Mallow

I am Mallow; here sit I
Watching all the passers-by.
Though my leaves are torn and tattered,
Dust-besprinkled, mud-bespattered,
See, my seeds are fairy cheeses,
Freshest, finest, fairy cheeses!
These are what an elf will munch
For his supper or his lunch.
Fairy housewives, going down
To their busy market-town,
Hear me wheedling: "Lady, please,
Pretty lady, buy a cheese!"
And I never find it matters
That I'm nicknamed Rags-and-Tatters,
For they buy my fairy cheeses,
Freshest, finest, fairy cheeses!

by Cicely Mary Barker

We Demand logical laws.
We Demand adherence to the Constitution of the United States of America.
It is Simple.
We Do it now.

Why haven't we taken to the streets yet -- as any model citizen of the USA would have done YEARS ago?
We've allowed, stood by, facilitated, tolerated
Lies
For too long a time.

Now is the Time to begin
Thinking,
Speaking,
Doing the right things.

What we have been doing is wrong
Isn't it.

No more tolerance of
Manipulation
Greed
Cheating
Lies
Propaganda

Everything is now examined
Closely
Under the strong light.
This Light discerns
The Right from wrong,
The Respectful versus the manipulative,
The Generous versus the greedy,
The Egalitarian from the divisive,
The Smart versus the self-destructive,
The helpful from the hindrance
Regarding our individual and collective Health and Safety and Well-Being.

Whenever a choice is now made, it is made on behalf of the Good. 
We do still know what that means.

Amen.

Did any of you receive that mass email about how America needs a leader like Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, head of a government that [in 2005] told Muslims who follow Islamic Sharia law to get out of the country? Long story short, this was one of those hybrid email stories, partly true, partly misleading, according to snopes.com.  The propaganda piece went on to say that "Immigrants, not Australians," must learn to adapt:  e.g. "This is Our Country, Our Land, and Our Lifestyle ... after you finish whining about our flag, our christian beliefs, blah, blah blah, you have the right to Leave."

So, while the person who sent it to me is a sweet gentleman whenever he visits me at my place of business, and I love him dearly, I did write my own response to him (and to another person on that email propaganda list who agreed with the sentiment.  Here it is.

This is Great?  America needs a leader like this?

I do not like Anti-Muslim rhetoric.  I do not like intolerant, hateful sentiments disguised as Christian.  I do not like patriotism that separates, excludes, divides, and further alienates humans into factions.  Is this the kind of talk that Jesus would be speaking if He were here today?  This is a war-mongering mentality. If the people who are promoting this kind of talk were using the brain that God gave them, they would realize that they are being gullible pawns -- regurgitating the propaganda they have swallowed.  Yes propaganda! There are reasons why all the major newspapers and tv stations are shoving “terrorism” down our throats 24/7, and feeding us with fear of the “Other” – in order to control our gullible brains.  They don’t want you to think for yourself because then you might not buy their products!  Why don’t you analyze it honestly for yourself?  Seek out alternative press and listen to alternative media analysts.  Find out what the TRUE stories are out there.  Was Jesus speaking words that agreed with the majority, or was He speaking an alternative Truth that riled the dominant powers? How did Jesus treat the outcasts?

 

Haven’t we learned our lessons from the past?  Haven’t we learned something from the Japanese internment camps of World War II?  Didn’t we already learn that jumping to condemn all of the people of one ethnic group, because of the sins of some, is wrong? Are we still that racist a people?

 

There are very important reasons why our forefathers - the ones who designed the framework for the America that we claim to love - put so many checks and balances into our Constitution.  It was not to protect us from outside terrorism!  It was because they had the foresight to see that our most likely enemy would come from within -- from American "leaders" who would try to usurp too much power and degrade our country.  So, the degradation of our Constitution and our country is happening right now, just as they suspected!  Meanwhile, American CITIZENS sit on their duffs watching American Idol, listening to the propaganda on the television and the radio talk shows, and propagate little emails like this that continue to follow the trend of anti-Muslim, anti-“Other,” hateful, divisive, un-Christian “morality.”  These people call anyone who thinks differently a "terrorist" or "unpatriotic."

 

That is probably what you are calling me right now, for disagreeing with you.  During the birth of our country, all those young men and women who risked their lives disagreeing with the British were called patriots. Yet now citizens who disagree with the president are called “unpatriotic;” non-Christians are often labeled "terrorists;" and they are urged to "conform" because this is a "Christian country?”  What in the world did our American Revolutionaries fight and die for??  What good did they do, if we haven't learned how to be real American citizens?

 

I urge you to think.  I urge you to think twice about this mindset.  I encourage you to do your homework.  I love my country.  It saddens me deeply to see it degrading before my eyes into an Idiocracy whose citizens have no clue what it means to be a real American citizen.  God bless America.  May God help us all.

 

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it ...” --Declaration Of The Thirteen United States Of America, July 4, 1776

 

“The people are the masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it!” – Abraham Lincoln

 

For more information, get a copy of the “Citizens Rule Book” from Whitten Printers.

1001 S. 5^th St., Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 258-6406

http://www.knowledgehouse.info/whitten.html

 

Upon revisiting this entry, I felt the need for an overhaul - to weed out some noxious thoughts of that moment and leaf the healthy ones. 11/21/07

The Pixel is Mightier than the Sword

I want to see NYC again soon!  I am a native Tejan, but I lived up there for almost 5 yrs.  I lived in the Park Slope Bklyn area and then Riverdale, Bronx -
Eventually I lived on Palisades avenue overlooking the Hudson River
Across from trees that the Rockefellers saved:  The Palisades
(GOD BLESS PETE SEEGER - See his movie, recently released!! "Pete Seeger - The Power of Song)

- Solid trees across the Hudson, with the Geo Washington bridge to my south and the Tappanzee Bridge to my north.  OAh!

I was working first as a Forest Restoration Technician in Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan, and then in  parks in the Bronx.  Then as Supervisor of Volunteers at Central Park Conservancy (go L.I.V.E. !!!!)  Absolutely one of the B EST jobs ever, that one!

I moved back to tx cause my dad was dying & because I needed to live in a place with larger spaces of natural land around me.  Space with trees, etcetera.

I think it is time to go out into that space with trees!  My soul is jonesing for a hike in the woods.  Thanksgiving weekend is a great time for this.

This recipe I just adapted tonight from a cookbook my mom gave me, Cooking Texas Style, by Candy Wagner and Sandra Marquez. 

NOT EXACTLY FROM SCRATCH ORGANIC CHILI RECIPE:

1T. organic coconut oil
1T. organic butter
1 whole red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Chili Pequins, whole

1/2 # Ross Family Farm Beef Cutlets, cut into less than 1" cubes
[locally-available grass-fed beeves in Austin, TX (http://www.rossfarm.com/) -- look for your most local, natural beef ]

1 can Central Market (CM) Organics Kidney Beans
1 can Westbrae Organic Corn
1 can Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque Soup
1/2 large carton (quart?) Imagine Organic Chicken Broth
1 jar CM Organics Medium Simply Salsa
1-1/2 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 - 3/4 Tablespoon Real Salt

Saute onions & garlic, then beef in the oils until beef is done.  Add all the other ingredients.  Mix well, stir often, simmering for one hour.  Yum.

P.S. After the hour of cooking was almost done, I felt the need to remove the remaining Chili Pequins. (They conveniently floated to the top).  I made this decision after biting into these hot little Texas native peppers -- twice, while tasting the chili, and found them to be beyond my tongue's heat tolerance.  Yowza!

To your health!

Jesus was fundamentally all about love.  First, I learned about Jesus.  Then, when I got older, I learned what hippies are.  Real Hippies are all about peace, love, and understanding.  Hippies reminded me of Jesus. 

Therefore, the current, common definition of Fundamentalist with regards to the people who call themselves Christians is incorrect and a misnomer.  Jesus was known for loving, keeping company with, and teaching the very people in His society who were outcasts:  the Jews, the poor, the powerless, the sick, and Mary Magdelene.  Surely this has been asked before, but Who do we think are the outcasts in our society today?  Why, it’s the gays, the single mother on welfare, the homeless, the ethnic minorities, those relying on health insurance.  Who cast them out?  (Imagine the “Church Lady” character from Saturday Night Live here). Could it be ... The government?  Could it beeeee ... Let’s see ... The Powerful Rich who call themselves Christian? 

Jesus also loved those Powerful Rich of his times who crucified him.  I propose that we – as Whatever You Want to Call Us – love those Powerful Rich who Aim to Oppress.  If Jesus did, then we must try, too.  Yes, I agree:  This might be the hardest task that any of us has in our lives, to love the George W. Bushes, the Dick Cheneys, the John Ashcrofts

That doesn’t mean we condone them – not whatsoever.  We love them and we march on.  We march on forward strongly, on that bright path, the true path, the loving path, as it opens up for us each and every One right now.  Thank God.

Are we responsible for others' perception of us?  Someone just told me recently that she was taught, the Christian way, that we must consider others' perceptions of our actions before acting.  If spending the night at so-and-so's home is going to LOOK improper, then we should not.  The word 'Codependence' comes to mind.  That is where we  let other people and other people's opinions become more important than Who We Are and Who We Are Put On This Earth To Be.  If I think of how much MORE limited I would be if I worried about others' perception of me every time I made a decision, then I feel very sad.  I have worked consistently in my life to slough off the shackles of "What Will They Think" and "How Will this Look to Others?" and continue to do so.  My own instincts were drilled out of me growing up, my true self dried up, and I became only a shell of what I thought would please my mother and society.  Then I woke up.

What about someone who is perceived as having an affair?  If it looks to everyone around as though someone is having an affair with a married person, are they behaving inappropriately?  What about that ex-boyfriend who was often flirting (with others) and whose absences seemed to imply an affair?  (If not an affair, his behavior begged a perception of his lack of loyalty and commitment in the relationship). Is he responsible for my perception of him as being slime?  Think of Paris Hilton.  How is she perceived?

Like so many issues in life, this is one that serves us best in balance.  We are not completely immune from, nor can we ignore humanity's perception of us.  It is one facet that can partially help to describe and define us.  We can learn a lot from understanding how we are perceived by those we touch.  But it is not the whole diamond.  Imagine if Einstein or Gallileo or Dolly Parton curtailed their particular talents based on public perception.  Our culture and understanding of our world would be so less rich if folks edited or censored the expression of their inner light just because the brightness of it was met with other's ridicule or judgement or mere misinterpretation. 

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

Oh, night.
Darkness of night
That loosens my tongue of words
That now seem more dangerous in the light.
Impulsive impetus
Opened up a can of worms
Worms?
Closer still to setting some fires
In a parched landscape.

The word
Whether written and sent or said
Cannot be unsaid
Unsent
Taken back
Was my higher self knowingly stirring up change?
Or were my baser drives trying to cause trouble?
Authenticity?
Or addiction to chaos?
The encouragement of human fallibility?

Would it be that I were protected
From my own impulses
Never tested
Never tried
In the courtroom of Life
Then life would not be Life,
Then,
Would It?

Oh, what a difference eight years makes!  This is the first year our company has dispensed with the Christmas Gift-Giving Game whose theme revolves around ... stealing.  Taking.  Coveting.  You know, pick a gift, and if you are unlucky enough to get a good gift, the next person in line has the option of either picking a mystery gift from under the tree, or stealing "your" gift, already exposed from it's gilded wrapping.  I think it is also called, tragically, racially neanderthalesquely, "Chinese Christmas."  There's a whole 'nuther study right there.

Anyway, this is the first year in eight or nine years that our company has NOT done the Christmas Stealing Game, and instead chose "Secret Santa."  I know, I know, some people really like the Christmas Stealing game, and they take it much more lightly than I do.  I am in the midst of spending my entire adult life trying to understand viewpoints such as this that are so polar-bear opposite from mine.  It's okay, really.  I think I understand.  And yet, this year's party was, by far, the best ever.  (That first year, eight or nine years ago, when we played Secret Santa, I was too young and nervous in my position, I am sure, to know whether or not I was having a lot of fun).  Not that those other Christmas parties were awful, mind you!
The anticipation leading up to the party, where everyone drew names, and ascertained what their Santee might like, was delightful.  Some folks - most, really - were also winningly secretive about it.  The party itself was electric.  The chosen gifts were spectacular, and so many mysterious gifts showed up for those people who did not put their name in the "Secret Santa" bag.  :-)  What I love about games like this is the randomness -- to me, God shows up in the Random.  (God = The Mystery) There were so many delicious moments, all strung together in a very loud, comforting, colorful beadwork of a mild, starry, Texas winter's evening.  I felt closer and more loving with more people, all friends of varying lengths of time, than any moment I can recall.  What euphoria!  What a beautiful lesson in the tangible results from a simple paradigm shift.  I am very proud of everyone for making this change for the better.

My family of origin has recently announced, via email, that This Christmas we will not be buying gifts for each individual sibling, (There are six of us) and their spouses, children, and new boyfriend/girlfriends.  Instead, we will pick one gift under $25, suitable for a boy or a girl, and we will be having what's called a "Chinese Christmas..."
love,
oxox

I wonder about people sometimes.  I wonder about people a lot.  I work retail, which is a perfect dharma for people who study people and the human condition.  ("People.  People who need people...are the luckiest people in the world...")  It is, in turns, perplexing, invigorating, frustrating, inspiring, pleasing, and surprising  - sometimes enraging - to serve the random visitors to a retail establishment.

Allow me to correct myself.  Our establishment does not attract as random a population as, say, Wal-Mart or Target or H.E.B.  Our establishment is an organic plant nursery, which does not attract simply gardeners, but gardeners who in some way are interested in gardening naturally.  So our clientele is generally a separate breed of human. Not everyone, but generally the majority are better educated, better informed, more conscientious and more caring than the average gardener, who is, in turn, generally at least more nurturing than the average non-gardening citizen.

I wish that I had started this ten years ago.  They say the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, and the next best time is now.  Likewise, if I had started writing daily, weekly, or otherwise semi-regular journal entries about my experiences with the public at said organic nursery ten years ago when I started working there, then i would now have in my possession a very entertaining tome of very human observations.  It is truly astounding on a weekly basis, if not daily, to witness the interactive behaviors of Homo sapiens in such a fabulous, friendly, casual - even loving - environment such as our store.  Some people respond in a predictably warm and friendly and appreciative manner to our generally friendly and uber-helpful ways.  When they do, it feels like one is communicating with family, like the ideal Waltons family, in my opinion.  When people respond outside of this realm, it is quite notable, and one knows that that person is troubled, if not lunatic.

For example, I was not even working today but I went to the store to shop for my wheelchair-bound plant-fanatic lovely friend Jo Ann.  I witnessed my coworkers working through an experience they just endured with an obviously troubled woman.  A young coworker - we'll call her Helen - who is THE SWEETEST, MOST LOVING PERSON I KNOW let an incoming customer know that she, Helen, could help her at the register.  Incoming customer said, "You can't see without those glasses, can you?"  Puzzled, of course, Helen asked, "I'm sorry What do you mean by that?"  The customer, an otherwise normal-looking middle-aged woman, said something like, "I don't like being observed while I am shopping!"  (Helen had just returned from her lunch break, so could not have been rightfully accused of "observing" the dear customer.)  Interesting, no?  Well, what some of us like to say around there after such an encounter is, "Bless her heart."  Sometimes another appropriate response is, "I hope she gets the help she needs."  In all sincerity, these responses are perfectly appropriate, and not only serve to disperse the negative energy from the recipient, but serve as a form of sincere forgiveness and prayer for the person who has crossed our path so briefly and perplexingly!