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May 31, 2006
May 29, 2006
Another Memorial Day - What Have We Learned?
As we reflect on another Memorial Day where we are supposed to be remembering our Veterans, living and dead, I can't help but wonder what, exactly, we are honoring today. Supposedly, we are honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom. But what freedom, exactly? I'm truly wondering about this in a country where a Wiccan who gave his life saving his fellow soldiers (winning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart) isn't allowed the freedom to have his religious symbol on his grave. The same country where his widow wasn't allowed to speak at a memorial dedication of her husband's monument because she used the First Amendment rights that our Veterans died to preserve in order to complain about the injustice done to her late husband. A country where a secret court with secret indictments and secret warrants are issued, which is bad enough, but an Administration that doesn't believe it should even have to follow THAT modicum of rubber stamp because its motivations should never be questioned. That same country where I, as a free American citizen, have to worry about my telephone being tapped because I occasionally make international calls, and have spoken out against governmental actions upon occasion.
I would be willing to bet that the majority of those who gave their lives to preserve Freedom would be first surprised, and then perhaps disgusted that one of their own, a hero, is denied the symbol of his faith. They would likely also be appalled that our current Administration doesn't follow even the most simple of rules designed to protect the freedoms of all Americans. And for this reason, I am very sad, and truly hope that these fallen heros did not give their lives in vain.
May 26, 2006
More getting involved in Wiccan Headstone Debacle
AP Wire | 05/25/2006 | Nevada's top veterans official joins fray over Wiccan headstone:
RENO, Nev. - Nevada officials are pressing the Department of Veteran Affairs to allow the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan to place a Wiccan symbol on his headstone.
Federal officials so far have refused to grant the requests of the family of Sgt. Patrick Stewart, 34, who was killed in Afghanistan last September when the Nevada Army National Guard helicopter he was in was shot down.
"Every veteran and military member deserves recognition for their contributions to our country," said Tim Tetz, executive director of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services.
The state's top veterans official said Thursday that he was "diligently pursuing" the matter in cooperation with Gov. Kenny Guinn, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.
"Sgt. Stewart and his family deserve recognition for their contributions to our country," Tetz said.
"It's unfortunate the process is taking so long, but I am certain Sgt. Patrick will ultimately receive his marker with the Wiccan symbol," he said.
Stewart, of Fernley, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, was a follower of the Wiccan religion, which the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize.
May 24, 2006
Darwin's spellbook
England: An Oxford witch who claimed that a fire which damaged her flat, and several others in the same building, was caused by a spell going wrong failed to impress the jury. She was found guilty of arson and jailed for three years.
Patricia Swift, 50, said that she had been performing a ritual to ward off a man who had threatened to kill her. The ritual did not involve phoning the police, or seeking an injunction, but instead required her to place a number of items on the floor and set them on fire. When the fire went out of control, she tried urinating on it to put it out. Strangely, the incident occurred three days before Ms. Swift was due to be evicted, and her relationship with her neighbours was not good.
[Peter Coombe, prosecuting,] told the court:Rose Wallace, who lived above, described enduring a long history of abuse over a five-year period.
On the day of the fire, Miss Wallace heard the defendant making a lot of noise in her flat, throwing furniture around.
Shortly afterwards she smelled smoke and called 999. She went to the door and heard the defendant shouting, 'Fat cow, burn, fat cow, burn'.
Swift initially gave a another reason why she set the fires: I was burning my things because they are going to evict me
. She made up the spell story later.
Spell for flaming disaster—Metro, 22nd May 2006 (thanks, Norman).
May 19, 2006
And She's STILL Waiting!!!
When will the National Cemetery Administration finally allow this poor widow's husband the rest he deserves? When you read the entire article, you may notice that the widow was blocked by the VA from even SPEAKING at the dedication of a memorial that includes her husband's name. This is utterly ridiculous.
Stars & Stripes:
WASHINGTON — The widow of a Wiccan soldier killed in Afghanistan last year says after months of waiting, she is ready to take the Department of Veterans Affairs to court to get a pentacle engraved on her husband’s memorial plaque.
“I’m getting sick from the stress of all of this,” said Roberta Stewart, whose husband, Patrick, served in the Nevada National Guard. “I’m spending six hours a day on this. I just want to put it to an end.”
Currently the National Cemetery Administration has 38 permitted religious symbols for headstones and plaques, but none for pagans or Wiccans.
After Patrick was killed in a helicopter attack last September, his wife asked for the encircled five-pointed star to be put on his plaque on the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Wall in Fernley. But since the pentacle is not currently approved by the department, his space on the wall has remained blank.
Oops.
Scotland: A Dundee service was made considerably more entertaining when the minister popped out to powder his nose, and forgot to remove his clip on microphone first.
The Rev John Hawdon was standing in for Elizabeth Kay at Longforgan Parish Church in Perthshire.
But when nature called during a break in proceedings, he forgot to switch off his microphone, which broadcast his every splash and sigh to the congregation.
Speaking at his home in Dundee last night, Mr Hawdon said:I actually had a walk during the service, as I often do. But the congregation must have heard everything. I wasn't aware that I still had my microphone on.
A parishioner said:It was mortifying. Every sound boomed and echoed around the church. We all sat there looking at each other, totally embarrassed. One or two folk managed a wee giggle.
Minister's microphone causes a wee splash at church—The Scotsman, 19th May 2006 (thanks Roy!).
Immigration - The Great Debacle
Perhaps I am missing something. It wouldn't be the first time (nor the last) for certain. But try as I might, I am having a great amount of difficulty understanding the "other side" of the immigration debate. I consider myself to be a moderate to liberal person on the political spectrum, and one who generally feels that we should help those who are less fortunate due to circumstances beyond their control. I also believe in protesting to change unjust laws. For example, I personally believe that laws against marijuana use are ridiculous. On the other hand, I know that if I'm caught with it I will likely go to jail.
So, I take this mixture of political, cultural, and experiences that make up my method of analyzing issues, and bring it to bear on the immigration debate. I still don't get it. How can President Fox of Mexico possibly stand there and tell the United States that we must take care of his citizens because he won't provide for them himself? How can he call our desire to control immigration into our country somehow anti human rights while he misuses his country's natural resources and creates a ridiculous situation where people wish to flee because they can't make a living?
I feel for those who have left their country for a better life. On the other hand, I don't believe that the solution is to bring them to the United States illegally. I don't believe that people marching in the streets waving foreign flags to demand "rights" that they are not entitled to is the way to ingratiate yourself to an American populace (made up of citizens, including legal immigrants, and other legal residents) who are struggling to make ends meet themselves. I don't believe that threats of boycotts targeting these same Americans is going to help matters any.
So, why do so many of our politicians believe that we, as a country, need to provide those who illegally enter our country with the same privileges as those who have gone through the process (onerous though it may be) to legally enter? At a time of budget deficits, Americans not having health insurance, Americans unable to afford housing, Americans on fixed incomes who are barely above water, why are our politicians voting to offer amnesty to those who have illegally snuck in? The refrain from George Bush is "it's not amnesty. It doesn't make any sense to deport millions of people." But allowing someone to stay in this country who is here illegally is promising them that they will not prosecuted under a current and enforceable law. That's at least immunity if not amnesty.
The money issue doesn't work out either. While May 1 was the day of boycotting American businesses, illegal aliens did not also boycott American schools or American emergency rooms. While it may indeed be true that America needs to hire guest workers for finite periods of time for certain jobs, I do not think it is true that there are widespread "jobs that Americans won't do." If that is indeed the case, then perhaps we are becoming too soft as a nation. While not wanting to sound like I "walked 3 miles through the snow and cold uphill both ways" to school (although sometimes I actually did :-)) I took jobs that today many wouldn't do including working in a tomato factory, pulling weeds, selling encyclopedias by phone, etc. Why? Because it was the only choice for a young person who had two functional arms, legs, and a brain. I often wonder about this when I hear about unemployed 25 year olds still living with mom and dad.
So what am I missing here? People have snuck into the United States illegally, and are availing themselves of most of what this country has to offer. Americans have become upset with this, and a bill was introduced to make sneaking in a felony. The proposal was met by massive demonstrations by criminals (yes, those here illegally are indeed criminals by definition), and our President has decided to push a bill to offer amnesty. Americans are upset about this, and have decided to force through better border security to secure our borders by building fences across the most travelled illegal crossings. The Mexican President has responded by calling this racist. Huh? Please provide me with a clue if I am indeed missing one.
May 17, 2006
Latest Threat to our Safety and Security - Ninjas and Pirates
Arrrrrgh Mateys. Do not dress like a pirate or a ninja or our lovely ATF, yes, those fine folk who brought us so many fireworks shows in the past, are now hot on the trail of these sinister humanoids cleverly blending in with the rest of society on college campuses. Luckily, the ATF is there, saving the day before we average citizens have to contend with evil parrot toting pirates who talk funny, or those equally evil, black uniformed purveyors of doom, destruction, and chop saki laughs on Saturday mornings, the ninjas.
Thanks for keeping us safe, ATF. Gee, I wonder what would happen if they went to a renn faire.....
redandblack.com - ATF rids Univ. of ninja threat:
ATF agents are always on alert for anything suspicious — including ninjas.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm agents, on campus Tuesday for Project Safe Neighborhoods training, detained a “suspicious individual” near the Georgia Center, University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson said.
Jeremiah Ransom, a sophomore from Macon, was leaving a Wesley Foundation pirate vs. ninja event when he was detained.
After being held in investigative detention, he was found to have violated no criminal laws and was not arrested.
“It was surreal,” Ransom said. “I was jogging from Wesley to Snelling when I heard someone yell ‘freeze.’”
Ransom said he thought a friend was playing a joke before he realized officers had guns drawn and pointed at him.
ATF agents had noticed Ransom’s suspicious behavior and clothing and gave chase, apprehending him, Williamson said.
“Agents noticed someone wearing a bandanna across the face and acting in a somewhat suspicious manner, peeping around the corner,” said ATF special agent in charge Vanessa McLemore.
May 16, 2006
DC Area Elder to be Laid to Rest
Witchvox Article:
Rosemary Kooiman will be interred on May 23, 2006 at 3pm
at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband of more than 55 years, Abraham Kooiman WW2 veteran, Bronze Star winner and Pagan.
She was the Founding Elder of the Nomadic Chantry of the Gramarye in Maryland, and a frontline advocate for the rights of Pagans everywhere.
An active member of Washington Metropolitan Mensa, she served as S.I.G.H.T. coordinator and Local Secretary for many years.
She was also involved with the Military Pagans Project to have pentacles placed on the government provided headstones for Pagans in the Military.
All are welcome to join us as we commit her ashes to Mother Earth and recommit ourselves to carrying on her legacy.
Respectfully,
Debby Morris
DrWolf927@aol.com
May 12, 2006
Finally a good balanced story on Wicca
It is a great thing that someone writes a balanced story on Wicca, so this one need to be read. Kudos to the San Diego paper that ran this.
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Features -- Inner circle:
In ancient tradition, people who lived closely connected to the land recognized only two seasons: growing and non-growing. Modern-day Wiccans joke that it's pretty much the same in San Diego: Summer and not summer.
Under overcast skies, local Wiccans recently celebrated the changing of seasons during Beltane, one of their major holidays, which ushers in the arrival of a period of life, warmth and growth.
About 150 people turned out for the Beltane celebration April 29 at Balboa Park. Beltane is a major Wiccan holiday that ushers in the arrival of a period of life, warmth and growth.
“I am not ready to relinquish my crown,” the Lord of Winter told the Army of Summer in a Beltane skit in Balboa Park on April 29.
It was green robes against white robes, plastic flowers against icicles. The Army of Summer would win; everyone who had come to celebrate Beltane already knew the outcome. Still, around the circle, the audience laughed at the make-believe battle.
May 11, 2006
And we're STILL WAITING!
What more is it going to take for this poor woman and the widows and widowers of other Wiccans to lay their loved ones to rest in the way that they wanted? These people gave their LIVES for this country. Their survivors deserve to be treated better than this. It's perfectly ok to have "Wiccan" on one's dog tags, to participate in worship and otherwise have freedom of faith in the military. It's just when they come home on a box that they are abandoned. This is SO ridiculous!
See previously run TV program on discriminatory VA practices at this handy link
Woman fights to have religious emblem placed on memorial:
FERNLEY — Local woman Roberta Stewart is bracing herself as Memorial Day approaches.
She is the wife of Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick, Stewart who was killed in combat Sept. 24, 2005 when a CH 47 Chinook helicopter he was in crashed on a support mission in Afghanistan.
Roberta has been waiting for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to approve a Wiccan emblem, which would be placed on her husband’s marker at the memorial wall at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
The Stewarts were members of the Wiccan religion, which worshipped nature.
Although Roberta submitted an application to the Veterans Administration months ago, she had not heard back from officials even though that department indicated it would make a determination by Feb. 21.
She reported she had not received any information because the VA changed its protocol in reviewing applications.
“They changed protocol and were supposed to streamline the process, but now it’s taking a longer time,” Roberta said, adding that is frustrated by the postponements as the VA most recently approved three other emblems including Sikh, Ecankar and Islamic faiths.
Boy Scouts Again.... But This Time A Bit Different Twist
This one is worth reading the full story to see all the twists and turns discrimination takes, and how much it can harm. How parents can teach their children how to be intolerant is something beyond me. Here were two boys, minding their own business, acting like Boy Scouts should, when someone asks everyone what religion they are. The boys were honest. Because they were Wiccan, it was thought that the boys could not live up to the oath to do one's duty for god and one's country. Why? Because Wiccans have a Goddess too?
Fortunately, the decision to kick the boys out was overturned by a much more progressive district of the United Methodist Church (you know, the guys who promote tolerance on TV). Unfortunately, some parents took it upon themselves to remove their kids from the troop as soon as those "Wiccan children" who had been best buddies with everyone before, returned to the group. The "feared their sons would be preached at by the Wiccan boys." Hello?
A few twists to this tale of stupidity are worth note. One is that their father was an Eagle Scout and is a Captain in the Army serving his country. The guy who first kicked the kids out said that they could have stayed if they had just lied about their faith (gee, a great moral lesson, eh?). The kids' mother decided the whole affair was just too silly to deal with, so she has applied to Spiral Scouts to run a troop. Spiral Scouts is Wiccan based but open to all faiths (including no faith), all genders, and all beliefs. Go Spiral Scouts!
The Town Talk - www.thetowntalk.com - Alexandria-Pineville, Louisiana:
ANACOCO -- The camp is going well so far. Boy Scouts have gathered from around the area in khaki button-ups and red scarves, eager to earn their God and Country badge.
The leader in a room of about 20 Scouts decides to break the ice by showing how religiously diverse the gathering is.
By a showing of hands, he asks who belongs to the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, continuing on until two boys are left who have not raised their hands.
One of the brothers is called out to tell the group what church he attends. He replies, "I'm Wiccan."
Little did 12-year-old Cody Brown realize how much that answer would affect his life.
During the past six weeks, Cody and his 15-year-old brother, Justin, have waited with their parents to see how the controversy sparked by Cody's answer would play out.
Within 48 hours of Cody's confession, the troop committee of Holly Grove United Methodist Church in Anacoco was meeting to discuss the implications.
Children born from in vitro are products of sin?
Imagine being a lifelong catholic and being told that the way you had your children, despite it being your egg and your husband's sperm, and despite no embryos being harmed in this film, you are breaking catholic doctrine? Huh?
AP Wire | 05/10/2006 | Teacher says she was fired over in vitro:
MILWAUKEE - Kelly Romenesko was teaching French at two Roman Catholic schools in Appleton when she and her husband decided to start a family using in vitro fertilization.
After asking for some time off in September 2004 to complete the procedure, the lifelong Catholic gave her boss an update about a month later: She was pregnant.
But only days after that, she said, she got a pink slip by the Catholic school system. Administrators, according to her lawyer James C. Jones, claimed Romenesko violated a provision of her employment contract saying a teacher has to act in accordance with Catholic doctrine.
"All she was trying to do was have a child, which of course should be a wonderful thing," Jones said Tuesday.
In vitro fertilization involves extracting eggs from a woman's ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory dish or test tube. The fertilized eggs are implanted into the woman's uterus.
Catholic teaching holds that the procedure is morally wrong because it replaces the "natural" conjugal union between husband and wife and often results in destruction of embryos.
Gee, rather than "fight it" why not chalk it up to fiction and get over it?
Gee, let's all go to school libraries and have books banned that might be offensive to our religions/morals/sensibilities. What's left? Uh.....
gwinnettdailypost.com:
LAWRENCEVILLE - In the fight to stay on the shelves of Gwinnett County schools, it looks like Harry Potter has won another battle.
The hearing officer in the case has strongly recommended that the best-selling book series stay in school libraries. The decision came after Laura Mallory, a Loganville mother with three children at J.C. Magill Elementary School, filed formal complaints requesting all the Harry Potter books be removed.
Mallory said the books' descriptions of witchcraft, spells, "demonic activity, murder and evil blood sacrifice" may inspire young readers to pursue occult activities.
Educators, parents and students attended a public hearing April 20 to show their support or opposition to the popular book series. Several media review panels had already ruled that the books should stay in schools.
Hearing officer Su Ellen Bray wrote in her recommendation 10 reasons why she thought the books should remain in school libraries.
She argued that they encouraged children to read for pleasure, and that most students who read them would know they were fantasy, not fact. She also said the books promoted positive themes, such as good prevailing over evil.
Her last reason summarized many of Bray's earlier points: "To remove this series of critically acclaimed and highly popular books from the school media centers because of a challenge of one parent who has not read any one of the books in its entirety, who has mistakenly identified the themes of the books, and whose main argument is that the books teach the readers to be evil, would open this very fine school system to ridicule by many of its citizens as well as citizens of this nation.
The Gwinnett Board of Education will announce its formal decision tonight at its monthly meeting. All of the school board members were given a copy of the books, a transcript of the public hearing and additional documents related to the hearing.
Historically, the board has upheld the decision of school committees and hearing officers. This has been the most recent book appeal in almost a decade, when complainants wanted to see "Ghost Camp" by R.L. Stein and "It's Not the End of the World" by Judy Blume removed from schools.
In both cases, the school board allowed the books to stay on the shelves, echoing the recommendations of the committees.
Gee, rather than "fight it" why not chalk it up to fiction and get over it?
Christian Foes Of 'Da Vinci Code' Debate How To Fight It:
Many Christian leaders across the country are girding themselves for battle with "The Da Vinci Code," the movie based on the blockbuster novel by Dan Brown that opens on May 19. Whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, Orthodox or evangelical, they agree that the book attacks the pillars of Christianity by raising doubts about the divinity of Jesus and the origins of the Bible.
Until recently, the
May 09, 2006
Ooops! Separation of Church and Aircraft?
Pilots flying on a wing and a prayer | Oddly Enough | Reuters.co.uk:
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Catholic priests illegally broadcasting Mass over the radio to housebound parishioners are suspected of creating a safety hazard for trans-Atlantic jets, officials said on Tuesday.
Irish communications regulator ComReg has spoken to three churches in central Ireland to warn them that their unlicensed transmission of daily and Sunday services might be creating problems for airliners as they flew overhead.
"I knew it was sort of a grey area but I didn't know we were breaking the law," Father Brendan Quinlan, a Dublin parish priest, told the Irish Independent.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said that pilots on trans-Atlantic flights have complained to air traffic control for more than a year of hearing static on their radios.
"We believe that (the Mass broadcasts) are possibly the source of the interference. I understand that ComReg are closing down the priests for want of a better term," IAA spokeswoman Lilian Cassin said.
Vatican astronomer denounces Creationism as "paganism"
Vatican astronomer denounces Creationism as "paganism":
Cory Doctorow:
The Vatican Astronomer (a surprisingly hoopy frood, incidentally) has denounced Creationism and the idea that the universe was created in seven days as "superstition" and "paganism" at a speech at the Glasgow Science Centre. He also called Papal Infallability a "PR disaster."
He described creationism, whose supporters want it taught in schools alongside evolution, as a "kind of paganism" because it harked back to the days of "nature gods" who were responsible for natural events.
Brother Consolmagno argued that the Christian God was a supernatural one, a belief that had led the clergy in the past to become involved in science to seek natural reasons for phenomena such as thunder and lightning, which had been previously attributed to vengeful gods. "Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance. That's why science and religion need to talk to each other," he said.
"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."
(via Warren Ellis)
So... why aren't parents being warned about those "evil Baptists?"
Could Baptist teachings have "caused" this otherwise wholesome and good man to burn down a store? Could the Christian God really have told this fine outstanding young man to do such a thing? Sheesh. Of course not. But if it had been a Wiccan burning down a Christian book shop, you can bet the coverage would be different.
WBIR.COM - Man says he torched porn store for religious reasons:
Fire investigators say a Powell man admitted dressing up like a ninja to burn down an adult business, all in the name of God. Benjamin Daniel Warren, age 20, faces an arson charge that could send him to prison for six years. Warren is out on $5,000 bond while his case goes before a grand jury. Arson investigators had no clue Warren was a suspect until he came in to confess.
Arson investigators say Warren admitted using a fake gun to get the clerk out of the Town and Country bookstore,7011 Clinton Highway, back on January 31. After ordering the employee to leave the store, Warren then pored six gallons of a flammable liquid inside the store and set it ablaze.
The fire did $900,000 worth of damage to the building, which remains closed.
At the time of the asron, Warren was enrolled as a student at Crown College, a Baptist institution in Powell.
Crown President Dr. Clarence Sexton says Warren dropped out of the school a few weeks after the arson. A few months later, someone came to Sexton with information that Warren might have confessed to the crime.
This one really makes you think...
This man risks life in prison by turning over evidence in a crime he committed. But he did it anyway. Why? To protect a little girl. Bravo for him! Obviously, burglary is wrong and he should be punished, but he still did what he could to save another human being from unspeakable acts. And what he did put the monster in jail.
MercuryNews.com | 05/07/2006 | Risking a life term to protect a child:
Matthew Ryan Hahn glared in disbelief at the digital photographs of a man molesting a girl. She was only a year old, maybe 2.
The next thing to do would be obvious -- call police. But Hahn had been convicted of burglary more than once. And the memory card on which he discovered the photos came from a stolen safe.
Hahn knew being nabbed for another crime could make him a three-striker and send him to prison for life. But the images were burned into his mind. One photo showed some freshly overturned earth -- could the little girl already have been killed and buried?
May 08, 2006
Your chance to own 2% of the Holy Grail
Your chance to own 2% of the Holy Grail:
Mark Frauenfelder:
Rock journalist Christopher Dawes and his friend/neighbor Rat Scabies (of the punk rock band The Damned) are on a serious quest to find the Holy Grail.
Scabies became interested in finding it after researching the "mystery of Rennes-le-Château," a town in France where a poor priest suddenly became fabulously wealth in the mid 19th century. Rumor has it that he discovered a treasure trove which included the Holy Grail.
Last year, Dawe's wrote an excellent book about Scabies' search for the Grail, called Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail. Scabies didn't find the Grail, but he and Dawes have not given up the search. To find their efforts, they are auctioning a 2% share of the Grail, should they find it, on eBay.
The language of the contract is excellent:
(3) If the Holy Grail manifests itself as a cup or a chalice or a bowl or some other kind of vessel for holding liquid, it is hereby agreed that:Link (Thanks, John!)(i) The Grail Stakeholder will be allowed one sip from the vessel of a beverage of the Grail Stakeholder’s choosing, which beverage to be provided by the Grail Stakeholder at the Grail Stakeholder’s sole expense. The Grail Stakeholder may thereby gain eternal life and the healing of all physical ailments. However, because the Grail Finders cannot be held responsible for the mysterious powers of the Grail and all that, the Grail Finders shall not be held responsible for any failure on the part of the Holy Grail to give eternal life to the Grail Stakeholder, or to alleviate physical ailments, and the Grail Stakeholder hereby warrants to make no claims of any kind against the Grail Finders in the event of such failure.
Reader comment: Tom says:
For those interested in all things Da Vinci Code, 60 Minutes ran a piece about it last week that, among other things, addressed the mystery of the "poor priest that suddenly became wealthy"."...Where did the priest of Rennes Le Chateau, Bérenger Saunière, get the money to build his estate? In 1910 he was summoned to appear before the bishop's court in the local, medieval-walled city of Carcasonne."
"In Carcasonne, Sauniere was tried and found guilty of trafficking in masses. Priests are allowed to accept money for saying up to three masses a day. But what Saunière had done was to solicit and receive money for thousands of masses, which he couldn't possibly have said. In fact, he didn't even try. So the source of the wealth of the priest of Rennes le Chateau was not some ancient, mysterious treasure — but good old-fashioned fraud." Link
Share Your Feeds
This is kind of cool. You can share which weblogs you read and are subscribed to by going to this loverly place and setting up a free membership. share.opml.org. Of course, make sure to put up the Non Fluffy feed at http://www.nonfluffy.com/index.rdf so that we get the recognition we totally deserve as being the blog of choice for all Non Fluffies :-).
May 06, 2006
Flight Training Makes you Suspicious on Airplanes
Watching CNN I saw this quite interesting story about an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark that was detained on landing by TSA and taken to a secure area. 5 passengers were removed for questioning, and all the baggage was offloaded and screened. All the other passengers were interviewed and bussed to terminals.
Their suspicious activity? Sitting and talking together about their flight training they had just undergone for helicopters and having "navigation devices." According to a retired flight attendant passenger, they were doing nothing untoward, and had one glass of wine each, then took a nap.
For those who may not know, I am a flight instructor and pilot. I have seen the freedom of flight in the Washington DC area completely destroyed by ridiculous regulations to stop a ridiculously minor threat. Thousands of jobs (no, I'm not exaggerating) and hundreds of businesses within the "ADIZ" defense area around DC and the FRZ, a smaller area closer to the White House, have been forced to close because people do not choose to fly into an area where they may be shot down for dialing the wrong number in their transponder, or turning in the wrong direction accidentally. I most certainly can't blame them. Since the ADIZ, I have had zero flight students. No students want to take the chance of their first solo being their last. Flight instructors are too terrified to sign students off for mandatory solo training, since if the student gets into trouble, the instructor loses her license. The blanket of fear covering the general aviation community is palpable, and shows itself at any airport inside the zone. These airports resemble ghost towns where once was bustling activity. But back to the American Airlines flight...
It is so comforting to know that the TSA is doing so much to promote flight training and general aviation as to automatically put flight students and/or pilots into the "possible terrorist" category just by talking to each other and existing. Many pilots I know routinely used to carry flight manuals and handheld GPS devices in their carry on baggage, especially when going to and from training, or to pick up an aircraft and transport it elsewhere. Does this mean that we all deserve "special scrutiny?"
Meantime we only screen a very small percentage of cargo that goes on board an aircraft, not to mention the cargo that comes into ports. Which is the greater threat? Some kid with a Gleim manual and an E6B or Cr in a bag?
Get over yourselves, TSA and so the REAL job you're here for. Stop chasing ghosts in the general aviation world, and start screening ALL cargo.
Go NH Judge!!!
Union Leader - Judge: NH wrong to deny gays benefits - Saturday, May. 6, 2006:
Concord – Requiring state employees to be married to receive family health and bereavement benefits, at the same time barring gays and lesbians from marrying, is discriminatory, a Merrimack County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.
Several attorneys believe the ruling could pave the way for all gay and lesbian state employees to receive the same family benefits as married employees.
Attorney General Kelly Ayotte's office said the decision by Judge Kathleen McGuire will be appealed to the state Supreme Court. "We are likely to ask for a stay" to block implementation of the decision, said Senior Assistant Attorney General Michael Brown.
More on the Greek Gods in Greece
Established church terrified of miniscule competition:
Greece: Approximately 2000 Hellenic Pagans are now legally allowed to exist in Greece, but all is still not hunky dory, and followers of the old gods are now seeking the right to worship at their sacred sites:
The followers, who say theydefend the genuine traditions, religion and ethosof the ancients by adhering to a pre-Christian polytheistic culture, are poised to take their battle to the temples of Greece.
What we want, now, is for the government to fully recognise our religion,Vasillis Tsantilas told the Guardian.We will petition the Greek parliament, and the EU if that fails, for access to worship in places like the Acropolis, for permission to have our own cemeteries and, where necessary, to re-bury the [ancient] bones of the dead.
Greece only allows Orthodox Christianity, Judaism and Islam, having apparently not read the European Convention on Human Rights when it became a signatory to it, and especially not Article 9:
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
Needless to say, the established church is unhappy at the idea that a tiny number of Greeks might have a different set of imaginary friends:
Father Eustathios Kollas, who presides over the community of Greek priests, said:They are a handful of miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion who wish to return to the monstrous dark delusions of the past.
Greek gods prepare for comeback—The Guardian, 5th May 2006.
What the papers won't say
Isn't it amazing what things the media grab onto for explaining the unknowable states of mind of those who commit despicable crimes? Of course, anything that is different from the mainstream is generally pounced upon as a probable reason. Despite the vast majority of these criminals (and their victims) being Christian, you only hear speculation of a religious motivation if they are members of a small minority group of Christianity. You don't see "classmates of the perpetrator revealed that he was becoming more and more obsessed with being a Southern Baptist and regularly described himself as 'born again.'"
That which is defined as "good" by the majority is rarely seen as any type of issue, and even, as in the Andrea Yates case, where she claims the Christian God told her to cleanse her children through murdering them, this is dismissed (as it should be) as the blatherings of a deranged mind. No one actually thinks that it could, for a moment, be true. No one attempts to keep their children from the cult of Christianity, in fear that they too might be whispered to by this evil God or called to commit unspeakable acts in his name.
So, why do otherwise rational people believe that mere exposure to "the occult" or to "witchcraft" can become a valid newsworthy point in describing other acts of deranged minds? Perhaps it's a need to feel "it won't happen to ME because I would never be THAT." Perhaps it's fear of the unknown, or fear of finding their stereotyping behavior may be incorrect. For whatever reason, it is so common as to be almost ingrained behavior by the news media to report anything out of the ordinary, and by the reader to sagely nod and say "oh yes, that's why they committed unthinkable crimes" as if any singular reason can drive a human to do those things.
Our desire for simple answers - perhaps that's why we continue electing such shallow politicians.
United States: A love of Classical music led to a 16-year old girl brutally slaughtering her mother in a ritualistic killing, the Prattle can reveal. Neighbours thought Esmie Tseng was a kid any parent would be proud of
, but her involvement in the "Classie" scene was slowly turning her from a talented honour student into a vicious murderer.
...she stabbed her mother to death with a knife in an incident that apparently took the mother and daughter through several rooms of their home.
The murder happened after Tseng's mother threatened to sell her piano, an instrument popular among Classies. Police are investigating whether Classical music's frequent use of occult and violent imagery, influenced Tseng. Such music has provoked violence in the past, such as the riot at the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, a glorification of sexual pagan ritual.
Like many teenage Classies, Tseng kept an online journal in which she detailed her increasing hatred of her parents, along with her obsession with classical music. After the murder, neighbour Jacob Horwitz read through her site and was shocked at what he found there:
My God,Jacob Horwitz remembers thinking when he read her weblog,it's a shame that another parent didn't see this yesterday.
Of course, this tragic story wasn't covered in this mendacious manner, and reading the full details, it will become obvious that there is a lot more to it than has been written here. Had Tseng been a goth, or into rap music, the press coverage would have been somewhat different.
Killer daughter case ignites US debate—BBC News, 3rd May 2006.
May 05, 2006
Judge in Philipines Sacked for Consulting "Mystic Dwarves"
WTF???: Judge in Philipines Sacked for Consulting "Mystic Dwarves":
A judge in Manila, Philipines, was fired from his position after
admitting to consulting imaginary "mystic dwarves" during
breaks.
Link to original story.
If anyone remembers a story from last year about Jeb Bush's
imaginary friend Chang, and those who remember thought the story
was a pip, this should be right up your alley: A judge in the
Philipines who claims he can see...
An interesting argument in the Christian world
Should "Gnosticism" be continued as a "branch" of Christianity? Or is it more accurately a reflection of the early history of Christianity with at least two warring sides claiming the moral high ground? It makes for quite the interesting debate. This article does a good job of picking through relevant facts and presenting an interesting question.
The Chronicle: 5/5/2006: The End of Gnosticism?:
From the moment that Karen L. King entered Brown University's graduate program in religion, in the 1970s, she wanted to study Gnosticism. She was one of several religious-studies students of that era whose interest in the Gnostics was sparked by increased access to a treasure trove of ancient writings that had been discovered in 1945 near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi.
The brittle papyri found in Egypt were filled with lost sayings attributed to Jesus and provocative notions about his death and resurrection and the creation of the cosmos. Such writings had been labeled "heretical" by influential second- and third-century Christian bishops, and most of them were destroyed. People who adhered to such beliefs were eventually hounded out of mainstream Christianity and became a footnote in its history.
Now a professor of ecclesiastical history at Harvard University's Divinity School, Ms. King is one of the foremost experts in a field that has received immense popular attention since the publication of Dan Brown's best-selling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code (Doubleday) and the April news blitz surrounding the Gospel of Judas — a newly unveiled lost text of early Christianity.
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Greek gods prepare for comeback
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Greek gods prepare for comeback:
t has taken almost 2,000 years, but those who worship the 12 gods of ancient Greece have finally triumphed. An Athens court has ordered that the adulation of Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Athena and co is to be unbanned, paving the way for a comeback of pagans on Mount Olympus.
The followers, who say they "defend the genuine traditions, religion and ethos" of the ancients by adhering to a pre-Christian polytheistic culture, are poised to take their battle to the temples of Greece.
May 04, 2006
It isn't just the Christians that find holy icons in everyday food products
Brudirect.com - Local News:
Bandar Seri Begawan - Miracles of Islam in this modern world are found everywhere.
A staff member at the Ministry of Religious Affairs who resides in Kg. Terabau said his son had bought some eggs and he - noticed that one of the egg shells was a little distorted.
Taking a closer look, he saw the word "Allah" inscribed on the egg.
Hardly believing what he saw, the staff member brought the egg to a religious expert at his ministry who also verified that the egg shell had the writing "Allah" embedded on it.
It was not the first time that such a miracle had happened. Similarly strange discoveries have also been made in the past.
On one occasion, a housewife who was about to fry an egg discovered that its shell had on it writings from the Kalimah, a revered Islamic text containing the phrase "There is No God but Allah". -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
It's just not enough....
All righty then.... all you lottery winners out there, if you want to give 5,000 to ME, well I'll just accept it and keep my mouth shut. I'll also provide a free blessing.
wcr:05/08/2006 — Title:
Once a Winnipeg woman hit a jackpot of $1.8 million in the Super 7 and decided to give the Church $5,000. Her pastor, Father Darrin Gurr, rejected the offering because it wasn't generous enough.
"I'm sorry but I cannot accept your gift," he told the woman. "If I accept your gift I probably would be doing malpractice because I would be giving you the impression that you are being generous. This is not generosity; this is a token gift."
He suggested the woman give around five per cent of her earnings to the Church and a similar amount to the community. His fellow priests thought he was crazy to reject the woman's gift.
But to their surprise, the woman returned a couple of weeks later with a cheque for $80,000 for the church. And she gave an additional $80,000 to inner city charities to fund a two-day food basket for street people.
Yet another case of idiocy....
SJ-R.COM - Playground pentagram to go:
The new playground at Springfield's Washington Park is being altered because of complaints that a five-pointed star etched in concrete could be interpreted as a symbol of the occult.
The pentagram is on the circular stage of a small amphitheater at the rear of the playground. The design was intended to be a spoked wheel, but landscape architect Kent Massie said a mistake made when the concrete was poured late last summer rendered that design impossible. It was decided to go with the star.
It was an innocent mistake, Massie said, and the star was not intended to signify anything.
To correct the problem, new lines and colors will be added to give the circular area more of a pinwheel appearance. Work could begin within the next week.
The $400,000 playground was a project of the Springfield Parks Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports the park district. It includes attractions such as a climbing wall, a water play area and new landscaping. The amphitheater area is intended for small groups of schoolchildren and others.
Foundation president Cathy Schwartz said that when she first saw the star design, she thought nothing of it.
"There were probably 10 guys up there helping to pour the concrete. None of us made the connection (to the occult). To us it's a star, but to others, it's not," Schwartz said.
Springfield resident Leland Rhodes said he found the design "distressing."
"There is a certain breed of individual out there who reveres such symbols, and in that context, it becomes a religious icon. In this day and age of general concern for children's welfare, especially in regard to predators, my main concern was for the crowd that it might draw," Rhodes said.
Don't Parents Get Upset?
Why aren't parents getting upset at schools that usurp the role of parent in telling children what is appropriate and what is "unnatural?"
Editorial: Religious Extremists Pushing Radical Anti-gay Agenda in School:
A Southern Alabama middle school sent kids home with a pamphlet
declaring homosexuality "contrary to the laws of nature..."
I could preface this article with a technical treatise detailing
how every major medical and psychiatric organization recognizes
that homosexuality is just something that happens naturally a
certain percentage of the time, or I could point out the...
May 03, 2006
So...a Witch that got turned into a. dumbass?
Durant Democrat:
A woman claiming she was a witch who wasn't there may wish that to be true after being booked into the Bryan County Jail Monday.
Sheriff's Deputy John Hoffpair responded to a call in Mead at approximately 7 p.m. Monday when a person on Cypress Street in Lakewood Ranchette complained that a woman was running through the woods screaming that she was a witch.
When Hoffpair arrived on the scene, he found the woman sleeping on the caller's front porch, according to the report. The caller claimed not to know the woman and said he wanted her off the property.
Hoffpair woke up the suspect, who immediately claimed she was not there. According to the report, when she realized she was talking to a law enforcement officer, she said she needed to speak to him in private.
According to the report, she admitted to using meth the day before and had a smell of alcohol on her.
The suspect was arrested for public intoxication. According to the report, after she was placed in the car she became verbally abusive but was booked into the jail without incident.
May 02, 2006
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | More species slide to extinction
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | More species slide to extinction:
The polar bear and hippopotamus are for the first time listed as species threatened with extinction by the world's biodiversity agency.
They are included in the Red List of Threatened Species published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) which names more than 16,000 at-risk species.
Many sharks, and freshwater fish in Europe and Africa, are newly included.
The IUCN says loss of biodiversity is increasing despite a global convention committing governments to stem it.
"The 2006 Red List shows a clear trend; biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down," said IUCN director-general Achim Steiner.
"The implications of this trend for the productivity and resilience of ecosystems and the lives and livelihoods of billions of people who depend on them are far-reaching."
Wouldn't it be more "intelligent" to just drop it?
KRT Wire | 05/02/2006 | Think tank scrambling to rebound after intelligent-design ruling:
SEATTLE - When a federal judge stopped intelligent design from being taught in a Pennsylvania school district in December, the concept's chief advocates issued a quick and pointed response.
U.S. District Judge John Jones was an activist judge whose opinion shows he's misinformed and biased, said officials at the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that promotes intelligent design as a challenge to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
The only comfort they found in the stinging rebuke was that the ruling would carry no weight beyond Dover, Pa.
They were right in that, without an appeal to higher court, the case sets no legal standard beyond the central Pennsylvania region where Jones' court has jurisdiction. But nearly five months after the ruling, the Discovery Institute is fighting to control fallout from the decision.
"Dover is a disaster in a sense, as a public-relations matter," said Bruce Chapman, a former Seattle city councilman and founder of the Discovery Institute, the country's primary supporter of intelligent design. "It has given a rhetorical weapon to the Darwinists to say a judge has settled this," he said.
As opposed to the rest of us
What an odd bit of phrasing in the lead of The Times story about the Vatican considering condoms:
Even at the Vatican, not all sacred beliefs are absolute: Thou shalt not kill, but war can be just. Now, behind the quiet walls, a clash is shaping up involving two poles of near certainty: the church’s long-held ban on condoms and its advocacy of human life.
Don’t we all advocate human life?
Bargain of the Day: Scripture Solitaire
Bargain of the Day: Scripture Solitaire:
Bored with solitaire, well Curry K. Software have added a whole new dimension with their Scripture Solitaire.
Scripture Solitaire transforms the game of Solitaire into a word game that helps players become familiar with Bible verses. Instead of the normal card rank (King, Queen, etc.), each card has a short phrase. When the phrases are all put together in order, they form a verse.
But Scripture Solitaire does more than simply merging the Bible with a card game. In addition to entertaining and uplifting, it serves as a powerful aid to learning and memorizing scriptures. You'll also discover that Scripture Solitaire's unique game play is conducive to meditating deeply on the verse you are playing.
Available for the Macintosh and Windows for a mere $14.95, and a demo too, but surely a gateway to gambling?
May 01, 2006
Just When You Think You Got Rid Of Me....
Naw, I'm not gone. I just had a lot of things to do, places to be, people to annoy, etc. etc. Many important silly things that had to be done. Many emails from my last witchvox article that I must answer. Many dogs to feed, and many more RSS readers to check through to get one that actually WORKS. AIEEEEEE.
Still working...still working. You won't get rid of me that easily.