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Seeing Spain

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/seeingspain

So I thought about my old college book, The Chalice & the Blade by Riane Eisler and went downstairs to get it. Luckily I was at my parents house when I thought about this (I was meant to get it all along).
I notice there are some flash cards with quotes already in the middle of the volume.
Nice one by Elizabeth Cady Stanton is nice but this is the one that caught my eye,

But in its emphasis an individual acquisitiveness, competitiveness, and greed (the profit), its inherent hierarchism (the class structure), and its continued reliance on violence (e.g. colonial wars), capitalism remained fundamentally androcratic [male-dominator, female-dominated].

Being intrigued by the word androcratic, I looked it up online. Subsequently, I found this:

http://www.venusandherlover.com/Patriarchy.html

which turned me onto Joshua 8:24

"When Israel had finished slaughtering all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched his javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoils of that city Israel took as their booty, according to the word of the Lord which He commanded Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai, and made it forever a heap of ruins. . ."

on media and community

media plus community equals democracy

communication + people comming together = dialog

from m-w.com

2 a : a conversation between two or more persons; b : an exchange of ideas and opinions [dialogues on human rights] c : a discussion between representatives of parties to a conflict that is aimed at resolution [dialogue between loggers and environmentalists]

4 : a musical composition for two or more parts suggestive of a conversation

Etymology: Middle English dialoge, from Anglo-French dialogue, from Latin dialogus, from Greek dialogos, from dialegesthai to converse, from dia- + legein to speak -- more at LEGEND


At 4 am the truck outside my window is emptying the dumpster complete with cracking metal collisions of steel forks upon the large metal waste container.

Snow, Love, and Introspection

Horray! A thick blanket of snow has blessed the city of Portland with a few days off, right after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This morning on the radio I heard a speech by him on the Vietnam war in which he called for the immediate cessation of the US military involvement. I think these words would be extremely timely right now with regards to Iraq.
I would encourage folks to find that speech and see for yourself how poignant his words still persist to this day.
The snowfall does a wonderful thing for couples in love. It's softening effect on the mind through the stillness and purity of the white fluffies falling from the sky. Christine and some friends and I took a walk through the local cemetery after sleeping in. Then we took another walk with friends to a diner where we had a really good hearty meal for a cold winter's day. Then we walked to the riverside and strolled down the esplanade to take in the calm Willamette river, and the downtown skyline.
Throughout these days, Christine and I have strengthened our relationship as we've learned more about each other and our particular dispositions and propensities. This is the growing part of love that I really appreciate despite the sometimes unpleasant moods.
So these experiences have led me of course to do some more introspection on the nature of my goals (none of which I can identify truthfully at this time) and my ability and/or determination to meet them. I have not engaged that process of goal creation (a la Stephen Covey) since my bandleading days in early 2000-2001.
Since moving to Portland, my goals have morphed into actions related to systemic change in our existence of humankind - Christianity and capitalism to be specific. The two are wildly incongruent despite what our priests and politicians claim. Christ taught his followers to covet nothing and that giving is better than taking. Capitalism teaches the opposite.
Well, I've taken note that the dollar will continue its decline in value on the world financial market and I'm wondering if I should get over to Europe and start making some Euros. I mean the smart people are investing in gold, copper, and other metals where the purity can be physcially tested. The "purity" of the dollar right now is tainted with blood of the innocent and the sweat and tears of the helpless.
I'm wondering if my friends and family would care to help sponsor a trip for me to invest what few dollars I have in Euros so as to afford us some financial stability in the event of a dollar collapse. I'm just gonna put it out there that that's what I'd like to do...
As far as setting up 5 year goals, it's a rather daunting task because there is no more status quo, we are in uncharted waters as a human civilization and I find myself among those who are calling for Western civilization to be assisted in its own suicide (if only to alleviate the pain and suffering of countless living humans and innocent animals). But I will be forming some solid 5 year goals that I know are achievable. ciao!

A reaction to Gas Price rage

A reaction to Gas Price rage:
The AP story by Tim Molloy (May 29, 2006) describes anger and frustruation directed at gas station attendants (who I suggest will be looking for protection if the level of hostility rises) shows a troublesome link to the values and ethics related to American disinformation about global peak oil.
The article does not mention the certainty of rising gas prices but does suggest,

"Consumers might finally be getting at least a temporary break at the pump. The latest figures released May 21 by the Lundberg Survey indicate the nationwide average price of self-serve regular fell about 1.45 cents in the previous two weeks to $2.93 a gallon — the first dip since the Feb. 24 price of $2.24 began to climb."

FEARS OVER SECURITY
The article mentions several crimes and a death as a result of gas pump rage. As the oil demand crisis continues, gas station security will come to the fore.
This scenario calls for a local level response for community policing advocacy and other measures to ensure reliable and safe access to fuel. On the other hand, government action to secure or monitor gas stations, if wholly transparent to the citizens, could also provide for resource protection.
The funding for resource protection by any means should derive wholly from large corporations that cannot function in a benevolent and community-focused environment. Any corporation accused or found guilty of resource abuses, whether human or natural, of wrong-doing against the common good, should expect to bear the burden of any remediation necessary, this should include institutions of slavery and other system difficiencies. The reality is, our present socio-economic system cannot be sustained. Which brings me to the anger part of this phenomenon.

In a previous post, I pointed out the irony of Judeo-Christian values based communities where much of the gas station hostility is occurring, in choosing to ignore the real problem which is our own consumption. Gas guzzlers are the problem, CONSUMPTION is the problem. It's not the person selling the gas that's responsible for the price - consumer demand is how the market functions. In good times and in bad times. A responsible press will illustrate this point clearly as fundamental to basic macro-economics. In a demand-side economy which we've now entered into as a function of peak oil, reducing our consumption is the only way to reduce the price. The only other alternative is to say that military invasion is justified to satiate our selfish interest for material wealth and comfort! What benevolence! What humility!? How righteous are those who force the rest of God's Creation and their own offspring to pay the price of gluttonous consumption? All in the name of profit?!

SEE ALSO: Religion and Oil

on the urban and rural divide: cultural and economic differences.

on meeting of the minds: discovering common themes.

on the message: what's missing in your life? The central theme of the church-state marriage is patriarchy. What does it mean when Bush says that Jesus is talking to him?
What does it mean to say that an act is unethical? At what level can we, do we justify killing people or treating animals in an unkind way? What about the degrees of separation - the separation of tasks into high mechanical efficiency but little degree of ownership - how does this affect our social interactions - role based instead of completely equal personhood?

Kudos to AP writer Jennifer Loven!

letter to Associated Press

Greetings AP,

I normally despise most AP stories for the tight control and omission of meaningful political critique and analysis. I was thankful to read Jennifer Loven's article of March 18, 2006 "Bush Using Straw-Man Arguments in Speeches" because it touched on the one of the reasons why I cannot stand to listen to GW Bush. He is a right-wing political spin machine and the press hardly ever questions the horse shit that pours from his mouth daily.
You have a talented and courageous writer in Jennifer Loven and if she or the AP is being critized for this story I pray you will defend her excellent journalism and promote more of it. The world needs more writers like her and if you were to encourage her kind of responsible journalism, I might then be inclined to buy a daily paper here in Oregon which relies heavily on AP newswire. Otherwise, I will continue to lament the right wing corporate-driven "news" ie spin that plagues your newswire, especially concerning political critique and the struggle of Palestinians whose AP news reports are filtered by Israel.
The whole world knows the degree to which you are complicit in promoting or refusing to cover US imperialist actions such as the Humphreys military base expansion in the Peyongtaek region in S. Korea. Innocent farmers and their families are being forced from their land, arrested and beaten as they try to defend their freedom [see story]. Yet you ignore this issue. Who is your correspondent and what stories has he/she filed? I hope you will continue to improve the integrity of your services with writers like Jennifer Loven - she deserves a raise. Thank you.

Jonathan
Portland, OR