden, go on to bare my children as the mother,
but before I am set before the hearth to cloak myself in memory.
I will claim sovereignty over me.
For I am a Queen.
The seasons have brought me to Brilliant Autumn of my life and I know that I have survived the lofty pain and sacrifice of childbirth.
Though much time has passed I will not be relegated to to your divorced, sexless, disease ridden, abyss.
Where I am called displaced,widowed, sentenced to an empty nest.
My nest is warm and feathered with the magnificient plumes of the Pheasant and even the down of the humble chicken
There are over 60 million women in America who are rowing in this same boat.
We are not priviledged by our color, or station, we remain subjective, objectified and judged by the carriage of our bosom beyond the quality of our mind or soul.
Yet together, We are the ones who will change the world.
We are ready to come together and outlaw the behavioral of Fraternities of a secret brotherhoods that would Rape a woman and then confine her in a shipping container and deny any wrongdoing
There will come a time when the WORD of all women will be heard even if they whisper from the highest mountain top.
Justice will strain her ears to listen and compensate for what cannot be compensated.
There will come a time, when a woman will no longer look over her shoulder in fear,
run for her life
hide her children
and she will rise to a stunning power
that is her birthright. For she is the Creator.
How do I know this?
because I am a queen.
I am a queen and I know that all women who have carried life in their wombs,
all women who have endured the loveless marriage,
all women who have raised children only to lose them to despair or the ravages of war,
all women who have suffered the loss of their own mother and father
who have separated from their husbands, who
have lost their jobs, or house, or a breast or her very womb.
have come to a time of life when they sit upon the thrown of experience,
of passion, of grief, of knowledge, understanding, forgiveness, of patience, of beauty beyond the recipe dispensed on the magazine racks of America.
Some may think this time is a Renassaince for women to excel in the marketplace, the opportunities our mothers would never dream of.
Yes, there is something within our reach though
It is not the happy meal of the corporation that we will feast upon,
but the poetry of our existence, the force of our very nature,
the sustenance of our organic harvest,
the laughter distilled of our tragedies and passionate pleasures that roll down our thighs like a mighty river after the damn has broken.
I am a Queen and I know that one day All Women will eat the true fruits of our labor leaving a taste fragrant and sweet
delighting our bitter tongues.
We will sit upon our thrones and bathe in respect and glory and be sanctified in the power That God almighty has granted us to give birth to a new day.
I am a Queen.

A moment of Silence

2011-01-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

The president of the US asked the entire country for a moment of silence today in response to Saturday's massacre outside the Safeway in Tucson, Arizona. The target, Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords now fights for her life, 6 yet others are dead. A federal judge, a loving husband, a little girl named Christina- Taylor Green among others.

As most of you probably know by now. Ms. Giffords was one of the members of congress on Sarah Palins "Hit List" a map of 20 congressional representatives that Palin wanted gone and emphasized that desire with emblazoned cross hairs over their districts on a map. 18 were ousted in the last election, that left two on the list. Giffords was one of them.

Some believe that hate speech leads to murder. Given that one may deduce a clear connection between Michele Bachmann's call to arms, Sarah Palin's hit list, Sharon Angle's suggestion that it is a good idea to shoot your opponent to death if you lose an election, and so on, with the Tucson Massacre, it might be a good idea to make that kind of hate-mongering activity illegal. Robert Brady is moving on that: the Democrat from-Pennsylvania, said he will introduce legislation making it a federal crime for a person to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a Member of Congress or federal official source. I will ask my representatives to extend that legislation to us all.

The truth is that everyday thousands dies. A lot of them are children, innocent people, and animals, whether it is through the madness of war, the starvation of poverty. Habitat destruction, chemical toxicity,The suicide of the hopeless, the ravages of disease, or the senseless random violence that devours our lives on a daily basis. It is time to turn the tides.

It is particularly on these occasions I take refuge in the bosom of our gentle habitat. sitting on the coast at Todd Point with our grandson,this past week in the warm sunshine watching the whales passion' through was a divine opportunity. This act illicits a state of reverence for life to which we are all invited. It's the connection that I spoke about while in Costa Rica with the crazy monkeys waking us up in the morning. It is the feeling that I'm part of this world. I am connected to all this.

When the birds starting falling from the sky on new years eve and continued all through the week, Starlings, grackles, red winged black birds, honey eaters, and tutle doves in Italy. My empathy meter flew off the charts. I was devastated brought to my knees in sorrow. I need now also acknowledge the death of two million fish in Chesapeake bay. 40,000 velvet crabs. Tons of bird and Fish death from Sweden, Kentucky, Britain, Brazil, New Zealand.

So far There are no logical explanation for these die offs. What are the reasons? you may wonder as do I, why we are not as obsessed with the untimely death and perhaps murder of massive wildlife as we are the murder of a few people. Some theorize that birds were scared to death, they were stressed out, they were hungry, it might have been cell towers, fireworks. As far as the birds falling down dead in Brooklyn and Queens,, we were told, "There were too many and were fed poisoned seed by the USDA".

There is a the theory that the death of the Arkansas red wing blackbirds was caused by the great boom of fireworks at midnight. Then there's hushed up news that the little Rock Air Force base was testing a chemical dispersant called phosgene and may have accidentally released it into the atmosphere on a test flight. (Coincidentally the Base has been shut down as of today). No one has mentioned the possible connection to the BP oil spill and the dispersant use Corexit that by now has evaporated into the sky and may now be death raining down.

Of course the major news media completely tracked the Arizona story all day and night and continue to investigate motive and impact on our culture.

Yet, There was little press coverage of the deaths of so many innocent creatures, Most went on with their daily lives without a pause. But, what if it were 2 million people instead of fish that washed up on shore, Or 5,000 folks that fell from the sky. or the USDA had put out poison spinach patches to thin our herd.

Is it true that we do not value the lives of these innocent creatures? We write it off to a general die off that is just part of nature. This is an arrogant stance that removes us from the reality of the web of life. We are so obsessed with the world wide web but not the reality of the web of life. It is a sad reflection on the consciousness of the human race when we have no reverence for the life around us. To think that we are immune from the implications of these dramatic events leaves us more vulnerable than ever.

Perhaps this is our pivot. Where we, in our moment of silence, as a nation, recognize cause and effect. Where we examine our cultural tendencies toward violent or poisonous solutions to political, philosophical, environmental and emotional disagreements. While I appreciate the President's call for a moment of silence. For all we have lost, sacrificed, wasted of precious life, we could all use a serious and thorough period of national mourning to truly digest, reflect and reconsider. For now, I think black arm bands are in order.

A New Years Toast

2011-01-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

I am deeply aware of the omens, the symbolism in the world especially around the New Year.

The first image that came to me on January 1st was the swearing in of the New President of Brazil Dilma Rouseff, the ex Marxist Guerrilla, imprisoned and tortured for years, now the President of one of the largest countries and economies in the world. I thought to myself this is going to be a good year for women in their prime. I'm glad I'm one.

There are more women than ever in powerful positions in the world and I am thrilled at their success and pray it continue and multiply. The largest demographic in the world today are women 50 - 75 years old. We are the missing chapter in this ever unfolding story. Women of our age have been largely ignored throughout history, dismissed, invisible, unimportant. Of late we have been branded with menopausal angst or ennui, empty nest syndrome, sometimes losing our 20+ year marriages, children leave home, go off to college. and we are often epitomized as abandoned, sexless, unattractive, old. Yet, in fact we are in our creative and very political prime.

Though I am not endorsing the likes of Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorna, Sarah Palin, Lisa Murkowski, Hillary. I must say they are dynamic, endlessly energetic, smart, crafty women. It could be the time of our lives. And for the sake of humanity, it better be. We have all heard of The trio of "maiden, mother, crone", the three stages of a woman's life, but there is another side to it.

The queen; the one who is past mother and not yet crone. She is phoenix rising. She is Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Julia Guillard, Prime Minister of Australia. She is Christina Kirchner. She is Laura Chinchilla, president of Costa Rica She is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Angela Merkel of Germany. She is Oprah. She is Amy Goodman. She is Vandana Shiva, Wangari Mathai and Benjamin. She is me. She is you. ,

So, here's to the queen. God save the queen. Smart, fearless, savvy, experienced.

I'm reading the autobiography of the Grandmother of Punk, 62 year old, Patti Smith's, Just Kids. It chronicles her time in New York in the 60's and 70's and her relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe. There is a brilliant quote that seems significant in this way. That the priest humbled in the face of god turned spells into prayers.

In these times it is appropriate for us to return to the casting of spells, the bending and shaping of things in order to preserve them. Calling on our ancient wisdom, or earthy connection to plants, animals and minerals. We can do this individually, collectively, silently or audibly. We will use the laws of nature and attraction to address the common good. The way things are going, in the end women, will rule the world.

We are at a pivot point and It is the feminine who will be our salvation. Our survival instincts are shouting in our faces. It is not a matter of choice, we have come to that fork in the road that is our final destination. As women, mothers, queens, having brought life through our bodies we have an innate compassion for the living and the sustenance there of. With our eyes wide open we see and feel what is going on. Our decisions are based on the safety and survival of our children. What we need is power to make those decisions. It seems that power is at hand.

Men have raped and pillaged this earth and are no longer in control. The weather and the elements are in charge now. We all know it. We don't need a scientist to interpret constant floods, quakes, freak hurricanes. Five thousand birds fell from the sky on new years eve. 100,000 fish died along the Arkansas River. Our path is obvious, It is time for us to rise in power and nurse this aching, dying world back to life. Because this future is dangling precariously before our eyes and though hindsight is 20/20 we can and must see clearly now. Here's to that vision substantiated by a past that requires us to pay a toll in order to cross safely into our future. It is something we do over every bridge. So raise a glass and here's a toast to 2011

Here's to the birds
Here's to the fish in the rivers and seas
here's to the frogs
here's to the bees
Here's to the bears and the wolves and the trees
Here's to the sloth
Here's to the ape
Here's to the chimp
Here's to the whales, and the great manatees
Here's to the dolphins, the crab and the shrimp
Here's to the plankton, the turtles, and the rest
Here's to the reef, the mountain the nest
Here's to the earth, fire water and air
Here's to the people who act like they care.
To all the world a happy healthy new year.

Stay Tuned

2010-12-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here we are on the verge of 2011. Time flies doesn't it? These days are also a very dramatic display of really good story telling, Fortunately, unfortunately, fortunately, unfortunately. Yes, this is a great movie we're in and It feels like we're about to reach a climax. And If these are in fact the last days, well, we came in with a bang so let's go out with a bang.

It is a time of biblical proportions. As evidenced by the extreme weather and the miracles that took place in the US congress last week. In the lame duck session of the 111th congress we saw the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, the passage of the 9/11 responders health care bill, the signing of the SALT treaty, the community radio act, mandating the FCC to issue thousands of licences for lower power FM Jesus Christ! what a Christmas. Even the economic indicators were good when it came to folks spending money.

Right now, I'm looking back on 2010, I suppose you are too. Sometimes we glance over our shoulders, but at times like these we gaze into the past take inventory and know that we are an accumulation of all that has happened. I'm trying to fathom the depths of just the last 360 days, I am flabbergasted at the events in my personal life never mind the rest of the world. The deaths of my dearest dog, and of my mother. Turning 50 years old, The return of my daughter from her world tour, birth of our grandson Sterling. Wow.

Through a global lens we witnessed,The earthquake in Haiti, Floods in Pakistan, escalating violence in Afghanistan, The Thai revolution, the Icelandic Volcano that closed airports all over Northern Europe for two weeks, the BP oil spill (that still sends chills up my spine), the chilean miners rise to fame and great fortune, the ugliness of US mid term elections, riots in Europe over Austerity measures. All stunning extremely emotional events.

The Insane Political behavior almost drove me completely crazy this year. I was most recently outraged when Obama made a deal with the devil and let the Bush Tax cuts extend for two years, but then, we got the SALT treaty, etc and billionaires like Zuckerberg, Bloomberg And 14 Other Pledged To Donate Majority Of Their Fortunes To Charity. Wow, great plot twist.

When I sit in the audience of life I am much more surprised, deeply moved and entertained. Like when I'm listening to Haley Barber wax nostalgic about segregation, I can't help but think of Borat, yes. Or Watching Bernie Sanders ( http://sanders.senate.gov/) filibuster on the Senate Floor against the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts, I remember Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Last week, we left the country and I had the great fortune to find myself immersed in the jungles of Costa Rica. In my movie, I was swinging like Tarzan from vines through the jungle, eating fresh picked pineapple, coconut, drinking coffee flavored with locally grown vanilla. We enjoyed the company of The Costa Rican people who are warm, happy and generous and it became more apparent with each Capuchin monkey that visited our dwelling, or sloth hanging upside down above our heads or toucan flying effortlessly through the palm tress that their connection with the natural world is the reason. They share the earth with its marvelous creatures and they are rewarded with happiness. Their motto is Pura Vida which means Pure life. And though they are not literally "rich" they are stable financially, they are secure in themselves. And Though we may see ourselves as intelligent, successful Americans many are infected with wild ambition, doubt, greed, apathy, consumption and waste, which may not imply a happy ending to our story. Who knows?

So much in Destiny's hands now. We may not be able to significantly change anything to stem the outcome, but the story can still be inspiring, sacred, joyous and positive with every step we take. It is the best of times, It is the worst of times. It is extreme and The sheer magnitude is breathtaking. I'm on the edge of my seat and I Can't wait to see what happens next!.
I want to wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous, sustainable new year.

The Most Wonderful, Awful Time Of the Year

2010-12-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year, It is very beautiful with the all the gift giving and electrifying light displays, but it's also a mixed up, highly emotional, economically challenging and dramatic time and yes it's filled with wonder. We wonder what the heck is going on. Like those Crazy Bush Tax cuts on the verge of being extended, If that doesn't make you wanna holler. I don't know what will.

But let us rejoice for the moment because we've got to do that as well.This is the sixth night of Hannukah, there are two more to go. So Happy Hannukah, It falls on the 25th day of Hebrew month of Kislev, On that day the Macabbean army reclaimed the Temple in Judea from the Syrians and in their rededication, they had to light the eternal lamp, but only had enough oil (olive, I presume) to last one night. The miracle was that the oil lasted 8 days.

For me Hannukah is about being with the family, the delicious anti nutritious food, the singing of songs, lighting candles. The first night I lit the candles by myself and sang the prayer. I closed my eyes and instantly I could see my deceased mother and fathers faces flickering in the candle light and I bawled. It was truly a religious experience. This year I couldn't find the menorah at first, so we had to improvise with a banana which made me laugh hysterically. On the fourth night, after searching high and low we ended up with two menorahs and celebrated with four native americans, 5 Central Americans, 3 agnostics, 2 pagans and one Jew, that was me.

Yesterday, I was completely possessed by the spirit of my mother. I put on a bathrobe that looked remarkably like one of hers, and spent four hours in the kitchen making stuffed cabbage, chopped chicken livers and potato latkes. I got out the old fashioned stand up grater and grated the potatoes and onions by hand, being very careful not to grate my knuckles like I did as kid, helping my mother in the kitchen. And I cried, yeah, those damn onions are a bitch.

It's that time of year for me, Happiness and sorrow colliding into a spontaneous outburst of tears. Like tomorrow, which is Pearl Harbor day, a day that will live in terrible infamy, but the infamy for me is that fact that my daughter was born that day and will be 23. Her terrific beauty and enormous humor is a gift to the whole world and was witnessed by a good chunk of it this past year as she traveled through 12 countries, in her banana suit (w accompanied by her Gorilla friend. The sensation of watching my child mature into a natural comediane and wander happily into the world is a tear jerker for me. I'm so proud.

I am blessed, lucky to feel so much. To me it is the richness of life, the breathtaking emotional roller coaster of being alive and loving so deeply.

On that note, Wednesday, December 8th, the world will remember the assassination of John Lennon 30 years ago. I am still grieving his murder and wept freely watching the film "Imagine" Playing over and over this week as a tribute to his life. How apropos in a time of such darkness and continuous war to recall his magnificent light and know we are more need than ever for a voice as powerful and meaningful as his to unite the world with songs of Justice and Peace.

Symbols, metaphors, deeper meanings, the realm of December's Sagittarius, I'm surrounded by the, Sagittarians that is. Thursday is my wife's birthday. She is Ruled by Jupiter, the king of the Gods. She, as well as most Sag's. is huge in her presence, expansive, truth seeking, philosophical, generous, and has an insatiable wanderlust. And it is my great fortune to be in such close company for to celebrate the birth of my wife and daughter we are off to the wild blue yonder to the jungles of Costa Rica. Costa Rica, (a welcome relief from the good ole freezing cold USA, enjoyed first place last year on the Happy Planet index, measuring it's well being in part by it's devotion to ecological sustainability, the indigenous population's well being, and of course, joy. The United States was 114th in the index, just two below The Republic of Congo.

I feel it Highly auspicious and symbolic of our quest for peace and equality in this world to seek out adventure in one of the happiest places on earth. Costa Ricans have enjoyed stability and very little hostility since 1948, have no standing army, and have recently elected, a woman for president, Laura Chinchilla, who hails from the party of previous President, Oscar Arias who won the Nobel Peace Prize, (unlike our President) for his work in the 1980's to END Central America's wars. Inspiring isn't it. It is with this respect, curiosity and intention that we leave this country at the darkest time, the winter solstice, where our President who promised us the light of change and hope is about to cave in to Darkness ruled by fear and make the rich richer, the poor poorer and the wars warer. Bah Humbug!

Warm Up Exercises

2010-11-30T16:32:00.000-08:00

Its cold. It's really, really cold. This isn't something I am used to so early in the season. It's not even officially winter, but It's been snowing and hailing and the roads have been icy since last week. And oh, that toilet seat! Brrrrr. It took me ten minutes to scrape the ice off my windshield this morning. I almost slipped on a frozen deck in Brooke trails on Saturday night. The tip of my nose has been red for days and lots of friends and family are dealing with colds, mild flu, and coughs.

I am distracted by the cold, thinking about what I can do to get warm. Of course, right off the bat, there's all the delicious Thanksgiving coffee we have to choose from, fair trade, roasted and brewed locally, Yes mamma!. There's the traditional cup of hot tea, something with cinnamon, ginger or chai with it's exotic flavors of cardamon, cloves and pepper. Then, there's the more medicinal cocktail of hot water, cayenne and lemon which will happily devour nasty bacterium and viruses in your throat on contact. Try a little brandy with that too. Another really great warmer upper is making a boiling pot of water and throwing in some fresh cedar, eucalyptus, or pine needles, steam, put a towel over your head and inhale. Aaaaah.

Of course there's the logical layering of clothing. A set of thermal underwear, jeans, wool sweaters and socks, boots, felt hats, and furry gloves sometimes even while your sitting in your living room. And then there's the hearth. I find myself spending a lot more time in the kitchen when I'm cold. I want soup, don't you? There's a ton of canned and boxed soup on sale right now, get some for your self and throw in a couple extra for a food bank donation. and then there's the home made, left overs from Thanksgiving, mmm, turkey noodle soup, or a hefty beef or buffalo stew, or something vegetarian Hot, sour, spicy. Get out your cookbooks and crockpots! It's time for baking brownies, cookies, and breads and oh don't forget the pies. It's time for butter and biscuits, scones and chestnuts.

Go out for some Thai or Japanese food from some of the great local haunts like, Happy Garden in Clearlake, Oco time in Ukiah, or Viraporn or Off the Hook in Fort Bragg get yourself a hot curry or a lump of wasabi, a big bowl of Soba and some hot sake, Yum.

There's the fabulous option of climbing into bed when the sun goes down with a Heating pad, a pillow case full of warmed sea salt, or a brick warmed in the oven at 350 for an hour and then put under your quilt. It will radiate warmth long into the night. Cozy up with with a good book.(Check out some of KZYX"S Tony Miksaks' Words on Books recommendations) I recommend the collections of Paulo Cuehlo, The Witch of Portabello, The Alchemist, the Fifth Mountain and more Cuehlo is profoundly dramatic, and far reaching in his imagination and spirituality.

You can simmer yourself in the local cauldrons of indulgence of, Wilbur, Orr Hot Springs, Bamboo Gardens, Sweetwater Spa, the hot tubs and sauna not only warm you up, but clean out your lymph system (a crucial component of the immune system)

Use your muscles, that's an instant rise in temperature. Stretch, jump up and down, Doing yoga or dancing to gypsy music will bring you to a salty sweat. "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day" according to Henry David Thoreau. It really warms my bones especially when followed by a very hot shower and then turning the cold water on for 5 seconds sending all the blood back to my core where it will do it's best to keep me toasty inside.

Getting into bed with a lover is a super good idea. I find holding my wife very close and rubbing our feet together is very effective. Then if you like turn up the heat, friction is fun and sets the kundalini fires. Hot cha!

Then there's the heart warming. There are a lot of people in this world who are suffering beyond our comprehension. Whether it is from war, poverty, natural disasters like the constantly unfolding one in Haiti. Acts of charity, in this holiday season, are immensely comforting. I'm a huge supporter of Heifer international. They are the ones who, with our modest donations, provide livestock for families all over the world to help them become self sufficient in an ever collapsing international economies.

Take some time to write a letter to someone in prison, someone fighting abroad, or send a box of books, or toys to an orphanage in Afghanistan you will experience and immeasurable warmth. Or simply write a letter to an elder in your family. It's very rare to get a real letter these days, Remember, lots of older folks still haven't mastered the internet, (my mom never could do Facebook) and getting a letter with your name written on the envelope is truly Heart warming gift.

And Finally, there's the warmth of a friend. We are so fortunate to live in deeply familiar communities where we have the pleasure of running into friends and neighbors on our daily journey. Stop a moment give them a hug, rub their back and take off the chill.

Armchair Quarterback

2010-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

We all know The reason the Democrats controlled all three branches of government for the last 18 months was because the people of this nation had a mandate. In November 2008, We said, "No more republicans in charge, end the war, and deal with climate change. It was crystal clear and it was our moment of triumph after eight years of torture, literal and figurative.

Alas, the last 18 months have been occasionally uplifting, but for the most part, deeply disturbing and while I am the the first to say, "Hey this administration came into a nightmare economic scenario, two wars and an embarrassing international posture", the decisions made on high have left me in a state of confusion and deep disappointment.

There are three major elements that I allude to number one is the housing crisis, 2: the escalation of war and 3: the failure to address global warming. These major ongoing catastrophes are the the nails in the casket of change, because it is the earth, the animals, the people, the families scarred and ruined that I care about. There are tens of thousands of dead casualities of war and millions of people who are, unemployed, scared, suicidal, homeless and hopeless.

They are not the "middle class" that we hear about ad infinitum, they are simply Americans who bought in and believed in the system. The impact of these events on Americans and the rest of the world may turn out to be ultimate reason we descend into utter chaos and permanent war.

Today is the first day of the Lame Duck Congress. Do we accept this declaration of stagnation. Do we allow our government to grind to a complete halt while the democrats are still in power, or do we demand they "man up" and make things happen. We've got seven weeks until the new republican congress takes power. that's 49 days. How dare they surrender? They just had ten days off since the election. Let's make them work. Call them at 202-225-3121 and make your voice heard. I did. I demanded they pass The dream act which provides a path to citizenship for immigrant students,t hen repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, Extend unemployment benefits for laid off workers, and do not extend the Bush tax cuts. If they address one bill a week, they can pass at least five laws to protect the people, like the food safety act.

I do not accept the excuse of lame duck, because it's just, lame. I will not accept it because to do so would be to accept defeat and there is too much at stake and there is no time to waste.

In this last Sunday's edition in the New York Times Week in Review section, there is an invitation to Balance the National budget. There is an interactive graphic grid and options for Spending cuts and Tax increases and you take your number two pencil and go to work. It's truly exciting fun and easy to Cancel or delay weapons programs and save $20 billion dollars, or cut 250,000 gov't contractors and save $15 billion. You can opt to raise taxes on banks weighted by size and riskiness of holdings collecting $105 billion dollars or tax carbon emission and raise $70 billion. Strangely, they didn't include legalizing Marijuana and Hemp which would also raise considerable tax revenue. You can go to New York times Week in Review and experience the thrill of doing what needs to be done. Balancing the Federal budget before breakfast. I can do it, why can't they?

You remember the phrase arm-chair quarterback. It's comes from the act of sitting in your living room and shouting at the quarterback on TV to play the game the way you would. I have this feeling frequently especially when it comes to running the government. So I guess I am an arm-chair President. Yeah, Put me in coach. Here's the plan. Withdraw all troops from Iraq and Afghanstan, that'll save a bundle for sure. Let's tax all big oil companies. Let's call it a global warming tax and transfer all the revenue into alternative energy. Okay, then there's the banks, let's invite them to pay at least %35 in taxes and really plump the economy. Put an immediate moratorium on all foreclosures and reduce mortgage interest rates to 4 1/4 and watch everyone pay their mortgages on time and use that money to lend to families trying to find homes after they were immorally and illegally removed from their homes. And I concur with 500 economists who agree that legalizing marijuana and hemp would generate billions in tax revenues.

I know a lot of us have this feeling and it really does feel so easy to second guess the Prez especially after the disastrous mid-term election. Those of us who are managing to somehow navigate this treacherous social and economic tight rope are acutely aware of the next bold moves the government is about to impose on our already stressed out existence.

Mr President I do want to tell you how to do your job, I want you to lead according to our original mandate, not republicans. Do not compromise on not extending Tax cuts for the rich Do not compromise anymore. Americans would really appreciate that. Because we're on the 9th yard line, it's 3rd down, are you gonna punt? Because with all do respect sir, we really need a touchdown.

Referendum Shmeferendum

2010-11-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting at my office on the Albion Headlands gazing at the great blue Pacific ocean. The Albion river runs east as I look over my right shoulder. The sun is shining, after a weekend of nurturing rain. I am eating delicious Indian samosas and parmesan stuffed mushrooms from the Albion Store and a cup chai of tea, From the Mendocino Tea company with whom I share the office space. Blessed doesn't' really describe my position in life. It is truly a treasure and I am fully aware of my privilege to be here. I am a free woman in paradise.

I daily exercise and fight for my rights and for those less fortunate than I, because With privilege comes responsibility to make the world a better place. At least that's my moral imperative.

I was, as you know, optimistic about the elections, thinking that the progressives were laying in wait to jump out of the election day cake and yell "Surprise! We are here, we are sane, we are patient and we are voting". But alas, I was wrong. Really wrong. I wanted to wake up Wednesday and say "Good morning, Marijuana and hemp legalized in California" But no. I know it wasn't a perfect proposition, but I truly believed it was a step forward.I thought it was for the good of all and the idea that we would pay taxes, no one would go to jail for reasonable cultivation and transportation and the cops couldn't touch seed, nor stalk was exciting to me.

The only county the majority voted for prop 19 was San Francisco, Here in Mendocino county only 47% wow. San Francisco is more progressive than we are. What's happening just doesn't makes sense to me. And all the election hoopla! The unprecedented spending of $four billion dollars on mean and nasty campaign ads. Glad that's over. They called it a referendum on the Obama Presidency, but I can pretty much guarantee that much of America's electorate wouldn't be able to define referendum. Here, let me. referendum is "a vote" Yes indeed that surely was a referendum.

I wanted to see a positive change from this election. sensical, logical, progressive solutions. Nothing much changed in terms of going forward, but a whole hell of a lot happened in reverse.

Am I alone in this? Well I may not be alone, but I am certainly in the minority. Yes, and as far as minorities are concerned this was a devastating election. Minorities who are the majority didn't turn out in large numbers to vote. And the new bosses are not concerned with the general welfare of this nation. So sad, so sad, The Democrats lost because they had no respect for the people who brought President Obama to the White House. They and He remained a staunch ally of the Banks, Corporations and the people felt disposable. If President Obama had just listened to me, when I told him to bail out the homeowners and not the banks, we could have stabilized the entire economy. If he had been more vocal and active on withdrawing troops and making those accountable who went to war under false circumstances. I say there would have been a groundswell of support and reelection, but most people I know, felt abandoned and apparently have answered in kind.

Oh well, republicans are already gloating, mouths watering at the opportunity to dismantle the health care reform, terrorize immigrant workers, take away a women's right to choose, destroy Same sex, marriage. Yes, it's all on the chopping block. A giant step backwards. The country has turned a disturbing shade of red with the republican sweep of the election I have an eerie chill running down my spine. I hear the sinister laugh of Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell in my ear. Mwa ha ha. It's the The culmination of, racism, colonialism, despotism, nepotism and capitalism, ism, ism, ism. It's a corporate capitalistic coup.

We hear that the major issue in this election is jobs and the economy and the failure of the Obama admin to do something about it. Like he could pull jobs out of a hat. Yet the republican agenda, like that of Rand Paul, elected in Kentucky, supports the tea party's major initiative to cut the federal workforce and it's wages by %10 and freeze hiring. That sounds counter productive to me as opposed to Obama's job stimulus bill and tax cuts for new small businesses, which I myself will take advantage of.

You know what would really stimulate the economy? Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and making 2/3 of American Corps who don't pay taxes, like Exxon and Citibank, do so. Think of the net savings from both and then reinvesting in Alternative energy, conservation and education. Then we'd legalize marijuana and hemp and voila! A fat and happy economy for all! To me, that would be logical, sensical and responsible. Gosh, maybe by 2012 we'll get the progressive agenda together just in time for a happy ending.

Certified Sane

2010-11-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Washington DC last Friday, we immediately went to the Congressional and Senate buildings. We visited a number of offices of those elected officials who we have been spouting angry, racist, homophobic and irrational rhetoric from, Jim Demint to John Boehner, to ask them to please, mind their manners and show some respect to each other and to our President. Now, none of them were at the office, They only work four days a week and they had lit out of town because of the election this Tuesday. Their aides were polite, a bit frightened by our Northern Californina Lesbian Grandmother Presence, but we are civil,intelligent, loving people and we left them with our message, a smile and our integrity in tact.

It was a perfect precursor for participation for the Rally to Restore Sanity and or Keep Fear Alive that took place on the National Mall on October 30th. I must say, without a single doubt it was the most uplifting, restorative,powerful political rally I have ever been to for so many reasons. The company, the weather, the demographics, the signs, the comedy, the vocabulary, the heart and especially the inclusive nature of the event. For Mr. Stewart and Colbert invited everyone to the table and the program of performers from The Roots of Philadelphia, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, The Myth Busters, Kid Rock, Mavis Staples, the Ojays, Kareem Abdul Jabar, the Jet Blue flight attendant, Tony Bennett, a seven year old girl, Ozzy Osborne and Cat Steven proves my point.

To be among 300,000 people who were polite, friendly, willing to all jump at the same time to measure our impact or create the "stadium" wave to measure the distance from the stage to the back of the crowd was not only educational, but exhilarating as well. To be with so many different people who may not agree on every issue but do agree that it is time for intelligent, political discourse without hysterics, to keep a sense of humor and clean up after one's self was significant in these times when all the media is foaming at the mouth and the political rhetoric from all sides is mean, ugly and cruel was truly healing.

We met folks from Sacramento, Dallas, Seattle, LA, Minnesota, Kentucky, Florida. The older man who wanted to stand on our soap box so he could find his wife. There were the The African American women with signs that said, "Fired up and ready to vote". The white seven year old boy sitting next to us with his mother. The Iranian family who asked us to take their picture, the Asian lady who used our soapbox to stand on because she couldn't see. The Elderly couple who sat in their little camp chairs tapping their feet to the Ojays, And then we saw the signs like; "I get my comedy on Fox TV, I get my news on Comedy Central", "Babies will take our jobs in twenty years". "I masturbate and I vote", "Does this sign make my ass look big?" "No one is Hitler, but Hitler" "If my sign is blocking your view please tell me" "This sign is spelled correctly" "God hates people who write what God hates on signs". Funny, I tell you.

This rally was actually effective. When was the last time the Star Spangled Banner made you cry? Hearing actual soldiers sing it did it for me. When have you been at a really where people were quiet when someone singing or speaking on stage? Truly listening. When have you been at a rally when there was no trash left on the ground. Amazing!!

We were touched, we were deeply moved and we laughed till we cried. People all who had come to show the world that Americans are good, logical,educated and very funny people and In the end Mr. Stewart held this truth to be self evident by narrating a Jumbotron video of drivers merging into the Lincoln Tunnel. He imagined the diverses passengers inside, taking turns to drive through the 34 ft wide tunnel under a mighty river, you go then I'll go, you go then I'll go. It's a basic principle of humanity to take turns and then theirs a jerk who speeds up on the shoulder and cuts everybody off, but he's the exception. the metaphor was visual and visceral. He said we can, do and will work together to get through. He said these are hard times, not end times and sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is only New Jersey. Sanity plus wit is so comforting.

The fact that the Stewart Colbert Rally was twice the size of Glenn Becks' Rally gives me hope for tomorrow's election. We personally witnessed an American consciousness we've never seen in such huge numbers before and we are proud. This is the most important mid-term election of my life. The polls say that the the extreme right is going to take the country by storm tomorrow, but I think the pollsters featured on mainstream TV, on NPR and the New York Times, some who boycotted the rally, are stalled in the 20th century and their demographics can only be reached on land lines. Well, from what I saw this weekend in DC on the Mall, we have a new and exciting party in American Politics one you would never expect to upset an election because their so moderate, funny and sane. Ladies and Gentlemen, Make way for the surprise party. And oh yeah. Go Giants.

Props to Prop 19

2010-10-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Midterm Elections are a week away and there's some very strange, even frightening candidates spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy themselves a seat at the table. There's a lot of misinformation and fear mongering floating around regarding candidates and propositions. I guess that's the nature of politics.

So,in this commentary I would like to share some positive progressive thoughts with you. I'm talking about Proposition 19. The Marijuana legalization initiative. Know what I like about proposition 19?. I like that it makes it legal for people over 21 to cultivate, possess and transport marijuana. That's gonna be a huge relief to a major part of the population. Imagine it. It's a deep breath for a lot of people I know.

I like section 11303 regarding seizure, "no state or local law enforcement agency or official shall attempt to, threaten to, or in fact seize or destroy any cannabis plant, cannabis seeds or cannabis that is lawfully cultivated, processed, transported, possessed, possessed for sale, sold or used in compliance with this Act or any local government ordinance, law or regulation adopted pursuant to this Act". I like the end of destructive behavior on the part of law enforcement when it comes to legal and medical grows. Yeah, I like that. I like it better than measure G, which I liked very much, but was repealed by measure B. I like that Prop19 is state law and it treats adults like adults. And, the measure provides that the state could also authorize the production of hemp. How exciting is that??

Passing Prop 19 does not change 215 or 420. All medical laws stay in tact.

Some say they worry about the penalties and illegality of of sharing, selling, and smoking with regard to minors,but that's always been prohibited.

I've also heard rumors saying that there will be a fifty dollar an ounce tax and that is not true. In fact the measure says that "Many of the provisions in this measure permit, but do not require the state and local governments to take certain actions related to regulation and taxation". A tax can only be imposed by a vote from the people. I do agree that there should be tax especially when it comes to Recreational use.

Medicine is not taxed in this country and I think that should apply to this medicine as well. As far as I understand it any Marijuana dispensaries will be taxed exactly like other businesses that operate in the state. It becomes an even playing field and marijuana begins to appear as Normal. As far as Marijuana as medicine that's already established, yes it's almost normal at this point. Although we still have Federal Agents wreaking havoc from time to time, this election may effect change there as well.

So here we have this plant that millions have consumed with many beneficial side effects especially when dealing with life threatening illnesses from Cancer to AIDS and it has helped them heal and repair and endure the treatments they are subject to. Then there are the recreational users who smoke pot because it makes them feel good. Let's not underestimate that benefit. When a society feels good, feels pleasure it is more likely to be peaceful, productive, cooperative. Happiness is a good thing. (Check out the NHP, national happiness index) If someone chooses a painkiller that serves them and helps them cope with life I say blessed be. Life can be very painful, challenging, scary and we can have a culture of tolerance for personal use of medicine.

I like the idea of regulation, environmental protection, organic standards, cottage industry protection and these are all things we can influence with our local board of supervisors who are there to represent out interests, well being and protection. We can work this out. Humboldt county's board of Supes have already endorsed 19 and are beginning consideration on how to implement regulations.

Don't take my word for these things. Facts are fuzzy these days and there's really no regulation when it comes to telling the truth about something. You really have to find out for yourself which I'm encouraging you to do. What matters is that we do our best to put politicians and propositions into place that look out for the good of all,not just the profit margin, but the more empathetic route of Making the world a better place or doing no harm. In my opinion Prop 19 does no harm. In fact in reduces harm for a lot of people and I'm a big fan of harm reduction.

Hey Progress isn't easy, it's risky, it's tricky . According to the headlines of the Newspaper West Coast Leaf, published by Chris Conrad and Micki Norris. "All eyes on on California" waiting to see how courageous we are to lead the country in legalization of marijuana and hemp. For me waking up the day after election and finding Marijuana and hemp legalized in this state will be a moment that will shine bright in our history.

Hey, There's a lot that can go wrong this election. We are looking at Corporate Coups, far right extremists who hate gay people, are outright racists, deny global warming, call for second amendment remedies to our current administration' s agenda and sanction the idea that even if a women is raped or a victim of incest she cannot have an abortion. I don't know about the rest of the country, but I know here in California if any of those candidates take office and begin to make policies we'll be really happy we legalized marijuana cause we're gonna need to smoke a lot of pot.

Positive Vibrations yeah Positive

2010-10-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

These are todays headlines:

Ecuador makes A Revolutionary Promise to Leave Oil Underground,

Happiness is a Right

Indian Tribe in Victory Over Mining Giant.

Town Goes to depths to Save Beaver family.

Think I'm making these up, nope, these are just some the headlines of the Positive News a seasonal newspaper published out of Ithaca New York. How does it make you feel to hear those headlines? Good? excited? Happy? Glad you heard them?

Do you ever notice that sometimes you turn on the radio and there's a song playing or a public affairs show starting that mean a whole lot to you? It's the law of attraction at work. It's a power that when recognized and activated can bring such pleasure and peace to one's life. It's alignment with the infinite resources that are always available to us if we ask nicely.

I've been callin' all angels lately, asking for help, guidance, support to steady my trembling heart. My prayers are being answered in so many ways. As a a political analyst, commentator and social reflector I practically merge with every piece of information good and bad that crosses my desk, screen, and path as I strive to translate current events into something palatable, logical, entertaining, even humorous so us folks can find some happiness and relief along the way. As a conduit for information I can get triggered by tragic events and even become mired in the muck. (I know that's where the lotus grows) I admit I have slipped into oblivion the last few months. With the confounded political climate, With the death of my mother and my dog, )enormous blows to my emotional balance) I've been treading water even drowning and going under pretty often. Feeling like I'm losing hold of my purpose, but, my will is strong and determined and my weekly commitment to this radio broadcast(blog) is one of my lifelines. It's the power of being able to reach out to you and connect when I lose my way. Many of you have reached out to me in kind. Thank you.

While my intention is to transform I have needed help to replenish the positive vibration in order to survive. This weekend was a culmination of those intentions. Not only was I handed the Positive Newspaper, I had the great pleasure to perform my one woman show Oh My Goddess at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa as a benefit for the Ceres Community Project. The auspicious opportunity reflected back to me in so many creative ways that I find myself in a new consciousness today, one that many of you engaged in the laws of attraction when it comes to spiritual work, social justice and sustainability have already and daily thrive in. It's joyful. The Glaser Center( No physical relation, but a terrific spiritual one) is a Universal Unitarian non denominational Congregation that supports individuals search for truth and meaning in life. It's tenets are tolerance, social justice, unity and love. It's messages and literature fills the halls and walls. The stage itself, is inside the sanctuary where people gather every Sunday and walk through the doors, under a sign that says, "Enter in Peace". It's a suggested donation. The audience was hungry for my comedy and devoured it. In turn they filled my belly with laughter and wild applause.

We partnered with the Ceres community Project for this production. If you are not familiar with Ceres. It is a non-profit organization serving Sonoma county, started 3 and half years ago and it's mission is to restore heart centered vibrant communities, caring for one another and providing access to beautiful delicious healthy food. One manifestation of that is a community kitchen that provides a space for people to gather to cook and deliver organic, nutritional meals for people dealing with life threatening illnesses and this place has become a magnet for teenagers ,yes, teenagers who volunteer every week to cook for those who cannot cook for themselves. It's contagious energy as Ceres attracts more and more Youthful volunteers. They say the feeling of making a positive difference in someone's life is key to the feeling of hope that many of us search for. Ceres is an authentic model of a better world. It's that simple. It's good work and that breeds more of the same. So, As the days become shorter and the we enter the dark time of year I will obey the laws of attraction, be here reminding you of the light. And I know you'll do the same for me.

National Coming Out Day

2010-10-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's National coming out day. So once again it is my pleasure to announce I'm a lesbian. I didn't decide I was gay. I've just found myself falling in love with my favorite people. I didn't have a gender test for whom that might be. For me it's my lady, my woman, my wife. Some say it's a choice, some say it's a lifestyle, some say it's a persuasion, but however you've discovered your sexuality. Welcome. Welcome to all the new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people who summoned their courage and self esteem and walked out of the closet today. You're here your queer. Say it Loud I'm Gay and I'm proud. Come out come out where every you are. That's what I say, but then I hesitate to rush anybody out. In order for you to come out, you must feel like you are safe, or willing to defend yourself emotionally, and physically. Do you have a safe space. Is your workplace tolerant? Are your co-workers? What about your neighbors? Your teachers, your classmates?

I asked my daughter this morning if there were any gay kids at her high school, she said, no, maybe a couple of bisexuals, but no. and I said if there were, would they be respected, included, protected. No, she said, they'd get hassled for sure. Maybe that's why she thinks there are no gays at school because it's not safe to say so. Hassled, bullied, teased, taunted.

What comes after that? You know, You've read the tragic headlines lately I hear a lot about the Gay agenda, but I'm more concerned with the anti gay agenda? I don't want to say it's the straight agenda and offend all the heterosexual allies among us. So I'll say it's the Homophobic agenda. It's the fear of homosexuality that runs this show. Fear of two men, or two women who love each other who want to marry and raise a family. Is that so Scary? Does that threaten your straight marriage because you are busy fantasizing about ours? (ok cupid) Or you have those feelings inside you, but are told they are perverted, sick and evil and in turn you are evil so you go out and hurt somebody.

So dear sisters and brothers, I won't insist you to come out this day, but I want to encourage you to be gay if you are. Find allies, friends, family, therapists that will support you and help you indulge yourself in the loveliness of being attracted to someone like you. That beautiful boy, that outspoken girl. Someone to Let you know Your love, your desire is healthy. You are lucky. You are honest with yourself. It is an act of self love to accept who you are and there are so many in the world who will greet you with respect, appreciation honor and mutual attraction. Your homosexual feelings are natural. Bears do it, Gay Dragonflies, Gay penguins, gay dolphins, easily one of the most intelligent creatures on earth. Homosexuality is fun. That's why they call it being Gay. Hold on to your heart and identity. Your time is coming.

There is a rising consciousness about tolerance,empathy, and compassion and schools are beginning to teach that life lesson starting in kindergarten. Some see this as the Gay Agenda. Okay. I'm good with that. We are all unique and we need to let the children know how precious they are and that their love in whatever form it comes is worthwhile and good.

I'll tell you Love isn't easy no matter who you choose. There are so many stories of heartbreak and deception it's hard enough to be in a relationship with another human being without people getting up in your business about your choice. We all just want to love and be loved. That seems to be the Gay Agenda: Let people love who they love. Have sex with who they want to have sex with(as long as they are consenting adults), dress how they want to dress. Speak how they Speak. Dance how they dance.

There's is a terrific movie called In and Out, starring Kevin Kline, Released in 1997. It tells the story of a High School Teacher Howard Brackett played by Kline, who is outed by a former student (Matt Dillon) before even he realizes he's Gay. His pending marriage to Emily Montgomery, played with comedic genus by Joan Cusack) is the springboard for Howard to come to terms with his truth.Tom Selleck of Magnum PI, plays the Gay TV reporter sent to cover the story and embolden his subject. It's a great family movie, one that you might want to rent or download this week to share this story of love and acceptance.

As a community we need to do more to let our gay friends and family know they are safe to come out. In fact tonight there is a rally in support for the Queer community tonight at 7PM at Alex Thomas Plaza in Ukiah to stand for equal rights and protection for the very vulnerable, and deserving among us, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and show them you care. I do and if you need support get in touch with me through my website at www.sherryglaser.net

A Declaration of Dependence

2010-10-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

The US war on Drugs has cost our country a trillion dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, north and south of the border. California Governor Schwarzneggers' decision last Thursday to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of pot is a deliberate step toward a truce in that war. It lightens the burden on the criminal justice system that gets constipated with these petty battles, drains the economy and wastes law enforcement time that cold be spent dealing with serious crime. Interesting timing. Isn't it? Proposition 19, the regulation and taxation of Cannabis for adults, is on the electoral horizon and Schwarznegger opposes it. This brings up an interesting dilemma.

If one can legally possess cannabis in California, don't we have to legalize and regulate the growing of it? Where are people supposed to get their marijuana? From Mexico? Ah, there's the rub.

The turf war we are witnessing now on the border with Mexico has very much to do with the illegal trafficking of Marijuana. It's time to realize that continued prohibition is a national security threat and it is foolish to think we are not complicit in the violence there. Pot comes this way, weapons go that way. (Check out the grassroots action of Justsaynow.com founder Daniel Pacheco interrupting a speech of US Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske and delivering a petition of 52,000 signatures in favor of legalizing Marijuana). We really have to get smarter about our relationship with Mexico whether it concerns Marijuana or the hot button issue of immigration, especially when it comes to electing someone new to the office of Governor in California.

Billionaire Meg Whitman is adamant about secure borders, deportation and outright rejects the Dream Act which would provide a path for legalization and higher education for the children of undocumented workers who have lived in America for most of their lives. She forbids them to realize their dreams while she is free to live hers by any means necessary. Her pre-Ebay roots, as far as I could trace them, go back to the wealthy enclaves of Boston, maybe she's related to the original tea party gang. The original immigrants.

We discovered last week that Ms. Whitman employed an undocumented worker named Nicky Diaz Santallan for nine years. While Meg ruled her empire, Nicky cleaned up after her and her children. Whitman claimed ignorance about her employees legal status. These politics are increasingly familiar. When someone is outspoken and or obsessed about illegal immigrants they've usually have one in their own backyard. Same deal if some congressman or evangelical is outraged about the Gay agenda, they are soon caught with their pants down in the men's room, Why not confess, tell it like it is and refresh our legislature with laws that reflect our real world? Come out of the closet and get real about our relationships, especially with Mexico.

Less than two hundred years ago, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico all belonged to Mexico. President John Tyler wanted to annex Texas and Mexico said "no". So, the next President, James Polk, offered to buy New Mexico for five million and California for 40 million dollars. Mexico said, "No gracias". They had just freed themselves from Spanish colonialization and then these gringos wanted their land. So they fought for it and lost. By signing the treaty of Guadlupe de Hidalgo Mexico surrendered the lands and those who remained in the relinquished territories were guaranteed safety and protection of existing property rights. But alas, as was the fate of treaties with indigenous people in North America, this was not honored. And now we have this hysterical border mania.

You know the difference between European immigration to North America and Central American immigration to the US is that the Europeans used relentless force and violence to overthrow and murder the native population while the immigrants from the south risk their lives to come here, work for us, make our lives easier, and have become the backbone of our economy. The truth is; borders are made up. They are lines in the sand, and laws are simply words on a page. Either can be erased and replaced with something that serves us all, the higher good.

Let's make peace with drugs. Let's make peace with Mexico. Let's Open and regulate borders, engage in rational realistic drug policies. Let's let a little sunlight in. Think of the productivity and rich cultural diversity if we join forces with Mexico and evolve into Americo! Then we can all smoke a big fatty and celebrate our mutual dependence on each other. Yeah, a new paradigm that would end the war on drugs. But this time, instead of a a treaty, we'll sign a declaration of dependence.

The Court Jester Testifies

2010-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

The idealistic and good people of Mendocino County were out in droves this past weekend. Friday was the benefit for KMEC in Ukiah and the fundraiser for the candidate for 5th district Supervisor, Dan Hamburg in Mendocino. Saturday and Sunday we had Caspar Fest and the 8th Annual coast cleanup where over 600 people, picked up over 8,000 pounds, that's four tons of trash spread out over the distance of 44 miles of beach, river and creek. Thanks to all the Volunteers far and wide. I don't know what we would do without you. Not only were these events environmentally sensitive, educational, inspirational and economical, raising money for very worthy causes, they were fun and thoroughly entertaining.

The struggles and stresses that mount up every day are only subdued by the imagination, joy and laughter that we can find here at home and over the TV, cyber and radio waves. While I deeply value The War and Peace report delivered daily by Amy Goodman, I love MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, whose astonishment and genuine bewilderment at the abominal behavior of politicians in our nation is truly refreshing.

I'm also a big fan of Comedy Centrals' news department, the Daily show with John Stewart and The Colbert Report. This past Friday, Mr. Colbert crossed the ever more permeable wall between fiction and reality with stealth force testifying in Character, before congress, on the rights of immigrants and reflecting on his stint as migrant worker for a day. So funny. It was priceless because he presented himself as seriously, yet more intelligently than any of the members of the august body that he was in front, even offering to submit his colonoscopy results as evidence he needs more fiber in his diet. Talk about a tough audience, the subcommittee didn't crack a smile. This man has huevos rancheros.

His earnest demeanor and hilarious yet relevant material was reminiscent of the 2006 White House Correspondence dinner where he skewered and fillet George Bush, the Republicans, and the media. This time Stephen was invited to testify about his day in the fields, picking beans and boxing corn, by the Chair of House subcommittee on immigration, Zoe Lofgren. Colbert, who is the modern incarnation of the Court Jester, unflinchingly mocked, satirized masterfully demonstrated the need for immigration reform at the same time highlighted, the rampant hypocrisy and inefficiency that infects our governing body.

Nightly, Colbert and Jon Stewart show us the politicians and pundits running this country are imbeciles, homophobes, perverts, adulterers, and criminals concerned only with reelection and their own political power positions.

Mr. Colbert and his colleague/faux nemesis John Stewart (who is actually the executive producer of the Colbert report) have called for a rally on the National Mall October 30th. They anticipate 100,000 based on the duo's uncanny ability to capture the attention of the 18 to 30 year old demographics considered at best allusive by the mass media, a block which if harnessed could bring about real change.

While the theme of Mr. Colbert's Rally is Keep fear alive, Mr. Stewart is inviting us to a rally to restore sanity. Yes, Sanity. John will even provide premade protest signs, for those of us too busy to make our own with rational sentiments like, "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler" Now I don't know about you but a restoration of sanity seems like a good idea because the best summation of what is going on in this country feels like insanity to me. Like this weekends headline, that, Atlanta's megachurch Pastor, Eddie long has been accused of soliciting sexual favors from his handsome flock but, gay people still can't married, hell I'd say that is just one of the current events in the news that would certify insanity.

I know I myself have felt on the verge or crazy. Since Obama took office with all his promises of change, my soul is restless, clinging to the hope that any day now, he's really going to stop sending our kids off to war. You may say I'm a dreamer, yes but I'm feeling a bit dazed confused so attending this rally is my attempt at a mental health plan. Now, people might think we are crazy in an effort to restore sanity, but we've tried everything else and with the midterm elections on the horizon we all need some comic relief, Like Emma Goldman says, "Idealists are foolish enough to throw caution to the winds. They have advanced mankind and have enriched the world." It seems like the perfect reason to reactivate breasts not bombs and makes some sense for a change.

Give Peace a Glance

2010-09-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Peace can get pretty lonely you know. Nobody hardly mentions it's name. Sure there's the occasionally march and festival but generally it's a world of war and corruption. At least that's what we hear about every day. Peace had a really good time this past weekend. There were earthdance festivals all over the world that dedicated themselves to this. The theme: Give Peace a Dance. From Laytonville, to South Africa, to Greece, to Brazil to, Tanzania. This weekend Peace had some good company. The Q'reo Indians, direct descendants of the Inkas, came from all the way from the Andes in Peru to Laytonville for Earthdance this weekend to sit in ceremony, meditating on our heart connection with each other and for the Pachamama, mother earth. That's a peace movement in itself.

The sky was so moved by all of this, that it had to cry about it all Saturday night. The wet weather was actually beneficial, its the first Earthdance that I recall, where everyone wasn't choking on the dust and collecting boogers in their bandanas the the color of shade grown coffee.The sky was overjoyed yesterday. with cumulous nimbus clouds spectaculary splashed across the quintessential blue canvas. It was cool and breezy. We didn't go for the whole weekend, because as time has passed the entertainment has become, for me, more geared towards the youth. The generation that still has energy to burn in the name of peace.

We attended Sunday evening and danced to the Brazilian beats of Sam Ba Da, The Indian Celtic mix of Dehli to Dublin and Michael Franti who closed the festival with his usual flair, inviting children and elders over 60 to join him on stage for his number #1 hit single, I Love You. That joint was jumping' for peace.

Sunday was enough for us, because Saturday we were so happy to take our our granddaughter Sophia and our extended family of 7 other children to the County Fair in Boonville. Thousands of you attended the fair and it was a classic down home , apple crunching' cow pooping,good time. I like it too because it's also one of our most integrated events (besides the when the circus comes to town). Where North meets south and we all get along just fine. don't we ?

There's always so much to do 'round here. It's an electrifying field of energy, concerts in the vineyards, the benefits at the botanical gardens, festivals, transition town meetings, farmers markets, etc. etc. And we manage to enjoy ourselves in these here parts without violence. Yes, I know there are the occasional murders, home invasions, pot raids. But I have to say this is really one of the most peaceful places in the world, I hesitated to say in the world, but after I thought about it for a second, yes, I think it's true. What can we attribute that pleasant statistic to? Perhaps because we have access to the organic, herb, food, nature and music, sweet music especially via these airwaves of KZYX, We are also exposed to the dazzling coastline on a daily basis and inland some of the most beautiful topography on earth. Every time I drive down Highway One on the way to anywhere I can, if I choose,experience, looking at the ocean, a sense of infinite peace and calm. Can you? Then twisting turning over the hill whether it's Highway 253, Orr Springs road, or Highway 20, It's a mystical magical tour through redwoods and oak and hillsides that never fade. This place offers us sanctuary, it's a sensual oasis in the urban desserts that are spreading like epidemics across our earth. Here, in this bio-region of Northern California, we have an invitation to rest our weary eyes on such magnificence that peace finds it's way into our lives naturally. I think it 's peaceful disposition also has something to do with the medicinal Marijuana movement that mellows the masses and makes a lot of merry around here. I imagine a day when this plant has a safe harbor and the farmers who tend the fields can do so with pride and a feeling of security that they are making right livelihood and contributing to the peaceful quality of life.

That's really the goal here on mama earth isn't it. Peace. It is waiting, peace is patient. Peace is always there, just around the next bend. Yes, there are some that make fun of the peacenik hippies, the love children who still believe that peace is cool and something to strive for. Some say we are Naive at best or more often - stupid. I find the folks who are still hankering for peace are the happy people of the world. The ones that dance, laugh, eat spicy, yummy, fatty food, smoke a little pot, watch old movies. Make love and play with children. Peace is really fun. I'm glad we gave it a dance. I think we should shower it with gifts. Yes, lets give peace something everyday. Give it some thought, Give it some Cash. Give it kiss. Give Peace a room for the night. Give peace a call. Give peace a ride. Give peace a present. Give peace a song. And at the very least Give it a chance.

New Yorker for a Day

2010-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am a New Yorker. True, I've lived in California for the last 30 years. But, I am still a New Yorker. It's like being Jewish. It's my roots. I'm a New York Jew. New York Made me what I am. Everyone who Immigrated to NY from anywhere in the world, which most of our great-grandparents did, who grew up there, lived there, worked and died there has this intensity, loyalty, indisputable character, attitude, humor, and definitely without a doubt, an opinion. We're tough, built to last. My 82 year old uncle Ted still lives in Manhattan and will never leave. Maybe it's something in the water. The water that makes the absolute best tasting pizza and bagels in the world. Then there's the architecture from its brownstones to It's gleaming skyscrapers, It's undying devotion to art, music, dance and the theater. There's the international ethnic smorgasbord on every block. Each culture recreated in small enclaves, leaving it's definitive flavor, aromatic distinctions wafting up the avenues and the alleyways. Just walk down the street and you will here 50 different languages. And deeper than that of course are the subways (ha) and the people of New York. Characters, everyone of um. The sidewalks brimming over with them, loud, chaotic, and constant.

I never witnessed violence living in NY. My apartment was robbed once, but I wasn't there, so it made me mad more than scared. I was never afraid to ride the subway, walk the streets at 2 Am, yes, there's crime ( mostly from police corruption) like any big city, but it never interfered with the thrill of it all. Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, St. Patricks Cathedral, Carnegie Hall, The Carnegie Deli, Central Park, China Town, Radio City Music Hall, Village, Harlem, The UN, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, Broadway and yes, of course, the former Twin Towers, now known as ground zero. I had dinner at Windows on the world on the 107th floor, with my family when I was 16 years old. I remember the potatoes were odd, shaved and crunchy like hay. I got up from the table to look out over Manhattan. It was magnificent, I looked down and felt dizzy.

Saturday, President Obama said that "every year on September 11th we are all New Yorkers". That's odd because he stood at the Pentagon to tell us that, which tells me that he is a Pentagonian. If he felt so New Yorky he should have been at Battery Park, the twin ghost lasers beaming up behind his podium and him gazing into the harbor at the Statue of Liberty, but he's not really into her these days. No, He is one that stands with the Pentagon, not the people, on this terrible anniversary and that is reflected in his foreign and domestic policies.

Mr. Obama went on to say. "We pause to remember the victims, to grieve with the families and friends of those who died, and to honor the heroes of that day and each day since who have sacrificed to save lives and serve their country. Lovely, poetic words, but what about the reality of those "heroes?" because at this moment there is a bill stalled in the house of representatives. The James Zadroga bill HR 847 that amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and improve protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. James Zadroga was a NYC police detective who participated in rescue and clean-up at the WTC. He was the first to die at 34 years old of a respiratory disease related to the toxicity at ground zero. (though that was disputed by the city's medical examiner who said his death had nothing to do with WTC fallout)

Just before this August recess Republicans in the house blocked HR847. Yes, that's sad and seems truly unpatriotic, but what's idiotic is that it's nine years later and these American heroes are suffering and dying from the WTC cough and other respiratory illnesses and there has been no legislation to address this. At the point that H.R. 847 was formulated in February of 2009 it was reported that more than 13,000 WTC responders had died or are sick and receiving treatment. It has also been reported that over 40,000 responders are currently being medically monitored. HR 847 provides less than 10 billion dollars for the ongoing care of these brave individuals. And yet the President with all his flowery, patriotic, memorial rhetoric, opposes funding for this legislation. He's certainly managed to fill the Pentagons pockets but those New Yorkers, the ones risked their lives that very day and the weeks following will have to rely on each other, for now, just like they did nine years ago. Mr. President if you want to be a New Yorker for a day you should actually go there and sit on a stoop for the afternoon. Have a cup a coffee and a long talk.

Coming Home

2010-09-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Coming Home

Last Friday I went to the airport to pick up our middle daughter Dana and her Best Friend Larissa coming home from a tour halfway around the world.They left on Winter solstice and came back in time for Fall equinox. That's a long time and distance to have my umbilical cord stretched. Last night the girls slept under our roof and ahh that feeling, knowing our children are sleeping soundly downstairs pacifies the soul like nothing else. I had to have a lot of faith that while on they're journey they would be safe, in right place at the right time in a world that can instantly go very wrong, where violence can explode while thousands of innocent people are doing their daily coming and going or just sleeping in their beds. I know it was an awesome privilege for these two young women to wander blithely round the world, driving up the coast of Australia swimming with Manta rays off the great barrier reef, getting cozy with with Kangaroos and Koalas, Partying all night in the bars of Koh Smet in Thailand while the red shirts rioted in Bangkok, riding camels through the desert descending into the tombs of the pyramids, flying in a hot air balloon over the nile river in Egypt. scuba diving in the red sea. Walking through Cairo and all they could say was,This is old, this is really old, wow that's old. They Made mock confession at the Vatican in rome, rode on water busses through Venice, laughed the night away at the Edinburgh theater Festival in Scotland. learned drinking songs in English Pubs, Watched the World cup in Spain and countless other historical and hysterical hyjinks had by two brave, and beautiful young women whose soul purpose was to discover everything and wearing their trademark gorilla and banana suits, bring joy to the world. These two have gone beyond the confines of google and Facebook and sailed off into the wild blue yonder with faith and good humor and were rewarded with real time friends, family, cultural education and follies that I believe have only just begun. To them the world is a magnificent place. Upon their return I think of the thousands of Iraq war vets who are also coming home, gone not for months, but for years, enduring unimaginable circumstances always on the edge or in the midst of horrifying danger. To them the world is a terrible place. How did their parents endure their wives, husbands, kids? Soldiers came home for awkward interludes only to be redeployed back to the hell on earth that was their destination. It was hard enough to say goodbye to our kids leaving on holiday. How does a mother say goodbye to her son or daughter going off to kill an or be killed? And who are they when they come home? The majority of the soldiers returning from Iraq are the same age as my daughter, 22, so young and vulnerable. What's the damage? Our daughters have a bit of culture shock on returning to the states, Larissa dislocated her finger and Dana her knee overseas, luckily they were in England where they would and could get healthcare for free , but no post traumatic stress, brain injuries or nightmares of missions gone bad and babies gone blewy. Our girls suffered minor inconveniences and injuries unlike our soldiers whose life altering disabilities causing them unbearable pain and costing them thousands and thousands of dollars because the VA budget is so sadly depleted and mismanaged. I am relieved the war for them is "over" and they are coming home and yet many of us are deeply concerned about the lack of services, the intensity of injuries, both mental and physical. We see the statistics rising for veterans going off the deep end, committing suicide and at times bringing somebody we know with them as was the case last year when Jacob Gregory Swanson, 26, a former Army paratrooper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, killed himself and his girlfriend in Fort Bragg

I've heard the argument that we send our kids off to war so we can maintain our national security, I've heard that freedom isn't free, that we have to root out the terrorists and destroy their networks, I can't help but think that sending our kids off in banana suits is a much better strategy for homeland security than flak jackets and kevlar vests. Backpacks full of music, ukeleles, books, and trail mix in lieu of ammunition, MREs. mortar rounds, flex cuffs, hand grenades. Our kids were diplomats, envoys who truly won the hearts and minds of people because they are funny and curious, filled with pleasantries and tales of the beauty and lifestyle of Mendocino county. They offered friendship and adventure instead of suspicion, racism, and orders to stand down, to surrender. So many of our youth join the military because there are no jobs available, there's plenty of money to send them to fight in wars, but none to send them on an cultural exchange mission, where the US does not dictate and occupy, but rather behaves as guests in someone's home. How much we have to learn from these ancient cultures, and yet our mission is to destroy and conquer. Oh when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn. Our kids are coming home now and unlike Dana and Larissa who's dreams are full of castles and trains and joyous bells ringing our veterans have haunting nightmares of sirens, night raids, IED's and blood, lots of blood. That must be addressed. How can we best help them recover their lives, their connection to community and a future that is peaceful, hopeful, healthy and prosperous. We can Call your local Veteran's administration at volunteer, make a donation. see if we can be of service to our veteran's or the family's they've come home to so we can all get a good night's sleep.

Fowl Play

2010-09-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

I love eggs. We all come from an egg. Women are born with all the eggs that our bodies will release in a lifetime and in those eggs are our children and if they are girls they have their lifetime supply as well. All our eggs in one future generational and ancestral basket. Eggs, the source of life and my favorite breakfast ingredient. There's the morning omelette, the benedict, over easy, scrambled, or in a lunch salad with celery, red onion, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise also reliant on egg for it's silky delight. Any delectable dessert insists on the ultimate fat.. Where would the cake, cookie or challah be without its radiant presence. the simple addition of eggs to a recipe gives us the delightful meringue. the hollandaise, the soufflé. It would take all day to list the recipes that rely on their steady beat, their robust protein. We all remember Sly Stallone as Rocky and his raw egg ritual preparing him to fight and triumph over apollo Creed. According to regenerative nutrition.com raw eggs contain essential nutrients for the brain, nerves, glands and hormones, they are nutritionally balanced,The sulphur amino acids help to keep you young, raw eggs also contain an abundance of other vital substances including protein, essential fatty acids along with niacin, riboflavin, biotin, choline, vitamins A, D and E, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, zinc and sulphur. I am in awe and deep gratitude for the chickens who daily provide this precious gift.

I thank the Goddess, and our daughter and son in law who raised them, that we have chickens in our own backyard. It's food security to share and eat the eggs of ones so near and dear and not a product of Mr. Auston De Coster's unfortunate Brood. He is one rotten egg and the head honcho of Wright county and Quality egg distributors. the quintessential oxymoron. How sick these dear old biddies must be to have laid 450 million poison eggs. What on earth is this man doing to these harmless Henny penny's. This guy, De Coster has already been cited and fined for oodles of health, safety and human rights violations, and yet there are little if any consequences for this felonious farmer. He joins the ranks of the Agrithugs who are killing off our food sources to increase their already obscene profits, whether we go back to the outbreak of mad cow disease, the spinach plague and now the egg recall and dozens of other incidents where mechanical farming and toxic fertilizer is used with reckless abandon. The Industrial Agricultural Complex from Monsanto to Archer Midland Daniels have taken the sacraments of the earth, the foundation of our existence and pooped all over it. The epidemic of Salmonella is a result of these animals and vegetables being overexposed to feces. Now we all know that chicken manure, composted properly, is one of the very best amendments to our garden, very high in nitrogen and also contains a good amount of potassium and phosphorus. It's not good if the chickens themselves are standing in it up to their ankles. That's just a bunch of crap. Any one who has seen Food Inc. or read the classic expose, Diet For a New America, by John Robbins, is aware of the tragic abuse and inhumane conditions our chickens are subjected to on factory farms. These delicacies of la tierra firma, that which everything tastes like, are nothing more than egg machines to the Industrial Farmer.

Chickens are the most generous birds in the world and in this country we daily consume billions of their legs, breasts, thighs, and livers and unborn children. approximately 23 million chickens are slaughtered daily in this country. Let's give them the respect, stature and safety regulations they deserve. That notwithstanding, if you live on a half acre or so, consider throwing up a coop. 6 chickens will provide 1/2 dozen eggs a day. Or instead of a chicken in every pot as FDR suggested, we could have a chicken coop on every block. Let's bring the chickens home to roost in a good way and start a campaign to change the national bird of America to the Chicken instead of the eagle. Really what's more American than chicken? Yes, let's salute the chicken. Adorn our General's shoulders with their wings, engrave their profiles on our coins and impress their faces on our dollar bills. It would change our very nature of our republic because in fact though very beautiful Eagles are scary looking raptors, Chickens are wholesome, friendly, cooperative, productive, and as far as I am concerned everyone of them, under the right circumstances. lays golden eggs.

Our summer vacation at the Michigan Women's Music Festival

2010-09-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, while we were away in Michigan, on our summer vacation, the oil from the BP spillage magically disappeared. Oil eating microbes arose out of the muck like some crazy munch monsters and yum, yum they ate it up. For real? I'm a little suspicious about the reality of that claim and so are the fisherfolk who make their livelihood off the fruits of the sea having no palate for the taste for chemical dispersant. It feels like a grand scheme by the oily boys who would like us continue swallowing their fossils fuels without missing a gulp, without fear of consequences for our insatiable appetites. It's time to get real. I think a healthy skepticism is beneficial here and an urgency in creating a real infrastructure for alternative energy and conservation. We drove our bio-diesel Sprinter on Interstate 80 half way cross this very lengthy nation, a first time experience for me,and the outstanding landmarks on this horizontal highway where the boarded up small towns connected by miles of power, oil, electric, and water lines extracting what's left of the dwindling resources from this ravaged earth. Besides that, lot's adult bookstores and corn, lots of corn.

The fact is, It was exciting to see bio-diesel and ethanol fuel pumps sprouting up along our nations highways and took advantage of them . We had also committed to replenishing our glass water containers along the way, filling up at truck stops and restaurants which resulted in the purchasing of only one plastic bottle on our entire journey. It's not easy being green but it's possible. and it is certainly incumbent upon our leaders locally and nationally to take a giant step in that direction, they can just follow us. Rolling through Laramine Wyoming we heard news that The Gay marriage ban was overturned by US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. If you recall, Laramie was where a 21 year old, gay man named Matthew Shepherd was viscously beaten and killed and strung up on one of the thousands of snow fences that cut the hillsides. Just because he was gay. It was a solemn sacred moment of justice, to know that the court understood that the homosexual heart is equal to the heterosexual. that decision provides us with a certain measure of security and whittles away at the hate that is the root of that kind of tragedy. I know a lot of us have been praying for diversity and tolerance, and we took that as a really good sign even if it is stalled in the. 9th circuit court of appeals. It's the small omens and that sustain us through the madness and confusion of this life. We're all just looking for relief. It was a relief to spend time on women's only land in the hardwood forest of Hart Michigan.The Michigan Women's Music festival takes place in a self sufficient village built by women every spring for the last 35 years in preparation for the August arrival of about 9000 of us looking to escape the never ending struggle to function happily in a man's world. The Festival, 5 days long, spanning over 593 acres was started in 1976 by a woman named Lisa Vogel who at 19 had the tenacity and focus to provide a safe space for women that would be filled with every imaginable kind of artistic expression, music, theater, comedy, dance, and workshops like Amazon knife and tomahawk throwing, Stilt walking, creative croning, to the Lesbian Tent revival. We were treated to the music of Laura Love, The Indigo Girls, Toshi Regan, Holly Near, Ferron, Mary Gauthier,The Butchies and the list goes on and on. We have hot showers, three delicious meals a day. If you need first aid, you are sent to the womb, if you are upset you go to the oasis, if you want to see women wrestling in chocolate pudding you go to the twilight zone. Children, roam freely because there are infinite mothers' eyes watching over them. We attended the festival with another lesbian couple and four of our teenage daughter's. Here in the "mainstream" we are constantly nagging them about their minuscule fashion choices exposing more of their booties than they cover. We try to explain to them that it's not their clothing that's the problem, it's the fact is that there were over 95.000 reported rapes in the US last year alone. There, Our girls were safe and free to dress appropriately for their pleasure, wicked crazy style and for the weather and considering the humidity, Half naked was all good. It's a simple matter of real security. One that requires no government departments, no police, no surveillance, no weapons. It has something to do with a man free environment. Now this may offend some of you out there, but the fact is that every women and girl on that land for those five days lived fear free that someone would even think of violating her body, let alone do it. Just contemplate that for a moment. Michigan Festival is a microcosm of a better world that actually exists, the difference being that women run it. Women build it, women make the decisions for the benefit of the collective experience. Imagine being able to walk out of your house naked and all the neighbor next door does is smile and wave and say good morning. Imagine losing all your body judgements, comparison with others because you are no longer competing with them you are co-existing with them all contributing in your own special way choosing your right lively hood in voluntary bliss while all your needs are taking care of. It's the kind of place that you might read about in a Ursula Leguin, Or Sally Gearheart novel, but It's for real. I've seen it with my very own eyes and fortunately so have our daughters.

Gulf Leak plugged, Wikileaks unplugged.

2010-07-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

So many beautiful stories in the world, the beauty makes me cry as much as the devastation. I know some people had a strong condemnation toward our Women weeping by the water, but I can tell you a full blown emotional life with all it's,sorrows, pathos, slapstick, and absurdities makes this life so satisfying. I would love to see more and more people experience the fulfillment that I know regularly because of my connection to humanity, the earth and the cosmos. I believe one can be emotional and powerfully effective at the same time. It is the lack of emotion, or depression that tends to destroy our inner lives. I know a majority of you love to be touched, entertained, you love a good story and the juicier the better. Would you buy a ticket to a show that had no emotion, no dramatic arc, or are you more interested in a story, say that starts with utter hopelessness that by some twist of fate or will becomes a heroic triumph. And according to the signs I'm seeing, Yes, we are on the verge of a climax here. I'll be the first to admit that my latest editorials are fraught with deep dark emotions but at the same time A psychic once told me my rose colored glasses have rose colored clip ons there is a kind of optimism that always accompanies me.

I see great evidence of consciousness rising and that kind of behavior reflected. in current events. Today, the VA announced that Veterans have the right to use Marijuana to help deal with PTSD in 14 States where it is legal. Huge leap forward. Last week the front page of the Ashland Newspaper, Daily Tidings, told us Northwest airline hubs will be using biodiesel to fuel their airplanes. Exciting. New York opens it's first electric vehicle charging station while New Jersey mounts 200,000 solar panels on utility poles. Illegal timber trade has dropped %50 in the Amazon! The California legislature is poised to pass AB 1998, banning single-use plastic bags. Governor Schwarzenegger has said he'll sign it,Yeah! There was An article last week in the Press democrat about a significant increase in Vaginal births after C-section. I'm always inspired when I see positive news about vaginas in the newspaper. Tropical storm Bonnie spared Gulf residents a terrible beating and the cap on the bp oil leak is holding. Everyday people are coming up with creative solutions to clean up the gulf. And in other water news, Salmon returning to the columbia Snake river in record numbers. Then there's the case of Shirley Sherrod who was unjustly accused of Racism regarding her speech to the NAACP. the source of course for that nasty spin was fox news. This set off a chain of unfortunate events that led to her firing, but, then drum roll please, the President of the United States called her and apologized and offered her job back. Wow, can we take a moment. I remember reporter after reporter asking George Bush if he made any mistakes his answer was a standard and absolute No. But Barack Obama and his minions made a mistake and addressed it. If Ms. Sherrod accepts his apology and returns to her post at the USDA that would be an extraordinary lesson for America. To err is human. To forgive, divine. We are at this moment also being appraised of the Truth of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan through the eyes of Wikileaks. There are over 90,000 pages documenting extreme war crimes against innocent people. While that in itself is an undeniable horror, the outcome may surprise us. The footage is all over the internet and the newspaper and Robert Gibbs White house Spokesman has been fielding questions about it all day. We cannot live in denial of that facts, just the facts. and here they are all dressed up with everywhere to go. The light is shining in the darkest places. Thank you internet, thanks to the people who care enough to risk there lives, livelihoods, reputations to bring us inconvenient truths. How appropriate that Today We are in a full moon 3 degrees of Aquarius and according to it's Sabian symbol, another drum roll please is "A Deserter From the Navy: according to the website Lincoln's This and That Astrology, "This is a symbol of human independence carried to a point of extreme rebellion against things as they are, here emphasized in a disregard of all consequences for the sake of an immediate liberation of the spirit. There is a demand for a more rewarding expression of individuality, and the reversed symbolism suggests that any late acceptance of full and personal responsibility for life is better than none at all. Except as man creates his own allegiances, his destiny holds no depth. The keyword is defiance. When positive, the degree is genuine psychological courage in a repudiation of all meaningless loyalties, and when negative, complete inability to follow the rules of any game." After watching one of the leaked wikileaks on You Tube called Collateral Murders, Wiki leak, Iraq. I am even more emboldened to speak up, speak out. Act out. This universe is calling. We can respond, everyone of us with truth and beauty as Rob Brezny says on his www.freewillastrology.com website. I am in the process of gathering data and quickly turning my attention to the creation, to the symbolic as an offering to you as a gift. My job is to enlighten you, provoke you, engage you, inform you and turn you on to the marvelous possibilities that are offered to us everyday.

By The Light Of The Moon

2010-07-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

I see great evidence of consciousness rising and that kind of behavior reflected. in current events. Today, the VA announced that Veterans have the right to use Marijuana to help deal with PTSD in 14 States where it is legal. Huge leap forward. Last week the front page of the Ashland Newspaper, Daily Tidings, told us Northwest airline hubs will be using biodiesel to fuel their airplanes. Exciting. New York opens it's first electric vehicle charging station while New Jersey mounts 200,000 solar panels on utility poles. Illegal timber trade has dropped %50 in the Amazon! The California legislature is poised to pass AB 1998, banning single-use plastic bags. Governor Schwarzenegger has said he'll sign it,Yeah! There was An article last week in the Press democrat about a significant increase in Vaginal births after C-section. I'm always inspired when I see positive news about vaginas in the newspaper. Tropical storm Bonnie spared Gulf residents a terrible beating and the cap on the bp oil leak is holding. Everyday people are coming up with creative solutions to clean up the gulf. And in other water news, Salmon returning to the columbia Snake river in record numbers. Then there's the case of Shirley Sherrod who was unjustly accused of Racism regarding her speech to the NAACP. the source of course for that nasty spin was fox news. This set off a chain of unfortunate events that led to her firing, but, then drum roll please, the President of the United States called her and apologized and offered her job back. Wow, can we take a moment. I remember reporter after reporter asking George Bush if he made any mistakes his answer was a standard and absolute No. But Barack Obama and his minions made a mistake and addressed it. If Ms. Sherrod accepts his apology and returns to her post at the USDA that would be an extraordinary lesson for America. To err is human. To forgive, divine. We are at this moment also being appraised of the Truth of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan through the eyes of Wikileaks. There are over 90,000 pages documenting extreme war crimes against innocent people. While that in itself is an undeniable horror, the outcome may surprise us. The footage is all over the internet and the newspaper and Robert Gibbs White house Spokesman has been fielding questions about it all day. We cannot live in denial of that facts, just the facts. and here they are all dressed up with everywhere to go. The light is shining in the darkest places. Thank you internet, thanks to the people who care enough to risk there lives, livelihoods, reputations to bring us inconvenient truths. How appropriate that Today We are in a full moon 3 degrees of Aquarius and according to it's Sabian symbol, another drum roll please is "A Deserter From the Navy: according to the website Lincoln's This and That Astrology, "This is a symbol of human independence carried to a point of extreme rebellion against things as they are, here emphasized in a disregard of all consequences for the sake of an immediate liberation of the spirit. There is a demand for a more rewarding expression of individuality, and the reversed symbolism suggests that any late acceptance of full and personal responsibility for life is better than none at all. Except as man creates his own allegiances, his destiny holds no depth. The keyword is defiance. When positive, the degree is genuine psychological courage in a repudiation of all meaningless loyalties, and when negative, complete inability to follow the rules of any game." After watching one of the leaked wikileaks on You Tube called Collateral Murders, Wiki leak, Iraq. I am even more emboldened to speak up, speak out. Act out. This universe is calling. We can respond, everyone of us with truth and beauty as Rob Brezny says on his Real Astrology website. I am in the process of gathering data and quickly turning my attention to the creation, to the symbolic as an offering to you as a gift. My job is to enlighten you, provoke you, engage you, inform you and turn you on to the marvelous possibilities that are offered to us everyday.

All The World's A Stage

2010-07-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

A playwright is like God. She looks down on her world sets the scene, populates it, plots it decides it's outcome. If it ends with a wedding, it's a comedy, If it ends with a funeral, it's a tragedy. She or He gives us a passport to a new world, exotic, mundane, impossible, beautiful and sometimes very very ugly, just like life, only at the theater we are the audience and that makes it more comfortable.

We have just had the privilege of attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. We did not get tickets to one of the Bard's classics , 12th Night, or the Merchant of Venice, playing in honor of the Festivals 75th anniversary. No, Honestly I am not a fan of Shakespeare I respect the man greatly, but it's too much work for me. I liked The film Shakespeare In Love more than I liked Romeo and Juliet. It's hard to admit that, but it's the truth. We stayed on the fringe of the Festival and we were lucky to see the World Premiere of American Night, a collaborative creation by the legendary socio-political comedy team known as, Culture Clash . In it, We follow, or maybe chase would be a better verb, the story of a young Mexican father, Juan Jose, separated from his Wife and new baby, still in Mexico, while he jumps through hoops of hope and prepares himself for the exam to become an American Citizen. Set against a simple steel backdrop, first graffiti'd with the phrase, "Borders are scars on the Land", in Spanish Juan Jose's journey begins with his trek across the dessert as the Projector screen shows us how Juan walked to America. We catch up with Juan Jose' the night before his exam, cheered on by his two new Mormon friends hoping that he not only switches countries, but deities as well, to help them spread the good word to his gente latino. This is just one minor, yet sharp note in this brilliant Operatic Comedy that takes us on a fantastic journey to the center of American History through the dream state of our Hero Juan Jose'. This play, a by product of over thirty years of collaboration between richard Montoya, Herbert Siguenza, who also star, and Ric Salinas of Culture Clash, think Latino Mime Troupe, In American Night we are given a thorough History lesson, peppered with pernicious pop culture, beginning at the end of the Mexican American war and the Signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago where upon doing so Mexico surrenders lands from California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. In his dream, as the signature on the treaty, Juan Jose makes himself a fugitive in what just five minutes ago was HIS country The irony starts there and does not stop as Juan travels through the time line as if on a skate board through the ages pausing only to mark undocumented moments in history that give a more diverse sense of who we are as Americans like, Viola Pettus the Black Florence Nightengale of Texas, who in the days of the Spanish Influenza even treated KKK members , deftly delivering the notion that there are good people in the world even if they don't make history. And even though our country is fraught with racism with the modern likes of Sherif Joe Arpaio and Governor Jan Brewer and divisions that linger from the original buying, selling, and stealing of American, this is still a place where dreams can come true. The metaphor of the dream of Juan Jose, conjures the current day, Dream Act, that would give undocumented immigrants a new lease on life. May it be so. Then Last night we attended, in the same theater, miraculously transformed into the Congolese Jungle. a chilling thrilling work of Pulitzer winning playwright, Lynn Nottage, called Ruined. This Play harkens to Brecht's Mother Courage, yet is set in Present day Congo, where Coltan ( a main ingredient in our precious cell phones) is the new Gold and Soldiers and Rebels Kill and Maim with impunity to control the resources and extract revenge for the taking of their indigenous lands. We are at Mama Nadi's place deep in Jungle Land. She provides a refuge for girls, young women who must flee their villages for their fate is sealed. They will be killed or worse they will be raped in such violent sadistic ways that their bodies are ruined for life. Mami offers them her protection, but at the same time they are for sale to soldiers who come to drink the beer and eat the maboke. Though this work is deeply disturbing, painful to witness for 2 and one half hours, it penetrates the audience, completely. The story revolves around Mami and three women who are under her wing. Sophie, Ruined at the edge of a soldiers Bayonet, Salima, who's body was not only ruined by soldiers the day her husband went to buy her a much wanted new pot, but her baby, Beatriz, is killed under a soldiers boot, and Josephine, once a chief's daughter,now a beautiful play toy for hungry ugly men. Kimberly Scott, who was also a member of American nights ensemble, portrays Mami Nadi with enormous courage, presence, and moral ambiguity, yet exudes an unflinching strength in the art of survival. She is a huge presence on the stage, tending her bar, unabashedly catering to the militia men, at the same time aptly feathering her own jungle nest. the arc of this character is so strong we know that life will go on, no matter what. I am heartened when not only am I in tears at the end of the play, but I see men crying as well. Especially regarding this subject matter and the brilliant thing is, though we witness the terrifying irrational, chaos of men with guns and unintelligible conflicts that change from day to day, somehow, out of this endless quagmire the playwright shows us human beings are ultimately resilient, alive and willing to love. that's the thing of life, which art imitates or vice a versa, if one can find humor and love then it's worth the trouble. We can sustain ourselves not only through our own testimonies, but in the theater we bare witness, and safe in the audience we can experience lives we can only imagine, or couldn't possibly. It is good to remember in these unpredictable, somewhat unbearable times that this is just a story we live in and everyday we turn the page. I invite you to become the playwright, director and Actor in this life. I guess Shakespeare said it best in As You Like it, "All the World's a stage"

Total Eclipse of the The Sun

2010-07-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Tides they are a Turning

A small group of us held a sacred ritual on Big River Beach Sunday, July 11th at the same time of the total solar eclipse. Only visible in the Chile, Argentina and Peru, the moon blocked the sun for a time and certainly appeared more powerful than the sky king. How symbolic! Now some might say, a solar eclipse? So what? As if to suggest that universal, cosmic events are unimportant, folderol, and fiddle-de-dee.

It seems a bit arrogant to me to think the intelligent design, the precise chemistry and balance of the universe, our perfect solar system, which affords us life on earth has no influence in our oh so very important existence. Many of the rulers of the past related themselves to the Sun. The patriarchy claims the sky as it's domain; think, "our father who art in heaven." The most obvious connotation is that when a boy child is born he of course is the "son". Well, being a lover of linguistics and divine metaphors, as you know I am. I must act accordingly.

In acknowledging the metaphor of the feminine moon eclipsing the masculine sun, we give credence to idea that using ritual, in tune with the forces of nature, will bring radical change, challenging the patriarchal rule of that has dominated our planet for thousands of years. As the moon eclipsed the sun, the new moon went into Cancer.

Some say astrology and numerology is a bunch of hooey, but when I reflect on the calendar and recent catastrophic events like the invasion of Iraq on the eve Spring equinox in 2003, or the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon on 4/20, I think there is a method to the madness. 911 certainly has, and always will have, enormous numerical significance. So, on 7/11 (connotation noted), we hitched a ritual of weeping and wailing to a truly physical phenomenon in our cosmological cycle. The act of doing so gives us context for the arc of our revolution, which is a movement to find balance on planet earth.

The sign of Cancer is about home. Women have a traditional connection to the moon. It is ancient and aligns us with nature's rhythms as we experience our menstrual cycle. In fact, some women indicate they are bleeding by saying they are on their "moon" or "moon-struating." Maybe you've heard of the moon hut, a term referring the place where women retreat to use the power of their cycle to dream, to prophesize, to nurture and refresh themselves.

The tides rule us all, yet as women, our wombs, like the sea, are the environment for life to come to fruition. Humans are undeniably ruled by water because we are full of it. Our bodies are over 60% water. We are all deeply involved in that way. No one can deny it. It is time to raise the feminine "yin" dark, watery presence to her rightful position. Really-- what else on earth are we supposed to do to address these overwhelming crises? Well, for one thing, having a good cry is the first step toward our own well being. Sorrow is a natural response to the dire circumstances of war and oil disasters that humanity and our other living relatives are facing.

So our circle of women had a good cry, in reverence, in grief, and in awe, as we stood in the presence of our Mendocino Coast's precious green, healthy, mystical, living, giving ocean. Our salt tears filled to the brim with pain, compassion, remorse, gratitude, as we called out "We hear you." We hear Our Mother calling out. We hear dolphins, whales, turtles, krill, and coral beds. We feel their suffering, in our wombs, and in our bloodstreams, and we hear the call. Our friend, Lisa Denning, whose underwater film exhibit, Ocean, came to Oddfellow’s Hall this weekend, provided us with a truly intimate chance to see, and virtually swim, with the dolphins she filmed off the coast of Oahu.

We discussed the tragedy of the Gulf Oil Leak. Lisa said that dolphins are highly intelligent species, and they are mostly evacuating the premises, but there are those pods that are sacrificing themselves. They are swimming through the oil plumes to make a stand, to reach out to us, to see if we notice, if we react. If we change. We have no one to answer to but them. And we did.

In closing the ritual, our circle of women stood on the sand at the edge of the water. One of our sisters said, "The tides are turning." And sure enough, as she uttered her prayer intention, the tide instantly turned. We all got our feet wet and we had to laugh. Such is the nature of things. I then took out a bottle of essential oil in a blend called Hope. I dripped one drop of hope in the ocean and it rippled into the waves. That vibration touched every molecule in our oceans and resonated in our bodies. Believe it or not, it's all the same water. If there's anything that makes us one, it's water. Holy water, blessed water, sacred water.

10 Ways to Wean yourself From Oil

2010-07-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

10 ways to wean ourselves from oil.

1. Make a Vow to refuse any extra plastic, whether it be bag of fork or cup or spoon. Say no thanks. Bring your own bag and that’s final.

2. Work to Outlaw Plastic bags in your neighborhood city or town

3. Do not buy water anymore. If you have to, do in the largest Bulk concentration you can. No more little bottles!

4. Write to companies that package things you like to buy encourage them to stop using so many tiny plastic bags for each component of the item. If they must do so, there are alternative wraps, some are made from soy bean.

5. Discourage manufacturing, Do your best to recycle, pass on everything and any thing. Learn how to fix stuff.

6. Work to legalize growing industrial Hemp as an alternative to fuel and plastic. Demand that your government listen!

7. Find alternative transportation. Use your car as little as possible, hardly at all unless you are using and electric car or Biodiesel

8. Tell others what you are doing

9. Put on solar panels, windmills, water mills,

10. Plant a garden and eat from it.

This disaster of plastic and oil will not be solved by these things alone, but it's a good start toward real independence and ingenuity.