Current Events: October 2006 Archives

OK, maybe that is not a fair statement. But when I read articles like this I kind of roll my eyes.

God help me, I should be more patient and understanding.

In between psychic readings and running a shop that sells everything a witch needs to get started, Cabot is mailing letters to civic leaders across Massachusetts warning them of the legal perils of portraying witches as grisly old hags.

Posters hung on government property of witches as haggard women on broomsticks or as green-faced outcasts with an evil glint in their eye could lead to defamation lawsuits by witches protesting what they see as violations of their civil rights.

When I think of civil rights, I think of segregated schools, rest rooms, and forcing people to sit on the back of the bus. In current times, I think of forcing people to go against their religion by supplying birth control in Catholic owned businesses.

But Halloween images of witches? In all honesty, I would be somewhat appalled by stereotypical images of a certain ethnicity plastered everywhere. On the other hand, as a Catholic, heck, I'm used to it. All I have to do is turn on Law and Order. We're all used to it.

Seriously, it never occured to me to stereotype real live Wiccans. My day is just way to busy.

Every day I find another reason to be happy that we've moved (back) to Virginia, and now that it's fall I find bonus reasons. The colors, the apple cider, the pumpkins.... yes, we had fall colors, cider, and pumpkins in Maryland, but not like this. And twice a day, as I go over the overpass, I can take a quick look out the side window and see a magnificent view that extends all the way to the mountains.

There's one unlovely thing about Virginia this fall, however, and that's the Senate race. Why can't Allen and Webb just go out and fight a duel or something instead of this insane mudslinging? And why are they treating me like I'm stupid? Guys (for gentlemen you are not), would you quit with the hicker-than-thou pose?

Webb's particularly annoying, since he carefully wipes the rouge off his neck as soon as the Rappahannock's in the rear-view mirror. Up here in the D.C. burbs, he attacks Allen as being some kind of throwback, but in the southern counties he paints himself as a Real "Born Fightin'" Virginian (never mind that Allen's an ex-governor -- he was born in California!) And of course the major newspapers don't call him on it. It's disgusting.

I'll never vote for Webb; his party's made it clear they don't want my vote, seeing as I'm one of those pro-life theocrat faithbot extremist types. But Allen's campaign isn't doing much for me either.

The only compelling reason I can think of to vote for Allen is the issue of judges. Is that a good enough reason to pull the lever for the guy?

O God of earth and altar,
bow down and hear our cry,
our earthly rulers falter,
our people drift and die;
the walls of gold entomb us,
the swords of scorn divide,
take not thy thunder from us,
but take away our pride.

From all that terror teaches,
from lies of tongue and pen,
from all the easy speeches
that comfort cruel men,
from sale and profanation
of honor, and the sword,
from sleep and from damnation,
deliver us, good Lord!

Tie in a living tether
the prince and priest and thrall,
bind all our lives together,
smite us and save us all;
in ire and exultation
aflame with faith, and free,
lift up a living nation,
a single sword to thee.

-- G. K. Chesterton

usually sung to "King's Lynn"

But I just got wind of Amish School shooting. I am so upset. Up and down our road there were one room Amish school houses. Every morning the children would walk to school hand in hand. If you drove by, the Amish children would automatically wave "hello" at you.

Amish children are some of the most precious I have ever seen. Our neighbor, Norman and his wife Sarah were a couple of years younger then us, and had the same amount of children. When we moved there, Sarah was pregnant with number 4, then we had number 5, then she had number 5...Norman would come over in his buggy on a daily basis to use the phone with a kid, or two, or three in tow. He would tell the kids to sit in the buggy, and they would stay. They would pick dandelions, and giggle and wave at us.

One day he brought them over and they were happy because they brought our children a tiny cat from their recent litter.

My husband was always repeatedly impressed by the children. They worked hard taking care of each other as well as the farm. The small children could entertain themselves with the smallest things, such as a bag of laundry clips.

This upsets me so much because the children are so wonderfully untouched by some of the evils that have polluted our own environment, for example a sense that someone who is uinknown might be someone who is harmful to you as opposed to a neighbor. I hope this does not change all that.