Sunday, July 27, 2008

Rambling, Synchronicity & Stuff in the Offing

No time to write (and that really means research as after the research is done the writing happens as if by magic.... yeah right on a good day....) involved posts in the last week. Immediately after returning from BlogHer 08 I came down with a hellacious case of cold/flu. Now I'm really behind and I have to return Rae's call about blogging and/or Second Life involvement of CODEPINK in the DNC and RNC activities, protests, marches and street art. Of course there is work, my personal life and my non-blog writing. Oh there is also the intermittent activity with the property back in Indiana. If I start sounding sloshy it is just because I am drooling in my shoes --- too many things going on and I can't really piggy back any of them on each other. AND ---- my cat has started taking the occasional crap on the thrown rug in our bathroom in front of my husband's sink.

Speaking of smelly disgusting things, check out this pic of the diagram from Salon about the overlapping criminal spheres and which scum bags were involved in which treasonous activities. I can't bring myself to use the namby pamby word "scandals" for these overt criminal acts of deception and hundreds of other misuses and abuses of the judiciary and unconstitutional attacks on privacy.

diagram of conspiracy.jpg

On Slate you can click on the various plots, ugly actions, and crimes against the constitution and the various criminals and find out a bit about the facts and interpretations of actions. Well worth checking out.

When I start to get too over-heated with steam coming out of my ears about the state of the nation (not to mention the world) I've found that hunting for public domain out of copyright images (see below) for import into Second Life, and playing Scrabble on Pogo.comis really a good getaway from politics and the frustration I feel about politics.

Leonetto_Cappiello_-_Chocolat_Klaus.jpg

Ringling_poster_Raschetta_Brothers.jpg

Okay, that's it for now -- next time -- P. W. Songbird.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Rove, Citizen's Arrest, and Federal Judges

Four peace activists Mona Shaw 57, Kirk Brown 25, Chet Guinn 80, and Frank Cordaro 61 were arrested and charged with trespassing when they attempted to place Karl Rove under citizen's arrest yesterday as Rove spoke at a Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines where he was scheduled to speak at a Republican Fundraiser. Iowa law contains reference to the obligation of citizens to place persons who have committed felonies under arrest until law enforcement can transport the person to a hearing before a Federal Judge.

The only problem is that these sort of people, people within the Bush administration who are guilty of treason or sedition, never step foot outside walled enclaves when coming out "in public" and walk very quickly between limos and heavily policed buildings. There is something wrong with this picture.

Shouldn't the police have assisted these patriotic folks, average age 62, who were only doing their civic duty (remember that phrase from your high school government class?) Instead they arrest citizen's doing what the law and a good conscience requires of them.

Cordara and Shaw had previously attempted a citizen's arrest of Rove in 2007. Last year these two were released without charge when detained by the police, this year they were charged with trespassing.

I hope this sort of thing happens more and more frequently. These criminals believe they are above the law. They are not. Condi had to dodge New Zealand Students as the Auckland University's Student Association is offering $5,000 reward for the citizen's arrest of Condoleeza Rice.

I like the way this is progressing. " If not us, who? If not now, when? "

"Yee Ha! Let's arrest us some war criminals!"

Read the press release from the Reverend and the Catholic Workers DesmoinesCatholicWorker.org has video, news coverage, and additional information for those interested.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Senate Hearing on FLDS/Polygamy and a personal rant on religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

I didn't catch most of this hearing as I didn't read my email that said that Terry Goddard would be testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary panel on the FLDS and Polygamy and that it would be on C-Span 3 as well as streamed on the internet. My sketchy notes are at the very bottom of this rant. :-)

Many women I know watched in horror as the abuse of children became evident when the FLDS compound in Texas came under scrutiny and massive media coverage a few months ago when hundreds of children were removed and again when they were returned to the compound.

The absolute authority of religious doctrine over how a family conducts its business, both private and public, if it wishes to remain within a congregation of a church is nothing new. I happen to have a couple of my ancestral family branches come from a group of people who attempted to leave the Catholic Church a few centuries ago in Switzerland only to meet with horrific torture and death before escaping the country and then continent. The FLDS may be a much smaller group than other larger organized religions within which the repressive doctrine of absolute servitude to a single person through whom God speaks is at the core of the religion but it is not the only one and certainly not the most sizable example.

This is why the men, with significant input from their wives and scholarly female friends, wrote the constitution to address the centuries of inequity in European governments and religions with which they were most familiar and which they were specifically addressing in the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America, and the Bill of Rights - the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. They addressed both the tyranny of monarchy and religion albeit they addressed it in a bit more diplomatic manner speaking of freedoms. The flip side of any freedom is the tyranny to which it stands in contrast.

People in the United States, especially in the Mid-West where I grew up, don't like to talk about religion or politics,at least not in "polite company." As far as I have been able to discern, "in polite company" means in the company of women, children, in groups of diverse background be they socially, ethnically, or economically diverse. In other words, don't stir up the rabble with potentially revolutionary thought. Ha! They don't know me very well do they? Obviously someone like me, questioning everything from the get go, did not fit in well with those folks who were interested in preserving or conserving the status quo. Society needs a few folks like me or we would stagnate and die. Too many folks like me and we would become unstable with a lack of integrative infrastructure. At least that is the simplistic view. Complex systems are way too hard to talk about, so we simplify and get the basics wrong from time to time. That is just the human condition.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Tories still exist. Monarchists still exist. Just because people are living in the U.S.A. doesn't mean they actually support the tenets of our Representative Democracy. Most of the folks who don't support democracy don't even know they aren't supporting it. Religious freedom (which can also be read as freedom from specific religious tenets,) equal protection under the law, and freedom of speech are the pillars of our fledgling democratic state. And yes, we are still fledgling. The United States is less than 250 years old. We allowed slavery until 150 years ago, and women have had the vote for less than 100 years. This is all transitory and very unstable. This is why every citizen of the U.S.A. has responsibilities as well as rights. If we don't exercise these responsibilities then everything will disappear. Poof. No more democracy. Anyone who attempts to impose his or her way of thought and belief on you is engaging in distinctly un-American activities. When people say that by not allowing them to impose their way of thought that I am imposing mine, well let's just say that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. I don't expect or want others to view the biosphere as a complex living system that holds special spiritual meaning for them. I like my own view of life and love.

Don't talk about religion or politics (or sex) in polite company. WTF? We have to talk about these things. Nothing gets me madder than a swarm of killer bees than perfectly competent women saying that they don't get involved in politics. Ick. Ptooey. Hack. Spit. That leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. Who is carrying their share of the political responsibility? No. NOT their husbands! Their husbands do not understand the impact of current policies on families in the intimate way that women do. Allowing men more political input than women pretty much guarantees that education, health and the general welfare of the common person will take a back seat to areas where there is a concentration of male power: territorial aspects of life like borders, both real and imagined, and large symbolic tributes to power and status. It's okay, that is just how they are, for the most part.

I simply wish women would look at where submission, deference, and allegiance to a centralized patriarchy leads... to Warren Jeffs and if allowed to become ineradicably entrenched in society and culture to the cruel and immoral domination of papacy as represented by many corrupt papal regimes throughout the ages.

We need equal access to education so that all children are presented with access to the best understanding of art, literature, science, and world geography and history that our country can offer them. These children have a right to be well fed before the school day starts, as well as well fed in the evening when they complete their homework. These children have a right to healthcare. These children have a right to childhood, adolescence and early adulthood that broadens their understanding of the world and opportunities that it holds.

Religious indoctrination cuts off these avenues of learning and opportunity at an earlier age than the age of consent, the age of majority, and the age of full adult citizenship. Anything that cuts off opportunity to full rights and privileges as an adult is decidedly not American in spirit if not in law.

The separation of church and state, equality under the law, and the right to freedom of expression are all being denied by religious groups in the United States. Speak up women. Speak up for our children.


----------
Notes from the last few minutes of the hearing
______



human trafficking -- it is not the travel - it is the servitude.

the land they purchase

income streams, laundry of money in Nevada and Wyoming through corporations

task force

centralization of property and power to the leaders of FLDS
Bryce canyon property sold for 8 million - probably to fund legal
members of the community regularly go without pay for work
businesses were expected in the 1980s to turn over ownership to the church
mid to late 1990s leadership determined not only who marries whom but also how long they stay married to whom. "shem dear you need to get dressed and meet me at uncle Rolands--- I've been released from your father. 3 wives of his father -- he was not worthy of three wives. sons were admonished to support the church. "the time is too short, there is no support
waren and roland. women were remarried to others -- home was taken -- financial support without visitation of children. 2000 - stop doing business with those who have left and remove any such employees. 1999 end of the world was immanent. This gentleman spoke of his father, himself, his brothers -- 70 year old father had to drive alone -- unlike usual practice of traveling with a family member which he no longer had -- and he careened into a ravine to his death later that day --- with no skid marks evident.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Wooing the Blogging Mama Demographic -- my notes on Hybrid Media session

I am so amazed by the energy put into commercial support of this conference. That is both good and bad. Corporatization (is that a word?)-- changes the game.

----------------
Panel:
redbook, essence, bravo
Lisa Stone (moderator), Stacy Morrison, Lesley Inckney and Lisa Hsia
----------------

Bravo -- old media &. new media

revenues from this

also learning how to monetize and grow the audience

project runway (Hsia)

1-2 % respond in most interactive polls
98% respond to bravo and project runway

-------
Redbook -- diary of V. Diary of E. biggest draw. 2nd referer after giveaways. authentic -- comments have to
2nd largest web mag. property.
but if you like redbook please buy one once in a while.

--------
Time Warner/ Essence not as restrictive as they once work. have loosened up.

media is inherently is grassroots now

malest oldest rooms she's ever been in.

-------
fox & nbc
huloo (spelling?)
trying all the new ad models


kaboodle -- hearst


redbook
i only want to make the best mistakes

essence
try telling these old male folks that they will
never be dominant
never be perfect

-------
constant effort to tell personal stories

-----
sex life roadtest
take it to tv

----
shoot em up kill em
romantic comedies
oscar winners
-----

recruiting bloggers
creating an ad network

--

ivillage = nbc = fox

-----
innovation
corp. won't do quick......

time warner wants to own twitter not use it

smaller network and just do it

it's not don't do it
it is you have to wait

redbook reaches across the country evenly
except washington and oregon
not just shoes and cosmopolitan
thinks that redbook is a family magazine

change the font - lose the audience
she is a professional empath.

she represents an openness to every idea
but she has to censor 25 % of her self

-----

use versus be the media

-------
would be nice to have mega corps change from support incubation .....rather than just buy/own......

--------
big furry beard
snowboarder
mike dunn
if you see him at a meeting it is going to be big

---------

Friday, July 18, 2008

netroots & blogher joint session

twitter as a support tool
gives reg. folks undeniable voice and reach.
it's been fun too
celebs and pol. change. -
how to reach nonpolitical folks -- what political social networking tools -- harry potter & sirius black - dumbledors army ---- dumbledoors army in the real world
myspace ---bands -- wizards rock the vote --

"voldemore can't stop the rock"

love of a mother for her child is the greatest force

36 million women on line and blogging and they are talking about politics

mommy bloggers aren't just about potty training

corporations?

twittering.... facebook...

streaming netroots blogher and live from the web and twittering
reflexivity on reflexivity
fractal communication

darfur tibet myamar/burma..... allow supportive action and giving

all this intersects.

we need to become the traditional media and have it take a back seat

world domination

2012!








What we believe: how to take names and be taken seriously as a political blogger.

Morra Aarons-Mele,Fausta ,Mona Gable, and Shark Fu (Pamela) are the panel members that will be speaking at this session of BlogHer '08 and I will be posting while in this session, probably about the session but maybe not.... who knows?

This is the "first" session I've attended. I was on a panel in SL this a.m.

Topics:

Anonymity and political blogging.

Comments versus getting out there.

The bias question.

What actually happened versus the take on it.

choose your battles

tone vs. true to yourself

authenticity

both news in one post and perhaps later doing a commentary on the same topic

dont think before you hit publish (Shark Fu)

Personal entries within a political blog
do you talk about your children brothers spouses etc.?

do you use your kids pics?

compartmentalize.

multi-sourcing

Facts. Do they exist?

Show, don't tell. Quote, reference.....

question on networks.... some don't network with comments at all. some do. some answer comments, most don't. but serial volunteerism is one persons network. one is cozy with sources.

you are a source.







Thursday, July 17, 2008

Gone to BlogHer


Gone to BlogHer 08

and I'm also at:

BlogHer in SL
BlogHer in Second Life

So tired. Traveled to SF today on 2 hours of sleep. Wrote like a mad woman on the plane! Every other word in The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein set me off on a major scribble event in my ever present little black moleskine book with a pencil. I have my work cut out for me later to attempt to get it posted somewhere. Maybe here.

Took BART (much dirtier than I remember it being) to The Westin St. Francis -- Got settled in. Met some of the speakers and key BlogHer players. Woot! Woot! Great Roomie too! Amy from Ohio. She gave me a buckeye. Shoot. I should brought cactus spines. LOL. I also caught up with last years roomie -- Ann Marie -- she's on the BlogHer Speakers page.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Bush to be in Tucson July 18, 2008

Drat it all -- Bush buzzes into Tucson for a $1000 a plate breakfast fundraiser for Tim Bee on July 18, 2008 -- next Friday,





















and I'm I'm going to be out of town pushing for the online women's peace cause. A large protest is being planned. Get your "Bush Be Gone" on!!! More details soon!