Sunday, December 30, 2007

Happy New Year/"Lame Sketch Writer"/Military Evangelism


(P1) Poetical/Artistic

New Years Eve

Sitting here astride
the thinnest meniscus
separating two years I
find no go back go
forth choice, all we
can be certain about
is that this membrane
inexorably wears
away and so soon
straddling nothing we
have settled into a
familiar new place.

(Ed Coletti poem/Jim Spitzer drawing)




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P3) Philosophical (for lack of better)


Lame Sketch Writer (1st in a series)

Watch my son-in-law, Italian actor/comedian Francesco Brazzini. If you like what you see, let me know below, and next time, I'll include the longer "Prequel." Anyway, here's the link to watch, press"Lame Sketch Writer: The Fountain."

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(P3) Political

Military Evangelism Deeper Wider Than First Thought

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Friday 21 December 2007


Soldiers at Fort Jackson Army Base pose with their rifles and Bibles.


A Hamas suicide bomber posing with a rifle and a copy of the Koran.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation says the two photos show how the infiltration of fundamentalist Christianity in the US military is starting to mirror Islamic fundamentalism.
For US Army soldiers entering basic training at Fort Jackson Army base in Columbia, South Carolina, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior appears to be as much a part of the nine-week regimen as the vigorous physical and mental exercises the troops must endure.

That's the message directed at Fort Jackson soldiers, some of whom appear in photographs in government issued fatigues, holding rifles in one hand, and Bibles in their other hand.

Frank Bussey, director of Military Ministry at Fort Jackson, has been telling soldiers at Fort Jackson that "government authorities, police and the military = God's Ministers,"

Bussey's teachings from the "God's Basic Training" Bible study guide he authored says US troops have "two primary responsibilities": "to praise those who do right" and "to punish those who do evil - "God's servant, an angel of wrath." Bussey's teachings directed at Fort Jackson soldiers were housed on the Military Ministry at Fort Jackson web site. Late Wednesday, the web site was taken down without explanation. Bussey did not return calls for comment. The web site text, however, can still be viewed in an archived format.

The Christian right has been successful in spreading its fundamentalist agenda at US military installations around the world for decades. But the movement's meteoric rise in the US military came in large part after 9/11 and immediately after the US invaded Iraq in March of 2003. At a time when the United States is encouraging greater religious freedom in Muslim nations, soldiers on the battlefield have told disturbing stories of being force-fed fundamentalist Christianity by highly controversial, apocalyptic "End Times" evangelists, who have infiltrated US military installations throughout the world with the blessing of high-level officials at the Pentagon. Proselytizing among military personnel has been conducted openly, in violation of the basic tenets of the United States Constitution.

Press here for complete article.


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Monday, December 17, 2007

Holidays/Funny About HMOs/2 by bSue/"reality"








Peace On Earth!

Also Happy Birthday Jim Spitzer December 19th!

(P1) Political (Health)

All About HMO's?
:-P

Q. What does HMO stand for?

A. This is actually a variation of the phrase,"HEY MOE". Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.


Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?

A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting n ew patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third world country .


Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?A. No. Only those you need.


Q. Can I get coverage for my preexisting conditions?

A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.



Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?

A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?

A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?

A. You really shouldn't do that.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office?

A. Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot.

Q. Will health care be different in the next decade?

A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.


To Your Good Health (because as you'll see, you'll need it!)

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(P2) Poetical

Two By bSue

PROVINCE

The tree must
spend its entire life
in just one place,

And this rock will never
taste cordon bleu,
or smell warm muffins
just from the oven.

The North American weasel
will never hear
a symphony;

A creek doesn’t really
have a mother;

The millions of tiny noseeums
would not recognize
our president,

And I may not
ever know
What it is
Just to be.

(bSue Stephenson)

PAPER

I am this fine paper.
The lines written here
Are my life:
Placed upon
They display a certain meaning,
Illusional purpose,
Warmth.

I am not the lines
(Though they are upon me
And I love them so,
And I exist here because of them)
Just as I am not the things I do
Or the people I love,
The ones who love me,
Or even the words I myself
Have written.

I am thin, white,
Delicate,
And can easily be
Crinkled,
And thrown in with the nearest
Trash.

(bSue Stephenson)

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(P3) Philosophical

Reality, no matter how widened and heightened our perceptions, never ceases to be anything but the effect on us of an infinite mystery.

(Laurens van der Post)

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Monday, December 10, 2007

JQAdams/Oprah = Cronkite/coletti & spitzer

"I don't understand all the sudden fuss over illegal aliens. Native Americans have been dealing with this issue since 1492."

Adam Fortunate Eagle
Fallon Indian Reservation
Letter to the Reno Gazette-Journal
Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007


(P1) Philosophical (Historical)

John Quincy Adams - Hero - 3 Very Interesting Facts

1. Toward the end of his life, he became the first president to be photographed (see 1848 photo)


2. Rather than retire, he went on to win election to the House of Representatives, serving for seventeen years, from 1831 until his death.

3. It was during these years that he gained his greatest political respect, by defending, successfully, the rights of the African captives who in 1839 overwhelmed the crew of the Spanish slave ship Amistad, by opposing, unsuccessfully, the Mexican War and statehood for Texas, and by opposing, again unsuccessfully, the gag rule denying the right of petition on issues involving slavery. In the end, however, his opposition to the gag rule can be counted as successful, for his unwavering efforts against slavery had a powerful effect that outlived him.

But then there's this George Bush Quote of the Month - (Seriously, it's so difficult to choose among them)

"Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

Observance: Logically, then, it's time to destroy knowledge

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(P2) Political

Oprah Is to Iraq As Cronkite Was to Vietnam

I believe Marty Kaplan ( Huffington Post Dec. 10th) is really onto something:

"But Oprah -- well, in an age that has thoroughly blurred the boundary between news and entertainment, Oprah may actually be the twenty-first century's de facto national anchor. She really does channel -- and change -- Middle America.

"And as I watched Oprah introduce Senator Obama in Iowa, the two-by-four that hit me on the head wasn't: Oprah is for Obama. It was: Oprah is against the war.

"Maybe, just maybe, Oprah's audience will take from this the message that their own opposition to the war isn't a betrayal of the troops, as the Republicans claim; isn't giving comfort to the terrorists, as the administration asserts; isn't moral cowardice, as the Right's bile-spewing whiner intelligentsia insists. And maybe the message that current and aspiring members of Congress will take from Oprah's unembarrassed anti-war message is that it's not political suicide to stand with the decisive majority of the American people, that being called bad names by your opponents will not kill you, that if as canny a businesswoman and brand manager as Oprah doesn't think it's a fatal risk to tell the truth about Iraq, then maybe you can afford some campaign candor, too."

Click for entire Kaplan article.

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(P3) Poetical

Shepherd

This guy 30 or so
pulls up curbside
in the rain by the rescue mission.
Someone on a decrepit bicycle
yells, “Hey Speedy!”
Everyone in the car gapes
but the passing cyclist aims
elsewhere while the driver
gets out to open his trunk,
grabs an umbrella, covers as much of
his dependent trio as he can
and gently herds them
into lunch.

Ever find yourself
wondering who has the right
to live, whose lives are worth
something, why so many are mortified by
the death of a cat?
Why my demented ninety-three year-old parents
continue to live?

Then there’s this thirty-year-old
who from this perspective,
still a kid,
is caring for three profoundly
damaged young men
his own age who
without him would
drown, freeze,
disappear——
entirely.


© Ed Coletti 2007
/ Drawing Jim Spitzer

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

More Bizarro/More Heraclitus/More Jim Spitzer/


(P1) Political

More Bizarro




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(P2) Philosophical
More Heraklitus(Heraclitus) Fragments

"Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraklitus (also Heraclitus) was the sage of Ephesus where Joyce and I visited some time ago. Heir to the throne of Ephesus, Heraclitus gave up his kingdom and chose, instead of the trappings of power, to seek the word of wisdom. Twenty-five hundred years before Einstein, Heraclitus declared that energy is the essence of matter, that everything becomes energy in flux, in relativity: 'All things change to fire, and fire exhausted falls back into things.' His great book, On Nature, the world's first coherent philosophical treatise, has been long lost to history but its surviving fragments have for thousands of years tantalized our greatest thinkers...from Plato and Aristotle to Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Jung." (James Hillman).

(41)
The river
where you set
your foot just now
is gone --
those waters
giving way to this,
now this.

(47)
The harmony past knowing sounds
more deeply that the known.

(56)
The cosmos works
by harmony of tensions,
like the lyre and bow.

(57)
Therefore, good
and ill are one.

(110)
Sound thinking
is to listen well and choose
one course of action.

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(P3) Poetical (and Artistic)

More Jim Spitzer


http://jimspitzerart.com/


Joyce Coletti and Jim



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4th SoCoCo Poetry Reading

Friends of Bill Vartnaw

Thursday December 6th

7:30 PM

Sonoma Coffee Company
521 4th Street
Santa Rosa-Free Admission


(Jack Crimmins)

Sonoma County Poet Ed Coletti invites you to a

reading by 6 poets including

Jack Crimmins,

Bill Vartnaw,

Jeanne Powell, Nancy Wakeman,

Geri DiGiorno, Q.R. Hand, Jr.


Monday, November 26, 2007

Animal Mirrors/Madison vs. War/"Answers"/SoCoCo


(P1) Poetical

Bambi & Thumper


What Is To Be Given

What is to be given,
Is spirit, yet animal,
Colored, like heaven,
Blue, yellow, beautiful.

The blood is checkered by
So many stains and wishes,
Between it and the sky
You could not choose, for riches.

Yet let me now be careful
Not to give too much
To one so shy and fearful
For like a gun is touch.

Delmore Schwartz


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(P2) Political

James Madison Quote Worth Studying

Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.

War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honours, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. . .

[There is also] an inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and. . . degeneracy of manners and of morals. . . No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. . .

The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war. . . the power of raising armies. . . the power of creating offices. . . A delegation of such powers [to the President] would have struck, not only at the fabric of our Constitution, but at the foundation of all well organized and well checked governments."


-- James Madison, 4th President of the
US

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(P3) Philosophical

Gertrude, Paul, and Carl On "Answers"

"There ain't no answer. There ain't going to be any answer. There never has been an answer. That's the answer." - Gertrude Stein



"That which has been believed by everyone, always and everywhere, has every chance of being false." - Paul Val
éry


"The race of men, while sheep in credulity, are wolves for conformity." - Carl Van Doren

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4th SoCoCo Poetry Reading

Friends of Bill Vartnaw

Thursday December 6th

7:30 PM

Sonoma Coffee Company
521 4th Street
Santa Rosa-Free Admission


(Jack Crimmins)

Sonoma County Poet Ed Coletti invites you to a

reading by 6 poets including

Jack Crimmins,

Bill Vartnaw,

Jeanne Powell, Nancy Wakeman,

Geri DiGiorno, Q.R. Hand, Jr.


Saturday, November 17, 2007

Jim Spitzer's Art/Xmas Cards/Heraklitus/Giuliani

(P1) Poetical











http://jimspitzerart.com/

also

http://www.bigbridge.org/artspitzer.htm




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(P2) Philosophical

Wisdom From Heraklitus


(40)


What was scattered
gathers.
What was gathered
blows apart.

(18)

Of all the words yet spoken,
none comes quite as far as wisdom,
which is the action of the mind
beyond all things that may be said.

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Xmas Cards For Hospitalized Military

Disabled Vietnam veteran Ed Hagan offers the following terrific easy idea!


"When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:
A Recovering American soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001
If you approve of the idea, please pass it on to your e-mail list. (Which I did) Hope you do also. These guys need all of the praise, cheers and good will that we can give them.
The hospital will see to it that troops that aren't getting cards from family will get something from us."

Ed Hagan adds, "One personal observation: When I was in USNH Portsmouth and Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, I never received any cards during the hoidays. I was afraid to write home until I knew for sure my left arm could be saved...also my mail was being sent to the Forrestal...deployed to the Mediterranean...I didn't miss that fruit cake, but did miss...(other things)."

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(P3) Political




Thursday, November 08, 2007

The EGO Project/Ed Dorn OnVoting/Obituary/


Happy Thanksgiving 2007

(P1) Philosophical


The EGO Project

Recently I sent the following observation and inquiry to several individuals who I thought might be interested in weighing in on the subject of the good, the bad, and the ugly about "Ego." I'll follow my opening salvo with the thought-provoking responses from these folks.
I ask that you, dear readers, then join this informal forum with your own views on the general subject of "ego."
I began, "As I write, or as any artist does his/her art, and likes what he or she sees, isn't it a natural tendency to want others to enjoy it as well? When I play chess, certainly I enjoy the experience, but I also play to win. When I speak, I use the word "I." Yet all about me, well-meaning folks disparage the ego and tell me that we must do all in our power to drop it. We are counseled also not to desire. It seems to me that both of these injunctions are counter to our human natures or human habits. Are we here to seek to expunge our very humanity? Is this sort of counsel another aspect of preparing for some "pie-in-the-sky" after-existence? So stay with me for a moment. Let's even posit the possibility (faint though I believe it to be) of an afterlife or even of an existence of pure energy where no ego exists. Then why (if the word "why" has any significance at all) are we here? Were there an internal consistency to all of this, whether a "cause" or a "logic," then isn't it most plausible that this present experience that we all experience exists for "ego" or "personhood" rather than for its expunging? Perhaps, along with Walt Whitman, it's time again to proudly exclaim that, "I celebrate my self!"

Here are the first responses in alphabetical order:
Ed, Not to go pendantic, but I think it helps to define terms. “Ego” has come to be interchangeable with “egotistic” which the O.E.D. means excess of ego, in a negative sense, whereas “ego,” I’ve always understood, is simply that part of the personality that is concerned with the self -- in a healthy sense. If I remember my Freud (maybe you know him better than I), the ego is a very healthy component...where the “super ego” is fraught with potential harm..left uncontrolled it’s dictatorial, judgmental, punitive. I see George Bush, for example, as having a weak ego — probably low self-esteem, making it impossible for him to hear points of view other than his own. . . But he has a way overactive superego making him rigid, moralistic, contemptuous. Given all that, I disagree that we’re here to do away with healthy ego or our human personality. I think people who deny their personalities end up resentful and fucked up, and, ironically, become the very person who tries to snuff out others’ uniqueness. I think Whitman’s “self” is a healthy ego because it allows for all kinds of new experiences, comes across as robust but not domineering. There’s nothing harsh or mean in his poetry Also, what does “celebrate” really mean? Expressed in a healthy way, it delights in itself, revels in being who it is....but that’s not the same as hitting everyone over the head with it or suppressing the very same thing in others. I feel if I can’t “celebrate” myself, I can’t celebrate anyone else either, which renders me a bad friend, lover, parent, etc. In a practical way, say performing in public, I think I strive for a kind of double awareness that lets me revel in the attention and gives me a glow of well-being, and be fulfilled through recognition, but some other inner voice is saying: easy, now. Keep it in moderation. You’re not the only thing happening here . . . and let’s not be too starved for adulation because that way madness lies. David Beckman



ed
try not to bait a buddhist
first, you need an ego
(that's an integrated ego)
before you can loose it
r(richard denner)



Phew! Eddie, you sure dream up some good ones! My off-the-top reply is that I go with Walt!
But, I'll get into this later. Right now, it's Sunday Night Football, Bears and Packers. I'm going to watch a lot of BIG egos go to work.
*****

I believe that if you love all that exists in the universe, including yourself, you can play chess competitively and not worry about having an ego. Who's judging you, anyway? Only you.
As to why we are here, I believe it is because we are natural "accidents". The Eternal Energy (if you will) is creating constantly and humans just sort of happened, as did trees and monkeys and eagles and mountains and moons and suns. We are not here for any "why", we are just here. When our physical presence dies, our ego dies with it. But our Eternal (spiritual?) Energy, that which caused us to be created, continues on. Forever.
****
While your Ego is present in this existence, you may find yourself being more happy when you make another ego happy. You may find that your existence is more fulfilled and peaceful when you show love and compassion for others. And, not just human egos, but all things, animal, vegetable and, yes, mineral. Does not the weed compete with the rose for space, water, sunlight? Does not the horse compete with the buffalo for grass? These are competitions for survival and are a part of this existence. The human being has evolved past those competitions (you'd never know it from all the religious and political wars going on!), but still possesses the competitive trait or "nature". I believe all things have a "nature" and part of the human "nature" is to be competitive. I don't find this contrary to finding peace and enlightenment within. Friendly, innocent competition, such as a chess game, will not detract from your enlightened state, at whatever stage that is. Exhibiting, or releasing the need for, that competition in sports and games is a harmless way to live a full and, at the same time, loving life.Announcing "Check Mate" proudly, triumphantly, is not a statement of "I'm better than you", unless you want it to mean that. If your thoughts at that winning moment are, "I won that one, perhaps you will win the next one", what harm is done? If your thoughts are "I won that one and I'll win them all from you, dolt ,because I'm better and smarter than you!", then perhaps you should examine your soul.Is this part of a plan? That's the question that brings us back to the "Why?" issue. I don't think there is a plan and don't give it much thought. We're here,and it's better to be nice and have good fun, than to be mean and grouchy."
Okay, I quit. Gotta finish working on my race car so I can be COMPETITIVE! :-)
Duncan



Hi Ed,
I love these kinds of explorations for ultimately it is the stuff of soul that emerges, taking us to a new level of consciousness, carved out by the angst of ego. Your question has the age old paradox of East vs West. I hold that anytime we either/or anything we can get into trouble. We live in an incredible time of learning how to have both, a weave if you will, of an individuated ego with a soulfilled spiritual presence whose fruits are the necessary components that serve the world.
Ego gets me into trouble when I loose site of my connection to unity consciousness, feeling I am alone and have to do something to fix or save the world. But, my ego becomes apart of the spiritual dance when I listen to what it loves and what its dreams and desires are. For me the spiritual process is helping to mature my ego to have it under the more wise direction of my true essence or the Self that listens to Soul.
I believe that never before this time, are our contributions more essential. May our contributions serve the world, to heal and empower news ways that serve the greater good. I read a newspaper headline while I was in Europe: "Never has there been a time, where so few have control over so many". We have to individuate, and express our unique self, our 'ego, our I' without falling into the trap of self pride and aggrandizement.
I could say more, but maybe that could be my ego. I do love this kind of exploration. One more thought however, the Shamanic world would say, that a healthy life is built upon the foundation of a healthy ego. Ego or I is knowing who I am, what I love, value and desire, while believing in myself and my ability to attain that which I desire. This is wholeness. The ego can only be transcended once it is whole. Splitting ourselves from our ego may infact be the reason so many of us are co-dependent and lost.
Just thinking and thanks for asking.
Gayle

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Slow Coup

If voting changed anything

it would be illegal

-
Ed Dorn


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(P3) Poetical


Obituary
At a late age, he was born
of no father or mother
he simply emerged.

He could not do what he was told
to do by any single soul,
but he tried.

Detours overwhelmed him
with allure and sadness,
few lines ran straight.

Walking the long walk,
he preferred those vast dark spaces
among infrequent stars.


(Ed Coletti
© 2007)


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Friday, October 26, 2007

Butterball/Jenna On Condoms/Deists

(P1) Poetical

Outsourced

Welcome to the Butterball Turkey Hot Line
What is your name please?
Thank you Edward. How may I help you?
Oh that is a good question.
I will tell you what to do with your turkey before you roast it
First, remove the original plastic wrapper
from the thawed or fresh turkey.
Do you understand?
Good. Now remove the neck and geeblets,
then drain the juices and blot the turkey dry
with paper towels. You may now stuff the turkey
then return it’s legs to the tucked position,
insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thigh,
brush with oil to prevent the skin drying
and follow roasting directions that come
with every Butterball turkey.
Have I helped you, Edward?
Good and Happy Thanksgiving
from all of us here at Butterball Turkeys in
Bangalore—I mean Illinoize! Goodbye.

- Ed Coletti
© 2007 -

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(P2) Political

Jenna Surprises

I couldn't have been more surprised and gratified to read a daughter of George Bush respond intelligently and apparently counter to her father on the issue of condoms. Brava! Now talk to your daddy. This interview question appeared in Time Magazine.

Q: How do you feel about providing young people with condoms to protect against HIV?

A: There is no doubt Ana (the Latin American subject of Jenna's recent book) and kids like her need to use condoms to keep themselves safe and to stop the spread of HIV. It's a personal choice, and the most important thing is that kids become aware of their choices and make the proper decisions.

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(P3) Philosophical

Our Founders Were Not Christians, Senator

Philosopher William Edelen (right) says, "When Sen. John Mc Cain said recently to an audience the 'America was founded as a Christian nation,' he showed that he is either historically and religiously ignorant and illiterate...or worse, that he knows better and would lie to get the bible belt voes which would reveal a total lack of integrity, honesty and character..." I'll give you Edelen's discussion of Garry Wills book "Heart and Head" on the subject of our founding fathers. After you read these blurbs, I suspect you may want to read Edelen's full article.

"Finally and at last, a Pulitzer prize historian and scholar, Garry Wills, has written a book that is getting rave reviews and highlights the facts that America was not founded by Christians and was not founded as a Christian nation. This is exactly what I have been writing and saying in newspaper columns and lectures for the past 30 years. I am thrilled that a historian and scholar of his stature is putting the facts out there for the truth to be known. The title of the book is "HEART AND HEAD"....

"The book brings out the fact that at the time of the founding very few Americans professed any religious preference. The book strongly makes the point, as I have for 30 years, that the founders were Deist who believed in providence known only thorough reason and experience. In Deism there is no personal God "out there" as a divine window peeker or cosmic bellhop. In Deism the bible is only literature and bad literature at that. Thomas Jefferson called the bible a "dunghill". In Deism Jesus is nothing more that a nomadic teacher. As President John Adams put it: "The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus has made a convenient cover for absurdity" Adams signed the Treaty of Tripoli which states that...quote: "The United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." ...

"Wills notes this about the historical and religious illiteracy pouring out of todays White House..."The right wing of America likes to think that the United States government was at its inception highly religious and Christian and also highly biblical. This was not true of that or any other later government...until 2000.

"...When Sen. John McCain said recently to an audience that "America was founded as a Christian nation." He showed that he is either historically and religiously ignorant and illiterate..or worse, that he knows better and would lie to get the bible belt votes which would reveal a total lack of integrity, honesty and character. Senator McCain is not alone in this historical ignorance as other candidates also pander to the religious and political right with equally absurd and idiotic statements about the founding of America.


(Here's the link to the full article.)


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Friday, October 19, 2007

"Howl"/Select Your Candidate/Need for Poetry/

(P1) Philosophical

Cadets Read "Howl"

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(P2) Political

Try This!

A friend sent me the following link whereby you can input your political beliefs and get a clear photo presentation of who should be your candidate. I highly recommend this. It takes seconds. Check it out! Please then comment.

press here for Select a Candidate 2008


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(P3) Poetical

The Need

It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.

-William Carlos Williams

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Monday, October 15, 2007

Bye Bye Polar Bears/Cool Reading List/Poetry

(P1) Political

LOSS OF POLAR BEARS BY 2050

The U.S. Geological Survey reported in September that two-thirds of the world's polar bears could vanish by 2050 if melting sea ice predictions prove accurate. Worse, sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the computer models due to global warming, making the polar bear more imperiled.

It is clear global warming threatens polar bears with extinction and they need to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Click here to add your voice in support of protecting polar bears and their critical habitat.

Click Here for the NY Times story on the report.

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David Beckman &

Ed Coletti



Poems From the Edge

Wednesday October 24, 2007

7:30 PM

Sonoma Coffee Company

521 4th Street

Santa Rosa

A Sonoma Word – Crossing Borders Event


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(P2) Philosophical


A Very Cool Book List

As many of you know, Bill Edelen is a very wise older friend of mine. Check out this list of his favorite books.

Due to many requests here are a few of my "Favorite Books"...Bill Edelen:

  • TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE by John Steinbeck
  • A JOSEPH CAMPBELL COMPANION by Diane K. Osbon
  • WHEREVER YOU GO...THERE YOU ARE by Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • FEATHER FALL by Laurens van der Post
  • LETTERS FROM THE EARTH Mark Twain
  • THE TRUE BELIEVER by Eric Hoffer
  • THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN Joseph Epes Brown
  • THE IMMENSE JOURNEY by Loren Eiseley "FABULOUS BOOK"
  • SO HUMAN AN ANIMAL by Rene Dubos "A Pulitzer prize winner"
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(P3) Poetical

An Encounter At Dusk

While looking out the library window
At the dusk of winter,
The shelves suddenly open and a boy enters
Carrying a basket of apples and roses.
And the darkness thickens, thoughts tangle.
Today - he says -
A very strange thing happened to me:
I was walking down the orchard path and found myself
In a gloomy room with shelves,
Filled with rectangular slabs.
A sad man stood there looking out the window
At the dusk of winter.

***

Kornelijus Platelis
Vilnius, Lithuania
translated by Jonas Zdanys
in Lilliput Review #155

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