Hanh mitakuyapi. Hello my relatives. We have the first mixed-blood, dark-skinned President in the long history of the "united" states. I often wonder what the states are united about - other than bigotry & denial of same. But not this time. We, the People, have spoken and we have made ourselves heard.
Before someone hollers, "you were for Barack Obama all the time!", I'll point out that Barack Obama was not my first choice for Presidential nominee. Joe Biden was. Since Joe Biden is the Vice President, I'm a happy camper. He has input of concepts I like and support. Obama seeks input from others than himself - he is the 'new style' boss I've been for over 20 years.
So why didn't I like him from the start? I can't entirely say, except for one thing. In virtually every picture I've seen of him, he's looking somewhere other than at the camera, even if his face is facing the camera. This bothers me - in a non-Indn. It's a very Indn Thing to do, especially for us Traditionals. Logical? Not particularly. But that's how it is.
The other thing is that over the years I've come to expect to actively dislike whoever was asking for my vote & my support - & while I don't get all warm n fuzzy over Barack Obama, I don't dislike him, either. I just have a strong "wait-&-see" feeling. I've learned to listen to my gut reactions; they are never wrong. Never.
Just the same, actions speak louder than words, and looking at Barack Obama's record, his actions speak well of & for him.
It feels somehow odd not to feel as if we have to wait for a pickup-load of other shoes to drop, like we have with W & company. I want to get used to it. I'm willing to give it time.
Meantime, I'm working on a sign to put on the pickup. It reads, "January 20, 2008 - End of an Error". Unless there's a better one comes to me in the meantime..
No matter - for now, I'm rattling my tongue for this victory of, by, and for Us, the People. And thanking Tunkashila heartily for it. Mitakuye oiasin.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
On Average Intelligence
Hanh mitakuyapi. Hello my relatives.
The scary thing about being of average intelligence is, it's so low. Neither you nor I is likely to be of average intelligence. We fly somewhat higher than that. Unfortunately, people of average intelligence are in the majority if you believe in bell curves. And we are coming up on a Presidential election in less than 2 weeks. That's where the 'really scary' part comes in.
This morning, I was eating in a local cafe' & there was a group of a dozen or so elderly people sitting not too far from me - discussing, of course, politics. The remarks I heard were enough to make my Indn hair stand. on. end.
Predictably, there were many remarks about Sarah the Bimbo & whether she could 'take over & run the country if McCain dropped dead'. As if the President runs the country. Last I heard, this is still a Constitutional democratic republic, ongoing efforts to gut the Constitution to the contrary. The reality is, a variety of governmental entities run the country, from village boards to county boards to city councils to Congress. But in no way does the President run this country, and (s)he never has.
When FDRoosevelt was felled by a stroke, his wife Eleanor did much of his decision-making, not the then Vice-President.. but Congress & the various municipal entities ran the country. And that has not changed.
But the best/worst of the incredibly stupid remarks I heard this morning from that group of retirees was, "Obama isn't ready to run the Presidency because he's black & you know they can't run things.. They all live in ghettos & wear funny clothes & talk funny." And the rest of this group nodded & said, "yep. yep."
I nearly threw up. Instead, I fixed one of them with my best beady-eyed stare until she blushed & looked away. Whereupon, she whispered to the rest of the group that "there's an Indian sitting over there, listening in & staring at us in an unfriendly way". (Yep.yep.) And like a school of fish, they changed the subject of their talk as if they were one entity, & got off on.... the weather. I just thought you might like to know about these things. Let's pray there's some sanity after this election, & we aren't subjected to another 4 years of Bush-n-Karl-Rove-ism. I don't think we can take it. Hm.. Maybe they're black after all. Sure as hell they can't run things worth spit, unless you count "into the ground".
The scary thing about being of average intelligence is, it's so low. Neither you nor I is likely to be of average intelligence. We fly somewhat higher than that. Unfortunately, people of average intelligence are in the majority if you believe in bell curves. And we are coming up on a Presidential election in less than 2 weeks. That's where the 'really scary' part comes in.
This morning, I was eating in a local cafe' & there was a group of a dozen or so elderly people sitting not too far from me - discussing, of course, politics. The remarks I heard were enough to make my Indn hair stand. on. end.
Predictably, there were many remarks about Sarah the Bimbo & whether she could 'take over & run the country if McCain dropped dead'. As if the President runs the country. Last I heard, this is still a Constitutional democratic republic, ongoing efforts to gut the Constitution to the contrary. The reality is, a variety of governmental entities run the country, from village boards to county boards to city councils to Congress. But in no way does the President run this country, and (s)he never has.
When FDRoosevelt was felled by a stroke, his wife Eleanor did much of his decision-making, not the then Vice-President.. but Congress & the various municipal entities ran the country. And that has not changed.
But the best/worst of the incredibly stupid remarks I heard this morning from that group of retirees was, "Obama isn't ready to run the Presidency because he's black & you know they can't run things.. They all live in ghettos & wear funny clothes & talk funny." And the rest of this group nodded & said, "yep. yep."
I nearly threw up. Instead, I fixed one of them with my best beady-eyed stare until she blushed & looked away. Whereupon, she whispered to the rest of the group that "there's an Indian sitting over there, listening in & staring at us in an unfriendly way". (Yep.yep.) And like a school of fish, they changed the subject of their talk as if they were one entity, & got off on.... the weather. I just thought you might like to know about these things. Let's pray there's some sanity after this election, & we aren't subjected to another 4 years of Bush-n-Karl-Rove-ism. I don't think we can take it. Hm.. Maybe they're black after all. Sure as hell they can't run things worth spit, unless you count "into the ground".
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Talk About NERVE!
I got an email the other day that claims that Wal-Mart has been holding "mandatory" meetings for their employees, both management & 'staff', in which Wal-Mart has told them they "are not to vote for Barack Obama & Joe Biden or any other employee-friendly or union-friendly candidates for political office".
I asked a couple of people I know who work at Wal-Mart, and they said it's true.
As a sometime employer, I am appalled that any company's senior management would try to pull a stunt like this. I'm not particularly surprised, but I am definitely appalled.
(a), it's no one's business who any of us vote for; bumper stickers notwithstanding. Under law, an individual's vote is automatically taken to be private. That means it is off-limits to anyone to try to influence another's vote.
(b), the intimation here is that if Wal-Mart senior management "finds out" that any of their employees voted "for the Obama-Biden ticket, or any other employee-friendly or union-friendly candidates for political office", those employees are ripe for retaliation or "discipline" of some kind. NOT ACCEPTABLE!
And, I suspect, illegal. But even if it's not clearly illegal, it's definitely unethical.
If you want to raise stink about this to Wal-Mart, you can go online & email under their "contact" list, OR you can call 1-800-WAL-MART & tell them by phone. I've done both, and I hope you will, too.
And remind them that they are nothing without you, the customer, and that you will be boycotting Wal-Mart - maybe permanently. I don't go to Wal-Mart any more unless I absolutely can't find what I need somewhere else, & that includes online. My purchase dollars at Wal-Mart have gone from about $3,000 annually to less than $500, & that is dropping fast.
I complain to local store managers when I can't find something & point out to them that I really don't want to go to Wal-Mart, but if they refuse to stock a thing, they force the loss in sales.. it isn't about simple preference.
That gets management attention & it gets results in that they stock whatever I'm after.
Please join me now - there are only 16 days left to voting day.
I asked a couple of people I know who work at Wal-Mart, and they said it's true.
As a sometime employer, I am appalled that any company's senior management would try to pull a stunt like this. I'm not particularly surprised, but I am definitely appalled.
(a), it's no one's business who any of us vote for; bumper stickers notwithstanding. Under law, an individual's vote is automatically taken to be private. That means it is off-limits to anyone to try to influence another's vote.
(b), the intimation here is that if Wal-Mart senior management "finds out" that any of their employees voted "for the Obama-Biden ticket, or any other employee-friendly or union-friendly candidates for political office", those employees are ripe for retaliation or "discipline" of some kind. NOT ACCEPTABLE!
And, I suspect, illegal. But even if it's not clearly illegal, it's definitely unethical.
If you want to raise stink about this to Wal-Mart, you can go online & email under their "contact" list, OR you can call 1-800-WAL-MART & tell them by phone. I've done both, and I hope you will, too.
And remind them that they are nothing without you, the customer, and that you will be boycotting Wal-Mart - maybe permanently. I don't go to Wal-Mart any more unless I absolutely can't find what I need somewhere else, & that includes online. My purchase dollars at Wal-Mart have gone from about $3,000 annually to less than $500, & that is dropping fast.
I complain to local store managers when I can't find something & point out to them that I really don't want to go to Wal-Mart, but if they refuse to stock a thing, they force the loss in sales.. it isn't about simple preference.
That gets management attention & it gets results in that they stock whatever I'm after.
Please join me now - there are only 16 days left to voting day.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Objections to Palin
Hanh mitakuyapi. Hello, my relatives.
On just about any grounds you can think of, I Object, in spades, to Sarah Palin.
First, she works overtime to come across as perky & cute. I detest perky & cute. It's fake.
Second, she has no detectable respect for anything or anyone unless they can raise her status on her 'agenda ladder'. She is anti: (a) the First Amendment to the Constitution, especially on the grounds of Freedom of Speech, Expression, & Religion. (b) stopping - or even addressing - global warming. (c) saving polar bears - or any other species that isn't human - from extinction. Apparently this bimbo doesn't realize that we all have to eat, what happens to one is likely to happen to all sooner or later, and humans are for the most part, bor-ing. And she definitely hasn't figured out that if only 2-Leggeds are preserved, sooner or later, we'll either all have to become vegetarians or resort to cannibalism. On the Rez, a vegetarian is The Definition of a lousy hunter!
(d) wolves. Sarah the Bimbo supports aerial slaughter of wolves and promotes a $150/right foreleg bounty on wolves. Obviously she has never heard of the concepts of "fair chase", "fair play", or "respect", let alone the concept of "showing respect". I have hunted since childhood and the idea of aerially slaughtering anything turns my stomach. Literally. (e) sex education other than abstinence. Lessee here.. she has a 17-year-old pregnant daughter. Doesn't sound to me as if abstinence as sex education is a workable concept. Doesn't look like it either.. or it won't in a few weeks.. (f) a woman's Right - not privilege - to choose whether or not to remain pregnant should she become so. We females are the only ones who can take all the risks associated with pregnancy. There is no such thing as even one instant of vacation from them for 9 long months. And, Gross Sexual Imposition is defined in law as, "the imposition of a desire by one group or person on the sex organs of another". In short, Sarah the Bimbo promotes rape, and 'thinks' it should be sanctioned by law. Giving, of course, no thought whatsoever to the 'sticky details' of what to do with all the rapists alreadcy in jail, or what to do to / about rapists who commit this crime in the future. (g) Sarah the Bimbo refers to everyday people as "Joe and Josephine Six-Pack". This is alcoholism, folks! This is promoting the perspective that alcoholism characterizes the majority of people! This is promoting the perspective that alcoholism is somehow a joke. NOT STINKING HARDLY! Alcoholism has devastated millions of people & virtually every culture on earth - particularly those of us First Nations / ITI.
Even "if" she had any qualifications for a potential President - and considering John McCain's age, that's an important consideration, her perspectives and attitudes toward simple courtesy and showing of respect prove beyond any shadow of doubt that she is totally unfit to be elected to office at all and most of all, to the Vice-Presidency of the U.S.A. , now, or ever.
On just about any grounds you can think of, I Object, in spades, to Sarah Palin.
First, she works overtime to come across as perky & cute. I detest perky & cute. It's fake.
Second, she has no detectable respect for anything or anyone unless they can raise her status on her 'agenda ladder'. She is anti: (a) the First Amendment to the Constitution, especially on the grounds of Freedom of Speech, Expression, & Religion. (b) stopping - or even addressing - global warming. (c) saving polar bears - or any other species that isn't human - from extinction. Apparently this bimbo doesn't realize that we all have to eat, what happens to one is likely to happen to all sooner or later, and humans are for the most part, bor-ing. And she definitely hasn't figured out that if only 2-Leggeds are preserved, sooner or later, we'll either all have to become vegetarians or resort to cannibalism. On the Rez, a vegetarian is The Definition of a lousy hunter!
(d) wolves. Sarah the Bimbo supports aerial slaughter of wolves and promotes a $150/right foreleg bounty on wolves. Obviously she has never heard of the concepts of "fair chase", "fair play", or "respect", let alone the concept of "showing respect". I have hunted since childhood and the idea of aerially slaughtering anything turns my stomach. Literally. (e) sex education other than abstinence. Lessee here.. she has a 17-year-old pregnant daughter. Doesn't sound to me as if abstinence as sex education is a workable concept. Doesn't look like it either.. or it won't in a few weeks.. (f) a woman's Right - not privilege - to choose whether or not to remain pregnant should she become so. We females are the only ones who can take all the risks associated with pregnancy. There is no such thing as even one instant of vacation from them for 9 long months. And, Gross Sexual Imposition is defined in law as, "the imposition of a desire by one group or person on the sex organs of another". In short, Sarah the Bimbo promotes rape, and 'thinks' it should be sanctioned by law. Giving, of course, no thought whatsoever to the 'sticky details' of what to do with all the rapists alreadcy in jail, or what to do to / about rapists who commit this crime in the future. (g) Sarah the Bimbo refers to everyday people as "Joe and Josephine Six-Pack". This is alcoholism, folks! This is promoting the perspective that alcoholism characterizes the majority of people! This is promoting the perspective that alcoholism is somehow a joke. NOT STINKING HARDLY! Alcoholism has devastated millions of people & virtually every culture on earth - particularly those of us First Nations / ITI.
Even "if" she had any qualifications for a potential President - and considering John McCain's age, that's an important consideration, her perspectives and attitudes toward simple courtesy and showing of respect prove beyond any shadow of doubt that she is totally unfit to be elected to office at all and most of all, to the Vice-Presidency of the U.S.A. , now, or ever.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ice SHELVES Have Fallen Into The Ocean
Hanh mitakuyapi. Hello my relatives.
If there are still skeptics "out there", yesterday's online headlines stated that an ice shelf the size of Massachusetts has fallen into the Arctic Ocean.
This redefines "scary" for any thinking person. For this horse-Indn ITI, it's scarier, because I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds - a prayer from Lakota Traditional spirituality to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world.
Everyone is a part of this hoop, as is every kind of People - the Standing Nation (plants, e.g.), the Rock Nation, the Water Nation, the Winged People, the Unktechhi (little monsters that live in warm, wet, dark places and make you very ill), the 2-Leggeds (humans), the 4-Leggeds, the no-Leggeds; - our Holy Mother the Earth and all we who live together on Her.
I Danced my obaghi (sacred commitment) twice, as the spirits directed me; giving flesh twice, overcame all the obstacles that tried to stop me, so far as I know. As in anything, I gave it my best shot, and pray it was good enough. The Elders said I did a good job. I trust them to know better than I, since when I'm in the ceremonial way, I'm between this world and the spirit world, so my perspective is different, to say the least.
So when I read that this huge block of incredibly ancient ice and snow has separated from the land it has been stuck to for thousands of years, I become very uncomfortable.
I realized when I made the obaghi that the world would still go through some radical changes. My prayer includes that no species becomes extinct as a result of these changes. But when confronted with a change as huge as an ice shelf the size of Massachusetts falling into the Arctic Ocean, I pray my prayer more often and with greater intensity than I have in the past.
This storehouse of data on the earth's history can't be put back, after all. Once it melts, all of that information will be lost forever.
You who read this are welcome to join me in praying for the healing of the Sacred Hoop of the world, since you, too, are a part of it. In the long run, after all, it's your skin you're praying to save & to keep from suffering unduly due to radical climate change, too.
Mitakuye oiasin.
If there are still skeptics "out there", yesterday's online headlines stated that an ice shelf the size of Massachusetts has fallen into the Arctic Ocean.
This redefines "scary" for any thinking person. For this horse-Indn ITI, it's scarier, because I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds - a prayer from Lakota Traditional spirituality to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world.
Everyone is a part of this hoop, as is every kind of People - the Standing Nation (plants, e.g.), the Rock Nation, the Water Nation, the Winged People, the Unktechhi (little monsters that live in warm, wet, dark places and make you very ill), the 2-Leggeds (humans), the 4-Leggeds, the no-Leggeds; - our Holy Mother the Earth and all we who live together on Her.
I Danced my obaghi (sacred commitment) twice, as the spirits directed me; giving flesh twice, overcame all the obstacles that tried to stop me, so far as I know. As in anything, I gave it my best shot, and pray it was good enough. The Elders said I did a good job. I trust them to know better than I, since when I'm in the ceremonial way, I'm between this world and the spirit world, so my perspective is different, to say the least.
So when I read that this huge block of incredibly ancient ice and snow has separated from the land it has been stuck to for thousands of years, I become very uncomfortable.
I realized when I made the obaghi that the world would still go through some radical changes. My prayer includes that no species becomes extinct as a result of these changes. But when confronted with a change as huge as an ice shelf the size of Massachusetts falling into the Arctic Ocean, I pray my prayer more often and with greater intensity than I have in the past.
This storehouse of data on the earth's history can't be put back, after all. Once it melts, all of that information will be lost forever.
You who read this are welcome to join me in praying for the healing of the Sacred Hoop of the world, since you, too, are a part of it. In the long run, after all, it's your skin you're praying to save & to keep from suffering unduly due to radical climate change, too.
Mitakuye oiasin.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Abstinence and You
Hanh mitakuyapi.
Republican VP nominee Palin is a big backer of the concept that the only viable sex-ed teaching is "abstinence only", and that it is the only "moral" way to teach our young about the facts of life. As we've seen in the case of her daughter (and thousands of other people), it doesn't work unless people abstain from fun in the sack, which just is not likely.
Until Sara Palin's daughter became pregnant, I have no doubt that Sara carried on to anyone who would listen about how her daughter would "never" do such a disgusting, immoral thing as play in the sack with a male before she was duly married. HAH!
Why Sara Palin would believe that her children are any more 'moral' than any others is beyond me, but to me, it says "Sara Palin, like everyone else of her ilk, lies about many things." 'Morality' in particular.
I thoroughly dislike this woman who is so irresponsible as to have 5 children in today's grossly over-populated world; who pontificates about her 'morality' and her "Christianity" and how she is a maverick. Methinks the lady doth proclaim too much - & at too high a level - about herself.
As for her daughter - How many 17-year-olds do you know of who are likely to abstain from this particular experimenting, given the number of periodicals dedicated to teenagers and how to "get/catch/trap a guy"? For that matter, how many people of any age? Not a large number, I expect.
What makes me laugh is how the "Christian wrong" crowd suddenly are "fully behind Sara & the daughter" in this matter - where just full breaths ago, they were ranting about 'morality' and 'immorality' and 'sex outside of marriage'. Notice how they refer to it as 'sex'?
They say, "I had sex" the same way you would say, "I had a sandwich". On rye, a hoagie, a bagel? Hm.
Long time ago I was a passenger in a car crash. The lead attorney for the insurance company was a woman of about 60. She had rubies & diamonds on all of her fingers & thumbs & kept twiddling them at me, the subliminal message being, "I have power over you".
This annoyed me, since we both knew she didn't, and I truly enjoy leading pompous arrogant people down the garden path - & watching them fall into a tiger pit. Really cracks me up.
This attorney finally asked me what kinds of things could I no longer do due to my injuries from the crash, compared to before it. I said, "I can no longer hike like I did, hunt like I did, ride horse like I did, and bed-sports aren't nearly as comfortable now."
She squinted her eyes, peered at me, then said in a dry, dusty voice, "Bed-sports. I don't think I know what that is."
I looked her slowly up & down & then said slowly, "I can believe that.."
The 6 male attorneys & the judge all caught it immediately & had a terrific time trying to squelch snorts & gurgles & laughter. She caught it about a minute later, & was she ever mad! I just smirked at her.
She snarled softly, "You think you're so0o smart; don't you!"
I replied, "Smart enough to know you're trying to play a mind game about who has more power, with your twiddling your fingers full of rubies and diamonds. And to show you plainly that your game isn't working on me."
The male attornies gasped. The judge arched his eyebrows & got a very thoughtful look on his face. She just sat there with smoke coming off her head. Someone later told me that this attorney was just not used to anyone talking back to her. She was a bully & most people suckered for her bullying. Luckily, I'm not most people, and neither are you.
Whether we're talking about Sara Palin or the female attorney, the orientation is the same. Both are unrealistic in their approach to romance, education about basic human "urges", and the expression of love that takes place in various places, but probably most often in beds. The "abstinence only" teaching does much to underscore the fact that accidents make people. But it doesn't work; & anyone who insists it does is lying to herself and to the rest of the world.
She won't get my vote.
Republican VP nominee Palin is a big backer of the concept that the only viable sex-ed teaching is "abstinence only", and that it is the only "moral" way to teach our young about the facts of life. As we've seen in the case of her daughter (and thousands of other people), it doesn't work unless people abstain from fun in the sack, which just is not likely.
Until Sara Palin's daughter became pregnant, I have no doubt that Sara carried on to anyone who would listen about how her daughter would "never" do such a disgusting, immoral thing as play in the sack with a male before she was duly married. HAH!
Why Sara Palin would believe that her children are any more 'moral' than any others is beyond me, but to me, it says "Sara Palin, like everyone else of her ilk, lies about many things." 'Morality' in particular.
I thoroughly dislike this woman who is so irresponsible as to have 5 children in today's grossly over-populated world; who pontificates about her 'morality' and her "Christianity" and how she is a maverick. Methinks the lady doth proclaim too much - & at too high a level - about herself.
As for her daughter - How many 17-year-olds do you know of who are likely to abstain from this particular experimenting, given the number of periodicals dedicated to teenagers and how to "get/catch/trap a guy"? For that matter, how many people of any age? Not a large number, I expect.
What makes me laugh is how the "Christian wrong" crowd suddenly are "fully behind Sara & the daughter" in this matter - where just full breaths ago, they were ranting about 'morality' and 'immorality' and 'sex outside of marriage'. Notice how they refer to it as 'sex'?
They say, "I had sex" the same way you would say, "I had a sandwich". On rye, a hoagie, a bagel? Hm.
Long time ago I was a passenger in a car crash. The lead attorney for the insurance company was a woman of about 60. She had rubies & diamonds on all of her fingers & thumbs & kept twiddling them at me, the subliminal message being, "I have power over you".
This annoyed me, since we both knew she didn't, and I truly enjoy leading pompous arrogant people down the garden path - & watching them fall into a tiger pit. Really cracks me up.
This attorney finally asked me what kinds of things could I no longer do due to my injuries from the crash, compared to before it. I said, "I can no longer hike like I did, hunt like I did, ride horse like I did, and bed-sports aren't nearly as comfortable now."
She squinted her eyes, peered at me, then said in a dry, dusty voice, "Bed-sports. I don't think I know what that is."
I looked her slowly up & down & then said slowly, "I can believe that.."
The 6 male attorneys & the judge all caught it immediately & had a terrific time trying to squelch snorts & gurgles & laughter. She caught it about a minute later, & was she ever mad! I just smirked at her.
She snarled softly, "You think you're so0o smart; don't you!"
I replied, "Smart enough to know you're trying to play a mind game about who has more power, with your twiddling your fingers full of rubies and diamonds. And to show you plainly that your game isn't working on me."
The male attornies gasped. The judge arched his eyebrows & got a very thoughtful look on his face. She just sat there with smoke coming off her head. Someone later told me that this attorney was just not used to anyone talking back to her. She was a bully & most people suckered for her bullying. Luckily, I'm not most people, and neither are you.
Whether we're talking about Sara Palin or the female attorney, the orientation is the same. Both are unrealistic in their approach to romance, education about basic human "urges", and the expression of love that takes place in various places, but probably most often in beds. The "abstinence only" teaching does much to underscore the fact that accidents make people. But it doesn't work; & anyone who insists it does is lying to herself and to the rest of the world.
She won't get my vote.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Where Have I Been?!?!
Hanh mitakuyapi. I've been gone from this site since July. Have been striving to stay alive - literally. Between lousy income due to high fuel prices resulting in lots less hiring of my skills, and allergies that strike me out of the blue & flatten me, and trying to make a new means of income happen, I haven't had time to be here.
With luck, this will soon change for the better. I will try harder to update this oftener.. Thanks for your patience. It is much appreciated, more than words can show. Mitakuye oiasin.
With luck, this will soon change for the better. I will try harder to update this oftener.. Thanks for your patience. It is much appreciated, more than words can show. Mitakuye oiasin.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Lessons from Fairy Tales
When I was a child, my Elders taught me European fairy tales - which used to be used to teach social value and life lessons to European children - in addition to our own D/Lakota legends. I grew up multi-cultural. Not merely "bi-"cultural - we lived on the non-Indn side of the Rez line, and there were a number of races and nationalities in the tiny town(s) I grew up in.
Some of those tales focussed on what happens when people toy with 'the system', and the chaos that invariably results. We are in the midst of at least 4 "crisis situations" in the U.S. right now - the ongoing attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the one regarding oil prices, the mortgage mess, and the ethics mess - especially as concerns equal enforcement of laws and behavior of "leaders", also called "people in authority".
The so-called patriot Act is not in the least patriotic. It is a deep-diving, dedicated effort by people who manipulated facts and situations to get - or allow - the September 11th, 2001 attacks to happen so crazy people in high offices could undermine - even eliminate - the Bill of Rights, at least for the main run of the U.S. population. If the people who pulled this off were not in high offices, they would be in mental wards, I firmly believe. Recently, a revised version of FISA was passed by Congress, and it is as un-Constitutional a piece of legislation as I have ever seen or heard of. And the mass of "the American people" haven't said 'boo' against it.
If this had happened 20-30 years ago, there would have been riots in the streets. As there should be.
Recently, someone wondered out loud, why there has been so little outrage at this. My reply was, "Drugs; particularly marijuana. After all, it is the drug of choice for euthanizing elderlies in China, because it destroys a person's will to compete and drive to win. It makes them complacent. And since any kind of second-hand smoke has been proven to be at least as dangerous as first-hand smoke, not merely smoke from tobacco, the children of dope users have grown up without the normal drive to compete and will to win."
Think about that, readers.. Between drugs like marijuana and the great push by pharmaceutical companies to get huge numbers of hcildren on sedatives and tranquilizers, at least one generation has grown up with a decreased competitive spirit and will to win. Of course this carries over into the rest of a person's life.
The oil-price mess and the mortgage mess are both the product of irresponsible people toying with the system - proving that one person can have a big effect.. as well as appealing to these people's egos, while causing chaos. Isn't it odd to you that people who obviously don't have the credit history (not 'score') or income to carry a huge mortgage are just handed them? Bankers don't hand out money; why would they hand out huge mortgages? Unless of course, they were simply behaving in a childish fashion, focussing on 'making' money without ethical considerations, or consideration of the domino effect.. Nothing is truly isolated from anything else in the universe, after all.. Even less so then in a country.
The ethics scandals that have popped up virtually weekly in every segment of the U.S. are part of this ugly scenario. They stem from improper socialization and a deep lack of the elders having taught the children to consider more than just themselves.
The result is chaos, and a major flirtation with major recession and the toppling of the economic stability everyone craves.
Once again, we has met the enemy and s/he is us, takoszja. Now we need to put our heads together and figure out creative ways to pull things back into alignment. The first of which, I believe, is to ditch the 'me first' attitude that has been so prevalent for so long, and do major studies of and committment to the concept of "co-operation".
No one really does anything major alone, after all..
Some of those tales focussed on what happens when people toy with 'the system', and the chaos that invariably results. We are in the midst of at least 4 "crisis situations" in the U.S. right now - the ongoing attacks on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the one regarding oil prices, the mortgage mess, and the ethics mess - especially as concerns equal enforcement of laws and behavior of "leaders", also called "people in authority".
The so-called patriot Act is not in the least patriotic. It is a deep-diving, dedicated effort by people who manipulated facts and situations to get - or allow - the September 11th, 2001 attacks to happen so crazy people in high offices could undermine - even eliminate - the Bill of Rights, at least for the main run of the U.S. population. If the people who pulled this off were not in high offices, they would be in mental wards, I firmly believe. Recently, a revised version of FISA was passed by Congress, and it is as un-Constitutional a piece of legislation as I have ever seen or heard of. And the mass of "the American people" haven't said 'boo' against it.
If this had happened 20-30 years ago, there would have been riots in the streets. As there should be.
Recently, someone wondered out loud, why there has been so little outrage at this. My reply was, "Drugs; particularly marijuana. After all, it is the drug of choice for euthanizing elderlies in China, because it destroys a person's will to compete and drive to win. It makes them complacent. And since any kind of second-hand smoke has been proven to be at least as dangerous as first-hand smoke, not merely smoke from tobacco, the children of dope users have grown up without the normal drive to compete and will to win."
Think about that, readers.. Between drugs like marijuana and the great push by pharmaceutical companies to get huge numbers of hcildren on sedatives and tranquilizers, at least one generation has grown up with a decreased competitive spirit and will to win. Of course this carries over into the rest of a person's life.
The oil-price mess and the mortgage mess are both the product of irresponsible people toying with the system - proving that one person can have a big effect.. as well as appealing to these people's egos, while causing chaos. Isn't it odd to you that people who obviously don't have the credit history (not 'score') or income to carry a huge mortgage are just handed them? Bankers don't hand out money; why would they hand out huge mortgages? Unless of course, they were simply behaving in a childish fashion, focussing on 'making' money without ethical considerations, or consideration of the domino effect.. Nothing is truly isolated from anything else in the universe, after all.. Even less so then in a country.
The ethics scandals that have popped up virtually weekly in every segment of the U.S. are part of this ugly scenario. They stem from improper socialization and a deep lack of the elders having taught the children to consider more than just themselves.
The result is chaos, and a major flirtation with major recession and the toppling of the economic stability everyone craves.
Once again, we has met the enemy and s/he is us, takoszja. Now we need to put our heads together and figure out creative ways to pull things back into alignment. The first of which, I believe, is to ditch the 'me first' attitude that has been so prevalent for so long, and do major studies of and committment to the concept of "co-operation".
No one really does anything major alone, after all..
Thursday, July 3, 2008
About Custer and Independence
On June 25, 1876, a thug commissioned in the U.S. Army and 200-some goons under his command attacked yet another peaceful Indn camp - but this time, instead of slaughtering The People, these hired goons got what they deserved. Today, we ITI commemorate this as the Battle of the Greasy Grass. White people commemorate this as the Battle of the Little Bighorn or Custer's Last Stand. We won the battle, but because our ITI cultures were not oriented to annihilation and the Euro-'American' culture was, we didn't win the war.
The war isn't over, however. It's still going on.
There is a myth promoted in the majority culture that we ITI are "conquered". There used to be a myth-conception that we ITI were going to become extinct. We've pretty well gotten rid of that one. Not entirely - but almost. We're working on it.
But so long as we ITI - Indigenous Turtle Islanders - refuse to be 'acculturated' and/or 'assimilated' - which would be a giant step down and backward from our Traditional Ways - the war will continue.
So long as we ITI have to continue to sue to get our Treatys both recognized and adhered to by the U.S. government - which never intended to adhere to them initially, according to the official historic record - the war will continue.
Supreme Court Justices have written of their distress at the raw deal we have gotten from the U.S. government. It has made a dent in the wall of abuse handed out to us by officialdumb. In a few spots, we have made pinholes.
But so long as we ITI have to 'justify' our desire for such things as eagle feathers, which are central to our spiritual practices, to officials of the U.S. government while no other group has to justify anything to any officials of the U.S. government, we are not "full" citizens of the U.S. despite the words of the Snyder Act of 1924. So long as we have to guard our sweat lodges against destruction by racists, particularly when we have them off of our Reservations, which are 'countries', and so on a par with the U.S., the war continues.
So long as we are forced to welfare-as-lifestyle, particularly in those states with a large Indn population, the "Custer Effect" is still in effect, and the war continues.
So long as officials in any part of government - at any level, not just federal - try to keep us from accessing our full Constitutional Rights, the war continues.
And eventually, we will win it. It does strike this Indn as sad, though, that in the Age of Enlightenment, with so much accurate information available at the touch of a button, some humans - supposedly the only animals that think - continue to resist the fact that we are human beings with equal rights throughout this land - which is technically still ours, since the Treatys were broken first in every one of the 389 cases we know as Treatys by the U.S. government.
Tomorrow the whites of this country will celebrate "Independence" Day. The reality is, however, that so long as any part of the majority culture tries to subjugate another, so long as the U.S. government tries to restrict Indigenous Peoples' religious / spirituality - Freedoms guaranteed to us all by the Constitution and Bill of Rights (not of priviledges) - people here are not independent of anything except a form of government.
Bigots are prisoners of their dedication to ignorance and all that attends it. And that continues the Indian Wars. To me and many other Traditionals - it's just a day with pretty fireworks displays at night. We had independence; the majority culture which so busily celebrates its illusions is the one that doesn't really believe in them, yet, and so doesn't have them or want anyone else to have them, either.
I shall continue to pray for their enlightenment, and ask you to do so, too.
The war isn't over, however. It's still going on.
There is a myth promoted in the majority culture that we ITI are "conquered". There used to be a myth-conception that we ITI were going to become extinct. We've pretty well gotten rid of that one. Not entirely - but almost. We're working on it.
But so long as we ITI - Indigenous Turtle Islanders - refuse to be 'acculturated' and/or 'assimilated' - which would be a giant step down and backward from our Traditional Ways - the war will continue.
So long as we ITI have to continue to sue to get our Treatys both recognized and adhered to by the U.S. government - which never intended to adhere to them initially, according to the official historic record - the war will continue.
Supreme Court Justices have written of their distress at the raw deal we have gotten from the U.S. government. It has made a dent in the wall of abuse handed out to us by officialdumb. In a few spots, we have made pinholes.
But so long as we ITI have to 'justify' our desire for such things as eagle feathers, which are central to our spiritual practices, to officials of the U.S. government while no other group has to justify anything to any officials of the U.S. government, we are not "full" citizens of the U.S. despite the words of the Snyder Act of 1924. So long as we have to guard our sweat lodges against destruction by racists, particularly when we have them off of our Reservations, which are 'countries', and so on a par with the U.S., the war continues.
So long as we are forced to welfare-as-lifestyle, particularly in those states with a large Indn population, the "Custer Effect" is still in effect, and the war continues.
So long as officials in any part of government - at any level, not just federal - try to keep us from accessing our full Constitutional Rights, the war continues.
And eventually, we will win it. It does strike this Indn as sad, though, that in the Age of Enlightenment, with so much accurate information available at the touch of a button, some humans - supposedly the only animals that think - continue to resist the fact that we are human beings with equal rights throughout this land - which is technically still ours, since the Treatys were broken first in every one of the 389 cases we know as Treatys by the U.S. government.
Tomorrow the whites of this country will celebrate "Independence" Day. The reality is, however, that so long as any part of the majority culture tries to subjugate another, so long as the U.S. government tries to restrict Indigenous Peoples' religious / spirituality - Freedoms guaranteed to us all by the Constitution and Bill of Rights (not of priviledges) - people here are not independent of anything except a form of government.
Bigots are prisoners of their dedication to ignorance and all that attends it. And that continues the Indian Wars. To me and many other Traditionals - it's just a day with pretty fireworks displays at night. We had independence; the majority culture which so busily celebrates its illusions is the one that doesn't really believe in them, yet, and so doesn't have them or want anyone else to have them, either.
I shall continue to pray for their enlightenment, and ask you to do so, too.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Everything Has Limits
Hanh mitakuyapi.
I was reading a back issue of National Geographic this morning as I ate breakfast and there were several articles on decimation of species, both land and sea.
It occurs to me that the tone of National Geographic's articles has changed in the past roughly 10 years, from reporting on how marvelous various places and/or species are to how endangered. Have you noticed this, or are you just a passive watcher, but not a wonderer?
There are only 3 kinds of people, after all.. those who watch what happens, those who make things happen, and those who wonder "what happened?!?!". With luck, I'm generally in the first 2 categories, and I strive to stay out of the 3rd one. Still, when I find myself in that 3rd category, I use failure analysis to try to determine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and with luck, how I can prevent recurrences in the future. I learned it long ago from an article on a major glass maker; I figure if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.
Throughout history, and until recently, everything I've read about the oceans and the "New" world (i.e., Turtle Island, my Peoples' home) stated how "limitless" they are. The prairies, the buffalo, the passenger pigeons, the virgin forests, the fish, the water, the air, the sky. What a gigantic lie!
Just as there ain't no free ride, there ain't no such thing as "limitless", at least within the bubble we live in - the biosphere surrounding and including our Holy Mother the Earth. And if you notice, every entity I listed above as considered "limitless" is now either extinct or in danger of extinction.
The only tall grass prairie left is the Flint Hills in Kansas. The buffalo have been brought back from near extinction - there were fewer than 500 left when someone decided to save them.. The passenger pigeon is gone. Saving virgin forests from loggers is a constant battle, and there aren't many patches of them left - certainly nothing like the thousands of square miles that were here when the enviornmental rapists began invading from Europe. Fish? Over 90% of the oceans' fish stocks are gone due to over-fishing. Over-fishing, of course, is due to 2 things - gross human over-population and waste of caught species not intended to be caught. Water pollution is an ongoing battle; and recently there was a spate of articles on contaminants found in every water sample tested, from every part of the land. Air pollution is rampant - witnessed by smog, often called 'the price of progress' by enviro-rapists.. If that's progress, I'll take regress gladly, although the fact is, much 'progress' can be had without pollution - it is simple greed that makes the enviro-rapists fight so hard against doing things in a responsible fashion, and showing respect for our Holy Mother the earth and our place in the web of life. But then, such people don't respect anything - including themselves - thus they fight having to show that they don't know what respect is, and that they don't know how to show it.. As for the skies - satellites, airplanes, rockets crowd the skies. It's nearly impossible to go anywhere on earth - no matter how isolated, and not see one of more of them, or evidence thereof..
Once again, we has met the enemy, and he is us, takoszja. Humans. Not the "mightiest" species on earth save in one way - the potential to cause utter devastation by means of irresponsible treatment of the many resources available to us from Her bounty. Humans made the problem, other humans can turn the mess around - provided enough of us 'other' humans get busy and act.. The time is now. Actually, it was decades ago. Catch-up is never a fun game. Pity we 'other' humans have allowed this mess to develop.. My prayer is that it's not too late. The spiritual responsibility for the devastation that has occurred rides in varying degree on every one who has treated the biosphere with disrespect.
So what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
I was reading a back issue of National Geographic this morning as I ate breakfast and there were several articles on decimation of species, both land and sea.
It occurs to me that the tone of National Geographic's articles has changed in the past roughly 10 years, from reporting on how marvelous various places and/or species are to how endangered. Have you noticed this, or are you just a passive watcher, but not a wonderer?
There are only 3 kinds of people, after all.. those who watch what happens, those who make things happen, and those who wonder "what happened?!?!". With luck, I'm generally in the first 2 categories, and I strive to stay out of the 3rd one. Still, when I find myself in that 3rd category, I use failure analysis to try to determine what went wrong, why it went wrong, and with luck, how I can prevent recurrences in the future. I learned it long ago from an article on a major glass maker; I figure if it was good enough for them, it's certainly good enough for me.
Throughout history, and until recently, everything I've read about the oceans and the "New" world (i.e., Turtle Island, my Peoples' home) stated how "limitless" they are. The prairies, the buffalo, the passenger pigeons, the virgin forests, the fish, the water, the air, the sky. What a gigantic lie!
Just as there ain't no free ride, there ain't no such thing as "limitless", at least within the bubble we live in - the biosphere surrounding and including our Holy Mother the Earth. And if you notice, every entity I listed above as considered "limitless" is now either extinct or in danger of extinction.
The only tall grass prairie left is the Flint Hills in Kansas. The buffalo have been brought back from near extinction - there were fewer than 500 left when someone decided to save them.. The passenger pigeon is gone. Saving virgin forests from loggers is a constant battle, and there aren't many patches of them left - certainly nothing like the thousands of square miles that were here when the enviornmental rapists began invading from Europe. Fish? Over 90% of the oceans' fish stocks are gone due to over-fishing. Over-fishing, of course, is due to 2 things - gross human over-population and waste of caught species not intended to be caught. Water pollution is an ongoing battle; and recently there was a spate of articles on contaminants found in every water sample tested, from every part of the land. Air pollution is rampant - witnessed by smog, often called 'the price of progress' by enviro-rapists.. If that's progress, I'll take regress gladly, although the fact is, much 'progress' can be had without pollution - it is simple greed that makes the enviro-rapists fight so hard against doing things in a responsible fashion, and showing respect for our Holy Mother the earth and our place in the web of life. But then, such people don't respect anything - including themselves - thus they fight having to show that they don't know what respect is, and that they don't know how to show it.. As for the skies - satellites, airplanes, rockets crowd the skies. It's nearly impossible to go anywhere on earth - no matter how isolated, and not see one of more of them, or evidence thereof..
Once again, we has met the enemy, and he is us, takoszja. Humans. Not the "mightiest" species on earth save in one way - the potential to cause utter devastation by means of irresponsible treatment of the many resources available to us from Her bounty. Humans made the problem, other humans can turn the mess around - provided enough of us 'other' humans get busy and act.. The time is now. Actually, it was decades ago. Catch-up is never a fun game. Pity we 'other' humans have allowed this mess to develop.. My prayer is that it's not too late. The spiritual responsibility for the devastation that has occurred rides in varying degree on every one who has treated the biosphere with disrespect.
So what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
On Motivation
Hanh mitakuyapi. Motivation is an interesting thing. It comes from attitude, some sage has said, and is "everything" when it comes to whatever results one produces. I'm not entirely sure this is always true. Motivation comes from many sources, in my mind; some of them downright funny.
I was out at my initipi - sweat lodge - recently, working in the river it sits next to. I was wearing chest-high neoprene waders I had borrowed from a friend, as I thought the water would be too cold to wade in this time of year. Since I had had fibromyalgia since before the condition had a name, I avoid becoming cold and wet whenever possible, as I 'rust' and stiffen like the tin woodsman if I don't.
The day was alternately darkly cloudy - sometimes spitting rain - and partly cloudy - partly sunny. Beautiful day no matter, with scudding clouds, light breeze, and warm temperatures.
Anyway, when I waded into the river to plant sweet grass (wah-CHAHNH-gha) along the banks, I found that the muck close to the bank was half-way to my knees, making movement difficult; and that the water was actually quite warm. It felt like bath water, in fact.
Since my friend's waders have size 12 boots and they came up under my armpits, I decided not to wriggle my way back out of them, and just go on. Besides, the muck would ruin the only shoes I had with me, and I didn't want to do that, either. I looked pretty cute, you can be sure. So? I don't care.. I was there to do holy work, not be in a fashion show.
I shplucked my way slowly along the bank, the muck suuucking on the boots and trying to pull them off my feet with every step, making holes & inserting plugs of sweet grass,, then scooping water up and mudding the plugs in. Sweet grass is a marsh plant and loves being wet. It should be ecstatically happy where I put it. That's my hope and prayer..
Suddenly, the light dimmed enough suddenly enough to make me look up. Dark charcoal grey clouds were racing in from the northwest. Then the breeze picked up considerably. It was going to rain again, and it didn't look like it would just be mist this time.
Since the lodge site's entry road is difficult to get up or down in dry times, I didn't really want to get stuck there should we have a gully-washer rain. The Plains is notorious for gully-washers, and I would be camping there for a day or two if I got stuck. It wouldn't be a big problem, but it would inconvenient. I thought I would put in another plug of sweet grass and then head to the pickup, get out of the waders, and leave. Apparently the Spirits had another idea.
Suddenly less than a minute later, there was an earth-shaking CRACK! of thunder behind me on the ridge above the river! Thunder comes from lightning. Any water attracts lightning, certainly a river does.. And the charge travels up and down the river some distance from the strike, if the lightning hits the water. Neoprene waders or not, the Spirits were telling me I needed to leave the river "Right now!" This last thought occurred to me in a flash as I hauled myself up the bank and my size 12 boots out of the muck at a speed admirable in athletes, which I no longer am. (Most of the time, I walk with a pronounced limp from a number of old injuries.) Muck or no muck, oversize boots or no, I literally leaped up out of the river like SuperWoman and landed on the bank, scrambling for higher ground. Truly a video camera moment, and of course, no camera.
(a) There's never a video camera handy when these sights occur, and (b) cameras are not allowed at holy sights such as sweat lodges. Yes, takoszja, it is about 'capturing the spirit of the moment'. Thus no cameras are allowed to be used.
I clomped to the pickup, where the dog was at the end of his cable, panting to get back in the truck, and put him in. Then I did a really fancy wriggling dance to get out of the waders and put them away while jamming on shoes. Through all of this, the drumming of thunder, rising in intensity, but no rain. Insistent, the spirits are, sometimes..
I started the pickup and trundled up the access road out of the valley and as I got to the top of the hill, lightning began to dance along the ridges on both sides of the river. The cell phone can see a tower from up there, so I called my friend who lives further up the road & told her where I was and that I was going to wait out the rain and the lightning before coming by for a visit, since there are gates to open and close, and lightning likes to run along fence wire almost as much as it likes to play in water. She thought that was a super idea.
Forty-five minutes or so later, the rain, lightning, and thunder had passed by. I had some beautiful pictures of the greening ridges around the river. The lightnings did not come to shake my hand at any time. And the sweet grass was well mudded-in - a good omen, even if my leaving the river lacked grace and dignity.
I was out at my initipi - sweat lodge - recently, working in the river it sits next to. I was wearing chest-high neoprene waders I had borrowed from a friend, as I thought the water would be too cold to wade in this time of year. Since I had had fibromyalgia since before the condition had a name, I avoid becoming cold and wet whenever possible, as I 'rust' and stiffen like the tin woodsman if I don't.
The day was alternately darkly cloudy - sometimes spitting rain - and partly cloudy - partly sunny. Beautiful day no matter, with scudding clouds, light breeze, and warm temperatures.
Anyway, when I waded into the river to plant sweet grass (wah-CHAHNH-gha) along the banks, I found that the muck close to the bank was half-way to my knees, making movement difficult; and that the water was actually quite warm. It felt like bath water, in fact.
Since my friend's waders have size 12 boots and they came up under my armpits, I decided not to wriggle my way back out of them, and just go on. Besides, the muck would ruin the only shoes I had with me, and I didn't want to do that, either. I looked pretty cute, you can be sure. So? I don't care.. I was there to do holy work, not be in a fashion show.
I shplucked my way slowly along the bank, the muck suuucking on the boots and trying to pull them off my feet with every step, making holes & inserting plugs of sweet grass,, then scooping water up and mudding the plugs in. Sweet grass is a marsh plant and loves being wet. It should be ecstatically happy where I put it. That's my hope and prayer..
Suddenly, the light dimmed enough suddenly enough to make me look up. Dark charcoal grey clouds were racing in from the northwest. Then the breeze picked up considerably. It was going to rain again, and it didn't look like it would just be mist this time.
Since the lodge site's entry road is difficult to get up or down in dry times, I didn't really want to get stuck there should we have a gully-washer rain. The Plains is notorious for gully-washers, and I would be camping there for a day or two if I got stuck. It wouldn't be a big problem, but it would inconvenient. I thought I would put in another plug of sweet grass and then head to the pickup, get out of the waders, and leave. Apparently the Spirits had another idea.
Suddenly less than a minute later, there was an earth-shaking CRACK! of thunder behind me on the ridge above the river! Thunder comes from lightning. Any water attracts lightning, certainly a river does.. And the charge travels up and down the river some distance from the strike, if the lightning hits the water. Neoprene waders or not, the Spirits were telling me I needed to leave the river "Right now!" This last thought occurred to me in a flash as I hauled myself up the bank and my size 12 boots out of the muck at a speed admirable in athletes, which I no longer am. (Most of the time, I walk with a pronounced limp from a number of old injuries.) Muck or no muck, oversize boots or no, I literally leaped up out of the river like SuperWoman and landed on the bank, scrambling for higher ground. Truly a video camera moment, and of course, no camera.
(a) There's never a video camera handy when these sights occur, and (b) cameras are not allowed at holy sights such as sweat lodges. Yes, takoszja, it is about 'capturing the spirit of the moment'. Thus no cameras are allowed to be used.
I clomped to the pickup, where the dog was at the end of his cable, panting to get back in the truck, and put him in. Then I did a really fancy wriggling dance to get out of the waders and put them away while jamming on shoes. Through all of this, the drumming of thunder, rising in intensity, but no rain. Insistent, the spirits are, sometimes..
I started the pickup and trundled up the access road out of the valley and as I got to the top of the hill, lightning began to dance along the ridges on both sides of the river. The cell phone can see a tower from up there, so I called my friend who lives further up the road & told her where I was and that I was going to wait out the rain and the lightning before coming by for a visit, since there are gates to open and close, and lightning likes to run along fence wire almost as much as it likes to play in water. She thought that was a super idea.
Forty-five minutes or so later, the rain, lightning, and thunder had passed by. I had some beautiful pictures of the greening ridges around the river. The lightnings did not come to shake my hand at any time. And the sweet grass was well mudded-in - a good omen, even if my leaving the river lacked grace and dignity.
Friday, May 30, 2008
China, Quakes, Population Problem
Hanh mitakuyapi. We've been reading about the death count after the earthquakes in China since May 12, and the number appears pretty hefty.
To those who have lost loved ones, the immediate impact and loss are tragedies, of course.
But in the face of human over-population of our Holy Mother the Earth - most of it in China - is 68,000 really all that many? I can hear the flack already from the "humans are sacred" camp, but the answer really is, "No. It's such a tiny drop in the bucket, that compared to the burden humans have become on the earth, it is negligible. Let's run the numbers and get a new - more realistic - perspective.
The current estimate of human population on our Holy Mother the Earth is 6 billion 500 million. That's 6,500,000,000. The death count in China is about 68,000. If you divide 68,000 by 6,500,000,000 - breaking it down in easy steps - you get 68 / 6,500,000; or about 1/ 1,000,000. If you want to express this number as a percentage, it is 1/10,000 of 1 %, or 0.0001 %.
In terms anyone can relate to, if you have 1,000,000 $1 bills in a room and you lose one of them, can you tell at a glance? No. Is there 'noticeably' more air, water, food, or space in the room? No.
Our Holy Mother the Earth is our "room". We humans all share her bounty for our entire lives. We ITI refer to the earth as our Mother because She provides us with every physical thing we need to survive during our lives. The passing of 68,000 humans from this life is not a tragedy for them. They have no cares now.
Unfortunately, the loss of 0.0001% of the current human population is not a real big stress-reliever relative to the needs of the rest of us who share the room on this planet - the Standing Nation (plants; rain forest, for example); the water people (fish, many species in danger of extinction from over-fishing to feed humans); the four-leggeds (too many to mention, especially those in danger of extinction due to human over-population); and concerning all.. global warming, which is caused by human activities - and there are too many humans. The ongoing mass die-offs of bees is a warning sign no one should ignore - most of our food crops require bees to pollinate them or we get no crops!
The most responsible thing humans can do these days is not reproduce themselves. We should be rewarding women who refuse to have babies and men who refuse to sire them. This doesn't mean living without bed-sports; it means dedicated use of contraceptives, including tying tubes and vasectomies. It also means ceasing to caterwaul about human deaths as 'tragedies' when in reality, they contribute to saving the rest of the world from mass extinctions. Every 'drop' counts, in this bucket..
So - what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
To those who have lost loved ones, the immediate impact and loss are tragedies, of course.
But in the face of human over-population of our Holy Mother the Earth - most of it in China - is 68,000 really all that many? I can hear the flack already from the "humans are sacred" camp, but the answer really is, "No. It's such a tiny drop in the bucket, that compared to the burden humans have become on the earth, it is negligible. Let's run the numbers and get a new - more realistic - perspective.
The current estimate of human population on our Holy Mother the Earth is 6 billion 500 million. That's 6,500,000,000. The death count in China is about 68,000. If you divide 68,000 by 6,500,000,000 - breaking it down in easy steps - you get 68 / 6,500,000; or about 1/ 1,000,000. If you want to express this number as a percentage, it is 1/10,000 of 1 %, or 0.0001 %.
In terms anyone can relate to, if you have 1,000,000 $1 bills in a room and you lose one of them, can you tell at a glance? No. Is there 'noticeably' more air, water, food, or space in the room? No.
Our Holy Mother the Earth is our "room". We humans all share her bounty for our entire lives. We ITI refer to the earth as our Mother because She provides us with every physical thing we need to survive during our lives. The passing of 68,000 humans from this life is not a tragedy for them. They have no cares now.
Unfortunately, the loss of 0.0001% of the current human population is not a real big stress-reliever relative to the needs of the rest of us who share the room on this planet - the Standing Nation (plants; rain forest, for example); the water people (fish, many species in danger of extinction from over-fishing to feed humans); the four-leggeds (too many to mention, especially those in danger of extinction due to human over-population); and concerning all.. global warming, which is caused by human activities - and there are too many humans. The ongoing mass die-offs of bees is a warning sign no one should ignore - most of our food crops require bees to pollinate them or we get no crops!
The most responsible thing humans can do these days is not reproduce themselves. We should be rewarding women who refuse to have babies and men who refuse to sire them. This doesn't mean living without bed-sports; it means dedicated use of contraceptives, including tying tubes and vasectomies. It also means ceasing to caterwaul about human deaths as 'tragedies' when in reality, they contribute to saving the rest of the world from mass extinctions. Every 'drop' counts, in this bucket..
So - what have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
Scam Warning for Writers
Hanh mitakuyapi. I don't have much patience with whining, but I'm fond of complaining when complaint is due. This post is a complaint as well as a warning.
Recently there have been sites coming out on the Web for writers. Some of them promise payment for your writings. They appear to be practice sites as well as posting places for aspiring writers.
I'm not an "aspiring" writer - I've got over 30 copyrights; I've been published since high school (when guys went around in iron suits, rescuing damsels and fighting dragons..) The site interested me, though, so I began to read and rate for one of them - Helium.
Until very recently, I was the "Job Search" sub-channel steward for this site. They promise payment for "contestants" who read and write for the site, so over the winter, I wrote and rated enough for the site to receive an email from them telling me I had earned $194.00 in a "competition" that was to end April 14, 2008.
Suddenly on April 2, 2008, I could not access the site. Others tried and they couldn't access my account, either. It was there, but I couldn't get "on". I immediately became suspicious. My contacts further up the hierarchy assured me there was no reason for my suspicions, and they felt "terrible" on my behalf. They did what they could to straighten out the problem, they said.
Except it didn't straighten out, and ultimately, the highest ranking of these people told me she "had" to go along with "the wisdom of those higher up" who "have a bigger view" of the site and those who write for it - they weren't paying me the $194.00 the email stated unequivocally I had earned. I had definitely earned it; there is no doubt.
I lambasted her and them and left the site.
So - if you are an "aspiring" writer looking for pay for your words - avoid "Helium". We can't say they're full of hot air over there, but we can say you can't breathe their atmosphere and survive over there, and they are nothing but dishonest and a scam.
Recently there have been sites coming out on the Web for writers. Some of them promise payment for your writings. They appear to be practice sites as well as posting places for aspiring writers.
I'm not an "aspiring" writer - I've got over 30 copyrights; I've been published since high school (when guys went around in iron suits, rescuing damsels and fighting dragons..) The site interested me, though, so I began to read and rate for one of them - Helium.
Until very recently, I was the "Job Search" sub-channel steward for this site. They promise payment for "contestants" who read and write for the site, so over the winter, I wrote and rated enough for the site to receive an email from them telling me I had earned $194.00 in a "competition" that was to end April 14, 2008.
Suddenly on April 2, 2008, I could not access the site. Others tried and they couldn't access my account, either. It was there, but I couldn't get "on". I immediately became suspicious. My contacts further up the hierarchy assured me there was no reason for my suspicions, and they felt "terrible" on my behalf. They did what they could to straighten out the problem, they said.
Except it didn't straighten out, and ultimately, the highest ranking of these people told me she "had" to go along with "the wisdom of those higher up" who "have a bigger view" of the site and those who write for it - they weren't paying me the $194.00 the email stated unequivocally I had earned. I had definitely earned it; there is no doubt.
I lambasted her and them and left the site.
So - if you are an "aspiring" writer looking for pay for your words - avoid "Helium". We can't say they're full of hot air over there, but we can say you can't breathe their atmosphere and survive over there, and they are nothing but dishonest and a scam.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Shut Down What??
Hanh mitakuyapi. I've been sick on and off the whole last year or so, and most of the time, didn't know it. A-maz-ing! I all-but-never get sick. Injured, yes; sick, practically never.
Given that I have fibromyalgia, I thought it was something to do with that. Turns out I was wrong.
My life is stressful to a degree most people can't imagine. "Ordinary" mortals will say - and have - "So relax! Take some time off! Take it easy!" I am the Woman who Dances The Four Winds, so this is not an option for me like it is for the rest of you. The Four Winds is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world (Indn world first). The Spirits have made this plainly and abundantly clear to me. No complaints.. It's why I'm here. Sooner or later, I would have ended up back here on the earth, doing what I am.
But somewhere in 'the fine print' there's a catch. Namely that if the physical body feels enough of certain kinds of stress, it can shut down, either in part or in whole. Mine shut down in part, and nearly 'in whole' last year.
Once we had a handle on this, we could begin treating it to some degree. But.... I'm a Traditional healer of my People and majority culture medicine doesn't generally do me much good. It often has harmed me, in fact.
What shut down? My endocrine system; and when it did, it either took my liver with it or the liver hiccupped and took the endocrine system with it - seems you can't have one operate properly without the other.
I'm mending now - taking lots of supplements, both nutritional and herbal, to detoxify my system and then to rebuild it again. But it is another adventure of the type - I'd rather have heard about it....
Symptoms - you might like those.. No energy. None. Desperate need to rest even after only being up a short time; not resting when sleeping. Stiffness far worse than usual. Inability to focus up close. For someone who makes a chunk of her living doing beadwork and leather restoration, this is crucial! No strength despite good muscle tone. Strange colors to urine and feces. since I've lived healthy all my life, these symptoms really bothered. Inability to keep my mind on things. No concentration.
It finally came to a head one morning when I woke up and found that, while I could move my fingers and toes, I couldn't move them quickly, and I couldn't turn over! I didn't have enough strength or energy to move. It took close to 20 minutes to wiggle around to where I could move an arm to get the phone so I could call a friend for help.
She came, I told her how to find and massage acupressure points for energy and tonifying, she did, and I eventually could move enough to crawl to the bathroom. Maybe this isn't important for you on waking, but it is for me, and has been my entire life. Crawling to get around is not high on my list of fun things to do, by the way..
I'm recovering now. I'm not "into" long, drawn-out 'leavings', so I like this. For all of you Type A's out there - you might think about this as a repulsive option to simply dropping dead from stress. Just a thought, on behalf of your loved ones.
Given that I have fibromyalgia, I thought it was something to do with that. Turns out I was wrong.
My life is stressful to a degree most people can't imagine. "Ordinary" mortals will say - and have - "So relax! Take some time off! Take it easy!" I am the Woman who Dances The Four Winds, so this is not an option for me like it is for the rest of you. The Four Winds is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world (Indn world first). The Spirits have made this plainly and abundantly clear to me. No complaints.. It's why I'm here. Sooner or later, I would have ended up back here on the earth, doing what I am.
But somewhere in 'the fine print' there's a catch. Namely that if the physical body feels enough of certain kinds of stress, it can shut down, either in part or in whole. Mine shut down in part, and nearly 'in whole' last year.
Once we had a handle on this, we could begin treating it to some degree. But.... I'm a Traditional healer of my People and majority culture medicine doesn't generally do me much good. It often has harmed me, in fact.
What shut down? My endocrine system; and when it did, it either took my liver with it or the liver hiccupped and took the endocrine system with it - seems you can't have one operate properly without the other.
I'm mending now - taking lots of supplements, both nutritional and herbal, to detoxify my system and then to rebuild it again. But it is another adventure of the type - I'd rather have heard about it....
Symptoms - you might like those.. No energy. None. Desperate need to rest even after only being up a short time; not resting when sleeping. Stiffness far worse than usual. Inability to focus up close. For someone who makes a chunk of her living doing beadwork and leather restoration, this is crucial! No strength despite good muscle tone. Strange colors to urine and feces. since I've lived healthy all my life, these symptoms really bothered. Inability to keep my mind on things. No concentration.
It finally came to a head one morning when I woke up and found that, while I could move my fingers and toes, I couldn't move them quickly, and I couldn't turn over! I didn't have enough strength or energy to move. It took close to 20 minutes to wiggle around to where I could move an arm to get the phone so I could call a friend for help.
She came, I told her how to find and massage acupressure points for energy and tonifying, she did, and I eventually could move enough to crawl to the bathroom. Maybe this isn't important for you on waking, but it is for me, and has been my entire life. Crawling to get around is not high on my list of fun things to do, by the way..
I'm recovering now. I'm not "into" long, drawn-out 'leavings', so I like this. For all of you Type A's out there - you might think about this as a repulsive option to simply dropping dead from stress. Just a thought, on behalf of your loved ones.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Obama, Elitists, and Jeremiah Wrong
Hanh mitakuyapi. I got an email from a political site recently asking for comments on Obama, elitists and elitism, and Jeremiah "Wright"s comments. Let's discuss JW first.
Jeremiah "Wright" is well & truly Wrong. About nearly everything I've heard him comment on. That said, we come to some Traditional Lakota Teachings about such: (1) Bad words are like the wind blowing around you. Ignore them and keep to your trail. (2) Some statements are so stupid, they don't deserve the dignity of further response. This proves that lack of response does not mean you thought the speaker was right.. Remember "the silent majority".. They subscribe to this Teaching.
Reconsider (1) and ignore the noisy mouths such as J Wrong. If all else fails or you need reinforcement for (1) and (2) above, there's (3) Consider the source (of the remarks) and rise above it. Is sometimes harder to do than it sounds, but is well worth the effort. It's about dignity and keeping your self-respect.
On to elitists and elitism. My perspective on them is, elitists are people of small souls, small minds, and small views. They 'think' others "suck up" to them.
Since I Walk with a Holy Pipe, there is no one for me to "suck up" to, so I don't..
In our Lakota Way, the Teaching about that for 'everyone else' is, "As the Keeper of a Pipe lives, so live the People who come close to Them." So now there's no "sucking up" for you, either. So much for elitists and elitism. And with luck, Obama. And Hilary. And John McC. I plan to write in either "None of the above. Give us some REAL choices for a change!" or vote for my dog. His name is Chakli, if you want to join me.. (It means "coal" in my language.)
On Obama.. I haven't liked the man since he first began to run, and it has taken awhile for me to figure out why. He's what we ITI call "a salesman". He's an elitist, he's slick, and while he seems to believe he's telling us the truth, I don't hear the ring of it when he speaks. My gut reaction is to tune him out and look elsewhere for a candidate for President. My gut reactions have never been wrong, and I'm a great grandmother now..
When GWB first ran for President, I asked myself my standard question for determining if I should vote for him - "would I buy a used vehicle from this person knowing no more about him/her than I do right now?" My gut reaction was a screaming, "No! No way!" History has proven my gut reaction right, hmm?
I'll talk about Hilary and John McC separately. Back to Obama..
He doesn't seem to be part of the mainstream black 'tribe'. He strikes me as some kind of sellout, from whatever "black tribe mindset" may exist, to what I call "white middle-class blahness". He has made disparaging remarks about "blackness" in America. He and his wife made $4.6 million in 2007, which definitely puts him apart from mainstream blacks in the U.S. He just doesn't seem real.
What he reminds me of most is Bill Clinton without the dick-think problem. He wants what he wants, and to heck with what we want. Or need. He 'thinks' he knows better than the rest of us what we most need. I'm always leery of people like that.
Obama reaches out, but he doesn't make contact. Not with this Indn, anyway. And to heck with what "the tribes" have decided. Tribal councils have almost never been in line with the wants and needs of their People since some time in the 1850's, and more so since IRA 1934. So don't be fooled that most ITI want Obama just because some tribal councils have said they think he's the best choice. The majority of us ITI don't necessarily agree.
Jeremiah "Wright" is well & truly Wrong. About nearly everything I've heard him comment on. That said, we come to some Traditional Lakota Teachings about such: (1) Bad words are like the wind blowing around you. Ignore them and keep to your trail. (2) Some statements are so stupid, they don't deserve the dignity of further response. This proves that lack of response does not mean you thought the speaker was right.. Remember "the silent majority".. They subscribe to this Teaching.
Reconsider (1) and ignore the noisy mouths such as J Wrong. If all else fails or you need reinforcement for (1) and (2) above, there's (3) Consider the source (of the remarks) and rise above it. Is sometimes harder to do than it sounds, but is well worth the effort. It's about dignity and keeping your self-respect.
On to elitists and elitism. My perspective on them is, elitists are people of small souls, small minds, and small views. They 'think' others "suck up" to them.
Since I Walk with a Holy Pipe, there is no one for me to "suck up" to, so I don't..
In our Lakota Way, the Teaching about that for 'everyone else' is, "As the Keeper of a Pipe lives, so live the People who come close to Them." So now there's no "sucking up" for you, either. So much for elitists and elitism. And with luck, Obama. And Hilary. And John McC. I plan to write in either "None of the above. Give us some REAL choices for a change!" or vote for my dog. His name is Chakli, if you want to join me.. (It means "coal" in my language.)
On Obama.. I haven't liked the man since he first began to run, and it has taken awhile for me to figure out why. He's what we ITI call "a salesman". He's an elitist, he's slick, and while he seems to believe he's telling us the truth, I don't hear the ring of it when he speaks. My gut reaction is to tune him out and look elsewhere for a candidate for President. My gut reactions have never been wrong, and I'm a great grandmother now..
When GWB first ran for President, I asked myself my standard question for determining if I should vote for him - "would I buy a used vehicle from this person knowing no more about him/her than I do right now?" My gut reaction was a screaming, "No! No way!" History has proven my gut reaction right, hmm?
I'll talk about Hilary and John McC separately. Back to Obama..
He doesn't seem to be part of the mainstream black 'tribe'. He strikes me as some kind of sellout, from whatever "black tribe mindset" may exist, to what I call "white middle-class blahness". He has made disparaging remarks about "blackness" in America. He and his wife made $4.6 million in 2007, which definitely puts him apart from mainstream blacks in the U.S. He just doesn't seem real.
What he reminds me of most is Bill Clinton without the dick-think problem. He wants what he wants, and to heck with what we want. Or need. He 'thinks' he knows better than the rest of us what we most need. I'm always leery of people like that.
Obama reaches out, but he doesn't make contact. Not with this Indn, anyway. And to heck with what "the tribes" have decided. Tribal councils have almost never been in line with the wants and needs of their People since some time in the 1850's, and more so since IRA 1934. So don't be fooled that most ITI want Obama just because some tribal councils have said they think he's the best choice. The majority of us ITI don't necessarily agree.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
On Food, Fuel, and the Going Price of a Barrel of Crude Oil
Today in Dakota Territory, gasoline is $3.60 / gallon, and #2 diesel is $4.20 / gallon, and a barrel of crude oil is $120. People are beginning to cry out about "the peril to the millions" who won't be able to afford food, fuel, and entertainment, or "their current lifestyle". My sympathy basket is about empty, takoszja.. Because I've been speaking about these things - as have hundreds, perhaps thousands of others, for decades.
And the rest of you have been ignoring us, and the facts we speak of. Now it appears the facts are speaking for themselves so loudly you cannot ignore them any longer. Well, we tried.
Let's do a bit of simple arithmetic and see where this is going. Let's pretend the price of a barrel of crude oil has already hit $200. Where will the costs of gasoline and #2 diesel fuel be then? Divide 200 by 120, you will get 5/3. Multiply that by $3.60 and $4.20, and you will get $6.00 and $7.00 respectively.
Now do that with food, heating fuels, and clothing, and you will see that: the current fad in having more than 2 children will go away quickly; the current fad in the U.S. of building huge houses (that require amazing amounts of fuel to heat) will come to a screeching halt; and as a result, you will see a huge sudden increase in the number of homeless, followed by a fast decrease in the number of homeless - as they starve and freeze to deat any place where winter temperatures drop below freezing at night - along with a concomittant rise in the buzzard population, since there isn't likely to be enough land to bury these individuals except in mass graves.
You will also see a huge rise in rustling of food animals, and of garden vegetables.
Doomsday predictions? Not at all. When the prices of food and fuel rise to the point where people must choose between feeding their close ones and altruism, they will feed their close ones and altruism will take a hike into history until costs and prices stabilize and the American public lives a more realistic lifestyle than it has for at least the past 50 years.
No more fast boats and huge motors to push them, jet skis, motorhomes, SUVs getting 9 mpg, snowmobiles, 4-wheelers, etc., etc. No more jetaway vacations, and maybe a huge decrease in airlines. Well, it will mean much shorter lines for those who can - or need to - travel....
We will see a big run to telecommuting, I expect.. and a much more environmentally-friendly perspective than we have seen for dona hey decades in the U.S. My company, Indian Maid Products, Inc., which makes passive solar heaters and coolers, will probably do well, if we can get enough fuel to send a crew to install our units. We'll certainly try - we've been trying for decades..
But you know what really 'gets' to me about this fuel thing? It has been planned-for for over 20 years by those silent, shadowy figures who run the U.S. economy. This is no conspiracy theory; it is fact. I know this because in the early 1980's, I spent considerable time working for and around high-ranking state and federal people in the D.C. area, and they were working on it then. Given my security clearance of the time and the fact that The Rule was, "if you tell the story, you cannot name names or places specifically", they openly discussed these things in front of me - and others, I am sure. Why did it do no good to tell you?
Because you were so taken with your own perspectives that you narcissistic people refused to believe the facts when they were set clearly in front of you. Just about a year ago, a speaker told people in Minot, ND that the price of a barrel of crude oil was going to hit $120, and the audience (of business 'leaders') laughed him off the stage. A few months ago, this same speaker told these same people that oil is likely to hit $200 a barrel, and this time, almost no one laughed.
Just the same, I don't expect to see any major change in the lifestyles of most U.S. folk until oil actually does hit $200 a barrel, because Disneyism and t.v. have taught the majority of people to believe in 20-minute solutions to huge problems and that "someone" will "save" us. It may be that someone will save you, but the facts of physics and the real world say it won't be in a short time, nor will you be able to live in the same old ways with the same old disregard and disrespect for the rest of the world, including the environment.
I think I'm going to enjoy watching that.. Given all the szit I've taken from so many of you for living "greenly" for all of my life.... Whod'a thunk an old woman could have so much fun watching the Wheel turn? Not me.
And isn't that a hoot..
And the rest of you have been ignoring us, and the facts we speak of. Now it appears the facts are speaking for themselves so loudly you cannot ignore them any longer. Well, we tried.
Let's do a bit of simple arithmetic and see where this is going. Let's pretend the price of a barrel of crude oil has already hit $200. Where will the costs of gasoline and #2 diesel fuel be then? Divide 200 by 120, you will get 5/3. Multiply that by $3.60 and $4.20, and you will get $6.00 and $7.00 respectively.
Now do that with food, heating fuels, and clothing, and you will see that: the current fad in having more than 2 children will go away quickly; the current fad in the U.S. of building huge houses (that require amazing amounts of fuel to heat) will come to a screeching halt; and as a result, you will see a huge sudden increase in the number of homeless, followed by a fast decrease in the number of homeless - as they starve and freeze to deat any place where winter temperatures drop below freezing at night - along with a concomittant rise in the buzzard population, since there isn't likely to be enough land to bury these individuals except in mass graves.
You will also see a huge rise in rustling of food animals, and of garden vegetables.
Doomsday predictions? Not at all. When the prices of food and fuel rise to the point where people must choose between feeding their close ones and altruism, they will feed their close ones and altruism will take a hike into history until costs and prices stabilize and the American public lives a more realistic lifestyle than it has for at least the past 50 years.
No more fast boats and huge motors to push them, jet skis, motorhomes, SUVs getting 9 mpg, snowmobiles, 4-wheelers, etc., etc. No more jetaway vacations, and maybe a huge decrease in airlines. Well, it will mean much shorter lines for those who can - or need to - travel....
We will see a big run to telecommuting, I expect.. and a much more environmentally-friendly perspective than we have seen for dona hey decades in the U.S. My company, Indian Maid Products, Inc., which makes passive solar heaters and coolers, will probably do well, if we can get enough fuel to send a crew to install our units. We'll certainly try - we've been trying for decades..
But you know what really 'gets' to me about this fuel thing? It has been planned-for for over 20 years by those silent, shadowy figures who run the U.S. economy. This is no conspiracy theory; it is fact. I know this because in the early 1980's, I spent considerable time working for and around high-ranking state and federal people in the D.C. area, and they were working on it then. Given my security clearance of the time and the fact that The Rule was, "if you tell the story, you cannot name names or places specifically", they openly discussed these things in front of me - and others, I am sure. Why did it do no good to tell you?
Because you were so taken with your own perspectives that you narcissistic people refused to believe the facts when they were set clearly in front of you. Just about a year ago, a speaker told people in Minot, ND that the price of a barrel of crude oil was going to hit $120, and the audience (of business 'leaders') laughed him off the stage. A few months ago, this same speaker told these same people that oil is likely to hit $200 a barrel, and this time, almost no one laughed.
Just the same, I don't expect to see any major change in the lifestyles of most U.S. folk until oil actually does hit $200 a barrel, because Disneyism and t.v. have taught the majority of people to believe in 20-minute solutions to huge problems and that "someone" will "save" us. It may be that someone will save you, but the facts of physics and the real world say it won't be in a short time, nor will you be able to live in the same old ways with the same old disregard and disrespect for the rest of the world, including the environment.
I think I'm going to enjoy watching that.. Given all the szit I've taken from so many of you for living "greenly" for all of my life.... Whod'a thunk an old woman could have so much fun watching the Wheel turn? Not me.
And isn't that a hoot..
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Earth Day Thoughts
Hanh mitakuyapi. Yesterday was the official Earth Day here in the U.S.A. Here are some of my thoughts on it.
Every day is Earth Day, April 22 is simply a day set aside for official recognition of that fact. Why is every day Earth Day? Because we only get one earth to live on. If we humans foul this one up - and global warming says we are fast approaching the State of Fubar in this matter - we have no place to go. We are literally in a "save the game or die" situation.
I went to the local Earth Day Celebration (in Bismarck, ND) - all 4 hours of it out of the 24 hours that make up any day. There were demonstrations, a proclamation by the governor that we could all sign, and 4 talks. The 2 talks I went to were good; I learned things. This is how I judge the value of a presentation. There should have been at least 8 hours of "celebration" and many more talks.
The "celebration" had something like 20 booths. I noticed that the Sierra Club did not have a booth there. Neither did any of the major conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, which is headquartered at Bismarck, ND. I cannot help but wonder why not. Preservation and restoration of the potholes where ducks breed is excellent activity for helping our Holy Mother the Earth.
At one of the booths, there were trees being given away. We were offered a sheet with the names of 5 kinds of trees on it. The trees we were given were not labelled, so I have no idea what I got, other than that it was some member of the pine family. Had it been chokecherry, which is the ND State Tree, and holy to my People (the Lakota), I would have been happier, but I will find this tree a home and take care of it and pray that it grows. ND is high plains prairie, so trees are not common here, except along creek- and river-bottoms. This 'pine family' tree is not something we would expect to find growing in a river bottom, so now I have to do some homework to find out where best to put it. I find this lack of attention to detail bothering.
There was absolutely nothing about bale buildings or green roofs. I asked the state forester about green roofs, and he said he had heard of them, but didn't know anything about them or where to find information. Given that many square miles of the earth's surface are covered with blacktop, concrete, and buildings daily, thus taking out many square miles of plants that process carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere and so reduce global warming, I believe he should have been knowledgeable about bale buildings and green roofs. Don't you?
I made some good contacts which will enable the organizations I head - one for-profit and one non-profit - to become greener than they already are (and have been for more than 30 years).
I pointed out to the people handing out CFL bulbs that incandescent bulbs are an excellent source of heat in our houses and businesses in the winter time, and that I have made sure that we burn incandescents in the winter to take advantage of this, while burning CFLs in the non-heating months when we don't need to heat. Tain't many such months in ND, but there are some. (They bulb-handers said they hadn't thought of making use of the heat from incandescent bulbs, but realized that this is a good idea..)
I visited at length with the man from Waste Management Corporation, and told him that they need to do more advertising, since I didn't know what to do with plastic bottles, there being no known place to take them for recycling here. I also told him that since we had lots of such bottles and didn't know what else to do with them, I had our people save them in bags and when it got cold in the fall, we fired up a hammermill shredder and shredded the bottles and made packing out of them. It's excellent packing. We continue to look for other uses for it. He liked that we do that, and said he will see about more advertising of the fact that WM takes plastic.
Since I am already greatly overloaded with work, networking is something I don't do tons of. "Should", but it takes time I don't have. Still - there was not one booth that talked about solar heating, alternative energy, insulation, or any other such subjects. This is a major failing in my view. Next year, my company will have a booth at the Earth Day celebration, we believe, and we will talk about solar heating (we make a passive solar heater which can also be used for passive solar cooling in some buildings), bale buildings, and green roofs.
I Sun Dance, and I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds, which is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world. My question in this regard is, "What have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop, of which you, too, are a part?" Ask yourself this question daily and keep track of your answers. That is what Earth Day is about....
Every day is Earth Day, April 22 is simply a day set aside for official recognition of that fact. Why is every day Earth Day? Because we only get one earth to live on. If we humans foul this one up - and global warming says we are fast approaching the State of Fubar in this matter - we have no place to go. We are literally in a "save the game or die" situation.
I went to the local Earth Day Celebration (in Bismarck, ND) - all 4 hours of it out of the 24 hours that make up any day. There were demonstrations, a proclamation by the governor that we could all sign, and 4 talks. The 2 talks I went to were good; I learned things. This is how I judge the value of a presentation. There should have been at least 8 hours of "celebration" and many more talks.
The "celebration" had something like 20 booths. I noticed that the Sierra Club did not have a booth there. Neither did any of the major conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, which is headquartered at Bismarck, ND. I cannot help but wonder why not. Preservation and restoration of the potholes where ducks breed is excellent activity for helping our Holy Mother the Earth.
At one of the booths, there were trees being given away. We were offered a sheet with the names of 5 kinds of trees on it. The trees we were given were not labelled, so I have no idea what I got, other than that it was some member of the pine family. Had it been chokecherry, which is the ND State Tree, and holy to my People (the Lakota), I would have been happier, but I will find this tree a home and take care of it and pray that it grows. ND is high plains prairie, so trees are not common here, except along creek- and river-bottoms. This 'pine family' tree is not something we would expect to find growing in a river bottom, so now I have to do some homework to find out where best to put it. I find this lack of attention to detail bothering.
There was absolutely nothing about bale buildings or green roofs. I asked the state forester about green roofs, and he said he had heard of them, but didn't know anything about them or where to find information. Given that many square miles of the earth's surface are covered with blacktop, concrete, and buildings daily, thus taking out many square miles of plants that process carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere and so reduce global warming, I believe he should have been knowledgeable about bale buildings and green roofs. Don't you?
I made some good contacts which will enable the organizations I head - one for-profit and one non-profit - to become greener than they already are (and have been for more than 30 years).
I pointed out to the people handing out CFL bulbs that incandescent bulbs are an excellent source of heat in our houses and businesses in the winter time, and that I have made sure that we burn incandescents in the winter to take advantage of this, while burning CFLs in the non-heating months when we don't need to heat. Tain't many such months in ND, but there are some. (They bulb-handers said they hadn't thought of making use of the heat from incandescent bulbs, but realized that this is a good idea..)
I visited at length with the man from Waste Management Corporation, and told him that they need to do more advertising, since I didn't know what to do with plastic bottles, there being no known place to take them for recycling here. I also told him that since we had lots of such bottles and didn't know what else to do with them, I had our people save them in bags and when it got cold in the fall, we fired up a hammermill shredder and shredded the bottles and made packing out of them. It's excellent packing. We continue to look for other uses for it. He liked that we do that, and said he will see about more advertising of the fact that WM takes plastic.
Since I am already greatly overloaded with work, networking is something I don't do tons of. "Should", but it takes time I don't have. Still - there was not one booth that talked about solar heating, alternative energy, insulation, or any other such subjects. This is a major failing in my view. Next year, my company will have a booth at the Earth Day celebration, we believe, and we will talk about solar heating (we make a passive solar heater which can also be used for passive solar cooling in some buildings), bale buildings, and green roofs.
I Sun Dance, and I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds, which is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world. My question in this regard is, "What have you done today to help heal the Sacred Hoop, of which you, too, are a part?" Ask yourself this question daily and keep track of your answers. That is what Earth Day is about....
Re the grizzly bear the killed his handler that is in the headlines today -
"Bambi" is NOT reality. The reality is, people call such bears 'tame', but the bears have neither read the book, nor agreed with its premise, that persuades supposedly superior and supposedly more intelligent humans that bears can be 'tamed'. In short, they are not 'tame', and they never will be. The bear should be left to live and handled in some other way, since it can't be returned to the wild. Walt Disney & his dream-films are the worst thing to happen to wild animals since DDT and dioxin.
As for the story about grizzlies in Yellowstone - "Are there too many bears in Yellowstone?" No, there are too many HUMANS, the same as every other place on earth. Just because some Bambi-ite with more money than brains wants to build a house in or on the edge of a National Forest or other National Wilderness Preserve, DOES NOT mean they should be allowed to. Yellowstone National Park is not a zoo. The animals and flora that live there year round have precedence over the humans who come there to visit. The humans are said to be smarter - the humans need to be educated so they treat Yellowstone's inhabitants with respect instead of Pollyanna attitudes.
I hunt, with bow, guns, and cameras, and I admire the wild animals tremendously, but I don't think in terms of cuddling up to something with 4"-long claws and 3"-long fangs, such as a grizzly, or hand-feeding it. My Ina (ee-nah) / Momma didn't raise no dumb Indns.
I'm a horse-Indn, and we have Traditionally saluted any of our hunters who fought with a bear and survived, let alone won, but we also gave such people a wide berth, on the premise that they were spiritually different and not to be trifled with, due to the nature of "bear". That's an excellent perspective to maintain today.
A white man brought a bear cub up to the state Legislative Session one year, asking for some help with a bill regarding wild animals. I held this 4-month-old bear in my arms. He gave me a hug that took my breath away, and I've swung a hammer for over 30 years. I am no soft female. That should tell anyone all they ever need to know about the strength of bears.
That the bear bit the handler and killed him is not the bear's fault. Killing the bear won't teach it anything. Killing the bear won't bring back the dummy who hugged the bear. Killing the bear won't do one damned good thing. The bears - including this one - need our protection, our admiration, and our help - not to be treated like pets when there is nothing pet-ish about them.
"Bambi" is NOT reality. The reality is, people call such bears 'tame', but the bears have neither read the book, nor agreed with its premise, that persuades supposedly superior and supposedly more intelligent humans that bears can be 'tamed'. In short, they are not 'tame', and they never will be. The bear should be left to live and handled in some other way, since it can't be returned to the wild. Walt Disney & his dream-films are the worst thing to happen to wild animals since DDT and dioxin.
As for the story about grizzlies in Yellowstone - "Are there too many bears in Yellowstone?" No, there are too many HUMANS, the same as every other place on earth. Just because some Bambi-ite with more money than brains wants to build a house in or on the edge of a National Forest or other National Wilderness Preserve, DOES NOT mean they should be allowed to. Yellowstone National Park is not a zoo. The animals and flora that live there year round have precedence over the humans who come there to visit. The humans are said to be smarter - the humans need to be educated so they treat Yellowstone's inhabitants with respect instead of Pollyanna attitudes.
I hunt, with bow, guns, and cameras, and I admire the wild animals tremendously, but I don't think in terms of cuddling up to something with 4"-long claws and 3"-long fangs, such as a grizzly, or hand-feeding it. My Ina (ee-nah) / Momma didn't raise no dumb Indns.
I'm a horse-Indn, and we have Traditionally saluted any of our hunters who fought with a bear and survived, let alone won, but we also gave such people a wide berth, on the premise that they were spiritually different and not to be trifled with, due to the nature of "bear". That's an excellent perspective to maintain today.
A white man brought a bear cub up to the state Legislative Session one year, asking for some help with a bill regarding wild animals. I held this 4-month-old bear in my arms. He gave me a hug that took my breath away, and I've swung a hammer for over 30 years. I am no soft female. That should tell anyone all they ever need to know about the strength of bears.
That the bear bit the handler and killed him is not the bear's fault. Killing the bear won't teach it anything. Killing the bear won't bring back the dummy who hugged the bear. Killing the bear won't do one damned good thing. The bears - including this one - need our protection, our admiration, and our help - not to be treated like pets when there is nothing pet-ish about them.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Why this Season is Called Spring
Hanh mitakuyapi. It's the Season of Showers that Make Flowers, and the temperatures up here in Dakota Territory are up n down n up n down. I figure the reason this season is called "Spring" in the majority culture is because the temperatures 'spring' up n down.
Of course that means that the number of layers of clothes we wear spring up n down, too. A couple of days ago, we had an afternoon temperature of 60F - above zero, not below - and most of us were running around in t-shirts and shorts. (The white legs on you non-ITI were almost blinding! Eeyew!)
Nights still get chilly, though, so we keep jackets handy.. Although you can track most of your Caucasian sorts in the dark if you're wearing shorts.. heh, heh..
Yesterday we had wind - about 30 mph - today we have light / 'female' rain - and no wind, with temperature of +37F. Nearly everyone is back in long pants and coats (this Indn is in 3 shirts & a sweater), although there are always a few hard-heads who insist that since it's Spring, they don't need their coats. Hah!
Tomorrow, the forecast is for warm again, and sunny.
When it was warm a couple of days ago, we who are building or rebuilding were out taking measurements and making notes in case we want to change anything before we get a contractor or go to the local building supply for materials. Me - I build. There isn't much a damaged leg keeps me from, other than roofing.
I'm no flexible enough to roof any more.. If the wind grabs me, I can't boogie up there.. I'll likely fall off and I no longer drop n roll.. More like, I'd drop n stick and become a flower pot holder! Think I'll pass..
See? Spring! Enjoy yours!
Of course that means that the number of layers of clothes we wear spring up n down, too. A couple of days ago, we had an afternoon temperature of 60F - above zero, not below - and most of us were running around in t-shirts and shorts. (The white legs on you non-ITI were almost blinding! Eeyew!)
Nights still get chilly, though, so we keep jackets handy.. Although you can track most of your Caucasian sorts in the dark if you're wearing shorts.. heh, heh..
Yesterday we had wind - about 30 mph - today we have light / 'female' rain - and no wind, with temperature of +37F. Nearly everyone is back in long pants and coats (this Indn is in 3 shirts & a sweater), although there are always a few hard-heads who insist that since it's Spring, they don't need their coats. Hah!
Tomorrow, the forecast is for warm again, and sunny.
When it was warm a couple of days ago, we who are building or rebuilding were out taking measurements and making notes in case we want to change anything before we get a contractor or go to the local building supply for materials. Me - I build. There isn't much a damaged leg keeps me from, other than roofing.
I'm no flexible enough to roof any more.. If the wind grabs me, I can't boogie up there.. I'll likely fall off and I no longer drop n roll.. More like, I'd drop n stick and become a flower pot holder! Think I'll pass..
See? Spring! Enjoy yours!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Newest Wal-Mart Outrage Outrages Me
Yesterday I saw an article online that says Wal-Mart is suing a former employee - who is permanently brain-damaged and in a nursing home for the rest of her life - for close to $400,000 in repayment for monies paid out when she was hospitalized after a car crash. This redefines "outrageous", in my opinion, and takes it to a new low in 'art forms'.
But wait! We aren't finished! This woman's husband is just finishing treatment for prostate cancer, so he isn't exactly solid in the make-a-living / pay-the-bills department, either.
And in the This-Wasn't-Needed-Either category, we have some brainless twit of a judge deciding to award Wal-Mart $277,000. Wal-Mart's spokeman said "Wal-Mart feels terrible on behalf of (this woman and her husband) - "but" - the paperwork sez...."
In this Indn's opinion - screw the paperwork! Wal-Mart's profits last year were $90 BILLION!
I divided $90 billion by $400,000, and came up with 225,000 : 1 in favor of Wal-Mart and against this pitiful, sad couple. Therefore, I repeat, to Hell with the paperwork.
I think it's time Wal-Mart heard from YOU who read this. They've already heard from me..
As a business person, this kind of don't-give-a-damn attitude on the part of big corporations embarrasses me. We who do care look bad by association. We who are small corporations - mine is about the size of the period at the end of a sentence - look even worse, simply because we are corporations and we want to grow.
The difference is, some of us - like mine - work to honor Affirmative Action, hire the handicapped, promote and follow Indian Preference, and plan our activities to include handicapped access - because that's real "good business practice".
Last but not least - just because "the paperwork" includes a clause that says Wal-Mart "can" sue one of their employees or former employees to recoup monies paid out for hospitalization, does not mean it "must" or even that it "should". When a company makes 225,000 times the amount involved in the lawsuit, I believe that company has a bigger responsibility to not sue and thereby to help the injured employee.
Call 1-800-Wal-Mart and tell them what you think of this outrageous lawsuit of theirs. Or go to Wal-Mart.com and email them through their Contact Us link. Let them know the "massa / slave" mentality was outlawed when slavery was - in 1862. And then join me in boycotting Wal-Mart until they stop this outrageous kind of action.
But wait! We aren't finished! This woman's husband is just finishing treatment for prostate cancer, so he isn't exactly solid in the make-a-living / pay-the-bills department, either.
And in the This-Wasn't-Needed-Either category, we have some brainless twit of a judge deciding to award Wal-Mart $277,000. Wal-Mart's spokeman said "Wal-Mart feels terrible on behalf of (this woman and her husband) - "but" - the paperwork sez...."
In this Indn's opinion - screw the paperwork! Wal-Mart's profits last year were $90 BILLION!
I divided $90 billion by $400,000, and came up with 225,000 : 1 in favor of Wal-Mart and against this pitiful, sad couple. Therefore, I repeat, to Hell with the paperwork.
I think it's time Wal-Mart heard from YOU who read this. They've already heard from me..
As a business person, this kind of don't-give-a-damn attitude on the part of big corporations embarrasses me. We who do care look bad by association. We who are small corporations - mine is about the size of the period at the end of a sentence - look even worse, simply because we are corporations and we want to grow.
The difference is, some of us - like mine - work to honor Affirmative Action, hire the handicapped, promote and follow Indian Preference, and plan our activities to include handicapped access - because that's real "good business practice".
Last but not least - just because "the paperwork" includes a clause that says Wal-Mart "can" sue one of their employees or former employees to recoup monies paid out for hospitalization, does not mean it "must" or even that it "should". When a company makes 225,000 times the amount involved in the lawsuit, I believe that company has a bigger responsibility to not sue and thereby to help the injured employee.
Call 1-800-Wal-Mart and tell them what you think of this outrageous lawsuit of theirs. Or go to Wal-Mart.com and email them through their Contact Us link. Let them know the "massa / slave" mentality was outlawed when slavery was - in 1862. And then join me in boycotting Wal-Mart until they stop this outrageous kind of action.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Why Is The Economy Slowing?
Yesterday, I noted that gas and diesel prices locally are up again.. Gas is now $3.15 / gallon, diesel is $4. The headline in the local paper said, "Economists uncertain as to cause of economy slowdown." Takoszja, this is no mystery. When fuel for the buffalo pony costs more than a gallon of milk does, the economy is going to slow and it is going to slow quickly. If there is a "why" past that, it is because people must have money for food, housing, clothes and fuel, but when fuel costs $3.15 & $4 / gallon, everything else is going to cost more, too; which means there is not going to be as much - maybe none - for frills. Thus, the economy slows. Quickly. Tain't no mystery at all.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Eco-Terrorists Ought to Be..
I read an article on Yahoo today about "eco-terrorists" burning down several multi-million-dollar, 4,000-plus-square-foot "dream houses" in Washington state. Let's get a few things down about this.
First - NOBODY "needs" a 4,000-plus-square-foot house.
Second - There is no such thing as an 'environmentally-friendly' 4,000-plus-square-foot house. Why? Simple - Every day in the U.S.A. alone, several square miles of Our Holy Mother, the Earth are covered over with blacktop, concrete, and/or buildings, taking them out of the processing of carbon dioxide and associated production of oxygen. Lessee here - global warming is characterized by what?? Did I hear you say "Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the biosphere?" If you said that, you get an "A". If you didn't, shame on you and 40 lashes with something nasty.
Third - Not all "dream houses" are huge and contribute to global warming. My "dream house" is one of the many I've revived using as many recycled materials as I can get - which takes some "digging" sometimes. My current project is an old school that was abandoned over almost 20 years (except by dopers, drunks, vandals, and kids getting each other pregnant).
Fourth - "Green Building Techniques" are better demonstrated by revitalizing existing structures and removing some of the not-so-old garbage built in the 1960's and 1970's that reeks of bad construction practices or any that are unsalvageably unsound, to put earth back into its original function of processing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, thus reducing global warming.
As for those idiots who burned down the 4,000-plus-square-foot insults to our intelligence - I can't help but wonder - how much did their bonfires add to global warming? To poisoning our air, sky, and water? The land itself? Did they do anything of value in the long run? Wasting resources is just plain wrong, no matter how it's done, and last I heard, it is still a truism that two wrongs don't make a right.
I think both the "eco-terrorist" arsonists AND the ostentatious-monument builders ought to be staked on a fire ant hill for awhile. Both make me ill.. Neither of them has contributed one iota to healing the Sacred Hoop of the world.
So - What have you done, today, to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
First - NOBODY "needs" a 4,000-plus-square-foot house.
Second - There is no such thing as an 'environmentally-friendly' 4,000-plus-square-foot house. Why? Simple - Every day in the U.S.A. alone, several square miles of Our Holy Mother, the Earth are covered over with blacktop, concrete, and/or buildings, taking them out of the processing of carbon dioxide and associated production of oxygen. Lessee here - global warming is characterized by what?? Did I hear you say "Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the biosphere?" If you said that, you get an "A". If you didn't, shame on you and 40 lashes with something nasty.
Third - Not all "dream houses" are huge and contribute to global warming. My "dream house" is one of the many I've revived using as many recycled materials as I can get - which takes some "digging" sometimes. My current project is an old school that was abandoned over almost 20 years (except by dopers, drunks, vandals, and kids getting each other pregnant).
Fourth - "Green Building Techniques" are better demonstrated by revitalizing existing structures and removing some of the not-so-old garbage built in the 1960's and 1970's that reeks of bad construction practices or any that are unsalvageably unsound, to put earth back into its original function of processing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, thus reducing global warming.
As for those idiots who burned down the 4,000-plus-square-foot insults to our intelligence - I can't help but wonder - how much did their bonfires add to global warming? To poisoning our air, sky, and water? The land itself? Did they do anything of value in the long run? Wasting resources is just plain wrong, no matter how it's done, and last I heard, it is still a truism that two wrongs don't make a right.
I think both the "eco-terrorist" arsonists AND the ostentatious-monument builders ought to be staked on a fire ant hill for awhile. Both make me ill.. Neither of them has contributed one iota to healing the Sacred Hoop of the world.
So - What have you done, today, to help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, of which you, too, are a part?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
NOW Have We Heard It All?
Hanh mitakuyapi.
Recently, I was sent to work for a local window-manufacturing concern on a temp-to-hire assignment. On my second day, I told someone that I have a college degree. (Strike 1) They asked "in what?" and I replied, "Chemistry". (Strike 2, and possibly, 3. Read on, and you decide.)
This person then asked, "Then why are you working at a job like this?" and I replied, "I was in heart research for 9-1/2 years and decided that was enough. I had a small-jobs contracting and property-maintenance business for 20-some years; but when my man died during a mugging, I didn't have the energy to push a business any more. No one wants to hire me permanently so far because they figure I'll quit and go back to business, so I work temp. I have bills to pay, same as anyone else, after all."
One of the office people heard this exchange and suddenly, the plant manager acted as if I had Grand Mung and the assistant plant manager acted as if he were so0o sad for me and them, and the HR guy acted as if he wished he could be friendly but he "had to be careful"...
Are we all wondering "what's really going on here?" (The third of my Four Favorite Questions, I note..) I expect we are.
Eventually, I got someone to spill the beans about the sudden change of attitude.
It seems the company has a patent for its window-making process. Patents being expensive and North Dakota being part of the Land of Backward, the "brains" in the front offices "thought" that since I have a degree in a hard science, and especially since I already knew how to build a window (it isn't rocket science, takoszja..), I was in a position where I could easily steal their patent and their market. "I know too much."
If this isn't duh-uh thinking, I don't know what is. But I can't help wonder if now we haven't heard everything..
I feel no great sense of loss here, though.. Production can be very, very bor-ing, and this job was.
More importantly, though, is their attitude that "everyone is a thief at heart but them". Or maybe, that "everyone is thief at heart, including them, so they 'must' go to extremes to protect their investment". While it is true that it's only paranoia if someone isn't out to get you, I find their perspective offensive.
Whichever - I don't want to work for anyone with an attitude like that, so I spent last week chopping onions in a food-processing plant or cleaning in a school district, and one day kneeling on a folded towel, cleaning vomit off the floors of an elderly friend's house with a putty knife, before I scrubbed them with bleach and Spic-n-Span, because she has The Ultimate Vile Flu which is currently coursing through this area (1400 cases and counting; it can put you on the bedroom-to-bathroom trail for up to a week!), and she was too weak to get to her bathroom in time, and therefore of course too weak to clean her floors, poor thing..
All of which were more interesting jobs than making windows for the silly group with their patent-and-thieves-in-every-corner fantasies.
Let's hope my angel-of-mercy activities are rewarded with my not getting TUVFlu.. I live alone, too.. and then perhaps we can find me either the last $1500 I need to get my tiny company back in the market, or a real job so I can save up the $1500 and get my tiny company back in the market - no paranoid fantasies. Mitakuye oiasin.
Recently, I was sent to work for a local window-manufacturing concern on a temp-to-hire assignment. On my second day, I told someone that I have a college degree. (Strike 1) They asked "in what?" and I replied, "Chemistry". (Strike 2, and possibly, 3. Read on, and you decide.)
This person then asked, "Then why are you working at a job like this?" and I replied, "I was in heart research for 9-1/2 years and decided that was enough. I had a small-jobs contracting and property-maintenance business for 20-some years; but when my man died during a mugging, I didn't have the energy to push a business any more. No one wants to hire me permanently so far because they figure I'll quit and go back to business, so I work temp. I have bills to pay, same as anyone else, after all."
One of the office people heard this exchange and suddenly, the plant manager acted as if I had Grand Mung and the assistant plant manager acted as if he were so0o sad for me and them, and the HR guy acted as if he wished he could be friendly but he "had to be careful"...
Are we all wondering "what's really going on here?" (The third of my Four Favorite Questions, I note..) I expect we are.
Eventually, I got someone to spill the beans about the sudden change of attitude.
It seems the company has a patent for its window-making process. Patents being expensive and North Dakota being part of the Land of Backward, the "brains" in the front offices "thought" that since I have a degree in a hard science, and especially since I already knew how to build a window (it isn't rocket science, takoszja..), I was in a position where I could easily steal their patent and their market. "I know too much."
If this isn't duh-uh thinking, I don't know what is. But I can't help wonder if now we haven't heard everything..
I feel no great sense of loss here, though.. Production can be very, very bor-ing, and this job was.
More importantly, though, is their attitude that "everyone is a thief at heart but them". Or maybe, that "everyone is thief at heart, including them, so they 'must' go to extremes to protect their investment". While it is true that it's only paranoia if someone isn't out to get you, I find their perspective offensive.
Whichever - I don't want to work for anyone with an attitude like that, so I spent last week chopping onions in a food-processing plant or cleaning in a school district, and one day kneeling on a folded towel, cleaning vomit off the floors of an elderly friend's house with a putty knife, before I scrubbed them with bleach and Spic-n-Span, because she has The Ultimate Vile Flu which is currently coursing through this area (1400 cases and counting; it can put you on the bedroom-to-bathroom trail for up to a week!), and she was too weak to get to her bathroom in time, and therefore of course too weak to clean her floors, poor thing..
All of which were more interesting jobs than making windows for the silly group with their patent-and-thieves-in-every-corner fantasies.
Let's hope my angel-of-mercy activities are rewarded with my not getting TUVFlu.. I live alone, too.. and then perhaps we can find me either the last $1500 I need to get my tiny company back in the market, or a real job so I can save up the $1500 and get my tiny company back in the market - no paranoid fantasies. Mitakuye oiasin.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Insight vs Elephant in Living Room
We all know about the elephant in the living room.. I realized a couple of days ago that I've been tripping over one for nearly 2 years now. This is more than a tad embarrassing, mitakuyapi..
I design things all the time. Beadwork patterns, powwow outfits, solar heaters, ways to improve the mileage of vehicles while cutting emissions without computers, bale buildings, and on & on. More than one person has asked if my mind ever shuts down.. The answer is, probably not. I know I'm a restless sleeper.. High energy people are like that, I guess. Regardless, I am.
About 2 years ago, I doodled a design for a passive solar heater that would hang on the outside of a wall. I built some for myself, then filed it under "the 2-year plan", which means I might get to "doing something positive" with it in 2 years or so, or I might never, or somewhere in between. This was before $2 and $3 / gallon fuel, obviously.
Then about a year ago, I read an article on someone else's design for a passive solar heater that hangs on the outside of a wall, and while it felt awfully familiar, it didn't ring any loud bells for me. Until a couple of days ago, when I was looking for something else, and came across my old design doodles in my files.
Em-barr-ass-ing! No wonder the article and the design of the units seemed awfully familiar.
Not to mention - I've been racking my brain for ways to get the tiny company I founded in 2000 back in the market we had to withdraw from due to inability to meet demand for our product with the equipment we had, and insufficient money to build or buy the equipment we need to meet demand.
It has never been a matter of "need to make market" with us; it has always been a matter of "how to meet demand". Yes, lucky us on one hand, and pity us on the t'other. Funding Indn projects is not popular in the U.S, no matter what the hype says.
Please, don't say "write a grant" - I'm a good grant writer, but we've struck out repeatedly with that approach of late because we insist we plan to hire non-drinking, non-doping people with a strong bent towards other ITI (Indigenous Turtle Islanders. You call us Indns or "Natives"). Indn Preference is federally mandated and there are gobs of incentives for it, not to mention, if we don't preferentially hire our own the way majority-culture types preferentially hire whites, I believe we're kicking ourselves in the shins. That's stupid, so we try hard not to do that.
I've been out of work since early November 2007, and out of 'spare' cash since about mid-January, 2008. I've heard more ridiculous excuses for not hiring me than I can shake a stick at. My current favorite is, "we don't want to hire you because you have a college education, and our process is patented. Our belief is we must do everything we can to protect our patented process from thieves." Takoszja, I don't want to work for any company that believes 'everyone else is a thief', and that includes me..
Personally, I - like nearly everyone else - find the making of windows to be supremely boring work. I want a job, not a career, so I can pay my bills & build the equipment I need to get 'my' company - with one food product and two non-food products - back in the marketplace. Period. I could give a flying damn about stealing anything; especially something as expensive as a patent. They have an offensive - and stupid - attitude. There's a lot of that around of recent times, as we all know.
I was searching through my notebooks for an old design the other day and found my design for passive solar heaters. Bells rang, things banged, and I saw the elephant! Right there where it had always been, smack in the middle of my living room! Or in this case, my office.
I had recently figured my personal carbon footprint at an online site, and found it to be between 6,000 and 7,000 lbs. of carbon per year (compared to an average of 20,500 lbs/ year for most people in the U.S.).
The passive solar heater would not only cut that for me, but it would cut the carbon footprint of everyone who heats. Lessee, now, that's most of the country, sooner or later, isn't it? I believe it is. Up here in the northern tier states, it's 5-6 months of every year.
Now this is exciting, takoszja! For about $500, I can put together a web site, information brochure (preferably email, not paper), and manufacture and sell enough units to get my tiny little company back in the market(s)! We can support the 501c3 I also head at a level it has only dreamed about for the 35 years of its existence. We can make a Difference!
I am a Sun Dancer, therefore, a Pipe Carrier. The prayer that orients my Channunpa, and therefore, my entire life, is called the Prayer of The Four Winds. I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds. This prayer is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world. If anything would help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, it would be something like these passive solar heaters, which cut the carbon footprint of everyone who uses them because they cut the amount of fuel needed to heat a building - be it a house, a shop, a chicken coop, a trailer / mobile home, or an apartment.
Now all I have to do is get a job so I can put the $500 or so together & get this out there. I find this so exciting I don't feel embarrassed any more for having not seen the elephant in my living room (OK, office) for so doggoned long. All of this will happen because I doodle and I save the doodles. Pilamiyaye! Wopila tanka!, Takuskanskan.
I design things all the time. Beadwork patterns, powwow outfits, solar heaters, ways to improve the mileage of vehicles while cutting emissions without computers, bale buildings, and on & on. More than one person has asked if my mind ever shuts down.. The answer is, probably not. I know I'm a restless sleeper.. High energy people are like that, I guess. Regardless, I am.
About 2 years ago, I doodled a design for a passive solar heater that would hang on the outside of a wall. I built some for myself, then filed it under "the 2-year plan", which means I might get to "doing something positive" with it in 2 years or so, or I might never, or somewhere in between. This was before $2 and $3 / gallon fuel, obviously.
Then about a year ago, I read an article on someone else's design for a passive solar heater that hangs on the outside of a wall, and while it felt awfully familiar, it didn't ring any loud bells for me. Until a couple of days ago, when I was looking for something else, and came across my old design doodles in my files.
Em-barr-ass-ing! No wonder the article and the design of the units seemed awfully familiar.
Not to mention - I've been racking my brain for ways to get the tiny company I founded in 2000 back in the market we had to withdraw from due to inability to meet demand for our product with the equipment we had, and insufficient money to build or buy the equipment we need to meet demand.
It has never been a matter of "need to make market" with us; it has always been a matter of "how to meet demand". Yes, lucky us on one hand, and pity us on the t'other. Funding Indn projects is not popular in the U.S, no matter what the hype says.
Please, don't say "write a grant" - I'm a good grant writer, but we've struck out repeatedly with that approach of late because we insist we plan to hire non-drinking, non-doping people with a strong bent towards other ITI (Indigenous Turtle Islanders. You call us Indns or "Natives"). Indn Preference is federally mandated and there are gobs of incentives for it, not to mention, if we don't preferentially hire our own the way majority-culture types preferentially hire whites, I believe we're kicking ourselves in the shins. That's stupid, so we try hard not to do that.
I've been out of work since early November 2007, and out of 'spare' cash since about mid-January, 2008. I've heard more ridiculous excuses for not hiring me than I can shake a stick at. My current favorite is, "we don't want to hire you because you have a college education, and our process is patented. Our belief is we must do everything we can to protect our patented process from thieves." Takoszja, I don't want to work for any company that believes 'everyone else is a thief', and that includes me..
Personally, I - like nearly everyone else - find the making of windows to be supremely boring work. I want a job, not a career, so I can pay my bills & build the equipment I need to get 'my' company - with one food product and two non-food products - back in the marketplace. Period. I could give a flying damn about stealing anything; especially something as expensive as a patent. They have an offensive - and stupid - attitude. There's a lot of that around of recent times, as we all know.
I was searching through my notebooks for an old design the other day and found my design for passive solar heaters. Bells rang, things banged, and I saw the elephant! Right there where it had always been, smack in the middle of my living room! Or in this case, my office.
I had recently figured my personal carbon footprint at an online site, and found it to be between 6,000 and 7,000 lbs. of carbon per year (compared to an average of 20,500 lbs/ year for most people in the U.S.).
The passive solar heater would not only cut that for me, but it would cut the carbon footprint of everyone who heats. Lessee, now, that's most of the country, sooner or later, isn't it? I believe it is. Up here in the northern tier states, it's 5-6 months of every year.
Now this is exciting, takoszja! For about $500, I can put together a web site, information brochure (preferably email, not paper), and manufacture and sell enough units to get my tiny little company back in the market(s)! We can support the 501c3 I also head at a level it has only dreamed about for the 35 years of its existence. We can make a Difference!
I am a Sun Dancer, therefore, a Pipe Carrier. The prayer that orients my Channunpa, and therefore, my entire life, is called the Prayer of The Four Winds. I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds. This prayer is a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world. If anything would help heal the Sacred Hoop of the world, it would be something like these passive solar heaters, which cut the carbon footprint of everyone who uses them because they cut the amount of fuel needed to heat a building - be it a house, a shop, a chicken coop, a trailer / mobile home, or an apartment.
Now all I have to do is get a job so I can put the $500 or so together & get this out there. I find this so exciting I don't feel embarrassed any more for having not seen the elephant in my living room (OK, office) for so doggoned long. All of this will happen because I doodle and I save the doodles. Pilamiyaye! Wopila tanka!, Takuskanskan.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Character of Love
The character of love is derived from a wide variety of things and has a wide variety of aspects. Butterflies in the stomach, n-n-nerves, becoming tongue-tied, feeling so0o klutzy when you ordinarily feel coordinated, sweaty palms and dry mouth, the warm fuzzies.. the list is long. We've all had some - maybe all - of these symptoms at one time or another. If you haven't, keep looking - you haven't run out of time yet. There is no set age for any of this to happen, and it isn't "only" for physically young people. Sixty is the new forty, after all, so what does that do for the other decades, hmm?
What constitutes real love, anyway? What happens to and between two people when they hit the jackpot and find true love?
Not everyone is built for great emotional highs and lows, but most people feel a definite rise in their feelings. The phrase "walking on air" is common, and people in love often begin dancing to the music in their hearts even though there is no music anyone in the vicinity can hear.
The Irish say that "love that isn't madness isn't love". But then, the Irish are "the men that God made mad, for all their wars are happy, and all their songs are sad" (G. K. Chesterton; The Ballad of the White Horse). Still, the Celts, the Picts, and the Irish all have contributed great things to the world of love and romance.. Remember Gene Kelly, "just singin' and dancin' in the rain"?
The Italians say that amore (ah-MOR-ay) - love - is a gift from the gods to men and women, of "a delightful insanity".
Johnson Last Horse was my sister Linda's father, and he taught me, "Love is not a barter thing. It is not a case of 'I'll love you if you'll love me'. Love is a gift to the lover and the loved." I think that is probably the most profound piece of truth anyone has ever taught me, because it covers every kind of love, not just romantic love. Yawahshte miye / You bless me. And everyone you or I have passed it on to. Wopila tanka, Johnson. Profound thanks, Johnson.
One of the chief characteristics of real love, regardless of kind, is that it empowers everyone involved. It makes them stronger inside. It makes them kinder. Love heals. Real love 'shouldn't' hurt, but just as in the legend of the Sleeping Beauty, sometimes you both have to labor mightily to get past the thorns to get to the 'happily ever after' part. Love is never greedy or pushy or arrogant. Love is kind, and real love is eternal, because "love is not a barter thing" and our spirits are eternal.
These denote the character of love.
What constitutes real love, anyway? What happens to and between two people when they hit the jackpot and find true love?
Not everyone is built for great emotional highs and lows, but most people feel a definite rise in their feelings. The phrase "walking on air" is common, and people in love often begin dancing to the music in their hearts even though there is no music anyone in the vicinity can hear.
The Irish say that "love that isn't madness isn't love". But then, the Irish are "the men that God made mad, for all their wars are happy, and all their songs are sad" (G. K. Chesterton; The Ballad of the White Horse). Still, the Celts, the Picts, and the Irish all have contributed great things to the world of love and romance.. Remember Gene Kelly, "just singin' and dancin' in the rain"?
The Italians say that amore (ah-MOR-ay) - love - is a gift from the gods to men and women, of "a delightful insanity".
Johnson Last Horse was my sister Linda's father, and he taught me, "Love is not a barter thing. It is not a case of 'I'll love you if you'll love me'. Love is a gift to the lover and the loved." I think that is probably the most profound piece of truth anyone has ever taught me, because it covers every kind of love, not just romantic love. Yawahshte miye / You bless me. And everyone you or I have passed it on to. Wopila tanka, Johnson. Profound thanks, Johnson.
One of the chief characteristics of real love, regardless of kind, is that it empowers everyone involved. It makes them stronger inside. It makes them kinder. Love heals. Real love 'shouldn't' hurt, but just as in the legend of the Sleeping Beauty, sometimes you both have to labor mightily to get past the thorns to get to the 'happily ever after' part. Love is never greedy or pushy or arrogant. Love is kind, and real love is eternal, because "love is not a barter thing" and our spirits are eternal.
These denote the character of love.
Evil, Atheism, and the Existence of Devils
In the articles so far written about this subject on various sites I've read lately, "arguing the existence of the devil", the level of ignorance of the writers is so painfully apparent it is embarrassing to the rest of us.
Therefore, let us get a few things understood from the outset about Christianity, evil, and the possibility that there is such a thing as a devil:
(1) Christianity is NOT the "only" religion. ITI Traditionalism, is both a spiritual and a religious way; there are many varieties because there are many ITI cultures; there is not and never has been "an Indian culture" on this Turtle Island. Shinto, Bhuddism, Islam, Wicca, and Masonry are all spiritual ways having religious protocols, and name only a few of the many religious ways found among humans here on the earth.
(2) Christianity is NOT the "only valid" religion. To repeat, ITI Traditionalism, Shinto, Bhuddism, Islam, Wicca,and Masonry are all spiritual ways having religious protocols, and name only a few of the many religious ways found among humans here on the earth.
(3) Christianity is NOT the "first" or "first valid" religion. ITI Traditionalism has existed far longer than Christianity, and there are many other spiritual and religious ways that have, as well.
(4) Anyone who does not subscribe to Christianity is NOT "automatically" an atheist. This perspective is so ridiculous it doesn't deserve the dignity of further discussion. It shrieks of the ignorance of anyone who claims that all non-Christians are automatically atheists, though. Such people should do a long, intensive meditation on the old teaching, "it is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you might be a fool, than to open it and remove any doubt". 'Hoof IN mouth' disease is another name for it, to speak tongue-in-cheek.
(5) Christianity is NOT "the number one" religion - anywhere. Even "if" a majority of people in any locale claimed to believe in the Christian way, that does NOT mean they actually follow its precepts. The behavior of far too many people who claim to be "good Christians" proves that.. The behavior of those who claim to 'follow' the Christian way does so even more.
(6) Simply because a person does not subscribe to Christianity does NOT mean they don't believe in the existence of evil. There are more devout people among nearly every spiritual way in the world than there are among so-called Christians. I, for one, much prefer quality to quantity, any time.
Now to the question of whether or not there is such a being as a devil. We must first answer whether or not such a being has a form, and if it has, does it have more than one form?
Since humans are visual creatures, whether evil ever has a form of its own or not is irrelevant. What is likely is that evil takes any of a variety of forms so that humans can relate to it. Mengele, Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer... all come to mind as candidates for evil taking a form so that humans can relate to it. Since the human being does not exist that can frighten me so far as my considerable experience has shown, then evil for me takes some other form(s). For me, human over-population is absolutely evil, and so is its nightmare progeny, global warming. I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds, which is a prayer to heal the sacred hoop of the world, so it is easy to see how I would see evil through this. For you, it may be otherwise.
Since evil is a reality, and it takes many forms, and evil definitely has strong effects throughout the life of every entity on the earth and has throughout time, then it may be said that at times, evil inhabits some physical entity and that becomes "a devil".
In the Traditional Way of my People, the Lakota, there is no such thing as "a devil", but there definitely are evil spirits. Similarly, there is no "hell"; there is only life here on the earth, which is definitely a place of suffering - often, considerable suffering.
The assaults on all ITI Traditional ways and cultures by so-called "missionaries" of the Christian way are definitely evil. Forced adoption of ITI children to non-ITI people, is definitely evil. Anything that makes an effort to destroy our Traditional spiritual and cultural ways and fabric is evil. Fortunately, we now have the Indian Child Welfare Act to prevent most such non-Indn adoptions, and we ITI have been becoming stronger and stronger in our efforts to not only stop the actions of "missionaries", but to reverse them.
Is there only one way to define evil? Probably. Anything that causes personal or cultural suffering is evil, no matter how 'well-intended' it is said to be. Evil comes into everyone's life because everyone at some time or other invites it in or doesn't do what they must to prevent evil's entry. Is that the work on one entity? No. Just as there are 404 Good Spirits, so there are many nasty ones. It is about balance, and the exact number doesn't matter.
Therefore, let us get a few things understood from the outset about Christianity, evil, and the possibility that there is such a thing as a devil:
(1) Christianity is NOT the "only" religion. ITI Traditionalism, is both a spiritual and a religious way; there are many varieties because there are many ITI cultures; there is not and never has been "an Indian culture" on this Turtle Island. Shinto, Bhuddism, Islam, Wicca, and Masonry are all spiritual ways having religious protocols, and name only a few of the many religious ways found among humans here on the earth.
(2) Christianity is NOT the "only valid" religion. To repeat, ITI Traditionalism, Shinto, Bhuddism, Islam, Wicca,and Masonry are all spiritual ways having religious protocols, and name only a few of the many religious ways found among humans here on the earth.
(3) Christianity is NOT the "first" or "first valid" religion. ITI Traditionalism has existed far longer than Christianity, and there are many other spiritual and religious ways that have, as well.
(4) Anyone who does not subscribe to Christianity is NOT "automatically" an atheist. This perspective is so ridiculous it doesn't deserve the dignity of further discussion. It shrieks of the ignorance of anyone who claims that all non-Christians are automatically atheists, though. Such people should do a long, intensive meditation on the old teaching, "it is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you might be a fool, than to open it and remove any doubt". 'Hoof IN mouth' disease is another name for it, to speak tongue-in-cheek.
(5) Christianity is NOT "the number one" religion - anywhere. Even "if" a majority of people in any locale claimed to believe in the Christian way, that does NOT mean they actually follow its precepts. The behavior of far too many people who claim to be "good Christians" proves that.. The behavior of those who claim to 'follow' the Christian way does so even more.
(6) Simply because a person does not subscribe to Christianity does NOT mean they don't believe in the existence of evil. There are more devout people among nearly every spiritual way in the world than there are among so-called Christians. I, for one, much prefer quality to quantity, any time.
Now to the question of whether or not there is such a being as a devil. We must first answer whether or not such a being has a form, and if it has, does it have more than one form?
Since humans are visual creatures, whether evil ever has a form of its own or not is irrelevant. What is likely is that evil takes any of a variety of forms so that humans can relate to it. Mengele, Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer... all come to mind as candidates for evil taking a form so that humans can relate to it. Since the human being does not exist that can frighten me so far as my considerable experience has shown, then evil for me takes some other form(s). For me, human over-population is absolutely evil, and so is its nightmare progeny, global warming. I am the woman who Dances The Four Winds, which is a prayer to heal the sacred hoop of the world, so it is easy to see how I would see evil through this. For you, it may be otherwise.
Since evil is a reality, and it takes many forms, and evil definitely has strong effects throughout the life of every entity on the earth and has throughout time, then it may be said that at times, evil inhabits some physical entity and that becomes "a devil".
In the Traditional Way of my People, the Lakota, there is no such thing as "a devil", but there definitely are evil spirits. Similarly, there is no "hell"; there is only life here on the earth, which is definitely a place of suffering - often, considerable suffering.
The assaults on all ITI Traditional ways and cultures by so-called "missionaries" of the Christian way are definitely evil. Forced adoption of ITI children to non-ITI people, is definitely evil. Anything that makes an effort to destroy our Traditional spiritual and cultural ways and fabric is evil. Fortunately, we now have the Indian Child Welfare Act to prevent most such non-Indn adoptions, and we ITI have been becoming stronger and stronger in our efforts to not only stop the actions of "missionaries", but to reverse them.
Is there only one way to define evil? Probably. Anything that causes personal or cultural suffering is evil, no matter how 'well-intended' it is said to be. Evil comes into everyone's life because everyone at some time or other invites it in or doesn't do what they must to prevent evil's entry. Is that the work on one entity? No. Just as there are 404 Good Spirits, so there are many nasty ones. It is about balance, and the exact number doesn't matter.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Stephen Hawking and the Reality of a Creator
I've been reading a book on Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist who has ALS.
Dr. Hawking wrote a book in 1988, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME; FROM THE BIG BANG TO BLACK HOLES. In it, he asks, "So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end: it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?"
The analogy for the shape of the universe he uses is that of the earth, having a point - somewhere - at the top, widening to the equator, then becoming smaller to a point - somewhere - at the bottom. Since there is no place on the earth that is identifiable as the point of beginning of the earth, so there can be no point of an end to the surface of the earth. Dr. Hawking takes the position that because this is so for the earth, if it is also true for the universe, then there is no need or place for a creator.
He further posits that there is no place for a creator - i.e., no reality of one - because, without a point of beginning, there is no possibility of "anything existing before time".
I believe Dr. Hawking is wrong, and that his position has a basic flaw. This basic flaw stems from the logic he uses to make his position. He appears to believe that if we cannot measure either "time", or the point at which "time" began, nothing existed before it except possibly energy, and nothing could have. Simply because there is no point of beginning - of time or anything else - that we mere humans can measure does not automatically insure that nothing came before the thing we call "time". In fact, 'nothing' has been proven to be impossible to exist; nature abhors a vacuum and there are no true vacuums to be found anywhere.. If there were, the basic laws of physics would be nullified. In short, Dr. Hawking depends on humans' ability to measure and quantify the universe in order to define both the universe and the reality, or lack thereof, of a creator, and his position is based on a premise that is a direct violation to the most basic laws of physics.
Moreover, the lack of a point of beginning or ending of the earth or any part of the universe in whole or in part proves the reality of a Creator, simply because it reflects the eternal nature of the Creator, Which has not beginning or ending Itself.
While Dr. Hawking is welcome to espouse any theory he cares to, the lack of ability to measure a thing does not prove it doesn't exist. The most basic laws of physics speak to this. What this lack does prove is that human technology is not infallible, may never achieve the perfection he seems to believe it can, and in any case, since physics has long ago proven that there is no such thing as a 'true' vacuum – i.e., a space containing absolutely nothing, there may well be a creator.
More than that, I believe absolutely that the universe is a logical creation, and that this in and of itself proves absolutely that there is indeed a creator. To believe in the logic that allows physics and mathematics to exist and to describe the mysteries of the universe and then to claim at the same time that the universe happened by accident is completely illogical. If the universe happened entirely by accident, logic could not function. Predictability would not exist. Chaos would rule, rather than entropy and predictability. The Big Bang may have happened, but it did not 'just happen'. There was a logic – a creator – that made it happen, if it happened at all.
Dr. Hawking wrote a book in 1988, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME; FROM THE BIG BANG TO BLACK HOLES. In it, he asks, "So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end: it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?"
The analogy for the shape of the universe he uses is that of the earth, having a point - somewhere - at the top, widening to the equator, then becoming smaller to a point - somewhere - at the bottom. Since there is no place on the earth that is identifiable as the point of beginning of the earth, so there can be no point of an end to the surface of the earth. Dr. Hawking takes the position that because this is so for the earth, if it is also true for the universe, then there is no need or place for a creator.
He further posits that there is no place for a creator - i.e., no reality of one - because, without a point of beginning, there is no possibility of "anything existing before time".
I believe Dr. Hawking is wrong, and that his position has a basic flaw. This basic flaw stems from the logic he uses to make his position. He appears to believe that if we cannot measure either "time", or the point at which "time" began, nothing existed before it except possibly energy, and nothing could have. Simply because there is no point of beginning - of time or anything else - that we mere humans can measure does not automatically insure that nothing came before the thing we call "time". In fact, 'nothing' has been proven to be impossible to exist; nature abhors a vacuum and there are no true vacuums to be found anywhere.. If there were, the basic laws of physics would be nullified. In short, Dr. Hawking depends on humans' ability to measure and quantify the universe in order to define both the universe and the reality, or lack thereof, of a creator, and his position is based on a premise that is a direct violation to the most basic laws of physics.
Moreover, the lack of a point of beginning or ending of the earth or any part of the universe in whole or in part proves the reality of a Creator, simply because it reflects the eternal nature of the Creator, Which has not beginning or ending Itself.
While Dr. Hawking is welcome to espouse any theory he cares to, the lack of ability to measure a thing does not prove it doesn't exist. The most basic laws of physics speak to this. What this lack does prove is that human technology is not infallible, may never achieve the perfection he seems to believe it can, and in any case, since physics has long ago proven that there is no such thing as a 'true' vacuum – i.e., a space containing absolutely nothing, there may well be a creator.
More than that, I believe absolutely that the universe is a logical creation, and that this in and of itself proves absolutely that there is indeed a creator. To believe in the logic that allows physics and mathematics to exist and to describe the mysteries of the universe and then to claim at the same time that the universe happened by accident is completely illogical. If the universe happened entirely by accident, logic could not function. Predictability would not exist. Chaos would rule, rather than entropy and predictability. The Big Bang may have happened, but it did not 'just happen'. There was a logic – a creator – that made it happen, if it happened at all.
I am a Traditional person of my Lakota People. We have a creation story, as does every other culture on earth. I will tell a part of it here, because it reinforces my position.
Our Lakota Creation Story teaches: Long, long ago, before measurable time existed, and so, before the world (= universe) existed, everything existed, but it was formless. We Lakota call this formless condition 'being in the void'. A void is not an empty space; no such place exists. Void means “the absence of physical form”. Yet, there was life, because everything is made up of spirit (energy) at its most basic.
A proof of this would be lightning. We can see lightning and its effects, but we cannot see the parts that make it up, and we know it is pure spirit, pure energy. Yet, among our People, there are those wakan (mysterious / holy) people who can call the lightnings – the Wikangli Oyate – and work with them. These are the heyoka – sometimes called the Thunder Dreamers.
Anyway, the many parts within the void may not have had form, but they did have a connection to each other; we say, "they were related"; and they knew this and that they made up a whole, because the world (= universe) is composed of spirit at its most basic, and spirit has no one form itself, yet It is everywhere.
For whatever reason, suddenly the group consciousness began to wonder what Its various parts were like. It wondered about this for awhile, until finally Its curiosity was so great It decided to find out.
It began to separate out some of its most basic spirit energy, since Power has many levels, and what eventually formed, was Inyan, the Rock, which later became the Earth.
As the most basic spirit energy separated out and formed Inyan, the Rock, some of the Power of Takuskanskan – Something Holy Moving, which is spirit / energy, which is always moving – also leaked out. As it turned out, it had to be this way, although we don't know why, or need to know why, and it could not be reversed without great difficulty.
The color of this Power was bright blue, and became the disc of the sky. This shade of blue is the holiest of the colors. The point when Takuskanskan began to separate out some of Its most basic spirit energy and it became Inyan as it solidified into having form, is when Time began.
We Lakota have known these things far longer than the majority culture has existed. And, whether we argue Dr. Hawking's question from the perspective of the newcomer, physics, or from that of ancient knowledge from my people's culture, we know his question and his belief that there is no Creator, is wrong and his logic is flawed; that he has apparently overlooked some basic tenets of physics and logic. Just because something has always been does not mean there is no creator - it means there must be a creator, since only the form, or lack of it, is the point of contention. The universe IS the Creator, then; resolving Itself into Its myriad parts, in order to learn what It is really all about. The ongoing formation of the universe is a voyage of self-discovery by the Creator. Hechetu ye.
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