Tea Party: Your Invitation to Unreason

2010

Come one, Come all!

Y’all are heartily invited to

Abandon Hope, Science, Reason, Civil Liberties, Social Responsibilities,

and Progress Towards Peace, Economic Recovery, and Health Care Reform.

Who needs ‘em, anyway?

Come join the Maddest Alaskan’s Tea Party!

Bring your  irrational religions, junk thought, bogus notions,

laziness, ignorance, reckless emotions and prejudices to this

Grand Ol’ Tea Party

(GOTP)

Where together, we will drink the teas of

Dangerous Villifications and Unreasonable Dehumanizations.

Congressional Seats

Will be awarded to those who are most passionate about

Their irrational beliefs, junk science and prejudices–and who can

Disregard our Constitution and the well-being of our Nation

to the greatest degree.

No education required.  You don’t need to know anything.

Feel free to BYOT.

No RSVP required.  Just show up, fired up.

Sarah Palin, founder of the Tea Party

I believe it’s fair to say, most of us don’t even begin to understand the religions, philosophies or politics we defend.  Uncomfortable with this Tea Party of Unreason, which has its treacherous aspects, I would like to issue this as your invitation and call to read, research, investigate, think, and debunk your own ignorance.  Inform your community.  Encourage others to debunk for themselves.  If you ignore this invitation, the above invitation may be the only one left to respond to.

“NAZI ISRAEL,” Man Displays Sign on 21/7 in SLC, UT Today

If I had a photo, the image would say it all. Instead, you’ll have to imagine seeing the words, NAZI ISRAEL, being brandished on the street corner, and feeling an enormous, invisible fist thrusting into your gut.  That was my experience today.  Barely able to park, I had to ask why.  “Who are you, sir?”  No answer.  “Why are you displaying this sign, here?”  No reply.  “What does this mean?” I persisted.  Why didn’t I know the meaning of this?  One more time, I prodded, “Sir, WHY are you doing this?”  At long last, the bearded, spectacled man, together with his sign, slowly revolved until we were face to face.  ”I can’t talk,” he said and further e-nun-ci-at-ed, “Read the words and say them a-loud.”  The words nor their hatred could form in my mouth or my heart–only the enlarging fist in my stomach began to twist.  Sign bearer turned away, flailing his indictment to oncomers from the east, west, north and south.  The knuckles inside turned harder and deeper.  As I walked away, flames of determination ignited.

I sought out a young couple, (the wife from Israel, the husband from Palestine), with businesses in Salt Lake, who were nearby, and perhaps the perfect source to begin my search.  “Do you know what “NAZI ISRAEL” means, I implored.  “I can show you,”  husband replied.  He pulled up images on the internet which juxtaposed scenes from the Holocaust of World War II and from today’s Israel/Palestine unrest.  As these pictures appeared on his computer screen,  he began to explain in surprisingly neutral language, the history and evolution of the political and religious battle there.

“There can be no peace, there can be no war…only ongoing conflict and turmoil,”  husband concluded.  Just then, an email from my own husband appeared, inviting me to attend a film on this very topic.  Is that timing?  Two hours later, we met at the Tower on 9/9 to watch “Ajami:“ 

A powerful crime drama set on the streets of Jaffa’s Ajami neighborhood–a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views among Jews, Muslims and Christians–and told through the eyes of a cross-section of the city’s inhabitants: a young Israeli fighting a criminal vendetta against his family, a Palestinian refugee working illegally to finance a life-saving surgery, a Jewish police detective obsessed with finding his missing brother, and an affluent Palestinian dreaming of a future with his Jewish girlfriend. As their stories intersect–and the film’s narrative shifts back and forth in time–we witness a dramatic collision of different worlds and the tragic consequences of enemies living as neighbors. ~ (Kino International)

“…enemies living as neighbors.”  Muslims, Jews and Christians living in continuous enemy combative contention, without resolution…peace for no one.  I found my answers; but the revolt in my gut won’t ever go away,  will it?

Economics USA: The Crumbling of an Empire~~Our Time Has Come

We’ve known wealth.  We’ve known power.  We’ve known comfort.  We’ve known ease.  We’ve lived the illusion.  Living the illusion cost us more than we ever took the time to evaluate.  It cost us more than -dollars and cents.  Living in a super-inflated economy took its toll in relationships, in ethics, in priorities, in values and in character.

Many have warned us that our economy was on a collision course.  Two of my dear friends, Dr. Robert Jensen and Dr. Jim Rigby have long been describing this unavoidable occurence, when no legislation Congress can forge will circumvent the inevitable.  In Jensen’s book, Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity, he writes encouragingly of  Maintaining political, intellectual, and ethical hope in the heart of the world’s most powerful nation.  Now that this Empire, this illusion can no longer be sustained, we the people have the enormous gift of being able to come together on solid ground~~claiming our humanity.  We have the opportunities to once again create time for our families and our neighbors…to take turns lending a helping hand.  We can use our two hands, our minds, our hearts, our backs to shoulder the labors ahead of us together.  We can learn anew to live closer to the earth, use less, replace more…our time has come.  To paraphrase the recent words of Dr. Jim Rigby,

…let us open every pore to the present gift. [encouraging us to "taste the soup."]

Now, more than perhaps ever in our lifetimes, we can appreciate all of the genuine abundance that we truly live with.  We can savor the breath that gives us life.  We can cherish the life that surrounds and sustains us.  Without a doubt, we will have less in that we no longer can delude ourselves or the world; yet, undeniably, we will have more.  Each and every day will bring new riches that money and inflation cannot buy at any price.

I look forward to working with each and everyone of my neighbors, regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation in life sustaining,  community building endeavors. 

I will consider it my highest priority to meet each day with joy in the privilege of being alive in this exciting time when the Empire crumbled and the people arose.

Our time has come; the perfect time for relocating~~for moving from the penthouses of our heads into the rich wilderness of our hearts.  This is the perfect time to live abundant lives of compassion, recognizing the worth of every creature, of every individual, of every nation.  Now is the time to “beat our swords in plowshares,” to mine our vast resources of courage, strength and determination in order to live not the illusion, but a life worth tasting.

For more from this author, visit http://itsawonderfulife.wordpress.com and http://ashtoraspeaks.wordpress.com.

For more perspectives like this, write Dr. Jim Rigby at jrigby0000@aol.com, visit Carol Creel at www.lifeworks-marketing.com.  You can also email Ashtora, izee4mee@hotmail.com.

The Confluence and Comments On Sarah Palin and Politics of Fear

My response:

I have no idea how to help our United States recover from the past eight years, but some idea of what our guiding principles [refer to "Barack Obama Are You Listening..."] must be.  I deeply believe that both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama embody these principles.  It is my sincere hope that whomever we choose to take the helm and guide our beloved nation for the next four years, will be up to the task and will have as their crew, every single citizen of these United States. 
Regardless, the days ahead will not be easy for us as Americans, nor for the rest of our globe.  We must form an authentic alliance with this planet and every life form on it, fully committed to our joint survival, prosperity, and posterity.
We must embrace our differences as essential to our survival, setting aside our pettiness and our ego trips that give us cause to see ourselves as puffed up blowfish or throat-swollen toads.  Let us roll up our collective sleeves and begin the labors of repaving, rebuilding, renewing, and restoring not only hope and faith, but relationships with nature, ourselves and each other. 
The words, “…in order to form a more perfect Union…,” from the Preamble to our Constitution come to mind.  “We the people” can begin by forging a more perfect alliance, one in which justice, equity, tranquillity (non-war), and protection for all form its foundation.

Mudflats declares Palin Not Ready for Prime Time

My response to Mudflats recent post:

Our comments, of course, sound like a Dem fest, but in light of my recent experience listening to “J. Public”, I know first hand, the soundness of eajphd Molten Contra Palin’s comment/opinion.
It seems that wherever I travel, I am surrounded by pro McCain~Palin citizens, citing sound byte after sound byte, sounding like Rush Limbaugh echo, echo, echoing machines. Separated by hundreds to thousands of miles, these individuals, unbeknownst to each other, repeat the rhetoric of the Republican machine, almost word for word, i.e., “Obama is a Muslim,” Obama can’t be trusted,” “What has Obama done for this country?” “Do you want a man that came from that black church that blames whites for all their woes?” “Are you voting for him because you think he’s the Messiah?” and “If you think you can handle the taxes, go ahead and vote for Obama.”
Back in the days when I was responsible for press releases, sound bytes were “Press 101″~~for a very good reason…they work. So WHY doesn’t the Democratic camp employ this effective device? Perhaps their hope to fall on the ears of the thinking is still alive?
Palin is a pawn, much like a “dumb terminal.” If McCain wanted anyone more than that, he had only to look to his own Senate; but, he and his campaign knew that only a “dumb terminal” could appeal to that portion of our American population that want to take their signals from such. Anything further would require independent thought. Quite frankly, I find myself resenting that aspect of our humanity that falls prey to such an obvious ploy, and those who would devise and use it.

Oh, for a Nation of THINKERS rather than REPEATERS…of DOERS rather than DELEGATORS.

http://itsawonderfulife.wordpress.com Three Women of the Lake [a modern day fairy tale]

BARACK OBAMA, Are You Listening? testing the power of the blog

Good Morning Mr. Obama,

My intention in writing this public letter to you is to alert you and the Obama~Biden Campaign to the pitfalls of reacting to what others say and do, rather than acting and responding from your center, your core and your intentions.  When we react, we’ve already lost our balance.  I’m speaking of your campaign’s self-destructive behavior of reacting to McCain-Palin Campaign attacks.  Let them lose their balance~~only your unwavering focus and stability will place the Obama~Biden platform in the White House.

Mr. Obama, this nation needs leadership that can maintain its balance, especially in the face of bombardments that would undermine our identity as individuals and a nation of the people, by the people and for the people. 

We need to rediscover WHO we really are, clarify our purpose, carefully formulate our intentions, then begin, fully empowered as a cohesive nation, to re-establish this great nation with its ruddering principles of Truth, Freedom, Justice, Equity, Humility, Integrity, Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Accountability and Peace solidly guiding us through perilous waters;  through waters full of opportunities to express ourselves through intentional, honorable actions that guard and protect every indiviual’s dignity, equitable freedoms and pursuits, without compromising who we are or our purpose as an integrated nation of visionary peoples, having been taught by experiences throughout centuries rich with failures and successes.

We need to hear more from you about who we are and how your vision and your leadership can guide us through the journey ahead of forgiving ourselves for allowing this country to shipwreck, of working to make us sea worthy once again and to sail prouder than we’ve ever sailed before, with each and every citizen dedicated to serving in their own capacity as this great nation’s crew. 

America can humbly apologize for violating our own principles, our own Constitution, International trust and individual rights.  We can make restitution to the extent possible.  We can rebuild our identity, our self-esteem, our vision and our purpose.  With dynamic, wise and visionary leadership, we can restore our strength and our fortitude.  America can reconstitute an uncompromising freedom that embraces diversity, assures equity and justice for all; provides unparalleled education for all;  and lays the foundation for gainful employment, assuring that every indivdual is equipped and has the means to afford their own meaningful contributions to our national, global and environmental economy.

As human beings, American citizens, and fellow brothers and sisters with all, we must reassess who we’ve been, what we’ve represented, and choose this day who we will be from this point forward.  Barack, we will not get there by reacting to anyone or anything; especially, lies and slander from McCain~Palin campaign.  Instead, we must remain true to our core, faithful to our vision and purpose, steadied by our guiding rudder of higher intention.

Barack Obama, YOU are ultimately responsible for the content of your campaign.  Knowing that you love this American nation as much as anyone alive today, I call upon you this moment, to let your constituents know now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who we are, what we stand for, where we are going and how we will get there, once we’ve replaced the current Administration…leaving McCain~Palin in their self-imposed dust of age-old fear-based rhetoric. 

We must fervently consider the impact of our thoughts, words and actions, pressing humanity ever upward, toward our highest potential.  Today, our future and the futures of our posterity depend upon it.  Only in maintaining our balance will ultimately, the balance of all be restored.

With Respect, Conviction and Commitment,

Ashtora

American, Global & Environmental Citizen

I Would Just Like To Know, Why Are We Fighting American VS. American? or Who Let The Dogs Out?

When did we forget that we are not waging war against each other, American Citizen against American Citizen, or even human AGAINST human?  What happened to fighting on behalf of all Humanity…on behalf of our entire planet and beyond?~~Ash

Do Neither Palin OR McCain Have a Clue What’s In Store?

News Flash:  The challenges of raising a child with Down Syndrome require a LOT more than seeing him as a “blessing.”  Yes, he IS a blessing, and raising him will push your limits beyond anything you can comprehend, stretching you in ways you’ve never yet conceived.  As the Palin family, though in government, you will not be immune to needing the support of family, friends, neighbors, community, teachers, counselors, doctors, lawyers and each other. 

Your challenges have not even yet begun.  Participating in this political arena will only delay the realities you and your family have to face.

In twenty years, you’ll be sixty-four and making decisions regarding Trig’s living arrangements.  Applying for guardianship, so you can determine where he will live; you’d be wise to put his name on the waiting list for group homes now.  The waiting list is that long.  This is fast forward though.  In the meantime, you’ll need to equip yourselves with new skills, new knowledge, new patience…you’ll need more patience than ten Jobs.

All the best.  You’ll need it when you come back from your escape from reality.

Question: Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Named as Birthplace of Trig Paxson Van Palin

Palins’ child diagnosed with Down syndrome (04/22/08)

FAMILY FEELS BLESSED: Back at work already, governor says she wasn’t in labor in Texas.

By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com

Published: April 22nd, 2008 01:11 AM
Last Modified: April 22nd, 2008 07:49 PM

http://www.adn.com/626/story/382864.html

Lisa Demer ldemer@adn.com, writes an informative article in Anchorage Daily News regarding baby Palin being diagnosed with Down Syndrome and naming Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, between Palmer and Wasilla, Alaska, as birthplace of Trig Paxson Van Palin, Sarah’s purported fifth child, doesn’t list Trig as having been born there.  Why?  Is truth such a hard thing?   If this is an elaborate cover-up over the birth of a child, what won’t the McCain/Palin ticket hide?  Surely we have to override the Republican political machine, America.

Holy Cow, A Packin’ Pitbull, Wearin’ Lipstick, No Less!

Anyone else sick of this already?  Who gave that Pitbull NRA membership and license to pack?  The only thing more dangerous than a Pitbull is a Packin’ Pitbull!  Sarah Palin is NOT my kind of woman, much less Vice Presidential material…but then again, dogs of a breed run together…McCain is no more my Presidential choice than his running mate is my VP choice.  Speaking of Choice…