Mother’s Day, as we know it today, is a more or less genteel day of hopefully kind words and sweet sentiments depending on whether one’s family more resembles the Simpsons, the Partridges or a holy family of schmoos.

But long ago, Mother’s Day in the US burst forth drenched in blood, and buried in bones and graves. It was anything but genteel.

This fiercely special day was set aside in 1870 to make a cry heard round the world from mothers who were demanding that war never be born again.

This special day was called by women who had lost their sons in a war wherein battle fields were like lakes of red from all the fallen. The women had lost their children, and sometimes, for a time, their minds as well– but not their great hearts.

Sometimes people say the title “mother” can only be applied to a woman who has given physical birth. I’d say ‘a blessed mother’ is any woman who reveres life in her own special ways, who cars for life, and who strives to give birth to new life each day in heart and mind and voice.

Here is the gutsy, Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870. It was written by Julia Ward Howe. Would that her voice were still on earth today. Would that her call would still come to life.
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For those who may have missed it, President Bush has enraged much of the nation of India, by appearing to blame its growing middle class for rising food prices.

In addition to a series of articles on this subject, WORLDMEETS.US just posted this tongue-in-cheek warning to President Bush, about the growing demand for pet food among new members of India’s middle class.

Amit Baruah writes for the Hindustan Times of India:

U.S. President George W Bush should be a worried man. Not only are Indians eating more and better and driving up food prices, their dogs and cats are eating better, too … Read the rest of this entry »

The Heart of the Unknown Mother
by C.P. Estés

Whether children landed on earth, but had to leave too soon,
whether they were detoured before they could be born,
whether they were wrenched away, or lost for unexplained reasons,
whether they were here for just a few moments,
or a few days… they all are blessed children.
Full children.

When people ask, “Are you a mother?’
you are entitled to say ‘Yes,
I am a mother.’
‘Oh, how many?’ they’ll ask.
Tell them.
You are entitled to say
the full number of children,
including the ones
who were on their way
and never made it
for whichever reasons.

When people ask, ‘Where are your children?’
Say, ‘Right here, in my heart.’

______
CODA
Back Story: I realize that not all people may agree with my Mother’s Day philosophy, but long ago I wrote this to try to talk about we who have lost our children, been separated from our children, have not been able to complete the body for a child soul, have decided other things. For myself as a young unmarried woman forced to relinquish her first born child, Mother’s Day was the saddest day, if any one day could be said after that ripping away, to be sadder than any other grief-stricken day.

When throughout the years people would ask me how many children I had… beaten down and walking wounded, I never felt worthy to say the full number of souls I’d struggled to carry with infinite love and safely to this earth.

Until one day. It seemed like such a huge break with convention– but as the years gathered, I came to know ever more dear women and men who had lost children in one way or another…and they felt pressed into silence for many reasons…

I honestly don’t know the exact moment I stood up against the forces pressing me to remain silent. But I gradually felt more and more sure that we who had lost our children in whichever way, all had a right to count our children as all other souls counted their children. In full. That we are full mothers. Despite all agonies, despite being warned to silence, despite impossible twists of fate, unconscionable situations, despite never having told our stories, despite not wanting to cause anyone else sorrow, despite being too filled with hurt to speak. Still, and even so… we carry that lit room of the heart for our children forever; we are mothers of all our children.

In full.

We in America can talk about the virtues and vices of presidential candidates we support.

We in America can argue about which political party is going to destroy or uplift the country.

We in America can pontificate about race baiting, race hustling, race pitching, race riding, race stirring, race healing, race blah blah in this political season.

We in America can scream about who’s elitist, has testicular fortitude, is Maverick like, old, black, a woman, has four legs, flies to the moon, lives on the moon, tough on terrorism, is Messiah-like, prone to “Pastorgates”, has toxic spouses, etc this silly season.

We in America can just shut up.

Because the game changing $4.00/gallon gas is upon us. When the average reaches that mark, we in America are going to feel it and feel it good. Our very lifestyle is at serious risk. The very American “going out for a ride” will lose its luster. The family road trip will be shelved or shrunk in distance. The weekend getaway becomes a weekend DVD fest at home. The grocery store becomes ominous because of prices. I can go on and on.

Senators Clinton, Obama, and McCain aren’t ready to deal with the way this will change American life. Heck, Washington likes to play games with itself. But for millions of Americans who lives will be affected detrimentally by ever increasing fuel costs, the word bitter and the feeling of bitterness will just become part and parcel of American life. No matter how many despots we depose, that will play second fiddle to the new American way of life.

Are you ready to ride my fellow Americans? Are we as a country ready to deal with this issue head on without politics?

As the Bush era draws to a close, Europeans are anxious to know what about American policy will change when he’s gone - particularly if a Democratic victory occurs as planned.

According to this lead article from French business magazine Challenges, while a Democrat in the White House will mean a leftward tilt - it won’t be anything like the European left - and it certainly won’t mean the end to American Exceptionalism.

The article says in part:

“In view of the ongoing presidential campaign, the American exception seems as strong as ever. Where else but in America would a primary race go on for more than a year? Where else would candidates obtain tens of millions of dollars a month from their supporters? Where else would party foot soldiers have the chance to select the candidate for the highest post? … All three candidates take lyrical flight in discussing the American dream. Above all, none will hesitate to resort to force.”

And in describing what a Democratic regime might look like, the article cautions:

“Clearly, a Democratic victory in November would undoubtedly open the door to a more left-wing America. But it would be a kind of American left, certainly not modeled on Europe. Both candidates have rejected a “single payer” system for health insurance, like the Canadian and European models. The change ahead will not mean the end of the American exception, but the end of American triumphalism.”

LEADING ARTICLE

Translated By Kate Davis

May 8, 2008

France - Challenges - Original Article (French)

All countries are exceptional. But the United States gladly considers itself exceptionally exceptional, different from all other developed countries in its social organization and its fundamental values. The State is less extensive and the distribution of wealth more unequal. The United States is also more strongly committed to what Margaret Thatcher called the “Victorian values:” individualism, voluntarism, patriotism.

Thus the Bush government, which supports conservative values domestically and demonstrates an unlimited self confidence externally, is the most “exceptional” known in recent years. But at the end of Bush’s mandate, isn’t the United States entering a new cycle, characterized by the rejection of conservatism and a convergence with Europe’s standards?

In reality, three quarters of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and for example, vigorously support a system of universal health care. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both have promised to address that. They also want to improve their image in the world. The next government will certainly initiate significant reforms, such as closing Guantanamo or adopting a more rigorous environmental policy in order to address some of the country’s more aberrant characteristics.

Yet in view of the ongoing presidential campaign, the American exception seems as strong as ever. Where else but in America would a primary race go on for more than a year? Where else would candidates obtain tens of millions of dollars a month from their supporters? Where else would party foot soldiers have the chance to select the candidate for the highest post? John McCain won the nomination of his party despite strong internal opposition. Barack Obama is the leader of an uprising against the Democratic old guard.

All three preach a patriotism specific to the United States. John McCain boasts of his service in Vietnam. Barack Obama claims that there is no red or blue, but only one America united by common values. The three candidates take lyrical flight in discussing the American dream. Above all, none will hesitate to resort to force. John McCain sings, “Bomb, bomb [bomb, bomb bomb] Iran.”

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the U.S. elections.

We’ve seen our last First Lady of a certain kind. Genteel, always attempting to be background instead of foreground or middle ground. Laura Bush will likely be the last of a long line of smart women who stayed behind the scenes for the most part, or else led lives ‘out there’, like Eleanor Roosevelt who most of the time seemed as though she wasn’t married to the President, but rather to ideas.

We have seen the signs of the remarkable transition from genteel little lady with little to say, and certainly never anything controversial, to efforts to act as a fuller human being… for instance, First Lady Hillary Clinton. She had an idea and thought to bring it to the fore. But, she was bashed for carrying the notion that she should/could/ would dare to be involved in policy; health care. “You’re not a player, you’re just a figurehead; go put your hoop skirt back on and act right.’

Nancy Reagan was smarmed for ‘advising’ her husband; many thought she had ‘too much power’ over him and should just go back to pouring tea for be-medaled dignitaries. Mrs. Reagan’s bold interruption of Raisa Gorbachev who appeared to be hogging the camera during an interview of the Russian and US First Ladies, prompted Mrs. Reagan to intervene clearly and loudly. “I want to talk now,” said Mrs. Reagan. This breach of ‘ladylike’ protocol was hailed by many as a high-fiver for Nancy.

It used to be, and was vehemently expected by many in the electorate, that First Ladies, whether wives of Presidents or Governors, were supposed to remain like the curtains; be backdrop, to concern themselves only with ’safe, feminine’ interests (feminine as defined by softness and sweetness… forgetting that many women are also inventors, innovators and often, warriors ).

The short list below is not to trivialize, for First Ladies’ attendance on under-served populations and ideals that might never have more than a hoot and holler amongst male politicians, has been critical.
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PETA is demanding changes after Eight Belles’ death.

From Game On page:

Because of the Kentucky Derby collapse and death of filly Eight Belles, the horse racing world is about to find out what PETA’s spurs feel like.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has called for the suspension and investigation of Eight Belles jockey Gabriel Saez, and also has started an online petition to change the rules of thoroughbred racing.

Flatly ignoring PETA’s suggestions could be risky for a sport where interest has steadily waned, and which is under siege after a succession of high-profile horses dying on the track.

PETA flexed considerable muscle in the sports world last year, raising the outrage about the Michael Vick dogfighting charges that sent the Atlanta Falcons quarterback to prison.

PETA’s four demands are:

1) No racing or training for a thoroughbred until it turns 3 years old. The organization contends the animals’ legs aren’t fully developed until then.

2) No more racing on dirt tracks. The group says the synthetic surfaces now used at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., and at California tracks are far safer and result in fewer equine breakdowns and fatalities.

3) Cap the number of times a horse races each year.

4) Ban whipping. PETA says that when jockeys flail horses with a riding crop the animals can be forced beyond their physical limits.

_______
see also A Lost Story About Why Horses Came to Earth, by Dr. E, here. Also see Shaun Mullen’s piece at Kiko’s House, “Why It’s Long Past Time To Clean Up U.S. Thoroughbred Racing” here

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann (D), who, during his race for AG in 2006 named Eliot Spitzer as his role model, has refused twice to acquiesce to multiple calls to step down in the wake of admitting last week that he had a romantic relationship with his former scheduler (Dann is married with three children) and firing two of his top aides.

As a result of this refusal, the Ohio Democratic Party has made their intentions to force Dann out extremely clear. From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Ohio Democratic Party, which strongly backed Dann’s come-from-behind campaign in 2006, is preparing to sever its ties with Dann. Chairman Chris Redfern said he expects the party’s executive committee to rescind its 2006 endorsement of Dann when it meets Saturday, which Redfern said would make Dann an independent officeholder. Democrats also are prepared to lead the impeachment drive, Redfern said.

“Pending Saturday’s events, he’ll be holding office as an independent who was elected as a Democrat,” Redfern said. “We will distance ourselves both figuratively and literally from Marc Dann until he makes the right decision, which is to step down.”

Ohio Daily Blog reports that one of Dann’s hometown papers says that the Ohio House Democratic Caucus had a conference call this afternoon and will begin impeachment proceedings tomorrow if Dann doesn’t step down tonight.

Plunderbund writes about the removal of information about Dann from the ODP website and also has a video of Gov. Strickland in which he says that they’ll use “whatever action is necessary” to remove Dann.

Pho writes about the legal provisions related to replacing Dann.

This article from ePluribus Media includes most of the key information from today and last week, but the situation is developing minute by minute, as it has been all day today. And it’s been exhausting.

I’m somewhat restricted from saying too much (code words on my blog entries are “mmmumbble mummmble damn packing tape”) because my SO is in the same law firm as an attorney whom Dann has asked to help clean up the AG’s office. Although it’s a voluntary role, and I’ve been told my right to express myself is being respected, I don’t feel comfortable writing about this situation in as an unbridled manner as I might.

I can say that I’ve had off the record conversations with the Ohio Democratic Party stating my intense upsetment about the hostile work environment that came to exist in the AG’s office and my belief that it must not be tolerated, not only because of the women who were subordinates but for the sake of the entire 1400 person “law office” that is an AG’s office.

Obviously, I wasn’t and still am not the only one saying that this is an intolerable situation that demands dramatic and obvious attention.

But as a Democrat in Ohio, who wanted to believe in Marc Dann, even when I wasn’t the most certain, it’s also just a very very, as another Democrat expressed to me, profoundly sad experience.

If one wanted to know the difference between being an American and being a European, this article from France’s Le Figaro newspaper would be a very good place to start.

From Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky to client number nine Eliot Spitzer and ‘Kristan,’ Europeans have looked at the effect that sex has on American politics with a collective shake of the head. Read the rest of this entry »

A small reprise, given Shaun Mullen bringing news of the possibly suspicious suicide of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, recently found guilty of racketeering, money laundering and other charges for running an escort service that drew many customers including one well known government official, Louisiana Senator David Vitter (R).

The small piece of real estate at the V of the human body
If I were from Mars, I would wonder why human beings concentrate so hard on what I once heard another human being refer to as the “real estate” of the body… those ‘parts’ without armor that occur at the V: where legs and torso join.

Modern humans seem to often focus on this one tiny area on their bodies to the exclusion of all the rest of the body.
–What about the ears?
–The head?
–The brain?
– The heart?
There must be something about these other ‘parts’ too, that is as vital to humans as food and water?

But… in fact, perhaps it is the death of the life force flowing through the ‘parts,’ at the V of the trunk of the body, rather than loss of brain or heart activity, that causes a real death of another kind in human beings.

From a Martian point of view, it seems so, given how humans who have experienced sexual ‘bed death’ sometimes seem to walk about like a house with all the lights broken out.

Still, the focus humans place on building barriers and boundaries… about how, when and where those ‘parts’ at the V are used … and by whom, seems odd.

Human beings don’t seem to mind
if people see eye to eye.
They don’t mind if people go toe to toe.
They don’t mind if people are cheek to cheek
or elbow to elbow.

They don’t even seem to mind if this little piece of real estate at the V of the body is groomed, plowed, seeded, exchanged… or mostly whatever else… amongst consenting grown ups, as long as it is accomplished free of charge.

On Earth, money for sex causes huge reactions in humans, while selling the soul for money, or losing the soul because of it, goes without comment

To the Martian mind, it is puzzling that only when money is exchanged over these tiny clefts and prongs of the human body, that humans on Earth seem to fly up into the air with huge flapping excitements and horrifications… usually reserved for chickens…

and suddenly many trackers are summoned to hunt for those who have touched this ‘part’ to that ‘part’ over dimes and dollars… or a king’s ransom.

Meanwhile, the humans who have presumably ‘not done this,’ begin generating stacks of papers and scribes to write it all down in detail, about who by name, and how and where, and how much…

but not much of a reasoned ‘why?’ or ‘how far down does this reach to soul and psyche in the culture, that includes more than just details of ‘parts?’ ‘…and the money to purchase time on, in, over, under, with those ‘parts’…

And the same humans pay battalions of uniformed people a thousand times more money, often, than was exchanged in the one original ‘real estate transaction’ …to arrest these horrible ‘real estate developers’ and make them stop.

As a human, I don’t support the idea that adult females … or adult males be involved in detached endeavors, sexual or otherwise.
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I think of one thing over and over.

The caskets. Those very few photos and brief film clips of the caskets.

That Rumsfeld and others said no one could see, look at, photograph, no, no. no. The caskets coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan cannot be viewed. Some horrible something will happen… we cannot say what

I wonder, since a cell phone user photo-filmed the hanging of Saddam after the entire event was declared off-limits to the press.

I wonder, since paparazzi with lenses longer than their arms, take thousands of unflattering photos of film stars half naked behind the sheer curtains of their own homes.

I wondered, since Michael Moore convened with a student at Columbine to secretly film everywhere inside the high school after Frank deAngelis, principal of the school, had absolutely forbidden any press, cameras, or media of any kind from entering the building for any reason. The “nobody gets to film in this school” footage of every nook and cranny of Columbine was carried in long sequences in Moore’s film, Bowling For Columbine.

Thus, I have wondered how it has been that the press in the USA was told ‘no film’ of the returning heroic dead. Are we to really believe that our courageous in-close press, just like obedient children, caved and said, “Ok, as you wish”…? And that was that?

Why have we no renegade film of all aspects of our dead? Why have we so little play of film from vet hospitals in the States, and near none except a phony ‘rescue’ of a female soldier from hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why do we have so very few stories of the Iraqi families, the Iraqi refugees, the people who have literally tried to walk with their children and a few days food, out of the fire zones?

Why do we see no long and episodic stories about the children of fallen soldiers? Why do we not have interviews with any of the old people from Afghanistan, from the USA, the ones who say exactly what they think, and without muffling their true thoughts?

Why have we no nightly paraplegia report? WHY are commentators still calling human beings, sons and daughters, “troops?”, as in “Tonight, two troops died.” How did language about the loves of someone’s life come to be named as units instead of souls?

Why have we war, without SEEING it? Why do we have war without HEARING IT? Why do we have war without FEELING it, and daily?

Asleep. Not by self will. Put to. Put to sleep. By others… by their removing all stimulus to our senses… our senses being the only ways we have of perceiving the world and its condition… and what we ought, or not do, next.

Images and sounds and smells and voices and memory are what keep us awake; hunger and thirst for meaningful story keeps the mind alive with new ideas and promotes action.

Without the close-in, hidden stories, the opposite occurs.

Removing images, sounds, smells, voices, words, cries, and memories is precisely what puts a people to sleep, causes them to fall unconscious. And remain that way. And meanwhile, whomever suppresses the vital ‘inside stories,’ runs the show. The entire show.

A show without critics, without onstage voices. A show with an audience spellbound only because they’re tied into their seats while blindfolded and rendered deaf. In this show, there are endless numbers of actors shuffling across the stage and out the back door into the ‘theater’ of war. All the action takes place there, out of sight and hearing of the audience.

And, I still think of the caskets. I ask myself, Have we time-warped to living back in old Soviet Russia? where no person is allowed to take a picture of a titmouse or a telephone pole for fear of being arrested because, “It is forbidden. And, we cannot, will never tell you why.”

And I am still asking what happened to the close-in tellers, the journalists who have power and contacts and resource… and guts… enough to peer in, pry into… and pour the ‘real deal’ stories back out to us.

Saying all the mainstream media moguls have pulled back on financing their investigative reporters is not good enough. There are mavericks everywhere. Something else is wrong. Something else.

I only know this: Coming from a country that was constantly over-run by one marauding tribal group after another during its several thousand year old history… my old country father, Jozsef Pinkola used to say…

“To blind the people, you only have to do one thing:
Kill all the storytellers.”

This is a topic we’ve covered on our radio show a couple of times, but there is a video available over at Town Hall with an open forum for comments where the debate over the drinking age continues. I’ll share a few of my own observations, but first some of the early comments from readers for you to consider.

First, jfb1138 is squarely against it.

The problem is that young adults (17-20) alcohol cars is a deadly equation. Every spring, papers across the country are filled with the stories of the new HS grad totaling the car, killing all the young passengers. And alcohol is always a contributing factor. How about giving that age sector a choice: you can have a drinking license or a driving license, not both.

Michael sees things a different way.

If you are not mature enough to make the decision to drink at 18, then you are not mature enough to vote or join the military, etc. Either lower the drinking age, or raise to 21 the age to: vote, enlist, marry, and give consent. Lets have a truly “uniform age“

From my own ponderings and research, I tend to come down more on Michael’s side. I strongly agree with the specific point he’s making about defining the age when you are an “adult” and can do this or that, but there’s a lot more to the question. Reader jfb1138 raises a valid point which is of concern to many people. Teens have far less experience at driving in these or other complicating situations. But what gets left out of that argument is that they also have a lot less experience drinking.

If we imagine some hypothetical world where young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 were not getting access to alcohol, the first time they go out driving after their 21st birthday likely won’t turn out much differently than it would at 18. And let’s face it… a car full of drunken 21 year olds doing a header into an oak tree at 60 miles per hour isn’t far down the tragedy scale from a car full of 18 year olds. If you’re going to drink, it takes time before you really develop a sense for exactly how impaired your judgment and motor functions are following a given amount of consumption.

On the bell curve of drinking, there will always be extremes. Some young people, either through religious or family values (or perhaps a bad early experience) will decide straight away that they’re simply not going to be drinkers. Some other small portion will immediately decide that alcohol is the best thing since sliced bread and set out upon a lifetime of perpetual hangovers and praying for scientists to perfect that pig liver transplant procedure. The majority, of course, will do some early experimentation and then decide when and where it is appropriate and desirable for them to consume alcohol.

Study after study have shown us that Europe experiences lower rates of alcoholism, alcohol related diseases and drunken driving incidents. People are exposed to alcohol at a far earlier age there. One practical effect of this seems to be the removal of that forbidden fruit aspect of alcohol. When you take a teenager and tell them, “You can’t do this!” - particularly in combination with, “… but those people three years older than you can,” - the result is predictable. Early exposure and proper adult supervision and discussion may well take away the fascination.

But even with all of those more nuanced discussion points, I still find myself coming back to the point Michael was making in the beginning. If you’re old enough to put on a uniform and go die for your country… if you’re old enough to get married and spawn new children of your own… you’re probably old enough to have a beer.

Why is the media, and the blogs, overlooking the “real” issues? The recent Clinton/Obama debate once again brought under spotlight a serious lack of professionalism among journalists and their growing penchant to trivialize serious issues. To give another example, few seem interested at the looming food crisis that is likely to have worldwide political and economic ramifications.

Would the media wake up only when the wolf reaches their doors or the dinner table (when it is too late)? Even if the media is looking for “sensational” news there is plenty to be found in the “real” issues. How about this….?

“Food riots have erupted in countries all along the equator. In Haiti, protesters chanting ‘We’re hungry’ forced the prime minister to resign; 24 people were killed in riots in Cameroon; Egypt’s president ordered the army to start baking bread; the Philippines made hoarding rice punishable by life imprisonment. ‘It’s an explosive situation and threatens political stability,’ worries Jean-Louis Billon, president of Côte d’Ivoire’s chamber of commerce,” reports The Economist.
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Much talk recently about the administration wanting to block any number of measures in Congress that are rowing against the President’s mindset on what will and what work re the environment… The President has characterized all measures there as ‘a regulatory trainwreck.’

Today, in a news conference, the President said he had not signed the Kyoto agreement because

– it did not bring all players to the table
– it would have interfered with growing the USA economy, requiring the USA to do what others who were polluters were not doing.

He said he had hope for the future of ‘cellulosic’ fuels, and that the USA economy would grow as “a new generation of nuclear plants” were built with responsible putting away of dead fuels, and responsible oversight in running nuclear plants

and

that the economy would grow as a result of building infrastructure (roads and all attendant small businesses and jobs that come with new spurs, etc) to now narrowly or non-populated places, “sparse land” in the USA where such structures would be built and have to be connected with large city centers.

He said “the G8 has now embraced” bringing together all parties (meaning other nations such as India, China and certain African nations, in particular, who are thought to be growing the most economically –and also creating more greenhouse gases– to plan forward from Kyoto Treaty’s expiration in 2012– so that “none are given a free ride.”

President Bush also offered the idea of 35mpg for cars in the USA by 2020, (no specifics)
that we’re making progress as planned on reduction of greenhouse gases in the USA by 1212 (no specifics)
and billions of gallons of renewable fuel be available by then (a useful wish)
and to ’stop growth’ of greenhouse gas emissions 2025, (which is far beyond the deadline of many other countries)
and to capture carbon, to expand storage (good idea, but without funding or specifics)
and to “decrease dependency on foreign oil”…

Well.

And I don’t mean oil.

What does this all mean? Again.

WAR AND SCARCE RESOURCES

I don’t know all that it affects. But, one thing it means, is that the ties to warring endlessly about environmental resources is not well understood or meaningfully intervened in by our administration. The connection between oil and death. Ongoing oil. Ongoing death.

There are no doubt other meanings, and the pragmatics of not being able to stop by tonight the dependence on foreign oil. But is enough being done to develop any other ways and means? Is enough being done as priority? Is enough being done in a timely way? Is it writ large enough, clear enough in the sky for all to see yet, that death and dependence have married each other?

KING MIDAS

There is a connection between ongoing war and scarce domestic environmental resources, no matter where in the world those two polarities exist… a domestic scarcity such as oil, yes, ‘black gold’. It seems more and more apparent that the quest for ‘ever more of what we don’t have that we say we must have,’ puts endless numbers of innocent souls in the path of sure death.

That wake up call has apparently not yet dawned on various ones in charge. Or not knelled loudly and relentlessly enough.

King Midas wished for gold too; black gold, green gold, yellow gold, no matter which.

Maybe George Bush remembers the end of the story.

Midas’s wish was granted. And he was delirious that everything he touched turned to gold; golden chair, golden doors, golden carpets, the finest filigree of raindrops that fell onto his face turned to gold too, his footprints in the sand turned to gold …

he was awash in gold and happy until…

he touched something he loved more than anything;

he touched his own child, who immediately fell dead

and turned to gold.

Then Midas lay weeping with his child stiff in his arms.

He had only wanted gold, but instead, had killed the innocent Life Force of his own young.

Black gold, green gold, yellow gold, no matter which.

“–Wherever the land is dry and hard, you could be the water …
–or you could be the blade disking the earth open;
–or you could be the acequia, the ditch that carries water from river to fields;
–or you could be the just engineer mapping dams that must be taken down, and those which would serve the venerable all, instead of only the very few;
–or you could be the battered vessel for carrying water by hand;
–or you could be the one who stores the water, protects it, blesses it or pours it;
–or you could be the tired ground that receives it;
–or you could be the scorched seed that drinks it;
–or you could be the vine green-growing overland in all your wild audacity …”

“If there is an ancient secret to caring for and mending the significant lacerations to this “Oh-my-dear-God-beautiful” earth we’ve been given, by soul’s light it might be just a tiny four-word prayer from Creator to humanity:

““Please, just start anywhere.”

”
(from “The Rainmakers: Beer Bottle Old Woman, Tin Can Old Man” by Dr.E, see here)

The Pope, this morning, in response to President Bush’s welcome at the White House sprang up from his ceremonial chair with the vitality of a young man, no ooofs or ehhhs, (the Pope is 81 years old as of today, April 16, 2008).

This morning President Bush ritually asked that the Pope keep the USA in his prayers. But the Pope in response, said with verve, that in addition he would exhort the people of the USA to be in spirit and “even more responsive/responsible to the life of their nation,” the USA.

This does not mean, “There there, nice people, just separate paper from plastic, and you’ll be doing your part.” It means to unleash convenings, meet to ask questions, to plan, to think of how to bring to bear, to implement, in millions of ways, and sustainedly.

The Pope’s heartfelt “God Bless America” at the end of his address at the White House today, held a sincerity and timbre not seen for years in the usual GodblessAmericabyrote at the end of many politicos’ speeches here in the USA.

President Bush noticed, and in one of his best traits when well aimed, which is a very sweet boyish enthusiasm, he leaned toward the Pope and said of the prelate’s speech, “…that was an awesome speech.”

The contrast between predictable official welcomes, and a rather startling vitality in the Pope’s opening volley, is becoming an increasing part of this Pope’s pronouncements publicly. Just as such was when the Pope recently began to describe for the first time… the debt of honor earth’s people have toward caring for the planet.

Recently, in L’Osservatore Romano, an interview entitled “New Forms of Social Sin,” offered Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti’s remarks about “ecological” sin, which undergirded Pope Benedict XVI’s now ongoing public expressions of concern about global Read the rest of this entry »

With its perpetually (and historically) rocky relationship, the Arab and European worlds have seldom met in a peaceful manner (or without suspicion) during the past half a millenium ever since the downfall of the Moorish civilization in Spain. In this context the on-going London Book Fair, with the “Arab World” as guest of honour and Arab writers present in force, provides yet another opportunity to build a bridge between the two worlds.

The Independent writes: “Imperial bureaucrats, soldiers and scholars on one side; radical nationalists, pious militants and oil-rich oligarchs on the other – all have had their various axes to grind, and to wield. Now, perhaps, the writers of the Arab world can begin to find a voice in the West again. It’s always easier to love distant stars when they can shine, plainly and legibly, on the page in front of us.

“The (London) fair will be the culmination of a long-term plan, steered by the British Council, to forge firmer cultural bonds. And, although he comes from far beyond the Arab world (and writes in English), the Afghan author Khaled Hosseini’s double coup in topping the UK charts both with The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns has helped to put a spring in the step of everyone who wants to widen the readership for literature from the Middle East and North Africa.

(The Kite Runner novel was the third best-seller for 2005 in the United States, according to Nielsen BookScan. It’s been published in 38 countries, translated into 42 languages, turned into an Oscar-nominated movie – and sold more than 10 million copies — one of the publishing industry’s greatest success stories. Now the search is on for the next big thing to come from the East. The Kite Runner is a 2007 Academy Award-nominated film directed by Marc Forster based on the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini (click here for more…)

“In the Gulf, lavishly funded new competitions such as the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the ‘Arab Booker’) and the Sheikh Zayed Awards have signalled the intention of the emirate of Abu Dhabi to build up its name as a global centre of culture. Not to be outdone, and fretting perhaps at its current reputation as the world capital of bling, neighbouring Dubai begins a new literary festival next year. Also in Abu Dhabi, the Kalima translation project has launched an ambitious, state-financed programme to bring, at the rate of 100 per year, classic and contemporary books from around the world into Arabic for the first time and to distribute them across the region. ” More here…

I lived in London during the mid-1970s. I extensively covered there a major “World of Islam Festival” for The Statesman newspaper in India. The festival was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. “As far as anyone can remember, such an attempt had never been made before—and probably could not have been. It is only recently that one civilization has been capable of looking at another civilization objectively, rather than as a potential rival or convert. Read the rest of this entry »

In this TMV blog I keep writing occasionally on subjects that have an important role to play in increasing positivity in discussion and debate on matters related to politics. After all what is politics?…Surely, not just the circus where politicians are the key players. Politics percolates down to, and influences, health, education, art and culture…In fact all spheres of life.

As India dreams of (and works towards) joining the big league of powerful/”developed” nations, there are many individuals/institutions that have raised pertinent points as to whether we are headed towards the “right” direction. The big questions relate to the need to retain the vitality of the social fabric and ensuring social equity in this mad race to reach the high GDP targets.

Recently, I came across two write-ups on these concerns, as also about the role of media, by those who have earned a name for their contribution in the field of education and social welfare in India. The first is by Madhav Chavan of “Pratham”, an NGO that was recently given The Hewlett and Gates Foundations Award $9 Million towards its “Read India Campaign”. To read Chavan’s article please click here…

(The grant supports Pratham’s “Read India” initiative, which is working in conjunction with Indian state governments to help ensure that children between the ages of 6 and 14 achieve basic mastery in these skills by the end of 2009. The grant to Pratham will improve basic learning skills in 100 districts of India, touching 10 million children spread over 10 states for three years.)

The second article is by a sensitive young lady concerned at the questionable priorities of the mainstream media. Writes Snigdha Jain:

— Rush-hour murder on Kalkaji street, April 8, 2008
— Tibetan protests burn bright, Olympics torch put out in Paris, April 8, 2008
—Gurgaon pub brawl injured two pilots and their friends, April 7, 2008
— Rape and murder of British teenager, April 6, 2008

“This is all that I get to read in the newspaper and see on the news channels everyday. The news that creates vibes or sells has to be related to crime or political gimmicks. All my mornings begin with reading about incidences of rape, murder, bomb blast, riot, suicide and so on. On the one hand, it instills a certain degree of fear in me but, on the other gives me a sense of comfort that I am not one of the victims. But, is it really so? Don’t we all get affected by things happening around us? Read the rest of this entry »

A few days ago, I wrote a post on what I termed “quiet injustices” — things that pretty clearly implicate questions of ethics and morality in our society, but yet rarely seem to bother us. My main example was D.C. disenfranchisement. Another is felon disenfranchisement (after their sentences have been served). Neither, I think, is in any remote way justifiable, and neither are particularly salient political issues.

But the more I think about it, the more I question whether even disenfranchising felons while they’re in prison is justifiable. So, I’ve decided to spend some time exploring that issue.

Read the rest of the post….

Washington Post: Japan’s Starry Gems of the Diamond

Because of the Big Three, 550 American baseball games a year are broadcast on television here. About 300 of them are carried without commercial interruption, allowing Japanese viewers to gaze between innings at their beloved stars as they sit quietly in the dugout or stand around on the field. These players, unlike their American counterparts, are rarely caught on camera spitting, picking their noses or scratching themselves in manly places.

We now know that many Americans have been moved and impressed by Barack Obama’s recent speech on race in America - although the electoral consequences remain unclear. But how do people in other nations view his high-risk verbal gambit? Patrik Etschmayer writes for Switzerland’s Nachrichten, ‘To even approach the subject was already extraordinarily courageous. But Obama went farther and did something politicians almost never do: He called his unfolding difficulties by name … it was an extraordinary speech for a politician anywhere in the world - and not only American voters should listen attentively. Because he spoke directly to what disgusts many people about politics in Europe: cynicism, filth and out-in-out dishonesty.’

By Patrik Etschmayer

Translated By Patrik Etschmayer

March 25, 2008

Switzerland - Nachrichten - Home Page (German)

It was a speech that could make history, and in fact it may already have. It’s a speech that sent shivers up the backs of listeners and has been downloaded by millions over the Internet.

It was a speech that stands head and shoulders above the speeches of other politicians. Not only because of its subject matter, but because of the honesty with which Barack Obama tackled the subjects of race and political cynicism in the United States.

The reason for Obama’s speech was something that really could have - indeed was likely to have - put the nail in the coffin of his campaign. The pastor of his congregational church in Chicago, the man that had wed Obama to his wife and had christened his daughters, a man with whom Obama was very close indeed, had delivered a sermon about war, poverty and racism that culminated with the impassioned plea of “God damned America.” In the aftermath, Obama distanced himself from Pastor Wright and his angry homily, but had refused to disown him, just as he couldn’t disown his White grandmother who had uttered racist stereotypes to him that made him cringe. Because his Pastor - just like his Grandmother - is an expression of America’s contradictions, wherein fate is an amalgam of horror and triumph, and where hardship and success are inextricably intertwined.

To even approach the subject was already extraordinarily courageous. But Obama went farther and did something politicians almost never do: He called his unfolding difficulties by name - in this case, the latent racism on all sides and the stereotypes that are so easily resorted to on these occasions.

He reminded his listeners of the all-to-easily forgotten fact that only fifty years ago, racial segregation and discrimination were the rule in the United States and that many African Americans are still burdened by the legacy of this oppression. He spoke about how the dialog between the races still continues to avoid this toxic legacy and how the anger continues to simmer, emerging only when a person is among their own kind.

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the U.S. elections.