Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.
On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.
So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.
Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.
Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.
Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.
Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.
Tomorrow it's Memorial Day and memories run deep...why the hell are we going backwards? We have the science and the technology to move into the future and yet there are groups of people that would take us back to the tenth century. What the hell people, grow the fuck up and grow a sac while your at it.
I am talking to all of you, of all stripes and beings, get a fucking grip on reality and move us forward to a world that finds peace a better alternative to the death of our young men and women for pointless causes, simply because a "higher power" seems to command it.
All I ask for this day is that we all take a long look at what we have created in our race to make the world perfectly awful ... dominion over the earth is not a licence to kill, rape, and pillage our own resources or our fellow humans.
To quote someone much more astute than I..."Give peace a chance"..John Lennon.
Take time today to remember fallen friends and those who remain unknown.Respect the price they paid for our own idiocy. And never ever give up the struggle for peace in your childrens lifetime. They are the one who will inherit the mess we leave them, not to mention all the oil that BP has given us.(sarcasm but the truth as well).
Some lessons take a lifetime to learn...Peace, Love, and Light...Tau
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ten soldiers and Nixon's coming...remember?
This is a repost of something I wrote a couple years back but I have to say it again, because it is to important to forget...Kent State University 40 years ago, and still important more than ever now. From an old Woodie Guthrie song brings to mind a simple question..."How many deaths does it take till we know, that to many people have died?"
How many does it take? How about countless thousands in Darfur, or how about 50,000 plus in VietNam, or maybe its 4,0000 and counting in Iraq, oops I forgot the 1.25 million Iraq soldiers and mostly civilians, then again maybe its the 33 students killed at Virginia Tech, at the hands of a poor delusional nut, is that enough or should we add more...?
Maybe four more...the four that should count pehaps the loudest. May 4, 1970, a date that should live in infamy, four students, some exercising the right of free speech and some not, died at Kent State University because our own soldiers, Americans themselves, following immoral orders, turned as they were retreating and opened fire on unarmed civilians. At a school! American soldiers , most not more than kids themselves, shooting at unarmed kids. All in the name of politics and "moral outrage". This has been swept away in the gift of forgetfullness, for the vast majority, but to this writer it was a life changing experience. I found myself questioning freedom itself and our inherrant right to express it in our own way. Maybe that is why I taught all my kids to "question authority", which they have done, way to well at times.
I was in the Navy at the time, fairly gung ho and all proud till that fateful day, in an instant I changed, I came to the realization that no war is worth such a price and I could not support such an unjust cause. This is just not what ones pride and sense of justice is able to understand, and to this day I still dont. What the hell were we all dieing for, and I mean troops and civilians.
In a day or so I will turn 58 and though its been a long hard road, my deepest feelings have not changed. In these past 40 years many things have changed and unchanged as the case may be, I am still a "hippie" and a "peacenik", but now we find ourselves yet again facing the horrid reality of an immoral, illegal, and lost war. A war with more horrid implications than I care to think on. Not only are our rights being eroded or stolen at will, but the voice against it is weaker it seems and perhaps with good reason, perhaps not enough remember....or maybe to many are just afraid to stand anymore because to many have died. So tomorrow I will don my "remember Kent State" shirt and do just that....remember.
Those of you that are to young won't remember because most History books will ignore ...those of you that do had better learn and remember to stand for what is meant to stand for freedomm in the 21st century.
Peace, love, and light to all and I Hope Beltane was happy for you all..
TR...
P.S. those of you that know it, turn on your music boxes and listen to CSN&Y,or just do what it takes to never forget. Per the Declaration...Life, Lberty, and the persuit of Happiness...they died for that right!
PSS.. Remember the right of all people to tie the knot...support equal right for everyone.
How many does it take? How about countless thousands in Darfur, or how about 50,000 plus in VietNam, or maybe its 4,0000 and counting in Iraq, oops I forgot the 1.25 million Iraq soldiers and mostly civilians, then again maybe its the 33 students killed at Virginia Tech, at the hands of a poor delusional nut, is that enough or should we add more...?
Maybe four more...the four that should count pehaps the loudest. May 4, 1970, a date that should live in infamy, four students, some exercising the right of free speech and some not, died at Kent State University because our own soldiers, Americans themselves, following immoral orders, turned as they were retreating and opened fire on unarmed civilians. At a school! American soldiers , most not more than kids themselves, shooting at unarmed kids. All in the name of politics and "moral outrage". This has been swept away in the gift of forgetfullness, for the vast majority, but to this writer it was a life changing experience. I found myself questioning freedom itself and our inherrant right to express it in our own way. Maybe that is why I taught all my kids to "question authority", which they have done, way to well at times.
I was in the Navy at the time, fairly gung ho and all proud till that fateful day, in an instant I changed, I came to the realization that no war is worth such a price and I could not support such an unjust cause. This is just not what ones pride and sense of justice is able to understand, and to this day I still dont. What the hell were we all dieing for, and I mean troops and civilians.
In a day or so I will turn 58 and though its been a long hard road, my deepest feelings have not changed. In these past 40 years many things have changed and unchanged as the case may be, I am still a "hippie" and a "peacenik", but now we find ourselves yet again facing the horrid reality of an immoral, illegal, and lost war. A war with more horrid implications than I care to think on. Not only are our rights being eroded or stolen at will, but the voice against it is weaker it seems and perhaps with good reason, perhaps not enough remember....or maybe to many are just afraid to stand anymore because to many have died. So tomorrow I will don my "remember Kent State" shirt and do just that....remember.
Those of you that are to young won't remember because most History books will ignore ...those of you that do had better learn and remember to stand for what is meant to stand for freedomm in the 21st century.
Peace, love, and light to all and I Hope Beltane was happy for you all..
TR...
P.S. those of you that know it, turn on your music boxes and listen to CSN&Y,or just do what it takes to never forget. Per the Declaration...Life, Lberty, and the persuit of Happiness...they died for that right!
PSS.. Remember the right of all people to tie the knot...support equal right for everyone.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A repost but an important one to me. Blessings to all this new spring.
Easter or Eostara and I am just making a point.
I just had to do this kids.. it means alot. An Ostara TaleAuthor: ScoutGhst Posted: March 9th. 2003.. . It was long ago, and it was the time of winter. Snow covered the ground and the chill in the air made this a harsh and unforgiving time to be about. Whiteness everywhere. The world slept.....A little girl had strayed from her home (a very bad thing, but such as children are wont to do) and she found herself wandering about in the woods; alone. She was cold and tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and began to cry. She cried for her home. She cried for her mother and father. She cried for her life.Then she saw it - a bird - a frozen bird - lying, dying in the snow. She jumped up and rushed to take the bird into her arms. She held it close to herself; wrapping it tightly in her arms. She tried to warm the bird and thaw it's frozen wings, but it was too cold and life was quickly leaving the bird's body along with its warmth. She was beside herself! She thought only of the bird now, not seeing that she, herself would soon be in the same situation that this small bird was in now.She cried out for help! "Help! Help, this bird to live", she cried. "Goddess Eostara, please help this bird!".Now, Eostara was one busy Being about this time. Under normal circumstances the Goddess of Spring and Warmth would have dismissed this cry for help and continued about Her more important business. But it piqued Her interest that this girl was calling on Her to help a bird instead of herself. She decided to investigate and perhaps lend a helping hand.Eostara came to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In Her wake flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into view. Spring followed in Her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes could be heard on Her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life radiated about Her. The girl was astounded.She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!", she cried. "Make it well!". Using the demanding tone that only a child would have the nerve to use in the presence of a Goddess.Eostara took no mind of the girl's inappropriate behavior. She knew of her intent and her motives. The girl was sincere... the girl was unselfish.... the girl was so very young.....Eostara reached out Her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger. Light flowed through Her, warming the bird. It's eyes opened suddenly. It's foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand and began to flop about madly in the snow. The girl squealed with delight. "You saved it! You saved it!", as she danced about in the snow, overjoyed. But wait --"Hey....." the girl said after watching the bird for a while. "Its wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly! You didn't do it right!!".Oh my. Now, Eostara surely wasn't used to this kind of response when She had just performed a minor miracle. But with Her infinite patience (which by now was wearing thin) intact, She gave the bird one last effort, another chance at survival. She reached over to the hopping bird and touched it again gently with Her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!", she said to the girl, "Now it has no need of its wings".And as the now totally confused bunny hopped off into the brush, Eostara drifted away to perform other tasks of sunshine and light (as far away as possible from this girl). The girl was delighted at the sight of the bunny scrambling into the snow-covered brush. "All better", she smiled. She suddenly knew the way home...Now, all this was fine for Eostara and the girl, but what of the bunny? Well, now, this is one totally confused little animal here. This rabbit still has a habit of laying eggs! And to this day, when the snow begins to melt, and the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. Oh, and these aren't ordinary eggs either. These eggs tell of color! Of Spring! Of Eostara and her gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of Spring.Note: Some children today maintain the tradition of building nests in the fields for the Spring bunny to lay its eggs into. Twigs and grass make an inviting nest for such a creature to deposit its brightly colored eggs. I like it.My love and gratitude to my circle-mate and good friend Walt, for his telling of this ....ahem.... hoppy tail ScoutghostMarch 10th., 2003Author's Bio: Scoutghost lives in Northern California with her family. In her spare time she serves as the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events ( http://www.fullcircleevents.org/ )
I wish to leave this deep bit of love and gratitude for the author of this and My heartfelt thanks to all who read and understand it to share with their kids.
Peace love and light to all...TR Be well and always carry the gift of spring in your hearts, the world needs it.
I just had to do this kids.. it means alot. An Ostara TaleAuthor: ScoutGhst Posted: March 9th. 2003.. . It was long ago, and it was the time of winter. Snow covered the ground and the chill in the air made this a harsh and unforgiving time to be about. Whiteness everywhere. The world slept.....A little girl had strayed from her home (a very bad thing, but such as children are wont to do) and she found herself wandering about in the woods; alone. She was cold and tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and began to cry. She cried for her home. She cried for her mother and father. She cried for her life.Then she saw it - a bird - a frozen bird - lying, dying in the snow. She jumped up and rushed to take the bird into her arms. She held it close to herself; wrapping it tightly in her arms. She tried to warm the bird and thaw it's frozen wings, but it was too cold and life was quickly leaving the bird's body along with its warmth. She was beside herself! She thought only of the bird now, not seeing that she, herself would soon be in the same situation that this small bird was in now.She cried out for help! "Help! Help, this bird to live", she cried. "Goddess Eostara, please help this bird!".Now, Eostara was one busy Being about this time. Under normal circumstances the Goddess of Spring and Warmth would have dismissed this cry for help and continued about Her more important business. But it piqued Her interest that this girl was calling on Her to help a bird instead of herself. She decided to investigate and perhaps lend a helping hand.Eostara came to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In Her wake flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into view. Spring followed in Her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes could be heard on Her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life radiated about Her. The girl was astounded.She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!", she cried. "Make it well!". Using the demanding tone that only a child would have the nerve to use in the presence of a Goddess.Eostara took no mind of the girl's inappropriate behavior. She knew of her intent and her motives. The girl was sincere... the girl was unselfish.... the girl was so very young.....Eostara reached out Her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger. Light flowed through Her, warming the bird. It's eyes opened suddenly. It's foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand and began to flop about madly in the snow. The girl squealed with delight. "You saved it! You saved it!", as she danced about in the snow, overjoyed. But wait --"Hey....." the girl said after watching the bird for a while. "Its wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly! You didn't do it right!!".Oh my. Now, Eostara surely wasn't used to this kind of response when She had just performed a minor miracle. But with Her infinite patience (which by now was wearing thin) intact, She gave the bird one last effort, another chance at survival. She reached over to the hopping bird and touched it again gently with Her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!", she said to the girl, "Now it has no need of its wings".And as the now totally confused bunny hopped off into the brush, Eostara drifted away to perform other tasks of sunshine and light (as far away as possible from this girl). The girl was delighted at the sight of the bunny scrambling into the snow-covered brush. "All better", she smiled. She suddenly knew the way home...Now, all this was fine for Eostara and the girl, but what of the bunny? Well, now, this is one totally confused little animal here. This rabbit still has a habit of laying eggs! And to this day, when the snow begins to melt, and the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. Oh, and these aren't ordinary eggs either. These eggs tell of color! Of Spring! Of Eostara and her gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of Spring.Note: Some children today maintain the tradition of building nests in the fields for the Spring bunny to lay its eggs into. Twigs and grass make an inviting nest for such a creature to deposit its brightly colored eggs. I like it.My love and gratitude to my circle-mate and good friend Walt, for his telling of this ....ahem.... hoppy tail ScoutghostMarch 10th., 2003Author's Bio: Scoutghost lives in Northern California with her family. In her spare time she serves as the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events ( http://www.fullcircleevents.org/ )
I wish to leave this deep bit of love and gratitude for the author of this and My heartfelt thanks to all who read and understand it to share with their kids.
Peace love and light to all...TR Be well and always carry the gift of spring in your hearts, the world needs it.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Some people...just don't deserve the attention they get.
But in some cases, attention is the one thing they need.
I'm talking, of course, about Michael and Debi Pearl, two horrible excuses for human beings who profit off of the abuse of children.
www.nogreaterjoy.org
They sugarcoat it, and glorify it, but at its core is an extremely literal application of the Bible--that is, using "the Rod" to "guide" children.
The Rod, of course, is a symbol of authority. "Guiding", in this case, means behavior modification--swatting and smacking children for even the most minor of transgressions, and sometimes no transgression at all.
Michael Pearl's practices have directly led to the deaths of not one, but TWO children.
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/22/no_greater_joy/index.html
Many other links can be found in that very article that serve purpose there far better than I could make them.
Spread the word. Make these people known. Show them that they only get their fortunes because the people they sell their books to are young, naive, and simply too stupid to raise a child themselves!
Quarter-inch PVC pipes and branches from bushes are NOT proper tools with which to "guide" children! It is NEVER okay to hit a baby for crying, and raising a child is NOT about the parents' comfort or desires!
www.stoptherod.net
Mordric is out.
Peace.
I'm talking, of course, about Michael and Debi Pearl, two horrible excuses for human beings who profit off of the abuse of children.
www.nogreaterjoy.org
They sugarcoat it, and glorify it, but at its core is an extremely literal application of the Bible--that is, using "the Rod" to "guide" children.
The Rod, of course, is a symbol of authority. "Guiding", in this case, means behavior modification--swatting and smacking children for even the most minor of transgressions, and sometimes no transgression at all.
Michael Pearl's practices have directly led to the deaths of not one, but TWO children.
http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2010/02/22/no_greater_joy/index.html
Many other links can be found in that very article that serve purpose there far better than I could make them.
Spread the word. Make these people known. Show them that they only get their fortunes because the people they sell their books to are young, naive, and simply too stupid to raise a child themselves!
Quarter-inch PVC pipes and branches from bushes are NOT proper tools with which to "guide" children! It is NEVER okay to hit a baby for crying, and raising a child is NOT about the parents' comfort or desires!
www.stoptherod.net
Mordric is out.
Peace.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
He's here, He's new, He's my son and has his own mind...
I want to take the time to introduce to my gazillion(6) readers to a new poster ....he is my son Ben, AKA Mordric...
He has an new and fresh view on the world that we all inhabit, please take a look and give your opinions to a new, fresh, attitude, offered to you with no apologies.....He is his own person.
On the other side, I would like to hear your opinions on todays issues ...fire away and be ready for response from either of us.
Peace, love and light, TR
He has an new and fresh view on the world that we all inhabit, please take a look and give your opinions to a new, fresh, attitude, offered to you with no apologies.....He is his own person.
On the other side, I would like to hear your opinions on todays issues ...fire away and be ready for response from either of us.
Peace, love and light, TR
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I could not have said it better...
This being cross-posted from "the Smirking Chimp" and also and to the point, Harvey Wassserman's blog on the same Smirking Chimp.
Our Founders Were NOT Fundamentalists
Religious Right
by Harvey Wasserman | February 13, 2010 - 12:43pm
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article tools: email | print | read more Harvey Wasserman
"God made the idiot for practice, and then He made the school board."
--Mark Twain
Tomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine highlights yet another mob of extremists using the Texas School Board to baptize our children's textbooks.
This endless, ever-angry escalating assault on our Constitution by crusading theocrats could be obliterated with the effective incantation of two names: Benjamin Franklin, and Deganawidah.
But first, let's do some history:
1) Actual Founder-Presidents #2 through #6 -- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams -- were all freethinking Deists and Unitarians; what Christian precepts they embraced were moderate, tolerant and open-minded.
2) Actual Founder-President #1, George Washington, became an Anglican as required for original military service under the British, and occasionally quoted scripture. But he vehemently opposed any church-state union. In a 1790 letter to the Jews of Truro, he wrote: The "Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistances, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens." A 1796 treaty he signed says "the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Washington rarely went to church and by some accounts refused last religious rites.
3) Washington was also the nation's leading brewer, and since most Americans drank much beer (water could be lethal in the cities) they regularly trembled before the keg, not the altar. Like Washington, Jefferson and Madison, virtually all American farmers raised hemp and its variations.
4) Jefferson produced a personal Bible from which he edited out all reference to the "miraculous" from the life of Jesus, whom he considered both an activist and a mortal.
5) Tom Paine's COMMON SENSE sparked the Revolution with nary a mention of Jesus or Christianity. His Deist Creator established the laws of Nature, endowed humans with Free Will, then left.
6) The Constitution never mentions the words "Christian" or "Jesus" or "Christ."
7) Revolutionary America was filled with Christians whose commitment to toleration and diversity was completely adverse to the violent, racist, misogynist, anti-sex theocratic Puritans whose "City on the Hill" meant a totalitarian state. Inspirational preachers like Rhode Island's Roger Williams and religious groups like the Quakers envisioned a nation built on tolerance and love for all.
8) The US was founded less on Judeo-Christian beliefs than on the Greco-Roman love for dialog and reason. There are no contemporary portraits of any Founder wearing a crucifix or church garb. But Washington was famously painted half-naked in the buff toga of the Roman Republic, which continues to inspire much of our official architecture.
9) The great guerilla fighter (and furniture maker) Ethan Allen was an aggressive atheist; his beliefs were common among the farmers, sailors and artisans who were the backbone of Revolutionary America.
10) America's most influential statesman, thinker, writer, agitator, publisher, citizen-scientist and proud liberal libertine was -- and remains -- Benjamin Franklin. He was at the heart of the Declaration, Constitution and Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution. The ultimate Enlightenment icon, Franklin's Deism embraced a pragmatic love of diversity. As early America's dominant publisher he, Paine and Jefferson printed the intellectual soul of the new nation.
11) Franklin deeply admired the Ho-de-no-sau-nee (Iroquois) Confederacy of what's now upstate New York. Inspired by the legendary peacemaker Deganawidah, this democratic congress of five tribes had worked "better than the British Parliament" for more than two centuries. It gave us the model for our federal structure and the images of freedom and equality that inspired both the French and American Revolutions.
It's no accident today's fundamentalist crusaders and media bloviators (Rev. Limbaugh, St. Beck) seek to purge our children's texts of all native images except as they are being forceably converted or killed.
Today's fundamentalists would have DESPISED the actual Founders. Franklin's joyous, amply reciprocated love of women would evoke their limitless rage. Jefferson's paternities with his slave mistress Sally Hemings, Paine's attacks on the priesthood, Hamilton's bastardly philandering, the grassroots scorn for organized religion -- all would draw howls of righteous right-wing rage.
Which may be why theocratic fundamentalists are so desperate to sanitize and fictionalize what's real about our history.
God forbid our children should know of American Christians who embraced the Sermon on the Mount and renounced the Book of Revelations...or natives who established democracy on American soil long before they saw the first European...or actual Founders who got drunk, high and laid on their way to writing the Constitution.
Faith-based tyranny is anti-American. So are dishonest textbooks. It's time to fight them both.
HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is at www.harveywasserman.com, along with PASSIONS OF THE POTSMOKING PATRIOTS by "Thomas Paine." This article is written in honor of the spirit of Howard Zinn.
_______
Harvey Wasserman / Solartopia.org
About author
Harvey Wasserman is author of HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES; SOLARTOPIA! OUR GREEN-POWERED EARTH and A GLIMPSE OF THE BIG LIGHT: LOSING PARENTS, FINDING SPIRIT, all at www.harveywasserman.com. He writes regularly on politics and the environment at www.solartopia.org and www.freepress.org.
Much more eloquent than anything I could say yet it embodies the reality of my belief ... We are Americans dedicated to the advancement of all people and for the freedom to indulge in true pluralism amd the understanding that multiculturalism, is fundamental to our exixtence on this planet and perhaps even our place in an advanced universe.
Peace, love, and light....TR
P.S. Go hug someone, even if you don't like them ...it makes the bond of dislike weaker and then perhaps you will see the world from someone elses concepts, even if you don't agree.
Our Founders Were NOT Fundamentalists
Religious Right
by Harvey Wasserman | February 13, 2010 - 12:43pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Share201
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
article tools: email | print | read more Harvey Wasserman
"God made the idiot for practice, and then He made the school board."
--Mark Twain
Tomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine highlights yet another mob of extremists using the Texas School Board to baptize our children's textbooks.
This endless, ever-angry escalating assault on our Constitution by crusading theocrats could be obliterated with the effective incantation of two names: Benjamin Franklin, and Deganawidah.
But first, let's do some history:
1) Actual Founder-Presidents #2 through #6 -- John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams -- were all freethinking Deists and Unitarians; what Christian precepts they embraced were moderate, tolerant and open-minded.
2) Actual Founder-President #1, George Washington, became an Anglican as required for original military service under the British, and occasionally quoted scripture. But he vehemently opposed any church-state union. In a 1790 letter to the Jews of Truro, he wrote: The "Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistances, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens." A 1796 treaty he signed says "the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Washington rarely went to church and by some accounts refused last religious rites.
3) Washington was also the nation's leading brewer, and since most Americans drank much beer (water could be lethal in the cities) they regularly trembled before the keg, not the altar. Like Washington, Jefferson and Madison, virtually all American farmers raised hemp and its variations.
4) Jefferson produced a personal Bible from which he edited out all reference to the "miraculous" from the life of Jesus, whom he considered both an activist and a mortal.
5) Tom Paine's COMMON SENSE sparked the Revolution with nary a mention of Jesus or Christianity. His Deist Creator established the laws of Nature, endowed humans with Free Will, then left.
6) The Constitution never mentions the words "Christian" or "Jesus" or "Christ."
7) Revolutionary America was filled with Christians whose commitment to toleration and diversity was completely adverse to the violent, racist, misogynist, anti-sex theocratic Puritans whose "City on the Hill" meant a totalitarian state. Inspirational preachers like Rhode Island's Roger Williams and religious groups like the Quakers envisioned a nation built on tolerance and love for all.
8) The US was founded less on Judeo-Christian beliefs than on the Greco-Roman love for dialog and reason. There are no contemporary portraits of any Founder wearing a crucifix or church garb. But Washington was famously painted half-naked in the buff toga of the Roman Republic, which continues to inspire much of our official architecture.
9) The great guerilla fighter (and furniture maker) Ethan Allen was an aggressive atheist; his beliefs were common among the farmers, sailors and artisans who were the backbone of Revolutionary America.
10) America's most influential statesman, thinker, writer, agitator, publisher, citizen-scientist and proud liberal libertine was -- and remains -- Benjamin Franklin. He was at the heart of the Declaration, Constitution and Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution. The ultimate Enlightenment icon, Franklin's Deism embraced a pragmatic love of diversity. As early America's dominant publisher he, Paine and Jefferson printed the intellectual soul of the new nation.
11) Franklin deeply admired the Ho-de-no-sau-nee (Iroquois) Confederacy of what's now upstate New York. Inspired by the legendary peacemaker Deganawidah, this democratic congress of five tribes had worked "better than the British Parliament" for more than two centuries. It gave us the model for our federal structure and the images of freedom and equality that inspired both the French and American Revolutions.
It's no accident today's fundamentalist crusaders and media bloviators (Rev. Limbaugh, St. Beck) seek to purge our children's texts of all native images except as they are being forceably converted or killed.
Today's fundamentalists would have DESPISED the actual Founders. Franklin's joyous, amply reciprocated love of women would evoke their limitless rage. Jefferson's paternities with his slave mistress Sally Hemings, Paine's attacks on the priesthood, Hamilton's bastardly philandering, the grassroots scorn for organized religion -- all would draw howls of righteous right-wing rage.
Which may be why theocratic fundamentalists are so desperate to sanitize and fictionalize what's real about our history.
God forbid our children should know of American Christians who embraced the Sermon on the Mount and renounced the Book of Revelations...or natives who established democracy on American soil long before they saw the first European...or actual Founders who got drunk, high and laid on their way to writing the Constitution.
Faith-based tyranny is anti-American. So are dishonest textbooks. It's time to fight them both.
HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is at www.harveywasserman.com, along with PASSIONS OF THE POTSMOKING PATRIOTS by "Thomas Paine." This article is written in honor of the spirit of Howard Zinn.
_______
Harvey Wasserman / Solartopia.org
About author
Harvey Wasserman is author of HARVEY WASSERMAN'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES; SOLARTOPIA! OUR GREEN-POWERED EARTH and A GLIMPSE OF THE BIG LIGHT: LOSING PARENTS, FINDING SPIRIT, all at www.harveywasserman.com. He writes regularly on politics and the environment at www.solartopia.org and www.freepress.org.
Much more eloquent than anything I could say yet it embodies the reality of my belief ... We are Americans dedicated to the advancement of all people and for the freedom to indulge in true pluralism amd the understanding that multiculturalism, is fundamental to our exixtence on this planet and perhaps even our place in an advanced universe.
Peace, love, and light....TR
P.S. Go hug someone, even if you don't like them ...it makes the bond of dislike weaker and then perhaps you will see the world from someone elses concepts, even if you don't agree.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
New guest and of His own opinion...
Welcome one and all to the New and possibly improved version of the Ranting Raven...I hope that the new addition will enlighten you and amuse you at times, this is my son and co-writer, treat him with your thoughts , opinions and respect...
Hi, readers. This is TauRaven's son. Call me Ben.
My dad wanted me to write a post for his blog, so here's my shot at it.
Let's start with a question.
"How many minors must be put on the sex offender registry before one realizes the law is being abused?"
...I should hope you all know the answer. It's deplorable. It's maddening. It's gut-wrenchingly sickening. That people can turn a blind eye to people as young as FOUR YEARS OLD being put on a life-destroying list in the name of "get those disgusting pedos!" makes me sick to my stomach.
I am 21 years old. I'll be 22 in January. And if these laws had been abused when I was a kid as they are now, I could very easily be on the list for being caught playing DOCTOR with a little girl I knew once.
This is what's happening. Children--teenagers, confused by hormones and growing bodies--are being targeted and treated as adults for the horrifying, immoral crime of GROWING UP.
I apologize for the upcoming barrage of links, but I cannot make these claims without some proof.
http://www.rickyslife.com/
This young man, 16 years old, met a wonderful girl his age. You were 16 once, you know what happens...this and that, a kiss here, a rub there...only it turned out she was 13 and lying about her age. Ricky is STILL forced to be on the sex offender registry and spent YEARS trying to fend for himself when everyone turned their backs on him. They blamed him for being lied to! Is this acceptable?
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4783650
I can't even find the words necessary to describe the lunacy! How can a 13-year-old girl be both the victim AND the offender?! Is this acceptable?!
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/10573391/detail.html
Two for the price of one. Two children UNDER THE AGE OF SIX were accused of sexual harassment. How the fuck would you explain to your child what sexual harassment is and why they're in trouble for it?! IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?!
I have more. They're sickening, they make me want to vomit, and I wish to God, Allah, Buddha, and all the other deities that I were making this up, that I were playing some kind of prank...but I'm not.
These are the last two, guys. I promise. I have so many more examples, but I think the point's been made.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190586,00.html
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-fury-and-and-sadness-inside.html
Read them. Read them and understand, once and for all, what's really happening when a politician says "look, we're helping".
This is a tragedy, folks. This is something that absolutely must stop. This isn't protecting children at all! There's no "stop the molesters" here! It's "punish children for growing up"!
Is this the stance we're taking as a society? Is this what's happening? We're taking little girls and boys and telling them their bodies are terrible. We're telling little girls that all men are depraved perverts and must be actively distrusted, while at the same time they must be as attractive to those depraved perverts as possible (while STILL at the same time telling them they have no sex drive and are pure, innocent angels). We're telling little boys that they are worthless, and that they have no chance to be anything better than a drooling idiot with his hand around his dick--or worse, a rapist and child molester, simply because he had the misfortune of being born with a penis!
Here's my request to you. When people in the media say "think of the children", they mean nothing more than "I know how to get votes/publicity". I implore you, every last one of you, to truly and honestly think of the children, and spread the word. Make it known that the law is being misused and MUST be changed.
Please. For me, for you, and for our society's future--because as it stands, we're not protecting our children.
We're destroying them.
Peace.
-Ben
Well there you go my friends, take it for what you will and respond as you see fit....I care for you all and may you blessed ...and on top of that ... have really nice day!!!!...LOL
Hi, readers. This is TauRaven's son. Call me Ben.
My dad wanted me to write a post for his blog, so here's my shot at it.
Let's start with a question.
"How many minors must be put on the sex offender registry before one realizes the law is being abused?"
...I should hope you all know the answer. It's deplorable. It's maddening. It's gut-wrenchingly sickening. That people can turn a blind eye to people as young as FOUR YEARS OLD being put on a life-destroying list in the name of "get those disgusting pedos!" makes me sick to my stomach.
I am 21 years old. I'll be 22 in January. And if these laws had been abused when I was a kid as they are now, I could very easily be on the list for being caught playing DOCTOR with a little girl I knew once.
This is what's happening. Children--teenagers, confused by hormones and growing bodies--are being targeted and treated as adults for the horrifying, immoral crime of GROWING UP.
I apologize for the upcoming barrage of links, but I cannot make these claims without some proof.
http://www.rickyslife.com/
This young man, 16 years old, met a wonderful girl his age. You were 16 once, you know what happens...this and that, a kiss here, a rub there...only it turned out she was 13 and lying about her age. Ricky is STILL forced to be on the sex offender registry and spent YEARS trying to fend for himself when everyone turned their backs on him. They blamed him for being lied to! Is this acceptable?
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4783650
I can't even find the words necessary to describe the lunacy! How can a 13-year-old girl be both the victim AND the offender?! Is this acceptable?!
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/10573391/detail.html
Two for the price of one. Two children UNDER THE AGE OF SIX were accused of sexual harassment. How the fuck would you explain to your child what sexual harassment is and why they're in trouble for it?! IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?!
I have more. They're sickening, they make me want to vomit, and I wish to God, Allah, Buddha, and all the other deities that I were making this up, that I were playing some kind of prank...but I'm not.
These are the last two, guys. I promise. I have so many more examples, but I think the point's been made.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190586,00.html
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-fury-and-and-sadness-inside.html
Read them. Read them and understand, once and for all, what's really happening when a politician says "look, we're helping".
This is a tragedy, folks. This is something that absolutely must stop. This isn't protecting children at all! There's no "stop the molesters" here! It's "punish children for growing up"!
Is this the stance we're taking as a society? Is this what's happening? We're taking little girls and boys and telling them their bodies are terrible. We're telling little girls that all men are depraved perverts and must be actively distrusted, while at the same time they must be as attractive to those depraved perverts as possible (while STILL at the same time telling them they have no sex drive and are pure, innocent angels). We're telling little boys that they are worthless, and that they have no chance to be anything better than a drooling idiot with his hand around his dick--or worse, a rapist and child molester, simply because he had the misfortune of being born with a penis!
Here's my request to you. When people in the media say "think of the children", they mean nothing more than "I know how to get votes/publicity". I implore you, every last one of you, to truly and honestly think of the children, and spread the word. Make it known that the law is being misused and MUST be changed.
Please. For me, for you, and for our society's future--because as it stands, we're not protecting our children.
We're destroying them.
Peace.
-Ben
Well there you go my friends, take it for what you will and respond as you see fit....I care for you all and may you blessed ...and on top of that ... have really nice day!!!!...LOL
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