Rachel Maddow vrs The Patriarchy

Rachel Maddow

I have been following Rachel Maddow's lively critique of Pastor Rick Warren, the preacher chosen by Obama to give the invocation at his inauguration. The choice of Warren has caused quite a stir on the left due in large part to the mega-church preacher’s support of California’s proposition 8 banning gay marriage and his likening of gay marriage to incest and pedophilia. Maddow, herself a lesbian, isn’t going to let this slide by without notice.

Pastor Rick Warren

Warren however, isn’t the only Christian leader to make audacious statements about gays lately. Pope Benedict, who not surprisingly, is opposed to gay marriage, recently likened homosexuality to the destruction of the rainforest saying, "The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less." According to Reuters, the pope called behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations "a destruction of God's work." The pontiff warns that blurring the distinction between male and female could lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

Pope Benedict

To thinking people who do not have a stake in upholding the patriarchy, homosexuality and gay marriage are no threats to the human race. In fact, less thoughtless breeding by humans could come as a relief to the rest of the planet and benefit the human race as well. The only thing that is truly threatened by gay marriage is the patriarchy. Homosexuality makes male chauvinists like the pope and pastor Rick Warren squirm. Christianity is a patriarchal religion. If you want to keep women firmly in their place you do not want any blurring of gender distinctions.

Rachel Maddow on msnbc set

Obama has said all along that he wants to bring all Americans together. Choosing Preacher Rick may be a peace offering to all the Americans who loved Sarah Palin. Like it or not a large segment of the American population are bigots. At the same time this choice is a slap in the face to the gay community and an unhappy choice for civil liberties. I for one am enjoying watching the brilliant Rachel Maddow poke holes in the patriarchy with her sharp wit.

Merry Christmas!

Mele Kalikimaha!

Obama Emerging from the Sea

(photoshop - with my apologies to artist Christian Riese Lassen)

Six Random Facts Meme

Naturalist, photographer and blue-haired roller hockey goalie Monika Wieland of the blog, Orca Watcher tagged me for the Six Random Facts meme. You can read more about memes right here. This one is like a party game to get to know fellow bloggers.

Here are the rules to the Six Random Facts Meme:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write six random things about yourself.
4) Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

A while ago my sister Patty sent me my old Girl Scout Badge Sash. I referred to the merit badges earned in my youth to pick out six random facts about myself.

1. Hey Look! I earned a merit badge for Witchcraft! Actually, I think this one was for outdoor cooking. Those outdoor cooking skills came in handy at the Earth First! base-camp by Dixie, Idaho where I was known to rustle up some grub.



2. I’m not sure what this one was for but it seems to be about the changing seasons. For 20 years I practiced rituals based on the changing seasons with a group of women called Earth Rising.

3. Here’s my happy camper badge. Before my outdoor cooking adventures in Idaho, I left my home on Lopez Island thinking that I was going on a camping road trip for a few weeks. It turned out to be a few years. I called it the camping trip of no return.

4. Ah, the sewing badge. I don’t sew much anymore but at the height of my Luddite back-to-the-land days I sewed my clothes by hand with needle and thread. Those were the best clothes I’ve ever had.




5. The sculpture badge: when I went back to school to complete my bachelor's degree in Fine Art I had to take a sculpture class as a requirement. After I carved my first piece of stone I was hooked. I ended up getting an MFA in sculpture and painting.



6. Finally, the book badge. Two unwritten novels live in my head, Confessions of a Barbarian Priestess, an action adventure revision of Euripides, Medea told in Medea's own voice and Land of the Free, a sweeping saga and historical romance set on San Juan Island during the Pig War era.



Blogs I've Tagged:

Sue at: Gleanings Radio Show
Steve at: My Dog Ate Art
Susan at: Susan Wingate, Writer
Anita at: Thornbush Report
Annie at: Daily Paintings
Mike at: A Bagpipe Journal

Feng Shui for Prosperity: The Lakshmi Report

Day five of my Prosperity Grounding & Mantra practice and I'm not rich yet. However, the wolves are staying on the other side of the door and maybe for now that is good enough.

Luxury is more than just money. Today I had the luxury of a snow day at home. The same woman who advised grounding and the Lakshmi Mantra for financial well-being also recommended I try Feng Shui for prosperity.

If you stand in your doorway looking into your home the far left corner is your prosperity corner. Things you want there to attract wealth: flowing water, the colors green, red & purple, gems, coins, goldfish, lucky money cats, horses, healthy plants, symbols of prosperity. What you do not want: dirt, grime, broken things, symbols of poverty, kitty litter or clutter.

Yes, she said clutter. My prosperity corner is in my guest-room/art-storage room. Talk about clutter. Today I cleaned this room and set it up as my yoga room, something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I still have a few piles to go through but I'm thinking I should be in pretty good graces with Lakshmi who, according to wikipedia, "Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped by those who wish to acquire or to preserve wealth. It is believed that Lakshmi (wealth) goes only to those houses which are clean and where the people are hardworking. She does not visit the places which are unclean/dirty or where the people are lazy".

In the very corner of my prosperity room I made a prosperity altar. Beach glass and glass floats to symbolise moving water, (flowing energy), Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god to remove obstacles, My footed replica of an ancient Egyptian offering bowl with agates, turquoise, crystals, jade and coins, and my "Keep the Money Coming" post card.

Lucky Jade

Christmas Wars: News From the Front

Billy-Bob Thorton as Bad Santa

“You’d better watch out, get ready to cry,
You’d better go hide, I’m telling you why
‘cuz Santa Claus will take you to hell.
He is your favorite idol, you worship at his feet,
but when you stand before your God
He won’t help you take the heat.
So get this fact straight: you’re feeling God’s hate,
Santa’s to blame for the economy’s fate,
Santa Claus will take you to hell."

Feeling God's Hate? That's Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church's Santa song which also includes the line "Santa's to blame for the dead soldier's fate." The Kansas group has applied for permission to put up their "Santa Claus Will Take You to Hell" sign, where else, but the Washington State capitol rotunda in Olympia. The group, also known for protesting at the funerals of Iraq war soldiers because they believe the war and the deaths are God's punishment for the U.S. condoning homosexuality, held a protest in Olympia on Sunday against the infamous atheist sign currently on display at the capitol along with a Nativity scene and a Holiday Tree.

Kansas Baptists Protesting Atheist Sign at Washington State Capitol
photo JOHN FROSCHAUER / AP

Meanwhile, the Department of General Administration, which oversees the Capitol grounds, declared a moratorium Friday on any pending and future requests to put up displays in the Capitol building. According to Janet Tu of the Seattle Times, "The moratorium applies to Westboro's application, along with pending requests for a Buddhist display, a Jewish banner, a mannequin of Satan holding a statement against atheists and wishing them a merry Christmas, an aluminum pole in celebration of the invented holiday of Festivus, and a "Flying Spaghetti Monster Holiday Display."

A menorah is still scheduled to go up Dec. 21, since that application had already been approved.

Car Magnet for the Church of the Flying Spagetti Monster

Money and Prayer: The Lakshmi Report

The Lakshmi Report - Day 2

I got an email this morning…

Greetings from Amazon.com,
We're writing to let you know that we are having difficulty processing
Visa (exp.xxxx/xx) payment for the above transaction.

A few Christmas presents I was actually going to buy I have now canceled. Having been raised a Christian I wondered momentarily if I was being punished for not shopping locally. Instant Karma? Well no, I’m sure there is a perfectly logical and mathematical reason why my debit card was rejected.

I am so fucked.

Can prayer help?

I remember reading once in the book, Adventures in Prayer, by Christian writer Catherine Marshall that prayer is not some fancy ornate thing. "Prayer" she said, “is a delivery truck”.

Oh Lord, please put the pedal to the metal.

later that morning...

My great fear this morning was a horror of the dreaded cascading bouncing check syndrome. With fear worming around in the pit of my stomach I forced myself to do the grounding meditation and the Lakshmi mantra all 108 times before I went to the bank to check on my account. My prayers were answered! I was not over-drawn! Plus I was able to pick up 50 more of my Christmas cards from the printer on credit until Tuesday. And I still had $17.00 in cash! I went to the market and bought a bunch of bananas and some blueberry jam feeling quite redeemed and prosperous. But I still can not tell...

Is this working or not?

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Price of Silence

The track, donated by Aterciopelados and arranged by fusion music guru Andres Levin, combines the voices of Hugh Masekela, Julieta Venegas, Stephen Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Yungchen Lhamo, Aterciopelados, Yerba Buena, Natacha Atlas, Rachid Taha, Kiran Ahluwalia, Chiwoniso and Emmanual Jal with those of U.S. artists Natalie Merchant, and Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5. Introduction by Lawrence Fishburne.