happy new year!

i got all of the happies this year happy cmas, happy solstice, happy new year!!!! i don’t do resolutions anymore. i never really look forward to january anyway because it is the longest month of the year. no more lots of food or good cheer. it seems like the year starts off fresh and clean and we have a whole year to do those things we always promise ourselves we are going to do. but… somehow instantly, we get right back to our daily grind. more so because we have frittered much of the month of december off reveling. so- my thought for the upcoming year is this- live each day as if it were your last- or your loved one’s last- and realize that life is transient at best. cherish life and loved ones and try to live a life that does no harm to others or the environment. and… happy new year!
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happy christmas

i don’t say merry too much because of my upstate new york accent- apparently, according to my husband, it comes out sounding like ‘mary’- so rather than get picked on- i circumvent i gave up the belief that this is a celebration of a divine baby years ago- but i know that many out there believe it wholeheartedly- so i am declaring a moratorium today (for myself) on negative christian references. this time of year has changed so much for me over my lifetime that it’s hard to imagine sometimes- but this year has been one of reflection for me- and many others it seems- so it seems right somehow to reminisce. i think that part of the whole magic of the season for me- was santa claus. not just for the gifts- i mean what kid doesn’t fantasize about having any gift they ask for?- but the whole story. a great big elf man in a red suit who is magic. when i lived in florida, he came by helicoptor and when we moved back north with snow- it was a sleigh and reindeer. neat. and- hey- he knew if i had hit my sister in the head again or if she had bitten me on the arm and left marks- but he also knew that we had pulled it together in time for cmas- and been good for what seemed like foreeeevver!!!

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happy winter solstice

The winter solstice is here! That’s right- the ancient celebration that morphed into the biggest consumeristic experience of the year! It is the ancient celebration that cmas is based on- as the ancient roman powers that be assimilated pagan customs into their version of Christianity (much like the borg.) so what exactly is the winter solstice?

A solstice occurs twice a year, whenever Earth’s axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon. The name is derived from Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstice, the Sun stands still in declination, that is, its movement north or south is minimal. The term solstice can also be used in a wider sense as the date (day) that such a passage happens. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are related to the seasons.

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do the right thing

take a moment and sign the petition- and send it to 10 more people.  if we can spread the word and put some pressure on pelosi and conyers- we may be able to finally get back some of our democracy.  the gop obviously doesn’t want this- as they have obstructed anything that pelosi and reid have had any balls to introduce- and cheney isn’t pleased with having his bizness aired.  let’s take cheney out- he’s the real brains behind the dynamic duo anyway.  worry about the bushling later and let’s get darth!

wexler’s call for impeachment of cheney- sign today!!

there’s a reason the msm hasn’t picked this up– someone is afraid!  i mean the white house is now publicly telling the nytimes how to print their stories.  let’s do this!

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another reason to think before you buy

“June is the wet season in Ghana, but here in Accra, the capital, the morning rain has ceased. As the sun heats the humid air, pillars of black smoke begin to rise above the vast Agbogbloshie Market. I follow one plume toward its source, past lettuce and plantain vendors, past stalls of used tires, and through a clanging scrap market where hunched men bash on old alternators and engine blocks. Soon the muddy track is flanked by piles of old TVs, gutted computer cases, and smashed monitors heaped ten feet (three meters) high. Beyond lies a field of fine ash speckled with glints of amber and green-the sharp broken bits of circuit boards. I can see now that the smoke issues not from one fire, but from many small blazes. Dozens of indistinct figures move among the acrid haze, some stirring flames with sticks, others carrying armfuls of brightly colored computer wire. Most are children.
Choking, I pull my shirt over my nose and approach a boy of about 15, his thin frame wreathed in smoke. Karim says he has been tending such fires for two years. He pokes at one meditatively, and then his top half disappears as he bends into the billowing soot. He hoists a tangle of copper wire off the old tire he’s using for fuel and douses the hissing mass in a puddle. With the flame retardant insulation burned away-a process that has released a bouquet of carcinogens and other toxics-the wire may fetch a dollar from a scrap-metal buyer.
Another day in the market, on a similar ash heap above an inlet that flushes to the Atlantic after a downpour, …”

read rest here

cross posted at life’s journey

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relationships

i am not a terribly social person. i don’t like small talk and playing social games that many seem to enjoy. i much prefer intimate settings where folks can get to know each other and talk about interesting things- and i think that’s why i enjoy blogging so much. i don’t need the instant gratification of a telephone call or instant messaging- indeed i much prefer email or snail mail. my friends on the receiving end prefer email because i have such horrible handwriting. my mom told me i have doctor’s handwriting this time of year makes folks reflective and i suppose i am no different. i look back at the last year and i marvel at the folks i have gotten to know from around the globe- most of us united by common threads- saving democracy; saving the planet, and just plain life experiences. for me, i am grateful for the internet and if i had one cause to fight for it would be to save the current freedom of communication that we have now. on the internet, it doesn’t matter what color you are- or religion or gender- your words and thoughts show up on the screen first. it doesn’t matter where in the world you are- common folks coming together for a common cause can find each other- and the bonds of humanity are strengthened. what better way to promote peace and common threads and similarities than reaching across the digital expanse and shaking hands?

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thou shalt not convert

a hat tip to sarah over at woman without superstition for this questionnaire- there are certain questions fundies and christians throw at non believers all of the time. they don’t have any answers for their beliefs- other than the circular arguments and the old standby- ‘god said so in the bible.’ but- they think we should have all of our t’s crossed and i’s dotted- or try to ‘trip us up.’ so i thought that perhaps i should take a peek and answer some of these questions since i am vehemently opposed to religion of any stripe but christianity in particular- since it’s the religion that is currently fucking up the rest of the world through war and greed. so- here are the questions and my answers- feel free to take the questions and answer them your own way. i am not in the slightest bit interested in being converted folks- so please save your breath if you are feeling compelled. thanks in advance. signed- godless heathen (aka betmo)

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Kucinich 2008

weepin’ jesus on the cross! i have had it! i am beyond crabby because i am sick and tired of lying, cheating, stealing, corruption and most of all– greed. why does everything have to be corrupt and underhanded? why can’t we have real debates for real people who really want to represent the people of america? if there were any republicans or democrats in this room right now with me- i would rip them not only new assholes- but any other holes that needed widening or just make new ones. fucking ridiculous. these ‘people’ pay lip service to change and saving democracy and all of that happy horseshit- meanwhile they laugh behind the scenes as they work to maintain the status quo with the entire planet hanging in the balance. nice priorities. what pray tell has gotten my panties all in a bunch? reading in my google reader again. since i am on a self imposed news blackout (and now you see why) i catch up on fellow bloggers- who are apparently the reason that the world has gone to hell not bush and cheney- and i happened upon this gem at blue bloggin’

“Today in Iowa, Dennis Kucinich was informed by the Des Moines Register that he will not be invited to attend the final Iowa debate before the caucus.”

why? you may ask- as i did- well, because of the stupidest reason i have encountered yet-

“because Dennis did not formally open an office with paid staff in Iowa.”

so- this is democracy in action. kick out a viable candidate because he relied on volunteers who believed in his vision- not because he did anything untoward or wrong. nice. so- i got pissed and decided i would post about dennis kucinich in spite of him not being on the air to be heard. i am asking that today and tomorrow each blogger out there do the same- whether you endorse him as a candidate or not. stand up for freedom of speech and democracy by getting out the platforms and issues. if we don’t, who will?

• Dennis Kucinich is the only democrat running for President who has voted against authorizing the war in Iraq and against funding its continuation.

• Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate for President with a plan for a Universal, Single-Payer, Not-for-Profit health care system.

• Dennis Kucinich will lead America into expanding opportunities, universal health care, restore our schools and strengthen Social Security and protections for private pensions.

• A corrupt campaign finance system, coupled with vulnerable electronic voting have eroded America’s confidence in our elections. The USA Patriot Act and secret strategy meetings to set policy tear into the very concept of We the People. As President, Dennis will protect individual liberty and privacy and restore balance and fairness in America’s electoral system.

• As the world population soars towards eight billion, critical issues of survival face all of us. Living on a planet of finite resources means that human life can not be sustained indefinitely without careful thought and compassion coupled with political courage.

• Huge, multi-national corporations ship American jobs overseas, turn a blind eye to human rights abuses and hide behind their lobbyists in Washington. Read more about Dennis’ plan to instill ethics, accountability and fairness in global trade and big business.

dennis kucinich for president 2008

addendum: thanks to proud progressive for reminding me that what i think doesn’t always translate exactly to the printed form.  i have added a link above to clarify my sarcasm that bloggers are blamed for dividing the country.  thanks pp

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happy holidays american style

holiday season 2007 is upon us with a vengeance. everywhere we look- sales and decorations and ads on tv urging us to buy! buy! buy! but we aren’t buying it this year. there is a feeling that is pervading the season and it’s sadness. we have found out that we have been betrayed by- ourselves. that’s right. we have lied to each other and mistreated each other and tried to outconsume each other- and now, we are empty. we have discovered that we are not very nice people and we don’t really believe that this is the season of peace and goodwill towards mankind. it isn’t holy and it isn’t silent- there are the screams and cries of all of the millions of people we have wronged around the world. there are the sounds of warfare and of torture- and there is fear. fear that we have lost ourselves and our ideal of america. there is a fear of what we have become- the growing fascist contingent has taken over and we now see that what we thought was us living a middle class lifestyle of being waited on and having our every whim fulfilled- has actually enslaved us.

‘And maybe someday we will meet
And maybe talk and not just speak
Don’t buy the promises ’cause
There are no promises I keep,
and my reflection troubles me
so here I go

I’m not calling for a second chance,
I’m screaming at the top of my voice,
Give me reason, but don’t give me choice,
‘Cause I’ll just make the same mistake again.’

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nobel prize

A Precious and Painful Vision of the Future by AL GORE

[posted online on December 10, 2007]

I have a purpose here today. It is a purpose I have tried to serve for many years. I have prayed that God would show me a way to accomplish it.

Sometimes, without warning, the future knocks on our door with a precious and painful vision of what might be. One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life’s work, unfairly labeling him “The Merchant of Death” because of his invention–dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, t he inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace.

Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name.

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cookies

dawn is busy making gingerbread houses this weekend- so i am filling in for her. ’tis the season and all that- and everyone knows i am out to spread good cheer! so- i thought i would write about christmas cookies because it is a tradition that my family has had since i can remember. i really think that the solstice season- aka the christmas season- is about sharing time and love with friends and family. perhaps it’s because i grew up poor and didn’t get many gifts that i cherish memories so much- i know a big part is my mother is very ill and this is probably her last christmas with us. this season has always been about her. if i think back, she always put so much into christmas. she didn’t make much money but saved all year long to put money into our christmas clubs- remember those? our bank had a deal where you could put so much money into an account to be withdrawn at christmas time as a gift- i don’t think that they do that anymore. she would start buying food and supplies in october because- hey, we had to eat in the meantime and less than $100 a week doesn’t go far. so- we would get to december and put up our charlie brown tree- which i still have because it’s artificial (in fact hubby and i used it the first zillion years we were married. right up until about 3 years ago)- and played our christmas records (yes, LPs) and watched it snow. my sister and i always made sugar cookies. sometimes we would actually roll them out and sprinkle them with colored sugar- and other times we would just make drop and sprinkle them with colored sugar- but we did it together and we ate cookies a lot. so- it isn’t about the gifts or the parties or the decorations necessarily- although there is a place for those things in moderation- it’s about the feeling that is supposed to be christmas. the one that everyone always talks about- peace on earth and whatnot. i am not feeling that much these days. i know many folks i talk to aren’t feeling it either. i think it’s ok not to feel the hyped consumeristic christmas that has been perpetuated since oh- let’s see- when did virginia write her letter? what we need to do is remember the origin of the winter solstice celebrations.

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waiting for the world to change?

i have been thinking a lot lately about the state of the world and the state that this country is in. folks talk all of the time about ‘the good ole’ days’ and we laugh them off but i am beginning to believe that our golden age is behind us. being a relatively young country, we have flashed and burned rather quickly in the grander scheme of things. i think that the thing that kept this country going 900 miles an hour was our belief in manifest destiny. we have always been a country ‘on the go’- we have cities that don’t sleep and night shifts and we have had this forward momentum. we wanted to be the best. then… we got lazy and complacent and comfortable. our cities have not been kept up because hey, we need our money in our pockets to build our pressboard and vinyl homes and keep our fiberglass suvs running to and from the convenient store for that bottle of soda. our kids aren’t learning because- hey, don’t we just need a glorified babysitter anyway? our kids are the best and so what if they can’t read? we lack any real leadership because- hey, in a democracy, even the morons voices are added to the mix- and the corporations are ‘entities’ with votes and isn’t that what we pay people to do? we can’t be bothered.

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resistance is not futile

i have tooled around the internets over the weekend to see what i could see. i have been on a self imposed news blackout for quite some time- which means i scan the headlines only instead of seeking out more. i don’t need to see much more. don’t get me wrong- i think that it is imperative that the journalists do their jobs and hopefully bring back some investigative journalism- even if it has to be freelance. i doubt seriously that the fourth estate will ever recover. anyway, that isn’t my thought trail this time. i get the feeling that folks are in a quandary over what the hell to do about the current and future state of affairs we find ourselves in. i know i am. everyday, more and more corruption is exposed with little to no accountability- and it’s maddening. of course, we know in our deepest spots of the mind what we will have to do eventually- but what to do in the meantime? how does a country wrest back it’s democracy from the hands of the rich and the corporations? how does one take on city hall and win? yeah. i know. me too. no clue. i have no desire to end up on the subversives list and get carted off to a detention center. i mean first meter readers and now firefighters- on top of the cell phone tracking and warrantless wiretapping- what’s next- tasering motorists and protesters? oh wait. since we are now in a police state- with the police being trained like military- how are we going to fight back? conventional methods used in the past- protesting en masse, voting- have not worked. what can we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, possibly do to end this march towards fascism?

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

hmmmmm………

tags:democracy, civil liberties, america

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random thoughts

i was having a conversation over email with my buddy spadoman today and many things occurred to me (he has a knack for getting me to think)- folks are very disheartened these days.  with good reason- but never in our history before has the future looked quite so bleak.  now, i know that there are some who would argue the first part of the 20th century would give us a run for our money- and that’s almost true.  we have a crucial difference- our planet’s ecosystem is in danger.  so- it’s the holiday season and we are all supposed to shop until we drop and run around like fools and be merry- and many of us don’t feel like it.  so don’t.  yep.  that’s what i said.  the world will not stop if you end gift exchanges and cookie bakes and whatnot.  this isn’t meant to be preachy or gloomy- but i have been doing much thinking about life in general and reconnecting with life.  we are overwhelmed by loss and life and as adults- we forget what it’s like to actually live and feel.  we run on autopilot because we try to do and be everything to everyone- all at the same time.  stop it.  think back to when you were a kid- playing in the snow or sun.  why did you do it?  it was fun surely- but didn’t you feel exhilarated after chasing your friend around the yard?  or breaking an icicle off and sucking the end of it?  snow birds know what i am talking about   there is much in the media about the ’shopocalypse’  and the impending economic crunch that’s coming and whatnot.  people are burned out and exhausted- and dread the holidays.  think about why we have them in the first place.  where did they come from?  our ancestors were no less busy than we but they purposefully set aside time to rejoice and celebrate and bond with their fellow man (and woman)- why?  and why don’t we?  the holiday season isn’t meant to drain energy and money- it is meant to be a time to set aside worries for a day or two and celebrate our friends and family.  it is meant to realign our perspectives on what we did as people the past year and look to what we will do in the future year.  we are the ones who try to make them perfect or over the top and whatnot.  i cannot remember many gifts from my childhood- or recently- but i do remember singing carols and decorating trees and playing cards with family around steaming mugs of cocoa.  my gift to my friends and family this year- is me.  my time.  time is our most precious commodity- shouldn’t we share it with the people who matter the most?  yes, the kids will look at you like you have 3 heads- but they will appreciate you more as they get older- and you will have the memories of time with them.  peace.

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thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all! enjoy feasting, family and friends or quiet reflection. we have much to be thankful for this year here at sirens. peace to all.

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