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While back in Utah over the holidays I heard a remark about the Mormon church that I used to hear a lot when I was younger: “The Church is true (or good, perfect—there are several variations), but the people in it aren’t.” I remember a friend of mine reciting that same phrase and I answered by saying that I felt the exact opposite—“the Church isn’t good, but some of the people in it are”. He took offense. In other words, he found it okay for non-Mormons to dislike individual Mormons or even the entire Mormon community, but intolerable to critique the church itself—the institution. At the time, my friend’s reaction surprised me, but it shouldn't have.

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

If you think I'm going to say what you think I'm going to say about Thanksgiving, well, I already did and it went over like a lead balloon. Boy, do people not what to hear about that stuff. Thankfully, this year other people are talking about that stuff.

Teacher Bill Morgan walks into his third-grade class wearing a black Pilgrim hat made of construction paper and begins snatching up pencils, backpacks and glue sticks from his pupils. He tells them the items now belong to him because he "discovered" them. The reaction is exactly what Morgan expects: The kids get angry and want their things back.

Morgan is among elementary school teachers who have ditched the traditional Thanksgiving lesson, in which children dress up like Indians and Pilgrims and act out a romanticized version of their first meetings.

Morgan said he still wants his pupils at Cleveland Elementary School in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving. But "what I am trying to portray is a different point of view."

Others see Morgan and teachers like him as too extreme.

"I think that is very sad," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a former college dean and public high school teacher and now a spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization. "He is teaching his students to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving."

You know, the stuff we're not supposed to talk about today.

From P!

Imagine that you are a cinderblock. Imagine that all of us Americans are each a cinderblock. And that we are part of a wall. We are stuck in that wall, unable to move, unable to escape.

The mortar binding us all together in this impenetrable wall is an iron-like mixture . . . of lies. We are all bricks in a wall of lies. It's too late to opt out of being a part of the wall - we're already there. In fact, we've become so embedded in the wall, that we're unable to struggle for one tiny nanometer of wiggle room.

We are the wall, impervious, impenetrable. Those of us bricks who do see and hear the truth are unable to act on it. We're stuck.

We haven't always been the wall. But the wall is, in truth, older than we can remember. It certainly wasn't built by the Bush Administration, although they have contributed steely strength to the mortar of lies. The Doubleduh-Cheney Gang would not have been able to perpetrate such lies if the wall was not already fully in place . . . [continue at P!]

SNS system born in U.S.A. is getting popular in Japan, too. The biggest firm here is called MIXI which has more than five million members. This site is written only in Japanese. MIXI was founded in Japan in aim to contact with old friends in home town, alumni; and new friends who join in the same community (ex. with same hobby, neighbors, alumni, etc.). The founder of MIXI is from Osaka where 'friendship' is regarded highly.

My father did not leave me any riches, but at his deathbed he whispered to me something that is even better─a good piece of advice: “If you exploit alcohol,drugs (crack,marijuana), sex (prostitution, pornography), and gambling, you can be rich in no time but poor in spirit. If you read books you will be wealthy and also rich in spirit. You choose.” Kristen and I believe that books are the sure road to a good life, and that fervent belief is shown in Kristen’s book reviews and articles.

Get your website flooded with visitors and readers for FREE!

kristen at Blogger.com

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I would like to extend an invitation to you to join in on a collective blogging section of our upcoming winter issue of Reconstruction Here is the original call: Theories/Practices of Blogging Our intent in this section of the issue will be to collect a wide range of bloggers and link up to their statements in regards to why they blog (something many of us are asked) and any statement they have on the theories/practices of blogging. If you already have a post on this you can feel free to use it, or, if you are interested, you can submit a new one. We will link to each statement from the issue at our site, with the intent of creating a hyperlinked list of statements on blogging that can serve as an introduction to blogging (or an expansion of knowledge for those already blogging).

What a lovely juxtaposition: One Mexican and one American: Two unyielding women poets. Paintsgalore our American muse from Florida sings with the same sweetness and vigor as Sor Juana Ines did. And both understand men, no doubt. While Sor Juana (the first feminist of the Americas) rebelled against the machismo of her times, Ashlee (Paintsgalore) does, too. But her message is cryptic and yet firm. But, let me not spoil the delight--let me not hold you back from the ecstasy of fine poetry:

From Kristendom in the Big Apple: Rockefeller Center

Fleas biting an elephant’s skin: that’s the image that comes to mind when I read all the negative criticism being lobbed at Gunter Grass’s revelation that as a teenager he was a member of Hitler Youth. What is noble is that no book─in politics as well as in fiction─has done more than The Tin Drum to advance the creation of a freer and progressive Germany. Also, it is hard to imagine magic realism without Grass’s prototype: Oskar Matzerath, the boy who willed himself to stop growing. The influence that Grass had on Rushdie,

This article is about the link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature.

Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment

Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.

Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.

I often wonder what "really" is happening on the ground in Iraq. I have wanted to talk to someone that lives in one of the larger cities. Someone like me that has to get up everyday traverse the traffic, show up at work on time, go to the groceries store, entertain myself and other daily grind events. Well I have found such a person. He is an anonymous blogger from Iraq giving us the "real" everyday life experience of an Iraqi citizen. I'm going to post one of his stories and following that I will have a link to his site. It's a very interesting read and recommended. So here it is folks, unfiltered for your pleasure.

These Days

These days are the most fearful days I have ever seen in Iraq, stories of kidnapping and killing have made me walk in the street and look around in fear some one might be chasing me or another might jump and drag me in a car or shoot me to death. I left the house mumbling with prayers begging God to take care of me and protect me of kidnappers and sectarians. I stood at the main street waiting for a taxi to jump in and runaway to work, waiting at the street for long under the heat of the sun is a great risk. I looked around, the street was full of cars waiting in line for fuel, but the smell was awful, it was a dead dog left at the side of the street, the only shady spot was near the dog so I have to choose between the heat and the bad smell. While I was trying to make a choice, I looked in front of me I saw a tall guy with black suit crossing the two main streets and heading towards me. “It is the end.” I told myself, he must be member of Mahdi army and will either kill me immediately or kidnap me for reasons I do not know, but I stunned in my place and did not know what to do, run home, still the distance is not short and he can capture me, shout, I felt my throat is so dry, contact the police, they will do nothing as usual. He was coming closer and closer, gazing at me, I tried to find one explanation for his focusing on me could not find, who is he? Could not figure. “ It is the end, no way to runaway but the problem I have not written my will and if he kidnapped me, it would be the end of the family.” I was nearly getting mad with different thoughts and ideas roaring in my head. Now, he is in front me so I have to face my fate, he looked at me and said “ Salam Aliakm”, I replied “ Salam.” “You do not know me?” “ No.” “ Iam the driver who took you to Amman last year.” He said. With this sentence, I took a deep breath and nearly to faint and said quickly “ Oh, really, Iam so sorry, Yes, I do remember you, you were great, I always remember that nice tripe and how great you were! What are you doing here? I came to apply for a work at the fire police here near your house and saw you from a distant and wanted to come and say hello to you. Thank you so much, I really appreciate that, it is good you still remember me, are you still working between Baghdad and Amman? No, I have stopped because of so many incidents of kidnapping and decapitating. I work between Baghdad and Basra, it is safer. Where do you live now? In Sader city.

The saga of the four Christian peace activists taken hostage by the Iraqi Resistance several months ago, one of whom was killed by the captors, and three of whom were recently “freed” by “coalition” forces under highly suspicious and mysterious circumstances, is a study in the interconnections and the complicity between imperialist propaganda and media distortions.

The media expect the former captives to be grateful to the “coalition” forces. What, exactly, are they to be grateful for? Are they supposed to be grateful to the ultimate causes and creators of their suffering, not to speak of the suffering of millions of Iraqis?

The media have offered a false paradox: Opponents of war have been freed by soldiers. But there is no paradox here. As long as there are wars, there will be active opponents of war, who themselves are more likely than the average non-participant to become a victim of war. Hence providing an opportunity for the warmongers to “rescue” them and try to justify the unjustifiable. Had there been no war on Iraq, would any of this have happened?

Good morning Boys and Girls.

Well.

Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota has thrown down the hanky to the shiny new Supreme Court by signing a new law into effect banning virtually all abortions within his State.

(Thanks to rising-hegemon.blogspot.com for the quote from the Governor which I'm copying here.)

------------------------- -------

Statement of Gov. Mike Rounds on the Signing Of House Bill 1215

“I have signed House Bill 1215 into law. It is An Act to establish certain legislative findings, to reinstate the prohibition against certain acts causing the termination of an unborn human life, to prescribe a penalty therefore, and to provide for the implementation of such provisions under certain circumstances.

HB 1215 passed South Dakota’s legislature with bi-partisan sponsorship and strong bi-partisan support in both houses. Its purpose is to eliminate most abortions in South Dakota. It does allow doctors to perform abortions in order to save the life of the mother. It does not prohibit the taking of contraceptive drugs before a pregnancy is determined, such as in the case of rape or incest.

One of the problems with politically progressive people is that, themselves being decent people, they often misinterpret the real meaning of what the other side says, because they are unable to comprehend just how indecent and structurally corrupt the other side is. Hence progressives naively tend to give credit to the other side where credit is not due, because they cannot see that what looks and sounds good is not necessarily good in reality. In brief, they often fail to perceive the actual quality of what is right in front of their eyes. By the way, by “the other side” I don’t just mean conservatives. To me, most “moderate” liberals are also an integral part of "the other" camp -- they are the "good cops" to the conservatives' "bad cops," so to speak.

Octavia Butler is gone...

more

Did Israel plan and carry out the bombing of the Askari (Al-Askariya) Mosque in the city of Samarra, possibly through local agents in Iraq? The bombing was reminiscent of the destruction wrought in 1984 on Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple, in the city of Amritsar by orders from Indira Gandhi (who paid for it with her life less than five months later).

Yes, I know, the appearances are different. Amritsar's Golden Temple was destroyed by regular (foreign/Indian occupation) armed forces, whereas the Askari Mosque has been destroyed by "terrorists." Yet, who are these "terrorists"?

I think a strong circumstantial case can be constructed for Israeli involvement in the bombing of the Askari Mosque.

I would rule out Al Qaeda involvement. Contrary to the White House generated propaganda that has been pounded into people's brains for the last five years, Al Qaeda's targets are not selected at random. Rather, they have included two types of targets, and only two types: (1) American interests, and (2) what I would call "American mercenaries." By "American mercenaries" I mean anyone who works for US interests, whether directly or indirectly. This includes, for instance, all collaborators in Iraq, such as Iraqi police forces and their recruits, Iraqi armed forces and their recruits, and so on, not to speak of members of the Iraqi "government."  (Cont'd)  http://alse.blogspot.com

French fries, freedom fries. French toast, freedom toast. Danish pastries, Roses of Mohammed pastries. It's all much of a muchness. Or--is it? Is freedom of speech WORTH all that (pardon my neologism) "FREEDOMINESS"?

More here.

"Everyone is Afraid to Criticize Islam" Bush is having a hard time standing up for free speech, either at home or abroad. Dutch politician Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, on the other hand, stands up for it even though her stance endangers her own life.

Interview here.

[Ghost of Adam S]	Welcome to the Thursday Morning meeting of Imperialists Anonymous. My name is Adam and I am an Imperialist.
[All]	Hello Adam.
[Ghost of Adam S]	Will somebody be so kind as to read "Who"?
[Ghost of Winston C]	My name is Winston and I am an Imperialist.
[All]	Hello Winston.
[Ghost of Winston C]	Who is an Imperialist? Most of us do not have to think twice about this question, we know! Our whole life and thinking was centred in domination in one form or another: the getting and using of resources and finding ways and means to monopolise more. We lived to dominate and dominated to live.

For reasons of possible copyright infringement, we'll leave this meeting of IA, but it continues here.

War Against Conservativism

Let us see then if we cannot in fact eff the ineffable ~ Douglas Adams RIP

Disreputable Lazy Aliens

THE PRINCE OF THE COVENANT…

The U.S.-Israel Strategic Alliance–Part IV

 

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