The Voice of the People
By Sherry Glaser
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Podcast Description
A weekly commentary based on a humorous perspective in an effort to awaken and inspire the people to take progressive action for themselves and the world.
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Declaration of Dependence | The US war on Drugs has cost our country a trillion dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, north and south of the border. California Governor Schwarzneggers' decision last Thursday to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of pot is a deliberate step toward a truce in that war. It lightens the burden on the criminal justice system that gets constipated with these petty battles, drains the economy and wastes law enforcement time that cold be spent dealing with serious crime. Interesting timing. Isn't it? Proposition 19, the regulation and taxation of Cannabis for adults, is on the electoral horizon and Schwarznegger opposes it. This brings up an interesting dilemma. If one can legally possess cannabis in California, don't we have to legalize and regulate the growing of it? Where are people supposed to get their marijuana? From Mexico? Ah, there's the rub. The turf war we are witnessing now on the border with Mexico has very much to do with the illegal trafficking of Marijuana. It's time to realize that continued prohibition is a national security threat and it is foolish to think we are not complicit in the violence there. Pot comes this way, weapons go that way. (Check out the grassroots action of Justsaynow.com founder Daniel Pacheco interrupting a speech of US Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske and delivering a petition of 52,000 signatures in favor of legalizing Marijuana). We really have to get smarter about our relationship with Mexico whether it concerns Marijuana or the hot button issue of immigration, especially when it comes to electing someone new to the office of Governor in California. Billionaire Meg Whitman is adamant about secure borders, deportation and outright rejects the Dream Act which would provide a path for legalization and higher education for the children of undocumented workers who have lived in America for most of their lives. She forbids them to realize their dreams while she is free to live hers by any means necessary. Her pre-Ebay roots, as far as I could trace them, go back to the wealthy enclaves of Boston, maybe she's related to the original tea party gang. The original immigrants. We discovered last week that Ms. Whitman employed an undocumented worker named Nicky Diaz Santallan for nine years. While Meg ruled her empire, Nicky cleaned up after her and her children. Whitman claimed ignorance about her employees legal status. These politics are increasingly familiar. When someone is outspoken and or obsessed about illegal immigrants they've usually have one in their own backyard. Same deal if some congressman or evangelical is outraged about the Gay agenda, they are soon caught with their pants down in the men's room, Why not confess, tell it like it is and refresh our legislature with laws that reflect our real world? Come out of the closet and get real about our relationships, especially with Mexico. Less than two hundred years ago, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico all belonged to Mexico. President John Tyler wanted to annex Texas and Mexico said "no". So, the next President, James Polk, offered to buy New Mexico for five million and California for 40 million dollars. Mexico said, "No gracias". They had just freed themselves from Spanish colonialization and then these gringos wanted their land. So they fought for it and lost. By signing the treaty of Guadlupe de Hidalgo Mexico surrendered the lands and those who remained in the relinquished territories were guaranteed safety and protection of existing property rights. But alas, as was the fate of treaties with indigenous people in North America, this was not honored. And now we have this hysterical border mania. You know the difference between European immigration to North America and Central American immigration to the US is that the Europeans used relentless force and violence to overthrow and murder the native population while the immigrants from the south risk their lives to come here, work for us, make our li | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Bombs Away! | I'm driving west from my home down albion ridge road to highway one to go into mendocino for the afternoon. I am thrilled, as I am everyday to see the stunning oceanscape of the pacific... | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Court Jester Testifies | The idealistic and good people of Mendocino County were out in droves this past weekend. Friday was the benefit for KMEC in Ukiah and the fundraiser for the candidate for 5th district Supervisor, Dan Hamburg in Mendocino. Saturday and Sunday we had Caspar Fest and the 8th Annual coast cleanup where over 600 people, picked up over 8,000 pounds, that's four tons of trash spread out over the distance of 44 miles of beach, river and creek. Thanks to all the Volunteers far and wide. I don't know what we would do without you. Not only were these events environmentally sensitive, educational, inspirational and economical, raising money for very worthy causes, they were fun and thoroughly entertaining. The struggles and stresses that mount up every day are only subdued by the imagination, joy and laughter that we can find here at home and over the TV, cyber and radio waves. While I deeply value The War and Peace report delivered daily by Amy Goodman, I love MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, whose astonishment and genuine bewilderment at the abominal behavior of politicians in our nation is truly refreshing. I'm also a big fan of Comedy Centrals' news department, the Daily show with John Stewart and The Colbert Report. This past Friday, Mr. Colbert crossed the ever more permeable wall between fiction and reality with stealth force testifying in Character, before congress, on the rights of immigrants and reflecting on his stint as migrant worker for a day. So funny. It was priceless because he presented himself as seriously, yet more intelligently than any of the members of the august body that he was in front, even offering to submit his colonoscopy results as evidence he needs more fiber in his diet. Talk about a tough audience, the subcommittee didn't crack a smile. This man has huevos rancheros. His earnest demeanor and hilarious yet relevant material was reminiscent of the 2006 White House Correspondence dinner where he skewered and fillet George Bush, the Republicans, and the media. This time Stephen was invited to testify about his day in the fields, picking beans and boxing corn, by the Chair of House subcommittee on immigration, Zoe Lofgren. Colbert, who is the modern incarnation of the Court Jester, unflinchingly mocked, satirized masterfully demonstrated the need for immigration reform at the same time highlighted, the rampant hypocrisy and inefficiency that infects our governing body. Nightly, Colbert and Jon Stewart show us the politicians and pundits running this country are imbeciles, homophobes, perverts, adulterers, and criminals concerned only with reelection and their own political power positions. Mr. Colbert and his colleague/faux nemesis John Stewart (who is actually the executive producer of the Colbert report) have called for a rally on the National Mall October 30th. They anticipate 100,000 based on the duo's uncanny ability to capture the attention of the 18 to 30 year old demographics considered at best allusive by the mass media, a block which if harnessed could bring about real change. While the theme of Mr. Colbert's Rally is Keep fear alive, Mr. Stewart is inviting us to a rally to restore sanity. Yes, Sanity. John will even provide premade protest signs, for those of us too busy to make our own with rational sentiments like, "I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure you're not Hitler" Now I don't know about you but a restoration of sanity seems like a good idea because the best summation of what is going on in this country feels like insanity to me. Like this weekends headline, that, Atlanta's megachurch Pastor, Eddie long has been accused of soliciting sexual favors from his handsome flock but, gay people still can't married, hell I'd say that is just one of the current events in the news that would certify insanity. I know I myself have felt on the verge or crazy. Since Obama took office with all his promises of change, my soul is restless, clinging to the hope that any day now, he's really going to | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Earthdance | Peace can get pretty lonely you know. Nobody hardly mentions it's name. Sure there's the occasionally march and festival but generally it's a world of war and corruption. At least that's what we hear about every day. Peace had a really good time this past weekend. There were earthdance festivals all over the world that dedicated themselves to this. The theme: Give Peace a Dance. From Laytonville, to South Africa, to Greece, to Brazil to, Tanzania. This weekend Peace had some good company. The Q'reo Indians, direct descendants of the Inkas, came from all the way from the Andes in Peru to Laytonville for Earthdance this weekend to sit in ceremony, meditating on our heart connection with each other and for the Pachamama, mother earth. That's a peace movement in itself. The sky was so moved by all of this, that it had to cry about it all Saturday night. The wet weather was actually beneficial, its the first Earthdance that I recall, where everyone wasn't choking on the dust and collecting boogers in their bandanas the the color of shade grown coffee.The sky was overjoyed yesterday. with cumulous nimbus clouds spectaculary splashed across the quintessential blue canvas. It was cool and breezy. We didn't go for the whole weekend, because as time has passed the entertainment has become, for me, more geared towards the youth. The generation that still has energy to burn in the name of peace. We attended Sunday evening and danced to the Brazilian beats of Sam Ba Da, The Indian Celtic mix of Dehli to Dublin and Michael Franti who closed the festival with his usual flair, inviting children and elders over 60 to join him on stage for his number #1 hit single, I Love You. That joint was jumping' for peace. Sunday was enough for us, because Saturday we were so happy to take our our granddaughter Sophia and our extended family of 7 other children to the County Fair in Boonville. Thousands of you attended the fair and it was a classic down home , apple crunching' cow pooping,good time. I like it too because it's also one of our most integrated events (besides the when the circus comes to town). Where North meets south and we all get along just fine. don't we ? There's always so much to do 'round here. It's an electrifying field of energy, concerts in the vineyards, the benefits at the botanical gardens, festivals, transition town meetings, farmers markets, etc. etc. And we manage to enjoy ourselves in these here parts without violence. Yes, I know there are the occasional murders, home invasions, pot raids. But I have to say this is really one of the most peaceful places in the world, I hesitated to say in the world, but after I thought about it for a second, yes, I think it's true. What can we attribute that pleasant statistic to? Perhaps because we have access to the organic, herb, food, nature and music, sweet music especially via these airwaves of KZYX, We are also exposed to the dazzling coastline on a daily basis and inland some of the most beautiful topography on earth. Every time I drive down Highway One on the way to anywhere I can, if I choose,experience, looking at the ocean, a sense of infinite peace and calm. Can you? Then twisting turning over the hill whether it's Highway 253, Orr Springs road, or Highway 20, It's a mystical magical tour through redwoods and oak and hillsides that never fade. This place offers us sanctuary, it's a sensual oasis in the urban desserts that are spreading like epidemics across our earth. Here, in this bio-region of Northern California, we have an invitation to rest our weary eyes on such magnificence that peace finds it's way into our lives naturally. I think it 's peaceful disposition also has something to do with the medicinal Marijuana movement that mellows the masses and makes a lot of merry around here. I imagine a day when this plant has a safe harbor and the farmers who tend the fields can do so with pride and a feeling of security that they are making right livelihood and contributing | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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New Yorker for a Day | I am a New Yorker. True, I've lived in California for the last 30 years. But, I am still a New Yorker. It's like being Jewish. It's my roots. I'm a New York Jew. New York Made me what I am. Everyone who Immigrated to NY from anywhere in the world, which most of our great-grandparents did, who grew up there, lived there, worked and died there has this intensity, loyalty, indisputable character, attitude, humor, and definitely without a doubt, an opinion. We're tough, built to last. My 82 year old uncle Ted still lives in Manhattan and will never leave. Maybe it's something in the water. The water that makes the absolute best tasting pizza and bagels in the world. Then there's the architecture from its brownstones to It's gleaming skyscrapers, It's undying devotion to art, music, dance and the theater. There's the international ethnic smorgasbord on every block. Each culture recreated in small enclaves, leaving it's definitive flavor, aromatic distinctions wafting up the avenues and the alleyways. Just walk down the street and you will here 50 different languages. And deeper than that of course are the subways (ha) and the people of New York. Characters, everyone of um. The sidewalks brimming over with them, loud, chaotic, and constant. I never witnessed violence living in NY. My apartment was robbed once, but I wasn't there, so it made me mad more than scared. I was never afraid to ride the subway, walk the streets at 2 Am, yes, there's crime ( mostly from police corruption) like any big city, but it never interfered with the thrill of it all. Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, St. Patricks Cathedral, Carnegie Hall, The Carnegie Deli, Central Park, China Town, Radio City Music Hall, Village, Harlem, The UN, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central Station, Broadway and yes, of course, the former Twin Towers, now known as ground zero. I had dinner at Windows on the world on the 107th floor, with my family when I was 16 years old. I remember the potatoes were odd, shaved and crunchy like hay. I got up from the table to look out over Manhattan. It was magnificent, I looked down and felt dizzy. Saturday, President Obama said that "every year on September 11th we are all New Yorkers". That's odd because he stood at the Pentagon to tell us that, which tells me that he is a Pentagonian. If he felt so New Yorky he should have been at Battery Park, the twin ghost lasers beaming up behind his podium and him gazing into the harbor at the Statue of Liberty, but he's not really into her these days. No, He is one that stands with the Pentagon, not the people, on this terrible anniversary and that is reflected in his foreign and domestic policies. Mr. Obama went on to say. "We pause to remember the victims, to grieve with the families and friends of those who died, and to honor the heroes of that day and each day since who have sacrificed to save lives and serve their country. Lovely, poetic words, but what about the reality of those "heroes?" because at this moment there is a bill stalled in the house of representatives. The James Zadroga bill HR 847 that amends the Public Health Service Act to extend and improve protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. James Zadroga was a NYC police detective who participated in rescue and clean-up at the WTC. He was the first to die at 34 years old of a respiratory disease related to the toxicity at ground zero. (though that was disputed by the city's medical examiner who said his death had nothing to do with WTC fallout) Just before this August recess Republicans in the house blocked HR847. Yes, that's sad and seems truly unpatriotic, but what's idiotic is that it's nine years later and these American heroes are suffering and dying from the WTC cough and other respiratory illnesses and there has been no legislation to address this. At the point that H.R. 847 was formulated in February of 2009 it was reported that | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Coming Home | Coming Home Last Friday I went to the airport to pick up our middle daughter Dana and her Best Friend Larissa coming home from a tour halfway around the world.They left on Winter solstice and came back in time for Fall equinox. That's a long time and distance to have my umbilical cord stretched. Last night the girls slept under our roof and ahh that feeling, knowing our children are sleeping soundly downstairs pacifies the soul like nothing else. I had to have a lot of faith that while on they're journey they would be safe, in right place at the right time in a world that can instantly go very wrong, where violence can explode while thousands of innocent people are doing their daily coming and going or just sleeping in their beds. I know it was an awesome privilege for these two young women to wander blithely round the world, driving up the coast of Australia swimming with Manta rays off the great barrier reef, getting cozy with with Kangaroos and Koalas, Partying all night in the bars of Koh Smet in Thailand while the red shirts rioted in Bangkok, riding camels through the desert descending into the tombs of the pyramids, flying in a hot air balloon over the nile river in Egypt. scuba diving in the red sea. Walking through Cairo and all they could say was,This is old, this is really old, wow that's old. They Made mock confession at the Vatican in rome, rode on water busses through Venice, laughed the night away at the Edinburgh theater Festival in Scotland. learned drinking songs in English Pubs, Watched the World cup in Spain and countless other historical and hysterical hyjinks had by two brave, and beautiful young women whose soul purpose was to discover everything and wearing their trademark gorilla and banana suits, bring joy to the world. These two have gone beyond the confines of google and Facebook and sailed off into the wild blue yonder with faith and good humor and were rewarded with real time friends, family, cultural education and follies that I believe have only just begun. To them the world is a magnificent place. Upon their return I think of the thousands of Iraq war vets who are also coming home, gone not for months, but for years, enduring unimaginable circumstances always on the edge or in the midst of horrifying danger. To them the world is a terrible place. How did their parents endure their wives, husbands, kids? Soldiers came home for awkward interludes only to be redeployed back to the hell on earth that was their destination. It was hard enough to say goodbye to our kids leaving on holiday. How does a mother say goodbye to her son or daughter going off to kill an or be killed? And who are they when they come home? The majority of the soldiers returning from Iraq are the same age as my daughter, 22, so young and vulnerable. What's the damage? Our daughters have a bit of culture shock on returning to the states, Larissa dislocated her finger and Dana her knee overseas, luckily they were in England where they would and could get healthcare for free , but no post traumatic stress, brain injuries or nightmares of missions gone bad and babies gone blewy. Our girls suffered minor inconveniences and injuries unlike our soldiers whose life altering disabilities causing them unbearable pain and costing them thousands and thousands of dollars because the VA budget is so sadly depleted and mismanaged. I am relieved the war for them is "over" and they are coming home and yet many of us are deeply concerned about the lack of services, the intensity of injuries, both mental and physical. We see the statistics rising for veterans going off the deep end, committing suicide and at times bringing somebody we know with them as was the case last year when Jacob Gregory Swanson, 26, a former Army paratrooper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, killed himself and his girlfriend in Fort Bragg I've heard the argument that we send our kids off to war so we can maintain our national security, I've heard that freedom isn't fr | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Fowl Play | I love eggs. We all come from an egg. Women are born with all the eggs that our bodies will release in a lifetime and in those eggs are our children and if they are girls they have their lifetime supply as well. All our eggs in one future generational and ancestral basket. Eggs, the source of life and my favorite breakfast ingredient. There's the morning omelette, the benedict, over easy, scrambled, or in a lunch salad with celery, red onion, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise also reliant on egg for it's silky delight. Any delectable dessert insists on the ultimate fat.. Where would the cake, cookie or challah be without its radiant presence. the simple addition of eggs to a recipe gives us the delightful meringue. the hollandaise, the souffl�. It would take all day to list the recipes that rely on their steady beat, their robust protein. We all remember Sly Stallone as Rocky and his raw egg ritual preparing him to fight and triumph over apollo Creed. According to regenerative nutrition.com raw eggs contain essential nutrients for the brain, nerves, glands and hormones, they are nutritionally balanced,The sulphur amino acids help to keep you young, raw eggs also contain an abundance of other vital substances including protein, essential fatty acids along with niacin, riboflavin, biotin, choline, vitamins A, D and E, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, zinc and sulphur. I am in awe and deep gratitude for the chickens who daily provide this precious gift. I thank the Goddess, and our daughter and son in law who raised them, that we have chickens in our own backyard. It's food security to share and eat the eggs of ones so near and dear and not a product of Mr. Auston De Coster's unfortunate Brood. He is one rotten egg and the head honcho of Wright county and Quality egg distributors. the quintessential oxymoron. How sick these dear old biddies must be to have laid 450 million poison eggs. What on earth is this man doing to these harmless Henny penny's. This guy, De Coster has already been cited and fined for oodles of health, safety and human rights violations, and yet there are little if any consequences for this felonious farmer. He joins the ranks of the Agrithugs who are killing off our food sources to increase their already obscene profits, whether we go back to the outbreak of mad cow disease, the spinach plague and now the egg recall and dozens of other incidents where mechanical farming and toxic fertilizer is used with reckless abandon. The Industrial Agricultural Complex from Monsanto to Archer Midland Daniels have taken the sacraments of the earth, the foundation of our existence and pooped all over it. The epidemic of Salmonella is a result of these animals and vegetables being overexposed to feces. Now we all know that chicken manure, composted properly, is one of the very best amendments to our garden, very high in nitrogen and also contains a good amount of potassium and phosphorus. It's not good if the chickens themselves are standing in it up to their ankles. That's just a bunch of crap. Any one who has seen Food Inc. or read the classic expose, Diet For a New America, by John Robbins, is aware of the tragic abuse and inhumane conditions our chickens are subjected to on factory farms. These delicacies of la tierra firma, that which everything tastes like, are nothing more than egg machines to the Industrial Farmer. Chickens are the most generous birds in the world and in this country we daily consume billions of their legs, breasts, thighs, and livers and unborn children. approximately 23 million chickens are slaughtered daily in this country. Let's give them the respect, stature and safety regulations they deserve. That notwithstanding, if you live on a half acre or so, consider throwing up a coop. 6 chickens will provide 1/2 dozen eggs a day. Or instead of a chicken in every pot as FDR suggested, we could have a chicken coop on every block. Let's bring the chickens home to roo | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michigan Womyn's Music Festival | Wow, while we were away in Michigan, on our summer vacation, the oil from the BP spillage magically disappeared. Oil eating microbes arose out of the muck like some crazy munch monsters and yum, yum they ate it up. For real? I'm a little suspicious about the reality of that claim and so are the fisherfolk who make their livelihood off the fruits of the sea having no palate for the taste for chemical dispersant. It feels like a grand scheme by the oily boys who would like us continue swallowing their fossils fuels without missing a gulp, without fear of consequences for our insatiable appetites. It's time to get real. I think a healthy skepticism is beneficial here and an urgency in creating a real infrastructure for alternative energy and conservation. We drove our bio-diesel Sprinter on Interstate 80 half way cross this very lengthy nation, a first time experience for me,and the outstanding landmarks on this horizontal highway where the boarded up small towns connected by miles of power, oil, electric, and water lines extracting what's left of the dwindling resources from this ravaged earth. Besides that, lot's adult bookstores and corn, lots of corn. The fact is, It was exciting to see bio-diesel and ethanol fuel pumps sprouting up along our nations highways and took advantage of them . We had also committed to replenishing our glass water containers along the way, filling up at truck stops and restaurants which resulted in the purchasing of only one plastic bottle on our entire journey. It's not easy being green but it's possible. and it is certainly incumbent upon our leaders locally and nationally to take a giant step in that direction, they can just follow us. Rolling through Laramine Wyoming we heard news that The Gay marriage ban was overturned by US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. If you recall, Laramie was where a 21 year old, gay man named Matthew Shepherd was viscously beaten and killed and strung up on one of the thousands of snow fences that cut the hillsides. Just because he was gay. It was a solemn sacred moment of justice, to know that the court understood that the homosexual heart is equal to the heterosexual. that decision provides us with a certain measure of security and whittles away at the hate that is the root of that kind of tragedy. I know a lot of us have been praying for diversity and tolerance, and we took that as a really good sign even if it is stalled in the. 9th circuit court of appeals. It's the small omens and that sustain us through the madness and confusion of this life. We're all just looking for relief. It was a relief to spend time on women's only land in the hardwood forest of Hart Michigan.The Michigan Women's Music festival takes place in a self sufficient village built by women every spring for the last 35 years in preparation for the August arrival of about 9000 of us looking to escape the never ending struggle to function happily in a man's world. The Festival, 5 days long, spanning over 593 acres was started in 1976 by a woman named Lisa Vogel who at 19 had the tenacity and focus to provide a safe space for women that would be filled with every imaginable kind of artistic expression, music, theater, comedy, dance, and workshops like Amazon knife and tomahawk throwing, Stilt walking, creative croning, to the Lesbian Tent revival. We were treated to the music of Laura Love, The Indigo Girls, Toshi Regan, Holly Near, Ferron, Mary Gauthier,The Butchies and the list goes on and on. We have hot showers, three delicious meals a day. If you need first aid, you are sent to the womb, if you are upset you go to the oasis, if you want to see women wrestling in chocolate pudding you go to the twilight zone. Children, roam freely because there are infinite mothers' eyes watching over them. We attended the festival with another lesbian couple and four of our teenage daughter's. Here in the "mainstream" we are constantly nagging them about their minuscule fashion choices exposing more of th | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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By The Light of The Moon | So many beautiful stories in the world, the beauty makes me cry as much as the devastation. I know some people had a strong condemnation toward our Women weeping by the water, but I can tell you a full blown emotional life with all it's,sorrows, pathos, slapstick, and absurdities makes this life so satisfying. I would love to see more and more people experience the fulfillment that I know regularly because of my connection to humanity, the earth and the cosmos. I believe one can be emotional and powerfully effective at the same time. It is the lack of emotion, or depression that tends to destroy our inner lives. I know a majority of you love to be touched, entertained, you love a good story and the juicier the better. Would you buy a ticket to a show that had no emotion, no dramatic arc, or are you more interested in a story, say that starts with utter hopelessness that by some twist of fate or will becomes a heroic triumph. And according to the signs I'm seeing, Yes, we are on the verge of a climax here. I'll be the first to admit that my latest editorials are fraught with deep dark emotions but at the same time A psychic once told me my rose colored glasses have rose colored clip ons there is a kind of optimism that always accompanies me. I see great evidence of consciousness rising and that kind of behavior reflected. in current events. Today, the VA announced that Veterans have the right to use Marijuana to help deal with PTSD in 14 States where it is legal. Huge leap forward. Last week the front page of the Ashland Newspaper, Daily Tidings, told us Northwest airline hubs will be using biodiesel to fuel their airplanes. Exciting. New York opens it's first electric vehicle charging station while New Jersey mounts 200,000 solar panels on utility poles. Illegal timber trade has dropped %50 in the Amazon! The California legislature is poised to pass AB 1998, banning single-use plastic bags. Governor Schwarzenegger has said he'll sign it,Yeah! There was An article last week in the Press democrat about a significant increase in Vaginal births after C-section. I'm always inspired when I see positive news about v****as in the newspaper. Tropical storm Bonnie spared Gulf residents a terrible beating and the cap on the bp oil leak is holding. Everyday people are coming up with creative solutions to clean up the gulf. And in other water news, Salmon returning to the columbia Snake river in record numbers. Then there's the case of Shirley Sherrod who was unjustly accused of Racism regarding her speech to the NAACP. the source of course for that nasty spin was fox news. This set off a chain of unfortunate events that led to her firing, but, then drum roll please, the President of the United States called her and apologized and offered her job back. Wow, can we take a moment. I remember reporter after reporter asking George Bush if he made any mistakes his answer was a standard and absolute No. But Barack Obama and his minions made a mistake and addressed it. If Ms. Sherrod accepts his apology and returns to her post at the USDA that would be an extraordinary lesson for America. To err is human. To forgive, divine. We are at this moment also being appraised of the Truth of the War in Iraq and Afghanistan through the eyes of Wikileaks. There are over 90,000 pages documenting extreme war crimes against innocent people. While that in itself is an undeniable horror, the outcome may surprise us. The footage is all over the internet and the newspaper and Robert Gibbs White house Spokesman has been fielding questions about it all day. We cannot live in denial of that facts, just the facts. and here they are all dressed up with everywhere to go. The light is shining in the darkest places. Thank you internet, thanks to the people who care enough to risk there lives, livelihoods, reputations to bring us inconvenient truths. How appropriate that Today We are in a full moon 3 degrees of Aquarius and according to it's Sabian symbol, another drum r | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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All The World's a Stage | A playwright is like God. She looks down on her world sets the scene, populates it, plots it decides it's outcome. If it ends with a wedding, it's a comedy, If it ends with a funeral, it's a tragedy. She or He gives us a passport to a new world, exotic, mundane, impossible, beautiful and sometimes very very ugly, just like life, only at the theater we are the audience and that makes it more comfortable. We have just had the privilege of attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. We did not get tickets to one of the Bard's classics , 12th Night, or the Merchant of Venice, playing in honor of the Festivals 75th anniversary. No, Honestly I am not a fan of Shakespeare I respect the man greatly, but it's too much work for me. I liked The film Shakespeare In Love more than I liked Romeo and Juliet. It's hard to admit that, but it's the truth. We stayed on the fringe of the Festival and we were lucky to see the World Premiere of American Night, a collaborative creation by the legendary socio-political comedy team known as, Culture Clash . In it, We follow, or maybe chase would be a better verb, the story of a young Mexican father, Juan Jose, separated from his Wife and new baby, still in Mexico, while he jumps through hoops of hope and prepares himself for the exam to become an American Citizen. Set against a simple steel backdrop, first graffiti'd with the phrase, "Borders are scars on the Land", in Spanish Juan Jose's journey begins with his trek across the dessert as the Projector screen shows us how Juan walked to America. We catch up with Juan Jose' the night before his exam, cheered on by his two new Mormon friends hoping that he not only switches countries, but deities as well, to help them spread the good word to his gente latino. This is just one minor, yet sharp note in this brilliant Operatic Comedy that takes us on a fantastic journey to the center of American History through the dream state of our Hero Juan Jose'. This play, a by product of over thirty years of collaboration between richard Montoya, Herbert Siguenza, who also star, and Ric Salinas of Culture Clash, think Latino Mime Troupe, In American Night we are given a thorough History lesson, peppered with pernicious pop culture, beginning at the end of the Mexican American war and the Signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago where upon doing so Mexico surrenders lands from California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. In his dream, as the signature on the treaty, Juan Jose makes himself a fugitive in what just five minutes ago was HIS country The irony starts there and does not stop as Juan travels through the time line as if on a skate board through the ages pausing only to mark undocumented moments in history that give a more diverse sense of who we are as Americans like, Viola Pettus the Black Florence Nightengale of Texas, who in the days of the Spanish Influenza even treated KKK members , deftly delivering the notion that there are good people in the world even if they don't make history. And even though our country is fraught with racism with the modern likes of Sherif Joe Arpaio and Governor Jan Brewer and divisions that linger from the original buying, selling, and stealing of American, this is still a place where dreams can come true. The metaphor of the dream of Juan Jose, conjures the current day, Dream Act, that would give undocumented immigrants a new lease on life. May it be so. Then Last night we attended, in the same theater, miraculously transformed into the Congolese Jungle. a chilling thrilling work of Pulitzer winning playwright, Lynn Nottage, called Ruined. This Play harkens to Brecht's Mother Courage, yet is set in Present day Congo, where Coltan ( a main ingredient in our precious cell phones) is the new Gold and Soldiers and Rebels Kill and Maim with impunity to control the resources and extract revenge for the taking of their indigenous lands. We are at Mama Nadi's place deep in Jungle Land. She provides a refuge for girls, youn | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Total Solar Eclipse | The Tides they are a Turning A small group of us held a sacred ritual on Big River Beach Sunday, July 11th at the same time of the total solar eclipse. Only visible in the Chile, Argentina and Peru, the moon blocked the sun for a time and certainly appeared more powerful than the sky king. How symbolic! Now some might say, a solar eclipse? So what? As if to suggest that universal, cosmic events are unimportant, folderol, and fiddle-de-dee. It seems a bit arrogant to me to think the intelligent design, the precise chemistry and balance of the universe, our perfect solar system, which affords us life on earth has no influence in our oh so very important existence. Many of the rulers of the past related themselves to the Sun. The patriarchy claims the sky as it's domain; think, "our father who art in heaven." The most obvious connotation is that when a boy child is born he of course is the "son". Well, being a lover of linguistics and divine metaphors, as you know I am. I must act accordingly. In acknowledging the metaphor of the feminine moon eclipsing the masculine sun, we give credence to idea that using ritual, in tune with the forces of nature, will bring radical change, challenging the patriarchal rule of that has dominated our planet for thousands of years. As the moon eclipsed the sun, the new moon went into Cancer. Some say astrology and numerology is a bunch of hooey, but when I reflect on the calendar and recent catastrophic events like the invasion of Iraq on the eve Spring equinox in 2003, or the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon on 4/20, I think there is a method to the madness. 911 certainly has, and always will have, enormous numerical significance. So, on 7/11 (connotation noted), we hitched a ritual of weeping and wailing to a truly physical phenomenon in our cosmological cycle. The act of doing so gives us context for the arc of our revolution, which is a movement to find balance on planet earth. The sign of Cancer is about home. Women have a traditional connection to the moon. It is ancient and aligns us with nature's rhythms as we experience our menstrual cycle. In fact, some women indicate they are bleeding by saying they are on their "moon" or "moon-struating." Maybe you've heard of the moon hut, a term referring the place where women retreat to use the power of their cycle to dream, to prophesize, to nurture and refresh themselves. The tides rule us all, yet as women, our wombs, like the sea, are the environment for life to come to fruition. Humans are undeniably ruled by water because we are full of it. Our bodies are over 60% water. We are all deeply involved in that way. No one can deny it. It is time to raise the feminine "yin" dark, watery presence to her rightful position. Really-- what else on earth are we supposed to do to address these overwhelming crises? Well, for one thing, having a good cry is the first step toward our own well being. Sorrow is a natural response to the dire circumstances of war and oil disasters that humanity and our other living relatives are facing. So our circle of women had a good cry, in reverence, in grief, and in awe, as we stood in the presence of our Mendocino Coast's precious green, healthy, mystical, living, giving ocean. Our salt tears filled to the brim with pain, compassion, remorse, gratitude, as we called out "We hear you." We hear Our Mother calling out. We hear dolphins, whales, turtles, krill, and coral beds. We feel their suffering, in our wombs, and in our bloodstreams, and we hear the call. Our friend, Lisa Denning, whose underwater film exhibit, Ocean, came to Oddfellow�s Hall this weekend, provided us with a truly intimate chance to see, and virtually swim, with the dolphins she filmed off the coast of Oahu. We discussed the tragedy of the Gulf Oil Leak. Lisa said that dolphins are highly intelligent species, and they are mostly evacuating the premises, but there are those pods that are sacrificing themselves. They are swimming through the | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Independence Day | We had a grand fourth of july celebration in mendocino in the streets and at friendship park yesterday. A truely bright and brilliant blue sky... | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Anarchy Rules | My acupuncturist advised me that current events are taking a terrible toll on my psyche and body and it would behoove me to take a news fast for a few days. As I unwound from the headlines, I could clearly see the damage left in the wake. There are so many emotional, physical, and spiritual assaults in progress my trauma meter is on boing. Yet, I still, in spite of everything, believe there are so many good people in the world who truly want to help, to make the world a better place and can. It is not because they are told to do so by a police officer, or the Board of Supervisors, or California Assembly member or a State Senator or a President. It is because, given the right circumstances and offered civility and respect, folks will behave themselves. Not only do we behave but, I find that we, the common people, (not to be confused with the small people) are better informed than anyone in those elected positions. I'm always mystified when I listen to congressional hearings on any subject. Whether it be weapons of mass destruction, Wall Street collapses, global warming, the Gulf oil leak disaster, those who are in charge know considerably less than I do about the subject. Do they read newspapers, watch TV? They have enormous staffs that could do the research if they are pressed for time. Still, after creating reams and stacks of hearings and testimonies and records, they don't know what's going on. I have a confession to make, I didn't vote in the last election. That's a first for me. I struggled with the decision for a while, thinking, how couldn't I? What about those unfortunate subjects who are ruled by dictators, and how people fought and died for my right to vote, and doesn't voting make us a democracy? How could I refuse my civil obligation? But today as I return to the headlines I feel vindicated because life is spiraling out of control and I am not impressed with Democracy. I am sick of it. The recent installation of democracy in the Middle East has been possibly one of the most destructive events ever, as far as the cradle of civilization is concerned. Yet, news analysts are wondering why there are protests in Toronto at the G20 summit. It is because the G20 power brokers of the world have failed us completely? According to the media, a lot of the trouble in Toronto is generated by the Black Bloc, the anarchists. They are portrayed as violent hooligans and though I have seen them engage in property damage, usually directed at giant multinational corporations, I've never seen them assault another person, unlike the police dispatched to disrupt the protests. Are the anarchists the instigators?Maybe. I suppose it has nothing to do with the five miles of perimeter fence protecting plutocrats. It has nothing to do with the billions spent on unprecedented numbers of RoboCops in downtown Toronto. It has nothing to do with the fact that we are looking at the end of the world as we know it. I, myself, have been to a few of these summits and the only reason I've gone was to represent myself because not one elected officials represents me. I hate it when pundits speak about �what the American people want.� I don't know if they've asked you, but they sure haven't asked me and I've been knocking on their doors for many years. Haven't you? I believe any one of you listening to this broadcast could have made better decisions in the name of our collective progress. I believe that anyone listening to me has a moral compass, a capacity for logic, compassion for the most vulnerable among us, and an ingenuity, that with the right backing, could create a darn near utopia. Seems like anarchy has gotten a bad rap. But I like the truth of it. Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and Christian anarchist said, "Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us." Dr. Marx E. Lazarus, an American anarchist, who said, "Every vote for a governing office is an instrument for enslaving me." I experienced a downright upright | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Teed Off | First off I'd like to recognize and honor the pagans among us. Happy Summer Solstice. May the season bring forth an abundant garden, sensual and warm from the fertile ground. It is the season of Fire beware. Many celebrated the turning of the wheel this past weekend along with the custom of Father's day. now that's a sensitive subject for a lot of fatherless girls in my life, including my own kids. I know that Mother's Day was started in 1908 by Julia Ward Howe as a way to address war and advocate for peace. But I can't figure out for the life of me why father's day came to be. Because It's a man's world every day of the week. I had a loving and supportive father. And I honored him in life and remember him well in death. I Hope for all you papas out there that are present and accounted for with your families, that you had a good day. For me it is a time of confusion painful reflection because it was on father's day weekend 13 years ago that my husband and the father of my two daughters disappeared into thin air never to be seen again. One of the disturbing facts of his mysterious departure is that he vanished off the 13th hole at Rancho Canada golf course in Carmel California. All that was left were his clubs and cart. Our little Honda Civic was in the parking lot with his wallet and shoes. Since that day I have had a deep seeded disdain, outright hatred of Golf. So when I heard about the CEO of BP at the Yacht races this past weekend and our own President and Vice President running off together to play golf instead of dealing with the Gulf. I emotionally hit the roof. I do believe that everyone has the right to rest and relaxation. It is key to our mental health and Well Being. But Golf! What a about a picnic with the family? Swimming in Hawaii and reminding us all of the beauty and sanctity of our Bodies of water. What about Bowling? A favorite Blue Collar past time? Golf was also on the front page of the SF Chronicle this weekend. Egad! Yes, Tiger Woods is back, another model of Fatherhood and devotion on the front Page. Golf. A friend said that it was no big deal that Obama was on the Golf Course, that he was doing the best he could with the Gulf and so he could Golf. The Best he could? I blurted. It's 60+ days later and still there are people sitting idly on the sidelines waiting for some kind of direction from the top. "But, hey", he countered, "what does Obama know about Oil Spills? and gosh he's got a new Director at the Mineral Management Services and by August we should have some kind of relief well drilled, so just calm down." Maybe I should play a round of Golf. I hate Golf. Golf is to me is the most elitist, egotistical, selfish, boring, sport ever played. My husband actually used to watch it on TV. I would stand in wonder. Can you even see the Ball. The thing is, you play for yourself and you alone. In racquet sports like Tennis you have to hit the ball to someone, it's actually a game, there's all the team sports from Baseball to Basketball and of course Soccer. I think I would have been more forgiving and patient if Obama had gone out to shoot some hoops with the locals. Or kicked around the Soccer Ball as a nod to the rest of the world who are at this very moment obsessed with the World cup. But Golf? It's the rich man's game. It is purely for is own score. One wants a low score, to be under par. Yet when one is feeling "a little under par", one is ill. See what I mean? One needs little if any stamina for golf, because the only physical exertion is the swing of a lightweight club. Sure you might get a good walk in, but most of the rich and greedy use the Carts and rumble over what used to be wild terrain and is now using precious water resources to keep the greens greener for the uber rich and spoiled. The club houses, the country clubs have undeniable histories of racism, sexism and without a doubt classism. Wretched. Didn't Bush play a round as Katrina was touching down. It's fascinating to connect the golf | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Oils Well That Ends Wells | First Aired June 2010 | 6/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 15 Episodes |
